Frustrated Ahmed Shehzad raves about lack of opportunities in heated conversation with Shahid Afridi
Ahmed Shehzad stated he was denied opportunities to perform keeping him from progressing in his career
|Getty
A frustrated Ahmed Shehzad highlighted the lack of opportunities available to him during a conversation with Shahid Afridi on national television. Afridi discussed his unwavering support for Shehzad during his stint as Pakistan captain, while Shehzad revealed he had no avenues to progress anymore.
Ahmed Shehzad continued to be vocal about his alleged unfair treatment by the cricketing authorities of Pakistan, with the latest incident taking place on national television. The former Pakistan opener last played for the national team in a T20I in 2019, with his latest ODI coming as long back as 2017. He has since been shunned from the top level of cricket in the country and is more or less a forgotten prospect when it comes to the question of selection.
Shehzad had stated it was not his performances but the Pakistan Cricket Board's bias against him that ended his international career. Former wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal further backed those claims by revealing Ahmed had been denied entry into a high-performance camp set up for players in Pakistan. However, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja was quick to shun these comments labelling them as the batsman's frustration.
In the latest incident, Shehzad appeared in a panel discussion on Samaa TV along with legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi. Most of Shehzad's national team appearances came under the leadership of Afridi, who admitted he had a lot of faith in the 30-year-old
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Find Out“Ahmed was targeted because of me because I supported him a lot. I gave him a lot of chances, which turned out to be a negative thing for him when I left captaincy. I think people thought he was my favourite,” Afridi was reported saying by Hindustan Times.
“I supported him a lot because I wasn't finding an opener of his ability in Pakistan. He was performing as well. Obviously, he couldn't perform in all games but he was targeted because of me as well.”
Even so, Shehzad appeared offended by Afridi's comments and quickly lashed out refuting the claims.
“Shahid bhai, listen. I don't know why you said that. You've been a elder brother to me, you can say anything to me. Sometimes, it does hurt me, but you have always been a elder brother to me,” said the Pakistan player.
The conversation soon became heated when Afridi wished the cricketer well for his future, only for Shehzad to burst out in frustration citing the lack of opportunities available to him.
“I want you to score runs, enjoy your life with your wife and kids. Allah has made life beautiful for you,” Afridi said, and Shehzad replied, “I keep saying that. I want to score runs, but at least don't deny me the platforms where I can score. I will ask you, when sides in PSL want to pick me, who comes in and says no? You tell me, where do I score runs? At my home?”
The clip of the incident has received a lot of attention on social media given the stature of the two players and the public nature of their strongly-worder exchange.Â
Shahid Afridi: I Just want from you to scored a lots of runs whenever you get chance.
— Dua (@Duamalik112) July 28, 2022
Ahmad Shehzad: Yes, I also wanted to score runs but when they don't provide a platform for score,then I score runs at home.@SAfridiOfficial @iamAhmadshahzad #SLvsPAK#justicefor_AhmedShahzad pic.twitter.com/T1Vrrx7LtL
