Asad Shafiq

Azhar Ali has praised Asad Shafiq's ability to bat down the order, shepherding the tail and scoring centuries from No. 6

The batsman feels being 'adventurous' on green pitches will be important for the team to score runs and backs Younis Khan to bounce back and get runs

After Pakistan fought back to share the Test series 2-2, ESPNcricinfo rates the players involved in the enthralling tussle

England looked tired after their victory in the third Test, and Pakistan looked energised by the need to respond. The upshot was telling at The Oval

Hundreds from Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan, the latter unbeaten, helped Pakistan to 340 for 6 and their most comprehensive day's batting of the tour so far

Asad Shafiq is a vital cog at No. 6 for Pakistan but he isn't interested in the limelight. He just wants to keep getting better

For a while in the afternoon session it appeared Pakistan were losing their way but, after his role with the ball, Yasir Shah played a starring role again

Stats highlights from the first day's play at Lord's where Misbah and Shafiq rescued Pakistan after a false start

Misbah-ul-Haq's unbeaten century on his first Test in England led his side into a strong position on the opening day at Lord's as they closed on 282 for 6

There may be more impressive individual performances and more action-packed days in the next two or three months but, in the context of this Pakistan tour, this was an almost perfect start.

There are no hotheads, big mouths or flashy dressers in the current Pakistani side. It's a drastic change from the country's teams of old

Sobers excelled, Botham struggled in a slot that nobody wants for too long

The Pakistan captain had plenty of strong options to call upon as he led the way to another series win in the UAE

They don't have the flair of their team-mates, but they have plenty of mettle and their contributions speak volumes

Plus: a double-centurion dismissing another in the same Test, stumped in both innings, and the highest ODI scores in a losing cause

Asad Shafiq might be one of the more understated members of the Pakistan side but on the ground where his Test career began he proved his worth again with his eighth Test hundred

Pakistan cemented their dominance of the first Test in Abu Dhabi over two effortless and one-sided sessions of accumulation at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium

For a team like Pakistan which is going through a transition, nothing could have been better than two relatively young batsmen staging a terrific turnaround

A brilliantly unorthodox 96 from Sarfraz Ahmed and a seventh Test century from Asad Shafiq turned the Galle Test around on a fourth day that exposed Sri Lanka's bowling limitations