Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique etched his name into an unwanted piece of cricketing history by becoming the first opener to register three ducks in a three-match bilateral ODI series. This unfortunate feat occurred during Pakistan’s third ODI against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.  

Opening the innings alongside in-form youngster Saim Ayub, Shafique fell on his very first ball, edging Kagiso Rabada to Aiden Markram at second slip. This early dismissal marked a setback for Pakistan, who are aiming for a historic 3-0 whitewash on South African soil under the leadership of Mohammad Rizwan.  

Shafique, who missed the preceding T20I series, has endured a torrid time with the bat throughout the ODI segment of the tour. In the first ODI at Boland Park, Paarl, he was bowled by Marco Jansen for a four-ball duck. In the second match on a challenging Cape Town surface, Shafique edged a delivery from Jansen to wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen, departing for a two-ball duck. The third duck in Johannesburg sealed his hat-trick of scoreless innings, placing him in the same category as Indian great Sachin Tendulkar, T20I star Suryakumar Yadav, and former Indian spinner Anil Kumble—players with multiple consecutive ducks in ODIs. Shafique's three ducks are the quickest recorded by an opener in a bilateral series.

Only New Zealand's Martin Guptill has registered three ducks as an opener in a bilateral ODI series, but his came during a seven-match series against Sri Lanka in 2015. Suryakumar Yadav is the only other batter to score three ducks in a three-match ODI series, achieving this against Australia in 2023. 

Among Pakistani openers, Shafique is only the second, after Salman Butt, to record three consecutive ducks in ODIs. He also becomes the ninth opener in the history of ODI cricket to achieve this unwelcome feat. The list also includes several other Pakistan players, such as Shoaib Mohammad, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Wasim, and Shadab Kabir.

With three consecutive ducks, Shafique has joined a list of cricketing luminaries who share this unwanted record, including Mahela Jayawardene, Shane Watson, and Sachin Tendulkar.

The record for the most consecutive ducks in ODIs is four, jointly held by Lasith Malinga, Craig White, and Henry Olonga. If Shafique fails to score in his next outing, he will match this unfortunate milestone.

With Abdullah Shafique’s struggles at the top of the order prompted an early arrival of Babar Azam, as the team looks to post a defendable total and complete a rare ODI series whitewash in South Africa.