"Will definitely encourage youngsters to play red ball cricket" - Misbah-ul-Haq lauds Shahid Afridi for picking teenagers

Former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has showered praise on the chairman of the interim selection committee Shahid Afridi for adding three youngsters to the squad for the ongoing Test series against New Zealand.

Soon after Afridi took charge, he added all-rounder Arafat Minhas, top-order batter Basit Ali, and right-arm fast bowler Mohammad Zeeshan to provide the teenagers with international exposure and experience.

The decision was welcomed by several former cricketers, including Misbah. The former right-handed batter, who also coached the Pakistan side, believes this decision will motivate more youngsters to play red-ball cricket. Taking to Twitter, he wrote:

"Very good initiative by @SAfridiOfficial and the interim selection committee to attract youth in longer format of the game in the era of T20 and T10.

"This will definitely encourage youngsters to play red ball cricket which is the most important format for their development."

Pakistan will hope to create bench strength in red-ball cricket as they lack quality options to replace their first-choice players. This was evident in the recently concluded home Test series against England, where they suffered a 0-3 drubbing.

Afridi's selection committee also added Mir Hamza, Sajid Khan, and Shahnawaz Dahani to reinforce the Test squad for the New Zealand series.

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"This initiative will fast track their progress and provide them better awareness" - Shahid Afridi

Explaining the rationale behind this decision, Afridi reckoned that spending time with international cricketers will help them gather experience and prepare them for the biggest stage.

Speaking in a video shared by Pakistan Cricket, the former skipper said:

“We are not only looking at present but also have an eye on the future. In this relation, we have added three top performers from our age-group cricket so that they can spend time with their stars in the national side and learn how to plan and prepare for high-pressure matches.

“Although the three players will not be available for selection, this initiative will fast track their progress and provide them better awareness, understanding and knowledge about the rigors and demands of top-grade cricket.”

Arafat Minhas was named the best all-rounder in the Pakistan Junior League (PJL) for scoring 178 runs and picking up nine wickets. Basit Ali, meanwhile, was named the best player and best batter in the PJL after finishing as the top-scorer with 379 runs.

Mohammad Zeeshan, on the other hand, finished as the highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps.

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