Central Punjab’s Abdullah Shafique has named Australian batting great Ricky Ponting and Pakistan’s limited-overs skipper Babar Azam as his favourite players.

Shafique stole the limelight on the first day of the ongoing National T20 Cup with a century on T20 debut against Southern Punjab.

“My favourite player is Ricky Ponting because of his pull shot. I admire him a lot,” said Shafique. “Currently in Pakistan team my favourite player is Babar [Azam] bhai.”  

Shafique, who also scored a century on his first-class debut, credited his natural game for good performance.

“I am very pleased since this was my debut and recently I also did well on my first-class debut. I played my natural game and maintained my flow,” he said.  

“I had to wait for my chances and I am happy that I have made it count. I am pleased that my team won and that is what counts the most, for me personal milestones are secondary,” he added.  

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The 20-year-old also admitted that the pitch was conducive for batting after remaining unbeaten on 102 off 58 balls.

“The pitch was great to bat on and really helped the batsmen. I like playing the fast bowlers and enjoy batting in the top-order,” he said.