Abdullah Shafique records rare unwanted feat in SA vs PAK 2024 ODI series
Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique's poor form continued in the recently concluded ODI series against South Africa. In the third and final game of the series, the right-hander registered another duck, as he was sent back by Kagiso Rabada on the very first delivery he faced.
This failure only added to his misery as he had failed to open his account in the first two ODIs as well. With scores of 0 (4), 0 (2), and 0 (1) in the three matches respectively, Shafique has recorded a rare unwanted feat by becoming the first opening batter in the history of the game to not score a single run in a three-match bilateral ODI series.
Moreover, he is now the Pakistan opener to have registered the most number of ducks in a calendar year. He had four ducks coming into this series and now has seven ducks from 21 innings this year. Previously, former Pakistan cricketers Imran Nazir and Mohammad Hafeez had six ducks in a calendar year.
Imran Nazir had registered six ducks across 32 innings in 2000 while Hafeez also had the same number of ducks in 2012 (43 innings). Abdullah Shafique has now surpassed both the former cricketers to make the unwanted record his own.
Former South Africa cricketer Herschelle Gibbs and Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan hold the world record for the most number of ducks in a calendar year with eight each in 2002 and 2012, respectively.
Abdullah Shafique fails, Pakistan whitewash South Africa
Opener Abdullah Shafique's spot in the ODI team may certainly be in danger after he failed to score a single run in the three-match series. His failure is something that Pakistan will have to ponder upon.
However, on a collective note, the series turned out to be extremely fruitful for Pakistan as they claimed a 3-0 win, thus completing a whitewash. The first ODI was played in Paarl where the visitors won by three wickets, taking an early lead in the series.
They built on the momentum in the second game in Cape Town, registering an 81-run win to clinch the series with a game to spare. However, they were not complacent as they went on to win the final ODI in Johannesburg to pocket the series 3-0.