Asia Cup 2018 | Pakistan's Usman Khan targets five-wicket haul against India

SportsCafe Desk
no photo

Pakistan pacer Usman Shinwari Khan has set himself the target of claiming a five-wicket haul against team India when the two sides meet in the much-awaited Asia Cup group encounter on Wednesday. Shinwari has picked 18 wickets in just 7 ODIs and showcased his skills against Hong Kong on Sunday.

The Pakistan cricket team is gearing up for a challenging tournament where they go up strong competitors like Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh, in the Asia Cup being held in the UAE. And apart from the traditional India-Pakistan rivalry, their match on Wednesday would garner all the more hype as India would want to avenge their loss in the Champions Trophy final last year.

One look at the Pakistan squad would make it crystal clear that they are relying highly on their speedsters in bringing the trophy home, and pacer Usman Shinwari Khan has stated that he is eyeing a fifer in the big clash after impressing in the green jersey. The 24-year old has been in terrific form and has picked up 18 wickets in seven games for Pakistan.

“India is the No.1 team, they have excellent players. Definitely when Pakistan and India have a match, not just the players but also the crowd gets excited. It’s a big game and hopefully, we’ve prepared well enough," Khan said after the Hong Kong match, reported HT.

“Players that do well in India-Pakistan games command a lot of respect. I want to perform well in the game. I got three wickets today, hopefully against India I can get five. Pakistan is used to the pitches in Dubai, so this is an advantage for us and we know a little bit about the pitch and ground,” he added.

Shinwari, who starred against Hong Kong with figures of 3/17 in Sunday’s game, revealed that the competition among the fast bowlers in the team is a brilliant thing as everyone gives it their 100%.

“If you look at our bowling attack – the ones playing or the ones on the bench – they’re all top bowlers, so there’s a lot of competition. It is fun because you have to perform in every game, so I’m putting in the hard work. Today’s wicket was slowish, but I was trying to bowl fast. With the new ball, I was going for wickets, but I didn’t get any. When I came on for my second spell, the ball was scuffed up, so I got reverse swing,” Khan added.

laught0
astonishment0
sadness0
heart0
like0
dislike0

Comments

Sign up or log in to your account to leave comments and reactions

0 Comments