Pakistan’s opening batter Abdullah Shafique added an unwanted chapter to his cricket career during the third ODI match against South Africa in Johannesburg.
Shafique became only the sixth Pakistan cricketer to register three consecutive ducks in the fifty-over format.
In the opening ODI of the series, the 25-year-old was dismissed for a duck on his fourth delivery, and in the second ODI, he was dismissed for a second-ball duck.
The list of Pakistan players with this dubious record also includes former cricketers such as Shoaib Mohammad, Shadab Kabir, Mohammad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, and Salman Butt.
| Player | Ducks | Year |
| Shoaib Mohammad | 3 | 1993 |
| Shadab Kabir | 3 | 1996 |
| Mohammad Wasim | 3 | 2000 |
| Shoaib Malik | 3 | 2004 |
| Salman Butt | 3 | 2010 |
| Abdullah Shafique | 3 | 2024 |
Notably, this unwanted record extends beyond Pakistan.
International cricket legends such as India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Australia’s Ricky Ponting also feature among the players who have faced the ignominy of three consecutive ducks in ODIs.
In addition, the right-handed batter has set another record in 2024 by surpassing the likes of Imran Nazir and Mohammad Hafeez for the most international ducks in a calendar year.
With seven ducks so far in 2024, Shafique has overtaken Nazir (6 ducks in 32 innings in 2000) and Hafeez (6 ducks in 43 innings in 2012). Notably, he achieved this feat in just 21 innings this year.
Meanwhile, the record for the most consecutive ducks in international ODI cricket history is held by five players, including former West Indies legend A. L. Logie, Sri Lanka's G. P. Wickramasinghe, England’s Cameron White, Zimbabwe's Henry Olonga, and Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga, who all scored four consecutive ducks.
The world record for most international ducks in a calendar year by an opener is 8, jointly held by Herschelle Gibbs (from 51 innings in 2002) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (from 56 innings in 2012).
- Abdullah Shafique
