Saud Shakeel Shines with Century Against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi, Pakistan – August 23: Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel achieved a remarkable milestone by scoring a century against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. This achievement has boosted his batting average, making it the second-highest among current Test batters with at least 10 innings.
Shakeel’s Impressive Performance
In the first Test against Bangladesh, Shakeel scored 141 runs off 261 balls, including nine fours, at a strike rate of 54.02. This performance elevated his Test batting average to 65.17, surpassing renowned players like Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Virat Kohli.
Historical Context
Shakeel’s average is now second only to the legendary Australian batter Donald Bradman, who holds an average of 99.94. Shakeel has also equaled Saeed Ahmed’s record by becoming the joint-fastest Pakistani batter to reach 1,000 Test runs in 20 innings.
Match Highlights
Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bowl first. Pakistan initially struggled at 16/3, losing key players including captain Babar Azam. However, Saim Ayub (56) and Shakeel formed a 98-run partnership to stabilize the innings. A subsequent 240-run partnership with Mohammed Rizwan (171*) and a quick 29* from Shaheen Shah Afridi helped Pakistan reach 448/6. Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam were the top bowlers for Bangladesh, who ended day two at 34/1.
Doubts Revealed
Saud Shakeel -: Saud Shakeel is a cricketer from Pakistan who plays in Test matches, which are long-format cricket games.
Century -: In cricket, a century means a player has scored 100 or more runs in a single innings.
Rawalpindi -: Rawalpindi is a city in Pakistan where the cricket match took place.
Test batting average -: A Test batting average is the average number of runs a player scores per innings in Test cricket.
Saeed Ahmed -: Saeed Ahmed was a famous Pakistani cricketer who played in the past.
1,000 Test runs -: Scoring 1,000 Test runs means a player has accumulated 1,000 runs in Test matches over their career.
Innings -: An innings in cricket is a period in which a team or a player bats.
Saim Ayub -: Saim Ayub is another cricketer from Pakistan who contributed to the team’s score.
Mohammed Rizwan -: Mohammed Rizwan is a Pakistani cricketer known for his batting and wicket-keeping skills.
448/6 -: 448/6 means the team scored 448 runs and lost 6 wickets (players got out).
