Naseem Shah Asks England To 'Take Him Seriously' Ahead Of Tour

Pakistan pace sensation Naseem Shah has fired a warning at England ahead of the Test and T20I series between the two countries. Pakistan will visit England for three Tests and as many T20Is in August-September. The series will be their first since the coronavirus pandemic halted action around the world.

And ahead of the showdown, Naseem Shah has England to ‘take him seriously’. The teenager said it would be England’s loss if they treat him ‘like a small kid’. Naseem Shah has been named in Pakistan’s 29-man squad for their tour of England.

The 17-year-old has made a brilliant start to his Pakistan career since making his international debut last year in Australia. In four Tests so far, the highly-rated pacer has picked up 13 wickets against Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

In his most recent Test appearance – against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi – Naseem Shah became the youngster bowler to take a Test hat-trick as Pakistan thrashed the tourists by an innings and 44 runs. He also has a five-wicket haul to his name which came against Sri Lanka.

“If they treat me like a small kid, it will be their big loss,” Naseem Shah said when asked about Pakistan’s tour of England.

“Age doesn’t matter, it’s my bowling that matters – so they need to take me seriously,” he added in the video released by PCB.

Pakistan’s head coach Misbah-ul-Haq further spoke on the squad picked for the tour. Despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis, only one Pakistan player – Haris Sohail – opted out of their upcoming tour of England. Mohammad Amir is also not a part of the squad but he opted out in order to be with his pregnant wife.

“The selectors have picked a squad which gives us the best chance of success in England. It was a challenging process as the players have not played for an extended period of time, but nevertheless, with the month that we will have in England and the intense training we will undergo, we are confident we will get the players up to the mark to be ready for the three Tests,” he said.

Misbah-ul-Haq also admitted that the tour of England will be challenging for Pakistan due to lack of cricket. On the other hand, England will head into the series on the back of a three-Test series against West Indies next month.

“The series against England will be challenging as our players have not played any competitive cricket since March, while the home team will come following a series against the West Indies.

“This means we will have to hit the ground running as soon as we land in England and make the best use of the training sessions and match practice before we enter the first Test,” said Misbah.

Also Read: Prithvi Shaw Helps Villagers Rebuild Their Homes In Maharashtra After Cyclone Nisarga

Also Read: England Legend Emerges As Surprise Candidate To Become Cricket Australia Chief