Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has said teenage bowling sensation Naseem Shah will be raring to go when he becomes one of the youngest cricketers to play a Test on Thursday.
A day ahead of the first Test against Australia in Brisbane, Pakistan captain Azhar Ali confirmed on Wednesday that the 16-year-old will make his debut at the Gabba.
No stranger himself for being in the limelight at such a young age, Akram said Shah will benefit from playing such a big match first up.
“I think it’s a blessing in disguise because when you’re 16-17, you don’t even know what the word pressure means,” Akram told foxsports.com.au. “You just want to go out and play. When I was 17, I didn’t know what pressure meant, I was loving it. I think the same goes for Naseem. When he becomes a star he’ll know what pressure means. At this age, he’ll just be raring to go.”
Akram also said Shah is lucky to have a mentor like Waqar Younis, who is the team’s bowling coach for the series Down Under. But the onus will be on the seniors to help the teenager out in the middle.
Watch: 16-year-old Pakistan bowler Naseem Shah is turning heads with his sheer pace
“A 16-year-old doesn’t know how to set the field, they just won’t. That’s where the captain comes in particularly valuable. I had Imran Khan, I had Javed Miandad and they were a great help,” Akram added.
Shah, who opted to remain on tour after his mother died last week, made the grade for Thursday’s first Test after impressing with an eight-over spell against Australia A in Perth.
“We are definitely looking to play him – he is bowling really well,” Azhar said ahead of the series opener in Brisbane.
The Pakistan skipper said he had faith in Shah’s abilities to last through a high-pressure five-day game.
“He’s very fit, I have captained him in first-class matches and he has overs under his belt,” he said.
“I’m sure that he can do that in Test matches as well, I have no doubts about his fitness and his bowling skills.
“Not many players can reach that standard so early but there are exceptions and he’s one of them,” he added. “We are all looking forward to him having a very successful career.”
Pakistan have a history of blooding promising players early, accounting for six of the 10 youngest to play Test matches.
But Shah, who has only played seven first-class games, is also carrying the huge extra burden of his mother passing away. The youngster would not have made it back to her funeral on time, so had stayed behind to play the warm-up match in Perth where he turned heads with his pace and slingy action.
Pakistan also have two 19-year-old fast bowlers in Musa Khan and Shaheen Afridi and Azhar said they were taking a fearless attitude into the two-match series in Australia.
“We have the talent to potentially do well here,” he said. “We come with fresh faces and a new look to the Test team and we are very confident that if we execute our skills, we have the potential to beat Australia.”
“To do that we have to just keep believing and play with no fear.”
Only a handful of players have made their debut aged 16, including Sachin Tendulkar who went on to become an Indian batting legend. The youngest Test player is listed by ESPNCricinfo as Pakistan’s Hasan Raza, who was 14 on his 1996 debut, though his date of birth was later disputed.
(With AFP inputs)