Misbah-ul-Haq: “I think Nawaz is still bowling well [as compared to Shadab], if you see his performance from the last 2-3 matches, he is batting with confidence”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq believes spinner Mohammad Nawaz is still a better option than Shadab Khan as he is “bowling well” and has been “batting with confidence.”
Both players are under immense pressure right now as they have not been living up to expectations.
Their lack of wickets has been a real thorn in the side for the men in green and it persisted in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Shadab only took two wickets in six matches at an average of 118.50 and an economy rate of 6.23, while Nawaz claimed two wickets in five games at an average of 111.50 and an economy rate of 5.89.
While both players’ statistics are extremely disappointing, Misbah reiterated that he would rather pick Nawaz at the moment.
“I think Nawaz is still bowling well [as compared to Shadab], if you see his performance from the last 2-3 matches, he is batting with confidence,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan won their first two World Cup games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before falling to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they fought back to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they still weren’t able to qualify for the semi-finals.
To add insult to injury, the men in green lost their final group stage game against England by 93 runs.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a three-Test series against Australia, but Shadab was not included in the 18-man squad named.
The first Test between Pakistan and Australia will begin on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi