Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s pace bowling legend and current national bowling coach, believes that Faheem Ashraf can become Pakistan’s Ben Stokes in the Test cricket.

The coach believes that Ashraf can take up the all-rounder’s responsibilities for the national team once he regains fitness and the team management wants him to fill up the role, as they would like to have the luxury of an all-rounder in the Test team who can contribute with both bat and ball.

Ashraf has been out of international action since Sri Lanka T20Is in October 2019, but the seamer returned with a bang, taking a five-wicket haul in the first innings and then picked up another in the second innings against Northern to help Central Punjab to win the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy recently.

He also scored 119 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 90 and an average of 59 in the tournament.

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Younis told Pak Passion, “We wanted to have him around for the recent Sri Lanka Test series, but he was injured. We would love to have the luxury of an all-rounder in the Test team who can give us that fourth bowling option, especially when you have a young pace-bowling attack. Look at England with Ben Stokes who is batting at number 5 or 6 and is a complete bowling option.”

He signed off by saying, “It’s very handy to have someone like Stokes in your Test team with both bat and ball and we are searching for that option. Faheem has been around the squad for a while now and we want to get him fit, to work on his batting too and fill that all-rounder’s spot if he can.”

(With Pak Passion Inputs)