'Exposed internationally': Yousuf recalls coaching struggles with Shafique

Former Pakistan batting coach Mohammad Yousuf has recalled raising concerns over Abdullah Shafique's batting technique during his tenure with the national team, saying the flaws he had identified are now being "exposed" at the international level.

Shafique, who made his return to Pakistan's Test side during the second match of the away series against West Indies last month, made the most of the opportunity as he scored an unbeaten century, which helped the touring side secure a drought-ending eight-wicket victory.

His match-winning effort helped him retain his spot in Pakistan's squad for the subsequent three-match away series against England, but he only managed to accumulate 89 runs in six innings.

Shafique started the ongoing assignment brightly as he scored a half-century in the first innings of the series opener in Leeds but failed to continue his run-scoring spree, mustering 15, five, zero, three and zero in his remaining five innings, respectively.

Reflecting on his recent batting failures, Yousuf said he had been highlighting Shafique's technical issues since 2021-22, when he was working with the batter, but claimed his concerns were dismissed by other coaches.

"During my tenure as batting coach for the Pakistan team, I raised concerns about correcting this issue. Meanwhile, our so-called highly skilled coaches argued with me, insisting he has the best technique in the world. Now it’s being exposed internationally," Yousuf wrote in the caption of a social media post in which he shared a previous video of himself discussing Shafique's batting technique.

"How can a player survive when facing top-quality bowlers and advanced technology that highlights every weakness?" he added.

In his previous remarks, Yousuf had said Shafique had scored runs on "very easy wickets" but had also failed on several occasions.

"I've been telling him since 2021-22, when I was with him, that there are two main problems. But maybe he has no time, or he doesn't want to understand," he had said.

Yousuf had also pointed out an issue with Shafique's stance and footwork, particularly against spin bowling.

"On every ball, there is such a big gap in his stance, and against spinners, his leg moves in such a way that when a left-arm spinner brings the ball in, he gets hit on the pads," he said.

Referring to England spinner Jack Leach, Yousuf added: "Leach got him out two or three times because he brought his leg inside," while stressing the need for improved footwork against spin bowling.