Ramiz Raja: “He is used as a finisher but does not finish, neither in the first innings nor in the second”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja is not convinced about Iftikhar Ahmed, saying the power-hitter “is used as a finisher but does not finish” matches.
Iftikhar’s form has been turbulent as of late, which has led to questions whether he deserves to keep hold of his spot in the national team.
Most recently, the 33-year-old featured in the 2024 T20 World Cup and scored 23 runs in two games at an average of 11.50 and a strike-rate of 100.
Even though the Peshawar native has shown how destructive he can be from time to time, it is not enough for Ramiz, who feels the men in green need someone who delivers more consistently.
“He is used as a finisher but does not finish, neither in the first innings nor in the second,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by PakPassion.
Iftikhar was not picked for Pakistan’s ongoing two-Test series against Bangladesh, where they find themselves 1-0 down after losing the first Test by 10 wickets.
The second Test started on August 30 in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi
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