Abdullah Shafique hammers his maiden Test fifty vs SA: Stats
What's the story
Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique made his bat talk on Day 1 of the second Test against South Africa in Rawalpindi. He negotiated the Proteas pacers well in the first session before falling for 57 in the second. This was his sixth Test fifty and a maiden one against SA. He, however, could not convert his half-century into a massive score. Here are his stats.
Knock
Fine effort from Shafique
Batting first in the game, Pakistan made a steady start to their innings, with skipper Shan Masood and Shafique putting up a solid century partnership for the second wicket. Shafique was joined by his captain after Imam-ul-Haq's dismissal for 17. The duo added 111 runs before Shafique fell to spinner Simon Harmer in the second session.
Lucky escapes
Shafique gets dropped thrice
Notably, Shafique had a few close calls in his innings. He was dropped thrice, on 0, 15, and 41. Ace pacer Kagiso Rabada nearly got him out in the first over of the innings, but Tristan Stubbs at third slip couldn't hold on to the catch. Later, Imam-ul-Haq edged twice, but both times it fell short of the cordon.
Stats
A look at his Test numbers
Shafique faced 146 balls during his 57-run stay as he slammed four fours. He has raced to 1,604 runs from 24 Tests at an average of 38.19, as per ESPNcricinfo. The tally includes five tons and six fifties. Against SA, he now owns 100 runs at 33.33. 927 of the opener's runs have come in home Tests at 34.33 (100s: 3, 50s: 3).