Saud Shakeel started playing cricket at a young age and made his first-class debut for Pakistan Television at 18 in 2013. On October 26, 2015, he made his first-class debut in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for 2015–16. He was chosen in November 2017 to participate in the 2018 Pakistan Super League players draft for the Quetta Gladiators. His consistent performances in domestic cricket earned him a contract with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars in 2018. Shakeel played an instrumental role in the team, scoring 242 runs in 9 matches.

With 488 runs in seven games, he was Pakistan Television's top run scorer in the 2017–18 Quaid–e–Azam Trophy. He was included in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's team for the 2018 Pakistan Cup in April of that year.

In December, he was included in Pakistan's squad for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. He was included in the Federal Areas team for the 2019 Pakistan Cup in March 2019 and Sindh's team for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy competition in September 2019. He was chosen as Pakistan's squad captain for the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Bangladesh in November 2019. In December 2020, he was included on the 2020 PCB Awards shortlist for Domestic Cricketer of the Year.

He was selected to play in Pakistan's Test team against South Africa in January 2021. He was included in the Test and limited overs squads for Pakistan's March 2021 visits to Zimbabwe and South Africa. He suffered an injury which prevented him from playing in the One Day International (ODI) series against South Africa.

Shakeel was included in Pakistan's Test and One-Day International teams in June 2021 for their respective tours of the West Indies and England. On July 8, 2021, Shakeel made his debut for Pakistan in an ODI match against England, scoring just 5 runs off 13 balls.

He was selected to lead the Pakistan Shaheens on their trip to Sri Lanka in October 2021.

In December 2022, he made his test debut for Pakistan’s national team against England. He scored 37 runs off 94 balls in the 1st innings and 76 runs off 159 balls in the 2nd innings for Pakistan but unfortunately Pakistan lost the match by 74 runs.

He was included in Pakistan's Test team for their series against Bangladesh in November 2021. He was also included in Pakistan's Test team for their series against Australia in February 2022 and for their two-match series against Sri Lanka in June 2022.

In December 2022, he was selected to play for Pakistan in the Test series against New Zealand and scored his first century in Test cricket on January 4, 2023, during the second Test, which enabled Pakistan to amass more than 400 runs in response to New Zealand's 449 in the opening innings.

In the Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, he was selected in Pakistan's fifteen-man squad. On October 6, 2023, he made his World Cup debut against the Netherlands, scoring 68 runs in 52 balls and winning man of the match. In his second World Cup encounter, against Sri Lanka, he scored 31 runs off 30 balls. On October 27, he hit his second fifty of the competition against South Africa, who defeated them by a single wicket in a losing effort.

In the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, Shakeel has been a consistent performer for Pakistan. In the recent home series against Sri Lanka in 2023, he scored a brilliant 176 in the second Test, his second highest Test score to date. This innings played a pivotal role in Pakistan's series-levelling victory.

Overall, Shakeel has played 10 Test Matches and is averaging 60+ with a strike rate of 45+.

His highest score is 208* and has scored 2 centuries and 6 centuries.

He has played 15 ODIs and has scored 317 runs at an average of 28+ with 3 half centuries. 68 is his highest score in ODIs.

Playing 73 First class matches, he has scored 5552 runs with the highest score being 208* and has scored 19 centuries and 24 half centuries with an average of 52+.

Overall, Shakeel has established himself as a reliable middle-order batsman for Pakistan in Test cricket and ODI. His solid technique, temperament, and ability to score runs in difficult conditions have made him a vital cog in the Pakistani batting lineup.