Mir Hamza: “Abdullah Shafique is one of the best fielders in Pakistan. Dropped catches are a part of the game. It’s OK”
Image courtesy of: Unsplash
Pakistan left-arm seamer Mir Hamza insisted he is not at all concerned about opening batsman Abdullah Shafique’s catching following his disappointing fielding performance during the recent three-match Test series against Australia.
Shafique dropped multiple catches during the series and was heavily criticised for his technique.
However, Hamza came to the 24-year-old’s defence, stating that the Sialkot native is “one of the best fielders in Pakistan” and that “dropped catches are a part of the game.”
“Abdullah Shafique is one of the best fielders in Pakistan. Dropped catches are a part of the game. It’s OK,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
To make things worse, Shafique failed to have much of an impact with the bat as well as he mustered 110 runs, which included a top score of 62, at an average of 18.33.
Hamza, meanwhile, claimed seven wickets in two Tests at an average of 20.71 as Pakistan went on to lose the series 3-0.
The men in green then played a five-match T20I series against New Zealand and were beaten 4-1.
Hamza will now play for the Karachi Kings in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), while Shafique will represent the Lahore Qalandars.
PSL 9 will be held from February 17 to March 18 in Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
Karachi Kings Squad for PSL 9: James Vince, Hasan Ali, Shan Masood (captain), Shoaib Malik, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, Tim Seifert, Mohammad Amir Khan, Anwar Ali, Arafat Minhas, Sirajuddin, Saad Baig, Jamie Overton
Lahore Qalandars Squad for PSL 9: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Haris Rauf, David Wiese, Sikandar Raza, Abdullah Shafique, Zaman Khan, Mirza Tahir Baig, Rashid Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Ahsan Bhatti, Dan Lawrence, Jahandad Khan, Syed Faridoun Mahmood, Shai Hope, Kamran Ghulam, Rassie van der Dussen