ISLAMABAD: India’s former cricketer Aakash Chopra, in a YouTube video on Monday, named three Pakistan players, fast-bowlers Shaheen Shah and Naseem Shah along with batsman Haider Ali, in his list of top 10 youngsters to watch out for. The 42-year-old picked Shaheen Shah because of his height and pace which makes him a lethal weapon for the Men in Green. “The left-arm pacer is really fast. He made his debut in the Asia Cup and he keeps on growing in leaps and bounds. He has a great height and can bowl the bowl full while swinging it. His speed is great and someone who can bowl full is bound to pick up wickets. The way his career graph is progressing, it looks like the future is his. We will probably be hearing this name even more as we go along,” Chopra said.
Chopra was excited by the future of 16-year-old Naseem Shah who has already bagged a hat-trick and a five-wicket haul, so early in his career. “At 16, he [Naseem Shah] has done incredible stuff already. When he recently played a Test, he took a hat-trick and a five-wicket haul becoming the youngest ever to do so in Test match cricket. His run-up is mesmerising. His action is great and he has a very sharp bouncer. If he is nurtured in the right way, Pakistan will have a great attack at their hands. Pakistan could be a force to be reckoned with if all things go well,” he said. The former cricketer praised the young and dynamic batsman Haider Ali who, according to Chopra, possesses a certain pedigree. “Haider Ali is another player from Pakistan. He is a batsman of pedigree. He has already done well if you look at his trajectory. He made runs in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy which is their domestic tournament. He is getting a lot of praise from all quarters. He is being compared to Babar Azam, even being called the next Babar Azam. We don’t know if he can become the next Babar Azam but if he becomes Haider Ali first it would be more than good enough,” he concluded.
Full list:
Shubman Gill (India)
Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
Tom Banton (England)
Noor Ahmed (Afghanistan)
Josh Philippe (Australia)
Yashasvi Jaiswal (India)
Gerald Coetzee (South Africa)
Naseem Shah (Pakistan)
Prithvi Shaw (India)
Haider Ali (Pakistan).