Shadab Khan: “I do want to play Test cricket and am ready to play first-class cricket to stake a claim. I’ll be eyeing the Test series in Australia after the World Cup to make a comeback in the Test side”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Shadab Khan, the Pakistan spinner, has announced that he is eager to make his Test comeback during the national team’s tour of Australia in December 2023 to January 2024.
Pakistan and Australia are scheduled to play three Tests during that period, with the first match getting underway on December 14 in Perth.
Shadab, who is Pakistan’s limited overs vice-captain, has not played the longest format since August 2020, which was the last time he even played first-class cricket.
Eager to represent his country in all three formats, the 25-year-old is ready to return to first-class cricket in Pakistan after the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and convince the selectors to pick him for the Australia tour.
“I do want to play Test cricket and am ready to play first-class cricket to stake a claim. I’ll be eyeing the Test series in Australia after the World Cup to make a comeback in the Test side,” Shadab, who has taken 14 wickets in six Tests to date at an average of 36.64, told Cricbuzz.
Shadab is currently in action for Pakistan in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, where he has taken two wickets in five matches at an average of 90 and an economy rate of 6.42.
The men in green began with back-to-back wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before stumbling against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Despite losing four games in a row, Pakistan fought back to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand to keep their hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals alive.
They will now take on 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