Naseem Shah recalls struggling with his mother's death just before Pakistan debut and how he coped with it

Naseem revealed toughest phase of his life taught him how to handle tough situations.

Naseem Shah cries after receiving his Pakistan cap on debut a day after his mother died| Getty

Pace sensation Naseem Shah has described the day of his debut for Pakistan as the toughest day of his life while revealing how he coped with the demise of his mother.

Naseem made his international debut against Australia in Brisbane at the age of 16, as he had left his ill mother back home and had told her to watch his debut for Pakistan. 

Unfortunately for Naseem, he received the sad news of her passing away a day before he received his Pakistan cap for his Test debut against Australia in 2019. But he decided to stay back and play for his county, though it was really tough for him since he was very close to his mother. He started his career with David Warner’s wicket.

Read Also: PAK v ENG 2022: Naseem Shah ruled out of the third Test due to shoulder injury

Speaking with Nasser Hussain for Sky Sports Cricket, Shah revealed that he talked to his mother and asked her to "watch the game tomorrow," as he was making his Pakistan debut. After learning that she was overjoyed and told him she would come to Lahore and watch him play, but the fate was different.

The youngster further revealed that he had to take a lot of medicine to overcome the pain of losing his mother and said that period taught him how to handle tough situations both on and off the field.

As reported by Firstpost, Naseem Shah said on Sky Sports: “For the next six-to-eight months, I struggled so much. No one thinks about what’s going on inside you. I used to have a lot of medicines, I saw my mom everywhere. I used to think about her a lot.”

He signed off by saying, “Whenever you play for Pakistan, everyone expects performances from you. I had a lot of injuries during that time as well, so it was a tough time. I learned from it, though. I’m stronger now. My debut was the toughest day of my life. I can manage when I’m not performing well now, because I know how tough it was.”

Naseem was recently ruled out of the third and final Test between Pakistan and England in Karachi due to a shoulder injury.

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 15 Dec, 2022

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