Hunain Shah: “Look, he is the top-ranked batsman right now, and I wasn’t expecting that he would come over to me and appreciate my skills”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Up-and-coming Pakistan fast bowler Hunain Shah said limited overs captain Babar Azam fuelled his motivation even further after praising his bowling and providing some useful advice.
Hunain, the brother of first-choice fast bowler Naseem Shah, recently played for Islamabad United in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and made quite a splash, taking eight wickets in 10 matches at an average of 28.12 and an economy rate of 9.50.
As for Azam, he captained the Peshawar Zalmi and finished as the highest run-scorer in PSL 9 with 569 runs in 11 games, which included a century and five fifties, at an average of 56.90 and a strike-rate of 142.60.
“Look, he is the top-ranked batsman right now, and I wasn’t expecting that he would come over to me and appreciate my skills,” Hunain told Cricwick.
“When I came to the hotel, he hugged me there and then told me how to get out of tricky situations as a fast bowler. Naseem was also there and Babar pointed out that he (Naseem) knows how to come on top in these situations.
“He motivated me a lot and for me, it is a big deal because he is a superstar. He has a very good heart.”
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufiyan Muqeem, Waqar Salamkheil, Arshad Iqbal, Gus Atkinson, Shamar Joseph
Islamabad United Squad for PSL 9: Shadab Khan (captain), Naseem Shah, Jordan Cox, Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Tymal Mills, Faheem Ashraf, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Rumman Raees, Matthew Forde, Salman Ali Agha, Qasim Akram, Shahab Khan, Hunain Shah, Ubaid Shah, Shamyl Hussain, Obed McCoy, Haider Ali, Muhammad Waseem
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