Former Pakistan pacer claims Naseem Shah has 'no place' in team

Former Pakistan pacer Tanvir Ahmed has raised serious concerns over the selection of fast bowler Naseem Shah for the national team, questioning the merit behind his inclusion despite poor performance in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10.

During a recent interview with a local sports platform, Tanvir did not hold back in his criticism of the selectors' decision to include Naseem Shah in the squad for the Bangladesh series without giving him a chance to play a single game.

"Look, if you picked Naseem Shah for the Bangladesh series and didn’t play him, then why didn’t you play him? His performance in the PSL was completely poor. Just look at his fitness level, his run-up while running, his energy — he’s not even putting in any effort. He has injury issues, so how did he make it into the team?" Tanvir questioned.

The former cricketer further claimed that Naseem’s selection appears to be influenced by his association with Islamabad United, one of the franchises in the PSL.

"That’s why people are saying this is due to his connection with Islamabad United — since the head coach is also from Islamabad United, and some other players from Islamabad United were also given preference, people are thinking this way and raising these concerns," he stated.

The 46-year-old also pointed out that several in-form bowlers were overlooked despite strong performances in the domestic circuit and the PSL.

"Otherwise, Naseem Shah has no place in the team based on merit. In the PSL, Mir Hamza was performing really well, so why wasn’t he selected? Abbas Afridi was also ignored, but as soon as Wasim Jr got injured, Abbas Afridi was added to the team," he said.

It is pertinent to mention that the right-arm pacer had a lukewarm tournament, claiming nine wickets in 10 matches with an economy rate of 9.30.

Though selected for the T20I series against Bangladesh, Naseem did not feature in any of the matches, and his participation in upcoming series remains uncertain.

For the unversed, Pakistan is most likely to face Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series in July, as proposed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), with an official announcement yet to be made.

Following that, the Salman Agha-led Men in Green are scheduled to travel to the USA for a three-match ODI and T20I series against the West Indies in August.