Pakistani refugee-turned Australian leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed has admitted that his bowling was affected by talk that he was in Ashes contention, for which he lost his way.
Ahmed was briefly in the frame to play the first Test at the Gabba given his wickets in the Sheffield Shield, although he faded away by the end of the tournament, and he was dealt another blow when he was left out by his Big Bash League team Melbourne Renegades for their opening game despite being Australia's most recent T20 spinner.
According to News.com.au, Ahmed said that he allowed the Ashes speculation to get to him although he insisted that he has not lost heart and is prepared to be patient in pursuit of his Test dream, adding that he felt the pressure to perform well and subsequently lost his way enroute to Ashes cricket.
However, Ahmed believes that it is not the end of the world for him as there is plenty of cricket coming up in the future, with the report saying that performances in the BBL will count towards selection for the T20 and ODI series against England, with Indian Premier League (IPL) talent scouts also watching.