Naseem Shah gives credit to Afghan bowlers for improvement in batting

Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah humorously credited Afghanistan's bowlers for his improved batting performance in the recently concluded first ODI on Tuesday at Hambantota. 

During a recent PCB video talk with Mohammad Haris, when asked about the reason behind his improved batting, Naseem Shah playfully pointed to Afghanistan's bowlers as the reason for his improved batting skills.

"Credit goes to their [Afghanistan] bowlers," Naseem replied in a humorous manner, evoking laughter from Shaheen and Haris.

"Look, the team needed it, and we are making efforts. We practice on all aspects of batting, so when the team needs it and we have scored a few runs; in the end, it benefits the team because we had to defend a low total, and our runs were very few, and when these twenty runs were added, we scored 200 runs; and then you saw what happened," he added.

It is worth noting that Pakistan convincingly won the first ODI by a margin of 142 runs. Batting first, the visiting side was dismissed for a total of 201. Opening batter Imam-ul-Haq exhibited a splendid performance and emerged as the top scorer with 61 runs from 94 deliveries, which included two boundaries, at a strike rate of 64.89.

Towards the end of the innings, Shadab Khan contributed 39 runs, while Naseem Shah added 18 valuable runs to help the national side reach a defendable total.

During the chase, the Afghanistan team kept losing wickets rapidly due to Pakistan's formidable pace trio, which prevented the opponent from winning.

Ultimately, the host side was bowled out for just 59 runs. Haris Rauf was the standout performer, achieving a remarkable five-wicket haul. Shaheen Afridi supported with two wickets, and Naseem Shah also bowled brilliantly, securing one wicket during his spell.