Shadab khan Steve Smith comparison : “I am no where close to the legend”

Pakistan all-rounder and Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan has drawn comparisons with Australia batsman Steve Smith after showing a good all-round performance in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL).

 Australia batsman Steve Smith made his international debut he did not get to bat as his team posted a mammoth total of 324 for the loss of 5 wickets against West Indies in Melbourne.

Steve Smith, a player known for his leg-spin then, was slated to bat at the 8th position. When he got his chance to bowl in his maiden international match he took 2 wickets and help his team win by 125 runs.

The year was 2010 then and now a decade after Steve Smith is at the pinnacle of international cricket because of his exceptional batting skills. The number 1 ranked Test batsman in the world, aggregated 965 runs from 8 Test matches in 2019 after returning from a year ban because of his role in Cape Town ball-tampering scandal in 2018.

One would get awestruck if he comes to know that Smith batted at the 8th position in his maiden Test matches. With his hard-work he slowly climbed the ladders and from 2015 onward the number 3 spot in Australia’s batting line-up has Steve Smith written all over it.

Pakistan’s 21-year-old all-rounder Shadab Khan, basically a leg-spin bowler who can bat, has drawn comparisons with Steve Smith because of his exploits in the PSL 2020.

But the young all-rounder was quick to downplay the huge comparison.

“I don’t think I can be compared to him (Smith), who is a legend, I am nowhere near him. It is too early to compare me with anyone.”

Shadab very humbly took side of his art of leg-spin which brought him to international cricket.

“I am still a bowling all-rounder and I will remain one. I couldn’t take many wickets here because the conditions were not supportive for spinners.”

The all-rounder, who captains PSL team Islamabad United promoted himself up the order and performed with grit and passion, smashing 3 fifties to accumulate 263 runs from 8 innings. Currently, Shadab is ahead of the likes of Colin Munro, Fakhar Zaman and Shoaib Malik and ranks 5th in the list of top run scorers in PSL’s latest edition.

He smashed 77 runs against the likes of Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah in his team’s match against Peshawar Zalmi. His scorecard in the ongoing PSL reads- 8, 52, 39, 54*, 7, 77, 14 and 12.

Shadab Khan had a good run in the bowling department too. He again features in the top ten list and has scalped 8 wickets from 9 matches.

The self proclaimed fan of Steve Smith would surely look to follow the footprints of his idol in future.