Mohammad Wasim: “If Shadab Khan wants to make a comeback to the national cricket team, he should have played domestic cricket before the Big Bash League”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan chief selector Mohammad Wasim believes that spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan should play domestic cricket before making a return to the national side.
He noted that Shadab should have played domestic cricket before the recent Big Bash League (BBL), adding that questions arise over the selectors when they pick him based on his performances in overseas T20 competitions.
During BBL 15, the 27-year-old represented the Sydney Thunder, taking seven wickets in six matches at an average of 26.57 and an economy rate of 8.85. He also scored 104 runs at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 125.30.
Shadab then went on to feature for Pakistan in the 2026 T20 World Cup, claiming five wickets in seven matches at an average of 30.40 and an economy rate of 8.44. With the bat, he accumulated 118 runs at an average of 23.60 and a strike rate of 153.24.
Following the tournament, Shadab returned to domestic cricket and represented Abbottabad Region in the National T20 Cup, where he picked up nine wickets in five games at an average of 13.88 and an economy rate of 7.35. In addition, he scored 19 runs at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 146.15.
“If Shadab Khan wants to make a comeback to the national cricket team, he should have played domestic cricket before the Big Bash League. Selecting him for the national cricket team on the basis of any foreign league actually raises question marks over the selectors,” Wasim was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Shadab is now captaining Islamabad United in the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he has claimed five wickets in three matches at an average of 15.80 and an economy rate of 7.90.
He has also done well with the bat, scoring 73 runs, which includes a top score of 69 not out, at an average of 73 and a strike-rate of 165.90.
Islamabad United Squad for PSL 11: Shadab Khan (captain), Salman Irshad, Andries Gous, Devon Conway, Faheem Ashraf, Mehran Mumtaz, Chris Green, Mark Chapman, Nisar Ahmad, Hamza Sajjad, Sameen Gul, Sameer Minhas, Imad Wasim, Richard Gleeson, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Dipendra Singh Airee, Mohammad Faiq, Salman Mirza, Mohsin Raza
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