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[EXCLUSIVE] "Great cricketers have a lot of belief in themselves and belief in Allah": Saeed Anwar

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MenInG

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Former Pakistan cricketer, Saeed Anwar, in exclusive remarks to PakPassion.net spoke about his advice to young and experienced cricketers which is to always stay positive and to never think in negative terms.

Saeed Anwar when asked about any message for today's young cricketers:

"There is one thing that is very similar between cricket and religion which is that great cricketers have a lot of belief in themselves and belief in Allah. But the average cricketers are more in search for the material benefits and favors. I have noticed in cricket that the way you think impacts what happens to you. The one who thinks he won’t catch a ball, the ball will go to him, the one who wants to avoid a bouncer, he is faced with a bouncer, the one who thinks that the ball will come his way, he gets hit by the ball. The way we think is the way Allah will make it happen. I always tell people to think and speak positively, that’s it. Don’t speak or think negatively. We will win! I will do it! Leave the rest to Allah and stay positive; He will do what is best for you."
 
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Having not spoken on cricket for many years - in his words to me had not watched any cricket for 20 years - Saeed Anwar gave his precious time to PakPassion for these exclusive remarks! @Savak @Markhor @Rana
 
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absolute legend, will add though that you cannot have belief without hard work, when you work hard for something, you believe that you deserve the success, and then that translates into approaching challenges fearlessly.

wish we had another bat like him, 20 years since he retired and no test opener has come close to his approach or effectiveness.
 
Some truly motivational words from the legendary Saeed Anwar. We should always think positively and expect positive outcomes from Allah. I believe that by consistently practicing this, we can achieve positive results with the help of Allah.
 
Saeed Anwar did mention once in an interview that he wishes he was more religious at the start of his career as that would have made him an even better player. Not sure if that is correct. Just putting things in gods hand makes you avoid taking responsibility for your game.
 
MenInG said:
I must admit, when I met him, I was staring at his wrists - wondering if these are the same wrists that did this

Click to expand...

Some of those flicks were sublime.

And in fact I thought you could see his wrists at work even in the pulls and straights hits.
 
Hope Saim Ayub can put his head down and be one of the greats like Saeed Anwar.. Would like to see him debut in test this against Aus this summer.. Imam will lose his place in the side very soon, with his technique and lethargic attitude towards fitness..
 
Interesting to see how so many posts on Social Media are using our work - probably because pictures of Saeed Anwar are very rare and the fact that he spoke to anyone on cricket!
 
I find it a little strange that some of the former cricketers have stopped following the game altogether after their retirement. It's rare for us fans to cease being a fan of the game, so I find it strange how something like that happens to someone who not only was a fan of the game but represented their national team at one point of their life.
 
I admire Saeed Anwar, but he is talking completely crazy here.

Saeed Anwar's career fell apart when he became devoutly religious. It didn't improve - it basically ended.

In life you get a certain amount of talent and ability at whatever you do. But your performance level is directly related to how hard you work and how much you practise and rehearse what you do.

It doesn't matter whether you spend too much time on chasing girls or playing computer games or being religiously devout - if you spend time on other stuff which could have made you a better cricketer, you will end up performing worse on the pitch.

The odd great cricketer is religious. Vastly more great cricketers are not especially religious, but rather they analyse their game, their strengths and their weaknesses and practise and improve.

I realise that Pakistan has become a religious nation, but it has also become a cricketing country whose cricketing performance has got worse, not better.

Look at the 1979 ICC World Cup photo: Wasim Raja is the only bearded man in the squad. Pakistan came close to beating the "unbeatable" West Indies in the semi-final (they reached 176-1 chasing 294).

Now the team is far more pious - and far worse at cricket.
 
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Junaids said:
I admire Saeed Anwar, but he is talking complete nonsense here.

Saeed Anwar's career fell apart when he became devoutly religious. It didn't improve - it basically ended.

In life you get a certain amount of talent and ability at whatever you do. But your performance level is directly related to how hard you work and how much you practise and rehearse what you do.

It doesn't matter whether you spend too much time on chasing girls or playing computer games or being religiously devout - if you spend time on other stuff which could have made you a better cricketer, you will end up performing worse on the pitch.

The odd great cricketer is religious. Vastly more great cricketers are not especially religious, but rather they analyse their game, their strengths and their weaknesses and practise and improve.

I realise that Pakistan has become a religious nation, but it has also become a cricketing country whose cricketing performance has got worse, not better.

Look at the 1979 ICC World Cup photo: Wasim Raja is the only bearded man in the squad. Pakistan came close to beating the "unbeatable" West Indies in the semi-final (they reached 176-1 chasing 294).

Now the team is far more pious - and far worse at cricket.
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I agree with first part. Being good at something hasn't got to do anything with belief in God.
You work hard at something, you become better.
About second part, whether Pakistan has become a religious nation or not- I have no idea. So no comments about that.
 
Having belief in ALLAH or not is in your own hands and Religion has nothing to do with cricket performance. If you are Christian you perform well and Muslims do not do well on the field, that is not true at all by any means. You may not be able to give enough time to cricket once you become more religious but it does not mean that being a good Muslim means your career is over. Saeed Anwer was very successful and he was one of the greatest openers that Pakistan had. There are other examples as well like Mohammad Yousaf.
 
I dont think theres anything wrong with what saeed anwar said and i believe that things which are held close to the heart i.e religion plays a big part of someones game. As much as we would like to think that nothing should get in the way of what happens on the pitch and in your game, there are always external matters which will influence your psyche. If a brilliant player said that they practice yoga or meditation to help their performance, i dont think anyone would have a single negative thing to say about it. I honestly think religion can be used in such a way which helps ground and focus a player mentally rather than hinder their performance or distract them from the task at hand.

Concluding, these things can go either way. It all depends on the individuals approach and mindset towards balancing the two things.
 
Junaids said:
I admire Saeed Anwar, but he is talking completely crazy here.

Saeed Anwar's career fell apart when he became devoutly religious. It didn't improve - it basically ended.

In life you get a certain amount of talent and ability at whatever you do. But your performance level is directly related to how hard you work and how much you practise and rehearse what you do.

It doesn't matter whether you spend too much time on chasing girls or playing computer games or being religiously devout - if you spend time on other stuff which could have made you a better cricketer, you will end up performing worse on the pitch.

The odd great cricketer is religious. Vastly more great cricketers are not especially religious, but rather they analyse their game, their strengths and their weaknesses and practise and improve.

I realise that Pakistan has become a religious nation, but it has also become a cricketing country whose cricketing performance has got worse, not better.

Look at the 1979 ICC World Cup photo: Wasim Raja is the only bearded man in the squad. Pakistan came close to beating the "unbeatable" West Indies in the semi-final (they reached 176-1 chasing 294).

Now the team is far more pious - and far worse at cricket.
Click to expand...
Saeed Anwar has not even watched any cricket for 20 years I am not sure why his comments on cricket should be taken too seriously? However his comments regarding great cricketers being positive minded and sure of themselves its also loosely correct. He only brought GOD in this matter because he himself is religious otherwise there were many great players who got the better of him who were not religious but may have been very sure of themselves and positive minded.

With above being said Saeed Anwar was part of the last great Pakistan side which were full of supper stars and talented cricketer even if they didn't win as much as they should have.
 
Pakhs said:
Saeed Anwar has not even watched any cricket for 20 years I am not sure why his comments on cricket should be taken too seriously? However his comments regarding great cricketers being positive minded and sure of themselves its also loosely correct. He only brought GOD in this matter because he himself is religious otherwise there were many great players who got the better of him who were not religious but may have been very sure of themselves and positive minded.

With above being said Saeed Anwar was part of the last great Pakistan side which were full of supper stars and talented cricketer even if they didn't win as much as they should have.
Click to expand...
If you have played cricket at the highest level and excelled at it, it does not matter how much cricket you have "watched". Your expertise is beyond question.
 
Stewie said:
If you have played cricket at the highest level and excelled at it, it does not matter how much cricket you have "watched". Your expertise is beyond question.
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True.

Although I feel, as a cricketer who played at the highest level, I am very sure he stays in touch or at the least has a passing interest.

This is a little clip from his lecture - and you can tell that he did follow the World Cup (a bit maybe)

https://imgur.com/aLVlf4l
 
The power of positivity is obviously pertinent in what he’s saying but the problem with his mindset is that you immediately accuse those players struggling in this one non-morality based skill in life as not having full faith in Allah. Like a rubbish player can’t be devout. You also essentially attribute talent, skill and performance in a sport to factors that have nothing to do with it. The best player can be the worst human being imaginable they’re simply not connected. This is why you have to call out the aspect to this where this is clear nonsense. Pakistan cricket needs performances, responsibility towards their effort and good team ethics just like any other sports team. Nothing else matters in regards to the team’s success.
 
hass said:
The power of positivity is obviously pertinent in what he’s saying but the problem with his mindset is that you immediately accuse those players struggling in this one non-morality based skill in life as not having full faith in Allah. Like a rubbish player can’t be devout. You also essentially attribute talent, skill and performance in a sport to factors that have nothing to do with it. The best player can be the worst human being imaginable they’re simply not connected. This is why you have to call out the aspect to this where this is clear nonsense. Pakistan cricket needs performances, responsibility towards their effort and good team ethics just like any other sports team. Nothing else matters in regards to the team’s success.
Click to expand...

If following your religion gets you to perform better, then where's the harm?

At the end of the day it's about belief in yourself. If you feel believing in Allah swt gets you the right results - so be it
 
Saeed Anwar was already a great cricketer before he embarked on his new Avatar and became a Moulvi. Religion might help with distractions, but it will not help with timing of the ball and natural flair and talent that Anwar had.

Left handers always make for Stylish batsmen, but Anwar was in his own class when it came to stylish flicks. He was the first batsmen I ever saw who used to hit sixes with his stylish flicks. A nightmare to India's 90's trundlers.
 
Champ_Pal said:
Saeed Anwar was already a great cricketer before he embarked on his new Avatar and became a Moulvi. Religion might help with distractions, but it will not help with timing of the ball and natural flair and talent that Anwar had.

Left handers always make for Stylish batsmen, but Anwar was in his own class when it came to stylish flicks. He was the first batsmen I ever saw who used to hit sixes with his stylish flicks. A nightmare to India's 90's trundlers.
Click to expand...
Nice person as well. Never saw him seldging or misbehaving on the field.
 
Admire Saeed quite a bit, class act on and off the field. Immensely talented and very elegant. At the end of the day if Saeed feels being more religious will help you then that is his opinion and there is no harm in it. End of the day religion is a belief and you can make hypothesis without the need for scientific proof..

I believe Saeed became more religious after the passing of his daughter.
 
Romali_rotti said:
Admire Saeed quite a bit, class act on and off the field. Immensely talented and very elegant. At the end of the day if Saeed feels being more religious will help you then that is his opinion and there is no harm in it. End of the day religion is a belief and you can make hypothesis without the need for scientific proof..

I believe Saeed became more religious after the passing of his daughter.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

Yes, the death of his daughter was a turning point.

In his speech he mentioned her passing away a few times as matter of great pain for him.
 
Some Pakistani cricketers have made a mockery of themselves and their teammates. It seems that only a Pakistani Muslim would use their cricketing fame to promote their religion.

Because of this influence, the Tableeg culture began in the Pakistani team and flourished during Inzi's captaincy period.
 
adi_62941 said:
Some Pakistani cricketers have made a mockery of themselves and their teammates. It seems that only a Pakistani Muslim would use their cricketing fame to promote their religion.

Because of this influence, the Tableeg culture began in the Pakistani team and flourished during Inzi's captaincy period.
Click to expand...

Let's not judge.

We all do things for best intentions.

Everyone can have a belief - upto individuals to accept or not.

For us, as cricket fans, Saeed Anwar will always be a cricketing personality first.
 
MenInG said:
Let's not judge.

We all do things for best intentions.

Everyone can have a belief - upto individuals to accept or not.

For us, as cricket fans, Saeed Anwar will always be a cricketing personality first.
Click to expand...
Yes, of course, everyone can have a belief they think is best for them. As a cricketer, I am the biggest fan of him. He was just outstanding in ODIs, one of the best in his time (only Sachin was close to him in stature in his playing days). However, post-2000, he introduced some very religious habits in a sports team, which I believe should not be part of a sports team
 
MenInG said:
Let's not judge.

We all do things for best intentions.

Everyone can have a belief - upto individuals to accept or not.

For us, as cricket fans, Saeed Anwar will always be a cricketing personality first.
Click to expand...
Sums up the state of the nation. Irrational thought process is the source of the country's ills.

How does simply believing in God make someone better without the subsequent training and effort?. It's a ridiculous notion. Atheists argue For is a tool for people to latch on to something. This kind of comment simply supports that.
 
SpiritOf1903 said:
Sums up the state of the nation. Irrational thought process is the source of the country's ills.

How does simply believing in God make someone better without the subsequent training and effort?. It's a ridiculous notion. Atheists argue For is a tool for people to latch on to something. This kind of comment simply supports that.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, the majority of our international cricketers now hide their failures under the carpet of their strong belief in God. Inzi, Yousuf, Afridi—all were busy in their days trying to present themselves as very good Muslims, but we all know the level of politics and disharmony they created in the team during their last days, which became quite famous and joke for the world
 
Saeed bhai literally believed in what he said. His exceptional performances can be attributed to his strong conviction and connection with ALLAH (SWT). I vividly remember when he visited our college back in 2009, he made the same sort of comments and described Deen as torchbearer in every walk of life. Saeed bhai is certainly more of a great person than batsman.
 
The Bald Eagle said:
Saeed bhai literally believed in what he said. His exceptional performances can be attributed to his strong conviction and connection with ALLAH (SWT). I vividly remember when he visited our college back in 2009, he made the same sort of comments and described Deen as torchbearer in every walk of life. Saeed bhai is certainly more of a great person than batsman.
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He amassed all those runs during a period when he exuded a flamboyant personality
 
No idea when we will hear from him next but he will remain one of the most respected cricketers from Pakistan - a bit of an unfulfilled career I feel.
 
Is anyone here who Remembers this inning from the left-handed masterclass from Saeed Anwer against India in Calcutta? Got out on 0 in the first innings but went on to score 188 in the 2nd inning to help Pakistan win the test match by 46 runs. What a beautiful inning that must be to watch live.

 
Hitman said:
I find it a little strange that some of the former cricketers have stopped following the game altogether after their retirement. It's rare for us fans to cease being a fan of the game, so I find it strange how something like that happens to someone who not only was a fan of the game but represented their national team at one point of their life.
Click to expand...

Eventually you lose the passion, it wont be the same it use to be when you’re younger at the very least, especially for those who grew up watching a sport with higher standards and for a great like Anwar who played alongside and against multiple hall of famers.

For him I also just think the death of his daughter changed him completely to, religion was his salvation in one of the lowest lows one could possibly experience so I totally understand his views. I think he is beyond that point where any sport can offer a form of escape to and especially when compared with spirituality.
 
So all the Indian and SENA greats had belief in Allah?
Ex cricketers sprouting nonsense as usual
 
Reminds me of a story from the 2003 World Cup

Before the India game, Saeed Anwar claimed that if they pray hard , then angels will descend from heaven and help Pakistan beat India

After the loss at Centurion the then team manager Tauqir Zia mockingly asked Anwar what happened to those angels who were supposed to help Pakistan. Anwar claimed that the players probably did not pray hard - hence they got no help from the angels !
 
Probably one of the greatest bowlers acknowledged an other legends of the game. Saeed Anwar was class apart.

-=------------------

Shane Warne (Late) speaking about Saeed Anwar:

“Saeed Anwar, I rate is probably one of the best if not the best opening batter when I play against more countries, as an all-round player, the quick bowling and of spin bowling. I thought the way he sort of hits the ball through midwicket, he can be very, very destructive.

It's just a wonderful player.”
 
NishanKonar said:
Reminds me of a story from the 2003 World Cup

Before the India game, Saeed Anwar claimed that if they pray hard , then angels will descend from heaven and help Pakistan beat India

After the loss at Centurion the then team manager Tauqir Zia mockingly asked Anwar what happened to those angels who were supposed to help Pakistan. Anwar claimed that the players probably did not pray hard - hence they got no help from the angels !
Click to expand...

Sounds like a made up story to malign Saeed Anwar’s religiosity. A pious Muslim believes both victory and defeat are from Allah, the lord of the worlds.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Probably one of the greatest bowlers acknowledged an other legends of the game. Saeed Anwar was class apart.

-=------------------

Shane Warne (Late) speaking about Saeed Anwar:

“Saeed Anwar, I rate is probably one of the best if not the best opening batter when I play against more countries, as an all-round player, the quick bowling and of spin bowling. I thought the way he sort of hits the ball through midwicket, he can be very, very destructive.

It's just a wonderful player.”
Click to expand...

It was always a joy to watch Saeed Anwar and his unbelievable ability to find gaps where none existed. Most players during his era rated him very highly as did the fans.
 
adi_62941 said:
Some Pakistani cricketers have made a mockery of themselves and their teammates. It seems that only a Pakistani Muslim would use their cricketing fame to promote their religion.

Because of this influence, the Tableeg culture began in the Pakistani team and flourished during Inzi's captaincy period.
Click to expand...

True it went overboard. Should never mix religion with sports. But for the pas 20 years or so it has been the culture.
 
He turned religious after his 3 year old daughter died. Totally understandable and he said he lost the love for the game.

Still the best opener we ever had.
 
Pakpak said:
He turned religious after his 3 year old daughter died. Totally understandable and he said he lost the love for the game.

Still the best opener we ever had.
Click to expand...
The worst pain someone can experience is the loss of their child
 
Hitman said:
These are the bowlers he scored his runs against -

Venkatesh Prasad
Abey Kuruvilla
Anil Kumble
Sunil Joshi
Robin Singh
Sachin Tendulkar

Did I mention he used a runner for more than half of his innings?
Click to expand...
both Kumble and Prasad are indian greats.
 
Hitman said:
These are the bowlers he scored his runs against -

Venkatesh Prasad
Abey Kuruvilla
Anil Kumble
Sunil Joshi
Robin Singh
Sachin Tendulkar

Did I mention he used a runner for more than half of his innings?
Click to expand...
did you mention? i swear indians never stop mentioning it, good to know despite all the double hundreds indians scored this 190 odd still gets you furiously trying to downplay the merits of the innings 30 years on, he must have done something right.
 
He was a class player, Saeed Anwar, you don't see Pakistan produce these kinds of players anymore
 
Saeed is still by far the best opening batter ever from Pakistan. He was well ahead of his time
. Clean striker of the ball.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Saeed is still by far the best opening batter ever from Pakistan. He was well ahead of his time
. Clean striker of the ball.
Click to expand...
Saeed is the greatest pakistani batter Pakistan has ever had period.

No one comes close.
 
Statpadder Inc said:
He was a class player, Saeed Anwar, you don't see Pakistan produce these kinds of players anymore
Click to expand...
It’s a bit raw at the moment.. but Baba the batsman best of recent times you just need to see the opposition’s celebrations when they get his wicket iv seen Kohli & smith go wild.. reminds me of tendulkars prized wicket in the 90s.
 
Met the great man when he delivered his sermon at our camp on Saudi Arabia. Was very inspiring and I can only envy at the change he made to his life.
 
ElRaja said:
did you mention? i swear indians never stop mentioning it, good to know despite all the double hundreds indians scored this 190 odd still gets you furiously trying to downplay the merits of the innings 30 years on, he must have done something right.
Click to expand...
That was an amazing innings at that time. Scoring 190 was something new even if it was against our mediocre attack. The way he hit Kumble effortlessly for sixes was very demoralizing as an Indian fan back then.

Saeed Anwar was one player we use to dread as an Indian fan whenever we played against Pakistan. He reserved his best for us. The Pakistani team from 1990-1998 was truly amazing. Lots of talent and regularly used to own India.
 
And then there are others who believe in a cake slice that has been cut to perfection with the correct cutlery
 
mominsaigol said:
The worst pain someone can experience is the loss of their child
Click to expand...
Pakpak said:
He turned religious after his 3 year old daughter died. Totally understandable and he said he lost the love for the game.

Still the best opener we ever had.
Click to expand...

Same situation with Junaid Khan - I always felt the also lost the passion for cricket after the death of his child..

Similar situation maybe for Asif Ali too but of course he never had the same talent / skill as Junaid Khan and Saeed Anwar
 
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