Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan acknowledged his recent dip in bowling form but was quick to point out that there was no shortage of skills to turn it around. The Pakistan vice-captain has picked 13 wickets in 11 ODIs this year.
“I do understand that my recent form is not good, but I have the skills,” Shadab said in a press conference in Hyderabad. “Just that when you are not performing, you are mentally a bit down, but skill-wise, there is no issue. From the mental aspect, things have changed after I got the rest, and hopefully, we will give a good performance in the upcoming World Cup,”
Four of those 13 wickets picked this year came in the fixture against Nepal in the Asia Cup. However, he was otherwise lacklustre in that tournament.
“From a cricketing point of view, the Asia Cup didn’t go well, but that’s the beauty of cricket: you learn from your mistakes, and there is always an opportunity to learn and play good cricket,” Shadab said. “After we lost the Asia Cup, we got a good rest, and I believe it’s no more a skill game but a mental game, and it’s the World Cup. You can make good decisions when you are relaxed mentally,” he added.
While being optimistic about his own revival, Shadab also threw his weight behind Fakhar Zaman, who too has struggled for runs and didn’t get to bat in the opening warm-up fixture against New Zealand in Hyderabad on October 29.
“He is a big player for us, an impactful player, and whenever he performs, the team wins. His three centuries this year have come in winning causes and every team wants this kind of players to play for their side. We have no doubt about his ability, and we back him as he is a world-class player,” Shadab said.
Pakistan begin with their first two matches in Hyderabad, while their next seven league stage fixtures are spread out to four other venues in Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Ahmedabad. Shadab reckoned the key for his team, and perhaps most of the other title aspirants, will be to quickly adapt to different conditions and across the country as well as keep a keen eye on fitness levels. Pakistan have already lost one of the best bowling assets in Naseem Shah to a shoulder injury.
“Conditions will change as we will be playing in different venues, and we have to adapt to conditions very quickly, fitness-wise as it’s a long tournament and the Asia Cup saw some fast bowlers getting injured. So fitness will be a concern for all teams but hopefully not for us as we lost one of the key players and we don’t want any other fitness issues,” Shadab said.
Two days after New Zealand comfortably chased down Pakistan’s 345/5 in just 44th over in the warm-up game, Shadab felt winning the showpiece event will come down to which team bowls the best.
“This is my feeling: the team that bowls well will win the World Cup. Given the conditions, it will be difficult to contain the batters and pick wickets, given the nature of flat tracks and small boundaries. So I feel the team that bowls well will win the tournament, and we have world-class bowlers, and as a bowling unit, if we perform well we will become champions,” he said.