Shadab Khan opens up on Misbah, Waqar's resignation

The 22-year-old claimed that the team was looking to move towards modern-day cricket

PHOTO COURTESY: PCB

Pakistan’s all-rounder Shadab Khan, while talking at a virtual press conference on Thursday, opened up on the departure of head coach Misbahul Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis as the T20 World Cup looms over the horizon.

The all-rounder stated that the team was focused towards the upcoming T20 World Cup because thinking otherwise would bring negativity into the team.

“It [decision to step down] was their [Misbahul Haq and Waqar Younis] personal decision and I cannot comment on that. But it is not an ideal situation. Our focus is on doing the things that are in our control in the right manner. We don’t want to think about what-ifs of the situation. With the world cup approaching, our focus is to prepare ourselves for it. If we think about it then it can bring negativity in the team,” said Shadab.

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The 22-year-old claimed that the team was looking to move towards modern-day cricket and would start employing a more aggressive approach, after meeting with Ramiz Raja.

“We met with Ramiz Raja recently. The main motive of the meeting was for Ramiz bhai to tell us what sort of cricket needs to be played. We know how long he has been commentating on the sport and understands the game. The result of the meeting was him communicating to everyone that he wants us to play aggressive and modern-day cricket,” he said.

“Everyone knows that when Babar Azam was made captain, he and I discussed how we needed to take the team towards modern-day cricket. Even though we don’t have the results, we are trying to develop a culture that takes us closer to modern-day cricket. Hopefully, we will also get better results in the future,” he added.

He also stayed tight-lipped on Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad despite criticism from fans and former cricketers.

“The job to select a side and the players is with the selection committee and chief selector. They have already explained the details of their selection process,” he concluded.