Pakistan batting all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed: “Of course, I am a batting all-rounder but you cannot call me a part-time [spinner] because I [have] taken many wickets in domestic cricket”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Pakistan batting all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed has said it’s a slap in the face and downright laughable when people call him a part-time bowler.
This comes after Iftikhar took a five-wicket haul and scored an unbeaten 16 in the second ODI against Zimbabwe on Sunday.
The 30-year-old, who bowls off-spin, was named Man of the Match for his performance with the ball as he carved through Zimbabwe’s batting line-up and helped Pakistan secure a six-wicket win.
“Of course, I am a batting all-rounder but you cannot call me a part-time [spinner] because I [have] taken many wickets in domestic cricket,” he said in a video released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as quoted by Geo Super.
“If you look at my profile, you’d find that I have had a lot of success [with the ball] in domestic, T20, one-day and four-day. This is why the captain and other teammates trust me so much.”
Explaining how he claimed a five-for against Zimbabwe, Iftikhar said that he was trying to put the batsmen under pressure by bowling many dot balls.
“I was merely trying to bowl dot balls with variation because in T20 and ODI the more dot balls you bowl, the greater the pressure you exert on the batsman,” he said.
Pakistan now hold an unassailable 2-0 lead going into the third ODI in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.