Pakistan’s former cricketer Shehzad praises Farhan’s PSL X heroics
- 17 Apr 2025
Gulf Today Report
Ahmed Shehzad delivered a scathing critique of Pakistan’s cricket selection policies in his latest podcast, praising the red-hot form of Islamabad United’s Sahibzada Farhan.
Speaking in his latest podcast, former Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad hailed Farhan as an "unstoppable" force in domestic cricket, the Express Tribune reported on Thursday.
He credited Farhan’s recent run of form—including four centuries in a month and a blistering 50 off 30 balls for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) —as a powerful rebuttal to those who once dismissed him as lacking international calibre.
“Farhan has shut down every critic who ever said he wasn’t a serious product,” Shehzad stated. “It hurts to hear people label a player as unworthy when they’ve never held a bat themselves. Now those same people are praising him.”
Shehzad accused former senior players within the national team of gatekeeping opportunities for younger top-order batters like Farhan, claiming many players were systematically denied chances due to internal alliances and social media influence.
“Farhan isn’t the only one. There were others in the last four or five years who could’ve served Pakistan. But those controlling the narrative didn’t let that happen,” he added.
According to Shehzad, Farhan was given sporadic opportunities — often out of position — and used as a scapegoat in difficult tours like the one to Australia.
Despite setbacks, Farhan stayed silent, kept training, and continued performing in domestic cricket.
Shehzad praised his mental strength and commitment, noting Farhan's personal fitness efforts and his work mentoring young players through his cricket academy.
He further highlighted Farhan’s performance against New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell, calling a particular inside-out shot over mid-off the "moment of the day" and symbolic of Farhan’s growth and class.
On the other side, Shehzad said Multan Sultans and their captain Mohammad Rizwan are going through “tough times,” following consecutive losses. He hoped they would learn from their setbacks and bounce back.
His final words echoed the theme of opportunity and fairness: “All Farhan ever needed was a chance. He proved the rest on his own.”
Meanwhile, Farhan joined an elite group of T20 batters with four centuries in a calendar year after scoring a hundred against Peshawar Zalmi in PSL X at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
FARHAN LEVELS GAYLE, KOHLI'S T20 RECORDS
Farhan's 49-ball century marked his first in the PSL and placed him alongside T20 greats Chris Gayle (2011), Virat Kohli (2016), Jos Buttler (2022) and Shubman Gill (2023) as the only players to register four T20 hundreds in a single year.
He is the first Pakistani batter to achieve this milestone in just nine innings.
His innings helped Islamabad United post a commanding 243/5 after being asked to bat first.