Ihsanullah: “I will come [back] stronger and try not to play away leagues as my focus is to play for Pakistan only”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
New pace phenomenon Ihsanullah has vowed to “come [back] stronger” and stay away from foreign T20 leagues as his “focus is to play for Pakistan only.”
Ihsanullah surged to fame during the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he sliced through batsmen with his outstanding pace, which has been clocked above 150 kph.
In PSL 8, he claimed 22 wickets in 12 matches for the Multan Sultans at an average of 15.77 and an economy rate of 7.59.
The 21-year-old was immediately added to the Pakistan team and has featured in four T20Is and one ODI to date.
There was a chance that he could have played in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup after fellow fast bowler Naseem Shah was ruled out with a shoulder injury he suffered in the Asia Cup.
However, Ihsanullah himself was recovering from elbow surgery and wasn’t considered for selection.
Since he is now close to making a full recovery, the Matta native is determined to play more international cricket for his country.
“I will come [back] stronger and try not to play away leagues as my focus is to play for Pakistan only,” he was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Pakistan won their first two World Cup matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing their next four games against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they fought back to defeat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they could not make it to the semi-finals.
The men in green concluded their campaign with a 93-run loss to England.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali