'We compare him to Kane Williamson and Rahul Dravid'- Babar Azam praises this young batter

The Pakistan cricket team, under the leadership of Babar Azam, is getting better with each passing day. They have produced many match-winners and are giving a tough fight to the top teams in the world. A young player named Abdullah Shafique has also been very impressive in the few games that he has played for the team in green.

The 22-year-old recently featured in a three-match Test series against Australia, and scored a century and two fifties. Babar Azam has praised the young batter for his impressive start in red-ball cricket, which has seen him score 547 runs in five matches. The team skipper compared him to the Indian legend Rahul Dravid, and New Zealand's current skipper Kane Williamson. Azam also revealed that Shan Masood's place in the team is under a threat because of Shafique.

"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, maybe in doubt but our main aim in selecting an individual is the team's interest," Babar told Dawn News.

The batting maestro admitted that the two young players can give any team a good fight. "They play bold cricket and can upset every team on a given day. Therefore, we will try our best to go for big wins in order to earn maximum points to make Pakistan strong for the <50-over> 2023 World Cup. Our first priority is our team; we prefer the best side for each series and that is done while announcing the team for the next series," he said.

Meanwhile, Shafique made his debut against Bangladesh in November 2021, striking consecutive fifties (52 and 73) at Chattogram. The right-handed batsman stepped up his game against Australia, scoring 81, 96, and an undefeated 136 in three Tests played in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.