Shoaib Akhtar: “What a star in [the] making”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Shoaib Akhtar, the legendary fast bowler who bowled at 161.3 kph (100.2 mph), sees Pakistan opening batsman Abdullah Shafique as a “star in [the] making.”
His comments come after Shafique grabbed the opportunity he was given in the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup when Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets.
In that match, the 23-year-old replaced out-of-form opener Fakhar Zaman and struck a career-best 113, which came off 103 balls and included 10 boundaries and three sixes.
Supported by Mohammad Rizwan’s career-high 131 not out, which came off 121 deliveries and included eight boundaries and three sixes, Pakistan chased down a target of 345, making it the highest successful run chase in World Cup history.
Akhtar was mightily impressed with Shafique’s performance as the Sialkot native had primarily been utilised in Test cricket up to that point. However, his maiden ODI century showed that he is capable of succeeding in other formats too.
“What a star in [the] making, brilliant 100,” the Rawalpindi Express said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
With Pakistan also having won their World Cup opener against the Netherlands by 81 runs, they will go into their clash against India on October 14 in Ahmedabad searching for their third consecutive win.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali