Arif Yaqoob: “I am a big fan of Asad Shafiq. I have never seen such a fighter cricketer in my career”
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Pakistan leg-spinner Arif Yaqoob said he has never seen a cricketer with as much fight as former middle order batsman Asad Shafiq.
Given the amount of grit and determination Shafiq showed throughout his career, Yaqoob acknowledged that he is a “big fan” of the 38-year-old.
Shafiq represented Pakistan in 77 Tests and scored 4,660 runs, which included 12 centuries and 27 fifties, at an average of 38.19.
He also featured in 60 ODIs and amassed 1,336 runs, which included nine half-centuries, at an average of 24.74.
As for his T20I career, the Karachi native made 192 runs in 10 games at an average of 19.20.
“I am a big fan of Asad Shafiq. I have never seen such a fighter cricketer in my career,” Yaqoob was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Yaqoob was recently in action for the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and took eight wickets in five matches at an average of 17.75 and an economy rate of 8.87.
His most notable highlight came in the Zalmi’s clash against Islamabad United, where he took four wickets in one over en route to finishing with career-best figures of 5-27.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufiyan Muqeem, Waqar Salamkheil, Arshad Iqbal, Gus Atkinson, Shamar Joseph
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