Leading the Panthers to a commanding victory against the Markhors in the Champions One-Day Cup final, Shadab Khan praised his team’s capacity to maintain composure and concentrate on the process rather than stressing about the outcome.
Shadab underlined the value of nurturing young talent in a press conference after the win: “Our coaches and mentors’ primary goal was to build the side.
For young people to grow and one day represent Pakistan, we wanted to give them a chance.”
Shadab’s all-around performance was crucial to the Panthers’ success, his second significant accomplishment of 2024 after Islamabad United’s PSL championship earlier in the year.
Shadab, though, hasn’t had an easy year—especially with the bat. Despite some setbacks, the last three weeks have seen a much-needed improvement, as he has contributed regularly in every game save the tournament opener, whether at bat or with the ball.
One of Shadab’s most notable gains was regaining his ball control, which was lacking lately. He acknowledged the need to continue refining his form and credited his success to finding his groove again.
He said that bowling lengthy spells are crucial for regaining confidence and that he plans to play more red-ball cricket this season to improve his game.
“On my own, I still need to improve,” he said. “But things are improving since I haven’t bowled for extended periods lately. I bowled longer stints in this competition, which increased my confidence.”
In addition, Shadab gave the squad a general overview of his philosophy, emphasizing that they should be more concerned with the process than the result and strive for consistency.
“We’re an emotional country – when we get results, we rise high, and when we don’t, we hit rock bottom,” he said.
We can control our process, which ought to be level rather than erratic. So instead of worrying about the outcome, we tried simplifying things.”
The Panthers’ clinical bowling display, which set off a dramatic collapse and reduced the opposition’s last eight wickets to just 40 runs, was the reason behind their triumph over the Markhors.
Shadab led his team to a convincing victory with 32 overs remaining after taking a wicket during his three-over spell and scoring an undefeated 14 runs from nine balls.
Shadab attributed his team’s triumph to their bowling, especially their two exceptional fast bowlers, rather than the pitch’s characteristics.
Ali Raza, 16, was praised profusely; Shadab thinks he has a bright career ahead of him. Shadab remarked, “Ali Raza’s mentality belies his age.”
“Given his bowling style, I believe the Pakistani team may benefit from having him in the future. He is still young, and his body is still developing, so we must use caution around him.”
Muhammad Hasnain, who took 17 wickets at an average of 16.17 and was named Player of the Series, was also commended by Shadab.
Hasnain’s outstanding performance demonstrated his tenacity and diligence, mainly after he recovered from a chronic ankle injury.
Being a 17-year-old breakout sensation, Shadab knows the value of developing young talent. The Panthers, led by him, became the youngest squad to win the Champions Cup, demonstrating that inexperience does not equal failure.
“We’re inexperienced,” said Shadab, “but we’ve won the tournament.” For the Panthers, his tactical prowess as captain and steadfast belief in the potential of young players have proven to be a successful combination.
