Aqib Javed identifies Afridi, Waqar’s replacements in Pakistan team

Appreciating the newbies of the team, former Pakistan Head Coach Aqib Javed said that he sees a great deal of Waqar Younis and Shahid Afridi in Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan, respectively.

Since making his debut last year, Shadab has made rapid strides in all aspects of the game. The Pakistani leggie has matured his game not just as a bowler, but has transpired as one of the best fielder for his side, as well as a dependable lower order batsman.

In an interview, praising the youngster, Aqib compared Khan's abilities to star all-rounder Afridi. “Shadab is an outstanding talent, one rarely unearth players like him. He is similar to Afridi, as he debuted as a leg-spinner but emerged as a batsman and is an excellent fielder as well,” he said.

“However, the pace of progress shown by Shadab has been remarkable,” he said. “Pakistan cricket has got talent like him after twenty five years,” Aqib added.

Meanwhile while speaking about Hasan, Aqib said that the fast bowler possesses similar abilities like the legendary Waqar. “In less than a year, the way Hasan has emerged in international cricket was remarkable. He possesses similar abilities like Waqar.”

“He learned a great deal in very short time but most importantly, his confidence and energy level is very high,” Aqib added. “I think Pakistan is very lucky the way Hasan rose, as he is a complete package. He can bat as well,” said the 1992 World Cup winning squad member.

“The players who are performing in the Pakistan Super League [PSL] get direct recognition. This is because the competition level at the franchise based cricket is higher than international cricket,” Aqib said commenting on the PSL platform.

Referring to Faheem Ashraf's performances, Aqib said that the youngster is a decent bowler but needs to hone his skills further. “Faheem is more like a batting all-rounder then a bowling all-rounder. He got so much talent with the bat and he is a decent bowler too. He needs to learn a few things,” Aqib added.