Sahibzada Farhan: “Iftikhar once told me that being selected for Pakistan isn’t a difficult task, but retaining your place is extremely challenging”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Domestic star Sahibzada Farhan recalled big-hitter Iftikhar Ahmed telling him that getting picked to play for Pakistan “isn’t a difficult task.”
What’s tougher than that, Iftikhar told Farhan, is continuously performing to keep hold of a spot in the team since there is so much competition.
Farhan’s comments come at a time where he is back in Pakistan’s T20I team after being a dominant force on the domestic circuit.
In the National T20 Cup, the 27-year-old finished as the highest run-scorer with 492 runs in 12 matches for Peshawar Region, which included a century and four fifties, at an average of 44.72 and a strike-rate of 178.90.
Right now, Pakistan are trialling Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan as the opening pair in the ongoing five-match T20I series against New Zealand, but should that not work out, it is likely that Farhan will get a chance to prove his worth.
The Charsadda native has played three T20Is for Pakistan in the past, but his last game came all the way back in October 2018.
“Iftikhar once told me that being selected for Pakistan isn’t a difficult task, but retaining your place is extremely challenging,” Farhan was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan are 3-0 down in their T20I series against New Zealand and will look to claim a consolation win in the fourth match, which will be played on January 19 in Christchurch.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan