PCB recently announced the squad for the white-ball series against Australia and Naseem Shah is neither among the 20 men for the ODI series nor among the 17 players for the T20I contest. Despite showing decent form in the recent edition of PSL, Naseem Shah has been ignored against Australia.
Seeing Hasan Ali’s recent inconsistency with the ball, Naseem Shah could have been a decent choice for Pakistan in the only T20I against Australia.
Although the young pacer is usually deemed a Test bowler, here’s how stats prove Naseem Shah has a bright future in the limited-overs formats as well:
PSL 7 Performance
Naseem Shah featured in PSL 7 for Quetta Gladiators and ended up as the best bowler for his franchise. Playing all 10 matches for his team, Naseem Shah bagged 14 wickets at an average of 21.85, including a five-wicket haul. However, it was his economy that stood out. Naseem Shah maintained an economy of 8.01 which is considered extremely effective in the batting-dominated format of the league.
On the other hand, Hasan Ali, who is Pakistan’s primary pace bowler, seems to be in a rough patch as his recent performances have been poor. Appearing for Islamabad United in PSL 7, Hasan Ali managed only 9 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 40.55 as well. He proved quite expensive, going for an economy of almost 11.
Another United pacer, Mohammad Wasim Jnr., who has been added to the squad for both ODI and T20I squad, displayed unsatisfactory bowling performance in the recent PSL. Wasim took only 8 wickets at an average of 38.50 and an economy of 11.20.
The two pacers forming the pace attack of Islamabad United seemed to be weaker links in the squad. However, Naseem Shah played a vital role in the bowling department of Quetta Gladiators following the ban of Mohammad Hasnain.
Instead of keeping two out-of-form pacers, Pakistan could have experimented with Naseem Shah as he is more promising at the moment.
Here are the PSL performances of some of the pacers of national team and Naseem Shah:
| Bowler | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| Shaheen Afridi | 13 | 20 | 19.70 | 7.57 |
| Haris Rauf | 13 | 16 | 29.37 | 9.09 |
| Naseem Shah | 10 | 14 | 21.85 | 8.01 |
| Hasan Ali | 9 | 9 | 40.55 | 10.84 |
| Muhammad Wasim | 8 | 8 | 38.50 | 11.20 |
Powerplay Performance
While Shaheen Afridi leads the bowling attack for Pakistan and his bowling in powerplay is Pakistan’s major weapon, the pacer lacks fast bowling support on the other end. With Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf usually coming in to bowl in the middle overs, Pakistan is left with only spin bowlers to accompany Shaheen in the initial overs.
However, Naseem Shah, having experience with the new ball, could have served as another fast-bowling option for Pakistan in the powerplay.
Opening the bowling for Quetta Gladiators in PSL, Naseem Shah proved effective with the new ball. Out of his 14 wickets in PSL 2022, he took 5 in the first six overs of the game at an average of 22.20. In powerplay, Naseem Shah remained even more economical than Shaheen Shah Afridi, with an economy of 7.40.
Here’s a comparison from PSL 7:
| Bowler | Powerplay Innings | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| Shaheen Afridi | 13 | 10 | 21.10 | 8.11 |
| Haris Rauf | 12 | 2 | 60.00 | 8.57 |
| Naseem Shah | 9 | 5 | 22.20 | 7.40 |
| Hasan Ali | 6 | 2 | 36.00 | 10.28 |
| Mohammad Wasim | 7 | 1 | 104.00 | 10.40 |
The T20I match between Pakistan and Australia is set to be staged at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on 5 April.
