Former Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi has urged his compatriot hard-hitting batsman Iftikhar Ahmed to showcase his talent and play a match-winning innings against South Africa, just like Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell did against the Netherlands on Wednesday. The Australian all-rounder smashed the fastest ODI century in the World Cup, surpassing the previous record set by Aiden Markram.
Glenn Maxwell was unforgiving to the Netherlands bowlers, hitting them hard and everywhere on the field. He took just forty balls to finish his ton. Maxwell entered the game and immediately began hammering the Dutch bowlers, scoring 106 runs off only 44 deliveries with the help of nine fours, and eight sixes.
Shahid Afridi thinks Iftikhar Ahmed might capitalize on these conditions and possibly even outperform Maxwell’s incredible feat and If the Pakistan skipper wants to emulate Maxwell’s success and create a lasting legacy in cricket history, he must completely embrace his power-hitting ability in the forthcoming game against South Africa.
“What an innings by Glenn Maxwell today, it’s a showcase of top-class power hitting, well-deserved win for Australia,”
What an innings by @GlenMaxwell today, its a showcase of top class power hitting, well deserved win for Australia!
I expect Iftikhar Ahmad to play a similar role for our team, he definitely has the capability to do so and the pitches are curated for power hitting, we all need…
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) October 25, 2023
“I expect Iftikhar Ahmad to play a similar role for our team, he definitely has the capability to do so and the pitches are curated for power hitting, we all need you to fire up now,” Shahid Afridi Wrote on his X handle.
Pakistan’s middle-order batsman Iftikhar Ahmed had a stunning cameo against Afghanistan during the team’s 2023 World Cup match. Iftikhar took the field at number seven and stunned everyone by scoring 40 runs in just 27 balls in the game. His knock included four fours and four sixes.
Captaining Pakistan Is A Matter Of Honour But It Is Not A Bed Of Roses – Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi feels that the captain should put pressure on the opponents in the field, citing the example of the five-time winners Australia, who used to create pressure whenever they picked wickets in the middle, he encouraged Babar Azam to be more proactive in his fielding adjustments.
“It is the captain’s job to apply pressure, a pacer is bowling and there is no slip? Four are required on 12 balls and you’ve taken a backward point? Apply pressure. What do the Australians do? They take one to two wickets and then put all of their players in the circle to apply pressure like they did against Pakistan,” Afridi added.
“Captaining your national side is a matter of honour but it is not a bed of roses. When you do good, everyone praises you and when you don’t, everyone blames you as well as the head coach,” Shahid Afridi added.
Pakistan boasts a team of players who are immensely talented on paper. However, it’s fair to say that they have not been performing up to their potential under the leadership of Babar Azam. His questionable bowling decisions during the match against Afghanistan serve as a clear example.
