The seasoned all-rounder demonstrated his ongoing difficulties during the first match of the National T20 Cup 2026.

Iftikhar Ibrahim led Peshawar Region cricket team as their captain while Aamir Jamal took his wicket after he scored nine runs from nine balls. Peshawar chose to bat first after winning the toss, and Yasir Khan top-scored with a strong 65 at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium.

Iftikhar last played international cricket during the India vs Pakistan match at ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in New York on June 9, 2024. The 35-year-old player has lost his place in Pakistan's T20I and ODI teams because his performance has decreased since that time.

The T20I statistics of Iftikhar demonstrate a decline in his performance. Iftikhar achieved a batting average of 15.33 during 2024 which stands in contrast to his successful 40 average in 2023. The off-spinning all-rounder lost his spot on the team because his strike rate experienced a major decrease.

Iftikhar returned to the crease after his Bangladesh Premier League performance but he faced another batting failure.He failed to score runs during his number five batting position because he tried to bring stability to the team after Peshawar reached 124 runs with three wickets down in 13.4 overs.

Jamal used his smart bowling abilities to make him leave the match. The pacer delivered a short-of-a-length slower ball which went outside the off stump and Iftikhar became his third wicket for the match.

The veteran attempted to pull the ball over deep mid-wicket but mistimed the shot badly. The fielder at the boundary successfully caught the ball which finished the batsman's innings. Waqar Ahmed and Nabi Gul took charge of the match after Iftikhar got out and they helped Peshawar reach their final score of 167.

Mohammad Nawaz who recently played in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 also disappointed with his batting performance. Nawaz scored just three runs from eight balls before Ubaid Shah bowled him out. He entered the game after Walker Ahmed got out during the 16th over to help stabilize the team's middle order.

Nawaz started his performance with caution until he faced his first challenge. Ubaid bowled a back-of-a-length delivery which hit the stumps during the fourth ball of the 18th over. The left-handed batsman attempted to hit the ball into the air but failed to estimate the delivery correctly which resulted in the ball hitting his stumps.

The all-rounder experienced batting difficulties throughout the T20 World Cup. His performance in five matches resulted in him scoring only 15 runs. He achieved success as a bowler by taking seven wickets during six innings while maintaining an economy rate of 7.80 and a strike rate of 17.00. Nawaz and Iftikhar are among international players competing in the National T20 Cup while Babar Azam stands out as the only major player missing from the event.

After Pakistan lost the net run-rate battle against New Zealand national cricket team the domestic competition attracted many players including Naseem Shah and Azam Khan and Saim Ayub and Usama Mir. Pakistan demonstrated impressive skills throughout the group stage which enabled them to advance smoothly into the Super 8 stage through their powerful performances.

The team finished their season because of an abandoned match against New Zealand and a loss to England national cricket team. The T20 World Cup 2026 final will occur on March 8 between India national cricket team and New Zealand national cricket team.