KARACHI: Hyderabad Kingsmen pacer Asif Mehmood gave a cryptic “no answer” when asked about the possibility of a return to the Pakistan national team following their win over Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 11 at the National Bank Stadium on Sunday.
During an on-pitch interview with host Zainab Abbas and former Pakistan Women’s captain Sana Mir, Mehmood recalled her earlier appearances for the Pakistan Under-19 team.
“We have seen you play for Pakistan at Under-19 level. Can we expect you to come back to us?” Abbas asked.
Mehmood simply replied: “No answer.”
Sana Mir said the answer was “very clever” and added: “Do you remember, Zainab, you and I sat together and gave a similar answer when Usman Khan scored a hundred and asked the same question. It was almost no answer, but we understood. We want you to do well for your rights and let’s see what happens next.”
Mehmood first received a call-up to the Pakistan Under-19 squad for the tour of Kenya in December 2014. He played in all three matches of the Under-19 ODI series against Kenya, contributing both with bat and ball in limited opportunities.
In the second ODI on 7 December 2014, he produced a brilliant bowling performance, picking up four wickets to demolish the Kenyan batting line-up and help Pakistan to victory.
With the bat, he scored six runs in both innings at a strike rate of 150.00, batting mostly lower down the order. Those youth experiences helped hone his skills as a right-arm medium fast bowler, which reflected his consistent wicket-taking ability in domestic cricket.
For the uninitiated, the 30-year-old impressed on his PSL debut, picking up four wickets in two overs and playing a key role in Hyderabad’s win over Islamabad United.
Opting to field first, Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne saw his decision pay off as the bowlers restricted Islamabad United to 153/9 in 20 overs despite solid contributions from New Zealand duo Devon Conway and Mark Chapman.
Conway scored a fluent 45 off 31 balls with 7 boundaries while Chapman added 42 off 30 balls. Sameer Minhas (22) and Mohammad Faik (18) were the only ones to reach double figures.
Mehmood took four wickets while Muhammad Ali took 2 wickets. Glenn Maxwell also picked up a wicket.
In reply, Hyderabad Kingsmen chased down the target of 154 runs with 4 wickets and 11 balls to spare, thanks to Labuschagne’s unbeaten half-century.
The captain anchored the innings with an unbeaten 61 off 53 balls including 6 fours. He was well supported by Mas Sadaq (30) and Saeem Ayub (35), who had a decisive unbeaten run with Glenn Maxwell, who scored 21 off nine balls.
Captain Chris Green and Faheem Ashraf took 2 wickets each for Islamabad United.
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