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Pakistan's opening batter Abdullah Shafique expressed gratitude towards Test skipper Shan Masood for giving him enough opportunities to prove himself and make a comeback following a dry spell of run with the bat.
Shafique was going through a lean patch of form after his underwhelming showing with the bat during Pakistan's historic 2-0 Test series defeat against Bangladesh last month. With pressure mounting on his shoulders, Shafique rose to the challenge, took a cautious approach and eventually got the monkey off his back with an impressive century against England in the opening Test. After laying the foundation for Pakistan's impressive outing in Multan, he credited Masood and Pakistan team management for backing him during his dry spell with the bat. "As a sportsman, you have to face challenges and go through failures. But I am thankful to the team management and captain for showing faith in me and giving me enough matches and a fair run, because of which I was able to make a comeback. You go through mental challenges and self-doubts, but in the end, you have to find a way out of them and perform," Shafique said in the press conference after the end of opening day's play on Monday. Pakistan were in strife after losing Saim Ayub (4) cheaply early in the first session. Shafique and Masood rose to the challenge and forged a 253-run partnership that swung the momentum in Pakistan's favour. Before fatigue got the better of Shafique, the 24-year-old slammed 102(184). Masood, who was the aggressor during their remarkable stand, garnered 151(177) at a strike rate of 85.31. On a scorching day in Multan, the pitch offered a bit to the English bowlers, making it even a harder challenge for the visitors to scythe wickets. Shafique is expecting the pitch to get tougher for the batters as the game progresses and expects spinners to have their say. "Pitches in Test matches are challenging in the beginning due to the freshness. The pitch was tough to bat on in the first session, but my partnership with Masood boosted the team. We are also hoping for the hard surface in Multan to help the spinners as batting will keep becoming challenging due to the cracks," Shafique added. After exuding dominance over England, Pakistan ended the day with a comfortable score of 328/4. (ANI)
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