England’s Joe Root and Pakistan’s Razaullah (Image: AP)
Pakistan’s rising pacer Razaullah has revealed details of a special meeting with England batting great Joe Root after his impressive Test debut at Edgbaston, where he emerged as one of the few bright spots in Pakistan’s eight-wicket defeat. Although Pakistan eventually lost the Test by eight wickets. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
Pakistan’s position looked desperate after they were dismissed for 133 and England piled up 453. Things became even worse when Pakistan slipped to 0/2 in their second innings. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines The debutant smashed 81 from just 63 deliveries, striking four fours and nine sixes.
“I was being selective with which balls to slog, but they all seemed within range,” Razaullah said. The right-arm speedster made an impact with both ball and bat, claiming four wickets before producing a sensational counter-attacking innings that gave Pakistan hope of mounting an unlikely fightback. However, Azan Awais, Shan Masood and Babar Azam helped steady the innings before Razaullah took centre stage. His nine maximums equalled the record for most sixes by a batter on Test debut, matching New Zealand great Tim Southee. Rather than being intimidated by England’s attack, Razaullah embraced the challenge and took the game to the bowlers. “I wanted to take it as deep as possible. I wasn’t scared of pace. I wanted to punish the balls from Archer that landed on a hard length. There’s nothing to be scared of when you’re playing for your country. I was just enjoying myself.”
Razaullah was among seven players called up after the PCB released a group of players and coaches, including Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul, before the third Test.
Razaullah said Root personally met him after the Test and offered valuable advice following his eye-catching performance. “Receiving such appreciation from a world-class player was a great source of happiness and encouragement for me,” Razaullah said, as quoted by Pakistan Observer. The young Pakistan cricketer admitted that receiving praise from a player of Root’s stature was a memorable moment. The interaction capped a remarkable few days for the uncapped pacer, who had been handed a Test debut after the Pakistan Cricket Board made sweeping changes to the squad ahead of the series finale. With only eight first-class appearances under his belt, the youngster had little experience at the highest level. Yet, he immediately showed why Pakistan had turned to him during a difficult period.