Tag: Iftikhar Ahmed

FAISALABAD: Pakistan all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed expressed his dissatisfaction with the media after the Champions One-Day Cup final here at Iqbal Stadium on Sunday.

Iftikhar, who led Markhors in the absence of regular captain Mohammad Rizwan, took out his frustration on the media personnel, blaming them for the downfall of cricket.

“Cricket is ruined because of you people,” Iftikhar Ahmed said, referring to the Pakistani media.

“Please don’t hype players after one good innings. Let them prove their worth through consistent performances,” the all-rounder added.

Iftikhar Ahmed then urged the media to stop comparing rising players with greats of the game and also to let them perform in all three formats.

“You hype someone after one innings, and then when he fails for Pakistan, you start questioning his selection. For God’s sake, let a player top in all three formats and then speak about him. You guys start saying that we have found the new Inzamam-ul-Haq and things like that.”

 

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Shadab Khan-led Panthers outclassed Markhors in a one-sided final to clinch the inaugural edition of the Champions One-Day Cup on Sunday.

Chasing a meagre 123-run target, Panthers’ captain Shadab Khan sealed the victory with a six off Shahnawaz Dahani on the last ball of the 18th over.

Panthers started the chase strongly with a 51-run opening stand between Umar Siddiq and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai.

For Markhors, Akif Javed and Mohammad Imran claimed two wickets each while Shahnawaz Dahani bagged one wicket.

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Markhors’ captain Iftikhar Ahmed opted to bat first in the final but his decision backfired as his side was bundled out on a meagre 122.

Experienced opener Fakhar Zaman remained the top-scorer for Markhors with a 49-ball 46, followed by young wicketkeeper batter Haseebullah Khan, who made a scratchy 27.

The rest of the Markhors’ batters failed against a ruthless Panthers’ bowling attack, jointly led by Mohammad Hasnain and Sajid Khan, who took three wickets each.

READ: Pakistan captain Masood backs players ahead of ‘crucial’ England Tests

All-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed has highlighted the lack of an attacking mindset behind the Pakistan cricket team’s struggles in the recent past.

The Green Shirts have been under fire for the last one year, owing to their below-par performances in the multi-nation events.

Pakistan, under the captaincy of Babar Azam, were knocked out from the group stages of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 as well as the T20 World Cup 2024.

Moreover, recently the Green Shirts succumbed to a 2-0 loss in the two-match series against Bangladesh.

Iftikhar Ahmed, during a conversation on a YouTube channel, acknowledged the team’s recent struggles, while stressing the need to adopt an aggressive mindset.

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“Australia, England and India, in my opinion, have a mindset of playing attacking cricket whether they are batting or bowling, which is why they are so dominant,” said the 34-year all-rounder.

“In my opinion, the Pakistan team needs to adopt such attacking strategies in their play otherwise we will not be able to beat the bigger sides in world cricket,” he added.

Pakistan are set to host England for a three-match Test series against England, starting from October 7.

The three-match series will run from October 7 to 28 and is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25.

READ: PCB’s ‘Connection Camp’ kicks off in Lahore

Pakistan cricketer Iftikhar Ahmed ignited a debate on his role in the national cricket team as he labelled himself as a “tailender” instead of an all-rounder or a middle-order batter.

Iftikhar has been a regular part of Pakistan’s white-ball teams since 2022, often dubbed as a batting all-rounder, who bats in the lower middle-order and can ball.

The right-handed batter, however, has not been able to deliver a single match-winning performance and thus often faces severe criticism from fans.

Iftikhar Ahmed’s statement came just ahead of the commencement of the Champions One-Day Cup, where he will be representing Team Wolves, led by wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan.

In a video that went viral on social media, a reporter labelled Iftikhar as a middle-order batter. Due to which the cricketer got visibly annoyed and called himself a tailender instead.

“I am not a middle order batter, I am a lower order batter. I am not an all-rounder, I am a tailender,” said Iftikhar Ahmed.

“If you see, I bat at No.7 or 8. And if you look at the all-rounders and middle order batters around the world, you’d see they bat at No.4 or 5. But I play at No.7 and 8 and I think of myself as a tailender,” he added.

For the unversed, Iftikhar Ahmed has played 55 T20I innings for Pakistan. He batted 25 times at No.5, 11 at No.7, 10 at No.6, and other stints at No.4 and No.8.

In One-Day Internationals (ODIs), Iftikhar batted at No.5 16 times out of his total 24 knocks; five at No.7, two at No.5, and one at No.4.

In his brief Test career, in which he played just six innings, he batted at five times at No.6 and only once at No.7.

READ: Mohammad Haris vows to uphold Stallions’ legacy in Champions Cup

BRAMPTON: Pakistan’s first-choice all-rounder and finisher Iftikhar Ahmed coped with a disappointing dismissal in the GT20 Canada 2024.

Iftikhar, representing Bangla Tigers Mississauga in the second match of the six-team tournament, had an ideal chance to answer the critics with a match-winning knock.

But his return to the Global T20 Canada was completely contrasting as the right-handed batter could score a 24-ball 28 after coming out to bat at No.4 in the 190-run pursuit.

Iftikhar Ahmed struggled throughout his scratchy knock but it was his dismissal that caught the attention of cricket fans and online trolls.

The right-handed batter attempted a no-look short off a Zahoor Khan’s length delivery, pitched a tough outside leg.

Iftikhar tried to work it off his thigh and over the fine leg boundary but ended up handing a regulation catch to Dilpreet Bajwa.

 

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For the unversed, Bangla Tigers Mississauga got off to an unwanted start to their GT20 Canada 2024 campaign as they succumbed to a 33-run defeat against Montreal Tigers.

The Tigers, after being put into bat first, registered a commendable total of 189/6, courtesy of a combined effort.

Leading the way was Tim Seifert as he top-scored with a 24-ball 44, followed by Ashton Agar and Bajwa, 41 each, while Ben Manenti made an unbeaten 40.

David Wiese was the star with the ball for Bangla Tigers Mississauga with his three wickets.

In response, the Tigers were curtailed on 156/8 despite a blazing knock by Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Gurbaz smashed six fours and five sixes on his way to a 39-ball 64 and top-scored for the Tigers, followed by Iftikhar Ahmed (28) and Hazratullah Zazai (13) while the rest failed to make it into the double figures.

READ: Munsey stars as Wolves thump Jaguars in GT20 Canada 2024

Pakistan all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed has been roped in by Bangla Tigers Mississauga for the upcoming GT20 Canada 2024, scheduled to commence in July.

Iftikhar, who led Surrey Jaguars to the final of the previous edition, will now represent the Bangla Tigers Mississauga in the upcoming fourth edition.

He had a remarkable season with the bat for the Jaguars as he finished as the joint-fifth leading run-scorer. He accumulated 183 runs in eight innings at an average of 45.75  and a strike-rate of 105.

The all-rounder also impressed with his bowling in GT20 2023, picking up 10 wickets at just 13.14.

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Iftikhar Ahmed’s addition further strengthened the Bangla Tigers Mississauga’s squad which features the likes of Bangladesh’s veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Namibia’s David Wiese.

The fourth season of the GT20 will run from July 25 until August 11. The six-team tournament will be played at TD Cricket Arena in Brampton.

The inaugural edition was played in 2018, followed by the second edition in 2019. However, the third season, which was scheduled for 2020, was postponed due to COVID-19.

Ultimately, the GT20 Canada returned for the third season in 2023, where Montreal Tigers defeated Surrey Jaguars in the final to clinch their first title.

Bangla Tigers Mississauga Squad for GT20 Canada 2024: Shakib Al Hasan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, David Wiese, Shoriful Islam, Hazratullah Zazai, Odean Smith, Muhammad Waseem, Farhan Khan, Nav Pabreja, Pargat Singh, Dilon Heylliger, Rayyan Pathan, Gurpal Sidhu, Tajinder Singh, Navjot Dosanjh, Ravinder Reddy, Gurbaz Bajwa.

READ: Vancouver Knights sign Babar, Amir, Rizwan for GT20 2024

COLOMBO: A total of nine Pakistan players were roped in for the upcoming Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 after the player auction took place here on Tuesday.

The fifth edition of the LPL will run from July 1 to 21 and will feature five teams competing for the silverware.

According to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), more than 500 players from 24 cricket-playing nations, including full International Cricket Council (ICC) member nations, registered for the player auction in a bid to get picked into one of the five teams for the LPL 2024.

Notably, before the auction took place, some of Pakistan’s notable cricketers had already found new homes in the LPL 2024. Leading the charge is the formidable Pakistan all-rounder, Shadab Khan, who will be representing Colombo Strikers.

Besides him, wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Haris was picked by defending champions B-Love Kandy for the five-team tournament.

In the auction, however, right-arm pacer Mohammad Wasim Jr was signed by Colombo Strikers for $20,000 while Dambulla Thunders signed Iftikhar Ahmed and Haider Ali for $50,000 and $25,000 respectively.

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Defending champions B-Love Kandy backed their overseas Pakistan signings by roping in Azam Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Ali and Salman Ali Agha.

Pakistan Players to participate in LPL 2024

B-Love Kandy: Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Hasnain, Azam Khan, Mohammad Ali, Salman Ali Agha.

Colombo Strikers: Shadab Khan and Mohammad Wasim Jr.

Dambulla Thunders: Iftikhar Ahmed and Haider Ali

For the unversed, the LPL 2024 will be held across three venues Colombo, Dambulla, and Kandy.

The fifth edition of Sri Lanka’s marquee league will continue to feature five teams B-Love Kandy, Dambulla Thunders, Jaffna Kings, Colombo Strikers and Galle Marvels.

All the five participating teams will play each other twice in the league stage, consisting of 20 matches.

The top four teams after the league stage will then advance to the playoffs.

The first three editions of the LPL were won by the team bearing the name Jaffna (Stallions in the inaugural season and Kings in the next two editions), all captained by Thisara Perera.

The fourth edition of the LPL saw Wanindu Hasaranga-led B-Love Kandy winning their maiden title by defeating Dambulla Aura in the final.

READ: T20 World Cup 2022 finalists lock horns in build up to 2024 edition

DUBLIN: All-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed pinned his hopes on Pakistan to stage a comeback in the ongoing three-match series against Ireland after succumbing to a shock loss in the series opener at Clontarf Cricket Club here on Friday.

In a video statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Iftikhar Ahmed acknowledged the team’s shortcomings in fielding, adding that they did not play at their full potential.

“When I came runs were needed and I played my natural game. The way our team is we didn’t perform to that level. We lacked in fielding, we dropped a catch and gave away a couple of boundaries as well,” stated Iftikhar.

“This is part of the game and we are hopeful that we will make a comeback in the series with two games remaining,” he added.

He then went on to express his confidence in the team’s ability to force a turnaround in the ongoing series against Ireland and win the England series to attain confidence before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

“With the quality our team has, we can make a comeback against Ireland. We will try to win our next series against England and take confidence into the upcoming T20 World Cup,” Iftikhar concluded.

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For the unversed, Iftikhar Ahmed played a brief yet effective cameo against Ireland and bolstered Pakistan’s total at the backend.

The right-handed batter smashed three fours and as many sixes on his way to an unbeaten 37 off just 15 deliveries.

His blazing knock powered Pakistan to a competitive total of 182/5 but the touring side yet ended up on the losing side as Ireland chased down the target with a ball to spare, at the back of Andy Balbirnie’s half-century.

Pakistan and Ireland next face each other in the second T20I of the three-match series at the same venue on Sunday.

READ: Paul Stirling’s remarks about Pakistan go viral after Ireland’s historic win

KARACHI: Multan Sultans’ all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed has been fined five per cent of his match fee by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday for using inappropriate language during the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9.

Iftikhar Ahmed was fined for a Level 1 breach of PSL’s code of conduct during his side’s PSL 9 fixture against Quetta Gladiators at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

Iftikhar was found to have violated Article 2.5 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct, which reads as: “Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during a match”.

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The incident happened in the third over of Quetta Gladiators’ batting, when Iftikhar used inappropriate language towards the batter (Jason Roy) who was dismissed.

Since Iftikhar pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Ali Naqvi, there was no need for a formal hearing.

The charge was imposed by on-field umpires Rashid Riaz and Richard Illingworth.

During the match, an all-round performance led Multan Sultans to ease past Quetta Gladiators to reclaim the top spot in the PSL 9 standings with 14 points and also booked their Qualifiers clash with Peshawar Zalmi, who moved to second with a point less.

READ: PCB announces match officials for PSL 9 playoffs and final

LAHORE: All-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed has parted ways with Quetta Gladiators and will wear the colours of Multan Sultans in the ninth season of Pakistan Super League (PSL), while Rilee Rossouw will return to Gladiators.

The trade deal saw Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultans swapping Iftikhar Ahmed and Rilee Rossouw, as well as, Sultans getting the first pick in the platinum category round one while Gladiators will get the first pick in the silver round one.

🔥🚨 Box-office Trade Alert 🚨🔥

🔁Iftikhar Ahmed joins Multan Sultans

🔁Rilee Rossouw joins Quetta Gladiators#HBLPSLDraft #HBLPSL9 @TeamQuetta @MultanSultans @IftiMania @Rileerr pic.twitter.com/VHobXp3LEu

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) November 30, 2023

Iftikhar Ahmed has previously represented Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings and Islamabad United, along with Gladiators in PSL and Multan Sultans will be his fifth team.

Meanwhile, Rilee Rossouw was part of Quetta Gladiators’ PSL winning team in 2019, having represented the team from 2017-2019.

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The process of local player category renewals for the upcoming ninth edition of the tournament was completed on 10 November with categories upgraded for nine players.

The registration window for foreign players was opened on 25 October with several top players across the globe showing interest.

The PSL Player Draft for the ninth season will take place at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore on 13 December 2023.

The retentions and trades are to be finalized before the PSL 9 Player Draft, after the completion of the National T20.

Earlier, Karachi Kings traded Imad Wasim to Islamabad United for Hasan Ali and received Islamabad United’s first-round silver pick in exchange for their second silver pick.

READ: Shan Masood receives promotion in PCB’s central contract list

CHENNAI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah scored sensible half-centuries after Noor Ahmed’s 3/49 led Afghanistan to upset Pakistan by eight wickets in the ICC World Cup 2023.

The eight-wicket victory marked Afghanistan’s first over Pakistan in ODIs. The two sides had come face to face on seven occasions in the 50-over format.

Set to chase 283, Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided a solid start to the team as the pair put together a century-plus stand as both scored half-centuries.

The duo dominated Pakistan bowlers before Usama Mir got the much-needed breakthrough for his side by dismissing Gurbaz in the 22nd over.

Gurbaz scored 65 off 53 deliveries with the help of nine boundaries and a six.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim stood his ground firm and was involved in another anchoring partnership when he added 60 runs for the second wicket with Rahmat Shah before Hasan Ali got rid of him in the 34th over.

He top-scored for Afghanistan with 87 in 113 balls, hitting 10 boundaries.

Shah was then joined by his skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and the duo knitted a sensible 96-run partnership to steer Afghanistan to a historic victory with an over to spare.

Rahmat Shah scored an unbeaten 77 off 84 deliveries, laced up with five boundaries and two sixes while Shahidi scored 48 not out in 45 balls with the help of four boundaries.

For Pakistan, only Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali could pick up a wicket each while the rest of their bowlers went wicketless.

The sensational eight-wicket victory ascended Afghanistan to sixth in the ICC World Cup 2023 standings while Pakistan managed to hold on to their fifth position.

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Pakistan opening batters Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq justified their captain’s decision to bat first by putting up a 56-run partnership.

Azmatullah Omarzai gave the first breakthrough to Afghanistan by sending Imam-ul-Haq back ending his brief innings of 17 off 22.

Babar Azam then joined Abdullah Shafique and piled up 54 runs for the second wicket, before Noor Ahmed dismissed the latter to claim his first World Cup wicket.

Shafique scored 56 off 75, knitted with five boundaries and two sixes.

Mohammad Rizwan also fell prey to Noor Ahmed in the next over at a total of 120.

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Babar Azam scored an anchoring half-century, his 30th in the format, and raised two 43-run partnerships with Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan, before becoming the third victim of Noor Ahmed.

Azam played a cautious 74-run knock from 92 deliveries, with the help of four boundaries and one six.

Iftikhar Ahmed joined Shadab Khan at a total of 206 in the 42nd over and attacked Afghanistan bowlers with a blistering innings of 42 off 27, featuring two boundaries and four sixes.

Meanwhile, Shadab Khan scored 40 off 38 with the help of one four and a six.

Together they added 73 runs off 45 balls to lift Pakistan’s total to 282, before falling in the final over.

Noor Ahmed returned with figures of 3-49, while Naveen-ul-Haq picked two wickets.

READ: Brydon Carse replaces injured Reece Topley in England ICC World Cup 2023 squad