4 young Pakistani fast bowlers that all domestic T20 leagues would love to have
Pakistan recently announced their T20I and Test squad for the upcoming Australia tour, showing an immense amount of confidence in young talent. The team from the sub-continent, which has been known to produce serious pacers, is the top-ranked T20I team in the world and for them to maintain that spot, the roadmap for the future is clear.
Former Pakistan captain and current chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq sounded confident about the youngsters on the difficult tour Down Under and said:
"We have a number of surprise packages in our team that we feel confident will be able to challenge Australia. Be that T20Is or Test cricket, you will see young, exciting players. My message is clear: we want youngsters to get a chance, we believe in them and they are our future."
Apart from the national side, the domestic T20 leagues like the Big Bash League of Australia and the Caribbean Premier League of the West Indies can also help these youngsters get exposure and experience. And those leagues in turn could benefit immensely from the raw talent of these players.
Here’s a list of four talented young Pakistan fast bowlers that any T20 league would love to have:
#4 Muhammad Musa Khan
Pakistan have been known for producing some of the biggest fast bowling talents across all formats of the game. Every now and then we see youngsters from even the remote areas of the country, bowling fast and swinging the ball both ways.
Muhammad Musa Khan is one such bowler who’s already in the good books of the selectors and is touted to be one of the rising stars of Pakistan. He bowls in the late 140s and sometimes even touches the 150 km-mark, terrorizing the batsmen with his sheer pace.
Not one of the most economical bowlers that you will come across, Musa Khan believes in hitting the deck hard and making the batsmen play maximum deliveries. In his seven Pakistan Super League matches for Islamabad United, the 19-year-old took eight wickets and impressed everyone with his pace.
In the recently concluded National T20 Cup at home, Musa Khan took four wickets in the two matches he played for Northern (Pakistan) at an impressive average of 17.25. His haul of five wickets in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy doesn’t reflect the true potential of the youngster, who is known to bowl his heart out irrespective of the opponent he is up against.
Big Bash League team Melbourne Stars could benefit greatly from Musa Khan's raw pace and energy. If he is partnered with Dale Steyn, the Stars would have a seriously dangerous opening bowling combination.
In the Caribbean Premier League, 2019 runners-up Guyana Amazon Warriors could swap the 36-year-old overseas player Ben Laughlin with the Pakistani youngster.