"Usually, we compare him to Kane Williamson and Rahul Dravid" - Babar Azam on Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has said that young Test opener Abdullah Shafique's technique is comparable with Kane Williamson and Rahul Dravid's.

Shafique made his Test debut against Bangladesh in November 2021, a year after making his maiden T20I appearance. The right-handed batter recently enjoyed a productive series against Australia at home, making 397 runs in three Tests at 136 and averaging 79.40. His best of 136* came against Australia in the first Test in Rawalpindi.

Speaking to a local newspaper, Azam said about the 22-year-old Shafique, as quoted by Cricket Pakistan:

"I personally watch and definitely enjoy Abdullah's stylish batting. He plays very clean; his stance and the way he ducks the ball are impressive. Usually, we compare him to Kane Williamson and Rahul Dravid. We call him Dravid. In the presence of Abdullah, the place of opener Shan Masood, another polished batter, may be in doubt, but our main aim in selecting an individual is the team's interest."

Masood, who made his debut for Pakistan in 2013, has been on the sidelines in Test cricket since January 2021. However, the left-hander has been in prolific form in the County Championshi, topping the Division Two's run-scoring charts. He has accumulated 844 runs in six games at an average of 93.77, scoring three fifty and as many tons.

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Pakistan to face West Indies in three-game ODI series

Babar Azam and co. are gearing up to take on the West Indies at home in a three-match ODI rubber. All three fixtures will take place at the Rawalpindi Stadium. The hosts' 16-man squad for the series is as follows:

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper/batter), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper/batter), Mohammad Wasim (Jr.), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Zahid Mahmood.