Latest Talent Spotter section puts the spot light on Peshawar Panther's player who has been called up for the Pakistan 'A' game against Australians in the UAE

By Farid Khan (14th October, 2014)

Full name Israrullah

Born January 15, 1990, Monzai, North-West Frontier Province

Current age 24 years

Major teams Peshawar, Peshawar Panthers

Batting style Left-hand bat

Getting into Cricket 

I started playing cricket at school. I also played club cricket in Peshawar after completing my school. Later, I was selected for the U16 team and the for the U19 team through trials. Now, I am playing first-class cricket. These days, I follow Misbah-ul-Haq. I am inspired by his will to play long innings under pressure. 


Role Models

My role model is former Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar. I used to watch and copy his batting when I was growing up. I really admired his style of batting and the way he used to play his shots. 


Selection for Peshawar Panthers

I performed well in 4-day matches and hence I was named in Peshawar's 50-over team. From there, I didn't look back and was selected for the T20 team as well. I have been representing Peshawar Panthers for 4 years now. 


Haier T20 Cup 

It was a wonderful experience for us. We rubbed shoulders with many international players and came out on top. We had a good team combination and the team management worked extremely hard with us. 


Mood is dressing room during Haier T20 Cup 

The mood in the dressing room was great. We had self belief and we knew we could win this tournament. We defeated Islamabad and that day, we were sure we had a chance. We also beat Faisalabad Wolves in that tournament by containing them and by not allowing them to chase the target. These two were big wins for us. 


High first-class average

Yes, I do have a high first-class average and I have now been rewarded. I have been named in the Pakistan A squad, which will travel to the UAE this month. Average of 42 in first-class cricket is certainly worth mentioning and I am proud of my stats. 


Talent in Peshawar Panthers 

There is a lot of talent in our team and I'm sure players like Imran Khan, Mohammad Rizwan, Adil Amin and Zohaib Khan will do big one day. Mohammad Rizwan has been in contention for a long time, but hasn't got his chance, but it's about time the selectors realized his abilities.


Invitation from departments 

My department is Sui Gas and it has qualified for first-class, but I will be representing Peshawar region on this occasion as they are in the Gold league and the main focus of the selectors is on that league. Inshallah, we will do very well in the tournament. Last time, we went down in the final, but this time we hope to go one step ahead. 


Call-up to Pakistan A 

It's an honour for me to be named in the Pakistan A squad and I see this as a big opportunity to showcase my talent. I am working very hard and Inshallah, I will be able to perform. I have been doing practice of late and my performance in the Haier T20 Cup was also decent. We will be playing our first match on 15th October and I am looking forward to this new venture. 


200 against Lahore Ravi 

Yes, I really enjoyed that knock. It is one of the best innings of my career. I cherish playing the longer format. Just like Misbah-ul-Haq, I am also a fan of playing long innings. I enjoyed the battle with him in the recently concluded Haier T20 Cup. As far as the UAE tour is concerned, the conditions there will suit me and I am geared up to do well. 


Craze of Cricket in Peshawar 

The passion of cricket in Peshawar is immense. I have played club cricket there and there are so many players, who do net practice at clubs. I can easily name at least 5 players from the Peshawar Panthers squad, who are the product of club cricket. It's great to see youngsters turning up and spending time doing nets. 


Fitness & Training 

Yes, I do net practice to stay in good touch. Along with that, I do work out in the gym. I feel I am in very good shape and Inshallah, there won't be any fitness issues from my side in the upcoming UAE tour as well as in future. 


Future Aims

Last season, I scored about 875 runs and this season, I aim to cross the 1000 mark. About 2-3 seasons back, I was among the runs as well and piled up 600-700 runs. My ultimate aim is to represent Pakistan in the future and I hope I would be able to achieve this aim very soon.

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