Middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq has revealed that his batting inspiration came after watching former captain Mohammad Yousuf.
“I watched Mohammad Yousuf when he scored 1, 000 runs and broke the world record for a number of centuries in a calendar year,” said Shafiq. “The way he was playing, especially in that year, it was amazing and I just can’t forget his drives and his cuts. I really liked him after that.”
The 13th ranked Test batsman in the world, Shafiq doesn’t like the limelight and wants to take his career forward without expressing himself as a celebrity.
Shafiq’s cricket career, like many other Pakistani players, started from the streets of Karachi where he played tape-ball cricket.
“I started playing with the big boys in the ground,” told Shafiq. “And then I found the love of cricket inside me. The love took me to my first trial of hard-ball cricket at the Under-19 regional academy in Karachi. That’s how I found the love for the game and the start of my career.”
The 30-year-old considered to have the best technique among Pakistani batsmen believes he still has a lot to improve.
“I’m always thinking about my batting and my front foot and my back foot and I always like to talk about it with Grant Flower, our batting coach,” said Shafiq. “I discuss with him what I should do to get it better every time. What to do and what not to do. I want to sit with him and talk about my batting, about my stance, about my grip, about my head position.”
The right-hand batsman, who has eight tonnes and 14 half-centuries to his name in 43 Tests with an average of 43.15, believes the star on his chest beckons him to present himself in the best possible manner he can when he travels the world.
“When you go on any tour with the star on your chest, then it is your responsibility to take all of the things that belong to your country and my belief is: I shouldn’t do anything that would hurt my people back home or would reflect anything negative on my country. That’s a personal thing,” he concluded.