ISLAMABAD: Pakistan pace sensation Naseem Shah is ready to make his comeback to the red-ball side after a 13-month hiatus during the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.
The young pacer did not participate in Pakistan’s last Test series against Australia due to a shoulder injury that ruled him out of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 as well.
He was last featured in the two-match away Test series against Sri Lanka, where he played in both games. He claimed nine wickets in the series.
Naseem is also part of Pakistan Shaheens’ squad for the first four-day match against Bangladesh A. He is currently partaking in the Shaheens’ training camp under the supervision of head coach Umar Gul.
The star pacer expressed excitement over his return to red-ball cricket, however, he also acknowledged the fact that playing in the longer format after a break is difficult.
“I haven’t played red cricket for thirteen months, it’s not easy to play after a long time,” said Naseem. “International cricket has its own pressure, however, we are training hard for it.”
“I know personally that it is not easy to play an international match after a long time. After coming back from injury, I am gradually increasing the load of bowling spells,” he added.
Naseem also shared that while it’s good to work with foreign coaches, however, the language barrier is a major issue for many players.
“There is a language problem with foreign coaches. We need someone to translate the language. It is easier to communicate with the coach in your own language,” he stressed.
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Recently, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced to conduct tests regularly to asses player’s fitness.
With a renewed focus on fitness, Pakistan cricketers will undergo a total of five to six tests in order to be physically tested as per the international criteria.
Naseem Shah welcomed the decision to emphasise fitness, however, he expressed the belief that it’s the players cannot be forced to improve fitness. It is every player’s responsibility to keep their fitness levels at best.
“As a professional, you have to take care of your fitness, no one can be forced to improve their fitness. International athletes are not schoolchildren to be taught fitness,” he remarked.
Notably, the first four-day match between Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh is scheduled to be played from 13 August to 16 August at the Islamabad Club.
Following the four-day match, Naseem Shah along with seven other probables will join the senior team for the Test series.
The first Test will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 21-25 August, while the second Test will be held from 30 August-3 September in Karachi.
Pakistan squad for Test series against Bangladesh
Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal (subject to Fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper) and Shaheen Shah Afridi