![Pakistan coach breaks silence on Shadab Khan's future [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1780467604814_PakistancoachbreakssilenceonShadabKhan'sfuture.jpg?type=hq)
Pakistan coach breaks silence on Shadab Khan's future [Source: AFP]
Pakistan cricket is a curious case for the entire cricketing fraternity. Before every series, the team oozes confidence, but the results always go against them, with the recent drubbing suffered at the hands of the Australia B team on Tuesday.
Pakistan cricket is a curious case for the entire cricketing fraternity. Before every series, the team oozes confidence, but the results always go against them, with the recent drubbing suffered at the hands of the Australia B team on Tuesday.
One of the villains of Pakistan’s shocking loss against the Australian side was the all-rounder, Shadab Khan. His selection in the ODI team was met with criticism, and the player failed to back it up in the first and the second ODI.
Shadab Khan's poor ODI series vs Australia
Experts were baffled when Shadab was handpicked by the selectors to play in the ODIs vs Australia. In the 50-overs format, Shadab had not done much, and hence, his selection was criticised as other deserving players were snubbed.
Interestingly, Shadab has done more harm than good in the first two ODI matches against Australia. In the first ODI, he conceded 54 runs in 8 overs, with an economy of 6.75, but was not required to bat as Pakistan won.
The trend continued in the second ODI as well. He did manage to score a valiant 71, but with the bowl, Shadab failed to deliver yet again. The leg-break bowler conceded 56 runs in 9 overs and went wicketless as he released the pressure that was built on the Australian team.
Mike Hesson breaks silence on Shadab Khan's ODI future
After not picking up a single wicket in the first two ODI matches, Shadab was slammed by the experts for his lethargic bowling against a struggling Australian batting unit. However, head coach Mike Hesson had some other views, as he dropped a bizarre bombshell on the star all-rounder.
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"Shadab started his career as a bowler, now bats like a dream. We already have 4 frontline bowlers. He’s our 5th option. He’s a batting all-rounder, so we bat him at 6/7. Batting is his first priority".
The irony in the statement is that Shadab started as a bowling all-rounder, and even in the two ODIs, he was given 8 and 9 overs, respectively. This showcases that Pakistan does look at him as a bowler first.
Moreover, if he is a batting all-rounder, Shadab should bat higher up the order. However, that was not the case in the first ODI, as he was not required to bat, and in the second game, Shadab came into bat at number 7.
Does Shadab Khan deserve a place in the ODIs?
Purely on the basis of statistics, Shadab Khan doesn’t deserve a place in the ODI setup. In 72 ODIs, he has just accumulated 926 runs, with an average of 27, and a strike rate of 84. Moreover, with the ball, the leg-break bowler has scalped 85 wickets, with a bowling average of 36.11.
There are other Pakistan players who have performed heavily in the domestic circuit, and deserve a call-up in the national ODI side.
A failure in the third ODI against the Aussies could potentially derail Shadab Khan’s ODI journey and his ambitions to play in the 2027 World Cup.
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