\n
\nMELBOURNE:\u00a0No matter what happens when Pakistan face England in Sunday\u2019s final at the MCG, Shadab Khan has had a Twenty20 World Cup to remember.<\/p>\n
\nStarring with both bat and ball, the 24-year-old all-rounder helped energise Pakistan\u2019s flagging campaign when all seemed lost.<\/p>\n
\nAfter last-ball defeats to India and Zimbabwe, Shadab pulled them back from the brink with three wickets against the Netherlands for their first win.<\/p>\n
\nHe then turned up with a fiery 22-ball 52 and bowling figures of 2-16 during his man-of-the-match performance against South Africa.<\/p>\n
\nThe Proteas\u2019 subsequent shock defeat to the Netherlands helped Pakistan gatecrash the semifinals.<\/p>\n
\nShadab has been shortlisted for player of the tournament and could well win it if Pakistan do the business against England in the decider at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.<\/p>\n
\nWhen team-mates and coaches talk about Shadab they all refer to one thing.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHe brings invaluable energy to the team,\u201d captain Babar Azam said.<\/p>\n
\nShadab\u2019s commitment and relentless energy, whether it be in training or matches, galvanized Pakistan\u2019s drooping World Cup.<\/p>\n
\nLike many Pakistani cricketers, Shadab\u2019s beginnings were humble.<\/p>\n
\nHe grew up playing cricket on the rough pitches of Mianwali district, a farming community near the banks of the Indus River in Punjab province.<\/p>\n
\nIt also happens to be home to former prime minister and cricket legend Imran Khan and former captain Misbah-ul-Haq.<\/p>\n
\nPeople who know him well said Shadab has always been relentless in his dedication.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cShadab\u2019s commitment to cricket is unparalleled,\u201d said his club coach Sajjad Ahmed.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHe used to sleep around 9 p.m. and reach the ground before sunrise.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThat\u2019s been his routine for years so that he can practice as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nIt was Ahmed who suggested Shadab should become an all-rounder and not just focus on batting.<\/p>\n
\nGraduating from club cricket to district level and to Pakistan \u201cA,\u201d Shadab featured in a 2016 junior World Cup in Bangladesh and finished joint top wicket-taker for his team with 11.<\/p>\n
\nThe year after, Pakistan Super League franchise Islamabad United picked him as an emerging player.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe were picking players in the draft for PSL 2017 and every other team was passing him on so I asked Misbah about him,\u201d recalls Hassan Cheema, strategy manager of United.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cMisbah said that Shadab has that fire and instinct that he had not seen in a player for years.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cSix years later you can see his competitive fire and life he brings in the team is invaluable,\u201d Cheema told AFP.<\/p>\n
\nBut to talk only about his energy and commitment risks downplaying Shadab\u2019s talent.<\/p>\n
\nAs a leg-spinner variations are Shadab\u2019s assets and he has had success extracting bounce from the hard Australian pitches at the World Cup.<\/p>\n
\nWhen he bats and fields his style is aggressive \u2014 his triple ability gives Pakistan flexibility in team selections.<\/p>\n
\nIt was then-Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur who brought him into the side in 2017.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhen we got Shadab into the team he was incredibly exciting as a cricketer,\u201d Arthur said.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHe was athletic and was a three-in-one cricketer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nSince then Shadab has added maturity and confidence to his armory.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHe is a match-winner for Pakistan. The difference I have seen is that he has come from a boy to a man,\u201d said Arthur.<\/p>\n
\nShadab had a dream international debut when he was named man of the match in Pakistan\u2019s T20 win over the West Indies in Bridgetown in 2017.<\/p>\n
\nThat same year one of Shadab\u2019s finest moments came at the Champions Trophy in a showdown against arch-rivals India, where he trapped Yuvraj Singh in front of the wicket.<\/p>\n
\nEnglish umpire Richard Kettleborough was unmoved but Shadab convinced skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed to review \u2014 and was proved correct, making Shadab a hero of Pakistan\u2019s win.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIt was very close to the bat but Shadab was confident that it had hit the pad first,\u201d Sarfaraz said.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIt is his confidence in the ground that helps and motivates the team and that is why he is improving by leaps and bounds.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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