Naseem targets Root, Stokes scalps

LAHORE: Pakistan’s young pace sensation Naseem Shah on Tuesday vowed that he would give his best against England, particularly trying to get out their top batsmen Joe Root and Ben Stokes.

In a website interview, he said that Pakistan will not let the English batsmen dominate during their upcoming encounter.

The 17-year-old praised batsmen Root and Stokes but claimed that he was not fearful of their skills. “Root and Stokes are two cricketers I rate highly, and it will be great to test myself against them. I respect good players, but I do not fear them. I will show them respect, but I will not let them dominate,” Shah said.

“I want to leave England this summer having created an impression on the opposition batsmen and with the fans. At the moment, they won’t know who I am, but hopefully, by the end of the tour they will know all about me,” he added.

“Learning from your own coaches and team-mates is vital, but I feel that watching the opposition bowlers and learning from them is almost equally as important,” he said.

“I’ll be observing the English bowlers very closely, to see how they bowl in home conditions. I’m a big admirer of James Anderson who’s been such a brilliant bowler for so long. You don’t take hundreds of Test wickets without knowing what you are doing and to be around Anderson and have the opportunity to learn from him is something that I am not going to miss out on,” he added.