Iftikhar Ahmad career Icc ranking

Iftikhar Ahmad career Icc ranking 

Pakistani batsman Iftikhar Ahmed, who was born in Peshawar, is a top-order batsman who is also an excellent offie. He has played for Pakistan in every format and was in the team that drew 2-2 in the 2016 Test series against England in England. In spite of this, Pakistan's memorable debut in the series-tying final Test at Oval was rather forgettable.

In 2016 and 2015, respectively, he made his ODI and T20I debuts. He was ruled out of those few games once more due to his failures. However, he has always been a possibility for a national call-up due to his strong domestic performances.

In the first PSL, he was a member of the Karachi Kings. However, they let him go, and he is now a part of Peshawar Zalmi. In Pakistani cricket circles, the middle order batsman Iftikhar Ahmed is affectionately referred to as Chacha-e-Cricket. At the age of 27, he still has a chance to play for Pakistan. The 32-year-old is currently playing for Fortune Barishal in the Bangladesh Premier League, where he recently scored his first T20 hundred. Iftikhar talked freely with Cricbuzz about his nickname, how frustrated he was about not getting enough opportunities in Tests and ODIs, his idol Misbah-ul-Haq, and how his coach Abdur Rahman helped him see his own potential.

Excerpts:

You've played franchise T20 cricket before. How high do you place the BPL?

I'm really happy about it and enjoying it. No matter how you try to describe it, the standard of cricket here will be lower because of its high quality. Although I've played in a few leagues before, this is my first time playing BPL, and I'm really enjoying it.

What factors contribute to a franchise cricket team's success?

The management of the team plays a big role. How well-built they are, how well-built your captain is, and how well he maintains the environment. Even though we lost the first match, I still remember what Shakib al Hasan said afterward. Shakib stated that this team was one of the tournament's best. You need not believe that we have lost the game and are falling. We are a strong team and will prevail in the end. When it comes to maintaining momentum, the captain and team management, in my opinion, play a significant role. We are successful because we play together as a family.

You as of late got your most memorable T20 hundred in BPL...

That is correct and it was a major event for me since I generally flourished for 100 years in the most brief configuration.

A batter in the lower middle order cannot easily reach 100 runs. The role is usually very different, and at best, you only play a few balls or overs.

Look, I've played 43 T20 matches so far, and I think I've had a chance in 15 to 16 of them, while in other games, I've either not batted at all or only batted for 1-3 balls. Even if I play two balls, I still put in my best effort and should be able to contribute.

As a batsman, my mental state always tells me that the more deliveries I play, the more I will settle in and then play well. However, even when I am batting in the nets, I always approach the bat with the mindset that we have lost three to four wickets since I arrived and that I must now perform as required. Since we have lost a few wickets, I always bat with the mindset that I need to figure out how to get myself set, and I always go for singles and doubles. And once I've spent some time, I need to set some limits and stick to them. Later, as a senior player, I decide that I ought to bat until the very end to win the game. With this mindset, I always prepare, and Allah has always assisted me in achieving my objectives.

You're only 32, but you're doing well in Twenty20 cricket. But in this part of the world, young players are always needed on the team. What do you think of that?

Look, cricket is all about performance and nothing to do with age. Bring any children under the age of 19 with you. How many players do you want in your team between the ages of 19 and 16, or how many young players do you want in your team? because young cricketers abound throughout Pakistan. You must select players who will play well for you and assist you in winning games from particular positions. Why doesn't the Pakistan team play only young players if you want young players? Why don't they play under-16-year-olds? No matter where you look, whether it's India, Australia, or another team, players are selected after the age of 30. Why is this the case? because after 30 years, players start to perform and become mentally strong. Look, very little is being said by any of the people.

What might you say regarding your Test vocation?

Look, I played my first Test in England in 2016, but I only got one innings because we were declaring. In 2020, I played in Australia, and in 2022, I got my third innings. There was thus a gap. If you want a player to develop, you must consistently provide him with opportunities; only then will he perform, and after my final innings, when I probably scored 20 or 22 runs without being out, I was dropped from the team. That stings. After that game, I played with the team in the next two games, but I was cut for the next series. Although they are minor, it is extremely painful.

Definitely (I feel bad). I like ODIs and tests. If you look at my performance in List A, you'll see that I'm probably fourth or fifth in the world in that category. Alhamdulillah, I've performed everywhere and in every situation, but the way I've been given opportunities in Tests and One-Day Internationals means that I'll have to wait and see what comes my way in the future because I want to play for my country.

You and Misbah-ul-Haq share many similarities. At this point, very similar career graphs and playing styles. Did he have any effect on you?

Misbah bhai is my senior, and I follow him because I like him a lot as a person and as a player. He was my captain and worked with me in my SNG Oil department. I played in front of him, played international cricket, and made my Test and ODI debut in front of him. Misbah bhai supported me a lot because he was the captain when international cricket was happening in Pakistan and I was making a name for myself. He brought me to international cricket, which is why I have a lot of respect for me and I follow him a lot because he is an idol to me. I really rate him very highly and respect him a lot.

You have elevated the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Fighters to prominence in Pakistani cricket at home. How did that occur, and why are there so many Pakistani players in the game?

If you look at the boys of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, you will notice that they are very mentally and physically strong. This is because they work very hard. The players are from the villages, which have very few facilities, but because they worked hard before coming to the scene, they can perform directly. Like Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, and Shaheen Afridi, the boys from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa play like a family. You can see their physical and mental strength by looking at their fitness, Alhamdulillah. Everybody prays for one another and says, "Let him perform," and we play like this is a game for our own club. We begin to automatically create an environment (for performing). We should likewise be grateful to our mentor Abdur Rahman Sahib and nobody ought to fail to remember that since when he came in 2012 as he was mentor of Quetta and he came to Peshawar and I appeared under him and played all my cricket under him and Alhamdulillah the manner in which he has upheld me, nobody can do it like him and it is our memorable obligation him. Because we, the Pakistani players, played under him, he encouraged us everywhere, assured us that we could play international cricket, and he trained us to be mentally and physically ready for it.

Last but not least, tell us why everyone refers to you as Chacha and how you came to be so well-known by that name... Now, this is a decision made by the people, and as I previously stated, I don't give much weight to what people say. It all started in Zimbabwe, when I was bowling while Taylor (Brendan) was batting and I was getting some spin. There is a little story behind it. Because there is spin and the ball can travel to the square leg through the midwicket, I instructed Babar to remove it and make the square leg deep. When Babar said that he would hit you for a six, I told him that it was just a delivery and nothing would happen. Later, he changed the fielders, and when Taylor hit in the next delivery, it went straight to square leg, leaving him out. When I returned to my room, everyone was chanting Chacha-e-Cricket, Chacha-e-Cricket, and I was baffled as to why this was happening. Babar was ecstatic and said, "You are Chacha-e-Cricket because you are so sharp." The stump microphones picked it up.