Mike Hesson: “If Shadab is not in the top 15 white-ball cricketers of Pakistan, then I should go and do something else”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Islamabad United head coach Mike Hesson believes spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan is one of the “top 15 white-ball cricketers” in Pakistan.
His comments come after Shadab only recently made his international comeback.
Having been overlooked for quite some time, Hesson noted that he cannot fathom how a player of Shadab’s quality wasn’t on the selectors’ radar for that long.
“If Shadab is not in the top 15 white-ball cricketers of Pakistan, then I should go and do something else,” he was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Shadab did not feature in the 2025 Champions Trophy, but did return for the limited overs tour of New Zealand.
In the five-match T20I series, he took one wicket at an average of 143 and scored 58 runs at an average of 14.50.
As for the three-match ODI series that followed, the 26-year-old from Mianwali was not part of the squad.
Currently, Shadab is captaining Islamabad United in the 2025 Pakistan Cuper League (PSL) and has claimed nine wickets in seven games at an average of 15.88 and an economy rate of 6.70.
He has also amassed 89 runs at an average of 22.25 and a strike-rate of 128.98.
PSL 10 got underway on April 11 and will conclude on May 18.
Islamabad United Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Matthew Short, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan (captain)
- Diamond: Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Jason Holder
- Gold: Ben Dwarshuis, Salman Irshad, Salman Ali Agha, Haider Ali
- Silver: Andries Gous, Colin Munro, Mohammad Nawaz, Rumman Raees
- Emerging: Hunain Shah, Saad Masood
- Supplementary: Riley Meredith, Rassie van der Dussen
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