Ahmed Shehzad is a captivating opener who is touted as one of the brightest gems to emerge from Pakistan cricket.
The right-handed batsman, who took to the game aged just seven, has over the years been a prolific scorer for Pakistan's Under-19s and Youth sides. Just 16, he made his domestic debut for Habib Bank Limited and the first signs of his enormous talent were evident when with a fine 167, he helped Pakistan Under-19 chase down a stiff target of 342 set by England in a Youth Test. Back home, he went to score 315 runs in a 5-0 mauling of Australia Under-19s in a Youth ODI series and a whirlwind 92 of just 49 balls for the Lahore Eagles in domestic game gave further proof of his talent. Following a successful 2008 Under-19 World Cup campaign, he made it to Pakistan's Test squad for the 2009 home series against Sri Lanka.
Ahmed coincidentally made his ODI and T20I debut against Australia in 2009 but failure to come up with substantial scores resulted in his axing after playing just four ODIs. However he was recalled to the side in late 2010 for a tour to New Zealand. He sparkled with good performances in T20Is and ODIs too. He scored his maiden T20I fifty at Christchurch and then went on to score his maiden ODI ton at Hamilton which sealed his place in the World Cup 2011 squad. Shehzad featured in five games that Pakistan played in the World Cup but couldn't cross even 15 in any of them.
He was dropped from the Pakistan squad in 2011 and made his comeback more than two years later in 2013. A fruitful period soon followed as he grew in confidence and stature and a pile of handy scores stood out to prove his matured second-coming. The South African tour proved to be a watershed moment in his career. A brilliant century in Port Elizabeth helped Pakistan become the first Asian team to win a bi-lateral ODI series in South Africa. A decent ODI series against the Proteas in the UAE and South Africa and then against Sri Lanka in the UAE paved the way for for a much awaited Test debut against Sri Lanka. He didn't disappoint as he hit a confident fifty in the second innings in Abu Dhabi and sent out a message that he can adapt quickly to any format of the game.
