Abdullah Shafique names Ricky Ponting as favorite batter

RAWALPINDI: Young opening batsman Abdullah Shafique named two-time World Cup-winning Australian captain Ricky Ponting as his favorite batter after current Pakistani captain Babar Azam and former Test cricketer Mohammad Yousaf. 

In a media talk here on Tuesday, Abdullah expressed pride after Babar compared his batting style with former India Test cricketer Rahul Dravid.

"I am honored that Babar compared me with Rahul," the young opener said. "But, I used to follow Ricky Ponting a lot. After Babar and Yousaf Bhai, I followed him," he said. 

Talking about his experience being with the team during the home ODI series against West Indies, Abdullah said he learned a lot. "It was a great learning experience for me," Abdullah shared. "I didn't get a chance to play but it was good being around the players who were playing. I will try to grab any opportunity that comes to me in the upcoming Sri Lanka Test tour," he concluded.