Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has praised young opener Abdullah Shafique ahead of tour of Sri Lanka. The 20-year-old has played just five Tests so far but Azam has compared him to legendary Indian batter Rahul Dravid and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson.
"I personally watch and definitely enjoy Abdullah's stylish batting. He plays very clean, his stance and the way he ducks the ball are impressive. Usually, we compare him to Kane Williamson and Rahul Dravid. We call him Dravid" Babar told Dawn News.
With 547 runs from nine innings at an outstanding average of 58.37 in a short span, Shafique is likely to be considered ahead of Shan Masood. The left-handed batter recently scored three centuries including two double centuries for Derbyshire in County Championship. Despite a successful stint in England, his spot is in doubt as Imam-ul-Haq made an emphatic comeback in the Test series against Australia.
"In the presence of Abdullah, the place of opener Shan Masood, another polished batter, may be in doubt but our main aim in selecting an individual is the team's interest," Azam explained.
However, before the Sri Lanka tour, Pakistan will play West Indies in three-ODI series at home. The three-ODI series was rescheduled after Covid-19 outbreak in the West Indies camp in December last year. The three-ODI series will be played from June 8 to June 12 now. Shafique is likely to make his ODI debut against the Caribbean side.
"They play bold cricket and can upset every team on a given day. Therefore, we will try our best to go for big wins in order to earn maximum points to make Pakistan strong for the [50-over] 2023 World Cup. Our first priority is our team; we prefer the best side for each series and that is done while announcing the team for the next series," the 27-year-old added.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Junior, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Zahid Mahmood.
West Indies squad: Nicholas Pooran (c), Shai Hope (vc), Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Shermon Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Anderson Phillip, Rovman Powell, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh Jr.
