Shafique on notching his first test ton after a year as Pakistan hope to continue dominating England on Day 2.
Shafique scored his first Test century in over a year as Pakistan ended day 1 of the first test in a strong position.
He was part of a 253-run stand with skipper Shan Masood as they went on to grind the inexperienced English bowling attack in the Multan heat.
A visibly emotional Shafique expressed relief at being able to get past the “challenges of failure”. After a brilliant start to Test cricket that had him on the verge of becoming the fastest player to achieve 1000 Test runs ever, he went into a protracted slump.
“A sportsman has to face challenges and go through failure,” Shafique said. “I’m thankful to the team management and the captain for trusting me and giving me a fair run. You face a lot of mental challenges and lots of doubts, but you have to overcome it all and perform.”
Shafique is right to express his gratitude to his captain. By now, it’s common knowledge that Pakistan is impatient with bad form and has a tendency to dismiss underperforming players quickly. However, Masood made a strong argument for players to continue believing in him when he took over as captain. He made clear about emphasising the need for them to feel comfortable in the team.
“It was a very important day as the first one of the series,” Shafique said. The whole team understood the value of setting the tone up front because that’s the mode in which the team plays thereafter. The wicket is challenging to bat on a fresh pitch with the new ball. But the partnership between me and Shan gave the team a big boost.”
After Ayub fell early, Pakistan could have dreaded another probing day with the bat. But Masood took the attack to England’s bowlers, with Shafique comfortable playing second fiddle. There were glimmers of Shafique’s style and elegance as the scoreboard started to tilt in Pakistan’s direction. He reached his half-century with a six and reached 100 with what may have been the shot of the day—an beautiful run forward that forced Jack Leach into the far-off advertising hoardings.
“It’s a challenge batting for long because of this extreme heat in Multan. But you can’t let yourself make excuses and keep trying to do what you are required to do. How well you take your opportunity is what matters. It’s not just the batter but the whole team which is confident when you do well.”