Ex-Pakistan cricket team captain, Azhar Ali paid tribute to his colleague, Asad Shafiq, following his announcement of retirement from all cricket.
We walked many times to the field together and shared many memories.. I can tell everyone I made a true friend and someone I can call my brother. One of the finest middle order batsman Pakistan has ever produced in test cricket, your record at number 6 is unmatched. I have to say… pic.twitter.com/K8oDkuE2de
— Azhar Ali (@AzharAli_) December 11, 2023
Azhar reminded the audience about the brilliance of Shafiq while batting at No.6. He called Shafiq “one of the finest middle-order batsman Pakistan has ever produced in Test cricket”, while also taking a jibe at the selectors for dropping him after just one below-par series performance.
Azhar called Shafiq his ‘brother’, while also terming him as a ‘Great Ambassador’ for Pakistan. Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq shared a brotherly bond due to them being the core of Pakistan’s Test batting unit alongside Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan.
Although Shafiq played 60 ODI and 10 T20I matches, he never found footing in the national white-ball squads. It is in red-ball format, Test matches, where he cemented his place batting at six-down and stabilizing the lower-order of Pakistan’s batting.
Shafiq ended his Test career with 12 centuries and 27 half-centuries. He was considered a reliable slip fielder as he held onto 77 catches during his career.
His most memorable inning would remain the 137 against Australia at ‘The Gabba’ in the 2016/17 series when he (almost) helped Pakistan chase down a target of 490 on the 5th day of the Test match. The team was bowled out for 450, thus losing by an agonizingly narrow margin of just 40 runs.
According to reports, Shafiq’s next role would be a ‘selector’ of the national side. He will assist the chief selector, Wahab Riaz, for the upcoming national team tours.
Asad Shafiq Test Record
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Catches |
| 77 | 128 | 4660 | 137 | 38.19 | 12 | 27 | 512 | 29 | 77 |
