Pakistani soil is the one that often seems more fertile to produce the mighty pace bowlers who can go after any strongest batting lineup in the world. But, on the other hand, the rise of a 22-year-0ld guy as a Test specialist prodigy in a generation of cricketers that is leaning more towards the glamourous franchise leagues is obviously like a blessing in disguise for the traditional format of the game. Yes, I am talking about none other than the young blessing to Test cricket, Abdullah Shafique.

Watching this Sialkot-born sensation batting is like a treat for many experts of the game and also the former veterans who played the game. Being brought up in a cricketing family of former Pakistani first-class cricketer Shafique Ahmed, cricket always remained like something Abdullah had in his veins since he held the plastic bat for the first time in his childhood.

Perfect defence, calculated front foot, amazing hand-eye coordination, patience, and perseverance, all these are the elements Shafique is equipped with. Being equipped with these is not the only thing, this lad has also a good sense of responsibility and understanding about how and when to use all these elements to bring the team into a comfort zone from any unfavourable situation.

Shafique took the team to win in an almost lost Test match

Pakistan is currently on a tour of Sri Lanka for the two-match Test series. They faced Dimuth Karunaratne & co. during the first of the two-match Test series and the visitors were in a miserable condition having a mammoth target of 342 runs in the fourth innings. But the way this Punjabi lad painted a 522-minute-long and must-require innings of 160 runs off 408 balls for his team was like watching Pablo Picasso playing with brush and colours to rejuvenate a dull and off-colored canvas.

Eventually, Abdullah ended up similarly rejuvenating the dull and off-coloured canvas in Galle Test for visitors and became a major difference between a defeat and Pakistan. Batting in Test cricket has always been a craft, the craft which has been carried away by some talented craftsmen in the past with their own unique skills and unprecedented colors of talent.

Born with cricket in blood veins

Cricket in Abdullah’s blood was recognized by his father in his son’s early childhood. Once, the senior Shafique also talked about the amazing god-gifted cricketing instinct of his oldest son.

“I’d just come back and saw Abdullah shadow-practising with a plastic bat. He hadn’t seen me yet and I spotted him with the perfect stance, getting his front foot perfectly and pretending to play a front-foot defence. I couldn’t believe it. He looked like a kid who’d been training for three-six months. I immediately asked my wife if Abdullah had been playing cricket with someone,” said Shafique.

There’s a famous phrase, “a father knows better” and Shafique was the personification of this phrase who later went on to groom his son to be one of the finest journeys in the longest format of the game. That too for a cricketing nation that barely remembers any Test specialist after the legendary Haneef Mohammad.

It’s neither a comparison nor a contrasting of Abdullah with Haneef Mohammed, it’s just like understanding how you can prepare yourself to carry a baton of traditions of the game even in a completely evolved generation of cricket in the 21st century.

Senior Shafique knew all about his son from the beginning

Now coming back to Shafique’s role as a father, he understood all the qualities of his son and worked on them very carefully and minutely. Senior Shafique took modern-day Abdullah to Sialkot’s Late Amir Waseem Academy in Punjab. It was a crucial juncture of his cricketing journey that happened to occur only in teenage-period for Abdullah as he got a chance of training there with the players of the senior team.

Having a platform, perfect training, and enumerated guidance, the then 16-year-old guy made it to the Sialkot Under-16 very early. It was the very place where he shone into the sights of veterans of the game and the coaches who were previously the cricketers.

Then, four years later, arrives the morning of 2nd December 2019 in the cricketing career of 20-year-old Abdullah Shafique. The morning on which he woke up with a debut call in first-class cricket. It was the day when this ultimate modern-day class was introduced to the oldest format of the game in the domestic circuit of Pakistan.

Started his first-class career in style

The raw prodigy from Sialkot donned the first-class cap of Central Punjab in the 29^th match of the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy 2019-20, it was the match in which he played against Southern Punjab. Abdullah amazed everyone with the display of his determination and dedication in his cricketing life’s first ever first-class match. The then skipper of Central Punjab Ahmed Shehzad sent him to bat at the crucial number three position.

Debutant Junior Shafique sojourned there in the middle for 280 minutes and played an amazing knock of 133 runs with 16 fours and a six to end up as the highest scorer of the inning for his team. On the back of his consecutive excellence in domestic cricket, the 21-year-old made his Test debut just after playing three first-class matches. It is always a big achievement for any aspiring cricketer in the world.

The day when the cricketing world witnessed the rise of a star and a new class of Test cricket

Eventually, the international cricketing fraternity came to know about this amazing class of Test cricket when the Australian team toured Pakistan for three-match Test series earlier in March 2022. Both teams were playing the first match of the series at Rawalpindi. Everybody was amazed after seeing how comfortably a 22-year-old young batter of only two Tests old was emerging as trouble for one of the finest bowling attacks in the world of cricket. The very attack included the senior and experienced pacers in the form of Mitchell Starc and Aussie skipper Pat Cummins himself.

Abdullah played an amazing unbeaten knock of 136 runs and stitched a partnership of 252 runs with Imam-ul-Haq in the fourth innings of a drawn fixture at Rawalpindi. This excellence was followed by his 465-minute marathon stay on the crease alongside skipper Babar Azam in the second Test of the series at Karachi’s National Stadium.

It can be said without any second opinion that Abdullah Shafique is the next belief Test batting after Rahul Dravid on whom sub-continent can count on at any turf in Test cricket.

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria reckons that emerging pacer Arshdeep Singh could be a great option for India in the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup this year. Known for his death overs spells and the ability to bowl well-disguised yorkers, Arshdeep who was impressive in the last two editions of the IPL finally found a place in the Indian T20I squad during the first game against England earlier this month.

Speaking on Arshdeep’s potential to be the next big thing in Indian fast bowling, Kaneria said that the left-arm speedster can certainly be a valuable asset for India in both the major tournaments this year as the youngster bowls sensibly and knows how to take wickets. At the same time, the veteran spinner also added that Arshdeep Singh can create a good impression on Dubai wickets during the Asia Cup.

Arshdeep Singh can be successful being a left-arm pacer: Danish Kaneria

“Mark my words. Arshdeep will play the third ODI and make an impact too. Arshdeep has the art, and he uses his mind while bowling. He bowls sensibly and knows how to take wickets. He can be a fantastic option for the Indian team for T20 World Cup and maybe for Asia Cup as well. Asia Cup will be held in Dubai and he can be successful being a left-arm pacer,” said Kaneria while speaking on his YouTube channel.

Arshdeep Singh created a good first impression on his T20I debut against England with figures of 2/18 from his 3.3 overs at an economy of 5.1 including a maiden. With less than three months to go for the T20 World Cup down under, the Indian think tank would now be eager to give Singh a few more chances going forward.

It would be interesting to see whether the left-arm pacer gets to feature in the playing XI for the upcoming five T20Is starting Friday, July 29 as the final auditions for the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup get underway

Star Pakistani all-rounder Shadab Khan has pointed out the difference between former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed’s and current leader Babar Azam’s captaincies. He said that the wicketkeeper-batter was a more active leader on the pitch compared to Babar by being more vocal. The current captain has already settled himself as one of the best batters of world cricket and has done pretty well in the leadership department as well. He will be leading the strong-again Pakistani side in the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and then in the ODI World Cup in India next year.

Babar replaced Sarfaraz in 2019 after Pakistan failed to reach the semi-final stage of the 2019 World Cup. The wicketkeeper-batter was sacked before the Australia tour and was replaced by Azhar Ali in Tests and Babar in white-ball cricket. Babar also took over Test captaincy at the end of the year 2020 and has done very well since then. He has united the disrupted Pakistani squad and is likely to stay at helm for a while. Shadab Khan, the current vice-captain for white-ball teams, made his international debut under the leadership of Sarfaraz and is being groomed as the next leader of the Pakistan team.

“Sarfaraz was an active captain on the field, whereas Babar Azam does not depict his emotions much and stays calm. He said that Babar got under pressure in his early phase of captaincy but he is well settled now,” Shadab Khan said in a Twitter video.

I want to play Test cricket: Shadab Khan

Shadab has featured in just six Test matches for Pakistan so far and his last international red-ball match was against England in August 2020. He has scored three fifties and has taken 14 wickets in Test cricket and is looking for a comeback now. He rates Test cricket as the premium format of the game and said there is nothing more charming than playing it for one’s country.

“I want to play Test cricket, but to be honest, I think I can’t take my place in the Test squad right now. I have not played first-class cricket for quite a while but I want to make a comeback in the premium format of the game because there is nothing more charming than playing Test cricket for your country,” Shadab Khan added.

Every seasoned cricketer and game expert will eventually come across a Virat Kohli question on social media, be it during a press conference, or in an interview, regardless of whether he is playing, resting, or even vaguely linked to the topic. Shoaib Akhtar, who has previously backed Kohli amidst his poor form, gave a terrific reply to a fan who asked him to describe Kohli in one word during his Q&A session.

The former Pakistani pacer, who holds the record for the fastest delivery in the history of cricket, took to social media and announced the release of his biopic “RAWALPINDI EXPRESS – Running against the odds” on Sunday, 24 July, and indulged in a Q&A session with the fans later. He called for fans to ask him questions using a hashtag saying that he would reply to them for the next half hour.

When one of the fans asked: “One word for Virat Kohli #Rawalpindiexpressthefilm”, Akhtar replied saying “Legend already.”

Legend already

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) July 24, 2022

Akhtar had previously backed Virat Kohli and called him the greatest player

As part of his continuing century drought, which began in November 2019, Virat Kohli has recently had trouble with the bat. The three-figure milestone has escaped the former India captain in 79 innings across all formats ever since he hit a ton against Bangladesh in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in a pink-ball Test between the two teams.

Before being rested for the white-ball series against the West Indies, Kohli received harsh criticism for his dismal performance in England, where he scored just 12 runs in the T20I series and 33 runs in ODIs. But amid all the ongoing talks, many cricketers from around the world, and former players have come out in support of the 33-year-old, saying that he’d be back in form soon.

“People are saying that he should be dropped. Virat Kohli is finished. There is nothing more left in his career and he would not be able to do anything more in his career. To them, I say Virat Kohli is the greatest player. In the last 10 years, if there has been any greatest player, it is Virat. He has 1-2 bad years, he still has scored runs, just the century has not come,” Akhtar had said on his YouTube channel.

“As a Pakistani, I’m supporting Virat Kohli because he has 70 centuries. It’s not Candy Crush. Only a great player can score these many centuries, something a normal player can’t do. When Kohli comes out of this phase, it will be a different Virat Kohli,” the pacer had added.

Many sportspersons have got biopics on their names for their outstanding contributions in that field and for inspiring a generation of how one can achieve excellence by overcoming all odds. Even a few cricketers have been privileged enough to have on-screen biopics celebrating their lives and achievements. This list includes Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and most recently Mithali Raj.

Now a biopic is set to be made on yet another cricketer. For a change, he is not an Indian, but a famous cricketer from the neighboring country who was known for his express pace bowling and also had his fair share of controversies during his playing days. The person in the discussion is Shoaib Akhtar.

Akhtar himself has officially confirmed the launch of his biopic which is titled  ‘Rawalpindi Express Running against the odds’. The tearaway fast bowler took to his official social media handles to confirm the news.

Shoib Akhtar gears up for his biopic

Taking to social media the pace icon wrote, ” Beginning of this beautiful journey. Announcing the launch of my story, my life, my Biopic, “RAWALPINDI EXPRESS – Running against the odds” You’re in for a ride you’ve never taken before. First foreign film about a Pakistani Sportsman. Controversially yours, Shoaib Akhtar”.

In the video that was shared, it was confirmed that the eagerly anticipated movie is set to release on November 16, 2023.

Beginning of this beautiful journey. Announcing the launch of my story, my life, my Biopic,
"RAWALPINDI EXPRESS – Running against the odds"
You're in for a ride you've never taken before. First foreign film about a Pakistani Sportsman.

Controversially yours,
Shoaib Akhtar pic.twitter.com/3tIgBLvTZn

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) July 24, 2022

Shoaib Akhtar is arguably the fastest bowler to have played the game and was a terror for many batters during the late 90s and early 2000s, having floored the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Gary Kirsten, and Brian Lara with his lethal deliveries. He was a force to reckon with during his international career from 1997 to 2011.

However, frequent injuries and on and off-the-field controversies hampered him from getting his fair share of recognition at the highest level. Meanwhile, his lightning-fast 161.3 kmph that was recorded during a group match against England in the 2003 World Cup at Newlands remains the fastest recorded delivery in international cricket to date.

Sri Lanka scored more than 300 runs despite Pakistan getting six wickets on the first day of the second Test match at the Galle International Stadium. Pakistan bowlers had to sweat it out to get wickets on the bowling-friendly pitch as Sri Lanka posted 315/6 in just 86 overs on Day 1. At the end of the day, star Pakistani all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz stated that the bowlers didn’t get much help from the pitch as expected and Pakistan let the hosts score a little bit too much.

Pakistan managed to chase a record-breaking 342-run target on Day 5 of the first Test match at the same venue. Nawaz took five wickets in the second innings and remained unbeaten on 19 runs at the end of the chase. As expected, the pitch proved heaven for the spin bowlers in the first match but it was not the same case on Sunday (July 24) in the second and final fixture of this series. Sri Lankan batters looked strong playing against the likes of Yasir Shah and Nawaz from the start of the innings.

“I think we let them score a little bit too much. The pitch isn’t like the first Test; it wasn’t turning and the pitch was slow. I think we would have been better served by squeezing the score rather than attacking. Because the pitch was very slow and the wickets weren’t coming as easily, you needed to work especially hard for them. So if we’d restricted their score, perhaps the wickets would have come easier,” Mohammad Nawaz said at the end of day one.

Mohammad Nawaz defends skipper Babar Azam

Pakistani fielders came under scrutiny once again for dropping a few easy catches on Day 1. Skipper Babar Azam, who is an excellent fielder, dropped two catches and Hasan Ali dropped another. The scoreboard would have been entirely different had those catches not been dropped. While Nawaz feels that it’s rare to see Babar dropping catches, he defended his skipper, saying that anyone can make errors.

In what can be called an absolute nail-biter, India defeated West Indies by two wickets in the second ODI to clinch the three-match series 2-0. Just like the series opener, this contest went right down to the wire, and the Men in Blue yet again managed to cross the line. Meanwhile, a plethora of records were made and shattered in the game and one of them was India recording their 12th successive bilateral ODI series win over West Indies, most for a team against an opposition.

India’s arch-rivals Pakistan previously held the record, having won 11 consecutive ODI series against Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, momentum enjoyed a rollercoaster ride in the game as West Indies put up a brilliant show. After posting a challenging 311/6 while batting first, the hosts took wickets at regular intervals and seemingly tightened their grip over the contest.

All-rounder Axar Patel starred for India

However, a timely and fiery half-century from all-rounder Axar Patel meant the visitors crossed the line with a couple of deliveries to spare. Notably, this was also India’s highest successful ODI run-chase in West Indies. Overall, Team India’s chase was the third-highest on Caribbean soil.

Earlier in the contest, West Indies won the toss and opted to bat at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain in Trinidad. The Men in Maroon got off to a fiery start with openers Kyle Mayers and Shai Hope being aggressive from the outset.

The duo added 65 runs for the first wicket before the former perished for 39. Hope, on the other hand, slammed his 13th ODI ton and ended up scoring 115. While Shamarh Brooks also made a handy 35, skipper Nicholas Pooran scored a much-needed 77-ball 74 as West Indies crossed the 300-run mark.

Unlike the previous game, India got off to a rough start with skipper Shikhar Dhawan perishing for a 31-ball 13. The ship was then steadied by Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who scored 43 and 63, respectively. The baton was then passed onto Sanju Samson and Axar Patel, who scored their respective maiden ODI fifties.

Axar was brilliant in particular as he scored 64 off just 35 deliveries and remained unbeaten till the end. As a result, India crossed the line in the last over to seal the series. The all-rounder, who also recorded bowling figures of 1/40 in nine overs, was adjudged the Player of the Match. Meanwhile, the third and final ODI will take place at the same venue on Wednesday (July 27).

A four-member team of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has completed their review of the security among other arrangements in Pakistan before the Three Lions make their visit to the country for playing a seven-match T20I series against the Men in Green in September and a Test series post the T20 World Cup.

The delegation has now left Pakistan after expressing their satisfaction regarding the arrangements. The four-member team visited four cities in Pakistan including Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Islamabad. The team inspected cities’ airports, routes, and cricket stadiums during their one-week visit. The delegation was also briefed by Pakistan’s high-level government organizations and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials.

The delegation will now submit its status report to ECB

After completing its visit, the four-member team will now submit its report to the ECB, and the dates for the T20I series and the Test series are expected to be finalized after the review.

As per reports, the T20I series is expected to be played in Lahore and Karachi, while the Test matches are expected to be held in three different venues with one of the venues expected to be Multan Cricket Stadium. At present, Pakistan are taking on Sri Lanka in a Test series in Sri Lanka.

The visitors won the first Test match after getting a good fight from the home team and are currently playing the second Test match. Talking about England, the Three Lions are playing against South Africa in a three-match ODI series. The home team lost the first ODI fixture by a big margin but made a resounding comeback in the second fixture as they bundled out the Proteas side under the 100-run mark.

Talking about the third match, South Africa after winning the toss, decided to have a bat first and have crossed the 150-run mark after losing two wickets. Both teams will be looking to win the final match and clinch the series and as of now, the venue is experiencing a rain delay.

Over the last few weeks, a number of former players have criticized the nature of the ODIs, expressing their concerns over the future of the format. Former legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram also opined that One-day cricket is becoming a “drag” and that the format is ‘dying.’

However, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt opined that the only difference between the ODIs and T20s is that the latter has leagues around the world and has more money involved in it. Butt, even though he respects Akram’s opinion, reminded that it is ODIs where the former pacer has over 500 wickets. He reckons that two of the iconic deliveries bowled by Akram in World Cups are not something you can expect in T20 cricket, because there is not enough time for that in the shortest format.

They can have a cash-rich option in T20s: Salman Butt

Butt believes that players do not want to leave the T20Is because it has more money. He feels that if a player is facing exhaustion due to a packed schedule, they would opt out of ODIs because the T20Is and Test cricket make more money. The former Pakistan skipper believes that the one-day format is a “pillar” of cricket, adding that he would never want it to end.

“One-dayers have big tournaments but there are no leagues in it. So, if someone is facing exhaustion with a packed schedule, they prefer to retire from ODIs. This way, they can have a cash-rich option in T20s and the long format one in Tests,” Butt said on his YouTube channel.

“Wasim Bhai is our legend. Who are we to say anything to him. I respect his opinion, but he also has 500 wickets in ODIs only. The two deliveries he bowled in the World Cup that everyone remembers; you won’t see them in T20s. There’s not enough time in that format. He was the man of the match in the World Cup final,” added Butt.

Previously, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that he “switches off the TV after a point of time” while watching the ODIs. Australian batter Usman Khawaja also stated that ODI cricket is “dying”. Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra also expressed his concerns over the future of one-day cricket, a few weeks ago.

Preview:

On Sunday, Ireland Women will face Pakistan Women in the sixth match of the T20I Tri-Series tournament at Bready Cricket Club in Bready. Ireland Women were defeated by Australia Women by a large margin of 63 runs after failing to chase a total of 182 runs. The most recent match between Pakistan Women and Australia Women was called off due to rain while they were defending their 94-run total. Pakistan Women have defeated Ireland Women by 13 runs in their previous encounter.

Match Details:

Ireland Women vs Pakistan Women, Match 6

Venue: Bready Cricket Club, Ireland

Date & Time: 24th July at 8:30 PM IST and 4:00 PM Local Time

Live Streaming: FanCode

IR-W vs PK-W, Match 6, Pitch Report:

In T20 games, the pitch at Bready Cricket Club is equally beneficial to batters and bowlers. Pacers will receive a lot of help in the early innings, and the average score here is around 140 runs.

Injury News:

(will be added when there is an update)

Also Read: Imran Khwaja, Pankaj Khimji, Neil Speight elected as ICC Associate Member Directors

IR-W vs PK-W, Match 6, Probable Playing XIs:

Ireland Women

Gaby Lewis, Rebecca Stockell, Orla Prendergast, Laura Delany (c), Rachel Delaney, Mary Waldron (wk), Arlene Kelly, Leah Paul, Ava Canning, Jane Maguire, Cara Murry.

Pakistan Women

Muneeba Ali (wk), Iram Javed, Bismah Maroof (c), Nida Dar, Ayesha Naseem, Kainat Imtiaz, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Diana Baig, Anam Amin, Tuba Hassan.

Top Picks for IR-W vs PK-W Dream11 Match:

Top Picks – Ireland Women

Gaby Lewis:

She is a must-pick for this fixture as she is the top scorer for Ireland after scoring 54 runs in three games.

Laura Delany:

She will be an important pick as she can dominate with the bat as well as ball while garnering 22 runs and picking up two wickets in three games.

Top Picks – Pakistan Women

Muneeba Ali:

She will be a crucial pick as she is the leading run-scorer for Pakistan Women and she is known for her abilities behind the wickets.

Nida Dar:

She is the captaincy pick for this fixture as she smashed 22 runs and took a wicket in her previous game. Her addition to the team will be valuable.

Must Pick for IR-W vs PK-W Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for IR-W vs PK-W Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Muneeba Ali, Bismah Maroof, Gaby Lewis (C), Rebecca Stokell, Orla Prendergast, Laura Delany (VC), Leah Paul, Georgina Dempsey, Anam Amin, Fatima Sana, Ava Canning

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for IR-W vs PK-W Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Mary Waldron, Muneeba Ali, Bismah Maroof, Gaby Lewis, Orla Prendergast, Nida Dar (C), Laura Delany, Leah Paul, Anam Amin, Fatima Sana, Arlene Kelly (VC)

IR-W vs PK-W Risky Captaincy Choices:

Rebecca Stokell:

The 22-year-old has been out of form recently, having been sent off early in the previous match. She is a talented batter, but she is a risky captaincy choice for this game.

Bismah Maroof:

As a result of multiple Pakistan Women matches being called off, the star all-rounder is currently unable to perform to her full potential. She will be a tricky captaincy choice.

Players you should avoid:

Rachel Delaney:

The 25-year-old all-rounder’s graph is consistently going downwards, and her stats in the tournament so far are horrible. She can be avoided for the fantasy team.

Note: Updated Fantasy teams and Playing XIs of every match will be provided in our Telegram channel if the information is available.

Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.