Armed for Combat
Cricket was always in my blood, but I was also a good athlete who played most sports at school. I was good at badminton, a great runner, good at the high jump and a very good javelin thrower to the point that I still hold the record at my school for the longest throw. If you look at my bowling action, you will see how other sports played a part in it. I had the side-on action of a javelin thrower, the long sprint and also the jump of a high-jumper as I delivered the ball. Despite being an all-round sportsman in my youth, I thought that I would join the Army or the Air Force as in my family, I have a number of uncles and other relatives who are in the Air Force and Army and they all wanted me to follow in their footsteps. But all along, on the side, I was playing cricket and that was always a passion for me.
A Stroke of Luck
I had been named in the 22 probables in 1989 and there was a training camp going on at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. As luck would have it, Imran Khan was unwell and at home and unable to take part in the training camp. There was a Super Wills Cup Final match taking place between the One-Day domestic champions of Pakistan and India and I was in the squad for United Bank Limited. I was not supposed to be in the starting XI, but it’s often said that when it’s meant to be, then fortune favours you. One of our pace-bowlers had to pull out due to injury and the team management had no other option than to give me a chance. Imran Khan was watching the match at home on television, enjoyed my first spell and quickly came to the ground to watch my second spell. The next day, he came to the training camp and the first thing he said to me was that I was going to Sharjah as a member of the Pakistan squad. It was a combination of lucky occurrences, it was meant to be and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Influence of Imran
I played under Imran Khan from 1989 to 1992 and even for the 1992 World Cup squad, he suggested that I should travel with the squad, so when fit, I could have played in the latter stages of the tournament. The problem was that I was in so much pain with the back injury that I declined the offer as I knew that the injury was a serious one and that I wasn’t going to recover from it very soon. He was a teacher, a friend; he gave me freedom on the field, but other times he would be very strict. I recall a One-Day match against West Indies in Sharjah in 1991. It was a close match and I was bowling to Ian Bishop with West Indies only needing 11 or 12 to win. I went to Imran for advice and he suggested I bowl inswingers. I did that and Bishop smashed me for a 4 and then a 6. I couldn’t believe it, so I went back to Imran and asked him what should I bowl now, his reply was, you bowl what you feel is right. He left me to my own devices and that is something that has really stayed with me to this day. I bowled Bishop the next ball and we won the match by 1 run, but the biggest lesson I learnt from Imran that day was that he wanted me to think for myself. He wanted me to go with my gut feeling and wanted me to stand on my own two feet as a cricketer. I learnt a lot from him and what you learn from such characters stays with you forever.
Locking Horns with Sachin
One year before my Test debut, I had played for Pakistan Under-19s against India Under-19s and many of the Indian players were talking about the ‘little kid’ Tendulkar. They were all saying watch out for him, he is a run-machine and will be a star. Then a few months later in 1989, Sachin was touring Pakistan and as luck would have it, we both made our Test debuts at Karachi. I recall Sachin walking into bat and I was thinking who is this baby-faced little kid who belongs in a junior school. We were all literally laughing at him and wondering what he was doing playing for his country. He played a few nice shots, but he appeared very nervous and out of his depth at that stage of his career, but by the end of the tour and by the final Test match, he was settled-in and looked a lot more comfortable, and was already showing his class and ability.
Falling Out with Wasim
From 1995/1996 onwards, Wasim Akram and I became great buddies and remain so until today. We grew out of the issues we initially had. The whole team had issues with his captaincy and the way he was behaving. The whole thing blew up when the Justice Qayyum Report came out and Wasim was removed from the captaincy and for many years, he kept a grudge thinking that I was the one who led the revolt against his captaincy. But, I did not, as there were 13 or 14 players - many of whom were senior players - who were not happy with him as skipper. But for some reason, Wasim felt that I was the ringleader and I was the one behind it, so that I would be made captain after he was removed. It got ugly off the field with Wasim, but on the field, we always wanted to do the best for our country and to outdo each other with our performances. The on-field rivalry was good for the team and also good for our individual performance. Wasim and I always wanted to continue Imran Khan’s legacy. We had our differences off the field, but we respected each other as cricketers, we helped each other on the field, and we learnt from each other as well.
World Cup Agony
Initially missing out on the 1992 World Cup squad due to injury was not heart-breaking. I was young and knew that more opportunities would come. But then when the team won the World Cup, it was much more painful for me as I wanted to be out there with my mates and be a part of the group. When the squad returned to Pakistan, it was a very emotional time for me and I realised exactly what I had missed out on. I cried for hours when I met the triumphant squad on their return home. They picked me up, they hugged me, they took me to the big truck which was going from the airport to the hotel and it was great of them to allow me to join in the celebrations.
The County Scene
My first season of County cricket was in 1990 when we were returning home from a tour of the Caribbean. Imran Khan sent me to Ian Greig for trials at Surrey. I bowled a few overs in the nets and they liked me straight away and registered me overnight as a player. It all happened so quickly! The first season was hard, getting used to the culture, living in London, and getting used to the travel. In fact, there were a few occasions where I got lost on the London Underground, but it was all part of growing-up for me and helped me develop as a person. I had a few seasons at Surrey, a couple of seasons at Glamorgan, and finished at Warwickshire and I loved every minute of it. I learnt so much and it toughened me up for the challenge of Test cricket. When I think back, they were great times.
English Accusations
The ball-tampering allegations were heart-breaking. Our bowling attack was far superior to that of the opposition and Sir Geoffrey Boycott appreciated that when he said we could have bowled England out with an orange. It wasn’t a great feeling of course to be labelled cheats, but at that moment, we were just focussed on our performances and making sure we won matches for our country and silencing the critics. Every time we went to England, we gave them a hard time, we won most of the time and that was something that some couldn’t take. But we were just enjoying the moment, looking at our wickets column and the results, without bothering too much about what some were saying.
The Brilliance of Brian
In my era, there were many great batsmen like Steve Waugh, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, and Martin Crowe, but Brian Lara was the most difficult to bowl to and he was a step above the rest. He had that ability to put away for four, balls that other batsmen couldn’t lay a bat on. He was a genius and whilst it would be a close call between him and Tendulkar, Lara for me was the best.
Best Feeling in Cricket
It’s difficult to pinpoint one moment as a career-best or career-defining spell. The first 5 or 6 years of my career were like a dream; they just flew by so quickly. There were so many great performances in those first few years and I was the number-one bowler for several years. That consistency over the course of several years is something I am very proud of to this day. Some bowlers are on top for a couple of years, but I was up there at the top for at least 5 or 6 years. I cherished every tour of England and it was always nice to go over to England and beat them in their own back-yard. But if there is one match that is special for me, that was a Test match at Lord’s in 1992 where we won by 2 wickets. I took 7 wickets in the match and scored a vital 20 not out in a match-winning partnership with Wasim Akram, when it looked like we were going to lose.
Worst Feeling in Cricket
The 1996 World Cup Quarter-final against India in Bangalore was the low-point of my career. I was at the top of my game at that time and bowling really well. In my first 8 overs, I only gave away around 30 runs and then ended-up giving away 67 runs from my 10 overs. Those final 2 overs I bowled where Ajay Jadeja played a cameo and scored 45 not out really took the wind out of our sails and gave India the momentum to go on and win the match. That was a career-low for me, I was bowling so well, I was Pakistan’s best bowler at the time and we looked like a team that could have gone on and won that World Cup. That was painful, it hurt and it still hurts today.
The Spot Fixing Sting
The events of the 2010 tour of England were unbelievable. I recall speaking with the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ijaz Butt and saying to him that I was going to leave the tour and return home. But then, the late Yawar Saeed who was the team manager came up to me and said that there had already been enough controversy and if I left the tour, there would be even more issues and problems, so he suggested that I stay with the team and we continue the tour. It was emotionally draining and heart-breaking, it was demoralising, hard to cope with and it was extremely challenging. We all sat down together and decided to continue and fight on, but it was tough and not very pleasant. But, looking back, from the ashes of that tour came some positives; Misbah-ul-Haq became captain, and we developed a new team with several good young players coming through like Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.
Continuing a Proud Tradition
Whether it was as a player, as captain, as bowling coach or head coach, I have always done my best and given my all. I feel that I know enough about the game to pass it on to the younger guys coming through. When I look at the likes of Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, I think back to the time when I was a young bowler looking to Imran Khan for inspiration and guidance and him walking me through those first few years of my career. I feel that I can do the same with these young fast-bowlers and pass on to them what I learnt from the great Imran Khan. Pakistan’s bowling riches have always been there, and I want to do my utmost to ensure that the tradition continues. I feel a lot of pride that I have been given the responsibility of guiding Pakistan’s next generation of fast-bowlers.
<a href="https://t.co/Z2mPTDHrn0">pic.twitter.com/Z2mPTDHrn0</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1396382895455932419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
