"He has still not performed up to his capability" - Wahab Riaz on Naseem Shah
Former Pakistan speedster Wahab Riaz has called for Naseem Shah to transform himself into a match-winning bowler. The retired Pakistan cricketer feels the youngster hasn't lived up to his potential yet despite admitting that he has bowled well.
Naseem, who made his one-day international debut in August 2022, will be part of Pakistan's three-pronged seam-bowling attack in the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup. The right-arm speedster has had a brilliant ODI career so far, taking 25 scalps in 10 matches at 16.12 with two five-wicket hauls.
Wahab suggested that Naseem must take more initiative with the ball between overs 25-35 as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf are better suited for other roles.
"Naseem has bowled well in quite a lot of matches. However, I feel that he has still not performed up to his capability as of yet. He should win matches for Pakistan considering his capability. Shaheen Shah Afridi is skilled with the new ball, and later Haris Rauf takes charge," he told Cricket Pakistan.
"They are specialists in bowling during the death overs. In the World Cup, Afridi's ten overs will be of great importance. The team will need wickets from him between the 25th and 35th overs," he added.
Naseem played an integral role with the bat for Pakistan during their recent ODI series win against Afghanistan. The 20-year-old made an unbeaten 18 in the opening game to give the Men in Green a defendable total, followed by hitting a winning boundary in the second match to help Pakistan go past the 300-run target.
"Pakistan heavily relies on their top-order trio" - Wahab Riaz
Wahab Riaz also lamented the lack of Pakistan's settled middle order ahead of their important international assignments, adding:
"In ODIs, Pakistan heavily relies on their top-order trio of Imam, Fakhar, and Babar. However, Pakistan continues to grapple with issues concerning their middle-order lineup."
Babar Azam and Co. will get their 2023 Asia Cup campaign underway with a clash against Nepal on August 30 in Multan.