Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra believes Shadab Khan is a serious contender to be the best all-rounder heading into World Cup 2023. The marquee event will be played in India from October 5 to November 19 and Shadab is expected to lead the Pakistan spin-bowling attack apart from scoring runs in the lower-middle order as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked Hardik Pandya, Chris Woakes and Mitchell Marsh who can be the best all-rounders heading into the tournament. However, he feels Shadab is a more serious candidate among all.
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He expressed: “Shadab Khan, this is a serious name. He is a genuine all-rounder. He has scored 284 runs in 10 matches, which means an average of nearly 30, which is not bad at all considering the number at which he bats. We have not added the numbers of yesterday’s match here. He has picked up 12 wickets in 10 matches and has an economy of 5.14. He has bowled 87 overs. So he bowls nearly nine overs every time and has played 256 balls as well, which means he bats 25 balls per match. He is a proper all-rounder. The World Cup will be in India, so he is a serious contender.”
However, Aakash Chopra further added that Shadab Khan’s name needs to feature in the list of best all-rounders prior to the World Cup. He shared being a spin-bowling all-rounder might also work in his favour as the conditions might not be favourable for seam-bowling all-rounders as well.
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“Shakib Al Hasan is the daddy of all-rounders. He owned the 2019 World Cup, his performance was that good. He has scored 331 runs in nine matches, it’s a fairly decent average. He has scored three half-centuries. He has played 368 balls, which means he plays more than 40 balls per match. He has picked up 16 wickets as well. He has bowled 64 overs, so he bowls a decent number of overs as well. He has an economy of 4.84 and is picking up nearly two wickets per match. Everyone else on one side and Shakib Al Hasan on the other,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
