PSL 2024: Ihsanullah Set For PSL Comeback; Wants To Play Test Cricket For Pakistan

Matta, Swat-born Pakistani right-arm fast bowler Ihsanullah in a recent interview has hinted towards a comeback in competitive cricket after successfully recovering from an elbow injury he sustained earlier this year. The 21-year-old last appeared in Pakistan colors on April 29 in an ODI match against New Zealand at Rawalpindi.

Due to that injury, he subsequently missed all the matches Pakistan played this year including 2 major tournaments – The 50-over Asia Cup and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. He is also not a part of the Pakistani squad that is due to play a Boxing Day Test match against Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Men in Green suffered a thumping 360-run loss in the 1st of a 3-match Test series at Perth’s Optus Stadium and going by their current form, Pakistan will find it very difficult to stage a comeback in the 2nd Test. Their bowling as well as batting unit has struggled in Australian conditions and it will take a very determined performance from them to turn the tables around.

A player that might boost their performance in the 2023-2025 World Test Championship could be Ihsanullah who is very eager to make his Test debut for Pakistan. In the same interview, the 21-year-old said that upon his comeback, cracking the code in the longest format will be his main target other than bowling at the speed of 145+ regularly.

“On my Test debut, I aim to take a wicket with my first ball”, Ihsanullah Makes Bold Statement Ahead Of His Return

It’s very rare for a bowler to say that he wants to take a wicket on the very first ball of his very first match in a particular format and Ihsanullah has included himself among those. While discussing on the things he would like to do after coming back, the 21-year-old said that he not just wants to bowl regularly at 145+ but also take a wicket on his first ball in Red ball cricket.

“I want to play for my country, and I want to focus more on Test cricket and I will try to maintain a pace of 145 plus when I return to bowling. My goal is that when I make my Test debut, I aim to take a wicket with my first ball and pleasantly surprise the world, proving that Pakistan has gained another quality Test bowler,” Ihsanullah said in an interview with Cricket Pakistan.

Although he won’t be integrated into the Pakistani squad right away, his comeback will be through the 9th edition of the Pakistan Super League next year. In PSL 8 last year, Ihsanullah was awarded as the Player of the tournament as well as the best bowler award for picking 22 wickets at an economy rate of less than 8.

He also broke Haris Rauf’s record of fastest ball in PSL when he bowled at a pace of over 154.5 Kph for Multan Sultans last year. Though he will play just 4-5 matches in the upcoming edition, it will be fair to say that Ihsanullah’s comeback will be one to watch.

“The good news for my fans is that I will be playing a few matches in the PSL. I aim to play even better than I did before and will participate in four to five matches,” Ihsanullah concluded.