Written by: Muhammad Suhayb
Posted on: August 21, 2023 | 
Saud after scoring a century against Sri Lanka
It was the year 1996, when cricket changed gears. With Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya playing a key role in winning the World Cup and cementing his place as a master blaster, ‘pinch-hitting’ was on the roll. Pakistan soon got its own version with the advent of Shahid Afridi, who announced his arrival with a 37-ball hundred, ironically against Sri Lanka.
All these innings affected the youth, and every kid wanted to emulate Afridi’s heroics. The shaping up of the innings took a back seat, as the kid with the longest six would become the talk of the town. Not far from 13-D Gulshan-e-Iqbal, where Shahid Afridi lived in those days in Karachi, a toddler who first grabbed a bat, opted for a different approach. He was unaware at that time that he would restore ‘patience’ in batting, and revive a style that seemed lost for the moment.
Saud during his Under-19 days
Born in September 1995, Saud Shakeel has been around Pakistani cricket circles for quite some time now, and has been consistent from the word go. His match-winnings and match-saving innings have become part of legends for a team that seldom played as one team. Closing in to 1000 runs in the least number of matches, Saud hails from Karachi and has lived a large part of his life in the famous Sagheer Centre of the F.B. Area. A product of domestic cricket, the left-handed batsman shot to prominence after captaining Pakistan to victory in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Bangladesh in 2019.
Saud after winning the Emerging Asia Cup 2019 as captain
He had earlier featured for Pakistan in the ICC U19 World Cup in 2014, and for Karachi U-16 in the Pepsi PCB Cricket Stars U16 Tournament 2011-12. Saud was spotted by Azam Khan, (not Moin Khan's son) way back in 2007. Azam Khan, Manager of Quetta Gladiators, happened to be a friend of Saud’s uncle and referred the 12-year-old to some academies for kids. A six-grade student of The Crescent Academy, Saud was not taken seriously and their response disappointed Azam. Azam decided to take Saud under his wings, and invited him to the nets to observe the game of his seniors. Known for his talent spotting abilities, Azam Khan predicted a bright future for Saud, after watching him take on bowlers twice his age at the nets. Saud patiently faced Rumman Raees, Anwar Ali and Tabish Khan, which impressed future test captain Sarfaraz Ahmed. Saud Shakeel soon became part of the Pakistan Cricket Club and was mentored by Sarfaraz, Asad Shafiq and others. Rising stars Saim Ayub, Mir Hamza, Saad Ali, Ehsan Ali and Omair Bin Yousuf have also represented the club, where Azam's watchful eyes find gems for the future.
Young Saud receiving an award from his mentor, Azam Khan
Though he made his debut a year after Asad Shafiq played his last test, his century partnerships with Sarfaraz earlier this year, were a reminder of the golden days when Asif Iqbal (at the twilight of his career) and Javed Miandad (just a rookie) guided Pakistan to safety on a couple of occasions. The way he scored runs with the last man, Naseem Shah, and the emergence of a valuable partner in Salman Agha, showed that Saud meant business.
Saud made his international debut against England in an away ODI series in 2021. In only his second appearance, he was the top scorer for Pakistan, with 56 in a low scoring match at Lords. He returned to the national ODI side in 2022, when Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq were scoring like there was no tomorrow. Saud was not given an opportunity to excel, and had to wait for the right time. In ODIs, he managed 67 runs in the four innings he has played so far.
Saud after taking his maiden ODI wicket
It was his Test debut that saw the better of him. Drafted into a side which was facing England after nearly 17 years on home ground, Saud scored over 100 runs in his very first match. Usually, whenever Babar Azam failed to score big, the batting line used to crumble. As Saud had no qualms in either shuffling from quick mode to slow one or changing batting positions, he seemed the perfect candidate that could become the next Mr. Dependable. In just his second test, he played so maturely that his dismissal at 94 was termed as the match’s turning point. A controversial decision at a crucial moment resulted in giving England victory by 26 runs.
Saud playing a defensive shot against New Zealand
With over 150 runs in his second test, he became the third test cricketer ever, whose test average would not fall below 50 for a long time. Currently, he is averaging 87.5 and is at top of the list with England’s Herbert Sutcliffe and countryman Javed Miandad. He has sights at the 1000 run mark, where only the legendary Don Bradman has reached before him. Don Bradman managed to score his 1000th run in his seventh test but in thirteen innings. England’s Herbert Sutcliffe and Everton Weekes of the West Indies managed to do so in their ninth test (twelve innings), but Saud is 125 runs shy of a record that could make him the second quickest, in terms of tests. He has batted thirteen times in seven Tests so far. The fastest batsman from Pakistan to score 1000 runs was Saeed Ahmed, who managed to do so in eleven tests, but twenty innings. His next tour is to Australia, which might be a huge challenge for Saud.
Saud’s 208 not out at Galle, made him the first Pakistani batsman to score a double hundred on Sri Lankan soil. An unbeaten century, followed by an unbeaten double century, made him the only batsman ever to score a minimum score of 50, in one of the innings of his first seven tests. The record was earlier held by Sunil Gavaskar, Saeed Ahmed, Basil Butcher and Bert Sutcliffe, who had at least one score of 50 plus runs, in each of their first six tests. Saud’s batting guaranteed a win for a team that was without one for the last one year.
With such a marvelous performance, Saud has been inducted into the side named for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan, although he is not in contention for the Asia Cup, at least for the time being.
Young Saud (sitting on the left side) with his U-19 team mates
Equally comfortable playing fast and spin bowling, Saud knows the tricks of the trade. The way Saud Shakeel plays with the opposition, his strike rotation, the shuffling of gears and the way he has used the tail for scoring runs in the test series against Sri Lanka, is the kind of batsman that the team was missing. With Agha Salman fitting in the all-rounder role the team was hoping for, Pakistan’s middle order seems to be in the right hands with the arrival of Saud Shakil.
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