PAK vs SL: Mohammad Hafeez Makes Startling Revelation About Saud Shakeel
Published - 07 Oct 2023, 01:21 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:20 AM
Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has made a startling revelation about Saud Shakeel, Pakistan’s hero in their first game of the 2023 World Cup. The left-handed batsman starred with the bat to help his side overcome a disastrous start with the bat and beat the Netherlands by 81 runs.
Asked to bat first, Pakistan were reeling at 38 for 3 with Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, and Babar Azam back in the hut. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan then bailed their team out of trouble by adding 120 runs for the fourth wicket. But it was the left-hander’s knock that caught everyone’s attention.
Despite his team being in a tough position, Saud Shakeel played attacking cricketing right from the start. He hit a flurry of boundaries to take the pressure off his side. In the end, the middle-order batter scored 68 runs off just 52 balls with the help of 9 fours and 1 six. Pakistan went on to score 286 before bowling out Netherlands for 205 to start their campaign with a comfortable win.
Mohammad Hafeez’s revelation about Saud Shakeel:
While Saud Shakeel has become the talk of the town in the Pakistan cricket fraternity, Mohammad Hafeez has claimed that the middle-order batter was not in the team’s World Cup plans just two months ago. The former cricketer, who recently resigned from Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Cricket Technical Committee, also praised the batter for his gritty knock.
“Saud Shakeel rescued the innings when Pakistan were in trouble after losing three early wickets. He has a solid technique and played a gritty innings. He deserves massive credit for the way he handled the pressure,” Mohammad Hafeez was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“He wasn’t even in the team management’s plan for ODI two months ago. I have spent time with him in the dressing room and I know the passion he has for the game and how he wants to prove people wrong,” he added.
Pakistan will be in action again on October 10 when they take on Sri Lanka in their second World Cup game. The match is scheduled to be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. After the clash against Sri Lanka, Pakistan will travel to Ahmedabad for the mega clash against hosts and arch-rivals India.
