Shah Faisal: “Everyone knows he is troubled by the short ball”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Cricket commentator Shah Faisal has pointed out that everyone knows Pakistan batsman Usman Khan is “troubled by the short ball”.
Usman was fast-tracked into the Pakistan team following a stellar campaign in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he finished as the second-highest run-scorer with 430 runs in seven matches for the Multan Sultans, which included two centuries and two fifties, at an average of 107.50 and a strike-rate of 164.12.
However, he hasn’t been able to replicate his success at the international level, having amassed 117 runs in 10 T20Is at an average of 14.62 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
During the recent Champions One-Day Cup, which was a domestic 50-over tournament held in Faisalabad, Faisal admitted he was surprised that bowlers opted not to utilise the short ball when bowling to Usman, especially considering he has a weakness against such deliveries.
The 29-year-old ended the competition as the highest run-scorer, accumulating 272 runs in six matches for the Panthers, which included a century and two fifties, at an average of 54.40.
“Everyone knows he is troubled by the short ball,” Faisal was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Usman was not selected for Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh, which they lost 2-0, or the ongoing three-Test series against England, where the men in green find themselves 1-0 down after losing the first Test in Multan by an innings and 47 runs.
Instead, the Karachi native is featuring in the President’s Cup Grade-I (1-Day) tournament and has scored 230 runs in three games for Eshaal Associates, which includes a career-best knock of 201 not out, at an average of 115.
The second Test between Pakistan and England will begin on October 15 in Multan.
[TS_Poll id=”126″]