Teenage pacer Naseem Shah 'a surprise package', says Pakistan coach Misbah-ul-Haq

Three teen fast bowlers in Test side that will take on Australia in their backyard next month

Pakistan cricket head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq addresses a press conference in Lahore on October 21, 2019. Pakistan on October 21 dropped former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed from the country's Twenty20 and Test squads for its upcoming Australian tour, while experienced players Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez were also given the axe in the shorter format. / AFP / ARIF ALI
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Pakistan have picked two young and inexperienced fast bowlers for the tour of Australia but head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq is not daunted by the risks involved.

Naseem Shah, 16, and Musa Khan, 19, have been selected for the T20 and Test tours of Australia. Naseem has been selected just for the Test leg of the tour, which begins with three T20s on November 3 followed by two red-ball games. Both are currently the fastest pacers in Pakistan cricket.

While Musa has a bit more experience under his belt, having played in the 2018 Under 19 World Cup and also the Pakistan Super League, there is a fear that Naseem is too raw for Test cricket, and that it is too early to play him on the flat wickets down under against batsmen like Steve Smith and David Warner.

But Misbah said Naseem has good and consistent pace, which can be a surprise package.

"In all spells he has bowled quick and his control with the ball is also good," Misbah was quoted as saying in Sydney on Monday.

"So we're looking forward to seeing him bowl in Australia where the conditions may just give him some assistance. If he can just put the ball in the right areas with that kind of pace, he could be a surprise package."

Naseem has only played five first-class matches since his debut in 2018 and no one knows if his body can handle the workload of a Test series. But Pakistan have decided to put their weight behind not just Naseem but fellow teen quicks Musa and Shaheen Afridi.

With Pakistan having never won a Test series in Australia in over six decades, Misbah is aiming for consistency, to begin with. "Obviously we want to use that unpredictability in a good manner, in a positive manner," he said.

"We don't want to just go there and sometimes fail. We need to be more consistent with our good performances and that's what we are trying to do at the moment."