Shan Masood: “You talk about stats. The other day I was reading a stat that Abdullah Shafique… has a better record than Virat Kohli (after 19 Tests)”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has pointed out that opening batsman Abdullah Shafique had a better record than India superstar Virat Kohli after 19 Tests.
Shafique has come under increasing criticism for his failure to score runs consistently after making a superb start to his Test career.
However, Masood came to the 24-year-old’s defence, stating that people should do their research before lambasting players after they fail to perform in a few matches.
“With all due respect, I don’t think your question is accurate… I agree that Pakistan hasn’t played good cricket in 2024. Things should be looked at objectively. You talk about stats. The other day I was reading a stat that Abdullah Shafique… has a better record than Virat Kohli (after 19 Tests),” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Shafique recently made 42 runs in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh at an average of 10.50.
He then proceeded to represent the Lions in the Champions One-Day Cup, which was a domestic 50-over competition that took place in Faisalabad.
In four matches, he mustered 89 runs, which included a top score of 52, at an average of 22.25.
Following this, Shafique was in action in Pakistan’s three-Test series against England and accumulated 132 runs, which included a top score of 102, at an average of 26.40.
The men in green ended up winning 2-1, which was their first Test series victory at home since 2021.
Pakistan Squad for 2nd and 3rd Tests against England: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Zahid Mahmood.
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