Steve Smith said Australia’s plan to deal with the Naseem Shah threat in the upcoming Test series against Pakistan is to try and wear him down by forcing him to bowl long spells.
The 16-year-old pacer is set to make his Test debut in the 1st Test of the series, starting from Thursday, and much of the focus on the match from Pakistan’s perspective is how Naseem Shah can perform on the big stage.
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Smith told AFP on Wednesday: “He’s half my age. It’ll be interesting … 16 is young.”
Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has said that Naseem Shah will be included in the playing XI for the Perth Test. At 16, Shah will be the youngest cricketer to make his debut in Australia – eclipsing a record standing since 1953.
Speaking on Naseem Shah, the 30-year-old Smith said, “I dare say you’d be pretty nervous at 16 playing a Test match, particularly away from home. He’s obviously got some skill if they’re picking him and you don’t take anyone lightly.
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“For us we’ll be trying to get as many overs into him as possible and trying to wear him down. He wouldn’t be used to bowling lots and lots of overs, so that’ll be the plan.”
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