Saifi bhai gave me a lot of confidence - Saud Shakeel

Following a series of consistent performances, Saud Shakeel was finally pleased after scoring his maiden Test century in the ongoing second Test against New Zealand at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi. 

The 27-year-old batter was euphoric after he bought up three figures on his home soil. "It was a special feeling to score my maiden Test century at this ground," said Saud in a press conference on Wednesday.

"I scored my first FC century at the same ground, so, I was confident enough to score my maiden Test century here."

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The left-handed batsman showed tremendous patience on the crease. He batted for 488 minutes; soaking in all the pressure and making 124 runs off 336 deliveries.

Saud was grateful to Sarfaraz Ahmed for calming his nerves during his 90s when anxiety and nervousness was attacking him.

"I was nervous in the 90s. But Saifi bhai gave me a lot of confidence. He told me to remain easy and continue playing my game," he said. "Obviously, I played cricket under Saifi bhai since my childhood. So, his presence during that moment meant a lot." 

 Earlier in 2015, when Saud was playing for Karachi Whites, he scored a century at the same venue while playing against Khan Research Laboratories.

The right-handed batter from Karachi was battling to boost his conversion rate but only managed to get “just par” this time in the first innings of the second Test on day three.

It is to be noted that the ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played in Karachi from January 09 to January 13.