Sohaib Maqsood: “Abdullah Shafique has been out of form in ODI cricket for the past year. I don’t think Pakistan should persist with him for the Champions Trophy. Instead, we should consider Imam-ul-Haq or even Shan Masood as opening options”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan batsman Sohaib Maqsood has advised the selectors not to pick opener Abdullah Shafique for the 2025 Champions Trophy since he “has been out of form in ODI cricket for the past year”.
Maqsood thinks Shafique has had enough chances to prove himself and feels other batsmen now deserve the opportunity to show what they can do.
Two names that he suggested were Imam-ul-Haq and current Test captain Shan Masood, who average 48.27 and 18.11 in ODIs respectively.
“Abdullah Shafique has been out of form in ODI cricket for the past year. I don’t think Pakistan should persist with him for the Champions Trophy. Instead, we should consider Imam-ul-Haq or even Shan Masood as opening options,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Shafique recently featured in Pakistan’s three-match ODI series against Australia and scored 113 runs, which included a top score of 64 not out, at an average of 56.50.
He followed that up with 83 runs in three ODIs against Zimbabwe, which included a top score of 50, at an average of 41.50.
As for the three ODIs Pakistan played against South Africa, the 25-year-old from Sialkot failed to have an impact at all as he was dismissed for a duck in every match.
Pakistan are now taking on the West Indies in a two-Test series, but Shafique was dropped from the squad.
The men in green hold a 1-0 lead after winning the 1st Test by 127 runs and will now look to complete a 2-0 whitewash in the 2nd Test, which begins on January 25 in Multan.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha
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