Naseem Shah

A young speedster from Pakistan who is fearless and a passionate right-arm pacer, Naseem Shah’s smooth and slick action side-on is a craft in motion when he is bowling in full flow.

Naseem made his first-class debut for Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in the 2018-19 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on 1st September 2018 against Lahore Blues at just 16 years of age and later next month he played his maiden List A game against Pakistan Television on 16th October 2018.

After a year of bulldozing domestic batsmen, Shah was named in Pakistan's Test squad for their series against Australia. He made his Test debut for Pakistan against Australia on 21st November 2019. The following month he was picked in the Test squad for the series against Sri Lanka and in the final match, he became the second-youngest among all bowlers to pick up a five-wicket haul.

Officially added to the squad for the ICC U19 World Cup in 2020, Shah was later removed after an age controversy, but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) rectified that the youngster’s paperwork is all in order and the tests have been done to prove it.

On 9th February 2019, Naseem was crowned as the youngest bowler to take a hat-trick in Test cricket at just 16 years and 359 days old. His childhood dream came true when PCB awarded him with a central contract ahead of the 2020–21 season. In July, the speedster was named in the 20-man squad for the Test series against England and picked up just 3 wickets in the entire series.

Shah’s inconsistency to pick up wickets in England and New Zealand where bowling conditions are suitable has put him on the back foot, against the likes of Mohammad Abbas and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Still raw and backed up by the current coach Misbah-ul-Haq, Naseem's rapid pace might become the most lethal weapon for the Pakistan national side.

(As of March 2021)