'Going To Be A Bigger Player Than Babar'- Simon Katich's Huge Prediction On Abdullah Shafique
Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam (Twitter)
Abdullah Shafique impressed prominent Australian experts with his fantastic initiation to the challenging conditions Down Under, producing a solid knock 42 off 121 deliveries in the first innings of the Perth Test.
The steady right-hander played out the new-ball burst from the mighty Aussie pace battery expertly and led Pakistan's strong response to the hosts' daunting 487 all out with his contribution in a resilient opening partnership of 74 runs shared with Imam Ul Haq.
Before the tour, Shafique was one of the youngsters who were scrutinised for their lack of experience playing on high-paced and bouncy surfaces in Australia. However, the 24-year-old responded to the outside noise with a valiant effort in his very first outing of the three-match series.
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Katich Makes Huge Shafique Prediction With Babar Reference
One of the admirers that the young Pakistan opener earned with his encouraging knock was former Australian opener Simon Katich, who made a massive prediction on Shafique's career, stating he could go on to become an even more prolific scorer for his country than modern-day giant Babar Azam.
"He’s a good young player, he’s had a good start to his Test career. What I like about him the most is that he’s aggressive against spin," Katich said during his 'Channel 7' commentary stint on Day 2 of the Perth Test this Friday (December 15).
"We have already seen him today hit Nathan Lyon straight over his head, so I like the look of him. I think he’s going to be a better player than Babar Azam," he added.
Shafique continued to make the waves with his near-perfect display before being dismissed off a leg-side strangle by spinner Nathan Lyon. The Pakistan opener, regarded highly for his solid defence and temperament, now averages 50.48 in his flourishing young career after 15 Tests and 27 innings, including four centuries and four fifties.
 "Kashish Chadha")
