'He can bowl really well with new and old ball' - Misbah-ul-Haq on Naseem Shah

After a rather disappointing last two months, one that saw Pakistan suffer the ignominy of a 0-3 defeat at the hands of an inexperienced Sri Lankan side in the shortest format of the game. The defeat against Sri Lanka caused a massive furor, one that led to the removal of Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain and the induction of Azhar Ali and Babar Azam as the leaders in the longer and shorter formats of the game respectively.

With the tour of Australia coming up, Pakistan coach + chief selector has introduced a whole host of youngsters into the set-up, including the likes of a rookie pacer- 16-year-old Naseem Shah. Shah will become the ninth youngest player and the first of his age to play a Test on Australian soil if he plays.

The rookie fast bowler is looking ahead to what many believe in Pakistan believe, could be a harrowing experience against the likes of Steven Smith, to the challenge, and is aiming to make an impression with his precocious pace and swing.

“I aim to make an impression with my speed and swing if given a chance in the Tests against Australia. The conditions in Australia help fast bowlers. My aim is to make maximum use of the conditions and give a tough time to the home side. Playing on hard and bouncy pitches will be a great experience and a learning curve for me.” Shah said as quoted by cricket.com.au.

Misbah-ul-Haq excited 

Meanwhile, Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq feels that Shah’s baptism with fire on the hard Aussie pitches is something they’re looking forward to. The former captain seemed excited about the prospect of watching Shah bowl in Australia and was of the view that he can bowl with both old and new ball.

“We are looking forward to him bowling in Australian conditions which will give him some assistance with pace and bounce. Everyone is excited to get him in the team also and see how he bowls in Australia. It will help that he can bowl in good areas. He can bowl really well with the new and old ball. He is doing that in first-class already. We are looking forward to him putting the ball in the right areas at that pace, it could be a surprise package.” Misbah said as quoted by cricket.com.au.

Pakistan’s tour of Australia starts with a three-match T20I series, the first of which will be played on November 03 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The T20I series will be followed by two Test matches from November 21st at the Gabba in Brisbane.

[interaction id=”5db2f7437bf76b4d68bf73e3″]