আহমেদ শেহজাদ

Talent doesn't guarantee success but hard work coupled with smart work garnished with a pinch of luck does it for you, well mostly. Ahmed Shehzad is one of those talented batsman that Pakistan have tried to nurture over a decade now. He made his debut as a 17-year old against the mighty Aussies in an ODI series and despite the struggle was retained for the away series against New Zealand. The harbinger to the world was his blistering ton at the Seddon Park. But a disastrous World Cup of 2011 and Ahmed Shehzad was sent into exile for good 2 years. For someone whose first 3 ODI tons were centuries in New Zealand, West Indies and South Africa, inconsistency came in regular bouts.

Having made his first-class debut at the age of 16 in 2007 for Lahore, Ahmed rose the ladder to international cricket quicker than his peers to picked for the ODI team. In between that he was part of the under-19 World Cup team in 2008. In 2009, Ahmed Shahzad and his team mates became World Champions in the T20 format under the leadership of Younis Khan. Though he played only one game, Ahmed's hunger to succeed received a major shot in the arm. In the 2014 T20 World Cup, he became the first cricketer from Pakistan to score hundreds in every format of the game.

The Taste of Tests came almost 4 years after his ODI debut but immediately impressed with a fine ton in only his third Test against Sri Lanka in his debut series. Hundreds at the adopted home in the UAE against Australia and New Zealand only gave him new wings for a higher flight in his career. But a poor series against Sri Lanka in the Lankan conditions forced the selectors to have him out of contention in the Test team. Concurrently, he lost his place in the ODI team as well post the 2015 World Cup.

Issues of fitness and discipline were making headlines for Ahmed and runs had taken a backseat. But strong performances at the domestic level and in the 2016 and 2017 PSL, kept reminding the selectors about the pedigree that he still possessed. He got his position back in the team for the tour to Windies in 2017 and is also geared up to play the Champions Trophy in England. Often referred to as Pakistan's Virat Kohli, Ahmed would want his bat to do all the talking in the second half of the marathon that has just flagged off.

Pakistan's tale with talented batsmen groomed into a consistent batsmen at the top level has too many cases of failures. The sustainability for the raw talents for a longer period of time at the big level has been a plaguing issue. A heir to Saeed Anwar's throne might as well have an answer in the form of the 'Shehzada' of Pakistan cricket.

by Kumar Abhisekh Das