Shoaib Malik: “You (Naseem Shah) are an asset for us. Please, please give him full time until he is 100% fit”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik believes fast bowler Naseem Shah has more than earned his place in the Pakistan team as he has become “an asset for us.”
Naseem was arguably Pakistan’s best bowler in the lead-up to the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup as he was swinging the ball beautifully and getting plenty of wickets.
However, the 20-year-old didn’t feature in the World Cup as he suffered a shoulder injury during the Asia Cup.
Despite knowing that Pakistan are eager for Naseem to return, Malik stressed that it is important to wait until he is “100% fit.”
“You (Naseem Shah) are an asset for us. Please, please give him full time until he is 100% fit,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan won their first two World Cup games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they fought back to defeat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they failed to make it to the semi-finals.
The men in green concluded their campaign in dismal fashion as England hammered them by 93 runs.
Since he is still recovering from his shoulder injury, Naseem was not considered for selection for Pakistan’s upcoming three-Test series against Australia, which begins 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
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