"He started giving me advice about what I had done wrong in the final" - Naseem Shah recalls hilarious conversation with jalebi vendor
Pakistani speedster Naseem Shah recently recalled how a jalebi (funnel cake) vendor gave him a piece of advice following Pakistan's 2022 T20 World Cup final loss to England. The Men in Green suffered a five-wicket defeat in the summit clash.
Naseem mentioned that when he returned home after the showpiece event, a jalebi vendor near his house pointed out what the bowler did wrong in the final. In his response, the 21-year-old replied that everyone makes mistakes and has never criticized the shop owner's jalebis.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo's The Cricket Monthly, Naseem said:
"There's a guy who makes jalebis outside my house, and he started giving me advice about what I had done wrong in the final. I laughed and said to him, uncle ji, I've been buying jalebis from you for two years, have I ever said to you that the shape of your jalebis is wrong or that you haven't made good ones? We're human and make mistakes, you make mistakes too. Toh hamein bhi maaf kar do na [So, please forgive us too]."
Naseem Shah gave away 30 runs from four overs and remained wicketless in the 2022 T20 World Cup final. England chased down Pakistan's 137-run score in 19 overs courtesy of Ben Stokes' unbeaten knock of 52 runs.
"It still took time for me to return to my best" - Naseem Shah on making a comeback after injury
Naseem Shah suffered a shoulder injury during the Asia Cup last year and was ruled out of the all-important 2023 OD World Cup because of it.
The talented youngster returned to action with the 2024 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he bagged 15 wickets from 11 matches. Speaking about his comeback, Naseem said:
"There's no pain now. But match fitness is totally different to just being injury-free. If you haven't played six months, the only way to gain that is to play more matches. This was why a good PSL [was important]. I returned at the PSL and I felt my rhythm come back, but it still took time for me to return to my best. It only happened because I was regularly playing matches."
Naseem Shah struggled to get going in Pakistan's recently concluded four-match T20I series against England ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. He featured in the playing XI for the fourth and final fixture.
The fast bowler failed to claim a single wicket and leaked 51 runs from four overs. England won the series 2-0. Two matches of the series were washed out due to rain.