More About him,
Iftikhar, in the words of Gul Hameed Bhatti, the sports editor of The News, is "an old-fashioned fast-medium bowler", who has been impressing on the domestic circuit for nearly three years now. Since making his debut as a 19-year old in 2000-01, Iftikhar has amassed 210 wickets in only 47 matches, at an average of less than 23. This season alone he has picked up 41 wickets in seven matches, including a matchwinning ten-wicket haul in the Patron's Trophy final, which lifted his team, Zarai Taraqiati Bank, to a tense three-wicket win. After Iftikhar's consistently penetrative and probing spells throughout the competition, this performance sealed the vote of a selection committee eager to reward those who have caught the eye during the domestic season.
Iftikhar's enthusiasm and energy at the team's training camp have impressed the chief selector, Wasim Bari, and Iqbal Qasim, one of the other selectors. "He is a genuinely good fast-medium bowler," says Qasim. "He will never be express like Imran or Waqar or Shoaib, but that is no bad thing. He has a tidy action, excellent control over his line and length." And it can't be a bad thing if your action is likened to the dominant fast-medium bowler of the last decade, Glenn McGrath.
Qasim and Wasim Bari both acknowledge, however, that the chances of Iftikhar actually playing at the start of the series remain slim. He'll probably need an injury epidemic in the pace camp – though this isn't as unlikely as it might seem. "Shoaib, Shabbir and Mohammad Sami, if fit, have all matured and are fairly experienced bowlers, so he is there mainly as a back-up," said Qasim. "But we have monitored him specifically this season and have been impressed. We wanted to get him into the camp because, at 23, he is an investment for us. Hopefully, training with the senior team will provide him with a boost and it should be motivation for him to really excel and make a push for the playing XI."
SOurce: cricinfo.com