Sikandar Raza: “He’s been emerging for two odd years. The guy (Irfan Khan) who bats lower down the order, but he’s a gun, gun fielder”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza called Pakistan batsman Irfan Khan a “gun, gun fielder” and acknowledged how far he has come in the last two years.
Raza got the opportunity to see the 21-year-old in action while playing for the Lahore Qalandars in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Irfan, who hails from Mianwali, represented the Karachi Kings in PSL 9 and amassed 171 runs in nine matches at an average of 42.75 and a strike-rate of 140.16.
“He’s been emerging for two odd years. The guy (Irfan Khan) who bats lower down the order, but he’s a gun, gun fielder. I mean his body language, his speed to the ball, his attitude about the game, and then he bats really well down the order as well,” Raza told PakPassion.
Raza was part of the Lahore Qalandars’ team in PSL 9 and accumulated 91 runs in eight games at an average of 15.16 and a strike-rate of 133.82.
He also took three wickets at an average of 50.33 and an economy rate of 8.38.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which will be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27.
Karachi Kings Squad for PSL 9: Shan Masood (captain), Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, Mohammad Nawaz, James Vince, Hasan Ali, Tim Seifert, Shoaib Malik, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Akhlaq, Mohammad Amir Khan, Anwar Ali, Arafat Minhas, Irfan Khan, Sirajuddin, Saad Baig, Jamie Overton, Leus du Plooy, Mohammad Rohid, Zahid Mahmood
Lahore Qalandars Squad for PSL 9: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Rassie van der Dussen, Haris Rauf, David Wiese, Sahibzada Farhan, Sikandar Raza, Abdullah Shafique, Zaman Khan, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mohammad Imran, Ahsan Hafeez, Dan Lawrence, Jahandad Khan, Syed Faridoun, Shai Hope, Kamran Ghulam, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Tayyab Abbas