Ahmed Shehzad

Ahmed Shehzad descended as quickly as he ascended to the international stage. Once touted to be Pakistan’s answer to Virat Kohli, Shehzad is another unfortunate batter who has emerged from Pakistan in the recent past. 

Born in Lahore, Shehzad showcased his magic with the bat during his U-19 days. Emerging as an opening batter, he first stamped his authority when helped his team chase down a stiff 342 in the first Youth Test against England in 2007. He backed it with some sensational performances against Australia U-19 and Bangladesh U-19, before getting picked for the Junior World Cup in 2008. 

Soon Ahmed rose the ladder to international cricket quicker than his peers to be picked for the ODI team and debuted in 2009. Later that year, he became the World Champions as part of the Pakistan team during the T20 World Cup. Thereafter, Ahmed Shehzad's strokes skyrocketed and he earned the tag of 'Shehzada of Pakistan cricket’.

The Shehzada of Pakistan cricket, moreover, was yet to face a downfall. He had a disastrous World Cup of 2011 and Ahmed Shehzad was sent back to the grind for 2 years. For someone whose first 3 ODI tons were overseas, inconsistency became a synonym to his name. 

However, the young gun improved on his flaws to make a sensational comeback. He made a Test debut, in 2014, and impressed with a fine ton in only his third Test against Sri Lanka in his debut series. He backed it by becoming the first Pakistan player to score a hundred in each format of the game when notched a ton during the 2014 T20 WC. But his old friend, inconsistency returned to his life and Shehzad lost his place in the ODI team as well post the 2015 World Cup.

A couple of brilliant Pakistan Super League seasons, in 2016 and 2017, helped the Lahore-born dasher find a berth in the team for Champions Trophy of 2017, but the emergence of Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq and Babar Azam to the groove meant Shehzad lost his place, once again. 

Since the end of 2017, Shehzad has made a couple of comebacks into the T20I team but hasn’t been fortunate enough to grab a cement berth. Currently, he plays domestic circles and provides his services as a freelance cricketer, across the globe, but his main aim is to find a permanent slot in the national side. 

(As of December 2021)