Former Pakistan cricketer Mudassar Nazar has expressed concern over Khurram Shahzad’s fitness. He also spoke about the uncertainty revolving around Faheem Ashraf’s role as an all-rounder in the Pakistan Test team.
Nazar highlighted Khurram Shahzad’s performance in an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan. He said that although the bowler was good with his skills, his physical condition was not up to the mark, especially for Test cricket. He revealed that he was playing at 120 km/h when he entered the field on the second day.
“Khurram, although he was not a bad bowler, the next day when he came in the morning, he was bowling at a speed of 120 km per hour and his body language was also not correct. He seemed quite tired. So, one thing is that his physical condition does not reach the level required for a Test player,” Nazar said.
Mudassar Nazar also expressed concern over Khurram Shahzad’s adaptability to different field conditions. He noted that Khurram Shahzad excels when there is grass on the field and the ball has a bit of movement. “He [Khurram] “We will need conditions where there is some grass on the field,” he added.
Khurram Shahzad ruled out of remaining two matches of series
Khurram Shehzad felt some discomfort in his left rib during the Perth Test and scans revealed a stress fracture and abdominal muscle tear that ruled him out of the remaining Test matches against Australia. Focusing on Faheem Ashraf’s role as an all-rounder, the former Pakistan cricketer added that Ashraf’s role in the team is very uncertain.
“Another enigma is our all-rounder, Faheem Ashraf. I still don’t know if he plays as a batsman or as a bowler. This discussion already took place in the previous series that he is an all-round batsman and focuses more on batting than bowling. Unfortunately, his bowling is not that effective and the same thing happened in this match. In the end, persistently providing him protection proved detrimental to the Pakistan team,” he concluded.
Australia recorded a resounding victory against Pakistan in the first Test, beating them by 360 runs. Pakistan and Australia will now face each other in Melbourne, where the second Test is scheduled. The match will begin on December 26 and Australia will look to finish the series for Pakistan in the second Test.
Khurram Shahzad has been ruled out for the rest of the series and Pakistan are likely to field Mir Hamza or Hasan Ali in the XI in place of Shahzad. Aamer Jamal was one of the positives for Pakistan in the first Test as he took six wickets in the first innings.
Pakistan conceded just 89 runs in the final innings as they chased a massive target of 450 runs. Nathan Lyon completed his 500 Test wickets in the final innings of the Perth Test and became the third Australian and eighth player overall to achieve this enormous feat. Pakistan and Australia will move to Sydney for the third Test, which will be David Warner’s last match in red-ball cricket.
