Shoaib Malik: “A batter with a strong technique like Saud plays an important role after Babar Azam and [Mohammad] Rizwan”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Veteran Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik believes middle order batsman Saud Shakeel is becoming an increasingly important member of the national team.
He noted that if the 28-year-old can keep scoring runs consistently, he could play an “important role” like former captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan.
Shakeel has already nailed down his spot in the Test team after a string of brilliant performances, while his place in the ODI team also seems stable as he has done well so far.
“A batter with a strong technique like Saud plays an important role after Babar Azam and [Mohammad] Rizwan,” Malik was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Shakeel recently played in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and amassed 241 runs in nine matches, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 34.42.
Pakistan began their campaign with wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before they lost four in a row to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Teetering on the brink of elimination, the men in green put up a spirited fight to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand to keep their hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals alive.
However, they ultimately failed to advance to the final four and ended up losing their last group stage game against England by 93 runs.
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
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