Shadab bursts onto international stage with match-winning performance

By
Faizan Lakhani
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KARACHI: PSL’s young sensation Shadab Khan launched his international career on Sunday with an impressive record-breaking performance against West Indies at Barbados.

Shadab ended his four over quotas on debut with three wickets, conceding only seven runs at an economy rate of 1.75, which is the most economical four-over bowling spell by a debutant in T20Is.

His performance also earned him the man of the match award on his international debut, making him only second Pakistani player to win a man-of-the-match award on his Twenty 20 international debut after Shahid Afridi.

Afridi won the man of the match award on T20I debut in 2006. However, that match against England was also Pakistan’s first ever international T20 game and the match and a T20I debut for all the 11 playing members of the team.

His economy rate of 1.75 in a four-over spell is also the second best by any Pakistani bowler in the history of T20Is after Mohammad Aamir, and overall jointly the third most economical four-over bowling figures in the history of the shortest format of international Cricket.

However, Aamir’s performance of six runs in four overs came against an associate team United Arab Emirates in February 2016.

The bowling figures of 4-0-7-3 by Shadab Khan is also the jointly third most economical performance by any bowler in the shortest format of international cricket.

Aizaz Khan of Hong Kong conceded just four runs in his four overs against another associate team Nepal in 2014. Six different bowlers are placed at second position in the list of most economical four-over bowling figures with an economy rate of 1.50 and Shadab is at third place with three over bowlers with the economy rate of 1.75 in four overs spell.