Shadab Khan and Babar Azam
When the Pakistan team failed to secure their place in the semi-finals due to their disappointing performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup, leg-spinner Shadab Khan was the only player, apart from captain Babar Azam, who was criticized the most. Before the World Cup, Pakistan had also performed poorly in the 2023 Asia Cup and at that time everyone had expressed concerns about the form of the spinners. Despite this, Babar Azam expressed full confidence in Shadab Khan despite not being able to do anything special in the tournament. Now, during an interview, Shadab made a big statement about his friendship with Babar and also expressed his views on the issue of his inclusion in the team.
I wasn’t part of the team because of friendship
Shadab Khan said in his interview with Pakistani news channel Sama TV that I was not in the team because of Babar Azam’s friendship. I don’t think that can happen because of friendship. If so, then I would like it to happen in different leagues too. I get offers to play in leagues all over the world, but even if Babar isn’t with me there, I’m still in the top category. There must be a reason why I was chosen. There is no connection between my friendship with Babar and my choices. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, Shadab Khan had the chance to play only five matches in which he managed just two wickets in total.
When I got better at the test, I was dropped
The Pakistan team led by Shan Masood is currently on a tour of Australia where they will play a three-match T20 series against the host team starting December 14. Shadab has no place in this team; he played his last test match against England in 2020. In this regard, Shadab also said that I was dropped from the team when I improved as a Test bowler. By this time I had started playing red ball regularly and my bowling also improved. So far, Shadab Khan has played 6 Test matches for Pakistan, taking 14 wickets.
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