I do want to play Test cricket, will be eyeing Australia series to make comeback: Shadab Khan

Pakistan’s star all-rounder Shadab Khan has indicated his desire to play Test cricket. The 24-year-old is at the peak of his skills, having been named Pakistan's vice-captaincy in the limited-overs format. However, he has experienced difficulties in the longest format of the game.

Shadab, Yasir Shah’s successor, was recently dropped from Pakistan's squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, with the first game beginning from July 16 at the Galle International Cricket Stadium. Following his omission, he was asked about why he was continually excluded from the Test squad, despite Pakistan's two disastrous World Test Championship (WTC) campaigns.

The all-rounder said that he go was accustomed to red-ball cricket after playing five back-to-back matches. He claimed that he is good at white-ball cricket but that becoming a Test player proves challenging for him since he has not played many first-class games. He added that when he was getting into his stride as a red-ball player, he was dropped and subsequently hampered by injuries.

"When I played 5 back-to-back Test matches, I thought I was getting myself into the rhythm of Test cricket. As I mentioned earlier, it takes time to make a player. I was a natural at white ball but becoming a red player takes time and I hadn't even played that many first-class games. When I thought I was slowly getting into my groove as a red ball cricketer, I got dropped and then got stymied by injuries," the all-rounder told Cricbuzz.

The 24-year-old went on to say that he has a desire to play Test cricket and that he is willing to play more first-class matches. He intends to return to red-ball cricket in the Test series against Australia following the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, which will be held in October and November. 

"But I do want to play Test cricket and am ready to play first-class cricket to stake a claim. I'll be eyeing the Test series in Australia after the World Cup to make a comeback in the Test side," Shadab added.
 
Shadab Khan made his Test debut for Pakistan against West Indies at Bridgetown in 2017 and last played red-ball cricket against England in 2020. So far, the all-rounder has played six Tests, amassing 300 runs at an average of 62.63 and taking 14 wickets at an economy rate of 3.22.