LAHORE: With the Pakistan national team due to tour England in the near future, it was essential for us to identify players who could adapt quickly and perform in these conditions.
This was stated by Imran Farhat, head coach Pakistan Shaheens, which undertook 15-day tour of England that comprised of white and red-ball series.
During the tour, Shaheens featured in a three-match one-day series and two three-day fixtures. Pakistan Shaheens won the one-day series 2-1, played against the Professional County Club Select XI while both the three-day match ended in a draw.
Led by Saud Shakeel, Shaheens saw Azan Awais emerge as the top run-scorer in the one-day series, amassing 164 runs from three matches, including two half-centuries. In the bowling department, Ubaid Shah was the leading wicket-taker, claiming six wickets across three matches, including figures of four for 41 in the third one-dayer.
Imran Farhat said, “We have identified a strong group of youngsters who we believe are part of our future. Our bowling in the one-day series was good; every bowler delivered strong results and our fielding was spot on. We also made sure everyone got a chance to play in the series, we followed a process and kept a consistent rotation policy in place.”
He said, “Looking at the red-ball matches, we saw some great performances from the players. The areas we were looking to improve in the top order were addressed quite effectively. Going forward, these players will continue to gain experience in first-class cricket and hopefully establish themselves further.”
Imran said, “We have discovered several promising players, both in red-ball and white-ball formats, which is a very positive takeaway. Each player will now return with an individual development plan that focuses on areas they need to improve in, be it technical, tactical or professional aspects, to become fully prepared for international cricket.”
He said, “Our focus throughout has been on building a strong bench. These young players, through their performances, have shown they are capable. We also assessed how well they adapted to the English conditions.”
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