Shaheen Shah Afridi: “Abdullah Shafique is one of my favourite batters”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi said opener Abdullah Shafique is “one of my favourite batters” right now.
Shafique is regarded as a special talent in the country and began his international career with a bang.
However, the 24-year-old hasn’t been able to maintain his red-hot start as his form has cooled significantly in his last couple of series.
During the recent two-Test series against Bangladesh, the Sialkot native was restricted to 42 runs at an average of 10.50.
Despite not having been at his best, Afridi reiterated how good Shafique is and knows he will start firing again in no time.
“Abdullah Shafique is one of my favourite batters,” he was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X, formerly known as Twitter.
After the Bangladesh series, Shafique played for the Lions in the Champions One-Day Cup, which was a domestic 50-over tournament held in Faisalabad.
In four matches, he scored 89 runs, which included a top score of 52, at an average of 22.25.
Shafique is now featuring in Pakistan’s three-Test series against England and rediscovered his form in the first innings of the first Test in Multan as he scored 102 runs off 184 balls, which included 10 boundaries and two sixes.
He was dismissed for a golden duck in the second innings as Pakistan lost the match by an innings and 47 runs.
The second Test will get underway on October 15 in Multan.
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