Ian Pont: “He’s not the bowler he was when he burst onto the scene, but he’s still got the assets and attributes to do it”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Renowned fast bowling coach Ian Pont has admitted that Pakistan speedster Naseem Shah is “not the bowler he was when he burst onto the scene”.
Naseem took the cricket world by storm when he made his debut as he was picking up plenty of wickets with his raw pace and ability to swing the ball.
Lately, however, the 22-year-old has experienced a dip in form, which was evident during the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he picked up nine wickets in 10 matches for Islamabad United at an average of 40.33 and an economy rate of 9.30.
Despite dropping from the level he was once at, Pont insisted that Naseem can bounce back as he has “the assets and attributes to do it”.
“He’s not the bowler he was when he burst onto the scene, but he’s still got the assets and attributes to do it,” he told PakPassion.
After PSL 10, Naseem did not feature in Pakistan’s T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, the T20I tour of Bangladesh, and the T20I series against the West Indies.
He did take part in the ODI series against the West Indies and finished with five wickets in two games at an average of 25.40.
Naseem is now featuring in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), where he has claimed 11 wickets in 10 matches for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at an average of 25.81 and an economy rate of 8.31.
Since he has been playing in the CPL, Naseem did not represent Pakistan in their T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah.
The men in green are now participating in the 2025 Asia Cup, which is being held in the UAE.
They began their campaign with a 93-run win over Oman.
Pakistan will look to make it two wins in two games when they take on India on September 14 in Dubai.
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