Ahmed Shehzad has hit out against his omission from Pakistan’s squads for the Asia Cup and the upcoming World T20.
The 24-year-old, capped thirty-five times in Twenty20 Internationals, said in a television interview: “If performance was the only criteria then I should have been selected.”
Shehzad, the only Pakistan batsman to have scored a century in all three formats of the international game, recently scored 290 runs in ten innings for Quetta Gladiators as they reached the final of the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL).
“I don’t know or understand the reason behind dropping an established player after a bad performance in one or two series,” said the controversial opener; but form suggests that his poor run in a Pakistan shirt has stretched back beyond just one or two series.
He has made only 178 runs in his past thirteen international innings in all formats, at an average of 13.7, and only mustered 33 runs in Pakistan’s recent three-match T20 series against New Zealand.
“Anyhow, my job as a player is to perform on the field and also to enjoy my cricket which is under my control. Form can be some times good or bad but ability is always consistent and I am not disappointed; I am very much satisfied with my performances.”
“I am still young and have hit 10 international centuries, which is a great achievement, and I will be back very very soon.”
Former Pakistan batsman Shoaib Mohammad was quick to criticise Shehzad’s omission, saying, “first the selectors shook Ahmed’s confidence by dropping him from the ODI team against England last year and now they are completely destroying him. This move from the selectors will disturb the team’s opening combination which can result in loss in the mega event.”
Shehzad’s Quetta team-mate Kevin Pietersen was also baffled by his omission. During the PSL Final, Pietersen told commentators, “I don’t know why he has been left out of Pakistan’s squad…it’s a ridiculous decision. He has been playing so well in the PSL.”
However, the English-speaking Pakistani newspaper Dawn recently suggested in a poll that 82.4% of readers thought Shehzad should not have been selected for the squad after a barren run of form, and his notorious off-pitch behaviour.
The 24-year-old has developed a reputation for brashness and arrogance: he was dropped after the 2015 World Cup, with coach Waqar Younis citing disciplinary issues, was issued with an official reprimand by the Pakistan Cricket Board after an altercation with Tillakaratne Dilshan, and was fined during the PSL after an incident with seamer Wahab Riaz.
Pakistan’s likely opening combination will involve Mohammad Hafeez and either the Islamabad United batsman Sharjeel Khan, who also impressed in the PSL, or the uncapped Khurram Manzoor. Their first test will be in the side’s Asia Cup opening fixture against India on Saturday.
