Shadab Khan, an all-around player for Pakistan,
acknowledged a recent decline in his bowling performance but was eager to point
out that he still had the skills to turn it around. In 11 ODIs, the Pakistan
vice-captain has taken 13 wickets.
“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.
Shadab, who is confident in his own comeback, also
supported Fakhar Zaman, who has also been having trouble scoring runs and was
not given the opportunity to bat in the inaugural exhibition game against New Zealand
on October 29 in Hyderabad.
“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.
According to Shadab, the key for his team—and possibly
most of the other title contenders—will be to quickly adjust to various
situations across the nation while also keeping a close watch on fitness
levels. Naseem Shah, one of Pakistan’s top bowlers, has already been lost 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.