Iftikhar Ahmed has made a strange assessment of his own role in the Pakistan side, calling himself a tailender instead of a proper batter.
In the latest episode of inexplicable Pakistan cricket happenings, Iftikhar Ahmed, the 34-year-old batting all-rounder, has said that he considers himself a tailender and not a middle order batter.
The Champions One-Day Cup, a product of Pakistan Cricket Board’s latest restructuring of domestic cricket, is set to start in Faisalabad from September 12. Five teams are participating in the tournament, which has already been in the news for the wrong reasons, particularly for the massive salaries the five star mentors of the teams are drawing.
Iftikhar Ahmed is part of the Wolves side, which will be led by Mohammad Rizwan. The Wolves squad also boasts the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, and Salman Ali Agha.
Iftikhar: I am not a middle order batter
Speaking to reporters in Faisalabadm, Iftikhar explained how his role batting low down the order for Pakistan meant that he was a tailender and not a middle order batter.
“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.
Mein Tailender hun 😂#PakistanCricket #ChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/jGVjMIB6i9
— صالح (@salehhh1997) September 8, 2024
As baffling as his statement was, the straight face with which Iftikhar said the words makes it unclear whether it was a genuine assessment on his part or a veiled dig at the Pakistan management for not giving him a higher batting position in the XI.
How often has Iftikhar batted at No.7 and below for Pakistan?
Iftikhar’s last outing for Pakistan came at the 2024 T20 World Cup against India, where he batted at No.7. Overall for Pakistan, Iftikhar has batted 55 times in T20Is. 25 of those knocks have come at No. 5, 11 at No.7, 10 at No.6, eight at No.4, and one at No.8.
In ODIs, 16 out of his 24 knocks have come at No.6, five at No.7, two at No.5, and one at No.4. In Tests, where he has batted only six times, five of his knocks have come at No.6 and one at No.7.
This spread makes his statement all the more strange since he has batted at No.7 or below only 16 times out of 79 in white-ball cricket for Pakistan.
Whether it was a serious suggestion or a sarastic one, Iftikhar would hope to put up a good showing in the Champions Cup and make his way back to the Pakistan XI. Age might not be on his side, but with the plethora of changes happening in Pakistan cricket, he would like to believe he has a good chance to make a comeback.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
