Iftikhar Ahmed: “Cricket is ruined because of you people. I want to tell you media folks that please don’t hype players after one good innings. Let them prove their worth in domestic cricket”
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Pakistan big-hitting batsman Iftikhar Ahmed has called on the media to stop hyping up players after one good performance.
He noted that this does more harm than good as if the cricketer fails to replicate his success in the Pakistan team, questions immediately start being raised about why he was selected.
This kind of behaviour can have a negative impact on a player’s confidence and affect his future performance too.
Iftikhar admitted he would rather see cricketers prove themselves for a long period of time in domestic cricket before people start speaking about him earning a call-up to the national team.
“Cricket is ruined because of you people. I want to tell you media folks that please don’t hype players after one good innings. Let them prove their worth in domestic cricket,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“You hype someone after one innings, and then when he fails for Pakistan, you start questioning his selection. For God’s sake, let a player [shine] in all three formats and then speak about him. You guys start saying that we have found the new Inzamam-ul-Haq and things like that.”
Iftikhar recently represented the Markhors in the Champions One-Day Cup, which was a 50-over tournament held in Faisalabad.
In six matches, he scored 193 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 38.60.
The 34-year-old then proceeded to play in the President’s Cup Grade-I (1-Day) competition, where he played for the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA).
He ended up amassing 236 runs in four games, which included a career-best knock of 154 not out, at an average of 118.
Iftikhar was not selected for Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh, which they lost 2-0.
The men in green are now taking on England in a three-match Test series, which is tied at 1-1.
The third Test starts on October 24 in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan Squad for 2nd and 3rd Tests against England: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Zahid Mahmood.
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