Abdullah Shafique smashes his third 50+ score in World Cup
Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique continues his impressive run in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. He smashed a 75-ball 58 in match number 22 against Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Shafique, who has been among the runs, added 56 runs with his opening partner Imam-ul-Haq. The former now has three 50+ scores in the ongoing tournament, including a century.
Shafique slams his third ODI fifty
Shafique showed positive intent from the outset. He stitched an opening partnership of 56 runs with Imam. Although Imam departed on 17, Shafique went on to score his third half-century in ODI cricket. This was his third 50-plus score in the ongoing World Cup. He smashed 58 off 75 balls, a knock studded with 5 fours and 2 sixes.
A historic ton on WC debut
Shafique smashed a match-winning century against Sri Lanka. He hammered a 103-ball 113 as Pakistan chased down 345. As per Bharath Seervi, Shafique became the first Pakistani player to score a century on a World Cup debut. He broke the record of Mohsin Khan, who previously held the highest score for Pakistan on World Cup debut (82 v Sri Lanka, 1983).
Here are his career stats
The 23-year-old made his ODI debut for Pakistan against the Netherlands in August 2023. As per ESPNcricinfo, Shafique has raced to 335 runs in eight matches at an average of 41.87 (50s: 3, 100: 1). In the ongoing World Cup, Shafique has clocked 255 runs at 63.75. He has played seven matches on Asian soil, racking up 333 runs at 47.57.
