Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has heaped praises on young speedster Naseem Shah ahead of their Test series against England. Misbah said that the 17-year-old Shah is now capable of winning matches single-handedly.
Naseem is a part of the formidable-looking Pakistani pace attack – comprising the likes of Wahab Riaz, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Shinwari, Sohail Khan – for the three-match series against England.
Earlier this year, the right-handed bowler, Naseesm, had become the youngest cricketer to scalp a Test hat-trick against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi and Misbah waxed lyrical of his immense potential ahead of the first England Test.
“Waqar Younis and I just saw him (Naseem Shah) in the Gaddafi Stadium and he just looked like a complete bowler and we decided that even though he hadn’t played first-class cricket he should go to Australia,” Misbah, who is also Pakistan’s chief selector, told reporters as per The Guardian.
“By the time he arrived there, he had played four games and taken 17 wickets. We could see the potential but now we’ve got the evidence at international level; he’s already got a hat-trick and five-fers. He is one who could win a Test match on his own,” he added.
Naseem, himself, had issued a warning to the opposition before boarding the plane for UK as he had urged them against treating him like a kid during the series.
“If they treat me like a small kid, it will be their big loss. Age doesn’t matter, it’s my bowling that matters, so they need to take me seriously,” Naseem had told reporters during videoconference in June.
“I want to be among the top three bowlers in the world. Our bowling coach Waqar Younis is guiding me well. I will try to increase my speed but my focus is also on my line and length,” he added.
With IANS inputs