Before I say anything, I have stanned Ihsanullah, Akif, & Ali Raza for as long as I remember (impressed at first sight) so whatever I'm going to write next hurts me.
His listed age in PJL was 14 when he made his debut. It was obvious that he was supremely talented & had immense potential. So many years on, he's still the same & that's why I feel he's not going to make it. He's going to play a bit of meaningless cricket here & there and then have injury concerns that will stunt his career & growth & eventually he'll just be like others who have been unable to sustain excellence.
My reasoning is that his frame is thin & such wiry frames are susceptible to stress fractures & injuries so they must go through a proper strength & conditioning process but the system has failed him so far. This was the same case with Muhammad Zahid, Waqar Younus, & even Umar Gul.
Will also add that I fail to understand that how can a player not improve their physique despite being part of our so called "elite setup". You just look at any average gym bro/gurl & they create their bodies as a work of art. It beggars belief that pro athletes who solely rely on their bodies to earn a living are unable to create bodies that will be able to help them in the long-term. When will they realize that it's their job? No one is stopping you from hiring a proper nutritionist, trainer, or any other necessary support staff that can help you with your journey. You are in the system for almost 3-4 years, play domestic cricket, play u19 cricket, play PSL, money shouldn't be any problem at this point.
You know what, this is the prime difference between our neighbors and us now. Indian players are good but with time majority of them improve every aspect of their game & those who don't, they just sink to the bottom. Kohli came in as a chubby brat, now he's the face of the vegan movement & even his running between the wickets is a thing of beauty. On the other hand there is Babar who was touted to be great from day one & he still has the skinny fat body that looks as if it has never spent a single minute in the gym.
The system is corrupt, PCB is moronic regardless who the chief is, but at some point the question must be asked from the players as what are they doing. Did they ever care enough to be the best that they could be? & No, I don't want to hear that he's only 17, he has 4 years of experience in our system & he's still the same. Mediocrity is an attitude & we have perfected this art.
