"He will lead Pakistan bowling attack" - Danish Kaneria banks on Naseem Shah in the absence of Shaheen Afridi

Former cricketer Danish Kaneria has backed Naseem Shah to lead the Pakistani bowling attack in the absence of ace pacer Shaheen Afridi against England in the historic Test series after 17 years. He pointed out that wickets will be slightly slower to aid the youngster.

Speaking on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, Kaneria said:

“2:04 – You won’t see enough grass on the wicket, and it will be slightly on the slower side. Naseem Shah will be the key figure for the Pakistan team in this series because he will lead the Pakistan bowling attack in the absence of injured Shaheen Afridi.”

For the uninitiated, Shah has picked up 33 wickets in 13 Tests, which includes a five-wicket haul. The 19-year-old has scalped 18 wickets in five Tests on home soil since making his debut in 2019. He will look to rise to the occasion in the three-match Test series.

---

“He is young, talented, slightly raw” – Danish Kaneria on Naseem Shah

Kaneria feels Naseem Shah is slightly raw, but he is talented enough to make an impact against England. He hailed the teenager's Asia Cup heroics, where he picked up seven wickets in five matches to help Pakistan reach the final.

“3:10 – He is young, talented, slightly raw and has a hat-trick in Test cricket. He made a name for himself in Asia Cup, and how he rose to the occasion in the absence of Shaheen Afridi was unbelievable. He is in tremendous form.”

Shah took six wickets in a couple of Tests against Australia at home earlier this year. He followed it up with seven wickets in Sri Lanka in two Tests.

The first Test between Pakistan and England will begin in Rawalpindi on Thursday (December 1).

Babar Azam and Co. will have to beat England to keep their hopes alive of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final next year. They are currently fifth in the standings. England, on the other hand, are out of the race.

The hosts will look to repeat their 2005 heroics, where they won the three-match series 2-0 against the visitors.

Pakistan squad for the England Tests: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (VC & wk), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Zahid Mehmood.