KARACHI: Pakistan's middle-order batter Saud Shakeel feels that there is nothing to worry about Pakistan’s opening after his team’s 81-run win against the Netherlands to kick-off its ICC Cricket World Cup campaign in Hyderabad, India.
Saud scored 68 off 52 and added 120 for the fourth wicket with Mohammad Rizwan after Pakistan went off to a dismal start with three down for just 38 runs on board.
“The wicket was not easy to bat on earlier in the match. So that's why we lost some early wickets. It's all about team effort. I think when the top-order batsmen don’t get runs, it becomes our duty to score runs. That's how things happen,” he said.
Saud Shakeel downplayed concerns about the top-order's performance, citing the early wicket losses as a common occurrence in Hyderabad due to pitch conditions. He added that it was still early in the tournament and expressed confidence in the team's abilities.
“I don't think it is a big concern. The tournament has just started and we are playing in Hyderabad. Everyone knows that the ball stops early on here on this pitch. There are chances of losing wicket. I don't think it is a concern. We batted first in all the matches, so we got a chance to bat in the daytime. If it was at night then it would have been a different scenario. I don't think there is much concern,” he said.
When asked about his preparation for the match, Shakeel revealed that he had known about his selection for some time and had played a warm-up match to fine-tune his skills.
He expressed his delight in performing well in the game, underscoring its importance as a career milestone.
Talking about his partnership with Mohammad Rizwan, Shakeel mentioned initial nerves but added that he was determined to stay positive and attack the Netherlands' bowlers.
"Rizwan Bhai's role was to go long, but my plan was simple. I had focused on a few bowlers of the Netherlands and decided to take a chance against them," Saud said.
He also highlighted the confidence he gained from performing well in Test matches.
“Test cricket is the most difficult format. So, when you perform well there, you gain a lot of confidence. I performed very well in the Test matches, so my confidence level was very high. But at the same time, I was focusing a lot on my white-ball cricket," he said.
“I could see that my numbers for playing for Pakistan were 5-6 (batting order) as Babar Azam plays at three and Rizwan plays at four. I tried to develop my game and worked hard for it. There wasn’t enough white-ball domestic cricket in Pakistan in which I could prove myself, when I played Test against Sri Lanka, I tried to display my white-ball readiness with my red-ball performances,” he added.
He attributed his success in the lower-middle order to a change in mindset. He shared that he had transformed his approach, focusing on being more aggressive and adapting to the demands of his batting position. He mentioned the value of settling in India, where shots could yield more runs.
“Few years back I wasn’t used to hit big like this, I wouldn’t take many chances. I preferred to play on the ground. But I made my mindset that I have to accept this thing considering my batting position for Pakistan. It is very important to realise this as a player. So, I made my game plan accordingly,” he said.
Saud Shakeel noted that the team had some insights on playing conditions here by watching the Indian Premier League (IPL).
He also emphasized the importance of the early overs in Hyderabad, where spinners could get assistance, and losing early wickets could put a team on the back foot.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.