Asad Shafiq: “People criticise Misbah-ul-Haq for having a defensive style, but every captain has a different plan. He believed that we should wait for the opposition to make a mistake”

Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani

Asad Shafiq said people criticised Misbah-ul-Haq for being too defensive when captaining the team.

The veteran middle order batsman noted that Misbah adopted this approach since he wanted to outsmart the opposition and wait for them to “make a mistake”.

“People criticise Misbah-ul-Haq for having a defensive style, but every captain has a different plan. He believed that we should wait for the opposition to make a mistake,” he was quoted as saying by Cricwick.

Shafiq is still playing domestic cricket in Pakistan and has been in solid form in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where he has been representing Balochistan.

In the 10 matches he has featured in, he has amassed 661 runs, which includes two centuries and three fifties, at an average of 50.84.

The 36-year-old hasn’t played for Pakistan since August 2020, but still has his sights set on a recall.

There is a possibility that Shafiq could land on the selectors’ radar if he has an outstanding campaign in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as Pakistan have been struggling to find the right batsmen for their middle order.

Since Shafiq has played 77 Tests to date, his experience could prove useful and earn him another opportunity if the selectors opt to pick a more seasoned player in the Test squad down the line.

Despite his good form in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, he wasn’t selected for Pakistan’s three-Test series against England in December.

Pakistan’s Squad for England Test Series: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Shan Masood, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed

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