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[VIDEOS] Talent Spotter: Abdullah Shafique

Can we get a video of his four boundaries?

That flick off Haris Rauf first ball

Cover drive off Haris Rauf

Inside out over extra cover vs Nawaz

and Shot over mid on vs Musa
 
ethan hunt said:
I dont think i have seen a more polished young batsman from Pakistan ever.
That ability to hit the ball on the up along with a solid defence.
Only made 20 but he looked a couple of tiers above anyone else on show.
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He's much better than Haider.
 
If Abdullah is a genuine 20 year old the prospect of him serving Pakistan for 15+ years just sounds too good to be true.
 
MMHS said:
I have seen this innings - albeit T20 knock, but looks awesome. Batting is process oriented task - more than volume of runs scores, I try to see how those are scored. I'll see two more innings before writing anything. Remember, it was a domestic T20, on a belter and I think to add spice they have pulled the boundary in, under heavy dew and the bowling chart is led by spent out Irfan. Still impressive - one more such innings, he'll deserve his chances against ZIM.
Click to expand...

The remaining two innings are done!
 
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Bullet Drive said:
He's much better than Haider.
Click to expand...

He seems better because he has a better defence and his scoring zones are less risky.
However, Haider has the added attribute of extreme batspeed, power and is fearless. I see him being a great impact player, while Abdullah will be in the Babar mould, although I think he may have a better mentality than Babar, with regards to chasing.
 
He only scored 20 but he played some really good shots defo one to watch out for
 
Pacy with wisdom said:
He seems better because he has a better defence and his scoring zones are less risky.
However, Haider has the added attribute of extreme batspeed, power and is fearless. I see him being a great impact player, while Abdullah will be in the Babar mould, although I think he may have a better mentality than Babar, with regards to chasing.
Click to expand...

Well put. While I think Haider does play few shots which appear risky but, I personally only consider those shots risky for a batsman that he is not confident of or have control on. Viv, KP etc used to play aggressively but the shots which came naturally to them and were their strengths making them low risk affair for them. However, for some other players those might be high risk strokes.

If Haider is confident of his shots and can score runs consistently by playing those, I dont think thats an issue at all. However if he starts trying too much and plays shots which are not his strengths then he will need to control that.

In terms of defense Haider is pretty solid but I also think at the moment Abdullah's defense looks better.
 
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Bullet Drive said:
He's much better than Haider.
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I dont know about that, technically maybe, but Haider's hand eye coordination is unreal which allows him to play some shots that look risky, but he knows what he is doing. Regardless, dont think we need to compare. Both top prospects for Pakistan who will play together for a long time inshaAllah.
 
Titan24 said:
Well put. While I think Haider does play few shots which appear risky but, I personally only consider those shots risky for a batsman that he is not confident of or have control on. Viv, KP etc used to play aggressively but the shots which came naturally to them and were their strengths making them low risk affair for them. However, for some other players those might be high risk strokes.

If Haider is confident of his shots and can score runs consistently by playing those, I dont think thats an issue at all. However if he starts trying too much and plays shots which are not his strengths then he will need to control that.

In terms of defense Haider is pretty solid but I also think at the moment Abdullah's defense looks better.
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Haider has the hand-eye coordination to swing across the line. More often than not, he pulls off that shot, so I dont mind him playing it.
 
Titan24 said:
Well put. While I think Haider does play few shots which appear risky but, I personally only consider those shots risky for a batsman that he is not confident of or have control on. Viv, KP etc used to play aggressively but the shots which came naturally to them and were their strengths making them low risk affair for them. However, for some other players those might be high risk strokes.

If Haider is confident of his shots and can score runs consistently by playing those, I dont think thats an issue at all. However if he starts trying too much and plays shots which are not his strengths then he will need to control that.

In terms of defense Haider is pretty solid but I also think at the moment Abdullah's defense looks better.
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Fully agreed. Haider is extraordinary talented which means those shots are not risky relative to his ability. He also doesnt try for shots that are out of his range, comfort zone and has good shot selection
However, he has the issue of squaring up due to his fairly open stance. But i dont think it is something that we need to worry a lot about because he seems to have an excellent work ethic, is motivated and has a fire in his belly- similar to Younis. I expect him to score runs inspite of any technical issues. His instant success in first class, PSL and his international debut points towards his mental strength. He is not one of those run of the mill, soft Pakistani players we have become used to seeing.

Perhaps 6, 7 years down the line, we may even see him captaining the side.
 
Let's not compare haider to abdullah both are 2 different kind of players both are treat to watch
 
What worries me about Haider is that leg-side slog he always plays. He'll get caught out eventually.

But he has unbelievable ability. Some shots he plays are like a right handed Lara.
 
Guys like Abdullah and Haider need to be playing international matches against the likes of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, not sitting on the bench so Hafeez and Malik get their 40th comeback so the "izzat" of a senior is not affronted.

Pakistan bizzarely have no issues throwing in raw bowlers into international cricket but are allergic to trying young batsmen.
 
Bullet Drive said:
What worries me about Haider is that leg-side slog he always plays. He'll get caught out eventually.

But he has unbelievable ability. Some shots he plays are like a right handed Lara.
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Yeah, he need to do better there. And his weakness against the short ball. It is quite evident, will get found out pretty quickly, especially in the longer formats of the game which should be the goal.

Abdullah on there other had is a lot more mature. In a non Pakistani way. Seems to know when and where to accelerate and then can play the holding game as well.
 
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Bullet Drive said:
What worries me about Haider is that leg-side slog he always plays. He'll get caught out eventually.

But he has unbelievable ability. Some shots he plays are like a right handed Lara.
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Dont think so. As I said he has the hand-eye to pull them off, has done it even against some very pacey bowlers.
 
It’s a joke to compare Abdullah with Haider. Haider is among the most talented young players we’ve seen for two decades along with the likes of Amir, Babar, Raza Hassan, Umar Akmal on initial talent.

Abdullah seems a Sami Aslam / Imam up haq/ Shadab Khan / Umar Amin / Hassan Ali level talent which is great but not quite the tier above.

Ofcourse this is purely on initial impression of talent. How their careers play out is on them.
 
Abdullah is the real deal in this tournament. A very calculated player who has every conventional shot in the book and seems to be able to play both spin and pace well. However, I don't like this comparison between him and Haider. Haider is not textbook, but is a naturally gifted player with outrageous bat speed and hand-eye. He'll be a huge impact player for us.

Zeeshan, on the other hand, looks just like the many limited batsmen (Farhan et al) that we've tried already.
 
20 20 is a micky mouse tournament dnt rate this cricket but still he has had three starts
 
Forum363 said:
It’s a joke to compare Abdullah with Haider. Haider is among the most talented young players we’ve seen for two decades along with the likes of Amir, Babar, Raza Hassan, Umar Akmal on initial talent.

Abdullah seems a Sami Aslam / Imam up haq/ Shadab Khan / Umar Amin / Hassan Ali level talent which is great but not quite the tier above.

Ofcourse this is purely on initial impression of talent. How their careers play out is on them.
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You have undersold Abdullah like anything.
Yes, he is not as dynamic as Haider, but he is a top quality talent, and can become one of the best batsmen in the world if he is managed like Babar.
 
Forum363 said:
It’s a joke to compare Abdullah with Haider. Haider is among the most talented young players we’ve seen for two decades along with the likes of Amir, Babar, Raza Hassan, Umar Akmal on initial talent.

Abdullah seems a Sami Aslam / Imam up haq/ Shadab Khan / Umar Amin / Hassan Ali level talent which is great but not quite the tier above.

Ofcourse this is purely on initial impression of talent. How their careers play out is on them.
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As a fan of haider and someone who can play 15 years for us Inshallah. I believe Abdullah Shafique is at the moment ahead of him.
 
Abdullah is different kind of player to Babar

Babar does not have the strokes Abdullah plays

Check that shot off Musa. And check that inside out extra cover drive off Nawaz. Or that six over cover vs Irfan

Babar doesn't play them strokes.
 
Bullet Drive said:
Can we get a video of his four boundaries?

That flick off Haris Rauf first ball

Cover drive off Haris Rauf

Inside out over extra cover vs Nawaz

and Shot over mid on vs Musa
Click to expand...

<iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/v84am3" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>.
 
Markhor said:
Guys like Abdullah and Haider need to be playing international matches against the likes of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, not sitting on the bench so Hafeez and Malik get their 40th comeback so the "izzat" of a senior is not affronted.

Pakistan bizzarely have no issues throwing in raw bowlers into international cricket but are allergic to trying young batsmen.
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Reports stating abdullah zeeshan malik and zeeshan ashraf may be picked in the Zimbabwe squad for t20s
 
Those are some extraordinary shots. I am really excited for this guy.

Zimbabwe would be an interesting place to make your debut, certainly quite viable.
 
54 off 41 balls today but he got tied down by the spinners and when wickets were crashing around him.
 
shamaan said:
Reports stating abdullah zeeshan malik and zeeshan ashraf may be picked in the Zimbabwe squad for t20s
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Why Zeeshan Ashraf? What has he done. Misbah has absolutely no clue. Selecting someone like Abdullah is an easy decision. A selector's job is to make difficult decisions like selecting a new wicket-keeper batsman for t20s. Zeeshan Ashraf is not it.
 
Saj said:
54 off 41 balls today but he got tied down by the spinners and when wickets were crashing around him.
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Was a friendly pitch for the spinners. Still, could've taken his side home with a bit of help from the other end.
 
i think he will be very good test and ODI player , play him t20s ocassionaly.

I like almost everything about his game , his head always in right position. Not much premeditation either.

Pakistan need to groom him for test and ODi number 4.
 
JibranAnsari said:
i think he will be very good test and ODI player , play him t20s ocassionaly.

I like almost everything about his game , his head always in right position. Not much premeditation either.

Pakistan need to groom him for test and ODi number 4.
Click to expand...


I think he'll make a good opener in both Tests and ODI's
 
JibranAnsari said:
i think he will be very good test and ODI player , play him t20s ocassionaly.

I like almost everything about his game , his head always in right position. Not much premeditation either.

Pakistan need to groom him for test and ODi number 4.
Click to expand...

Naa he seems like a top order player. I do not see a spot for him in future ODIs. Babar and Imam are already playing the role he would provide. For the explosive opener you have Zeeshan and Haider. Then in middle-order you have Saud and Rohail.

For now I could see him only being a good Test player.
 
Rayyman said:
Naa he seems like a top order player. I do not see a spot for him in future ODIs. Babar and Imam are already playing the role he would provide. For the explosive opener you have Zeeshan and Haider. Then in middle-order you have Saud and Rohail.

For now I could see him only being a good Test player.
Click to expand...

We'll see how "explosive" Zeeshan is when he plays against some proper bowlers on fast pitches. Abdullah is better than both Rohail and Saud, and I like both of them.

The only real "explosive" young batsman we've seen in this tournament is Azam Khan. That's a proper six-hitting machine with a solid base and decent technique.
 
Rayyman said:
Naa he seems like a top order player. I do not see a spot for him in future ODIs. Babar and Imam are already playing the role he would provide. For the explosive opener you have Zeeshan and Haider. Then in middle-order you have Saud and Rohail.

For now I could see him only being a good Test player.
Click to expand...

Even for middle order hes miles better then rohail and saud. I rate saud very highly but for tests only. Doesnt have the power for a middle order batamen. Saud shouls be playing tests over garbage asad shafiq.
 
Bullet Drive said:
Abdullah is different kind of player to Babar

Babar does not have the strokes Abdullah plays

Check that shot off Musa. And check that inside out extra cover drive off Nawaz. Or that six over cover vs Irfan

Babar doesn't play them strokes.
Click to expand...

There is hype and then there is over hype. If Abdullah is 1/2 the player or has 1/2 the strokes BA has, i would be over the moon.
 
Bewal Express said:
There is hype and then there is over hype. If Abdullah is 1/2 the player or has 1/2 the strokes BA has, i would be over the moon.
Click to expand...

Bullet Drive bhai is known to over hype. Tends to get carried away. Abdullah is a good talent, nonetheless, and certainly someone who can easily find a place in our pathetic batting lineup.
 
I think it'll be a mistake to play him in T20s, he's much better suited for the longer formats.
 
Sometimes I wonder how does one praise a player without someone pointing out that you're overhyping him? I think I've seen pretty much any type of good comment to make about an upcoming Pakistani cricketer being called overhyping :uak.

Regarding Abdullah, bit of a scratchy innings today but you can still see the solid technique in his batting :asad1.
 
Ahson8 said:
I think it'll be a mistake to play him in T20s, he's much better suited for the longer formats.
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He needs to play the T20 games to develop his game and power for both ODI and tests. Babar went to another level because of opening in T20 games
 
Khan12 said:
Even for middle order hes miles better then rohail and saud. I rate saud very highly but for tests only. Doesnt have the power for a middle order batamen. Saud shouls be playing tests over garbage asad shafiq.
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He will compete for the opening slot in ODIs.

1. Imam, 2. Haider/Zeeshan/Abdullah, 3. Bobby, 4. Saud, 5. Rizwan/Rohail, 6. Shaddy

Not good enough against spin to bat middle-order

In Tests he’ll compete for top 3 spot.

1. Butt/Zeeshan, 2. Imam/Sami, 3. Abdullah/Haider, 4. Bobby, 5. Saud, 6. Rizwan
 
Rayyman said:
Naa he seems like a top order player. I do not see a spot for him in future ODIs. Babar and Imam are already playing the role he would provide. For the explosive opener you have Zeeshan and Haider. Then in middle-order you have Saud and Rohail.

For now I could see him only being a good Test player.
Click to expand...

Zeesha . doesnt have his bases covered and haider ali too has problems.

Abdullah is superior to these two. Rohail is a wk so he will replace rizwan if he can. Saud i agree could be a god choice
 
JibranAnsari said:
Zeesha . doesnt have his bases covered and haider ali too has problems.

Abdullah is superior to these two. Rohail is a wk so he will replace rizwan if he can. Saud i agree could be a god choice
Click to expand...

I would say they are different types of batsmen.

Zeeshan is more like Guptill/Gibbs

Haider is like Rohit/Watson

Abdullah is like Kohli/Babar

I am not saying they are as good but that’s how they play
 
Rayyman said:
He will compete for the opening slot in ODIs.

1. Imam, 2. Haider/Zeeshan/Abdullah, 3. Bobby, 4. Saud, 5. Rizwan/Rohail, 6. Shaddy

Not good enough against spin to bat middle-order

In Tests he’ll compete for top 3 spot.

1. Butt/Zeeshan, 2. Imam/Sami, 3. Abdullah/Haider, 4. Bobby, 5. Saud, 6. Rizwan
Click to expand...

Why not have him and imam open and Haider coming in at 4 since he plays spin better. Didn't you say just yesterday we shouldn't pick Haider Ali lol because you think he's an umee akmal lol.

Top 5 of :
Imam
Haider / Abdullah
Babar
Abdullah / Haider

Haris at 5 will be a solid odi line up. In tests Abdullah can replace the likes of garbage azhar and saud can replace asad. Would like to see Abdullah Shafique play at 3 in QEA this season.
 
Abdullah struggled in the end last night. Struggled to play big shots. Eventually got out playing across the line to Gul. I was expecting him to finish the game. Not a finished product as yet. Needs a couple of seasons with first XI under his belt. Must be selected for the Shaheens/A tours
 
Third Man said:
Why Zeeshan Ashraf? What has he done. Misbah has absolutely no clue. Selecting someone like Abdullah is an easy decision. A selector's job is to make difficult decisions like selecting a new wicket-keeper batsman for t20s. Zeeshan Ashraf is not it.
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Can you recommend anyother wicket keeper Bateman ?
 
He is not cut for T20s. A solid prospect for longer formats but needs to improve his game against spin. he should be given a complete season before inducting him into national setup.
 
54 off 41 yesterday. Scratchy innings.

<iframe src="https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x7wnveu" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
made 100....50...40... and 2 20s the whole team is relying on him for a 20 yr old and who is making debut is just awsome..
 
Abdullah is clearly suited for Test and Odis. But he's a quality player.
 
Always rated him highly. To be honest, I thought he was only meant for longer formats of the game, saw him as a test specialist number 3 in the long run, someone in the Pujara/Root mould. Never saw him being effective in T20 but he has proved me wrong.
 
He doesn't have the rubbery wrists of Babar, and is more conventional in style. Also likes to use the 'on the up' option which Babar doesn't.
Once he fulfills his potential, he will be like a more dynamic version of Williamson.
Their styles and bat swings are very similar, but Abdullah seems to have more raw ability.
 
shah_1 said:
Not ready yet
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I agree but, to be honest Haider, Shaheen, Naseem, Shadab and even Babar (For test, when he made his debut) werent completely ready. Due to lack of performances by Pakistan and not much developed players in the national team with some investments like Umer Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Amir etc went in wrong direction Pakistan cricket needed to fast track some younger players.

The whole batch of 2008-9 U19 cricketers which graduated to national level and should have been leading the team forward gone bad for one reason or another so this new batch along with the last one with Babar, Imam had to carry the load from the very start without proper development. Yes one can argue that players from around Babar's batch like Sami Aslam, Zafar Gohar, Ehsan Adil, Zia Ul Haq etc should have been brought in to make the transition smoother.

However considering the current approach of making a team for the future by selecting them young, I wont be surprised if Abdullah Shafique is selected early.
 
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Titan24 said:
I agree but, to be honest Haider, Shaheen, Naseem, Shadab and even Babar (For test, when he made his debut) werent completely ready. Due to lack of performances by Pakistan and not much developed players in the national team with some investments like Umer Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Amir etc went in wrong direction Pakistan cricket needed to fast track some younger players.

The whole batch of 2008-9 U19 cricketers which graduated to national level and should have been leading the team forward gone bad for one reason or another so this new batch along with the last one with Babar, Imam had to carry the load from the very start without proper development. Yes one can argue that players from around Babar's batch like Sami Aslam, Zafar Gohar, Ehsan Adil, Zia Ul Haq etc should have been brought in to make the transition smoother.

However considering the current approach of making a team for the future by selecting them young, I wont be surprised if Abdullah Shafique is selected early.
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He can be a replacement for babar if babar gets injured in t20s I fink hes more aggressive than babar and maybe better having a target to chase
 
Impressive thus far. Things are finally looking promising for Pakistan’s batting. Hope we help him develop into a world class player who fulfills his potential
 
That pull shot off Wahab was shot of the tournament!

We need a video of all his boundaries
 
Titan24 said:
I agree but, to be honest Haider, Shaheen, Naseem, Shadab and even Babar (For test, when he made his debut) werent completely ready. Due to lack of performances by Pakistan and not much developed players in the national team with some investments like Umer Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Amir etc went in wrong direction Pakistan cricket needed to fast track some younger players.

The whole batch of 2008-9 U19 cricketers which graduated to national level and should have been leading the team forward gone bad for one reason or another so this new batch along with the last one with Babar, Imam had to carry the load from the very start without proper development. Yes one can argue that players from around Babar's batch like Sami Aslam, Zafar Gohar, Ehsan Adil, Zia Ul Haq etc should have been brought in to make the transition smoother.

However considering the current approach of making a team for the future by selecting them young, I wont be surprised if Abdullah Shafique is selected early.
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong in trying Zeeshan Malik Abdullah.....Arshad Iqbal Adil Akif Javed in t20s......
 
Bullet Drive said:
That pull shot off Wahab was shot of the tournament!

We need a video of all his boundaries
Click to expand...

Agreed most batters would have tried getting a single or duck under the ball it shows you hes confident in his ability to play his shots
 
Would love to hear Chief Destroyer and Junaids’ comments on this lad. Is Chief Destroyer still an active member on the forum?
 
naseem said:
Nothing wrong in trying Zeeshan Malik Abdullah.....Arshad Iqbal Adil Akif Javed in t20s......
Click to expand...

I think the point of players to be tried in T20s is to transition them into other formats as well depending upon how they handle international cricket. I think Arshad Iqbal and Akif need to play alteast one or two seasons of 4 day cricket to polish their game further. Transitioning them quickely to international cricket in the form of T20s and eventually other formats as well would make it a difficult learning curve for them just like Pak has seen in the case of other young inductees without much FC experience. So in my point of few players who are ready to be transitioned into ODIs should be tried in T20s otherwise the activity becomes pointless.

There are quite a few bowlers in their 20s with reasonable FC experience to be transitioned into the national team at the moment. No point in developing other teenage pacers and early 20 pacers at the same time when Shaheen and Naseem are still learning while playing for the national team.

Regarding batting, yes Pak is lacking some dynamic batsman so there is more chance for quick transition of players like Zeeshan Malik, Zeeshan Ashraf and maybe even Abdullah Shafiq to national setup. However, in an ideal scenario if the national team already had some dynamic and complete batsmen then atleast Abdullah Shafique would have been better of playing a full FC season with the main team.
 
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Another impressive knock, 28* off 15 balls. The way he was negotiating late swing of Amad Butt by playing late was pretty impressive and was easily placing the balls on both sides for two. Again showed confident footwork on both front and back foot.

More importantly Babar was encouraging him and possibly has identified him as someone who can maybe part of his team going forward across the formats.
 
Titan24 said:
Another impressive knock, 28* off 15 balls. The way he was negotiating late swing of Amad Butt by playing late was pretty impressive and was easily placing the balls on both sides for two. Again showed confident footwork on both front and back foot.

More importantly Babar was encouraging him and possibly has identified him as someone who can maybe part of his team going forward across the formats.
Click to expand...

Today he was 10/10...Like u sed the way he played swing under his eyes was like a seasoned international. He was on par with Babar if not better the way he negotiated swing. I would put him in test and odi team right away. I think his ceiling is very high. He has potential to be a great tier 1 test player. I really hope we don't waste him
 
Titan24 said:
Another impressive knock, 28* off 15 balls. The way he was negotiating late swing of Amad Butt by playing late was pretty impressive and was easily placing the balls on both sides for two. Again showed confident footwork on both front and back foot.

More importantly Babar was encouraging him and possibly has identified him as someone who can maybe part of his team going forward across the formats.
Click to expand...

The more he plays with Babar the more it is good for the game
 
He looks confident and place the ball really well. He was feeling nervous in the earlier matches after the arrival of Babar Azam but now he looks settled and did not play any rash shots. He was playing risk free shots and managed to score some runs at the good pace. If as a batsman u can score quick runs without slogging or taking risks then u can be a successful player in all the formats. He seems to be a all format guy Pakistan desperatly needed . Pakistan batting order can be formed around 3 guys Abdullah, Babar and Haider. Haider needs to work on his temperament. He takes so many risk
 
Love watching him bat

You could see he wants to outdo BA when their batting together, that lead to two soft dismissals in CP's previous games
 
The guy needs to watch Babar and learn, if he is half as good as BA, then we may finally have a middle order that doesnt bore the pants off people. In the game i saw, he looked shaky against spinners. He will have successes and also lots of failure but he has the wherewithal to make a good career. Hard work, lots of hard work will make a big difference to his career.
 
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