At 19, Naseem Shah has gone from being hailed as Pakistan’s next great pace sensation at 16 to being out of the national side for over a year. Divy Tripathi looks at why he is now best-placed to leave his imprint on international cricket.

With a bowling average of 42.45, you might ask what is so special about Naseem Shah? Yes, he has shown sparks of what could be at international level, such as that five-for at Karachi, but his numbers haven’t done justice to the talent he’s supposed to possess.

And in a country like Pakistan, which own an enviously impressive assembly line of fast bowlers in their cricketing factory, prodigious talents like Naseem can be replaced easily. Perhaps too easily if you look at the careers of Mohammad Zahid or Shahid Nazir.

The various permutations and combinations of Pakistan cricket – from Mohammad Amir’s retirement, Mohammad Abbas’s lost magic with the ball, to recent injuries to Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf – have meant that Naseem might have landed an invaluable opportunity.

Despite indifferent returns in the first year as an international cricketer and an injury in 2020, which hampered his progress, Naseem has always seen as a special bowler. In April 2021, Pakistan’s then bowling coach Waqar Younis hailed Naseem as a future talent to keep faith in.

“He is a very promising young fast bowler and we are confident that after playing some more domestic cricket he will come back stronger and better,” proclaimed Waqar. “He is one for the future.”

Less than a year later, that future might already be here.

He has impressed across formats. According to Waqar himself, Naseem was brilliant in the CPL. He might have only picked up six wickets at an average of 32, but he bowled beautifully in the final that was won by his St Kitt & Nevis Patriots side; he took 2-26, accounting for Roston Chase and Keemo Paul.

His improved showing in white-ball cricket continued in the recently concluded PSL 7. He took 14 wickets for Quetta Gladiators at an average of 21.85. His 5-20 destroyed Karachi Kings, while he was the only Gladiators bowler to get going against Peshawar Zalmi in an encounter where he claimed figures of 4-27. These returns are a marked improvement from his previous two seasons in the league, where he had snared five wickets at an average of 50.2 and an economy rate of 8.36.

His numbers improved in red-ball cricket as well. While he only took seven wickets from his two Quaid-e-Azam trophy games this season, he was on fire during Pakistan Shaheens’ tour of Sri Lanka. He was the highest wicket-taker, with nine wickets to his name at an average of 20.22 including a five-for.

Time is ripe for Naseem to grab this opportunity in the national setup with both hands.

Babar Azam’s Pakistan wears a settled look compared to the recent iterations of Pakistan sides. Good performances against Australia can ensure that Naseem seals a place in the Pakistan squad for the near future.