Shane Watson: “We’ve been talking to him about turning himself into the Pakistani Andre Russell with the skill and power he’s got with the bat. We already know what he’s got with the ball, and he’s got amazing athleticism which we’ve seen in the field”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson believes pace bowler Mohammad Wasim Jnr has the hitting power and athleticism needed to become Pakistan’s version of West Indies big-hitting all-rounder Andre Russell.
Wasim Jnr has already established himself as one of the bright young bowlers in Pakistan who can score handy runs lower down the order.
However, when coaching the Quetta Gladiators in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), Watson had plans to transform the 22-year-old into an all-round threat like Russell.
“We’ve been talking to him about turning himself into the Pakistani Andre Russell with the skill and power he’s got with the bat. We already know what he’s got with the ball, and he’s got amazing athleticism which we’ve seen in the field,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
In PSL 9, Wasim Jnr claimed nine wickets in eight matches for the Gladiators at an average of 33 and an economy rate of 9.90.
He also mustered 30 runs at an average of six and a strike-rate of 96.77.
Quetta Gladiators Squad for PSL 9: Rilee Rossouw (captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sherfane Rutherford, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Wasim, Jason Roy, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammad Hasnain, Abrar Ahmed, Will Smeed, Saud Shakeel, Sajjad Ali, Usman Qadir, Omair Bin Yousuf, Adil Naz, Khawaja Nafay, Akeal Hosein, Sohail Khan, Laurie Evans, Bismillah Khan