Difficult to believe, but out-of-favour Pakistani batsman Ahmed Shehzad blames his good looks and eloquence as reasons for being envied upon by senior players which subsequently resulted in him falling out of the national side. Opening batsman with plenty of aggression, Shehzad featured in all three formats for Pakistan with extreme importance, member of Champions Trophy-winning squad under Sarfraz Ahmed back in 2017.
In a recent podcast with Ahmed Ali, Shehzad opened up and said that his appearance, not his game or fitness, created a hurdle in gelling with the team. “Being good-looking has caused me a lot of problems. In our field, if you look good, know how to dress, and speak well, some people start to resent you,” he said.
The cricketer said that his rise to stardom, which actually had originated from his humble beginnings of Anarkali, Lahore, led to difficulties with fellow players. “When I gained fame, I paid more attention to myself and personality development. And it is here that many huge problems within the Pakistan cricket come up,” he said.
Shehzad has since retired to a career on YouTube and recently alleged owners of the PSL deliberately kept him out of teams despite his noticeable performances during the domestic competitions. “I have always performed well in domestic cricket and the National T20 Cup, yet there seems to be a concerted effort to keep me out,” he said on social media.
Having last represented Pakistan in 2019, Shehzad has represented the country in 13 Tests, 81 ODIs, and 59 T20Is, scoring 982, 2605, and 1471 runs, respectively. While debates on his claims go on, one cannot ignore the element of team spirit in cricket.
