Pakistan white-ball vice-captain, Shadab Khan is regarded as one of the most valuable players in the current ODI and T20 setup but his fitness has raised questions regarding his selection.
Cricket experts in Pakistan believe that it is Babar Azam’s call to include Shadab Khan and right-arm pacer, Hasan Ali in ODI and T20I squad against Australia despite genuine issues.
Shadab Khan’s presence in the playing XI definitely makes a difference for the team but when his fitness does not allow him to play then the management should go for another option like Imad Wasim.
It was a point of discussion after the selection committee dropped the left-arm orthodox spinner from the historic series. However, Imad’s performance in white-ball cricket, especially in ODIs, is not bad.
In batting comparison between the two all-rounders, Imad has batted in 40 innings and has scored 986 runs at an average of 42.86 while he maintained his strike rate over 100 which looks good, especially in the lower order.
On the other hand, the vice-captain has batted in 27 ODI innings and scored 434 runs at an average of 24.11 while his strike rate is 71.38 which is not good, especially in a position where he bats.
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s |
| Imad Wasim | 40 | 986 | 42.86 | 110.29 | 5 |
| Shadab Khan | 27 | 434 | 24.11 | 71.38 | 3 |
In his 55 international matches, Imad has taken 44 wickets at an average of 44.47 with a best of 5/14.
Whereas, Shadab Khan has taken a total of 62 wickets in 46 innings at an average of 32.06 while his best bowling is 4/28. It is pertinent to mention that Imad shares the new ball with Shaheen Shah and sometimes gets important breakthroughs.
| Player | Innings | Wickets | Average | Best Bowling |
| Imad Wasim | 53 | 44 | 44.47 | 5/14 |
| Shadab Khan | 46 | 62 | 32.06 | 4/28 |
Stay Connected with ProPakistani
Get the latest sports news, match updates, and player stories wherever you prefer.
Add ProPakistani to Preferred Sources and see more of our stories in Google Search and Top Stories.
