#2 Asad Shafiq (Pakistan)
Buried somewhere underneath the heaps of runs accumulated by Younus Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq over the past six years on the dusty surfaces of the UAE, lies a 30-year-old cricketer, who has stepped up the ladder and taken up the responsibility just when the team needed, and in a manner it needed the most.
The unceremonious ouster of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Amir, back in 2010, related to spot-fixing scandal left some gaping holes in the Pakistani lineup, and it was then, that the likes of Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq grabbed the opportunities they were presented with and played a crucial role in Pakistan’s dominant run in their adopted home.
Since the retirement of Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan were searching for a batsman who could bat at No. 6 – a batting position best suited for batsmen ready to face adversities as well as who are willing to play freely – and Shafiq not only fulfilled these roles but also mastered them with some superlative display of batting.
With 2762 runs from 47 Tests at an average of 43.15, Shafiq has provided an apt solution to Pakistan’s middle order woes, as their batting has been largely dependent upon the experienced duo of Misbah and Younus over the past six years.
The glimpses of the batsman’s resolve were shown in his debut Test itself, as he rescued the Pakistan side that had slipped to 156/4 in reply to South Africa’s 1st innings total of 584/9 in the first Test of South Africa’s 2010 tour to the UAE, held in Abu Dhabi. Shafiq scored 61 runs in his debut innings and combined with Abdur Rehman for a 107-run partnership for the fifth wicket, against an attack comprising of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Johan Botha.
That knock was only the beginning of a series that saw Shafiq play many a memorable knock for Pakistan, the most noticeable ones of which have been his 75 & 100 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2012, 111 vs South Africa in Newlands in 2013, 131 vs Sri Lanka in Galle in 2015 amidst the overseas performances, and his 130 vs South Africa in Dubai in 2013, and 137 vs New Zealand in Sharjah in 2014.
However, amongst the controversy-seeking Pakistani cricketers Shafiq’s clean slate gets lost often, and all eyes are generally pointed towards the Amirs, the Misbahs and the Younus’ who have been amongst the news for more reasons than one. The latest example of Shafiq and his contributions being not noticed with the intensity that they should have been, came at the Lord's Cricket Ground in 2016, during Pakistan's recent historic victory. The talks about Misbah's hundred at 42, Amir's return at 24 and Yasir's 10-wicket-haul comfortably subdued the innings of 73 and 49 that the right-handed No. 6 batsman scored.
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