Sikandar Raza: “Those who understand cricket know Abdullah Shafique is pure class. He’s not just a red-ball player”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza believes Pakistan top order batsman Abdullah Shafique is “not just a red-ball player” following his outstanding performance in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Shafique played alongside Raza for the Lahore Qalandars and finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer in PSL 10 with 390 runs in 13 matches, which included three fifties, at an average of 32.50 and a strike-rate of 148.28.
The 25-year-old has been classified as a Test specialist in the past, but Raza noted that anyone who doubts his batting capabilities in white-ball cricket should take a close look at his performance against Islamabad United, where he smashed 66 runs off 38 balls, which included six boundaries and three sixes.
“Those who understand cricket know Abdullah Shafique is pure class. He’s not just a red-ball player – anyone doubting him should watch his innings (66 runs against Islamabad United),” Raza was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Despite doing incredibly well in the PSL, Shafique was not picked for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, which they won 3-0.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub
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