Khushdil Shah: “I bowl to him in the Pakistan team. He struggles a bit against left-arm spinners. I try to bowl with discipline to him”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan big-hitting all-rounder Khushdil Shah acknowledged that batsman Babar Azam “struggles a bit against left-arm spinners”.
Azam’s weakness to spin is well known, but he has been trying to work on rectifying the problem.
Khushdil noted that whenever he bowls to the 30-year-old, he tries to maintain a disciplined line and length in order to trouble him.
“I bowl to him in the Pakistan team. He struggles a bit against left-arm spinners. I try to bowl with discipline to him,” he told ARY News.
Azam recently captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and amassed 288 runs in 10 games, which included three fifties, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
As for Khushdil, he made 253 runs in 11 matches for the Karachi Kings, which included a top score of 60, at an average of 36.14 and a strike-rate of 156.17.
Bowling-wise, the 30-year-old took seven wickets at an average of 34.85 and an economy rate of 9.03.
Following PSL 10, Pakistan faced Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series, but Azam was not selected.
Khushdil, on the other hand, did make the cut and played all three games. However, he only scored five runs the one time he batted.
He also claimed two wickets at an average of 15.50 and an economy rate of 7.75.
Pakistan are now touring Bangladesh for a three-match T20I series that is being held in Mirpur. Azam was overlooked once again, while Khushdil was included in the team.
In the 1st T20I, which the men in green lost by seven wickets, Khushdil made 17 runs.
The 2nd T20I between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be played on July 22 in Mirpur.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza and Sufiyan Muqeem