Pakistan Shaheens are gearing up for a home-series to face Bangladesh A, starting from 13th August. In this regard, the squad for the first game was announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The squad has notable inclusion and exclusion and it also marks the comeback of Pakistan’s ace pacer Naseem Shah in the longest format of the game.
Naseem picked up shoulder injury during the Asia Cup 2023 which forced him to miss out on the ODI World Cup 2023 and Australia Test series.
Shah is the part of Pakistan Shaheens too for the first game and will feature for the national side too as the series starts from 21st August.
The squad is currently practising at Rawalpindi Stadium and Shah was recently engaged in a candid media conference.
The right-arm pacer admitted that Pakistan hasn’t played a good brand of cricket in recent past but remained hopeful for a strong comeback.
“Yes, our comeback wasn’t great, and we can’t deny that we didn’t play good cricket. Criticism is part of it, and we must endure it until things improve. This is a good chance to bounce back, play better, and show up as a team. That’s what I’m hoping for,”
The rising pacer also shared his excitement to be back to the longest format of the game, also admitted that the transition is going to be a tough challenge.
“I haven’t played red cricket for thirteen months; it’s not easy to play after a long time. International cricket has its own pressure; however, we are training hard for it,”
“I know personally that playing an international match after a long time is not easy. After returning from injury, I am gradually increasing the load of bowling spells,”
The 21-year-old also accepted the fact that working with foreign coaches creates a language barrier as it becomes difficult to communicate.
“There is a language problem with foreign coaches. We need someone to translate the language. It is easier to communicate with the coach in your own language,”
Lastly, the pacer also emphasised on the fact that fitness is very important for an athlete.
“I think fitness is something you need to take care of yourself. You can teach school kids about this, but international cricketers are not school kids that you need to tell them about fitness. Everyone knows at this level and you don’t like it as well when the whole world can see your fitness levels.”
After featuring for Pakistan Shaheens, Naseem will probably make a comeback to his national side. And bear in mind when he last played against the Bengal Tigers, he took a hat-trick.
The two-match Test series will be played across two different venues; Rawalpindi and Karachi.
Pakistan Squad
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal (subject to Fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
