Ahsan,Amad Butt Optmistic to perform well in series against Bangladesh.

KARACHI -- With only three days left in the first match of the T20I series against Bangladesh, Ahsan Ali and Amad Butt are optimistic to leave a mark at the international level. The two were among three uncapped players named in the 15-player line-up for the three home T20Is, which will be played here on 24, 25 and 27 January. Talking to Test cricketer Shan Masood in an exclusive interview,here on Monday the pair reflected on how it will look to take inspiration from the performances in the domestic events. Ahsan impressed in the last edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League in 2018 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. When Shan asked which performances, in particular, they would take inspiration from, Ahsan said, '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.

I had not played the last two matches so I was under a lot of pressure'. Amad...