Dasun Shanaka: “I have seen his growth from where he started and where he is now, so [I’m] really happy about the way he has performed”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Sri Lanka T20I captain Dasun Shanaka has praised the development of Pakistan spin-bowling all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, admitting he has been genuinely impressed by his growth.
Nawaz has established himself as a key player in Pakistan’s white-ball teams, delivering consistent wickets while also providing valuable lower order contributions with the bat.
Having faced the 31-year-old from Rawalpindi in recent encounters, Shanaka acknowledged that Nawaz has improved dramatically and expressed his happiness at the all-rounder’s progress.
“For me, of course, (Mohammad) Nawaz. I have seen his growth from where he started and where he is now, so [I’m] really happy about the way he has performed. He has [gotten] continuous chances to be part of the Pakistan team. I’m really happy for him,” he was quoted as saying by TOK Sports on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Nawaz is currently featuring in the 2026 T20 World Cup, where he has taken three wickets in three matches at an average of 29 and an economy rate of 7.90.
Batting-wise, he has made 15 runs at an average of five and a strike-rate of 53.57.
Pakistan won their first two games in the tournament against the Netherlands and United States of America before losing to India.
Their next match will be against Namibia on February 18 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for 2026 T20 World Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq