Ashraf Ali Siddiqui appreciates young cricketing talent
World Record by Pakistani Batsman – It is always fascinating to see records broken in the exciting field of sports. The latest in the long list of record breakers is Pakistani batsman, Saud Shakeel who brought up his seventh half-century on the third day of the ongoing second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Colombo and this feat made Shakeel the first batsman in Test history to score a fifty in each of the first seven Tests. By doing so Shakeel has surpassed the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Basil Butcher, Saeed Ahmad, and Bert Sutcliffe who scored fifty or more runs in each of their first six matches.
He came to the crease when Pakistan was standing at 210-3 in the first innings, in reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings score of 166. He departed after scoring 57 runs but his partnership with Abdullah Shafique helped Pakistan extend their first innings lead over 150.Earlier, in the first Test in Galle, the 28-year-old Saud Shakeel also created history by becoming the first Pakistani batsman to achieve a double century on Sri Lankan soil. His outstanding innings of 208 not out surpassed the previous highest individual Test score by a Pakistani batsman in Sri Lanka held by Mohammad Hafeez (196). Furthermore, Shakeel became only the second Pakistani batsman, following Zaheer Abbas against England in 1971, to achieve a double century in the first away Test match of a series.
Saud Shakeel has so far scored 875 runs in 13 Test innings (7 Tests) of his career — 76 in 1st Test, 63 & 94 in 2nd Test, 53 in 3rd Test, 55* in 4th Test, 125* in 5th Test, 208* in 6th Test, 57 in 7th Test — at an average of 87.50, including two centuries and six half-centuries. He has so far played Test matches only in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. If Pakistani tours Australia in December, his batting skills in red-ball cricket will be put to real Test.
Saud Shakeel was born on 5 September 1995; and as of 2023 he is 28 years old. Saud Shakeel is a middle order batter from Karachiand bats left handed. In his Test career to date, Saud Shakeel has played 6 matches to date in his Test career and has scored 818 runs, with an average of 91. Saud Shakeel has hit 97 fours and 1 sixes in his Test career.
In Saud Shakeel’s ODI career, he has played 5 matches to date in his ODI career and has scored 67 runs with an average of 22. Saud Shakeel has hit 5 fours and 0 sixes in his ODI career.Saud Shakeel is currently ranked 15th in the ICC Test batting rankings with a total of 691 points. The Weekender
