It was tough for Naseem Shah... - Misbah-ul-Haq recalls pacer's mother's tragic death before his debut

The 21-year-old pacer from Pakistan, Naseem Shah made his debut for the national team at the age of 16 in 2019 against Australia in a Test match. However, a huge tragedy struck him and his family just a day before he was scheduled to make his debut.

Naseem Shah, who was just 16 years old at the time of his debut, lost his mother just a day before his debut. Former Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq talked about how difficult it was for him to console the youngster who was supposed to make his debut.

Misbah-ul-Haq revealed that it was Naseem Shah’s mother’s biggest wish to see him play for Pakistan and for the sake of it Naseem Shah stayed with the team and did not go to his mother’s funeral. It was a very difficult time for the young pacer and Misbah revealed that he was in tears for a whole day while players and Waqar Younis were trying to console him in every possible way.

“That was difficult, I think it was a scenario which according to me is very difficult to face for anyone in life. It is nearly impossible but I think Waqar Bhai (Waqar Younis) played the role of the consoler, he went to him and stayed there. The players made a lot of effort to give him as much time and space. That was a tough time for him, his family also talked on the phone, and we tried to keep him in touch with his family for as long as he wanted to,” said Misbah-ul-Haq.

“We gave him options that if he wanted to go to the funeral then we would make the arrangements, the board arranged everything for him but eventually, his family also wanted him to play as it was his mother’s wish to watch him play now he couldn’t even reach there and return on time so it was better that he stayed there with the team. It was tough, it was very tough for him I remember he was in tears for a whole day and it was a very difficult time for him.”

Watch- Misbah-ul-Haq talking about Naseem Shah losing his mother a day before his Test debut

How difficult was it to console #NaseemShah ahead of his debut, considering his mother passed away? @captainmisbahpk answers an emotional question in #AskThePavilion.#ASportsHD #ThePavilion #HBLPSL9 #WasimAkram #MohammadHafeez #MisbahUlHaq #FakhreAlam #KKvIU pic.twitter.com/BMhB2Qkga4

— ASports (@asportstvpk) February 28, 2024

Naseem Shah has played 17 Test matches, 14 ODIs and 19 T20Is for Pakistan and has taken 98 wickets across formats. He made his Test debut against Australia on November 21, 2019, and took David Warner’s wicket on his debut. Naseem then took three years to make his debut in ODIs and T20Is both of them coming under the span of just 12 days. He made his ODI debut against the Netherlands whereas his T20 debut came against India in the Asia Cup 2022.

It was a difficult time for Naseem Shah when he made his debut for Pakistan but the way he handled the situation and went to bowl in such circumstances shows his dedication to his country and the sport. He is one of the most talented young prospects for Pakistan and will definitely be a star in the future.