Ihsanullah: “I have watched a lot of videos of Shoaib Akhtar, where he was hitting the batsmen on their heads and shattering their stumps. So I thought to myself that I will try to become like him”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Ihsanullah, the new Pakistan pace sensation, said he wants to become like legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar after watching videos of him hitting batsmen on the head or “shattering their stumps”.
The 20-year-old has become a household name in Pakistan following his remarkable performance in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he finished as the second-highest wicket-taker.
Ihsanullah ended up taking 22 wickets in 12 matches for the Multan Sultans in PSL 8 at an average of 15.77 and an economy rate of 7.59.
While the bowler he looks up to is Waqar Younis, the Matta native admitted that he wants to incorporate certain elements of Akhtar’s bowling into his own game.
“My fast bowling [idol] is Waqar Younis, but I have watched a lot of videos of Shoaib Akhtar, where he was hitting the batsmen on their heads and shattering their stumps. So I thought to myself that I will try to become like him,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
After the PSL, Ihsanullah was picked in the Pakistan team for the limited overs series against Afghanistan and New Zealand.
However, he didn’t make the cut for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka, which will be held in Galle and Colombo from July 16 to 28.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka Test Series:Â Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood