PAK vs ENG 2022: Shan Masood credits T20 Blast for national call-up

Shan Masood at a press conference (PC: Twitter)

Shan Masood is poised to make his T20I debut in Pakistan’s upcoming seven-match series against England at home. The cricketer was drafted into the side by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after Fakhar Zaman’s untimely knee injury ruled him out till next month’s T20I World Cup 2022.

Ahead of the England series, Masood has credited his English County stint at Derbyshire for landing him his maiden T20I call.

Masood thanks Derbyshire coach Mickey Arthur ahead of England T20Is

The 32-year-old cricketer played 14 T20 Blast games for Derbyshire in the recently-concluded season. During the course of his stay at the club, the left-hander piled up 547 runs at a staggering strike-rate of 139.89, with five 50-plus scores to his name.

During a press conference, the Pakistani opener described his Derbyshire stint as a “big steppingstone” for his T20I career. Masood also credited the club and its coach Mickey Arthur for boosting his confidence in 20-overs cricket. He said:

“It was a very big steppingstone in terms of me making it to the T20 side over there. I give lot of credit for the time that they invested on me over there and playing against players that have played for England. It´s one experience that I will always regard when it comes to my development as a player.”

The Kuwait-born cricketer also described the forthcoming series against England as an ideal preparation for his side ahead of the showpiece event in Australia next month. He added:

“England is one of the best white-ball sides in the world. It´s probably the ideal preparation before the T20 World Cup.”

The first of the seven matches between Pakistan and England will be played on September 20 at the National Stadium in Karachi.

ALSO READ: Mohammed Shami ruled out of Australia T20Is after testing positive for COVID