Ahmed Shehzad: “They’ve brought in Shadab Khan, what performances has he given? I haven’t seen any in the last 1.5 years”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad has questioned what spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan has done to earn his spot back in the national team.
Shadab was also appointed as Pakistan’s T20I vice-captain prior to the tour of New Zealand, where the men in green lost the T20I series 4-1 and the ODIs 3-0.
In the five-match T20I series, the 26-year-old only took one wicket at an average of 143 and an economy rate of 11.
He also scored 58 runs at an average of 14.50 and a strike-rate of 131.81.
With the Mianwali native failing to impress against the Black Caps, Shehzad noted that this has been a trend for the last 18 months where Shadab hasn’t lived up to expectations.
“They’ve brought in Shadab Khan, what performances has he given? I haven’t seen any in the last 1.5 years,” he was quoted as saying by TOK Sports on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Following the tour of New Zealand, Shadab captained Islamabad United in PSL 10 and claimed 14 wickets in 10 games at an average of 16.57 and an economy rate of 7.90.
Batting-wise, he struck 173 runs at an average of 24.71 and a strike-rate of 155.85.
Shadab’s next assignment will be Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, which will take place in Lahore from May 28 to June 1.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub