Former Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has publicly accused wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Haris, a rising young cricketer, of orchestrating a PR campaign to secure a return to the Pakistan team.
Ahmed Shehzad, a seasoned batter who last played for Pakistan in 2019, expressed his views on national television in a talk show stating that Haris has no noteworthy performances to be selected for the team.
Shehzad alleged that Haris’ PR team was actively working to boost his public profile through selective media appearances and strategic engagements to sway the national selectors.
“Why should Haris be selected in the team when he has only made a single fifty in the PSL before he was brought into the national team? During the last T20I World Cup, he scored only 25 and 23 runs. His recent performances have been poor and people who are running PR campaigns for him will see that it won’t help his career in the long run.”
Ahmed Shehzad who asked A few journalists and a guy living in Turkey to
run a campaign for him a few months back thinks everyone is like him.What camaign did mohammad Haris run?
Us Fans, small accounts are raising voice for Mohammad Hari
These statements are the reason you… pic.twitter.com/3RZKMds1Z2
— Jalaad 🔥 حمزہ (@SaithHamzamir) May 3, 2024
The accusations come amidst speculations surrounding the composition of the Pakistan cricket squad for the upcoming England and Ireland series.
Haris, known for his promising talent in domestic cricket, has been vying for a recall to the national side, however, due to a poor PSL campaign the wicket-keeper batter has not been selected in the 18-man squad for the away tour of England and Ireland.
Fans of Mohammad Haris have also retaliated back on social media and have accused Ahmed Shehzad of asking journalists to run media campaign for him so that he can return to the national setup.
The controversy has added an intriguing subplot before the mega-event in June that will be held in the USA and the Caribbean.
Pakistan will kickstart their campaign on 6th June against the hosts at the Grand Prairie stadium in Dallas while their second game is against arch-rivals India on June 9.
