Nabi's Got Something To Contribute In Formats He's Available For: Pybus

Nabis got something to contribute in formats hes available for: Pybus (New Delhi: 1st T20I between Afghanistan and India)

Zayed Cricket Stadium:  Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus believes that seasoned campaigner Mohammad Nabi still has something to contribute to the team in the shorter format of the game, calling him a "disciplined and meticulous" player who conducts himself as a professional.

Nabi has lost his place in Afghanistan’s T20I squad for their upcoming tri-nation against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, sparking speculations that it can well be the end of the senior player.

ODI Tri-Nation Series involving Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will take place from October 17–23 in the UAE. The first two matches of the series will be played in Abu Dhabi, before the action moves to Sharjah for the remaining two matches.

"I think Nabi's got something to contribute in the formats which he's available for,” Pybus was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. "He is an incredible cricketer and he keeps himself in absolutely fantastic shape. He's very disciplined, and obviously his record for Afghanistan stands out. He's hugely respected not only for what he's done in the past, but also the way that he just conducts himself as a professional. He's meticulous," he said.

"In terms of his physical conditioning, even though he's a mature cricketer, he really is in good shape and it was really positive to see. We get the data back when we're tracking the guys with the GPS and he held up really well,” Pybus added.

"You know like any cricketer, you've got to consistently perform and he's as aware of that as anybody else but I really do think he still has plenty to contribute. I think the main thing as you get older is hunger and desire. I look forward to his career moving forward and I'm looking forward to working with him,” he added.

Before the Tri-series, Afghanistan will play a one-off Test match against Bangladesh from October 9–13 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Pybus said the Test match against Bangladesh, who have had a historic Test series win over Australia in Darwin and ended the two-match series with 1-1 scoreline, will give his side a chance to check where they stand in Test cricket.

“Now coming and playing against Bangladesh, who are coming off a successful tour to Australia is a good opportunity for us to check in where we're at in Test format,” said Pybus.

What's been good for us is the guys coming out of playing in the first-class red-ball competition back in Afghanistan. So we've had plenty of guys playing the long format and getting that very particular type of cricket fitness and spending that time out in the field and on the wicket,” he said.

“Now coming and playing against Bangladesh, who are coming off a successful tour to Australia is a good opportunity for us to check in where we're at in Test format,” said Pybus.

Article Source: IANS