KARACHI: Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafiq opened with an undesirable record in the history of cricket, becoming the first opening batsman to be dismissed for a duck in all matches of a one-day international (ODI) series.
Shafiq’s poor patch continued in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, as he failed to score a single run in all three matches.
With his ducks in Johannesburg, the 24-year-old also achieved another feat, as he registered the most number of international ducks in a Pakistan opener in a single calendar year.
In 2024, Shafiq was sent off for zero on seven occasions during 21 rounds.
This surpasses the previous records held by Imran Nazir, who had six ducks in 32 innings in 2000, and Mohammad Hafeez, who suffered the same fate six times in 43 innings in 2012.
The world record for most international ducks in a calendar year by an opener is eight, shared by South Africa’s Herschell Gibbs (from 51 runs in 2002) and Sri Lankan maestro Tillakaratne Dilshan (from 56 runs in 2012).
Shafiq’s struggles with the bat have raised questions about his selection in the Pakistan squad ahead of the green jersey’s upcoming international assignments, which include the ICC Champions Trophy at home.