Iftikhar Ahmed: “I remember fans used to cheer for Shahid Afridi when he used to come to bat. Now, they cheer for me similarly, which makes me happy”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iftikhar Ahmed, the Pakistan six-hitting powerhouse, said fans have now started cheering for him the same way they did for legendary big-hitter Shahid Afridi.
Iftikhar has cemented his place in Pakistan’s middle order in T20Is and is starting to be used in ODIs as well due to the quick runs he is able to score.
In the team’s recent limited overs series against New Zealand, he smashed 129 runs in five T20Is, which included a top score of 60, at an average of 43 and a strike-rate of 195.45.
The 32-year-old from Peshawar then hammered 122 runs in two ODIs, which included a top score of 94 not out, at an average of 122 and a strike-rate of 129.78.
“I remember fans used to cheer for Shahid Afridi when he used to come to bat. Now, they cheer for me similarly, which makes me happy,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Iftikhar was not picked for Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka, which they won 2-0.