Saud Shakeel scored a double ton in the first innings against Sri Lanka (AP Image)
Saud Shakeel has already hit a double hundred, a hundred and five half-centuries in the six Test matches.
Middle-order batter Saud Shakeel has turned out to be another promising batter for Pakistan in future. The southpaw started his international career on a high and has already hit a double hundred, a hundred and five half-centuries in the six Test matches. However, it’s his Bradmanesque average of 98.5 which stands out.
In the first Test against Sri Lanka, Shakeel became the first Pakistan batter to score a Test double century in the island nation as he remained unbeaten on 208. He overtook Mohammad Hafeez to register the highest Test score by a Pakistan player on Sri Lanka soil. With the double-ton, his average (98.5) went skyrocketed high.
Shakeel was the mainstay of Pakistan’s innings by stitching valuable partnerships with the lower middle order and the tail after the top order collapsed.
It was a brilliant knock from the southpaw as at one stage Pakistan were half down from 101 but he fought hard and helped them post 461 in the first innings, in reply to Sri Lanka’s 312.
Shakeel’s gritty knock was laced with 19 fours as he faced 361 balls to put up a fightback against the hosts and put Pakistan on the top after first innings. He was dropped twice, on 93 and 139.
“When I went in to bat, I wanted to attack,” Shakeel said. “If I had tried to be defensive we would have got bowled out for 150. That’s the reason I attacked and was able to take the game deep.
“We have been working to play this kind of attacking cricket back in the camp at home. The coaching staff backed me. Pretty pleased with the effort.”
He became the eighth batter to hit a double century on Sri Lanka soil after Sachin Tendulkar, Joe Root, Chris Gayle, Stephen Flemming, Mushfiqur Rahim, Virender Sehwag and Brian Lara.
27-year-old Shakeel, playing his sixth Test, cut Dhananjaya de Silva for a boundary to bring up his double century to a standing ovation.
“When Naseem Shah joined me, he said that there’s a chance for me to go for the double hundred,” Shakeel told reporters after the marathon knock.
“A lot of credit to him for backing me and not letting me panic.”
