Shahnawaz Dhani finished as the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded edition of PSL, accounting for 20 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 17.00.
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Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans lifted the trophy for the first time in the history of the tournament on Thursday, after defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the final. The team completed a remarkable turnaround in the UAE leg of the 2021 edition, having lost four out of five games in the home leg. The Multan-based franchise emerged victorious in its first-ever final, following a fine performance by Sohaib Maqsood and Riley Rousseau who smashed the ball to all corners of the ground. However, the comeback against the odds wouldn’t have been possible if not for pacer Shahnawaz Dhani who finished as the edition’s leading wicket-taker. Dhani accounted for 20 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 17.00 and strike rate of 12.1, managing to outperform even the likes of Hasan Ali.
Sultans’ bowling coach Azhar Mahmood was full of praise for the pacer, hailing his performance. Mahmood went to the extent of terming him as the next Shoaib Akhtar, considering his ability to stay cheerful through thick and thin.
“Dhani is always smiling, whether he’s been hit or no. The whole team lights up. It’s like we’ve found a new Shoaib Akhtar. This is just a start for him; we’ll work on his out-swingers, on his in-swinger. There are things I will write down in a report for the Pakistan bowling coach all the things he needs to work on,” he said as quoted by Cricwick.
Akhtar who is usually reluctant to offer praise hailed the cricketer as the “new star” on the horizon.
“Shahnawaz Dhani seems to be the new star on the horizon. Doing really well. Great performance, great attitude,” he stated, indicating his admiration and appreciation.
While Dhani is currently the flavour of the season following his performances for the Sultans, he was definitely not as impressive in the home leg. The six foot two fast bowler accounted for nine wickets in his first four matches. However, he was quite expensive at the same time. Dhani’s economy rate of 10.33 indicates the ease with which batsmen were smashing him for runs, with the dismissals hardly as impactful due to this. The pacer was smashed for 46 runs in four overs even in the first game in Abu Dhabi, with many highlighting the lack of control with regard to the economy rate as an area of concern.
However, the 22-year-old underwent a sizeable improvement in the remaining matches, improving his strike rate of 11.6 balls per wicket to 10 as well as working on controlling the flow of runs better. Dhani followed up the opening game in Abu Dhabi, with 11 wickets in the next four matches. One of those encounters included a brilliant spell against Lahore Qalandars, where he accounted for four dismissals for five runs in three overs. The pacer jumped to the top of the charts in the list of wicket-takers, having left the batsmen in a position of bother with his intelligent bowling.
The 22-year-old showcased his potential in the middle overs, unlike other fast bowlers who are usually lethal in the powerplay or death overs. Dhani accounted for a dismissal every eight deliveries between the 7th and 16th over of the innings, with only Rashid Khan picking more wickets than the pacer’s 10 during the middle overs.
There is no doubt over the fact that the right-arm pacer is still a work in progress, considering the expensive economy rate. However, he could well emerge as a vital weapon for Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup, considering the fact that the tournament might be held in the UAE, if COVID-19 is not brought under control in India.
Bowling has been a vital weapon for the Asian team in the past, and it will be interesting to see Shaheen Shah Afridi and Dhani combining together. Pakistan will also be less impacted by the absence of pacer Mohammed Amir whose availability for the national team is yet to be confirmed.
“First of all, when it comes to Mohammad Amir, I have already said he was dropped based on his performance, based on his injuries. Amir then himself announced his retirement. If he takes back his retirement, and if his performance is good, then I have always said that the door is open for every player. The main thing is let Amir perform and if he is available … then what happened in the past, I don’t think about it,” said Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Dhani’s performances have further earned him a spot in the PSL team of the season. Hazratullah Zazai and Babar Azam are the openers with Colin Munro and Sohaib Maqsood the next players in the batting department. Mohammad Rizwan, Asif Ali, Wahab Riaz, Rashid Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Dhani and James Faulkner are the next in line. Rizwan was named as the captain of the team.
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