Kamran Akmal: “If a player like Abdullah Shafique isn’t scoring runs against such teams, then I think it’s a worrying sign, both for Abdullah and for Pakistan”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal has admitted it is a “worrying sign” that opener Abdullah Shafique hasn’t able to score big runs.
Shafique recently featured in Pakistan’s two-Test series against South Africa, where he made 106 runs, which included a top score of 57, at an average of 26.50.
Akmal admitted that such returns are unacceptable for a specialist opener, particularly one of Shafique’s exceptional ability.
“Abdullah Shafique, as you can see, is a specialist opener. Whether it’s the first ball or not, cricket has become so fast-paced that runs are expected right from the start. You can see that our approach is totally different; we’re not playing the cricket of the ’90s or ’80s. Just killing time and seeing off the ball won’t get you runs. If a player like Abdullah Shafique isn’t scoring runs against such teams, then I think it’s a worrying sign, both for Abdullah and for Pakistan,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
The Test series ended as a 1-1 draw, but Pakistan went on to win the T20Is and ODIs 2-1.
They were then in action against Sri Lanka and crushed them 3-0 in an ODI series.
Next up was a T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, which the men in green ended up winning.