Saud Shakeel

Saud Shakeel is a Pakistani international cricketer who serves as the current vice-captain of the Pakistan national team in Test cricket. He represents his country across multiple formats and has established himself as a prominent figure in the domestic and international circuits.

Early life and education

Shakeel was born on 5 September 1995 in Karachi. He spent much of his early years living in the Sagheer Centre of the Federal B. Area. In 2007, Azam Khan noticed his talent while Shakeel was a sixth-grade student at The Crescent Academy. Through a connection with Shakeel's uncle, Azam introduced him to various cricket academies.

The initial response from these academies remained tepid. To remedy this, Azam integrated him into practice sessions where he faced players such as Rumman Raees, Anwar Ali and Tabish Khan. This training led to his association with the Pakistan Cricket Club. He eventually received mentorship from international cricketers including Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq.

Career

Shakeel captained the team during the 2014 U-19 World Cup. He made his first-class debut on 26 October 2015 during the 2015–16 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. In November 2017, he was selected for the Quetta Gladiators in the 2018 Pakistan Super League players draft.

He achieved significant success in domestic competitions. He was the leading run-scorer for Pakistan Television in the 2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with 488 runs across seven matches. During the 2018–19 tournament, he again led the scoring for Pakistan Television by recording 414 runs in five matches. He was also named in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa squad for the 2018 Pakistan Cup in April 2018.

His leadership roles expanded throughout his domestic tenure. He was named to the Pakistan team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in December 2018. In November 2019, he served as the captain of Pakistan's squad for the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup held in Bangladesh. He also played for the Federal Areas squad in March 2019 and the Sindh squad in September 2019.

Shakeel entered the international arena in early 2021. He was named in the Test squad for the series against South Africa in January 2021, though an injury ruled him out of the ODI matches during the March 2021 tour of Zimbabwe. He made his ODI debut on 8 July 2021 against England. His Test debut followed in December 2022 against England.

The batsman reached several milestones in Test cricket. On 4 January 2023, he hit his maiden Test century during the second Test against New Zealand. In July 2023, he became the first Pakistani batsman to score a Test double century in Sri Lanka against the hosts. He was included in the fifteen-man squad for the Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

During the 2023 World Cup, he made his debut on 6 October against the Netherlands. He scored 68 runs from 52 balls in that match. He also recorded a score of 31 runs off 30 balls against Sri Lanka and a second fifty against South Africa on 27 October.

Awards and recognition

Shakeel received recognition for his domestic performance in late 2020. In December 2020, he was shortlisted as one of the Domestic Cricketers of the Year for the 2020 PCB Awards. He also earned a man of the match award during his World Cup debut against the Netherlands.