Cricbeat

" He is setting the field for Franklin". Those were the words that Craig MacMillan used to describe the excellence of Ahmad Shehzad at Hamilton once. A very gritty and exciting hundred recently might have prompted this article but it was always on the cards. What do you look for in a modern day batsman ? Style, Sense, Innovation and destructive hitting. All these adjectives fit in perfectly for Ahmad Shehzad as evident from his brief career so far.              

 Firstly in the Super 6 tournament in Hong Kong Ahmad Shahzad showed that He has the attitude as well as the aptitude. Attitude was evident when he tussled with Dave Warner after a disputed decision and then single handidly took Pakistan to a winning score (Until Nazir's dreaded over). 

92 was a an individual score unheard of in the 5 overs a side tournament. Another required credential  in the armory of a Champion Player is the Brains which he showed while keeping wickets when he refused to run the batsman out and instead handed the ball to the umpire and the ball became dead.

But it was not enough to end Selector's love for other openers so he was prepared to put in the hard yards in the Quaid e Azam Trophy where he scored over 250 in an innings showing that he has the composure and temperament to play the longer version too. His exploits set up Lahore Lions maiden T20 Cup victory and at last the nod from selectors came and Shehzad with his excellent planning and execution troubled New Zealand with useful contributions throughout the series . If his performances against New Zealand are anything to go by then its definitely the making of a maestro, just have to nurture the talent towards extreme heights.