Shadab Khan breaks silence on recent struggles in international cricket

Pakistan all-rounder highlights the importance of bowling variations in T20 cricket amidst his form recovery

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has recently shared his challenges in regaining form with both bat and ball on the international stage. Despite rewriting record books, Shadab revealed his recent difficulties in delivering consistent performances for the Pakistan team.

"I was struggling for three months. I hadn't taken a wicket in the last seven international games. I came here, started bowling and am now always taking wickets. That is the beauty of cricket. You have to enjoy these types of scenarios as well... sometimes you perform, sometimes you don't. But the process that you follow has to be consistent," Shadab said.

Shadab also reflected on his first outing in the league, noting the pitch's helpfulness for spinners. He emphasized that a successful T20 bowler must have variations to adapt to different conditions.

"The pitch was helping us as it was a bit slow and gripping a bit... But T20 cricket is very hard nowadays, as 200 is easily changeable. As a spinner, you have to have your variations because on flat tracks, if you don't have variations, you can go for runs. But if you have variation, you can take wickets as well as contain runs. So that is very important, and it is also important that you land it in a good area," he said.

The 25-year-old expressed his aim to contribute comprehensively as an all-rounder for his franchise, the Colombo Strikers.

"I am performing for my team, and that is a good sign. I am the main bowler, and if I am taking wickets, that is a positive sign for me and my team. I want to contribute in all three phases. So far, I am contributing in two as a bowler and fielder. Hopefully, I can contribute with the bat too," he concluded.

It is worth noting that Shadab is currently the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with 16 wickets in seven games, an average of 8.81, and an economy rate of 5.87.