Pakistan’s all-round sensation, Shadab Khan, has picked the two batsmen who he found most troublesome to bowl at.
The Islamabad United captain recently forced enthusiasts to draw his comparisons with the career graph of Steve Smith of late. Much like Shadab, in 2010, Smith came into the reckoning in the Australian team as a leg-spinner.
However, Smudge’s contributions with the bat down the order was hard to be ignored, and Steve Smith– the batsman, took centre-stage.
Starting as a number 8 all-rounder, Smith moved to the finisher’s slot at number 4 in all formats and then climbed the ladder to the coveted number three position.
The Pakistani leg-spinner also chipped in with vital contributions down the order in International matches. Shadab enjoyed a newfound success in PSL 2020 with his promotion up the order.
Moreover, Shadab went on to state that he is nowhere close to Smith yet. “I don’t think I can be compared to him (Smith), who is a legend. I am nowhere near him. It is too early to compare me with anyone.” Shadab was quoted as saying by India Today earlier.
“I am still a bowling all-rounder, and I will remain one. I couldn’t take many wickets here because the conditions were not supportive of spinners,” continued the 21-year-old.
Further, Shadab picked Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith as the two most dreaded batsmen he has faced.
“After Steve Smith, I found Rohit Sharma to be the most difficult as there is very little margin of error against him. If you bowl into his zone, then he will hit you for a six,” Shadab said in a video on YouTube.
Shadab Khan’s tally of 263 runs in 8 PSL matches was the only shining light in an otherwise dismal Islamabad United campaign in 2020, where they languished at the bottom of the table.
PSL 2020 was suspended abruptly with the exodus of overseas players due to the scare of COVID-19 outbreak.
