Former Pakistan captain, Rashid Latif said that the T20 format was not appropriate to gauge the potential of any young cricketer. While putting his weight behind young Usman Shinwari, the former gloveman termed him the best young bowler in Pakistan. “He [Shinwari] is a good bowler who troubled all good batsmen at the domestic circuit, and was rightly picked up for the national team”, said Rashid Latif, while talking to this correspondent for News One TV. “Shinwari, along with Muhammad Talha, is one of the best young bowlers”, added Latif
Shinwari’s outstanding figures of five for just nine runs in the final of the national Twenty20 tournament earned him a place in the Pakistan T20 outfit against Sri Lanka. However, the ZTBL fast bowler was all over the place in two T20i and was smashed for 61 runs in five overs without a single wicket. “T20 is not a format to gauge the potential of any young player. Not just Shinwari but other bowlers were hammered too, as over a 100 runs were scored in the last eight overs”, mentioned Latif
Rashid Latif also dispelled the impression that difference of domestic and international cricket balls might cost Shinwari, added that there was not much difference in the balls being used in Pakistan and abroad. “Both - local and international - balls are being machine manufactured and behave almost identically. Other bowlers also use the same ball, in domestic, but don’t struggle at the international level”, mentioned Latif. On a question, Rashid Latif also said that the performance of Umar Amin was below-par but primarily he was not a T20 player. Umar Amin plays for Port Qasim Authority, at the domestic level, which is coached by Rashid Latif.