Iftikhar Ahmed, who was born in Peshawar on September 3, 1990, is one of Pakistan’s most talented batsmen.
He has already made a name for himself in Pakistan’s domestic circuit, having played for prestigious teams such as Peshawar Panthers, Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi, and Islamabad United, and is now vying with Babar Azam and Haris Sohail for a place in the national team.
Background
Ahmed, who was born in Peshawar, made his name as a batsman at a young age. In 2010, he made his T20 debut in the Faysal Bank T20 Cup in Lahore.
While he struggled in his first few matches, his overall numbers in domestic T20s are impressive.
He had played 60 matches in all, scoring 1,337 runs and claiming 13 wickets.
First Class
In October 2015, he made headlines when he was named the top scorer for Pakistan A in a two-day match against England.
His unbeaten 92 against a daunting bowling attack that included veterans like Anderson and Broad was truly impressive.
Iftikhar Ahmed’s undefeated centuries thrashed Karachi Whites, and Peshawar won the Provincial One Day Cup at the National Stadium in Karachi in 2017. His 276-run partnership with Gauhar Ali was the season’s best for either wicket.
His undefeated 55 and 77 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final in 2017 helped his team, Water and Power Development Authority, defeat Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited.
He appeared in a total of 53 First Class and 57 List-A matches, scoring 1177 and 1156 runs respectively and taking 83 wickets.
Debut
In 2015, he made his debut for the national team against England, appearing in the second and third ODIs of the series.
He failed to capture the spotlight in both of those tournaments, scoring just 5 and 3 runs, respectively. After the movie, he was dropped from the team.
In 2016, he played his only Test match against England in the Investec Series’ 4th Test, in which he struggled to impress and lost his wicket for just four runs.
He was not out on zero in the only T20I he played in Asia Cup 2016, which was against Sri Lanka.
Future Challenges
He was named to Pakistan’s squad for the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 championship, but was later dropped due to poor form.
He has yet to deliver a scintillating show at the international level, but his good domestic results have always held him in the running for a national call-up, and his hopes of playing for Pakistan are still alive.