Shadab Khan: “Saad reminds me of myself when I was starting. While we can’t guarantee him playing time, we will guide and nurture him to become a future star. Our focus isn’t just on this season but on his long-term growth”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan has admitted that Saad Masood reminds him of himself and has vowed to try and turn the 20-year-old into “a future star”.
Masood was picked by Islamabad United in the Emerging Category of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) draft for PSL 10.
Shadab, who is Islamabad’s captain, conceded that he cannot guarantee the 20-year-old significant playing time. Instead, a lot of focus will be put into Masood’s “long-term growth”.
“Saad reminds me of myself when I was starting. While we can’t guarantee him playing time, we will guide and nurture him to become a future star. Our focus isn’t just on this season but on his long-term growth,” Shadab was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“Even if Saad moves to another team, we want to ensure he’s prepared for the future. From my own experience, I can confidently say this franchise is the best place for him to grow.”
Shadab will no doubt have his own goals for PSL 10 as he will be looking to use the competition to earn a recall to the Pakistan team.
The Mianwali native has not played international cricket since the 2024 T20 World Cup.
However, after enjoyed a strong domestic season, he will be looking to cap it off with a stellar performance in PSL 10.
The Pakistan team recently toured Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa before playing a two-Test series against the West Indies in Multan.
They are now facing New Zealand and South Africa in an ODI tri-series and will then go on to play in 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