Shahzad’s return adds flair to Pak campaign
ADELAIDE: Ahmed Shahzad’s tumultuous start to his international cricket career is about to move to another level.
The 23-year-old Shahzad is set to start for Pakistan in its World Cup opener against archrival and defending champion India in Adelaide on Sunday, an encounter that local organizers say will attract the biggest TV audience ever for a cricket match.
He was hit on the right forearm by a pace bowler during a practice session this week, but passed a fitness test Saturday and was expected to take his place at the top of the order in a match Pakistan is desperate to win to end an extraordinary World Cup losing streak against India.
He’ll have extra responsibility in the absence of veteran Mohammad Hafeez, who was ruled out of the tournament with a calf muscle injury.
“You could say he’s a match winner. He could really turn the game,” Pakistan skipper Misbahul-Haq said of Shahzad. “So we’ll be really happy to have him in the squad because he got that sort of flair and that sort of, you could say, positive attitude that he could rise to the occasion and play a really good innings.”
Shahzad has scored a century and two half-centuries in his last six one-day international innings. He has averaged almost 35 in 58 ODIs, scoring six centuries.