Fakhar Zaman: “Abdullah Shafique is a talented player”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan opening batsman Fakhar Zaman said fellow opener Abdullah Shafique has got plenty of talent and showed it during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Shafique actually replaced Zaman in the playing XI after the first match against the Netherlands, but Zaman returned to take Imam-ul-Haq’s spot after missing the next five games.
Shafique ultimately amassed 336 runs in eight matches, which included a century and three fifties, at an average of 42, while Zaman’s two main highlights came against Bangladesh and New Zealand, against whom he smashed 81 and 126 not out respectively.
“Abdullah Shafique is a talented player,” Zaman was quoted as saying by respected journalist Saj Sadiq on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan triumphed in their first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before falling to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they fought back to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand, it was not enough to get them into the semi-finals.
The men in green concluded their campaign in disappointing fashion as England thumped them by 93 runs.
Shafique’s next assignment will be Pakistan’s three-match Test series against Australia, which starts 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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