Mushtaq Ahmed in favour of Pakistan fielding Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah together

[MenInG]

Former Test spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, now the head coach at the National Cricket Academy, believes young sensation Shadab Khan could play alongside Yasir Shah and form a lethal leg-spin pair for Pakistan.

“The focus of selection committee is that if we have two spinners with different variations and both could become match-winners, then why can’t both play in one match,” Ahmed said in Lahore on Wednesday.

At the National Cricket Academy, Ahmed has harnessed the skills of the 18-year-old Shadab and is working extensively on improving Shah’s art of bowling googlies.

Pakistan has a history of fielding two leg-spinners in a Test match. In one such instance, Ahmed played alongside Abdul Qadir against the West Indies in 1990 in Karachi and Pakistan won the Test match by eight wickets.

Ahmed said non-sub-continental teams do struggle against leg-spinners and Pakistan should take advantage of it in the upcoming one-day and Test series against the West Indies.

“Two leg-spinners against a western team will have a positive impact,” Ahmed said. “In one-day cricket if we have leg-spinners who could take wickets in the middle overs, it will be a huge advantage for us.”

West Indies batsmen were baffled by the googlies of Shadab in the Twenty20 series in which the leg-spinner took 10 wickets and won player of the series award in his debut international series as Pakistan clinched the series 3-1.

Shah has been Pakistan’s key bowler since making his Test debut in 2014, grabbing 124 wickets in only 23 Test matches. The tally includes 63 wickets in 10 Test matches in the United Arab Emirates, which has been Pakistan’s “home” venue after foreign teams refused to tour Pakistan because of security reasons since the 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team bus.

But lately, Shah has struggled outside sub-continent like conditions. In Australia, Shah could take only eight wickets in three Test matches and Pakistan lost the series 3-0.

However, Ahmed blamed conditions in Australia for Shah’s below-par performance and said the 30-year-old bowler remains Pakistan’s first choice spinner in the longer format.

“Yasir couldn’t perform in Australian conditions and we were exposed in the Test series,” Ahmed said. “But Yasir has proved over the last two years that he has no match.

“Shadab could learn, too, by staying with Yasir, like I learnt from Qadir bhai (brother) and then Danish (Kaneria) learnt from me when I was his senior.”

Ahmed said Pakistan has a more established Test team than the West Indies and conditions in the Caribbean will be more like the UAE, which will help the Pakistan bowlers.

“West Indies team is establishing at the moment, and honestly we have more of an advantage,” he said.
Pakistan has never won a Test series in the West Indies and Ahmed said aging captain Misbah-ul-Haq could bid farewell to Test cricket with a victory.

“I don’t know Misbah’s plan, but I have a feeling that it could be his last series,” Ahmed said. “Pakistan has not won a Test series in the West Indies and I am sure it will be his target and also finish his career on a high.”

http://indianexpress.com/article/sp...-shadab-khan-and-yasir-shah-together-4600578/

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

you dont want to turn Shadab into a bowler in tests who is focussed on containment, thats what i fear with having him in the side.

 

[Citizen4]

both have different strengths, nothing wrong with playing both of them together, Saqi bhai has also said.
Giving Shadab some exposure will only help him, he won't play regularly I guess, because Asghar is also n the squad as a spinner, whereas Shadab will be an all rounder.

 

[Major]

Nope, thats just wrong.

1) shadab isn't ready for test cricket as of yet
2) By selecting SHadab for Test you are being unfair to Asghar, who is yet to make his debut.

Asghar hasn't done anything bad right now that deserves an ouster from the team. Hes also a good bowler, and at the moment a better product then Shadab in test.

To change the pecking order like this is totally wrong. SHadab should get his chance if Asghar isn't able to prove himself.

I get Mushtaq's point of learning and all, its better if you do that in domestic or camps, not at international playing field.

 

[dildildalwalla]

Give Shadab a full season in the international ODI side and then we'll see. If he ocntinues playing well and we get t osee more of his batting, then I have no problem with this idea. By that time, Misbah should have moved on and we might have a captain who is better with setting up fields for leggies.

Shah and Shadab with supporting fields would just be an awesome sight.

 

[moghul]

Makes lots of sense.

You don't have to have two different type of spinners , you need two most attacking and wicket taking spinners and Yasir and Shadab are the ones.

If two left arm seamers or Rt arm fast bowler can play together, what's wrong with two right arm leggie playing together.

 

[Arsalan Pro]

Would love to see both bowling in tandem wrecking the opposition apart.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Guys is Mushy in the support squad for the Pakistan team? If so, that's great because Yas bowls splendidly well when Mushy is there.

 

[Sports_Psychologist]

Last 5 should be..
Shadab Khan
M.Amir
Yasir Shah
Hasan Ali
M.Asghar

With top 6 of

Shehzad
Azhar
Babar
Younis
Sarfaraz
Misbah

 

[Bewal Express]

My instinct tells me that Yasir is finished as a top line spinner. His weakness goes to the heart of leg spinner- lack of leg spin. If he doesn't sort it, he cant get good batsman out.

 

[Abdullah719]

Pakistan has found a genuine leg-spinner in Shadab: Qadir

ISLAMABAD: Impressed with Shadab Khan's performance in the recently concluded Twenty20 series, former leg- spin great Abdul Qadir believes that Pakistan has found a genuine leggie in the form of teenager who will be a game changer in all formats of the game for several years.

Shadab bagged two Man of the Match awards in series and was also named Player of the T20 series.

"I have seen him bowling in Pakistan Super League (PSL) and then in T20 series, I tell you a bright future awaits him and he is going to perform for the country for several years," he told APP on Wednesday.

Qadir said it was fantastic to see the young spinner dogging West Indies batsmen and grabbing wickets. "Throughout the T20 series Shadab's bowling was a treat for every eye," he said.

He said Pakistan should only play spinners against West Indies in ODI series.

"This is not the West Indies team I used to know. This is their weakest team ever produced. Pakistan has got a very good opportunity to clean sweep West Indies in ODI series."

Speaking about Sarfraz Ahmed first assignment as ODI captain, Qadir said it was a very good decision by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to appoint Sarfraz as ODI captain. "The test reins should also be handed over to Sarfraz after end of the Test series against West Indies," he said.

"Sarfraz is a fighter and the team seems united under his captaincy. Making Sarfraz captain of all three formats would avoid groupings among players in the team," he said.

Responding to a question, Qadir termed PCB's tribunal to probe into PSL spot-fixing as `Justice delayed is justice denied'. He claimed that it is clearly mentioned in PCB Anti-Corruption Unit's (ACU) code of conduct that if a player is found guilty of fixing then he should be banned for life. "I do not know why PCB is delaying in the matter," he said.

http://www.brecorder.com/2017/04/05/341856/pakistan-has-found-a-genuine-leg-spinner-in-shadab-qadir/

 

[Hasan123]

Pakistan doesn't have the boldness to pick 2 leggies. I'll give Asghar a chance before Shadab anyway.

 

[PakLFC]

Depends on conditions. If the wicket takes spin then they both should start.