File image of Iftikhar Ahmed.© AFP
Pakistan’s white ball specialist Iftikhar Ahmed at times has “felt like a tailender” when the team management has asked him to bat as low as number 7 and 8 in limited over games for the national team in the recent past. In an interaction with the media in Faisalabad where players have assembled for the Champions Cup tournament, Iftikhar said he didn’t consider himself 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 would see they bat at Nos 4 or 5. But I play at No.7 and 8 and I think of myself as a tailender,” he said.
Iftikhar, 34, who has played 4 Tests, 28 ODIs and 66 T20Is did face a disappointing run in recent internationals and also struggled in the World T20 Cup this year.
Critics have questioned his utility to the team with many younger options now emerging from the junior level.
Across his T20I career, Iftikhar in his 55 innings has batted 25 times at No. 5, 11 times at No.7 and 10 times at No.6.
In ODIs, Iftikhar out of 24 knocks, has batted 16 times at number 6.
Iftikhar also said that he was keen to leave a mark in the Champions Cup as he believed he still had a lot to offer to the national team.
He said the Pakistan team had some quality players and was confident the team would soon bounce back in the white ball format matches coming up this year and before the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
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