Mohammad Rizwan: “If Saud maintains the hard work he’s doing, then Pakistan will have found themselves another superstar”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Mohammad Rizwan believes Pakistan may have found another superstar in middle order batsman Saud Shakeel.
Shakeel has been brilliant in Test cricket for the men in green, having amassed 875 runs in seven matches, which includes two centuries and six fifties, at an average of 87.50.
He has now been getting more chances in ODIs and is making the most of them as in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, he scored 241 runs in nine games, which included two fifties, at an average of 34.42.
Rizwan, who is the first-choice wicketkeeper in limited overs cricket, noted that if Shakeel wants to take international cricket by storm, he needs to keep working hard.
“If Saud maintains the hard work he’s doing, then Pakistan will have found themselves another superstar,” he told ESPNcricinfo as quoted by Geo Super.
In the World Cup, Rizwan accumulated 395 runs in nine matches, which included a century and a fifty, at an average of 65.83.
Pakistan won their first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before succumbing to defeats at the hands of India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
The men in green fought back to defeat Bangladesh and New Zealand to give themselves a slim chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.
However, the failed to advance to the final four and lost their last group stage game against England by 93 runs.
Next up for Pakistan will be a three-match Test series against Australia, which will start 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