Shakeel was initially not announced as part of the squads for the West Indies and England tours owing to fitness concerns, but director of cricket Aqib Javed said he was expected to join the side in England. As things stand, his return comes ahead of schedule as Pakistan look to shore up their middle order in Fazal’s absence.
The first Test between West Indies and Pakistan began at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad on Saturday, with Pakistan playing six specialist batters rather than the seven they have tended to field of late. Fast bowling allrounder Aamer Jamal was slotted in at No. 7, with a slightly longer tail than usual, though Shakeel’s presence gives them additional batting heft if require for the second Test and the tour of England.
Shafique, meanwhile will look upon this as an opportunity to steer his Test career back on course after being severely derailed following a bright start. He has scored 136 runs in his last nine innings, after a start to his career that saw him average over 65 in his first eight Tests, scoring 856 runs. His last 31 innings have produced 754 runs at 25.13.
