Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan said that the lack of turn in England is allowing batsmen to counter the threat of wrist spinners in the 2019 World Cup.
This World Cup has been dominated by fast bowlers with only one spinner featuring in the list of top-10 leading wicket takers. The likes of Mohammad Amir, Jofra Archer, Mitchell Starc, Lockie Ferguson and Mark Wood have played a key role so far for their respective teams. With 10 wickets to his name, Imran Tahir is the only exception in that list.
“My role is to pick up wickets in the middle overs and that’s what I try to do. I try and use my variations to get wickets in the middle,” Shadab said in the ICC mixed, after Pakistan 49-run win over South Africa at Lord’s.
“I think the role of a wrist spinner is important is every match. You need wickets in the middle overs and that’s where my role lies. I think almost everyone plays spin well in today’s game since there’s barely any turn on pitches like these,” he added.
Pakistan’s next game is against unbeaten New Zealand on Wednesday and Shadab said that the team is high on confidence after getting the better of South Africa.
“The morale in the dressing room was good. We weren’t turning up at crucial moments but our performances weren’t bad. We’ve got a lot of confidence from this kind of a win and we’ll try to carry this confidence forward.
“We haven’t won quite a few crucial games but everyone did give their best. We haven’t been able to click as a unit but we are confident now,” the Pakistan all-rounder added.
