'That was 4 years ago man' - Wasim Akram warns Iftikhar Ahmed to not to get carried away

Pakistan's preparations for the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup are going well as expected. The loss in the final of the 2022 Asia Cup and the T20I series defeat against England at home have exploited a few issues in the current squad, which need to be addressed before the start of the World Cup in Australia.

The biggest issue they are facing is the lack of consistency from the middle-order batters. Openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been carrying Pakistan's batting unit for a long time now but the likes of Shan Masood, Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, and Mohammad Nawaz need to be consistent in T20Is. Iftikhar Ahmed has also struggled for the big knocks lately with only 99 runs at a poor strike rate of 132.00 in the seven-match series against England.

But the 32-year-old big-hitter is feeling the confidence for the mega tournament and recently claimed that he will not face any problem hitting big sixes on Australian pitches. Iftikhar also stated that his experience of playing there will benefit him in the World Cup. Iftikhar has played three T20I matches in Australia where he has scored 108 runs at an impressive strike rate of 150.

"The conditions in Australia and New Zealand will be different; we can play well in Australian conditions, I have experience playing there, which will benefit me. Hitting sixes in big Australian grounds is not a problem," Iftikhar said.

This is a different ball game, a World Cup: Wasim Akram

But reacting to the player's statement, Wasim Akram has said that whatever Iftikhar has done on the Australian pitches, that was 3-4 years ago. He also pointed out that his big performances came in a bilateral series and against a single opponent, which will not be the case in the T20 World Cup.

"I read Iftikhar's statement where he said that 'Pitches in Australia have bounce so it will be easier for him. Maybe his technique is such, maybe not. But whatever he scored, that was 3-4 years ago. So that he was named the Player of the Match and Player of the Series in Australia, that was 4 years ago man. This is a different ball game, a World Cup. You won't be up against one team but a lot of them. For his confidence, he sure does warrant a place in the Playing XI. He will give you a few overs and he can of course bat," Wasim Akram said while talking on A Sports.