My recent form is not good, but I have the skills: Shadab Khan

Shadab Khan has had a torrid run of form in ODIs lately. He averages 39.07 with the ball in 2023 with the economy rate, which used to be his primary weapon, going down to 5.54. With Pakistan’s pace bowling unit being considerably weaker in the absence of Naseem Shah, a lot depends on Shadab to hold Pakistan’s fortunes together in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, but how far will that come to fruition remains to be seen. However, the Pakistan vice-captain is confident he can put the bad form to bed and rely on his skills to deliver. 

"I do understand that my recent form is not good, but I have the skills. Just that when you are not performing, you are mentally a bit down, but skill-wise, there is no issue. From the mental aspect, things have changed after I got the rest, and hopefully, we will give a good performance in the upcoming World Cup,” Shadab said in a press conference in Hyderabad.

Barring the game against Nepal, where Shadab took four wickets, he had a disastrous Asia Cup campaign, which led to rumors that Pakistan would jettison his vice-captaincy for good. While the spinner has retained the leadership position, it is now down to “mental game” in the World Cup.

"From a cricketing point of view, the Asia Cup didn't go well, but that's the beauty of cricket: you learn from your mistakes, and there is always an opportunity to learn and play good cricket. After we lost the Asia Cup, we got a good rest, and I believe it's no more a skill game but a mental game, and it's the World Cup. You can make good decisions when you are relaxed mentally," he added.

This is the first India trip for most Pakistani players, including Shadab Khan, and with the matches being hosted across the lengths and breadths of the country, they will encounter varied challenges along the way. After playing their first two matches in Hyderabad, Pakistan will play their next seven matches in Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, and Ahmedabad, and if they qualify for the semi-final, their next encounter will be in Kolkata again. 

"Conditions will change as we will be playing in different venues, and we have to adapt to conditions very quickly, fitness-wise as it's a long tournament and the Asia Cup saw some fast bowlers getting injured. So fitness will be a concern for all teams but hopefully not for us as we lost one of the key players and we don't want any other fitness issues.

"This is my feeling: the team that bowls well will win the World Cup. Given the conditions, it will be difficult to contain the batters and pick wickets, given the nature of flat tracks and small boundaries. So I feel the team that bowls well will win the tournament, and we have world-class bowlers, and as a bowling unit, if we perform well we will become champions," he said.