Shadab and Usama were not looking to take wickets: Mushtaq Ahmed

Legendary leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed shared his views on Pakistan spinners Shadab Khan and Usama Mir’s performances following the Green Shirts’ heavy defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 fixture at Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium on Monday.

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Pakistan spinners Shadab Khan and Usama Mir are not performing up to mark in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The latter played his first game against five-time winners Australia.

Usama Mir, who came as a replacement for Shadab Khan, did not perform according to expectations as he dropped David Warner’s simple catch. Moreover, he conceded 82 runs and was dismissed for a duck in the fixture.

 

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In the fixture against Afghanistan, the newcomer conceded 55 runs.

Shadab Khan, who has been under criticism for giving lacklustre performances since the Asia Cup 2023, as he has also misfired in the tournament. The all-rounder has bagged just two wickets and conceded 74 runs from four matches fixture.

 

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Mushtaq Ahmed, considered to be one of the country’s greatest cricketers, believes they had no intention of taking wickets. He said a bowler thinks that he has no options except piling pressure on the batters when fielders are in the circle. 

The former cricketer added that Pakistan could not pressurize the Afghanistan batters as they were only concerned with completing their quota of overs. He added that Green Shirts could have taken wickets on bad deliveries with an attacking field.  

He said a bowler will develop a wicket-taking mindset only when they are not scared of conceding boundaries.

Shahid Afridi, on the other hand, said Shadab Khan and Usama Mir’s performances were shocking, adding that they were not consistent with their line and length. 

Related – ‘I told Usama Mir…’: Shahid Afridi on Usama Mir’s dropped catch in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

The former Pakistan captain went on to say that Afghanistan batters were not scoring runs. He said the Green Shirts could have taken wickets if they placed fielders inside the circle and forced them to play their shots. 

Shahid Afridi said Pakistan cannot win the World Cup with such an approach.

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