KARACHI: Pakistan’s young leg-spinner Usama Mir has thrown his weight behind his fellow Shadab Khan after he shone in Pakistan’s dominating 102-run victory over New Zealand in the fourth PAK vs NZ ODI.
Usama interacted with the media after Pakistan outclassed New Zealand in the fourth ODI of the five-match series which propelled the home side to the top of the ODI rankings for the first time ever.
The leg-spinner returned with sensational bowling figures of 4/43 on a batting-friendly surface which saw Pakistan piling up a mammoth total of 334/6 in the first innings.
He responded to a question regarding his competition with vice-captain Shadab Khan and refuted the claim by stating that he has no tie with anyone in the team and is only focused on his preparations for the World Cup.
“As I told earlier, this team has cultivated a champion mindset, which helps the players be ready for opportunities when they arise,” said Usama.
“There is no such thing that I have a competition with anyone. We are being prepared for the World Cup so that if anyone gets a chance, he will bring success to Pakistan,” he maintained.
Usama Mir then expressed his hope that his fellow leg-spinner Shadab Khan regains his rhythm before the world cup after terming him the match-winner.
“Shadab is our match-winner, he has been very successful for Pakistan in the past, so I think him regaining his rhythm is very important for us and the way he performed in the previous match, indicated that he’s finding it back,” said Usama.
“So, it is a good sign for us ahead of the World Cup and both of us will be ready to grab the opportunity whenever given,” he maintained.
It is pertinent to mention that Usama’s four wickets after skipper Babar Azam’s record-breaking century aided Pakistan to retain their dominance over New Zealand in the ongoing PAK vs NZ ODI series.