Iftikhar Ahmed: “I think Khawaja Nafay plays according to the modern requirements of T20s”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan big-hitter Iftikhar Ahmed believes batsman Khawaja Nafay meets all the requirements to excel in T20I cricket.
His praise for Nafay comes after the 22-year-old had a solid campaign in the recently-concluded Champions T20 Cup.
In 10 matches for the Markhors, Nafay amassed 220 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 24.44 and a strike-rate 135.80.
“I think Khawaja Nafay plays according to the modern requirements of T20s. If you have to survive in T20 at a big stage, you have to think about 200 plus. For making your name nowadays you need to improve your strike-rate and mindset,” Iftikhar was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Pakistan team recently toured Australia for a white-ball series and won the ODIs 2-1 before being battered 3-0 in the T20Is.
Following this, the men in green travelled to Zimbabwe and came out on top 2-1 in both the ODI and T20I series.
They are now in South Africa and lost the T20I series 2-0 before bouncing back to whitewash the Proteas 3-0 in the ODIs.
Pakistan and South Africa are currently involved in a two-Test series, which began on December 26 in Centurion.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series:Â Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series:Â Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series:Â Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha