Ahsan Ali, Amad Butt relive 'unexpected' Pakistan call up, reveal dietary changes

Cricketers Ahsan Ali and Amad Butt, who are among the three uncapped players named for the upcoming three-match T20Is against Bangladesh, have said that they want to leave a mark when they play their first international match during the upcoming series.

The pair, in an interview with Test cricketer Shan Masood, revealed that neither of them had expected the call-up. 

"I am blessed that I have gotten the opportunity to play alongside those players whom I once used to desire to meet,” said Ahsan. 

"To know that I am about to achieve my goal of playing for Pakistan was an extraordinary feeling, which cannot be explained. It adds extra responsibility," said Amad. 

Meanwhile, in preparation for the upcoming series, Ahsan said that he had to forgo many dietary habits and gave up his favourite dish, biryani. 

"There has been a significant change in the past 31 days since I have been at the NCA. I used to eat Biryani a lot, but I have given up on it. I have also stopped eating rice, roti, and sweet dishes as we have to take light diets," said Ahsan. 

Ahsan turned heads in 2018's Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he scored 178 runs in eight matches batting at the top of the order for Quetta Gladiators. 

The 26-year-old scored 131 runs at a strike rate of just under 149 in the National T20 Cup in October, which pressed his case further for selection.

In the same tournament, Amad, who turned out for Balochistan, the eventual finalists, scored 80 runs at a strike-rate of 170 and took 10 wickets at an economy-rate of 7.62. 

The 24-year-old was part of Pakistan’s squad that won the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Bangladesh in November. 

The cricketers also revealed their most memorable performances and added that they would like to put on a similar show in their match against Bangladesh. 

For Ahsan, it was his qualifier in last season's PSL whereas, Amad said that it the semi-finals of the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup against archrivals, India. 

"Our qualifier against Peshawar Zalmi [in the last season] is a memorable contest for me. I played a crucial role in my side’s win by scoring 46 [his highest score that tournament] over the course of a crucial [111-run] partnership with Shane Watson," said Ahsan. 

"At one stage in our match against India, we were almost out of the game. Then suddenly our fielding clicked and we got a run-out. I had to defend eight off the last over and their main batsman was at the crease," recalled Amad.