New Delhi: Out of favour Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad has claimed good looks and being approachable often landed him trouble and caused problems for him in the Pakistan dressing room. Shehzad, who was part of Pakistan’s 2009 T20 World Cup and the 2017 Champions Trophy winning squads, has not played for the Men in Green since October 2019.
Despite turning up regularly in domestic cricket, Shehzad has been denied an opportunity to make his comeback for Pakistan in the last six years. While he looks unlikely to return to the Pakistan national team anytime soon, Shehzad has refused to call time on his international career. In the last few months, he has been quite vocal about his non-selection in the team and the issues pertaining to Pakistan cricket.
During a recent appearance on a podcast, Shehzad opened up on how good looks created problems for him in the Pakistan cricket team. The veteran batter said several ex-players in the Pakistan dressing room had problems with his rising popularity and fan base when he was a regular for the national team. He said other players too faced similar issues and were victims of the shocking culture in the dressing room.
“Being good-looking has caused me a lot of problems. In our field, if you look good, you are a little presentable, know how to dress, and speak well, some people, especially ex-players become jealous of you. They start to resent you,” Shehzad said on the Excuse Me podcast on YouTube.
“I’ve been a target within the Pakistani team for this. I’m not defending myself here, but there are others too who have also faced this. If your fan following grows and people appreciate you, it’s hard for some senior players to accept. They don’t like it,” he added.
Ahmad shezad says seniors players jealous of his Good looks 😭#PakistanCricket #Cricket #AhmadShahzad pic.twitter.com/eiOLnjS7n3
— Urooj Jawed🇵🇰 (@uroojjawed12) January 24, 2025
Shehzad, who hails from Anarkali in Lahore, Pakistan, said he worked on grooming himself and developing his personality after gaining stardom in his cricketing career. However, the veteran batter feels it didn’t always work in his favour and caused him significant problems while playing for his country.
“We come from small areas. I lived in Anarkali, Lahore, and when I gained recognition, I worked on grooming myself and improving my personality. But this has also caused significant problems within Pakistan,” Shehzad added.
A career of unfulfilled potential
Shehzad, who made his international debut for Pakistan in April 2009, enjoyed a breakout campaign in the same year and quickly established his credentials as one of the most promising young batters in his country. He was regarded as the future star of Pakistan cricket by many, thanks to his talent and skillset. Shehzad did get chances consistently for a few years but could never make it big.
He was the first Pakistan batter to score a century in T20Is, achieving the feat against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup in 2014. Shehzad’s inconsistencies cost him his place in the Pakistan team as he soon hit a downfall with his career becoming a perfect example of unfulfilled potential. The batter has played 13 Tests, 81 ODIs and 59 T20Is for Pakistan, amassing 982, 2605 and 1471 runs in the three formats respectively.
Discarded Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad has made a shocking claim stating that his good looks caused him a lot of problems in the dressing room during his time with the Pakistan national team. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
