"I got a lot of motivation after Babar called me 'buddha'" - Shadab Khan following his all-round performance vs WI
Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has opened up on what motivated him to deliver a match-winning performance in the third ODI against the West Indies on Sunday. The all-rounder conceded that captain Babar Azam calling him a 'buddha' (old) gave him plenty of incentive.
Khan rescued Pakistan from trouble in the third ODI, having slid to 117-5 at one stage. The 23-year-old joined hands with Khushdil Shah and added 84 from 91 deliveries to bring the hosts back into the game.
Shadab's was the ninth wicket to fall after scoring 86 from 78 balls that propelled Pakistan to 269 runs.
Speaking to the media after the game, the vice-captain revealed that Babar Azam called him 'old' for getting injured and finding it difficult to field well. However, the right-handed batter said he has worked hard on his fitness and will try to keep improving.
"I got a lot of motivation after Babar called me buddha. After getting injured, it's difficult to field properly, so that's why he called me buddha. I have been working hard at the National High Performance Center to bowl more overs because it was initially difficult to bowl after getting injured. Hopefully, I will keep working hard and try to improve," he stated, as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Proud of u @76shadabkhan. A match-winner with bat and ball. A huge round of applause my friend, take a bow https://t.co/wc9q8aiidB
Shadab also starred with the ball, returning with figures of 4/62, including the wickets of Rovman Powell and Akeal Hosein to restrict West Indies to 216 runs.
"I and Khushdil Shah planned to take it easy till the second powerplay" - Shadab Khan
2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ up for Pakistan 🙌
@KhushdilShah_ and @76Shadabkhan's partnership ends after an 84-run stand for the sixth wicket ⚡
#PAKvWI | #KhelAbhiBaqiHai https://t.co/dNMO5arzB7
He further claimed that the strategy with Shah was to take chances after the 38th over in a two-over powerplay and felt it was a comparatively good batting wicket.
Shadab Khan stated:
"It was a pressure situation, and I and Khushdil Shah planned to take it easy till the second powerplay, and we would take our chances after the 38th over in two-over power play. But, it's cricket, you can get out on a good batting pitch. As you saw today, Nicholas Pooran took four wickets. I saw Pooran bowl for the first time and he claimed four wickets."
This is a @76Shadabkhan appreciation tweet. What a comeback after his injury 🙌🏽 https://t.co/jKCzPZ2NPo
Shadab Khan has scored 114 runs in three matches at an average of 38. He ended the three-game series as the joint-highest wicket-taker. The Mianwali-born ended the series with seven wickets at 19.85.
West Indies could not win a single game across ODIs and T20Is, suffering a 0-3 whitewash in both formats.