Ahmed Shehzad

Ahmad Shahzad is a former Pakistani international cricketer who played as an opening batsman. He achieved the distinction of being the first Pakistani player to score a century in all three forms of cricket.

Early life and education

Shahzad was born on 23 November 1991 in Lahore. He belongs to a Pashtun family of the Afridi clan. Because of his heritage, he speaks English, Urdu and Pashto. He grew up in a middle-class environment. His childhood home was a modest house located near the famous Anarkali Bazaar.

Career

He made his first-class debut in 2007. A score of 167 against England during a Pakistan Youth victory led to his national team call-up. Shahzad debuted in One Day International and Twenty20 International formats for Pakistan in April 2009 against Australia. He was a member of the squad that won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20.

His international milestones include scoring 111 against Bangladesh in the 2014 T20 World Cup. This performance made him the first Pakistani to score a century in a T20 World Cup. He debuted in Test cricket against Sri Lanka in 2013. In that series, he scored 38 runs in the first innings and 55 runs in the second. His Test career includes three hundreds against Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand. He maintains a Test average above 40 for the Pakistan national team.

Shahzad performed well in various domestic and franchise competitions. He was the highest run scorer and best batsman of the BPL 2011-12 tournament. During the 2016–17 Departmental One Day Cup, he served as captain and scored 653 runs. This total included a career-best List A score of 166 in a semi-final. He also earned the title of man of the tournament during the 2016 Pakistan Cup. In that event, he scored 372 runs across 5 matches.

The player faced several disciplinary issues throughout his career. He received a one-match ban in 2011 for showing dissent in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The Pakistan Cricket Board issued an official reprimand following quarrels with Tillakaratne Dilshan regarding religious conversion. He also had a physical conflict with bowler Wahab Riaz during a match against Peshawar Zalmi. Both players received fines and warnings from the board for this exchange. Additionally, he failed a doping test in 2018 which resulted in a 10-week ban.

In recent years, his domestic involvement continued with Central Punjab and the Colombo Stars. He was selected for the 2021 Lanka Premier League draft. On 15 December 2023, Shahzad announced he was leaving the PSL after no franchise selected him.

Personal life

Shahzad married his childhood friend, Sana, on 19 September 2015. The couple welcomed a boy in 2017. They had a second child, a daughter, in 2021.

Awards and recognition

He was the highest run scorer in the BPL 2011-12 tournament. He also earned the title of man of the tournament in the 2016 Pakistan Cup. His century in the 2014 T20 World Cup set a record for Pakistani players.