Tag: Abdullah Shafique

Records tumble as Pakistan seal historic victory over Sri Lanka in first Test

Posted on by A Sports

GALLE: Various records tumbled during the recently-concluded first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka as the visitors defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets on the back of an astounding unbeaten 160-run knock of right-handed opener Abdullah Shafique.

As Pakistan displayed sheer dominance over the Sri Lankan bowling attack in the fourth inning; chasing their second-highest ever total in the history of Test cricket. The Green Shirts have registered several records from their incredible victory.

 

Pakistan’s successful 342-run chase against Sri Lanka in the first Test is the highest chase by any team at Galle. The previous highest successful fourth-innings chase here was 268 by Sri Lanka versus New Zealand in 2019.

Pakistan’s hero of the Galle Test Abdullah, who displayed brilliance with his outstanding knock of 160* and guided the touring side to a historic victory also tumbled various records, as the right-handed batter become the first Pakistan batter to score a century at Galle in the fourth inning.

The 22-year-old opener has also scored the most Test runs for Pakistan after six matches, having scored 685 runs at an average of 76.11, leaving behind the legendary batter Javed Miandad, who scored 652.

 

Furthermore, following his gritty knock of 160*, Abdullah has also become the first batter in Test history to bat over 500 minutes in a successful run chase as his match-winning knock saw him staying at the crease for a mammoth 524 runs.

 

Whereas, Abdullah’s 160 is also the third-highest individual score by a Pakistan batter in the fourth inning of a Test.

Besides Abdullah, Pakistan captain Babar Azam touched another milestone completing 10,000 international runs across all formats to become the fastest Asian batter to reach the landmark.

 

On the opening day of the Galle Test, the Pakistan captain also became the fifth-fastest batter to mark 10,000 runs in international cricket in the record 228 innings, surpassing India’s Virat Kohli and Australia’s Steve Smith as both took 232 innings to achieve the feat.

The right-handed batter is also the quickest Pakistan batter to the 10,000 runs mark, leaving behind legendary batter Miandad, who achieved the milestone in 248 innings.

 

READ: Pakistan climb to third spot in Test Championship after Galle Test win

Abdullah shines as Pakistan outclass Sri Lanka by four wickets in first Test

Posted on by A Sports

GALLE: Abdullah Shafique starred for Pakistan with a blistering knock of 160 not-out as the touring side clinched a thumping win against Sri Lanka by four wickets on the final day of the first Test, here on Wednesday.

Abdullah led the charge for the Green Shirts during their chase of the massive 342-run target set by Sri Lanka in the final innings of the match.

Pakistan resumed their second inning on the final day with the overnight score of 222/3 and sailed comfortably towards the target despite losing three wickets along the course and a brief delay due to rain.

The overnight pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah provided a solid start to the day’s play as they added another 55 runs to the total before Rizwan fell prey to the spinner Prabath Jayasuriya following a crucial 40-run knock.

Debutant Agha Salman failed to impress for the second time in the match and managed only 12 runs before Jayasuriya removed him on a caught-behind wicket.

Hasan Ali’s short-lived knock brought Mohammad Nawaz to the crease who scored 19 runs to take his side towards the finish line with undeterred Abdullah on the other end.

For Sri Lanka, spinner Jaysuria remained phenomenal with the bowl throughout the game as he grabbed four wickets in the second inning followed by a five-wicket haul in the first. Whereas, Ramesh Mendis and Dhananjaya De Silva took a wicket apiece.

Moreover, Pakistan completely dominated the hosts during the last two days of the Galle Test as the Green Shirts had a flourishing start to their chase on the previous day after wrapping up Sri Lanka’s second inning on 337.

Earlier, Pakistan raised 218 in their first inning after a magnificent centurion knock by the skipper Babar Azam, meanwhile, Sri Lanka scored 222 during their first inning.

READ: ‘Job isn’t done yet’ centurion Abdullah aims to lead Pakistan to victory

‘Job isn’t done yet’ centurion Abdullah aims to lead Pakistan to victory

Posted on by A Sports

GALLE: Pakistan’s fourth-inning centurion Abdullah Shafique, who bolstered the touring side to close in on the 342-run target has set his sights on leading the Green Shirts to victory in the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Abdullah, in a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s released statement on the conclusion of the fourth day of the ongoing Test, expressed satisfaction with his magnificent knock, while at the same time claiming that he is aware that the job is not done yet.

“First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to the Almighty as I was able to score second Test hundred for Pakistan. We are currently in a very comfortable position, so I will do everything in my power to ensure that we pursue the total tomorrow,” Abdullah stated.

“The job is not done yet but the strive will be to maintain our focus tomorrow and chase the remaining total. The target is to not get easy in any phase and I am hopeful the result will be in our favour,” he added.

The right-handed batter then went on to reveal the team’s strategy to go for the total and claimed that they divided the target into small partitions, session by session to move closer to it by the end of the day.

“The master plan was to go for the chase, but we made small targets session by session to come closer to it,” he revealed.

The opening batter, who remained unbeaten with a magnificent 122, also opined on his crucial 101-run partnership with Pakistan captain Babar Azam and claimed that the latter’s presence gives him a lot of confidence.

“Babar is a wonderful batter and I have always learned from him. It was helpful to have him at the other end. He was guiding me throughout,” Abdullah shared.

“His wicket put more responsibility on me. I tried to not lose a wicket and help my team finish the day on a high note. Now, my target is to win this match for my team tomorrow,” he maintained.

Abdullah then heaped praises on Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and claimed that the team’s strategy was to go after him and stop him from stifling the touring batters.

“We chose to pursue Jayasuriya, a fantastic bowler who was extremely challenging to face on this pitch, and develop scoring options against him so that he wouldn’t feel like he was succeeding,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan need a further 120 runs on the final day to seal victory in the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka. Centurion Abdullah (122*) and Mohammad Rizwan (7*) will resume the proceedings for the touring side at 222/3.

READ: West Indian batter Lendl Simmons retires from international cricket

Abdullah shines with fifty as Pakistan finish draw against Sri Lanka Xl

Posted on by A Sports

COLOMBO: Opener Abdullah Shafique starred with the bat on the final day as Pakistan’s three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka Xl ended on a draw, here on Wednesday.

Abdullah scored a magnificent 63 runs including five boundaries and two sixes before getting retired hurt. Whereas, Azhar Ali chipped in with 40, as Pakistan finished on 178/2 in their second innings.

Opener Imam ul Haq combined excellently with Abdullah to raise an opening stand of 61 runs before Imam was sent back to the pavilion on 30.

Fawad Alam fell cheaply on 6 before Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz remained firm on the crease till the end of the day’s play on 21 and 13, respectively.

For Sri Lanka Xl, Lasith Embuldeniya and Lakshitha Manasinghe made a scalp each.

Earlier, Sri Lanka Xl resumed with the overnight score of 278/5 at the onset of the final day’s play and gained a 52-runs lead before declaring their inning on 375/8.

Sadeera Samarawickrama remained the top-scorer of the match with his blistering knock of 91 while Nuwanidu Fernando and Nishan Madushka scored the fifties to frustrate Pakistan bowlers.

For Pakistan, Nawaz grabbed two wickets while Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hassan Ali, Naseem Shah, Agha Salman, Yasir Shah and Faheem Ashraf claimed wicket apiece.

Pakistan are set to lock horns against the hosts Sri Lanka for the two-match Test series with the first Test scheduled from July 16 to 20 at Galle.

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‘Babar is a world-class batter, I learn a lot from him’ Shafique lauds skipper

Posted on by A Sports

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Test opener Abdullah Shafique has praised the Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for bolstering the confidence of team members while proclaiming him one of his favorite batters, here at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Speaking to a scheduled Press conference during the underway training camp for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, Shafique hailed Babar as a world-class batter and an inspiration for other members of the team.

“Babar Azam is a world-class batter from whom I get the opportunity to learn a lot,” he said while pronouncing him as one of his favorite batsmen along with Ricky Ponting and Mohammad Yousuf.

Shafique also disclosed his feelings when he was been compared to the Indian legendary Test batter Rahul Dravid.”It felt good when Babar compared my batting with Rahul Dravid,” he expressed.

Talking about playing conditions in Sri Lanka, Shafique claimed it to be similar to the conditions in Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan will tour Sri Lanka to play a two-match Test series, scheduled from July 16 to July 28.

READ: Pacers aid West Indies to sweep Test series against Bangladesh

‘If the situation builds up then will definitely go for victory’ Abdullah

Posted on by A Sports

KARACHI: Pakistan’s right-handed opener Abdullah Shafique shared that the team will surely go for the victory if the situation builds up on the final day of the ongoing second Test against Australia.

Abdullah, while talking to the presser after the conclusion of the fourth day of the Karachi Test, expressed satisfaction with his performance and claimed that the home side will go for the victory if the situation remained favourable.

“The batting remained satisfactory in the last two sessions. We will try to play according to the situation and to keep the momentum in our favour,” he said.

“The team will surely go for the victory if the situation remained suitable for us,” he added.

Abdullah then heaped praises on his captain Babar Azam, said he is a world-class batter and he always tries to learn from him.

“I think Babar Azam is a world-class batter and I always try to get help from him,” he said.

The right-handed batter then went on to reply to a reporter, who asked about him scoring a second century in a row, said the team performance is always his first priority.

“Team performance is before my personal achievement. Our focus tomorrow will be to do what is best for our team, and, I will try my best to win this game for them,” he replied.

Abdullah then acknowledged Australia’s bowling attack and revealed how he, alongside Babar nullified their attack.

“The Australian bowlers were taking advantage of the rough areas. Their strategy seemed to trap us on the leg side, but Babar Bhai and I decided to play defensively instead to wave off the threat,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan finished at 192/2 at the stumps on the fourth day of the ongoing Test. The home side needs further 314 runs to pull off the victory by chasing a world record.

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Abid, Abdullah drive Pak to victory against BD in Chattogram Test

Posted on by A Sports

CHATTOGRAM: Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique continued their superb form on Day 5 and it helped Pakistan notch an eight-wicket victory against Bangladesh in the opening Test here on Tuesday. 

Resuming the last day at 93-0, Abid and Abdullah added 58 more runs together to set Pakistan closer to the victory line. Hasan Miraz picked up Abdullah but it was too late for the home side for causing any destruction.

Debutant Abdullah scored 73 runs off 129 balls including eight boundaries and a maximum before getting LBW. His opening partner Abid got out after scoring 93 runs laced with 12 boundaries.

Azhar Ali (24*) and skipper Babar Azam (13*) scored match-winning runs for Pakistan as they both partnered together to score 31 runs.

Tajiul Islam and Miraz bagged a wicket each for Bangladesh.

Abid Ali was named man-of-the-match for scoring 224 runs in two innings with a century.

READ: Abid, Abdullah build strong partnership as Pakistan need 93 more to win