"He plays like MS Dhoni but couldn't end the innings like MS used to" - Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal on Iftikhar Ahmed's batting approach
Former cricketer Saeed Ajmal recently noted a similarity between the manner in which Iftikhar Ahmed and MS Dhoni built their innings, however, noted that the Pakistan batter couldn't finish games like the Indian legend.
The former World Cup-winning skipper is widely regarded as one of the greatest finishers to grace the game. His peculiar approach involved setting up a foundation and taking his time at the crease before picking his bowlers to take on at the business end of the innings.
Pakistan, at the moment, are currently craving a credible finisher along with a reliable middle-order. The likes of Shan Masood, Iftikhar, Khushdil Shah, and Asif Ali have not been consistent enough, with even vice-captain Shadab Khan being promoted up the order on certain occasions.
Another reminder that Iftikhar Ahmed has played 50 PSL games. He averages 18 at a strike rate of 118. And yet somehow we are taking him to the world cup based on 2 fluke 50’s he scored in Australia 30 years back(we lost both games)🤦♂️ #NZvPAK #PakistanCricket
Opining that Iftikhar lacks MS Dhoni's finesse when it comes to imploding in the final set of overs, Saeed Ajmal said on his YouTube channel:
"Iftikhar plays like MS Dhoni but couldn't end the innings like MS used to. (MS) used to take singles and hit sixes towards the end to compensate for them. Here, Iftikhar plays 10 dot balls, Shan Masood plays 5-7 dot balls, and when they try to recover by hitting big shots, they get out."
The former cricketer continued:
"Iftikhar scored 27 runs off as many balls and he got out in the last over. Where do you stand?"
The middle-order batter scored run-a-ball 27 as Pakistan trudged to a below-par score of 130/7 in their most recent tri-series encounter against New Zealand. The Kiwis scaled down the total inside 17 overs with nine wickets to spare.
Iftikhar made his T20I debut in 2016 but had to wait over three years for his next appearance. He has scored 515 runs in 34 matches with a strike rate of 123.80.
Babar Rizwan and Mohammad Rizwan forge the backbone of the Pakistan batting unit
The bulk of Pakistan's runs have come off the opening duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. The side are arguably overly reliant on the pair, with the result often hinging on their contribution at the top of the order.
Iftikhar Ahmed — "Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are scoring well as an openers. The middleorder batters have to improve their strikerates." #T20WorldCup
Pakistan are heading into the World Cup on the back of a final defeat in the Asia Cup 2022 as well as a series defeat against England at home. They are currently on the cusp of qualifying for the final of the ongoing T20I tri-series involving New Zealand and Bangladesh.
How will the Men in Green fare at the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022? Let us know what you think.