Pakistan are currently involved in a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka away from home. The visitors are leading the series 1-0 and are favourites to win the second Test as well thanks to a brilliant show from the bowlers on the opening day. Saud Shakeel was their hero in the opening Test scoring a stunning double century and he followed it up with a half-century in the second Test as well.
As soon as he reached the 50-run mark, Shakeel made it to the history books. The left-hander became the first ever batter in Test cricket to score a 50 in each of his first seven matches in the format. He boasts of an average of 87.50 after 13 innings (7 Tests) scoring a massive 875 runs in his career so far with two centuries and six half-centuries to his name.
Shakeels's score in his Test career so far read - 37, 76, 63, 94, 23, 53, 22, 55*, 125*, 32, 208*, 30 and 57. In every innings so far, he has got a start and crossed the 20-run mark. Having said that, the 27-year-old has played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka and his technique will be tested when the team travels to SENA countries. Pakistan are scheduled to tour Australia in December this year and the Test matches are set to be played in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Perth and Melbourne will have bounce in the pitches and that will be his real test in red-ball cricket.
Nevertheless, the left-hander haa got off to a brilliant start in his Test career and Pakistan will be hoping that he remains a long term option for them in the middle order. Shakeel also has a chance of making it to the list of batters to score fastest 1000 runs in Test cricket. He is unlikely to bat again in the second Test match against Sri Lanka with Pakistan stretching their lead beyond 200.
He needs 125 more runs to reach the 1000-run mark and can become the second-fastest to the milestone in terms of Test matches played if he gets there in first Test in Perth.
