Misbah-Ul-Haq Sings Praises Of Shadab Khan After PSL 2020 Show

Pakistan’s head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has billed Shadab Khan for success as a batsman while going on to add there is work to be done in the bowling department that still needs “improvement and consistency.”

The player who began his career as a leg spinner, although Shabad came to the fore as a batman in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League PSL 2020, playing a starring role for Islamabad United, scoring three-half-centuries in his tally of 263 runs across the tournament, with a strike rate of 159.

Misbah was thus left wanting more from the 21-year-old, especially as Islamabad had a season to forget, as they failed to qualify for the knockout rounds for the first time in the league’s history.

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Misbah-ul-Haq lauds Shadab Khan but calls for improvement:

In a recent interaction with ESPN CricInfo, the veteran revealed how he plans to use Shadab going forward with the Pakistan national team.

“Shadab as an allrounder was a plus for us, especially in white-ball cricket,” said Misbah. “I think we need a floater in the middle somewhere to join a link between the top order and late middle order.”

The 45-year-old also further added why Shadab struggled with the ball for United in the PSL 2020.

“His bowling obviously needs improvement and consistency, but he still had a couple of good games with the ball. There were some differences in pitches in Pakistan and he played most of our games in Pindi [Rawalpindi], where boundaries are short and the ball doesn’t turn much, so it is difficult for a spinner,” stated Misbah. 

Misbah-ul-Haq hoping to leverage Shadab Khan’s batting abilities:

The Pakistani coach conceded that having a player of Shadab’s qualities was a luxury, as he can contribute a lot, with his batting, bowling and fielding as well.

Misbah said, “Against Karachi (Kings) and Lahore (Qalandars), Shadab was good. But overall, wrist spinners in T20 cricket with the ability to bat at any number is a leverage. He can field, bowl, bat and can be used anywhere according to the situation of the game.”

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