LAHORE: Pakistan Test batter Abdullah Shafique says the President’s Trophy Grade-II Gold, a domestic first-class event, helped him recuperate during the recent Test series in West Indies where the Babar Azam-led team drew a two-match series.

In an exclusive chat with PCB Media on Thursday, Abdullah, who is currently touring England for a three-Test series starting later this month, revealed he got an offer to play President’s Trophy Grade-II Gold tournament for eventual winners MIT Solutions towards the end of Lahore Qalandars’ campaign in HBL PSL 11.

“President’s Trophy Grade-II really helped me get to where I am today as I played in seaming and spin-friendly conditions across four venues, toiling under the peak summer sun and scoring valuable runs under pressure for my team,” Abdullah said.

Abdullah batted 117.3 of the 138.3 overs that Pakistan faced over the course of their series-levelling eight-wicket win in the second Test against West Indies in Port-of-Spain recently. The right-hander’s returns included an unbeaten 160 off 323 balls and a 24 not out off 51 balls in a slim 75-run chase.

He made his comeback to the Test team a memorable one by peeling off his sixth Test century, his first since October 2024. The 150-plus score was the first for a Pakistan batter in the Caribbean in 49 years.

Abdullah’s stoic contribution at the Queen’s Park Oval was the first time he batted at number three in Test cricket and only the fourth in his international career. Unlike his three previous attempts, this time he made it count.

The 26-year-old was a late inclusion in the Test squad, getting a spot as a replacement for Abdullah Fazal, who was ruled out of the West Indies and England tours due to a lower back injury. After joining the team in Trinidad from Guyana on July 26, he was named in the playing XI in place of the injured Shan Masood.

The groundwork for Abdullah’s success at the unknown No.3 position was laid in the 11 weeks before he took the flight from Guyana to join the Test squad.

“Our PSL campaign was about to end in the last week of April when I received a call from MIT Solutions who invited me to play the Grade-II tournament and help qualify for Grade-I. I felt slightly perplexed in the beginning but sought help from one of my close friends Saif and asked him to accompany me throughout the tournament,” Abdullah stated.

Saif had learned the throwdown technique with a specialised stick a few years ago when the two trained together. Now a full-time marketing consultant, he took leave from work and accompanied Abdullah to four cities where he looked after his net sessions and sent down hundreds of balls in the following weeks.

MIT Solutions captain Hasan Nawaz, head coach Ansar Javed, team owner Shahzaib Ali and team director Nayyar Abbas identified Abdullah as the ideal candidate to guide the relatively young side with his international experience. The MIT Solutions management entrusted Abdullah with the No. 3 role with the plan to have him bat through the innings, with the first dig for each team restricted to 70 overs.

Reflecting on Abdullah’s unbeaten effort in the Port-of-Spain Test, Hasan Nawaz told PCB Media, “The plan in Grade-II was for Abdullah to bat through the innings and it was pleasing to see him remain not out in both innings of his comeback game. I’m glad that mindset has stuck with him at the top level.

“Abdullah spoke to me about the areas he wanted to improve in his game by playing red-ball cricket. Our team’s ambitions and his personal goal gelled well and paid dividends for both parties. He spent long hours in the nets throughout the tournament and looked after his fitness routines well.”

On his red-ball grind, Abdullah said, “I used to go to the ground two hours before the team on match days and faced maximum balls before start of play.

“If you are serious about your game and put in the hard yards then the game rewards you and new opportunities begin to open up. Grade-II was tougher than I expected, the conditions varied from seam to spin across Islamabad, Abbottabad and Peshawar.”

Commenting on the forthcoming Test series in England, Abdullah said that the three-match rubber would be exciting.

“I’ve played one game for Yorkshire in the County Championship last summer and feel confident about adjusting to the conditions at Leeds. I’ve faced England a few times at home [in 2022 and 2024] and this away series against them will be an exciting challenge,” the batter said.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2026