[VIDEO/PICTURES] "I am ready to go again with my bowling" : Naseem Shah

[MenInG]

This year's Pakistan Super League tournament was memorable for many reasons. Whilst the intensity of the competition had remained pretty constant in all editions of Pakistan’s premier Twenty20 tournament, what really set PSL 4 apart was the emergence of some exciting express-fast-bowling talent in the shape of Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Musa Khan and Mohammad Ilyas.

Each of these youngsters had been marked as ones to watch at the PSL and did not disappoint. However, one name that could have easily featured in the list of successes for the tournament was 16-year-old Naseem Shah.

Selected to play in the PSL after he impressed the Quetta Gladiators team management with his performances for the Pakistan Under-19s during the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup tournament in 2018 and for ZTBL on the domestic circuit, Naseem was perhaps one of the most talked-about emerging picks in the PSL Player Draft for the 2019 edition of the tournament.

However, a cruel twist of fate saw the teenager pick up a lower-back injury before the start of the PSL and his place was given to another emerging talent, Mohammad Hasnain. To their immense credit, Quetta Gladiators in recognition of his talent, allowed Naseem to remain with the squad throughout the tournament to allow him first-hand experience of a top-quality competition and to allow him to train and work with the assortment of international talent at the Gladiators.

Whilst Naseem trained with the squad, Mohammad Hasnain made most of his unexpected opportunity to pick-up 12 wickets during the PSL. His performances impressed the national selectors enough to pick him for the 5-match ODI series against Australia in UAE and he was subsequently named for Pakistan’s provisional ICC World Cup 2019 squad.

Pakistan have always been blessed with riches in the pace-bowling department and whilst the progress of Hasnain from a virtual unknown quantity to the Pakistan World Cup squad is something to be marvelled at, it is perhaps worth wondering how things would have turned out for young Naseem had he not been injured for the tournament.

This is a thought that Naseem has decided to put aside for the moment as he charts out his way back from the injury, he suffered in early February 2019. In conversation with PakPassion.net the pacer was philosophical about his career to-date as he explained, “Injuries are part and parcel of any cricketer’s life and I cannot change the past. It was written in the stars the way it would turn out. But I am glad that my replacement Hasnain has done well for himself and is ready to serve Pakistan when needed.”

Speaking of his recovery from an unfortunate injury before he could play in his debut season in the PSL, Naseem felt that he was well on his way back into contention for top-level cricket after playing a handful of club games after rehabilitation work at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

“Thanks to the Almighty, I have recovered well from the injury and am improving with every game I am playing now. So far, I have played 3 games for my club, and I can say with confidence that my fitness is much better compared to earlier times. This is simply due to the hard-work and training I have been doing. My bowling speed has also seen a lot of improvement and to be honest, I am feeling much better about my fitness and bowling than before.”

How Pakistan could have used the services of a fit and ready Naseem Shah had he been successful during the PSL is obviously open to conjecture but it's important for this young talent to be re-inducted in Pakistan’s future plans as soon as possible. It is in this regard that the Pakistan Under-19s planned tour of South Africa this year to play seven 50-over games between 19 June to 7 July will be crucial for Naseem’s progress. The young fast-bowler is understandably excited about the prospect of being selected for this tour.

“I am working very hard on all aspects of my game to be fit and ready for this very important Under-19 tour of South Africa. To play for Pakistan at any level will be an honour and I am confident that I will be in a good position to be selected for this tour. I just need to get more game-time out in the middle and get more overs under my belt.”

For a young bowler of the talent of Naseem Shah, the opportunity to play for Pakistan Under-19s is one important step towards the ultimate goal of representing Pakistan at the senior level. Whilst the injury before PSL 4 came at the most inopportune time for the youngster, he has now fully recovered and seems to be in good shape, mentally and physically, to take on future challenges, “I would like to thank the staff at the NCA who have overseen my rehabilitation and brought me to the point that I am now playing club-level games. I feel that my rhythm and pace are back to pre-injury levels and I would like everyone to know that I am ready to go again with my bowling."

[Saj]

Really looking forward to see how this lad progresses.

He's got a beautiful action and rhythm and I just hope he can steer clear of injury.

[CrIc_Mystique]

Wow...a young bolter....always fab to see a new young quick....

[Zeeraq]

I really hope the rumors of him being faster than Mohammad Hasnain are true, we may have a 150kph+ bowler on our hands.

[saeed5646]

Excellent talent. Hopefully we will see him in next psl season

[MenInG]

Needs to strengthen himself and get going - Pakistan needs him up and running

[The Viper]

Still young so hopefully as he gets older, he won't get injured as easily.

[asifkhan]

I haven't seen him bowling yet. Anyone knows if he is a medium fast or a (real) fast bowler?

[Sher Khan]

I haven't seen him bowling yet. Anyone knows if he is a medium fast or a (real) fast bowler?

Pretty sure he is around 145-150 kph range. So fast bowler.

[saabir]

This boy is very talented. He can swing the bowl. I believe he is better than Hasnain and Shaheen. His misfortune was he got injured just before PSL and was replaced by Hasnain otherwise who knows he could have been part of this WC squad.

[asifkhan]

Pretty sure he is around 145-150 kph range. So fast bowler.

This sounds very exciting and looks like we have good corp of express pacers on the horizon in coming years in sha Allah.

[Siraj.Hussain]

Saj, any update on this guy?

[Siraj.Hussain]

We've seen Hasnain come into the set-up and not look out of place, so I'm personally very excited to see this guy back in action!

[shaaik]

Nasim Shah has made it to the U-19 15 men squad to tour South Africa for a series of 7 Odis starting 22nd-June-2019.

[Shafi]

Now prove yourself!!!!! Get at least 15 wickets in 7 matches.

[Saj]

2-26 today for the Under 19s in South Africa.

Asked him if his back was ok in today's match and he said it's fine.

[Ahmed216]

2-26 today for the Under 19s in South Africa.

Asked him if his back was ok in today's match and he said it's fine.

Was it the first Game of 7-odi series against SA U-19?

[Omer2002]

no today was a practice match

[pakistani pride]

1 more youngster you hope will come through and hopefully has the right attitude.

[Saj]

Was it the first Game of 7-odi series against SA U-19?

Warm-up against a domestic Under 19 team.

[shamaan]

Any highlights for this match

[IAJ]

Haider Ali scored 160 runs from 145 balls.

Aamir Ali had the best bowling figures; 9 overs 2/13. I hope he is a fast bowler?

Mohammad Aamir took 2 for 35 lol

Scorecard from the match:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/...th-africa-2019

[Zeeraq]

Today against South Africa under-19 he took 2 wickets for 45 runs.

[saeed5646]

Very excited to see this guy progress

[Ahmed216]

Today against South Africa under-19 he took 2 wickets for 45 runs.

And showed fight with bat contributing 20 odd in crucial 70 -run 9th wicket partnership

[Abdullah719]

.

[Prince of Pakistan]

Love his bowling action. Shades of Shane Bond in it. Should be a consistent 145 kph bowler.

[Arsal_AK]

His bowling action is a thing of beauty. And he has all the ingredients to be a top quality, genuine fast bowler.

I haven't been this excited about a Pakistani player since Babar and Zafar. It is a travesty that the latter is still not in the team despite being the best spinner in the domestic circuit.

[Ahmed216]

.

Seems to have lost a bit of pace

[IAJ]

Video link: https://youtu.be/CFqNIi-w-Pc

@Abdullah719, will you please make the video more presentable, BTW how do you do that drop iPhone?

Just watched highlights of the first match between the two sides. Firstly Haidar Ali batted beautifully.

But Pakistan have some real exiting young fast bowlers coming up. Just look how Naseem Shah bowled those two yorkers (15:30 and 16:20) Seems like he was reverse swinging both ways. If he keeps bowling like this he will ratttle many batsmen.

This guys is a speciall talent, May Allah protect him from injuries.

[Mueez]

Wow amazing to see.

One for the future!

[Alamgeer]

His bowling action reminds me of Rao Iftikhat Anjum.

[IAJ]

His bowling action reminds me of Rao Iftikhat Anjum.

But way quicker than him. And Rao often picked up 2-3 wickets.

[Bilal Ahmad15]

does anyone know Naseem Shahs average pace in this game and also if he bowled any 140-145+ deliveries?

[IAJ]

@MMHS @Chief Destroyer

[Prince of Pakistan]

Shades of Shane Bond in his bowling action. I love it. Can't wait for PSL 5! Probably the first serious chance he will get.

[Arsal_AK]

Shades of Shane Bond in his bowling action. I love it. Can't wait for PSL 5! Probably the first serious chance he will get.

U19 WC is in Jan 2020, so there is that too.

[Sherazkhalid]

And as usual a dropped catch, something we need to work at junior levels.

[hur rizvi]

Good bowling action

Don’t know about pace though

[hur rizvi]

Is ABBAS Afridi fast bowling AR?

[Bewal Express]

How tall is Naseem Shah?

[Muhammad Saad]

Is ABBAS Afridi fast bowling AR?

Yea, seems to have a bit of gas in him as well

[Madplayer]

Wow what a talent.

[Saj]

How tall is Naseem Shah?

He is 5 foot 10" at the moment.

http://www.pakpassion.net/literature...seem-shah.html

[Third Man]

This guy is a real talent. I know here at PP we throw the word 'talent' around very often, but this guy really has it. He has pace, conventional and reverse swing, and the bowling intelligence to go with it. Already a lot more mature than Hasnain, in my opinion.

He's pace is a bit down from what we're used to seeing from him, but that's understandable considering the recent injury. I'm willing to bet that if everything goes right, he's going to be next big bowling talent to emerge on the world stage. Where he goes from there will depend on his mentality and the mentors he ends up with.

[Syed1]

Needs to play atleast 3 years of domestics so that he learns the art of actually picking a wicket. Otherwise we will have same situation as Shaheen or Hasnain.

[chinaman00]

Send him to county cricket for proper growth as a bowler.

[Bewal Express]

He is 5 foot 10" at the moment.

http://www.pakpassion.net/literature...seem-shah.html

That worries me.

[Muhammad Saad]

Seems to have slowed down after injury, hopefully he will get back in rhythm before PSL 5

[Rinnegan Sasuke]

That worries me.

He's 16, I grew about two and a half inches till 19 I believe. Still, has time to grow but won't be as tall as Shaheen or Hasnain though.

[Bewal Express]

He's 16, I grew about two and a half inches till 19 I believe. Still, has time to grow but won't be as tall as Shaheen or Hasnain though.

A genuine age of 16 and it's not a problem, but we know that as a rule he will be more around 19 and thus he won't grow anymore.

[Muddaser]

A genuine age of 16 and it's not a problem, but we know that as a rule he will be more around 19 and thus he won't grow anymore.

Why does it matter?

[Bewal Express]

Why does it matter?

Short bowlers generally struggle in international cricket.

[Pakhs]

Short bowlers generally struggle in international cricket.

history suggest you need to be 6 foot plus to be an effective fast bowler in international cricket.

[Captain caveman]

history suggest you need to be 6 foot plus to be an effective fast bowler in international cricket.

Malcom marshall, waqar younis, darren gough, bumra? M. shami? Bhuvi?
Not sure about last 3, they look shorter than 6ft!
My cousins in lahore tell me shah is better than shaheen, hasnain and musa!
Though i think he needs time before he can play for pak!
Haris rauf is ready and should have been in this wc!

[Bewal Express]

history suggest you need to be 6 foot plus to be an effective fast bowler in international cricket.

That was my point. As soon as i saw the likes of Musa etc, i know that they will have a little flirt with international cricket but as a rule they will struggle. Its not impossible as we saw with Marshall, but it makes it improbable that they will get much success.

[fight_club]

Can anyone post video of Abbas afridi. bowling & Batting

[Pakhs]

Malcom marshall, waqar younis, darren gough, bumra? M. shami? Bhuvi?
Not sure about last 3, they look shorter than 6ft!
My cousins in lahore tell me shah is better than shaheen, hasnain and musa!
Though i think he needs time before he can play for pak!
Haris rauf is ready and should have been in this wc!

Waqar was 1.83m which is over 6foot, Darren Gough was 1.8 which is more or less 6foot, the 3 indian are just below 6 foot but only just. So only Malcom Marshall managed to be truly great with relatively shorter height.

[Pakhs]

That was my point. As soon as i saw the likes of Musa etc, i know that they will have a little flirt with international cricket but as a rule they will struggle. Its not impossible as we saw with Marshall, but it makes it improbable that they will get much success.

That spot on you really have to be extreme talent if you are shorter than 6 foot.

[Firebat]

Nassem Shah has already taken 2 wickets the 5 overs he's bowled vs SA U19s.

[Captain caveman]

Waqar was 1.83m which is over 6foot, Darren Gough was 1.8 which is more or less 6foot, the 3 indian are just below 6 foot but only just. So only Malcom Marshall managed to be truly great with relatively shorter height.

I have seen waqar in real life, he is not 6ft.
Hes just under 5'10 i reckon.

[Captain caveman]

I have seen waqar in real life, he is not 6ft.
Hes just under 5'10 i reckon.

Bumra and bhuvi may be close to 6ft, but shami isn't, he looks 5'10 max!

[Captain caveman]

I have seen waqar in real life, he is not 6ft.
Hes just under 5'10 i reckon.

People try to make out wasim is 6ft 4, when he is about 6ft 2.
Imran was about 5'10 also, but people on here will say he is 6ft 2 lol!

[Pakhs]

I have seen waqar in real life, he is not 6ft.
Hes just under 5'10 i reckon.

he is probably under 6foot now but was definetly over 6 foot at his peak. Shami is actually taller than Bhuvi according to google.

[Pakhs]

People try to make out wasim is 6ft 4, when he is about 6ft 2.
Imran was about 5'10 also, but people on here will say he is 6ft 2 lol!

Are you Joking? Imran was 6ft 2 and actually looked taller, met him a few times myself and can confirm there can be no way he was less than 6foot.

[Captain caveman]

he is probably under 6foot now but was definetly over 6 foot at his peak. Shami is actually taller than Bhuvi according to google.

Anyway, whatever, a couple of inches won't make that much difference.
Shorter bowlers struggle in australia and SA, but can do well in england and NZ .
Pace

[Pakhs]

Anyway, whatever, a couple of inches won't make that much difference.
Shorter bowlers struggle in australia and SA, but can do well in england and NZ .
Pace

You have to be extra special if you are shorter specially if its 5'10 which is mostly batsmen height.

[Ahmed216]

I have seen waqar in real life, he is not 6ft.
Hes just under 5'10 i reckon.

I dont agree, waqar was definitely close to 6 feet. Ive noticed him standing with likes of shahid and akhtar who are 5'10-11

[moghul]

My take on Naseem Shah.

His run up is OK and is delivery action is very good, that gives him good pace and control and can pitch the ball up with accuracy.

He is taller than Hasan Ali but a bit shorter than Waqar Younis. Waqar is not 6 feet , he is 5-10.

He is a bit older than his stated age and will not gain more height.

Lack of height will be an issue for him.

Now, with his changed action after the injury, he will still be a lively bowler but not an express one, 135-142 KpH range bowler.

[Titan24]

My take on Naseem Shah.

His run up is OK and is delivery action is very good, that gives him good pace and control and can pitch the ball up with accuracy.

He is taller than Hasan Ali but a bit shorter than Waqar Younis. Waqar is not 6 feet , he is 5-10.

He is a bit older than his stated age and will not gain more height.

Lack of height will be an issue for him.

Now, with his changed action after the injury, he will still be a lively bowler but not an express one, 135-142 KpH range bowler.

As per Mudassar Nazar he was bowling deliveries at 150+ kph and he is fastest of the young lot i.e Musa, Hasnain, Shaheen, Arshad

[Abdullah719]

.

[MenInG]

For those who are wondering why Naseem Shah did not play in the 3rd YODI between South Africa U19 and Pakistan U19, the reason is that he has been rested to ensure that his recovery from injury is not jeopardized.

Good thinking by PCB

[Greenstorm]

As per Mudassar Nazar he was bowling deliveries at 150+ kph and he is fastest of the young lot i.e Musa, Hasnain, Shaheen, Arshad

Mudassir said that before his injury.

[MenInG]

3/52 in 4th YODI vs SA U19s - good solid performance and excellent to see him iimproving

[Ahmed216]

3/52 in 4th YODI vs SA U19s - good solid performance and excellent to see him iimproving

4/52 Correction

[MenInG]

Very economical versus Afghanistan in the ongoing ACC U19 Asia Cup

[Babar_Azam_fan]

46 dots of 54 balls, but just one wicket of a tail ender


Future Amir is it?

Economical but just takes wickets of tail Enders.

[Ram Shekhar]

.

Wow just found one. This kid looks incredible. He reminds me of Hasan Ali but with more venom and energy in his bowling. Bodes well for Pakistan. He should be fasttracked into senior team.

[Nado_]

46 dots of 54 balls, but just one wicket of a tail ender


Future Amir is it?

Economical but just takes wickets of tail Enders.

And you’ve made this conclusion from one innings?

[Sir-fraz]

he needs to be fast tracked.