PAK vs AUS: Saud Shakeel Names 2 Players Who Can Replace Khurram Shahzad In Pakistan Team

Pakistan pacer Khurram Shahzad has been ruled out of the three-match Test series against Australia after suffering a stress fracture on the left side of his 10th rib, as well as an abdominal muscle tear. Batter Saud Shakeel showed sympathy for Shahzad’s injury and mentioned a few good options to replace him in the squad for the Melbourne Test.

Khurram Shahzad took five wickets in total during the first Test between Australia and Pakistan which was played at the Optus Stadium in Perth. He took the wicket of Steven Smith in both the innings and got David Warner out for a duck in the second innings. Shahzad also got the set Mitchell Marsh on 90 in the first innings and sent Marnus Labuschagne back in the second innings for a two.

“He bowled really well, he had a big job coming here. I’m really sad for him that he got injured,” Shakeel told reporters on Thursday. “That’s part of the game. We have a couple of other bowlers as well – Mir Hamza and Hasan Ali – and they can get good wickets in this Melbourne Test,” he added.

Saud Shakeel made little contribution with the bat during the Perth Test where he scored 28 and 24 in the respective two innings. He has urged the batting unit to acquire a more positive approach and play some attacking shots to exert pressure on the opposition from early on in the innings. “We just need to be more positive with our batting approach and just play some attacking shots to get runs and put them under pressure,” said Shakeel.

Saud Shakeel Is Optimistic About The Melbourne Pitch Supporting The Batters

Saud Shakeel was optimistic while analyzing the pitch of Melbourne where the second Test is scheduled. He said that the Perth pitch had bounce and was not very suitable for batting. In contrast, the Melbourne pitch will be suitable more for batting. “The Perth pitch has got the maximum bounce. I think this pitch will suit us … The matches in Melbourne I’ve seen, it’s not (as) hard to bat on,” he said.

Saud Shakeel expressed the importance of playing collectively as a team. He also said that playing in Australian conditions is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. He praised the formidable bowling attack of the Aussies.

“When you come to Australia they’ve got good experience, they have a quality attack. When you’re playing in their home conditions it’s more of a mental challenge than physical. As a team … we have to go out there and score runs,” Saud Shakeel concluded.

Pakistan are already behind in the series by 1-0 and Australia will not give them any opportunity to take advantage in the upcoming Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Australia have a terrific record at the MCG and they have never lost to Pakistan in Tests at home since 1995-96. Pakistan would be hoping to at least perform better than the first Test which was a complete disappointment in terms of batting.

Australia won the first Test by a margin of 360 runs, bundling out Pakistan for just 89 in the second innings. Pakistan would be hoping for a comeback in Melbourne and looking at their batting attack on paper, they can turn things around. India were also bundled for 36 in the first Test during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21. However, they won the series 2-1 in their favour coming back after a huge setback at Adelaide.