Lucky to have Shaheen, Naseen in Pakistan squad: Azhar Ali

Pakistan Test Captain Azhar Ali has claimed that he was lucky enough to have young pace duo, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, in the squad for upcoming series against England.

The 35-year-old made these comments during Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Podcast on Thursday. He said that young pacers would benefit immensely from the experience of the veteran players in the squad.

“The way Naseem and Shaheen have bowled in recent series, I as captain fell very lucky to have them in my squad,” said Azhar.

“The best thing is that we have experience in the shape of Abbas. Sohail Khan is also on this tour and he is also sharing his experience with the players. I think our bowlers will get a lot of advantage. Yasir Shah is there as well who has ample experience. He is a leg-spinner and his guidance for young players is also very important,” he added.

The Captain admitted that the players were a bit rusty due to lack of cricket at the start, however they regain their form as series is getting near.

“Because of coronavirus we have been in lockdown for quite some time. This has been a challenging experience and in the start the players did seem a little rusty in camps especially in terms of bowling. Slowly but surely, we are getting better with training and the players are recovering their form. The workload for the fast-bowlers has been good,” he said.

Pakistan will face England in first Test starting from Wednesday, August 5 at the Old Trafford. The final two Tests will be played at the Rose Bowl from Thursday, August 13 and Friday, August 21.

The three T20Is will take place at Old Trafford on Friday, August 28, Sunday, August 30 and the final match of the tour on Tuesday, September 1.