Khurram Shahzad: “I took 5 wickets on my Test debut, including Steve Smith twice, with broken ribs”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan pace bowler Khurram Shahzad has revealed that during his Test debut, he dismissed Australia batsman Steve Smith twice despite bowling with broken ribs.
Shahzad played his first Test match in December 2023 and had Smith caught behind in the first innings before trapping him lbw in the second innings.
Even though Australia won that match by 360 runs, the 25-year-old had a solid outing as he picked up five wickets in total.
“I took 5 wickets on my Test debut, including Steve Smith twice, with broken ribs,” he was quoted as saying by respected journalist Saj Sadiq on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Since Shahzad has yet to make his limited overs debut, he did not feature in Pakistan’s T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, the T20I tour of Bangladesh, and the white-ball tour of the West Indies.
He also missed the T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah, which the men in green won.
During that time, the Mandi Bahauddin native has been playing county cricket for Worcestershire.
In the Vitality Blast, Shahzad took seven wickets in five matches at an average of 21.85 and an economy rate of 8.12.
He has also snapped up 12 wickets in seven One-Day Cup games at an average of 28.75.
As for the County Championship, Shahzad has claimed nine wickets in three matches at an average of 37.55.
The Pakistan team are now involved in the 2025 Asia Cup, which is being played in the UAE.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem
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