Ahmed Shehzad
batsman
| Full name: | Ahmed Shehzad |
| Nationality: | Pakistan |
| Batting style: | right handed batsman |
| Bowling Style: | leg break |
Teams
Career Averages
Bowling
| League | Test | Odi | T20i | First class | List a | T20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 13 | 81 | 59 | 94 | 171 | 241 |
| Innings | 2 | 9 | 1 | 56 | 32 | 18 |
| Overs | 8.0 | 19.1 | 1.0 | 230.5 | 108.5 | 37.5 |
| Balls | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Maidens | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| Runs | 28 | 140 | 10 | 963 | 657 | 338 |
| Wickets | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 10 | 11 |
| Avg | 0 | 70 | 0 | 50.68 | 65.7 | 30.72 |
| SR | 0 | 57.5 | 0 | 72.89 | 65.3 | 20.63 |
| Eco | 3.5 | 7.3 | 10 | 4.17 | 6.03 | 8.93 |
| BB | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 4w | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 5w | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10w | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Batting
| League | Test | Odi | T20i | First class | List a | T20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 13 | 81 | 59 | 94 | 171 | 241 |
| Innings | 25 | 81 | 59 | 160 | 171 | 238 |
| Not outs | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 13 |
| Runs | 982 | 2605 | 1471 | 6359 | 6978 | 6494 |
| Balls Faced | 1926 | 3614 | 1282 | 11003 | 8198 | 5253 |
| Avg | 40.91 | 32.56 | 25.8 | 41.56 | 42.8 | 28.86 |
| SR | 50.98 | 72.08 | 114.74 | 57.79 | 85.11 | 123.62 |
| Fours | 99 | 269 | 157 | 835 | 760 | 763 |
| Fifties | 4 | 14 | 7 | 37 | 44 | 40 |
| Sixies | 8 | 18 | 33 | 41 | 92 | 144 |
| Highest | 176 | 124 | 111 | 254 | 166 | 113 |
| Hundreds | 3 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 17 | 5 |
International career
Ahmed Shehzad played international cricket for Pakistan for over a decade. He made his debut in 2009 and appeared in all three formats of the game. Shehzad achieved several significant milestones, including becoming the first Pakistani cricketer to score a century in all formats.
2009
- ODI Debut: 24 April 2009 against Australia
- T20I Debut: 7 May 2009 against Australia
Shehzad joined the national team in both formats. His performances as an opening batsman earned him a spot in the team.
2013
- Test Debut: 31 December 2013 against Sri Lanka
Shehzad’s Test debut was strong, with scores of 38 and 55 in his first match.
2014
- T20I Century: During the 2014 ICC World T20, Shehzad scored 111 runs against Bangladesh, becoming the first Pakistani player to score a century in a T20 World Cup.
2017
- Last Test Match: 4 May 2017 against West Indies
- Last ODI Match: 16 October 2017 against Sri Lanka
Shehzad's career in these formats came to an end in 2017. However, he left a solid legacy with three Test centuries and six ODI centuries.
2019
- Last T20I Match: 7 October 2019 against Sri Lanka
He ended his T20I career with one century and seven fifties.
Shehzad remains one of the few players to score centuries in all three formats. His consistency helped Pakistan in many matches over the years.
Leagues Participation
Below is a summary of Ahmed Shehzad's participation in prominent T20 leagues.
Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
The Caribbean Premier League is a highly competitive T20 tournament featuring teams from the West Indies. Shehzad participated in two seasons of the CPL.
|
Year |
Team |
Notes |
|
2013-2014 |
Jamaica Tallawahs |
Played 9 matches and scored 125 runs. |
|
2016 |
Barbados Tridents |
Played 4 matches. Lost to Jamaica Tallawahs by 36 runs. |
Pakistan Super League (PSL)
The Pakistan Super League is a domestic T20 competition featuring teams from across Pakistan. Shehzad represented multiple teams during his PSL career.
|
Year |
Team |
Notes |
|
2016-2017 |
Quetta Gladiators |
Scored 71 runs in a match against Karachi Kings and made a 92-run opening partnership with Luke Wright. |
|
2019 |
Quetta Gladiators |
Scored 73 runs and was named Player of the Match against Islamabad United. |
|
2020 |
Multan Sultans |
Scored 1,077 runs in 45 matches, averaging 26.26 with 9 half-centuries. |
|
2024 |
N/A |
Announced retirement after failing to be selected in the 2024 PSL Draft. |
Lanka Premier League (LPL)
The Lanka Premier League is a T20 competition held in Sri Lanka. Shehzad participated in multiple seasons with different teams.
|
Year |
Team |
Notes |
|
2012 |
Nagenahira Nagas |
Played against Kandurata Warriors, winning by 160/3. |
|
2021 |
Kandy Warriors |
Scored 56 runs in a match against Galle Gladiators. |
|
2022 |
Colombo Stars |
Played 3 matches and scored 80 runs. |
Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)
The Bangladesh Premier League is a top-level T20 competition in Bangladesh. Shehzad played for various teams throughout the seasons.
|
Year |
Team |
Notes |
|
2012 |
Barisal Burners |
Scored 113 runs in the semi-final against Rajshahi, leading the team to victory. |
|
2016-2017 |
Comilla Victorians |
Scored 61 runs against Barisal Bulls. |
|
2019/2020 |
Dhaka Platoon |
Scored 937 runs, averaging 41 per match. |
|
2024 |
Fortune Barishal |
Scored 66 runs in 41 balls in January 2024 and 17 runs in February 2024. |
Domestic career
Ahmed Shehzad had a strong domestic career, playing for different teams in Pakistan.
From 2007 to 2019, he played for Habib Bank Limited. In the 2016-17 Departmental One Day Cup, Shehzad scored the most runs, finishing with 653 runs. He hit a career-best of 166 in the semi-final, which is the highest score in his List A career. He also scored three centuries and three half-centuries in nine matches during the tournament.
In the 2016 Pakistan Cup, Shehzad was the highest run-scorer and the man of the tournament, with 372 runs from five matches, including three half-centuries and one century.
Shehzad was named the captain of Balochistan for the 2018 Pakistan Cup. He led his team well, scoring 251 runs in four matches. Later in 2019, he joined Federal Areas for the 2019 Pakistan Cup. In the same year, he was part of Central Punjab for the 2019-20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and was kept in the squad for the 2020-21 season.
Other Leagues
Ahmed Shehzad has played in a few international and regional cricket leagues.
In July 2019, he was selected to play for the Amsterdam Knights in the first edition of the Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament. However, the tournament was cancelled the next month.
Shehzad is the captain of the Rawalakot Hawks in the second edition of the Kashmir Premier League (KPL). This was announced on August 4, 2022.
Records and achievements
Ahmed Shehzad has set numerous records and achieved many milestones in his cricket career. Here are his key records:
- He is the first Pakistani batsman to score centuries in Test, ODI, and T20I formats.
- He scored 111 runs (not out) and hit 6 sixes in a T20I innings, the second-highest by a Pakistani.
- He holds the record for most runs (168) in a two-match T20I series by a Pakistani cricketer.
- He is the second-fastest Pakistani to score 5000 runs in T20 cricket.
- He ranks as the second-highest century-maker in T20 cricket from Asia, after Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam.
- He is the highest run scorer for Lahore Lions.
- He is the second-fastest batsman to score centuries in all three formats (76 innings), behind Lokesh Rahul.
- He was the highest run scorer for the Quetta Gladiators until 2021.
- He was the first Pakistani batsman to hit three consecutive sixes in a T20I.
- He holds the record for the most boundaries in a single T20I innings (20 fours).
- He became the first Pakistani to score a hundred against South Africa in South Africa.
- He is the youngest Pakistani to score 150+ runs in a Test innings.
- His fastest T20I century was scored in 40 balls, a record for Pakistan until 2020.
- He held the record for the highest T20I partnership for Pakistan with Mohammad Hafeez (143 until 2021).
- He has the record for most catches in the field for the Pakistan national under-19 cricket team.
- He scored 5 centuries in T20 cricket, the second-most by a Pakistani.
- He holds the record for most half-centuries for Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League.
- He is the player with the most centuries in knockout T20 matches (3 centuries).
- He also holds the record for the most half-centuries in PSL finals (2 half-centuries in 3 finals).
- He scored the first half-century in the history of the Kashmir Premier League.
- As the captain of HBL in the 2016 Departmental One Day Cup, he scored 630+ runs, including 3 centuries and 3 half-centuries in 9 games, leading his team to victory and winning the Man of the Final award.
- He was named the Man of the Tournament in the 2012 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
- He scored 341 runs for Quetta Gladiators with an average of 51 in the 4th edition of the PSL, leading his team to their first title.
Personal life
Ahmed Shehzad grew up in a middle-class family and lived near Anarkali Bazaar in a modest home. He married his childhood friend, Sana, on September 19, 2015. They have a son born in 2017 and a daughter born in 2021.
Finance
Shehzad’s net worth is around $500,000 USD, with an annual income of about $350,000 USD. Last year, he earned $400,000 USD. He invested in real estate but faced financial trouble and filed for bankruptcy after losing money in failed investments.
Scandals
Shehzad has been involved in several controversies. In 2011, he received a one-match ban for showing dissent during the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also reprimanded him for arguing with Sri Lankan cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan, making a controversial statement about Dilshan’s conversion from Islam to Buddhism.
Shehzad was also involved in a heated exchange with bowler Wahab Riaz during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match, which led to fines for both players.
In February 2025, he spoke out about the Pakistan national team’s performance in the ICC Champions Trophy, criticizing the lack of discipline and transparency in the selection process. He pointed out how favoritism affects player choices in domestic cricket.
Fans
Shehzad’s relationship with fans has been complicated. He said in an interview that his absence from international cricket upset many supporters, some of whom stopped following the team. In 2017, Shehzad had a physical altercation with a fan who wanted to take a selfie with him after a match in Karachi. He ended up breaking the fan’s phone. Shehzad currently has 2 million followers on Instagram.
