Abdullah ‘not perturbed’ by Shan’s presence in squad

ISLAMABAD: Opener Abdullah Shafique, who will be accompanying the national squad on his first Test series tour to Sri Lanka, has said that he never felt perturbed by the presence of Shan Masood, saying that competition for the places always brings the best out of the players.

In an exclusive interview with ‘The News’ Tuesday, the prolific right-handed batsman said he never felt afraid of the presence of others in the team, rather he takes it as a challenge and an opportunity to work even harder on his form and fitness.

“When there is competition for the places on the team, it always helps bring out the best from you. Shan’s presence hardly bothers me rather it helps me concentrate extra on my batting. This is what international cricket is all about. You have to be on your toes all the time.

There is no room for any complacency which ultimately helps your team put up an even better show.”

In five Tests, Abdullah has scored 547 runs with a healthy average of over 68 runs per innings and was looking forward to making his presence felt on a potentially spinning Sri Lankan tracks during the two-match Test series starting from July 16.

“I never have played Test series in Sri Lanka but did tour the country with the A team. I know that pitches there are spin-friendly and you need to be at your best to tackle the quality spinners. I am trying hard to perform well in the series and hopefully would continue with the same vein during the Test series the way I played against Australia.”

Abdullah turned out to be the second-highest run-getter during the home series against Australia.

“I have the experience of playing spin in Bangladesh. Hopefully, I would be in a better position to show batting prowess against wrest spinners in Lanka. Here at the Pindi Stadium, we train, keeping in mind the tracks that would be on offer in Sri Lanka. I am looking forward to facing quality Lanka spin attack.”

When asked as to how important openers’ role on the tour will be? He said: “Openers always set the pace for the rest of the team as such their job becomes all the more important. They have to see off the new ball which usually swings both ways. So it is important to get off to a good start to keep the pressure off the middle order. My effort has always been to stay long at the wicket and play an innings that could help the team raise a strong total.”

He had all praise for his seniors, saying that Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Fawad Alam form a formidable middle-order.

“They are the best in the business. Hopefully, their presence would help youngsters perform to the best of their abilities.”

Abdullah also sounded confident about the Pakistan pace-cum-spin attack.

“We have got some of the best pace bowlers backed by the experience of Yasir Shah and Nauman Ali. Hopefully, Pakistan's attack will again win the series for the country. They have done in the past and have all the strength to do it again.”