As the school summer holidays began last month in Dubai, Shafiq Ahmed, the veteran cricket coach at GEMS Modern Academy, flew to Lahore, Pakistan, to spend time with his family.
Being at home, surrounded by loved ones, always brings a sense of calm. Like most ordinary people, Ahmed also enjoys these precious moments of life.
But even the comfort of home is not enough to keep his blood pressure under control when his son, Abdullah Shafique, goes out to bat for Pakistan in international cricket.
The last couple of years have been extremely stressful for Ahmed, having seen his son struggle for runs and lose his place in the Pakistan Test team.
A former first-class cricketer in Pakistan who played with the iconic Wasim Akram, Ahmed spotted Shafique’s talent for cricket when he was only three years old.
Long before Shafique trained under world-renowned coaches, it was his father who shaped his game. His copybook technique and elegant shot-making were all the result of the groundwork done by Ahmed.
After rising through the ranks in domestic cricket, Shafique made his Test debut in 2021 and soon established himself as a classy opening batter with majestic hundreds against England, Australia and Sri Lanka.
With pundits hailing him as Pakistan’s best Test batsman after Babar Azam, Shafique was on track to become a world-class player.
But he suffered a severe dip in form, unable to recover his rhythm and confidence before being dropped from the team in October 2025.
Out of international cricket for almost a year, the 26-year-old Shafique was preparing to leave for the West Indies last month when his father, Ahmed, arrived in Lahore for the summer vacation.
Shafique was getting ready to play in a T20 tournament — the Global Super League — in the West Indies when Ahmed asked him about his plan, whether he was going to take some time off after the GSL and visit his friends in the US.
But the 26-year-old knew what he wanted to do: return to Pakistan after the GSL to prepare for the domestic cricket season and give himself one more chance to regain his top form and his place in the Pakistan Test team.
What followed next was a dramatic turn of events which, according to Ahmed, feels like a script out of a movie.
For a man who was out of the Pakistan Test squad for almost 10 months, Shafique received an SOS from the national team management after Shaan Masood suffered a finger injury against hosts West Indies in the first Test, which the visitors lost by a big margin.
Shafique, who was already in the Caribbean for the T20 tournament, happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Asked to join the squad for the make-or-break second Test, Shafique flew into Port of Spain to represent his country again at the highest level.
He had not played any form of red-ball cricket since December last year.
But when he walked out to bat at number three, an unusual position for a natural opener, after Pakistan lost an early wicket following the West Indies’ first-innings score of 333, Shafique survived a few anxious moments against the in-form fast bowler Shamar Joseph.
The right-hander eventually settled down before finding his full range of graceful shots. Sharing a match-turning partnership with skipper Babar, Shafique delivered a masterclass in the art of building an innings as he completed a fairytale comeback with a magnificent unbeaten 160 to set up Pakistan’s eight-wicket win.
In Lahore, Ahmed, his father, walked away from the television set, unable to bear the tension of watching him face the music in Test cricket.
But now there is a spring in his step, with Shafique’s unexpected heroics raising his hopes again of seeing him become a true great of Pakistan cricket.
“This is like a film story, you can say — a touring team, a player featuring in a T20 league at the same time, and then joining the national team from there,” the veteran coach told Khaleej Times over the phone from Lahore.
“Right now, I am over the moon, but at the same time, we were all under pressure — myself, my wife and everyone in the family at home.
“So you understand the level of nervousness Abdullah must have been feeling because I was feeling it too. After the match, I thanked the Almighty because without His kindness, you cannot achieve anything.”
The hard work and perseverance paid off as Shafique scored the fourth-biggest Test hundred for Pakistan in the West Indies — a glittering list topped by the legendary Hanif Mohammad.
“It may look easy when someone who has already played 25 Test matches scores a hundred, but his situation was different. He was trying to prove himself again and show that he still belonged at this level. He really worked hard during the off-season for this,” Ahmed said.
“When he finally got this opportunity and delivered, the whole family was extremely proud. And about the emotions — I cannot describe those feelings in words.
“You know he has scored three big hundreds overseas, and Pakistan have won all three of those matches. He has also won the Player of the Match award in all three. I think that is a huge achievement, and I am very proud and very happy.”
Ahmed admitted that the last year was difficult, with constant media scrutiny after Shafique’s form collapsed.
“My whole life has been connected with this game. I am not the kind of parent who doesn’t understand cricket. I know the game, I have played it, and I understand the pressures involved,” he said.
“So I told him not to worry too much about the media and social media. The best way to answer people is through your performance.
“I believe in the Almighty. Everyone believes that God watches the efforts of those who work hard. He may not reward you immediately, but if you do what is in your hands, He will give you success at the right time.”
Source: Khaleej Times