MELBOURNE – Pakistan’s middle-order batter Saud Shakeel on Thursday expressed his pleasure to characteristic within the Boxing Day Take a look at in opposition to Australia, commencing on December 26 on the Melbourne Cricket Floor (MCG). Whereas speaking to the media through the Pakistan workforce’s coaching session in Melbourne, the 28-year-old batter shared that as a child, he used to get up at 5 am to look at the Boxing Day Take a look at. “It is vitally particular for me to be a part of Boxing Day. After I was younger, I used to get up at 5 am and watch the Boxing Day Take a look at,” stated Saud
Shakeel and added: “And now that I’m about to play the identical Take a look at, the joy is double.”
He additional opened up about his expertise of enjoying within the Perth Take a look at. “It was difficult, as we performed a apply match in Canberra’s low bounce observe, whereas in Perth, the circumstances had been totally different. “It was my first expertise of enjoying on a drop-in pitch and I’ve learnt so much from it,” added Shakeel. Saud Shakeel scored 28 and 24 runs in two innings through the first Take a look at in opposition to Australia, which the hosts received by an enormous margin of 360 runs. Pakistan’s batting lineup unfolded at a mere 89 within the fourth innings whereas chasing a mammoth whole of 450. The touring facet may yield 271 runs of their first innings in reply to Australis’s 487.
Pakistan, who had been on the prime of the World Take a look at Championship (WTC) factors desk with an ideal report, obtained one other blow to their marketing campaign when the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC) penalized them for sustaining a gradual over-rate through the Perth Take a look at. Pakistan had been fined 10 per cent of their match price and docked two ICC WTC factors.
The sanction after a hammering defeat, consequently resulted in them slipping to the second spot with a profitable fee of 61.11. Two-time runners-up India benefitted from Pakistan’s demotion and reached the summit with a profitable share of 66.67.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Inexperienced, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja,
Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner.
PAKISTAN’S SQUAD: Shan Masood (captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imam-ul- Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Aamir Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Sajid Khan, Abrar Ahmed.