Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad has opened up on his exodus from the national team, accusing former head coach Waqar Younis for his career decline. The right-handed batter has expressed his frustration at not being able to present his case properly.
Notably, Shehzad reached quite a few heights in his career before injuries and a poor run of form sidelined him from the squad. The opening batter, who last played for the national side in 2019, blamed Younis for his departure from the Test and ODI team in 2016, claiming it was a pre-planned approach to throw him out of the side.
Shehzad spoke about the report that Waqar presented in 2016, which remarked that Umar Akmal and Shehzad must play in the domestic circuit to reclaim their spot on the side. Shehzad reckoned that these discussions should be done face-to-face but was not allowed to present his case.
“I have not seen the report myself, but a PCB official told me that these remarks have been said regarding me. But I believe these things should be discussed face-to-face, and I am ready to take on that challenge. Then we will see who is right and who is wrong. Their words hurt my career, especially since I was not allowed to present my case. This was a pre-planned approach, and they wanted to kill two birds with one stone,” said Shehzad in an interview to Cricket Pakistan.
Shehzad further cited the example of Virat Kohli, stating his career was picked off because of senior players like MS Dhoni, but in Pakistan, senior players can not digest the success of junior cricketers.
“I have said this before, and I will say it again, Kohli’s career picked off amazingly because he found MS Dhoni but unfortunately, here in Pakistan, your people cannot stand your success. Our senior players and ex-cricketers cannot digest seeing someone succeed in the cricketing world, which is unfortunate for Pakistan cricket,” Shehzad added.
