LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has heaped praise on opening batsman Shan Masood for his dedication after showcasing remarkable form in the ongoing County Championship 2022.
Speaking during a Twitter Spaces interview on Cricwick, veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez said that left-handed batter Shan Masood can come in handy in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia and he should play all three formats.
“I was confident that Shan Masood will perform in county cricket whenever he will play. He had made himself a batter suitable to play all three formats of the game for Pakistan through his hard work and recent performances,” said Hafeez.
The left-handed opening batsman has failed to break into the Pakistan Test team and was also left out of the recent home series against Australia. However, Hafeez believes that Shan has performed well enough to make a deserving comeback.
Hafeez said the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) selection committee should not waste its golden run of Shan. He said that the batter must play ODI and Test matches and that he can come in handy for Pakistan in the upcoming T20 WorldCup in Australia.
“Shan has a recent strike rate of 140+ in PSL which is ideal in white-ball formats. Babar Azam can demote himself in ODI format to adjust Shan at one down position which can result in lethal top four combinations for Pakistan.”
Recalling the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Hafeez said that the Lahore Qalandars were unable to make the right combination in the early editions of PSL which resulted in failures.
“However management of Lahore Qalandars learnt from their mistakes and pondered upon picking domestic performers likewise Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam and Zaman Khan. This correction resulted in making the right combination and became one major reason for leading Lahore Qalandars for PSL maiden title,” he added.
Talking about the ongoing bad patch of former test captain of India Virat Kohli, Hafeez said: “If there is one player whom I have seen growing to the highest standards of cricket then it is none other than Virat Kohli. He is not only passionate but a hardworking cricketer as well. Virat is a living legend of the current era.”
The veteran cricketer expressed hope to play 2023’s edition of PSL. “I will keep on playing until my hunger is alive to play cricket. I am confident and preparing myself to play the eighth edition of PSL,” he said.
