Dropped from the squad due to wretched form, Abdullah Shafique could not have made a more dramatic comeback to the Test arena.
The classy Pakistan batter was an emergency replacement for Shan Masood, who suffered a finger injury during the first Test, which the West Indies won handsomely.
Out of the Test team since October last year, Shafique grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring a brilliant century on the second day of the second Test in Port of Spain.
Walking in at 34 for one, the opener needed to adapt to his new role as the number three after the West Indies made 344 in their first innings.
But the right-hander rose to the challenge beautifully, pacing his innings with ease to register his sixth Test century (111 not out off 193 balls, 11 fours and two sixes).
The 26-year-old shared an unbroken 272-run partnership for the third wicket with skipper Babar Azam (86 not out off 132 balls, 10 fours and one six) as Pakistan finished the second day on 272 for two.
There is still a long way to go in the Test match, but Shafique’s hundred has now put him firmly back in the thick of things.
Blessed with good technique and a fine temperament, Shafique struggled to maintain consistency after making a brilliant start to his Test career.
Since 2024, he has scored just 280 runs in eight Tests at an average of 18.66 — shockingly poor numbers from a player who scored more than 1,600 runs at 47.5 from 2021 to 2023, including hundreds against England and Australia.
Pakistan batting coach Asad Shafiq, a former Test batter, was delighted to see Shafique’s return to form.
“Abdullah has been scoring heavily in domestic competition, and he has taken this opportunity with both hands,” the batting coach said.
“For me, the hallmark of his innings was the way he put away the bad deliveries and respected the good ones.”
Shafique learned the art of batting in the longer format from his father, Shafiq Ahmed, a former Pakistan first-class cricketer and a coach at GEMS Modern Academy, Dubai.
Ahmed, who played with Ijaz Ahmed and Wasim Akram in Pakistan’s domestic cricket, has always encouraged his son to stay positive when runs are hard to come by.
“You can always work on the technical side of the game with the team coaches, but the most important thing is to remain positive. I have always told him the same thing,” Ahmed told Khaleej Times during an interview in 2023.
Now Pakistan fans will be hoping to see Shafique build on his impressive hundred against the Windies and regain a permanent place in the Pakistan Test squad.
Source: Khaleej Times