Watch: Naseem Shah steps up return to cricket, picks up two in two in first over in local match
Watch: Pakistan speedster Naseem Shah continued his path towards recovery with an appearance in a local tournament in Pakistan, picking up two wickets in his opening over in another step on his return to cricket.
Naseem was the focus of all cameras as he came out to play in the Spartan Premier League, a local white-ball tournament. Featuring in the Haza Hinters v Hunter Cricket match, Naseem was seen practising ahead of the game in his Pakistan training kit, loosening his limbs as he prepared to return to organised cricket for the first time since his shoulder injury, sustained ahead of the 2023 World Cup.
Featuring for the Hinters, Naseem opened the bowling: the start was rusty with a couple of wide balls (one going for a boundary off a wicketkeeper misfield), but Naseem soon found his rhythm.
Off the fourth ball, he bumped one short, a top edge from Riaz Khan travelling to the wicketkeeper. A pumped-up Naseem jumped and punched the air in celebration.
Ammar A, the next batter, couldn’t survive Naseem either: a length delivery moved away from the right-hander, straightening up, before it was snaffled by a diving second slip, giving Naseem two in two.
He finished with figures of 3-0-30-2.
Naseem Shah is back finally 😭❤️
The Most Awaited Comeback ❤️pic.twitter.com/zttI8ByZGZ— SAAD 🇵🇰 (@SaadIrfan258) February 2, 2024
Back in the Shape 🤍@iNaseemShah pic.twitter.com/8I499yaoTI
— Syed Noman Nazir (@nomanalam) February 2, 2024
Naseem shared a clip of the two wickets on his Instagram handle captioning it “Alhamdullilah back in rhythm”.
The 20-year-old hasn’t played since the India v Pakistan Asia Cup Super 4 match in September 2023, when he walked off after injuring his right shoulder muscle. He was subsequently ruled out of the ODI World Cup and Pakistan’s tour of Australia as the shoulder required surgery.
Last month, Naseem was spotted bowling at the National Cricket Academy nets, building up pace as he prepared for his return.
He is gearing up to make his comeback through the Pakistan Super League – in December, he was traded from Quetta Gladiators to Islamabad United, one of the biggest player movements in the tournament’s history.
