Shoaib Malik: “I always thought Saud Shakeel should be mandatory in the Pakistan cricket team”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik said middle order batsman Saud Shakeel should be a “mandatory” pick in the team from now on.
Shakeel has been in excellent form in Test cricket and has shown a lot of promise in ODIs as well.
Since the men in green have struggled to find long-term middle order batsmen, Malik believes the 28-year-old from Karachi should be given a prolonged run in the side to prove his worth.
“I always thought Saud Shakeel should be mandatory in the Pakistan cricket team,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Shakeel is currently representing Pakistan in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and has scored 212 runs in eight matches, which includes two fifties, at an average of 35.33.
The men in green began the tournament by beating the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before they faltered against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
They subsequently fought back to defeat Bangladesh and New Zealand to keep their World Cup semi-final hopes alive.
Pakistan will now be looking to secure another big win when they go up against 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