Shadab Khan: “The way you have won matches for Pakistan and other teams at the very end of games doesn’t get its recognition”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan spinner Shadab Khan believes big-hitting batsman Asif Ali doesn’t get the recognition he deserves as a match-winner.
Asif used to be one of Pakistan’s go-to power-hitters in limited overs cricket and played multiple game-winning knocks.
However, when he started becoming inconsistent with his ability to score big runs, the 33-year-old was eventually dropped and hasn’t played international cricket since October 2023.
Shadab knows how dangerous the Faisalabad native can be and feels that people need to give him more credit for the way he bats.
“The way you have won matches for Pakistan and other teams at the very end of games doesn’t get its recognition,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Asif recently played for the Dolphins in the Champions One-Day Cup, which was a domestic 50-over competition that took place in Faisalabad.
In four matches, he amassed 88 runs, which included a top score of 50, at an average of 22.
He then represented Pakistan Television in the President’s Cup Grade-I (1-Day) tournament and accumulated 71 runs in five games at an average of 17.75.
Asif was not picked for Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh, which they lost 2-0.
The men in green are now taking on England in a three-match Test series, which is tied at 1-1.
The third Test got 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.