Mohammad Kaif: “Abdullah Shafique knows the art of run-making. He can attack but is never rushed, he can defend but never gets stuck. One player, all formats”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif believes Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique can play in all three formats as he “knows the art of run-making.”
Shafique had mainly been used in Test cricket before being given a chance to cement his spot in the ODI team during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
In the longest format, he has scored 1,220 runs in 14 Tests, which includes four centuries and four fifties, at an average of 50.83.
Coming into the World Cup, the 24-year-old was initially a back-up option to Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq.
However, he replaced Zaman after the opening game against the Netherlands and went on to have a huge impact as he amassed 336 runs in eight matches, which included a hundred and three half-centuries, at an average of 42.
“Abdullah Shafique knows the art of run-making. He can attack but is never rushed, he can defend but never gets stuck. One player, all formats,” Kaif said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan won 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 defeat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they failed to make it to the semi-finals.
The men in green ended their campaign on a sour note as England pummelled 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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