Abdullah Shafique Acknowledges Fortune’s Role in His Fifty Against South Africa

Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique acknowledged the factor of luck in his strong performance against South Africa on the first day of the second test at Rawalpindi. He got multiple chances in the first innings, as South Africa dropped his catches three times while he was on 0, 15, and 41. The opener utilized this opportunity to score a valuable 50 that marked his return to form in international cricket.

After the end of the first day, Abdullah Shafique told the media that dropping catches is part of the game and it can happen with any team. He said that batters should utilize these opportunities to score big in the match.

“This is cricket, these things happen to us as well, and it happened to them today. In the end, it worked in our favor. I believe in international cricket, you need a bit of luck too,” said Abdullah Shafique at the post-match press conference.

It should be noted that Abdullah Shafique was struggling in test cricket for quite some time. He was getting good starts in matches but was not able to convert them into fifties or hundreds. Luckily, he got the chance today to score a valuable 50 that gave Pakistan a good base in the first innings.

While talking about his recent performance, Abdullah acknowledged that he is going through a rough patch. He is confident that this phase will be over soon, as he is working very hard in the nets to correct his technical mistakes.

“Every professional goes through a lean patch. I think I’m going through that phase. But good players are those who overcome these challenges. I’ve been working hard in the nets and in the camps before this. I’ve been working on correcting my mistakes,” said Abdullah Shafique.

He then added that talking to senior players in the team helps to correct mistakes, so he always does that to take valuable suggestions.

“We have many senior players in the team, and everyone goes through this phase. I try to talk as much as I can, the more you talk, the more you learn and reflect,” said Abdullah Shafique.

Talking about the pitch condition, Abdullah said that the Rawalpindi surface is not much different from the Lahore wicket. The outfield of the ground is, however, a bit slower, which is why the scoring rate is a bit low.

“Compared to Lahore, there isn’t a major change in this wicket, but the outfield here is a bit slower, which is why the scoring rate was slightly lower. Otherwise, it’s quite similar, no big difference,” added Abdullah Shafique.

The batter is confident that Pakistan will get a strong start on the second day as well. He is optimistic that the team will score around 350 runs in the first innings, as that will give them a chance to put pressure on South Africa.