LAHORE: It was the perfect setting when Naseem Shah announced his arrival on the Test circuit in 2020. Running into a setting Rawalpindi sun, Naseem, 16, had his arms spread like an eagle and a brimming smile adorned his face. Chased by his teammates, Naseem looked unstoppable.

Unstoppable he was as just moments before the right-arm pacer had become the youngest in the history of Test cricket to record a hat-trick with the wickets of Bangladesh’s Najmul Hossain Shanto, Taijul Islam and Mahmudullah. His exploits on the third day of the first Test would see Pakistan seal an innings and 44 runs win the next morning.

Naseem, however, struggled on the tours of England and New Zealand that followed and had to make way for Hasan Ali, who returned to national colours with a bang following a stellar Quaid-e-Azam Trophy season, in the series against South Africa.

“There is a lot that goes in your head when you get dropped from the team,” Naseem said in an interview. “You get down mentally and it takes a lot of effort and hard work to keep yourself positive. Comebacks are tougher than debuts. Not being in the side is one of the toughest times a player can endure, but you learn a lot from that phase as it makes you stronger mentally and you learn a lot about yourself,” he said.

Naseem had a promising start to his career when he picked up first five-fer in his just third Test – when Pakistan played Sri Lanka in the second and the last of the Test at Karachi to win the series 1-0. A product of Pakistan Cricket Board’s pathways programme, Naseem had moved to Lahore to establish his career as a cricketer and his passion for the game made him to push his limits every day to ensure he makes a comeback.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022