Naseem Shah: “Riley’s pace and bounce are something special, and I think he’s going to light up the league. Pakistani fans are passionate about fast bowling, and we love express pace – Rey fits that perfectly”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah has backed Australia speedster Riley Meredith to “light up” the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as his “pace and bounce are something special”.
Meredith was picked by Islamabad United in the Supplementary round of the draft for PSL 10, which is scheduled to be held from April 10 to May 25.
The 28-year-old from Hobart has represented Australia in six T20Is and taken nine wickets at an average of 24.66.
In regards to his overall T20 career, he has claimed 145 wickets in 114 matches at an average of 23.95.
Meredith was recently in action for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League (BBL) and played a pivotal role in helping the team win their maiden title as he was the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 16 wickets in 10 games at an average of 20.25.
“I’m really excited to see two players in particular joining Islamabad United this season: Riley Meredith and Matthew Short. Riley’s pace and bounce are something special, and I think he’s going to light up the league. Pakistani fans are passionate about fast bowling, and we love express pace – Rey fits that perfectly,” Naseem was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Naseem recently toured South Africa with the Pakistan team and snapped up five wickets in three ODIs at an average of 28.
He also took part in the two-Test series, claiming four wickets in one match at an average of 31.50.
However, he did not feature in the two-Test series against the West Indies in Multan, which ended as a 1-1 draw.
That said, Naseem was included in Pakistan’s team for the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, and the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will take place from February 19 to March 9.
Pakistan Squad for 2025 Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah