Iftikhar explained how his role batting low down the order for Pakistan meant that he was a tailender and not a middle order batter.
Iftikhar Ahmed’s Pakistan career seems to be in jeopardy after a string of miserable performances for the Green Army. The 34-year-old cricketer, once a reliable lower middle-order batter, failed to deliver for the Men in Green during the 2023 ODI World Cup as well as the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024, after which he was the subject of trolling and slammed by cricket fans and a few pundits.
Notably, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi called for surgery on the Pakistan team after the team’s horrendous show in the 2024 T20 World Cup and said that all non-performers would be axed from the side. The Men in Green are set to play a plethora of white-ball matches ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy, with series against Australia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, and if Mohsin Naqvi’s words are going to by, the star batter would find it extremely hard to get his place back in the Pakistan team unless he makes a remarkable turnaround.
Also Read: CSK pacer credits time with Mumbai Indians, Jasprit Bumrah for growth as T20 bowler
The Peshawar-born cricketer would have a chance to get attention in the Champions Cup, which is set to kick off on September 12, where he will play under the leadership of wicketkeeper batter Mohammed Rizwan. Meanwhile, a video of the 34-year-old cricketer went viral where the stylish right-handed batter addressed himself as a tailender. The clip seems to be from the training camp about his recent struggles in the middle order. The star batter was quick to highlight that he is not a middle-order batter or all-rounder but a tailender.
Mein Tailender hun 😂#PakistanCricket #ChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/jGVjMIB6i9
— صالح (@salehhh1997) September 8, 2024
“I am not a middle order batter, I am a lower order batter. I am not an all-rounder, I am a tailender. If you see, I bat at No.7 or 8. And if you look at the all-rounders and middle order batters around the world, you’d see they bat at No.4 or 5. But I play at No.7 and 8 and I think of myself as a tailender,” said Iftikhar.
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