The All-rounder Shadab Khan has led the side to the Champions One-day Cup title after defeating Wolves in the finals of the 2024 season.
His all-rounder performances helped the side in the Panthers’ triumph was instrumental, as he picked up his second piece in 2024, six months after Islamabad United’s victory in the PSL.
Shadab had struggled with the bat in terms of his form but had been impressive over the last three weeks. Shadab has found control with the ball landing more deliveries in more deliveries in the right areas.
While speaking in the post-match conference, “The main purpose of our coaches and mentors was to develop the side,” said Shadab Khan.
“We wanted to give youngsters an opportunity so they could develop and represent Pakistan in the future.”
Time to reap the rewards of hardwork and consistency 👏🏼 @PanthersPCB = CHAMPIONS 🙌🏼 🏆 #BahriaTownChampionsCup l #DiscoveringChampions | #LakeCityPanthersvUMTMarkhors pic.twitter.com/3m2gbvVTRT
— Bahria Town Champions Cup (@championscuppcb) September 29, 2024
“Individually, I need more improvement,” he conceded. “But things are getting better because I haven’t bowled long spells recently. I bowled longer spells this tournament, and that gave me more confidence. But there’s still plenty of time before I get to that level.”
“We wanted to focus on the process rather than the result. We’re an emotional country – when we get results, we rise really high, and when we don’t, we hit rock bottom. We zig-zag in this emotional cycle.”
“What we can control is our process, and that should be level, not up and down. So we tried to keep things simple rather than caring about the result. The result is not in our hands; even today we discussed this. We weren’t even thinking about the result.”
Markhors had an impressive start, but Shadab and his fellow triggered had a remarkable collapse, as Markhor’s last eight wickets fell for just 40 runs.
“I don’t think about a particular number to restrict the opposition to,” he said. “I think we bowled really well to get them out so cheaply. We wanted to put as much pressure on them as possible because that’s where a team makes mistakes, and that’s where you can take wickets in quick succession. In high-pressure matches, it’s harder to build partnerships.”
While speaking about the fast bowlers of Panthers Squad including 16-year-old Ali Raza. “Ali Raza’s mentality belies his age,” Shadab said.
“The way he’s bowling, I think he could be a useful asset for the Pakistan side in future. We need to be careful with him because he’s still young and his body’s still fragile. That makes him more vulnerable to injuries.”
Shadab credited was Mohammad Hasnain whose 17 wickets at an average of 16.17 earned him the Player of the Series award.
Shadab said Hasnain had a sensational tournament upon his return from a long-term ankle injury. Shadab had come as a 17-year-old in 2017 before he went on to play a pivotal part in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy triumph later that year.
Shadab Khan who joined PSL had faith enough in him to appoint him vice-captain at the age of 20 and became captain at 21.
“We’re inexperienced,” Shadab says pithily about the side with the youngest average age in the Champions Cup, “but we’ve won the tournament.”
