What's new

[PICTURES] The enigma called Ahmed Shehzad - Why did his career not take off?

MenInG

PakPassion Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Runs
217,901
982 runs in 13 Tests
2,605 runs in 81 ODIs
1,471 runs in 59 T20Is

31 years of age today - young by many standards but nowhere in sight for a recall to the Pakistan side.

What's gone wrong with his career?
 
Last edited:
Awful strike rate in Limited Overs and poor attitude. The latter led to his exclusion in Test cricket which was not deserved from a purely cricketing perspective.
 
Too busy looking in the mirror trying to resemble Kohli. For all his talents I'm not sure why he fixated on his appearance
 
Arrogant player who thought he was better than he was. In reality, he was a limited batsman who had an abysmal strike rate in limited overs. In tests, he didn’t have the technique to survive outside of Asia. All in all, a very average batsman, not to mention an egomaniac, so I am glad that he is no longer a part of the Pakistan team.
 
I’d imagine if there was no Kohli,

Guys like Shahzad, Umar Akmal and potentially more talented Pakistani batsmen could have had prosperous, decent careers with good service at international level

Kohli’s brilliance during their era made a lot of these players look very mediocre in comparison to him even though they were decent players none the less.
 
He had a poor limited over skillset but could have made it in the test format.

I remember thinking that when he got excluded from all formats and subsequently his father figure Afridi brought him back into LOI's that it would be the death of his career. He inevitably failed and sealed his own coffin.

Perhaps it was one of those instances of poor man management from the PCB. We went through a phase of discarding players from all formats because they were poor in one.
 
Started acting & sounding like Afridi & like a star b4 cementing his spot in the team his performance went down the f drain , tbh his red ball exclusion was a bit harsh but @31 he is still very fit so needs to perform & be in contention for red ball only though
 
Had all the strokes in book and definitely one of the most complete batsmen Pakistan had since 2010s but the hunger for runs was missing.
Thought just like Afridi his good looks can compensate for average returns from the bat.
 
Always looked his best when playing attacking for some reason looked contend to do tuk tuk and emulate Misbah

Lack if courage hurt his career.
 
Because he had all the shots in the book, but you need a brain in knowing how to use those shots.

This is why players like Misbah were successful as they had limited shots and knew how to use them 100%. Ahmed Shezad had every shot in his book, but he often didnt know which shot was required in what situation.

I remember in the early days when I saw him that I knew he is an unreliable batsman. PPers here went gaga when Shezad smacked a century in the smallest ground of NZ, but he was gonna get exposed. He didnt know how to rotate strike or build innings. All he did was just try to strike the ball out of the park.

He can revive his career if he starts batting at no.6 or 7 and adopt a finishers role.

Also another issue was that he was with the Afridi group which was toxic. They concentrated on looks and not on cricket. This guy had also developed an attitude problem like Umar Akmal which i have heard
 
I’d imagine if there was no Kohli,

Guys like Shahzad, Umar Akmal and potentially more talented Pakistani batsmen could have had prosperous, decent careers with good service at international level

Kohli’s brilliance during their era made a lot of these players look very mediocre in comparison to him even though they were decent players none the less.

what are you on about?

Even before kohli came that standard has been the same, avg of 40+ batters are considered good. This guy fell to avg of 30.

And you are a poster that cares about strike rate alot, his Strike rate was at 70.
 
Because he had all the shots in the book, but you need a brain in knowing how to use those shots.

This is why players like Misbah were successful as they had limited shots and knew how to use them 100%. Ahmed Shezad had every shot in his book, but he often didnt know which shot was required in what situation.

I remember in the early days when I saw him that I knew he is an unreliable batsman. PPers here went gaga when Shezad smacked a century in the smallest ground of NZ, but he was gonna get exposed. He didnt know how to rotate strike or build innings. All he did was just try to strike the ball out of the park.

He can revive his career if he starts batting at no.6 or 7 and adopt a finishers role.

Also another issue was that he was with the Afridi group which was toxic. They concentrated on looks and not on cricket. This guy had also developed an attitude problem like Umar Akmal which i have heard

Players like Misbah could be successful but they will drag your team into mediocrity if they become the key players

Mark my words

History is repeating itself
 
Because he had all the shots in the book, but you need a brain in knowing how to use those shots.

This is why players like Misbah were successful as they had limited shots and knew how to use them 100%. Ahmed Shezad had every shot in his book, but he often didnt know which shot was required in what situation.

I remember in the early days when I saw him that I knew he is an unreliable batsman. PPers here went gaga when Shezad smacked a century in the smallest ground of NZ, but he was gonna get exposed. He didnt know how to rotate strike or build innings. All he did was just try to strike the ball out of the park.

He can revive his career if he starts batting at no.6 or 7 and adopt a finishers role.

Also another issue was that he was with the Afridi group which was toxic. They concentrated on looks and not on cricket. This guy had also developed an attitude problem like Umar Akmal which i have heard

I think with Shahzad, he has all the shots and was a good timer of the ball. However, I still remember so many times where he would sweetly timed shot…straight to the fielder. He didn’t have enough of a game sense to rotate strike either. On top of that, there were also attitude issues as well.

I agree with you in that he can make a comeback if he reimagines himself as a finisher. As a finisher you mainly need good timing which he always had. If you can work both on your base and on 360 shots, he can still contribute. But he needs to take that initiative himself.
 
A very selfish guy. Wouldn't try to go hard at the bowlers till he reached his 50. Only played for his 50s and 100s. His knock against Ban in Asia Cup 2014 is his career in a nutshell. Played a pathetic innings. Got saved by an exceptional Afridi knock and then went on to take laurels about how he had calculated his innings and stuff. His many 25 ball 11 lost us many t20is and ODIs and Afridi spoiled him by protecting him when he shouldn't have.

Another thing, he was never as good or talented as Umar Akmal as said by the Pak media.

Was a decent test player though. But was guilty of falling very early too much. He seemed like a massive upgrade because he replaced the biggest nepotistic pick in Pak history The Great Imran Farhat.
 
He was unfairly dropped after the 2015 WC despite being our second highest scorer..

He was on the verge of a recall back in 2017/18 but Imams form at the time meant he was no longer needed..
 
Best thing he ever did for Pakistan was being awful enough in the championship trophy to be replaced by Fakhar and we all know what happened after that.

He was a mediocre player who was poor at strike rotation and struggled to find gaps. So often he would middle it with his bat but directly at the fielder. Wasn’t the same after he took the blow to his head either. It’s amazing how many countless amount of chances he got.
 
Still remember his horror technique also king of dot balls, one who perfectly fits in the TTF's XI

Shehzad
Khurram
Shan
UAmin
Fawad
UAkmal+
Hammad
BilawalBhatti
Zulfiqar Babar
Tanvir Ahmed
Muhammad Irfan
 
You can only have so many lives. When you keep wasting opportunities and keep taking your place in the team for granted, when someone else comes along and makes the most of the chances given to them, you will go back in the pecking order.

He also hasn't been consistently picked in the PSL and when he has played, he hasn't performed. He hasn't set domestic cricket on fire to merit earning a recall either.

Same thing goes for Umar Akmal.

Lesson to youngsters on what happens when you squander opportunities.
 
Never kicked on for whatever reason. Such a waste but like all the other guys, he will never take a look in the mirror
 
I remember he was brilliant in 2011. Was scoring well. But, faded away.

Pakistan have better options than him now.
 
He also never took the time out to work on his deficiencies. Lack of feet movement, lack shot selection and just plain simple poor attitude.
 
He was never the same once he was hit on the head.

It shook him up and destroyed his confidence.

Don't think that is the case. You might have a point if he was repeatedly getting out to bouncers and backing away from quick stuff.
 
It has taken off but then the wings were clipped by jealous people with agendas.

It’s pretty much accepted fact that at start of their respective careers around 2010, he was performing better than Kohli and also won the eye test. Ahmad’s ceiling was several levels higher. But PCB didn’t allow him to soar. Our coaches and captains are also to blame and perhaps the fans too for not being forceful in protests.

Even now his place is in top 3-4 Pakistani openers in Pakistan cricket history so you can only imagine if he was allowed to thrice and fulfill his potential.

Ahmad lost his place to be rightfully regarded as one of the greats of the post 2000s era but arguably Pakistan lost even more.
 
got it in the head and never recovered as a red ball player, was never good enough with the white ball.
 
Corey Anderson bouncer destroyed his career. Far superior player to Rizwan.

He was never the same once he was hit on the head.

It shook him up and destroyed his confidence.

This is a myth. He actually scored a century in his first or second game after his return against NZ in an ODI.

Please don’t change narratives and make excuses or stories. Call out the pathetic agenda driven people who destroyed one of the most talented batsman in Pakistan history. His ceiling was higher than Babar’s. Of course Babar is PCB blue eyed boy whereas Ahmad was hated by PCB uncles. Wish he had a coach like Mickey Arthur in his early career like babar did.

Ahmad never lost his touch. But his confidence was beaten into smithereens intentionally by jealous folks in PCB
 
Last edited:
It has taken off but then the wings were clipped by jealous people with agendas.

It’s pretty much accepted fact that at start of their respective careers around 2010, he was performing better than Kohli and also won the eye test. Ahmad’s ceiling was several levels higher. But PCB didn’t allow him to soar. Our coaches and captains are also to blame and perhaps the fans too for not being forceful in protests.

Even now his place is in top 3-4 Pakistani openers in Pakistan cricket history so you can only imagine if he was allowed to thrice and fulfill his potential.

Ahmad lost his place to be rightfully regarded as one of the greats of the post 2000s era but arguably Pakistan lost even more.

How did the PCB force Ahmed to hit balls directly to fielders for the entirety of his career?
 
Don't think that is the case. You might have a point if he was repeatedly getting out to bouncers and backing away from quick stuff.
It made him hesitant to come onto the front foot thereby opening up opportunities for the bowlers to get him early. That was also why he couldn’t score at the 2015 World Cup. Unfortunate but that hit to the head really did him in.
 
It all went downhill when he decided to ditch his naturally attacking game and went in a shell.

Struggled at rotating the strike.

Great fielder though.
 
Him being replaced by Fakhar zaman after the India game in CT 17 was one of the best decisions we have made from a selection point of view in a long time .
 
It has taken off but then the wings were clipped by jealous people with agendas.

It’s pretty much accepted fact that at start of their respective careers around 2010, he was performing better than Kohli and also won the eye test. Ahmad’s ceiling was several levels higher. But PCB didn’t allow him to soar. Our coaches and captains are also to blame and perhaps the fans too for not being forceful in protests.

Even now his place is in top 3-4 Pakistani openers in Pakistan cricket history so you can only imagine if he was allowed to thrice and fulfill his potential.

Ahmad lost his place to be rightfully regarded as one of the greats of the post 2000s era but arguably Pakistan lost even more.

Completely disagree in one day cricket we replaced him with Fakhar, who is 10 times the player he is , so in fact Pakistan gained . A complete win -win!
 
Very limited player. He was made to look even better than he was at the time because from 2012-2016 we struggled to find good openers.

As much as people hate on Sharjeel these days, from 2013-2016 he was the best Pakistani opener in LOIs until Fakhar’s emergence so much so that he got a chance in tests for his attacking stroke play as well. Sharjeel improved on his weaknesses and by 2016 was playing on the offside as well. But Sharjeel had a higher ceiling than Fakhar. Both were superior to Shehzad though.

Shehzad made zero improvements. Even Azhar Ali and Imam give him a run for his money in terms of competition for ODI openers. Not hating on Azhar or Imam, I only brought them up because of all the flak they get on here. M

Azhar was instrumental in the CT 17 final and Imam continues to work on his game in ODIs.
 
It has taken off but then the wings were clipped by jealous people with agendas.

It’s pretty much accepted fact that at start of their respective careers around 2010, he was performing better than Kohli and also won the eye test. Ahmad’s ceiling was several levels higher. But PCB didn’t allow him to soar. Our coaches and captains are also to blame and perhaps the fans too for not being forceful in protests.

Even now his place is in top 3-4 Pakistani openers in Pakistan cricket history so you can only imagine if he was allowed to thrice and fulfill his potential.

Ahmad lost his place to be rightfully regarded as one of the greats of the post 2000s era but arguably Pakistan lost even more.

This is just pure propaganda at this point. He definitely does not have a higher ceiling than Kohli. He has an incredible dot ball percentage that is at the complete opposite end of Kohli’s in limited overs.

He got more chances than he should’ve gotten if anything thanks to Afridi vouching for him time and again as captain, Afridi himself says that he would be the one vouching for Shehzad more than anyone else
 
Real Age, Form and battle with recreational drugs I think have taken its toll in this players case.

He didn’t manage stardom very well and since the 2017 has completely disappeared more or less.

Could have been someone who played over 300 LO games for Pakistan and at one point was also a future captain.
 
It made him hesitant to come onto the front foot thereby opening up opportunities for the bowlers to get him early. That was also why he couldn’t score at the 2015 World Cup. Unfortunate but that hit to the head really did him in.

This again isn’t true. Don’t cling to easy excuses and rather call out the pthetic selectors and team management. Ahmad made century upon his return from that injury.

Also don’t make up Lies. He was our second best batsman in 2015 world Cup
 
It has taken off but then the wings were clipped by jealous people with agendas.

It’s pretty much accepted fact that at start of their respective careers around 2010, he was performing better than Kohli and also won the eye test. Ahmad’s ceiling was several levels higher. But PCB didn’t allow him to soar. Our coaches and captains are also to blame and perhaps the fans too for not being forceful in protests.

Even now his place is in top 3-4 Pakistani openers in Pakistan cricket history so you can only imagine if he was allowed to thrice and fulfill his potential.

Ahmad lost his place to be rightfully regarded as one of the greats of the post 2000s era but arguably Pakistan lost even more.

Bro, please. Let’s not get carried away with fantasies here. Top 3-4 Pakistani openers based on what? His stats are abysmal. Talent? Maybe, but there have been many others who were just as talented if not more. Shehzad and his fans blame everyone but the player himself which tells you all you need to know. For a while he was a lock in the team due to Afridi and couldn’t capitalize on all the free opportunities.
 
This again isn’t true. Don’t cling to easy excuses and rather call out the pthetic selectors and team management. Ahmad made century upon his return from that injury.

Also don’t make up Lies. He was our second best batsman in 2015 world Cup

You are free to believe whatever you wish but please don’t assume you can force your opinions onto others.

From what I saw his batting was more restricted post concussion. Perhaps you are right and that had nothing to do with it and he was just always a player of limited ability.

Re World Cup, Shehzad had scores of 5 off 13 in the QF against Australia (a failure), 18 off 30 against South Africa (a failure), 1 off 10 against WI (a failure) and 47 off 73 against India (got 47 yes but at an unacceptably low strike rate -considering we were chasing 300).

And this is a great illustration of what I remember of Shehzad post concussion: feet planted, playing away from the body and ultimately nicking out.

Ahmed Shehzad
5 13 0 0 38.46
c Clarke b Hazlewood
5.1 Pakistan openers are back in the sheds already. Plays a loose shot to a wide length ball. Away from the body with no foot movement. The only thing that moves is the ball. Slightly away from him. Takes a thick edge to the second slip where Clarke takes it easily 24/2



So yes I’d say he was a failure at the World Cup. You may be impressed by his runs against the UAE but sorry that’s not my yardstick of success.
 
He was very talented but failed to learn. Failed to work on how to imporve his game when opponents got to know about his weaknesses. He was more concerned about his looks and towards building his good looking hero type image. He also felt that he is above rest of the youngsters/peers.
 
There are all kinds of characters in a team and they all need to be dealt with differently to bring the best out of them.

From the outside, it seems Ahmed Shehzad needed strict coaching and discipline - iron glove. He needed someone to keep his feet on the ground and continue working on his game to stay a step ahead of the bowlers who can figure batsmen out over time.

Ultimately it is the player's responsibility but being poorly coached and choosing poor company (Afridi, Akmal who lacked both dedication and discipline) didn't help.
 
How many times do we need to say it? Talent without hardwork is nothing

Shezad is another who thought of himself as a complete player rather than working even hard and getting better

His strike rotation was poor and he always seemed to hit the ball to the fielder
He was the king of dot balls A strike rate in the 70s shows this

Like umar akmal he just didnt get better or improve his game than when he started as a teenager
 
No offence ... but Shehzad was not at all talented in the first place. I remember Saj speaking of Shehzad's larger than life ego even before he made his debut.
 
Remember Abdur Razzaq saying that Ahmed Shehzad had more talent than Tendulkar ever had? :))) :)))
 
39th List A half-century for Ahmed Shehzad aganist Northern at NBP Sports Complex, Karachi

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/gg3d00" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
Hits his 6th fifty of the tournament and 61 in the final!

<iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/tno67g" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Well Razzaq wasn’t wrong! When Shezad first came to international cricket he did look beter then Tendulkar! I think Shezad can be bought back to fulfil his potential, he’s batting well at the moment!! Deserves a recall!!
 
Making snail paced 50’s in Pakistan Cup may earn him a call under Afridi.
 
Ahmed Shehzad like Imran Nazir had no technique. Thank God he's gone.
 
Poor mentality, Attitude issues and the inability to exceed as a professional athlete, Those are probably the main reasons why it didn’t work out for Ahmed Shehzad in his Pakistan career. For years I thought Ahmed Shehzad would improve his strike rotation, Ability to play the correct shots according to the ball the better bowlers would bowl because he had it all in his armoury. Been a big fan of his way before he even debuted for Pakistan.

Unfairly dropped from the test side but given the stature and belief he had been given from everyone and everywhere as an all format player it’s quite sad how it turned out.

Never say never in Pakistan cricket, Personally think there’s better options to pick within the country and wouldn’t want him back in the limited overs sides but if he does make a comeback. For as long as he’s out there on the pitch playing for Pakistan, He’ll have mine and the millions of fans of our cricket team around the globes support.
 
He had everything , technique , fitness , age but mentally was not strong enough for international cricket. I expected great career from him , not to be .
 
Poor mentality, Attitude issues and the inability to exceed as a professional athlete, Those are probably the main reasons why it didn’t work out for Ahmed Shehzad in his Pakistan career. For years I thought Ahmed Shehzad would improve his strike rotation, Ability to play the correct shots according to the ball the better bowlers would bowl because he had it all in his armoury. Been a big fan of his way before he even debuted for Pakistan.

Unfairly dropped from the test side but given the stature and belief he had been given from everyone and everywhere as an all format player it’s quite sad how it turned out.

Never say never in Pakistan cricket, Personally think there’s better options to pick within the country and wouldn’t want him back in the limited overs sides but if he does make a comeback. For as long as he’s out there on the pitch playing for Pakistan, He’ll have mine and the millions of fans of our cricket team around the globes support.

He had this uncanny ability to hit a perfectly timed drive straight to the fielder. I believe that fame got to him and he never had that single mindedness to make the most of his talent. Picking him would mean depriving a Saim Ayub, a Mohammed Haris, a Basit Ali of a future Pakistan spot. I feel the ship has sailed, and picking him again would be without merit and wholely unimaginative.
 
61 off 87 is poor

Story of his career

This isnt the 90s where a strike rate in the 70s is acceptable To score so slowly you are helping your team lose the game not win it

To score a 61 youve got to score at a minimum 100 strike rate these days
 
Story of his career

This isnt the 90s where a strike rate in the 70s is acceptable To score so slowly you are helping your team lose the game not win it

To score a 61 youve got to score at a minimum 100 strike rate these days

That’s not always the case, sometimes the conditions do not allow such strike rates and you gota take your time!

That’s a good score from Shezad to be fair!
 
That’s not always the case, sometimes the conditions do not allow such strike rates and you gota take your time!

That’s a good score from Shezad to be fair!

Its his natural game to bat at 70 SR. The biggest joke when people call him talented and attacking.
 
Playing the wrong formats!

He should have been playing Tests only.

Also, he was never the same batsman after that head injury.
 
He was overrated and given all the confidence
when what he needed was more coaching and improvement and underrated and dispatched when actually with some support he could have been a long term contributor.
 
982 runs in 13 Tests
2,605 runs in 81 ODIs
1,471 runs in 59 T20Is

31 years of age today - young by many standards but nowhere in sight for a recall to the Pakistan side.

What's gone wrong with his career?

He was wasted in Limited overs cricket where his strike rate was low, he averaged over 40 in test matches and test cricket was the format he was suited for however he was shut out of the test matches. A son of PCB board governor was given a run in his place. Although he averaged under 30 and still does.

Ahmed Shahzad also had some discipline issues but he deserved more chances in test cricket.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ahmed Shehzad 111*. The first Pakistani to score hundred in T20. It was a legendary innings.
 
First game in BPL

Is injured and has gone off the field after being hit on the forearm

WGqANxO.png
 
First game in BPL

Is injured and has gone off the field after being hit on the forearm

WGqANxO.png

Doesn't look good for Shehzad

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 75.000%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/f2c91t" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
Had perfect looking shots but kept finding the fielder. He couldn't rotate strike or find the gaps. Had this fake aggressive persona coz he hung around with Afridi as his water boy.

Had a horrible attitude also. He could've ironically done better in Tests where the field is up and there's a lot more gaps to find. Similar to Sarfaraz. But his Intl career should be done now. Idk how he's still getting Franchise T20 contracts
 
Doesn't look good for Shehzad

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 75.000%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/f2c91t" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

As per reports:

He had an X-ray which shows that he hasn't suffered any fracture. He has a bit of swelling on his elbow and is likely to be available for the upcoming games of BPL 2023
 
Its his natural game to bat at 70 SR. The biggest joke when people call him talented and attacking.

How do you expect him to improve those numbers if he’s not in the side! I’m sure given more chances he will increase his strike rates and averages!

Should be bought back immediately!
 
How do you expect him to improve those numbers if he’s not in the side! I’m sure given more chances he will increase his strike rates and averages!

Should be bought back immediately!

Brought back on the basis of what?
He is a below average player and his numbers prove that.

0 talent.
 
Shahid Afridi said that he’s Ahmed Shehzad is in the consideration set for limited overs

Not surprised
 
Shahid Afridi said that he’s Ahmed Shehzad is in the consideration set for limited overs

Not surprised

Excellent news. Afridi has been nothing but fresh air since taking over!

I know alot of people think hes not the smartest tool in the box but he is a shrewd character and knows what he is doing.

Recalling Ahmed Shezad is the right decision, on top of that hes been in excellent form of late. He can give us the blistering start at the top, which we have been missing of late.

Well done Lala and Sethi, very smart!!
 
Hopefully he plays like he was before the head injury. Would have liked Sharjeel included though
 
Shehzad is a inconsistent version of Imam.

Pakistan cricket is not missing out on much.
 
Back
Top