Taufeeq averages just under 40 with the bat and although his recent form has been poor – 87 runs in the three-Test series against England – his century against Bangladesh and a career-best 236 against Sri Lanka last year helped him cement his place in the playing-eleven.
He even rates his double-century as the ‘highlight’ of his career that gives him ‘great satisfaction’. Now, having played 40 Tests, Taufeeq’s confidence, and maturity with the bat, seems to have gone up.
“I’ve got several good innings under my belt and those have given me the confidence of staying in the middle for longer while also scoring runs in pressure situations,” Taufeeq told The Express Tribune. “The more you stay on the pitch, the more you learn to tackle dodgy situations. I believe I’ve also been maturing gradually and that’s why I want to score atleast 6,000 runs in Tests before retiring.”
Taufeeq, aiming for another six to seven years in top flight, also wants a proper shot at limited-overs cricket, especially after his aggressive show in the recently concluded Super Eights T20 Cup where he was the Eagles’ top-scorer with 138 runs at a strike-rate of 132.
Growing up as a left-handed opener, Taufeeq was spoilt for choice when choosing between Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail as his idol.
“Just like many left-handers of my generation, I grew up watching both these classy players and it was always difficult for me to pick between the two. Sohail, however, has nudged ahead ever-so-slightly because of his support. Former players criticise a lot when things don’t really go your way but Sohail has been the one who has helped me by providing the required solutions to my weaknesses.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2012.
COMMENTS (4)
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He has the composure like Misbah to lead Pakistan in Test cricket as well
He is one of most talented left hander opening batsman after Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail. He should be given a chance in ODI's to further justify his talent. He has been consistent in test Areana for Pakistan being their highest scorer in tests during Year 2011 with 831 runs which included three hundreds and three fiftys. He should be given a proper run in test and ODI team so that he can bring more laurals and glories for Pakistan
@ Haris, agree with you on his consistency. However he is a classy batsman, some of the strokes he plays just leaves people awestruck! keep working hard buddy!
Wish him the best of luck but he needs to be more consistent, toffee seems to have 1 good score in a series and gets out for low scores in the rest. He was unlucky in his career being dropped for a long time and we had to see people like farhat and butt, things look good for him now he has been given a proper run in the team... at least in the longer format.