Abdullah Shafique finished his ODI series vs South Africa with three ducks [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x]
Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique was dismissed for a first-ball duck by South African ace paceman Kagiso Rabada in the third ODI of their three-match series at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Opening the innings with in-form youngster Saim Ayub, Shafique edged one towards Aiden Markram at second slip as the ‘Men in Green’ received an early setback after losing the toss.
The Pakistan cricket team, under the leadership of Mohammad Rizwan, won the first two matches to seal the series with a game to spare.
Abdullah Shafique in trouble? PAK opener fails again
Abdullah Shafique once again failed to trouble the scorekeepers, this time falling to South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada in the third ODI match in Johannesburg. Shafique, who was sidelined from Pakistan’s squad in the preceding T20I series, spent the entire ODI segment of the tour without scoring a run.
In the first ODI of the series, the 25-year-old was cleaned up by Marco Jansen for a four-ball duck at Paarl’s Boland Park. A couple of days later on a tough Cape Town surface, the young South African quick once again mounted over Abdullah Shafique by drawing an edge towards wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen for a two-ball duck.
With three ducks in a row, Shafique has joined the likes of legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar, T20I superstar Suryakumar Yadav and former spinner Anil Kumble among others with most scoreless innings in succession.
Lasith Malinga, Craig White and Henry Olonga are among the players with most consecutive ODI ducks to their names with four such innings each during their careers. Another duck for Abdullah Shafique will help him equal the unwanted feat in 50-overs internationals.
Nonetheless, Shafique’s failure with the bat prompted an early arrival of number three Babar Azam into the crease as the Pakistan cricket team aim to seal a rare 3-0 whitewash on South African soil.