Mohammad Faiq: “I started playing cricket after watching Ahmed Shehzad at Muslim Gymkhana. I was a big fan – waking up at 5-6 am to watch him play in New Zealand, praying he’d score big”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan big-hitter Mohammad Faiq has revealed that he started playing cricket after watching veteran batsman Ahmed Shehzad in action.
Faiq is a big fan of Shehzad’s and even got up between 5 and 6am to watch him play when Pakistan toured New Zealand.
The 28-year-old also recalled batting with Shehzad on his T20 debut, describing it as a moment he will never forget.
“I started playing cricket after watching Ahmed Shehzad at Muslim Gymkhana. I was a big fan – waking up at 5-6 am to watch him play in New Zealand, praying he’d score big. Opening the innings with him on my T20 debut and scoring a fifty at Karachi Stadium against Abbottabad was a proud moment. He clapped for me and appreciated it, something I’ll never forget,” he told PakPassion.
Faiq has made an outstanding start to his T20 career as he has amassed 401 runs in seven matches, which includes two centuries and two fifties, at a jaw-dropping average of 100.25 and a strike-rate of 194.66.
Despite this, he did not feature in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Since he has yet to make his international debut, Faiq was not selected for Pakistan’s T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, the T20I tour of Bangladesh, and the limited overs tour of the West Indies.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah, which will take place from August 29 to September 7.
After that, the men in green will be involved in the 2025 Asia Cup, which will be played in the UAE from September 9 to 28.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem
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