Misbah says boy wonder Naseem Shah ‘can win a Test match on his own’

Naseem was fast-tracked into Pakistan’s side in Australia last November, aged 16, despite only a handful of first-class appearances, while he became the youngest bowler to take a Test hat-trick against Bangladesh in February.

The tearaway quick seems to have taken a liking to English conditions with 10 wickets in two internal squad matches at Derby ahead of the #raisethebat Test series, which starts on Wednesday at Emirates Old Trafford.

While England have enviable pace options themselves, Misbah, who alongside Pakistan fast bowling coach Waqar Younis was instrumental in plucking Naseem from relative obscurity, predicted the 17-year-old to make an impact.

“Before going to Australia, Waqar Younis and me just saw him in the Gaddafi Stadium (in Lahore) and at that time he just looked like a complete bowler,” Misbah said.

“We could see the potential but now we’ve got the evidence at international level, he has already got a hat-trick and five-fors.

“If you see his experience and his cricket then the sample size is too small but he’s already fulfilling his potential.

“He is one who could win a Test match on his own so we’re looking forward for him to emerge as a very good bowler in this series.”

Pakistan have had a couple of intra-squad matches to get used to the conditions and the bio-secure bubble that will be their home for the next few weeks as they prepare for their first Test in six months.

With England having shaken off the ring-rust against the West Indies, Misbah admitted to some slight apprehension and has urged Pakistan to hit the ground running in the first of three Tests behind closed doors.

“We feel there is always a slight nervousness when you just play Test cricket after a long, long time, but overall in terms of preparation I am pretty much satisfied we have covered all the areas,” he said.

“We are aware that England have a slight advantage but if we are alert and go 100 per cent in the first Test match, that is the only way we can beat England. Otherwise we will find ourselves in difficulty.”

England have not beaten Pakistan in their most recent four Test series – a record stretching back to 2010 – but Misbah believes the statistic is unlikely to be preying on their opponents’ minds. “These previous stats are just stats, I believe,” the former Pakistan captain said. “That doesn’t guarantee you are going to do well in this series. You can always get confidence from that. But still you have to play well in the middle.”

Meanwhile, Chris Woakes doubts he will emulate James Anderson and Stuart Broad in reaching 500 Test wickets and is unfazed about occasionally flying under the radar when compared with his more illustrious England team-mates.

Much was made of Broad’s omission from the first Test of the summer against the West Indies last month and he responded in emphatic fashion with 16 wickets at 10.93 to join Anderson in the exclusive 500-club.

Amid the drama surrounding Broad, Woakes’s exclusion at the Ageas Bowl went largely unnoticed but he recorded 11 scalps at 16.63, including a five-for which sealed a 2-1 series win, in the double-header at Emirates Old Trafford.

The exemplary and enviable records of Anderson and Broad plus the pace and hostility of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are often highlighted but none of the quartet have a better average at home than Woakes’s 22.53 after 21 Tests.

While Woakes, labelled ‘Mr Dependable’ by Joe Root recently, wants to be helping England’s cause for victories, he has no problem with others taking the limelight ahead of the start of a three-match Test series against Pakistan.

“Honestly I really, really don’t mind,” he said. “I’m not one for being the centre of attention.

“Don’t get me wrong, I want to go on the field and perform and I want to make match-winning performances for England. But it really doesn’t bother me if I’m first choice to write about or not, to be brutally honest.

“My stats are very good in England and I want to keep working on those, keep improving on them, keep them as good as they can be. At my age, where I am now at 31, it’s probably unlikely I’m going to go on and get 500 Test wickets like Jimmy and Broady. But I still want to go on and get as many as I can, individually.

“I still feel I can provide really good services for England cricket for many more years to come. I’m happy with how it works and as long as I continue to represent England I’ll be happy.”

Woakes and the rest of the England team are back in the ‘bio-secure’ bubble in Manchester for the start of the #raisethebat series against Pakistan, which gets under way on Wednesday.

Having spent a number of weeks following stringent protocols put in place to allow international cricket to take place behind closed doors despite the coronavirus pandemic, Woakes was grateful for a few days away.

Woakes, who along with the rest of the team had a Covid-19 test on Sunday afternoon and will train on Monday if that comes back negative, said: “Everyone has really enjoyed their little break.

“We needed it, to be honest. We had a long stint in the bubble, five weeks or whatever it was (for the Windies series). As much as we all get along, I think that time away from each other is really important.”

Scrutiny in the next couple of days will focus on the balance of England’s line-up given Ben Stokes featured as a batsman only in the final Test against the Windies.

The swift turnaround in fixtures means he has little time to recover from a quad injury that left him unable to bowl last week, and Woakes was unable to offer any insight into the star all-rounder’s fitness.

Woakes, though, is focusing on retaining his own spot. He has fond memories of facing Pakistan after taking 26 wickets at 16.73 in what proved to be a breakthrough series in his Test career.

Woakes added: “Hopefully I can draw on those memories.

“I feel like I’ve changed as a cricketer since then: with experience and time you develop new skills. But also I feel like I’ve become a lot more consistent, both as a cricketer and as a person as well.

“It’s the complete package: the older you get and you learn your game a little bit more. Hopefully I can bring some of that form to this series.”