Shan Masood: “We felt that going into South Africa, we needed a bowler who gave our bowling lineup a number of overs and control. His skill is second to none”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has lauded pace bowler Mohammad Abbas, saying his “skill is second to none”.
Abbas returned with a bang in the 1st Test against South Africa in Centurion as he nearly led the men in green to a come-from-behind win.
The 34-year-old from Sialkot took seven wickets in the match, including career-best figures of 6-54 in the second innings.
Masood admitted that Pakistan needed a bowler like Abbas who could provide “a number of overs and control”.
“A year ago, during the Australia series, we had six fast bowlers who were in the side and who had performed well in domestic cricket. You’ve got to give players a full chance and look at conditions. The England series was such that Abbas’s skillset wasn’t as important, but we felt that going into South Africa, we needed a bowler who gave our bowling lineup a number of overs and control. His skill is second to none,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Having lost the 1st Test by two wickets, Pakistan will look to bounce back in the 2nd Test against South Africa, which begins on January 3 in Cape Town.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha
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