Picture Credit: Twitter
Naseem Shah has emerged to be Pakistan’s youngest sensation
with his recent performances. He first made a strong impression in the white-ball
formats and then continued his brilliance in red-ball cricket as well. Naseem
unleashed his best in the Asia Cup 2022, wherein he shone brightly to contain
runs and take wickets, despite injury concerns.
Naseem finished with seven wickets in five games in the continental
tournament. He then followed it up with three wickets in seven appearances in
T20 World Cup 2022. Although he was average in the tournament but peaked in the
final against England. The young bowler was unfortunate to remain wicket-less
but ensured the opposition remain under the pump with a great exhibition of
bowling, which troubled Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes.
The 19-year-old will now be one of the key bowlers for Pakistan
in the home Test series against England. Ahead of the first Test starting
December 1, Naseem was witnessed in a press conference answering questions on
the red-ball series. The reporters asked Naseem about James Anderson’s
contribution to the game over the last two decades.
“He is a legend, we learn a lot of things from him and
whenever we meet we discuss something. So, that’s a big thing for him. He is
still playing at 40. He is still playing and fit, so you can imagine how hard
he is working,” said Naseem Shah on Anderson.
Then, the reporter asked him to add more about the craft and
his views about the English pacer. In regard to this, Naseem replied cheekily
replied that he knows only 30% of English, and cannot add any further to the
same. The whole room burst with laughter, hearing Naseem’s plea.
“Brother, I have just 30 per cent English. My English is
finished now, okay.”
Here is the video:
With the absence of Shaheen Afridi in the Test series due to
injury, Naseem will be critical to team’s performance with the new ball. Pakistan
have to win most of their remaining five games of WTC 2021-23 to find a place
in the top spots and feature in the WTC final.