Andrew Puttick: “He’s betting in a very important position, number five, where you need to be flexible and adaptable, and he certainly is that so I’m expecting great things going forward from Saud”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Andrew Puttick, who has been Pakistan’s batting coach, said he expects “great things” from middle order batsman Saud Shakeel in the future.
Shakeel has already impressed on numerous occasions, both in Tests and ODIs, where he recently got an opportunity to cement his spot in the team.
Given that he is batting at number five in the 50-over format, which Puttick described as “a very important position”, he noted that it is vital the 28-year-old continues to be “flexible and adaptable” in order to keep succeeding.
“He’s betting in a very important position, number five, where you need to be flexible and adaptable, and he certainly is that so I’m expecting great things going forward from Saud,” he told Geo News.
In the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, Shakeel accumulated 241 runs in nine games, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 34.42.
Pakistan began by beating the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before falling to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Despite fighting back to defeat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they could not advance to the semi-finals.
The men in green concluded their campaign in disappointing fashion as England thumped them by 93 runs.
Shakeel has been picked for Pakistan’s upcoming three-Test tour of Australia, which will get underway on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi
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