Pakistan to unleash teenaged ‘Lillee’

He’s been likened to Dennis Lillee and now Pakistani pace great Waqar Younis is hoping Naseem Shah is the teenage tearaway primed to strike fear into Australia’s top order this summer.

Just two days after the death of his mother, Shah ripped into Australia A in Perth on Wednesday with a destructive eight-over spell that included the wicket of Marcus Harris with a deadly bouncer that caught the left-hander’s edge.

And Waqar is predicting more pain for Australia proper if the 16-year-old is unleashed in the first test in Brisbane starting next Thursday.

‘‘He reminds me of Dennis Lillee actually. He’s got a very similar action,’’ Waqar, Pakistan’s bowling coach, said.

‘‘He’s not as big as Dennis – Dennis was a big guy – but when he gets it right, he’s a handful.’’

Waqar was most impressed with Naseem during the Pakistan under-17 team’s recent tour of South Africa.

‘‘He bowled really well on those bouncy pitches,’’ he said.

‘‘So I’m really looking forward to seeing how he bowls against some real quality and experienced players like [David] Warner and [Steve] Smith.

‘‘His first tour to Australia; it’s not going to be that easy but of course he’s going to learn a lot. At the age of 16, 17, it’s a massive tour for him.’’

Waqar, who believes Pakistan have their best chance yet of winning a first-ever test series in Australia, sees something special in Naseem.

‘‘His pace is the key but he can vary and of course then he’s smart – he’s young but he’s very smart. He knows what he’s doing,’’ Waqar said.

‘‘He hits the seam on a regular basis and if there is something in the pitch he’ll make sure he gets something out of that.’’