Naseem Shah reckoned that Test cricket tests a cricketer physically and mentally ahead of the upcoming two-Test match series against Bangladesh scheduled to start from August 21. Naseem who got 51 scalps in his 17 Test outings said that it is very tough to get a wicket in the longest format of the game. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have already announced their playing XI for the 1st Test match against Bangladesh where Shan Masood & Co. will feature with the heavy pace attack. Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the bowling and Naseem Shah will be the second most experienced pacer who will feature against Bangladesh.
Pakistan will play nine Test matches in the upcoming four months. The team have a very slight chance of qualifying for the final WTC. They are currently in sixth position with two wins. While asked about the preparation for the upcoming Test cycle the young pacer said that he is spending more time in ground.
"It is called 'Test' because it tests you physically and mentally. You get frustrated when you don't get a wicket and have to spend considerable amounts of time in the ground. So, the preparation is simple: increasing the bowling load and stay in the ground for longer. Just be in the ground from 10am until 5pm. Be more disciplined and consistent with the ball. The actual test is to be repetitive and bowl on the same spot repeatedly. The reward, of course, is sweeter," he told Cricbuzz.
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"It is not easy to dismiss batters in Tests. You get wickets in white-ball cricket because they go for slogs and end up making mistakes. You may go for runs, but you know wickets are around the corner.But, you don't forget the wickets that you get in Test cricket. You remember them for your whole life, because you have earned them with your hard work. It is only you who know how consistent you have been to get those wickets. You relish those dismissals when you watch them on TV and they bring back the memories of the set-ups that you had laid to get them. So, that's the difference, you need a lot of passion in Test cricket,” the pacer added.
Naseem’s Test career
He was picked as a Test specialist for Pakistan in 2019. The 21-year-old has taken 51 wickets in 17 matches. The right-arm fast bowler will return to cricketing action in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting from August 21. Pakistan have released their mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed for the first Test opting for an all-pace attack in the series opener. Abrar will join Kamran Ghulam to play a four-day Test for Pakistan Shaheens against Bangladesh A.
Pakistan playing XI against Bangladesh
Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel (VC), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali.
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