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Exclusive: Work hard and leave the rest to Allah, father's advice to Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique

Dubai-based cricket coach Shafiq Ahmed has produced 20 international players. Now his son Abdullah Shafique has made a great start to his Test career

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Dubai-based cricket coach Shafiq Ahmed (left) and his son Abdullah Shafique, the Pakistan opening batsman in Test cricket. — Supplied photo/AFP
by

Rituraj Borkakoty

Published: Fri 25 Aug 2023, 12:51 PM

Twenty years ago, when GEMS Modern Academy coach Shafiq Ahmed started teaching students how to properly hold a cricket bat, his three-year-old son had already begun shadow practising, without any help or guidance.

Abdullah Shafique, his son, would hold a small bat, take a stance, keep his head still and move onto the front foot for a shot to an imaginary ball.

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It was close to watching a copy-book straight drive.

Ahmed had seen quite a lot of cricket by then, having also played 26 first-class matches in Pakistan.

He counts Ijaz Ahmed and Wasim Akram among his peers in Pakistan's under-21 domestic matches during the early 1980s.

But in all his life, Ahmed had never seen a three-year-old shadow practice like a professional.

Abdullah with his father during an event. — Supplied photo

It was 2003 when he saw that spark in his son, it was the same year in which he started his new life in Dubai as a school cricket coach at GEMS Modern Academy, having previously worked here in the Al Futtaim Group and Panasonic.

Ahmed went on to produce more than 20 players who played for the UAE in international cricket.

But Abdullah Shafique remains his greatest creation in international cricket.

Abdullah, 23, has now cemented his place as the first-choice opening batsman in Pakistan’s Test team, scoring over 1200 runs from 14 matches at a fantastic average of 50.83.

His brilliant start to his career has given hope to legions of Pakistani fans that their team may have found a reliable opener who can serve the country for a long time.

The right-handed batsman also counts Babar Azam, his captain, and the mighty Inzamam-ul Haq among his fans.

But Abdullah’s first fan was his father, Ahmed, who could not believe his eyes when he saw him shadow practice at the age of three.

“I was the first person from my family to play cricket. Then it was my brother Arshad Ali who played international cricket for the UAE. He was a prolific batsman. I think the cricket environment in the family inspired Abdullah to pick up a bat and play ” Ahmed told the Khaleej Times.

Ahmed is not surprised by Abdullah’s instant success in Test cricket, the toughest format of the game.

“He was always a quick learner. In fact, the first season he played in the domestic under-19 tournament, he scored two hundreds and he was selected for the Pakistan under-19 team. He was only 16 when he played for the Pakistan under-19 team,” Ahmed recalled.

Last month, Abdullah’s majestic 201, his fourth Test hundred and first double ton, set up Pakistan’s 2-0 clean sweep in Sri Lanka.

Abdullah Shafique celebrates after scoring a double century against Sri Lanka. — AFP

“That was a very good innings. But if you ask me, his best innings was the 160 not out in the fourth innings of the Galle Test last year against Sri Lanka,” Ahmed said of his son’s memorable match-winning knock that helped Pakistan chase down a target of 342.

“It was a turning track, but he played brilliantly. I have rarely seen that type of an innings on a turning track in recent years.”

Abdullah, who is now in contention for a place in Pakistan’s World Cup team after being picked for the Asia Cup squad, is capable of adapting to any format.

“I remember he was picked for the Australia Test series at home last year when he was playing for the Lahore Qalandars in the PSL (Pakistan Super League). The Qalandars played in the final (against Multan Sultans) and won. But that final was played only four days before the start of the first Test against Australia," the veteran coach said.

Naturally, Ahmed was worried about his son’s lack of preparations for Test cricket against the vaunted Australian pace attack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

But Abdullah played all of them with remarkable ease and scored a brilliant second innings hundred in that first Test.

“It felt like I was walking on the moon when he reached his hundred,” Ahmed says, his heart still swelling with pride 18 months after that knock.

With 397 runs, Abdullah finished that three-Test series as the second highest scorer behind Australia's Pakistan-born batter Usman Khawaja (496 runs).

Abdullah Shafique celebrates after scoring a century against England on December 3, 2022. — AFP

Abdullah also scored a superb hundred against England's 'Bazball' stars last December.

But Ahmed has never watched his son in a live Test match.

“I can’t watch his game. I get too nervous, so I follow the scores online,” he admitted.

“If he plays a good innings, then I watch the highlights on YouTube later. But I still can’t watch his game live because the pressure is unbearable for me.

“The whole family sits in front of the TV set, but I stay outside. I can’t take the pressure of seeing him face each ball.”

But Abdullah, the eldest of Ahmed’s three children, falls back on his father when he gets nervous after a few failures with the bat.

“He calls me when he fails to score, I always tell him to remain calm and positive,” he said.

“I ask him to keep focusing on his strength and work hard and leave the rest to Allah. Everything is in His hands.”

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Rituraj Borkakoty

Published: Fri 25 Aug 2023, 12:51 PM

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