‘That was four years ago, man,’ advises Wasim Akram, cautioning Iftikhar Ahmed not to get carried away. “I’ve played there before, which will help me. Hitting sixes is not an issue at large Australian grounds “As Iftikhar already said.
Pakistan’s preparations for the next T20 World Cup in 2022 are on track. The loss in the 2022 Asia Cup final and the T20I series defeat against England at home have exposed a few flaws in the current team that must be corrected before the World Cup begins in Australia.
The main concern is a lack of consistency from the middle-order hitters. Openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have long carried Pakistan’s batting unit, but Shan Masood, Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, and Mohammad Nawaz must be consistent in T20Is. Iftikhar Ahmed, who has just 99 runs at a strike rate of 132.00 in the seven-match series against England, has also struggled for huge knocks recently.
But the 32-year-old big-hitter is upbeat about the huge competition and previously stated that he will have no trouble smashing massive sixes against Australian pitches. Iftikhar also mentioned that his time there will assist him at the World Cup. Iftikhar has played three T20I matches in Australia, scoring 108 runs with a strike rate of 150.
“The conditions in Australia and New Zealand will be different; we can play well in Australian conditions, I have experience playing there, which will benefit me. Hitting sixes in big Australian grounds is not a problem.”
Iftikhar said
Read also: “We crash out in the first round,” says Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan’s chances in the T20 World Cup.
Wasim Akram indicated that this is a different ball game, but a World Cup
Wasim Akram, in response to the player’s allegation, stated that whatever Iftikhar did on Australian pitches 3-4 years ago. He also noted that his outstanding achievements were in a bilateral series against a single opponent, which will not be the case in the T20 World Cup.
“I read Iftikhar’s statement where he said that ‘Pitches in Australia have bounce so it will be easier for him. Maybe his technique is such, maybe not. But whatever he scored, that was 3-4 years ago. So that he was named the Player of the Match and Player of the Series in Australia, that was 4 years ago man. This is a different ball game, a World Cup. You won’t be up against one team but a lot of them. For his confidence, he sure does warrant a place in the Playing XI. He will give you a few overs and he can of course bat.”
Wasim Akram said in an interview in A Sports.
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