Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad blames former coach Waqar Younis for his decline

Ahmed Shehzad was touted to be the next big thing in Pakistan cricket, given his talent and an uncanny resemblance to India's Virat Kohli, who was ruling the charts with his batting back then. 

Known for his hard-hitting approach towards batting, Shehzad has also been involved in several controversies off the field that have repeatedly led to his ouster from the national team.

Shehzad, who last played for Pakistan in 2019, has blamed former coach Waqar Younis for his dwindling career. 

Allegedly, Younis submitted a report to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, which stated that Shehzad needs to play domestic cricket to claim his spot in the side.

In an interview with Cricket Pakistan, the right-handed opener revealed that he wasn't given a chance to defend himself and went on to challenge the former paceman to come out in the open and speak face-to-face.

"I have not seen the report myself, but a PCB official told me that these remarks have been said regarding me. But I believe that these things should be discussed face-to-face, and I am ready to take on that challenge. Then we will see who is right and who is wrong. Their words hurt my career, especially since I was not allowed to present my case. This was a pre-planned approach, and they wanted to kill two birds with one stone," Shehzad said.

Shehzad has featured in 13 Tests, 81 ODIs, and 59 T20Is for Pakistan, accumulating 5,058 runs on the international stage.

The Lahore-born also added that former players can't withstand another player's success and indicated Kohli's example, who received backing from then-India captain MS Dhoni and shone with this artistry with the bat.

"I have said this before, and I will say it again, Kohli's career picked off amazingly because he found MS Dhoni but unfortunately, here in Pakistan, your people cannot stand your success. Our senior players and ex-cricketers cannot digest seeing someone succeed in the cricketing world, which is unfortunate for Pakistan cricket," Shehzad concluded.

Shehzad was last seen playing in the 2022 Pakistan Cup for the Central Punjab side. He is also a part of the Quetta Gladiators (QG) franchise in the PSL.