Shadab Khan speaking during media talk ahead of the T20I series against Australia:
About his comeback to the team after your injury and criticism on social media:
“Whenever a player returns from injury, obviously, the most difficult part is rehab. Because during rehab, you don’t really have motivation—you don’t see anything in front of you, you don’t know what exactly you’re working toward. So, rehab is very tough. But when you finally come back, when you rejoin the team, obviously, it feels very good. Alhamdulillah, my comeback has been quite good. As for criticism—obviously, when you don’t perform well as a player, you have to stay realistic and accept it. Sometimes the criticism is unnecessary, but at times, when you don’t perform, you will be criticized. Because everyone wants that when you play for Pakistan, all our players should perform well. If I don’t perform up to that level, then obviously I will face criticism, and I will also be praised when I do well.”
About pitches in Sri Lanka and training for those conditions:
“You can't get 100% the same pitches in training that you will get in Sri Lanka. Because if you look at the weather, it’s obviously very different. So, in the upcoming matches and practice sessions, we’ll try to get pitches similar to what we’ll face in the World Cup. They won’t be exactly the same, but as professionals, wherever we go, we try to utilize the conditions in the best way possible.”
About Babar Azam’s form:
“Criticism is inevitable when you don’t perform well for Pakistan. And the bigger the player, the more criticism he faces. Obviously, Babar is our biggest player, and recently, he hasn’t been performing as well. But I believe, even today, if you look at it, it’s all about the process. People often only look at results, but the process matters. I’ve seen Babar from the beginning, from when he was becoming Babar Azam. His process has always been good, and it still is. When your process is right, eventually the results start coming consistently, and they last long-term.”
Confidence about the upcoming tournament:
“I am a bowler who also bats—I am a bowling all-rounder. I know that if I don’t perform well with the ball but do well with the bat, people might say I’m focusing more on batting. But no player thinks like that. I know that if I bowl well, I’ll secure my place in the team, and wherever I play, I’ll play as a bowling all-rounder. That’s very clear to me. And as an all-rounder, you try to give 100% in all three departments—bowling, batting, and fielding—wherever the team needs you.”
About the rehab and improvement in bowling:
“Rehab after a major surgery is very tough. You have to keep yourself motivated, especially when you’re out for a long time. My family supported me a lot, and Dr. Javed also helped me greatly. My rehab went well with them. With Saqi Bhai (Saqlain Mushtaq), even though I couldn’t bowl properly during rehab, he kept explaining the mental and technical aspects of bowling. I tried to learn as much as I could from him during that time.”
About adapting to modern-day cricket:
“Every team has its own strengths. You can’t just copy other teams. But obviously, modern-day cricket is evolving, and we should adapt to it as quickly as possible. We are trying to adopt that style. But if you look at conditions, especially in Sri Lanka, I don’t think you’ll see 150 runs chased in 10 overs or 160 runs chased easily. But if such conditions do arise, I believe we have players who can handle that as well.”
About the challenges playing against Australia:
“For World Cup preparation, this is the best opportunity we could get as a team. One thing we lack is playing regularly against the best teams and top players. Now we’ll face a World Cup-level squad, with all the big names of world cricket. Playing against them gives you a huge margin for improvement. I think this will benefit us greatly, both as a team and as individuals. Because when you play high-pressure games in ICC tournaments, the team with better preparation always has the advantage.”
About spin bowling attack:
“If you look at recent performances—even though I wasn’t playing—Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, and Saim Ayub have all bowled really well. They’ve achieved a lot of success. Even in the Asia Cup, our spinners performed brilliantly. So, I’m very confident that with the way they’re bowling, and considering the conditions in Sri Lanka, our spin-bowling depth will be a major strength for us as a team.”
