Shadab Khan: “Ali Raza’s mentality belies his age. The way he’s bowling, I think he could be a useful asset for the Pakistan side in [the] future”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Shadab Khan firmly believes 16-year-old pace bowler Ali Raza can be “a useful asset for the Pakistan side in [the] future”.
Raza has been lighting up domestic cricket with his strong performances and has started becoming a household name.
The teenager played alongside Shadab for the Panthers in the Champions One-Day Cup, which was a domestic 50-over competition held in Faisalabad, and took four wickets in three matches at an average of 25.50.
He then represented Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in the President’s Cup Grade-I (1-Day) tournament and was the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker with eight wickets in four games at an average of 32.75.
With Raza having shown immense potential, Shadab stressed the importance of managing him properly as he is still young and susceptible to injuries.
“Ali Raza’s mentality belies his age. The way he’s bowling, I think he could be a useful asset for the Pakistan side in [the] future. We need to be careful with him because he’s still young and his body’s still fragile. That makes him more vulnerable to injuries,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
The Pakistan team recently took on Bangladesh in a two-Test series and were beaten 2-0.
They are now facing England in a three-match Test series, which is tied at 1-1.
The third Test will get underway on October 24 in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan Squad for 2nd and 3rd Tests against England: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Zahid Mahmood.
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