Mark Butcher: “Really just lost all of his bite and it just seems to go out of the park every time he lets it go”
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Former England batsman Mark Butcher believes Pakistan spinner Shadab Khan has “lost all of his bite” as he seems to be getting hit out of the park every time he comes on to bowl.
Shadab conceded runs at an alarming rate in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and didn’t take many wickets as well.
In the six games he played, the 25-year-old was limited to two wickets at an average of 118.50 and an economy rate of 6.23.
While there has been continuous debate on whether Shadab should stay in the team or get dropped, Butcher noted that time is running out for the Mianwali native to turn his fortunes around.
“Really just lost all of his bite and it just seems to go out of the park every time he lets it go,” he was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Pakistan kickstarted the World Cup with victories over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing four straight to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
They subsequently bounced back with wins over Bangladesh and New Zealand, which kept them in the race to qualify for the semi-finals.
However, they failed to reach 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