SHAH’S IN THE MOOD TO STAR

NASEEM SHAH might only be 19, but he has his eye on successfully meeting a double challenge in the first Test against England.

With Shaheen Shah Afridi having injured his right ankle in the T20 World Cup final against England, the responsibility of leading the attack will fall on Naseem’s shoulders.

And he will look to nullify the world’s best batter along with Haris Rauf, who is expected to make his Test debut.

Naseem (above) wore a permanent smile at the thought of what was to come tomorrow.

He said: “It is an enjoyment of life that you take on challenges and enjoy them. Shaheen was also injured in Sri Lanka so even then I took the responsibility.

“When your best bowler gets injured it makes a big difference, so we have to take that responsibility and use the new ball well.

“All of us are working hard and we are in a good rhythm. Bowling coach Shaun Tait tells us positive things so we are expected to play good cricket.”

England’s Joe Root went past 10,000 Test runs this year during a sensational run of form going back to the start of 2021 that shows no sign of coming to an end.

He is officially the best Test batsman in the world again and has shown he is more than capable of playing at a tempo and with a style that Brendon Mccullum and Ben Stokes are looking for.

Naseem said: “Joe Root is one of the best batters in the world and bowling to him is a big challenge, but I enjoy that challenge.

“I focus on my own bowling. They take risks and play aggressively. If they are succeeding so be it, but we have to counter that.”