[Watch] Abdullah Shafique drops yet another sitter at first slip to hand Mitchell Marsh a huge reprieve in AUS vs PAK 2nd Test
Pakistan batter Abduallah Shafique's horrible series as a fielder continued with yet another dropped catch to his name. Stationed at first slip in Australia's second innings of the ongoing Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Shafique missed the chance to send Mitchell Marsh back into the hut to reduce the hosts to 46-5 in the second session of Day 3.
The Men in Green had a firm grip in the proceedings with Australia tottering at 16-4 with only a marginal lead. They were close to breaking the budding stand between Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith when Aamer Jamal got the all-rounder to nick one in the 16th over of the innings. Marsh had tried to go for an expansive drive through the off-side and dispatch the fullish delivery, but could not get a connection with the middle at all.
The ball, following the edge, flew straight to the slips. However, Shafique scuffed the simple opportunity and to make matters worse, Salman Agha at second slip also could not react in time to pouch the ball after it left his teammate's hand.
Have a look at the dropped catch right here:
The partnership between the pair has now blossomed with Australia's lead crossing the three-figure mark as well. As of writing, the Aussies are placed at 66-4 with a 120-run lead.
Abdullah Shafique had dropped David Warner at first slip in the first innings as well
Shafique had dropped a simple chance to hand Usman Khawaja a lifeline in the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth. He missed a simple running catch as he had to run backward, and was criticized for it.
His fortunes have not taken a turn for the better, as he proceeded to drop a chance off David Warner in the first innings of the second innings. Shaheen Afridi had induced a golden chance by pitching the ball full and getting it to move away from the left-handed batter. Shafique failed to hold onto the chance but retained his position at first slip.
Pakistan's fielding has always managed to grab the spotlight irrespective of the time and place. A misfield by skipper Shan Masood in the early moments of the series opener arguably set the tone, and only time will tell if their most recent drop will prove to be costly or not.