Shoaib Akhtar: “I am more interested in him as a bowler and I always recognise him as a bowler – I don’t care about his batting”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said he classifies Shadab Khan as a bowler and therefore doesn’t care about his batting.
Shadab has returned to the national team as Pakistan’s T20I vice-captain after being overlooked for quite some time due to his inconsistent performances.
During the team’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand, the 26-year-old didn’t do as well as he would have liked as he 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.
The Mianwali native fared a lot better in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he captained Islamabad United, as he claimed 14 wickets in 10 matches 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.
“I am more interested in him as a bowler and I always recognise him as a bowler – I don’t care about his batting,” Akhtar was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
After PSL 10, Shadab represented Pakistan in their three-match T20I series against Bangladesh and ended up with four wickets at an average of 16.25 and an economy rate of 7.22.
He also amassed 55 runs at an average of 27.50 and a strike-rate of 157.14.
Pakistan won the series 3-0.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub
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