Mark Butcher: “Usama Mir is the guy for them”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former England batsman Mark Butcher believes it might be time for Usama Mir to overtake Shadab Khan as Pakistan’s first-choice spinner in white-ball cricket.
This comes after Shadab has failed to take wickets regularly over the past couple of months and in the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, where he has claimed two wickets in five matches at an average of 90 and an economy rate of 6.42.
However, replacing Shadab with Mir won’t be a simple task as the former is Pakistan’s limited overs vice-captain.
Despite this, Butcher feels that Mir needs to be given a prolonged run in the team, especially considering he has been Pakistan’s best spinner in the World Cup.
In the four games he has played, the 27-year-old has taken four wickets at an average of 62 and an economy rate of 7.08.
“Usama Mir is the guy for them,” Butcher was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Pakistan began the World Cup with wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing four in a row to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Facing elimination, they secured victories over Bangladesh and New Zealand to keep themselves in the semi-final race.
Pakistan will now face England on November 11 in Kolkata.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali