Hello and welcome to Stumped, your intercontinental hit of news, features, and debate from the quirky world of cricket.
I'm Eleanor Oldroyd and I'm in Manchester ahead of the second Test between England and South Africa.
England needing to win to try and stay in this series after they were blown away by South Africa's
brilliant pace attack at Lord's in a game which finished in, well it was less than two
days playing time in total. England looking to improve matters over the next few days.
Hello, it's Jim Maxwell for the ABC here in Sydney and we're looking forward to seeing
South Africa in Australia in about six months' time. But in the interim and it's probably
a bit of a secret to a lot of people around the world, but Australia at the moment is
playing Zimbabwe in some white-ball stuff up in the Northern Territory. Queensland.
Somewhere up there, but I think for most Aussies, it's the football season; Aussie Rules, Rugby
League, in particular, that matters. So, if you can find it, you'll probably see some
scores, but we're about a month away from the start of the real cricket season Down Under.
And I'm Sunil Gupta for All India Radio, here in New Delhi and of course, the Asia
Cup is imminent. It's upon us and the big game: India v Pakistan and a slightly muted feeling
about that after what happened last time, but actually what I am glad to say is that
it's not just cricket that is dominating the headlines here. There's a lot of badminton
going on because the world's that's happening, and as you know India for the first time ever
won the Thomas Cup a couple of months. They did very well in the Commonwealth Games in
badminton. There are other games coming up as well, which is good to see in a country
like India, which has been so cricket dominant over the past so many years, but still. Yes,
the Asia Cup is going to be on and people are going to be tuned in on Sunday evening
here in this part of the world for the big India v Pakistan game.
Well, great to see you both Sunil and Jim, we are with you for the next half hour. We're going to start with
the Asia Cup. It's the 15th edition of the Asia Cup and it begins this weekend.
The United Arab Emirates hosting the tournament after it was switched from Sri Lanka due to political
and economic unrest in that country. With the T20 World Cup just two months away, the
competition will be played in the T20 format to allow the likes of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
and Pakistan to hone their skills and I'm delighted to say that one of the stars of
the Pakistan white-ball team joins us now. It's their vice-captain, Shadab Khan. Shadab,
welcome to Stumped. All the preparations have been done, so how are you feeling ahead of
the start of the Asia Cup? Yeah, they look very good. We haven't played much T20 cricket
after the World Cup, but still we play white-ball cricket; we play ODI's a lot. So, we're just
coming back from the Netherlands after playing an ODI series. It was good preparation for
the Asia Cup and we're ready to go. Pakistan have won the Asia Cup twice, but only twice.
It is always a difficult task to win a tournament, you've got a lot of games, but are you feeling
confident? Would be a disappointment if you don't win your third this time?
Definitely. Like every team coming to the tournament, they're just looking for the win. So, we are
the same. And we tried our best and we don't worry about the result, because the result
is not our hand. We will give a hundred percent effort in the ground and the result we don't
bother. Especially this tournament is really good preparation for us for the World Cup
because after two months, we have a World Cup. So that's why I think it's very good
preparation for our team. Shadab, hi. This is Sunil Gupta. As-salamu alaykum. Your first
match is against India and India has won the Asia Cup seven times, while Pakistan has only
won twice, as you know. Do you think after what happened in the World Cup in Dubai last
year, that fantastic win that you had, do you think that India is still the favourites
to win, now there's big, big changes in the team and you're missing Shaheen Afridi as well?
It's a tough question, but because it's a short format and you don't have favourites
a lot because especially in this format, if some teams start well and you don't have time
to catch it up, big teams as well. So it's really difficult to see favourite teams. Definitely
India has a strong team. They've won a lot already - the Asia Cup seven times and I think
for every team, they mostly take it as a preparation tournament, but definitely they want to win
as well. So, everyone wanted to win but mostly every team wanted a preparation tournament
because the World Cup is coming in two months. Every team wanted to take a proper balance
to the World Cup. So, for us as well, we wanted to win it but mostly it's a preparation tournament.
So you did play the earlier Asia Cup in 2018; that was four years ago,
but so much has happened to you Shadab in the interim four years. But you're still only
23, can you imagine! You must have been very young when you play that. What does it mean
to you over the last four years, starting so early to represent your country, not just
on this stage, but on the international stage? It's a proud moment because I started young.
I was 18. We won the Champions Trophy in 2017. I was there as well. So, it's
a proud moment and you know, when you represent your country in anything, it's the bigger
dream you had been thinking about before starting cricket, or anything. So, it s our
dream and my dream. I was injured in the last Asia Cup. I played maybe one or two games
but after that there was a lot of change. I became a captain in franchise cricket, the
vice-captain for the Pakistan team. So, it's changed a lot; my transformation into an
all-rounder, so it's happening a lot. And I'm thankful Alhamdulillah for Allah because
I don't have anything. Just Allah gives us everything and just try to maximise it.
What are your plans for the future, Shadab, after the Asia Cup? You said the World Cup is coming
up. How do you see your future going, both in white-ball cricket and maybe red-ball cricket?
I'm just thinking about the white-ball cricket, because I'm not playing red-ball cricket yet.
I'm just focusing on the white-ball so far, because our red-ball series is after the World
Cup. So, I'm just focusing on white-ball, so my future plans definitely every player
wants to perform for their country and the same for me as well because I'm the vice-captain
and senior spin bowler. So, you get a little bit more pressure, but as a professional you
have to perform in a pressure situation, especially now the UAE conditions help spinners. Our
spinners will have a big role as well, so we have to perform here as well and also in
the World Cup. So, preparation as I said before, this tournament is very good for preparation
for a World Cup. After the 2021 World Cup, we haven't played a lot of T20 cricket especially,
so it's good for us to see and make a better combination for a World Cup.
Shadab, Jim Maxwell here in Sydney. I believe that when he made the former Netherlands goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar,
you likened your captain, Babar Azam, to a footballer. Just tell us a bit more about that.
Because he's too good. So at that time I just imagined it to a legend of football.
And now Babar mashallah, he's too good. He's performing everywhere. So, he's cool and calm like a
Messi and sometimes, he's aggressive like a Ronaldo, so I get a mixture of both.
What was what was the name? What did you call him? I do Babar. His nickname is Bobby. I just
call him Bobby, but still because we go to football grounds, so that's why I just tell
them a mixture of both Ronaldo and Messi. He seems to be breaking records everywhere;
top of the ICC white-ball batting rankings. Where does he rank for you across all three
formats? Is he the best batsman in the world? Now he is by far in all three formats because
he is performing everywhere in every format in every condition. So, now... it was Virat Kohli,
but now I think it's Babar Azam. He's too good. Virat Kohli has had a little bit
of a bad patch, but still he's not bad because he's performing. He s scoring 50's, but still
because he's too good a player to not score a century. That's why everyone is thinking
he's in a bad patch, but personally I think he's still scoring 50's and averages 55, but
he didn't score a century and that's why we're thinking he's in a bad patch. But, Babar Azam
for me now is by far the best player in the world. I should say, Shadab, from where
I'm sitting at Old Trafford cricket ground, I can almost see Old Trafford football ground.
Have you managed to come to Manchester and go to Old Trafford and watch football here?
I've never, but I wanted to. I was there, but the season was finished so that's why
I didn't go. But next time, hopefully I will go there and see Babar there like Cristiano.
We'll see if they want to sign him up instead of Cristiano Ronaldo. We should say that obviously, you're
very focused on the Asia Cup at the moment. But then that's followed by England visiting
Pakistan for the first time in 17 years and touring in your country as well. And I know
the excitement that Australia created when they were over their recently. So how much
does it mean to you and to the people of Pakistan to have England touring over there?
It's great because you know after 17 years they're coming and after the Australia series, you know that
our fans are excited, and they want to see the best players in the world. They wanted
to see them because after 2010 no one came and now it's starting again. So our fans didn't get to
see the best players in the world and they just want to see them. Everyone. It doesn't
matter about the results, they still support the players. They're not supporting Pakistan
because they're so excited and they loved their cricket a lot, and they wanted to see
the best players in the world and England have the best players and they want to
see them. They're very excited. I think our tickets could be sold in an hour because they
wanted to see everyone. Everyone in Pakistan. Cricket is in our blood. So, everyone wanted to see them.
I know people here are very excited to be playing you in Pakistan as well and
really looking forward to it, but we should say, good luck Shadab in the Asia Cup first
and foremost. And thank you so much for joining us on Stumped as well.
Thank you, so much. Thank you. Well, that was great, wasn't it, talking to the Pakistan
vice-captain Shadab Khan. Sunil, I just wonder from where you are in India, what the expectation is of India
in the Asia Cup? Where does it stand in importance and obviously the fact that they get to play
Pakistan certainly a couple of times, maybe even three times if they both get to the final.
Yes. Well, you know what happened the last time India played Pakistan and that was in the
UAE as well. So, I think there will be memories of differing hues on both sides. That 10-wicket
mauling that Pakistan gave India in the T20 International. I think a few things have changed
though. India have always beaten Pakistan in the World Cups. You know, talking about
Champions Trophy and so on, and in fact, a lot of the advertising used to be extremely
bombastic and jingoistic about it. That's now been toned down, because I think they
recognise that Pakistan is a very good team. I think everybody recognises that the bowling
that they have, the batting especially. We've been talking about Babar Azam and he's well
respected here, especially amongst the cricketers. So, it's more muted now. I think a lot of
the media coverage and the talk is not so much about the Asia Cup as Asia Cup, but as
Shadab was saying, as a precursor to the World Cup in terms of team selection. The Virat Kohli
conundrum that keeps popping up. It popped up when he was speaking, so it's popping
up because he has been in a rough patch and a lean patch. But his Test average, that's
come down under 50. Now, when that happens, who was supposed to be the best batsman in
the world. And now he's going to play T20's. Is that going to be the right thing for
him? Should he be re-looking at his career? So, there are all these questions going on.
Bumrah's as not playing, Dravid has just been diagnosed with covid so he might not be there.
We might have VVS Laxman as the coach, so there are a lot of moving parts, if I might say
so right now in the Indian side. Yes, I think people are looking forward to the India v
Pakistan game. That always happens because there are so few of them that take place and
also to see a lot of the new talent that comes up, especially through the IPL and the white-ball game.
How they're going to perform against somebody like Pakistan and Sri Lanka, you
can't discount them because they're rarely beaten over the last few months. I think it's
not so much the Asia Cup, but everything else around it. That is really what people are talking about here.
Babar Azam, Jim. He is a global superstar by any stretch, by any
definition in cricket terms and the fact he is a multi-format player, as well but he can
play white-ball cricket and red-ball cricket and be destructive in both. How do you rate
him alongside the other multi-format players, if you like; your Joe Root's, your Virat Kohli's,
as Sunil was mentioning. I think Shadab is right, although he's obviously got a slight
bias I suppose when he talks about it, but I think it's honestly the situation, particularly
in the subcontinent and the way he played against Australia in some Test matches. The
way he plays in all forms of cricket, he's one of the most attractive, dominant batsmen
in form in the world at the moment and across all three formats, I'd agree with Shadab that
he is number one. So I'm looking forward to, if we can see them and Australia, watching
him because he's the kind of player who can so dominate the opposition that he gives them
the confidence to press on for something strong. And Pakistan, as Sunil's mentioned,
I think they enjoyed playing against India. Perhaps, kind of in the back of their mind
making a point that you're going to recognise us. You don't let us play in your IPL,
so we're going to show you up when we can. So, I think that might be in the back of the mind as well.
I have to say that being at Old Trafford always reminds me of the India
v Pakistan game in the World Cup here in 2019 and the unbelievable atmosphere that was created
by the many India and Pakistan fans here in this country. But anyway, looking forward
to the Asia Cup. It all gets underway this weekend. Well, that's all we've got time for
on this week's Stumped. So, I will say thank you to Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta. Lovely
to see you both and join us again next time. Bye, bye for now.