Shan Masood: “Akif Javed and Ali Raza showed promise”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood said he has seen promising signs from the young Pakistan pace duo of Akif Javed and Ali Raza.
Both players have been doing well in domestic cricket and will be hoping to break into the national team in the near future.
Akif, 24, represented the Markhors in the Champions One-Day Cup, which was a domestic 50-over competition held in Faisalabad, and took seven wickets in five matches at an average of 22.
As for 16-year-old Raza, he picked up four wickets in three games for the Panthers at an average of 25.50.
The teenager then proceeded to play for the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in the President’s Cup Grade-I (1-Day) tournament and finished with eight wickets in four matches at an average of 32.75.
Akif, meanwhile, featured in one game for WAPDA, but went wicketless.
Having seen both fast bowlers taking plenty of wickets, Masood acknowledged that they have bright futures ahead of them.
“Akif Javed and Ali Raza showed promise,” he was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Masood recently led Pakistan in their two-Test series against Bangladesh, which the men in green lost 2-0.
He then captained the side in a three-match Test series against England, which Pakistan won 2-1.
The men in green are now taking on Australia in a white-ball series and won the ODI leg 2-1.
The three-match T20I series is currently going on and Australia hold an unassailable 2-0 lead going into the third match, which takes place in Hobart on November 18.
Once their tour of Australia ends, Pakistan will head to Zimbabwe to play three ODIs and three T20Is from November 24 to December 5.
Pakistan Squad for Australia ODI Series: Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Pakistan Squad for Australia T20I Series: Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan
Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe ODI Series: Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir
Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe T20I Series: Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan