fast bowler Naseem Shah didn’t mince his words while opening up about the dressing room environment in the Pakistan Cricket Team.
The right-arm seamer, who returned to competitive cricket following a lengthy layoff due to injury, revealed that a sense of insecurity of being replaced by someone new prevails among players in case they miss out on playing regular games or take rest.
Shah missed the 2023 World Cup in India due to a shoulder injury and remained on the sidelines for the remainder of the year, including missing the two tours Down Under (Tests against Australia and T20Is versus New Zealand).
Admitting to fear the same as new faces emerged on the scene across formats, Shah said in a chat with Cricwick, “Honestly, the main players are afraid of giving their bodies rest even when they know they need a break because the Pakistan cricket culture is such that if a new player comes in and performs in a match or two, you don’t know if he will replace you permanently in the team.”
“This fear does not allow players to rest because you are scared your careers could end there,” the young bowler said.
Citing examples of different cultures in different teams, Shah pointed out that in some countries, the players are assured of their places in the side despite missing action for whatever reason, unlike in Pakistan.
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“In other countries, if a main player is given a break, he is assured he will not be dropped in case his replacement comes in and performs in a match or two,” he said.
Shah’s scary history of injuries
Regarded as perhaps the most sort-after emerging pacer in world cricket, Shah has a scary history of getting injured.
From staying away from cricket for nearly 14 months due to a back injury at 17, Shah has suffered shoulder injury twice in his career, most recently last year during the Asia Cup, after which he got sidelined for an indefinite period.
Shah last bowled in international cricket against India in the 2023 Asia Cup tie in Colombo, and upon feeling discomfort in his bowling arm, he never returned to playing for Pakistan for the rest of the year.
Explaining what happened that day, Shah said, “I had stiffness in my shoulder, but after warm-ups, it would get better, and I played through it. But during the Asia Cup, I had a tear and felt something tearing inside me.”
The right-arm pacer underwent shoulder surgery in the UK, where the doctors informed him that the tear was 4-5 centimetres long.
Meanwhile, Shah played for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League and could return to playing for Pakistan in the home series against New Zealand in April.