Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
Quotes from Hamid Mir show featuring Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed:
Waqar Younis:
"There were many cricketers in the mid 80s and 90s who played for Pakistan who were literally selected by Imran Khan. In those days, there wasn't a system of selection and media as there is now. His eye was such that he selected us"
"I don't know what he looked for in a player but of course, when he saw some talent, he had him selected"
"I was in a Pakistan camp and Imran Khan was ill but we just wanted to see him. He came to the camp and the first time I interacted with him, he put his hand on my shoulder and said 'Waqar mian, you are going to Sharjah'. I was literally completely shocked. I couldn't even think of going on a tour at that stage, I was young and had just played 6-7 FC matches. I guess he had spoken to the selectors or something. That was my first interaction with him"
"I was playing for UBL. There was a Super Wills Cup match between Pakistan and India's domestic champion teams. The match was broadcast on PTV. I was smashed in the game and was hit for sixes. But Imran Khan was sick so he happened to watch the game, and the next day he came to see us and told me I was selected"
"Imran Khan told us just a few days ago that Inzi didn't do justice to his ability"
"In the 90s, television had started to people had started lip-reading so people used to say that Imran bhai is very aggressive and gives abuses. But he used to say bad things only to those players who wouldn't give effort and give up. We always tried hard even when we lost matches"
"There was a one day match in Melbourne where we were getting dismissed for a low score and Imran bhai was coming off the field after being dismissed. I was going in to bat so he told me to play with a straight bat. I said OK and went to bat, took my guard and survived the first couple balls. I was a tailender and obviously was gravitated towards playing shots in the legside. Merv Hughes came to bowl, and gave a full length delivery which I tried to smash and got clean bowled. I was walking back to the dressing room but didn't feel like encountering Imran bhai... I took off my pads and I didn't see him anywhere so I was content. I went to the dining room where he was eating so he asked what happened; thinking that he hadn't seen what happened, I said I got cleaned up by a yorker though I tried to keep it out by playing straight. Unfortunately, there was a TV there where they were showing the highlights which he had obviously seen... let's just skip the rest, regarding what was said etc."
"This is an opportunity for Imran Khan to implement his vision for Pakistan cricket, which he has had for 30-40 years but no one has ever done anything about it. He wants quality ahead of quantity. In domestic cricket, there is a huge quantity with 16 or 24 first class team. His mindset is I think to have 6-8 FC teams with the best players with grades below that, trickling all the way down to school level cricket. This top level with 8 teams should have the cream of the players which will be invested in and will have fit players. There is no shortage of talent in Pakistan but we need to make sports an institution which filters the best talent and helps us to become a force at the international level. I agree with him whereas some don't as we have departmental cricket and a few other teams as well"
Inzamam-ul-Haq:
"Imran bhai had so much belief in me, beyond the belief I had in myself. One of his great qualities was that any player he selected, he would have full confidence in him. I didn't score runs throughout the World Cup but even in meetings, he said that the day Inzamam scores, he'll win us a match. The other players jokingly said 'What have you given him to eat that he speaks that way even though you haven't scored anything'?"
"Before the World Cup match against New Zealand, I was vomiting and feeling unwell. I told Mushtaq Ahmed (as he was senior to me and I felt awkward saying it myself) to tell Imran bhai that I was unwell and wouldn't be able to play. So when Mushtaq told me, he laughed and said 'no matter what, Inzamam, you will play'. While the rest of the team was warming up, I was getting treatment. He still had the confidence that I could perform. Allah made me do something that was memorable for me, and it was amongst my best innings"
"Imran bhai gave a lot of confidence and was never in two minds, he was determined. He took less input from the selectors and usually made the team by himself. I top scored in Pakistan for 3 seasons but the selectors rejected me, saying I wasn't a big match player"
"Waqar, Mushtaq and myself have played with eachother since we were young. Waqar and Mushtaq used to pick Imran bhai from his home for practice. He asked them about any good batsmen so they said there's a guy from Multan called Inzamam. So Imran bhai saw me in 1991 in the nets and said 'Start getting ready, you're going with us on tour'. Later I realised, it was the player's temperament that he was looking at. He didn't just select the players for 1992, the players he selected played for 15 years after he left"
"I only played alongside Imran bhai for 3 months, if I had played with him for 3 years then my 20,000 international runs could have been 30-35k runs"
"In 1991 when I came into the team, we were playing Tests against SL. My duty was not to train with the rest of the team, but instead to do 5 laps around the ground in the morning, monitored by Intikhab Alam. During lunch when the players were coming on the stairs, back from the field, I was supposed to go down at the same time for practice, and then after the match, since I wasn't playing, I had to train. So just one day when Imran bhai was coming back from the field, I wasn't on my way down... the rest you can imagine"
"Imran bhai was really good at reading people. In the first match of the World Cup at Melbourne, I entered the huge stadium with 80k people in the fans. Imran bhai was behind me and immediately understood what I must be feeling with such a crowd. He told me that whenever I see these people, I think I am better than all these people which is why they come to watch me. So he told me to feel good, and to feel that they have come here to see me, after which I will enjoy playing. There isn't so much difference between the top cricket players, it's about how they handle the pressure moments"
Mushtaq Ahmed:
"Before the match against NZ in 1992, Inzi was upset and was saying he couldn't go due to vomiting etc. When I told Imran bhai, he laughed first then said 'Tell him that he doesn't have to bat at 3, he'll bat at 6 and he will win us the match'. I told Inzi what he said, so he was a motivated"
"Imran bhai would be 10 overs ahead of opposing captains. Waqar and Wasim would come back after bowling, take off their shoes and lie down. Imran bhai on the other hand would watch each and every ball and then make his plan"
"When he saw Inzamam the first day... it was at Gaddafi Stadium so Aaqib Javed and a few other bowlers were bowling to Inzi. He must have played 4-5 balls when he hit a pull shot. Imran bhai said stop the session, we have found Viv Richards"
"When I was facing Viv Richards for the first time, I was very young. Imran bhai gave me the ball. For the first ball, he came up to me and asked what field do you want? He didn't tell me what to do, he asked me what I want and would back me up. I asked for a bat pad and a slip. He asked do you know who this is? He's the world's biggest player and hits a lot. I said that if he sees I'm a youngster and tries to hit me and commits a mistake, our game will be over now and we won't have to fight to the end. He said shabash, well done, let's go and do it. But there were three fours on the next three balls!"
"In 1989 in Australia, I was hit for 70 runs in 10 overs which was a massive thrashing in those days. We went back for lunch after being hit for 300 so I told Wasim bhai, I didn't bowl that bad but got smashed today. While I was eating, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was expecting to be dropped and didn't care about the hand. Then I heard a voice, Imran bhai's saying 'Mushtaq'. So I immediately stood up. He said listen to me, if it was your day today, the way you bowled, you were going to take 5 wickets. You got hit despite good bowling today. It was a great incentive for me and in the next game, I was close to being Man of the Match"
"I used to be dropped by UBL and the newspaper analysts would write how is Imran playing Mushtaq when his own team has dropped him? Imran bhai heard about these things floating around and came up to me while I was training and said don't worry, I trust you, I know your ability and you will play for Pakistan as long as I am here as I have full faith in your ability"
"Imran bhai used to absorb pressure instead of putting it on others. He took the pressure of batting up the order in the World Cup. As soon as pressure came on the team, he would try to reverse it and believed in himself. That's why we went on to play for 15-20 years for Pakistan, because we had him as a role model and knew how to deal with pressure"
Waqar Younis:
"There were many cricketers in the mid 80s and 90s who played for Pakistan who were literally selected by Imran Khan. In those days, there wasn't a system of selection and media as there is now. His eye was such that he selected us"
"I don't know what he looked for in a player but of course, when he saw some talent, he had him selected"
"I was in a Pakistan camp and Imran Khan was ill but we just wanted to see him. He came to the camp and the first time I interacted with him, he put his hand on my shoulder and said 'Waqar mian, you are going to Sharjah'. I was literally completely shocked. I couldn't even think of going on a tour at that stage, I was young and had just played 6-7 FC matches. I guess he had spoken to the selectors or something. That was my first interaction with him"
"I was playing for UBL. There was a Super Wills Cup match between Pakistan and India's domestic champion teams. The match was broadcast on PTV. I was smashed in the game and was hit for sixes. But Imran Khan was sick so he happened to watch the game, and the next day he came to see us and told me I was selected"
"Imran Khan told us just a few days ago that Inzi didn't do justice to his ability"
"In the 90s, television had started to people had started lip-reading so people used to say that Imran bhai is very aggressive and gives abuses. But he used to say bad things only to those players who wouldn't give effort and give up. We always tried hard even when we lost matches"
"There was a one day match in Melbourne where we were getting dismissed for a low score and Imran bhai was coming off the field after being dismissed. I was going in to bat so he told me to play with a straight bat. I said OK and went to bat, took my guard and survived the first couple balls. I was a tailender and obviously was gravitated towards playing shots in the legside. Merv Hughes came to bowl, and gave a full length delivery which I tried to smash and got clean bowled. I was walking back to the dressing room but didn't feel like encountering Imran bhai... I took off my pads and I didn't see him anywhere so I was content. I went to the dining room where he was eating so he asked what happened; thinking that he hadn't seen what happened, I said I got cleaned up by a yorker though I tried to keep it out by playing straight. Unfortunately, there was a TV there where they were showing the highlights which he had obviously seen... let's just skip the rest, regarding what was said etc."
"This is an opportunity for Imran Khan to implement his vision for Pakistan cricket, which he has had for 30-40 years but no one has ever done anything about it. He wants quality ahead of quantity. In domestic cricket, there is a huge quantity with 16 or 24 first class team. His mindset is I think to have 6-8 FC teams with the best players with grades below that, trickling all the way down to school level cricket. This top level with 8 teams should have the cream of the players which will be invested in and will have fit players. There is no shortage of talent in Pakistan but we need to make sports an institution which filters the best talent and helps us to become a force at the international level. I agree with him whereas some don't as we have departmental cricket and a few other teams as well"
Inzamam-ul-Haq:
"Imran bhai had so much belief in me, beyond the belief I had in myself. One of his great qualities was that any player he selected, he would have full confidence in him. I didn't score runs throughout the World Cup but even in meetings, he said that the day Inzamam scores, he'll win us a match. The other players jokingly said 'What have you given him to eat that he speaks that way even though you haven't scored anything'?"
"Before the World Cup match against New Zealand, I was vomiting and feeling unwell. I told Mushtaq Ahmed (as he was senior to me and I felt awkward saying it myself) to tell Imran bhai that I was unwell and wouldn't be able to play. So when Mushtaq told me, he laughed and said 'no matter what, Inzamam, you will play'. While the rest of the team was warming up, I was getting treatment. He still had the confidence that I could perform. Allah made me do something that was memorable for me, and it was amongst my best innings"
"Imran bhai gave a lot of confidence and was never in two minds, he was determined. He took less input from the selectors and usually made the team by himself. I top scored in Pakistan for 3 seasons but the selectors rejected me, saying I wasn't a big match player"
"Waqar, Mushtaq and myself have played with eachother since we were young. Waqar and Mushtaq used to pick Imran bhai from his home for practice. He asked them about any good batsmen so they said there's a guy from Multan called Inzamam. So Imran bhai saw me in 1991 in the nets and said 'Start getting ready, you're going with us on tour'. Later I realised, it was the player's temperament that he was looking at. He didn't just select the players for 1992, the players he selected played for 15 years after he left"
"I only played alongside Imran bhai for 3 months, if I had played with him for 3 years then my 20,000 international runs could have been 30-35k runs"
"In 1991 when I came into the team, we were playing Tests against SL. My duty was not to train with the rest of the team, but instead to do 5 laps around the ground in the morning, monitored by Intikhab Alam. During lunch when the players were coming on the stairs, back from the field, I was supposed to go down at the same time for practice, and then after the match, since I wasn't playing, I had to train. So just one day when Imran bhai was coming back from the field, I wasn't on my way down... the rest you can imagine"
"Imran bhai was really good at reading people. In the first match of the World Cup at Melbourne, I entered the huge stadium with 80k people in the fans. Imran bhai was behind me and immediately understood what I must be feeling with such a crowd. He told me that whenever I see these people, I think I am better than all these people which is why they come to watch me. So he told me to feel good, and to feel that they have come here to see me, after which I will enjoy playing. There isn't so much difference between the top cricket players, it's about how they handle the pressure moments"
Mushtaq Ahmed:
"Before the match against NZ in 1992, Inzi was upset and was saying he couldn't go due to vomiting etc. When I told Imran bhai, he laughed first then said 'Tell him that he doesn't have to bat at 3, he'll bat at 6 and he will win us the match'. I told Inzi what he said, so he was a motivated"
"Imran bhai would be 10 overs ahead of opposing captains. Waqar and Wasim would come back after bowling, take off their shoes and lie down. Imran bhai on the other hand would watch each and every ball and then make his plan"
"When he saw Inzamam the first day... it was at Gaddafi Stadium so Aaqib Javed and a few other bowlers were bowling to Inzi. He must have played 4-5 balls when he hit a pull shot. Imran bhai said stop the session, we have found Viv Richards"
"When I was facing Viv Richards for the first time, I was very young. Imran bhai gave me the ball. For the first ball, he came up to me and asked what field do you want? He didn't tell me what to do, he asked me what I want and would back me up. I asked for a bat pad and a slip. He asked do you know who this is? He's the world's biggest player and hits a lot. I said that if he sees I'm a youngster and tries to hit me and commits a mistake, our game will be over now and we won't have to fight to the end. He said shabash, well done, let's go and do it. But there were three fours on the next three balls!"
"In 1989 in Australia, I was hit for 70 runs in 10 overs which was a massive thrashing in those days. We went back for lunch after being hit for 300 so I told Wasim bhai, I didn't bowl that bad but got smashed today. While I was eating, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was expecting to be dropped and didn't care about the hand. Then I heard a voice, Imran bhai's saying 'Mushtaq'. So I immediately stood up. He said listen to me, if it was your day today, the way you bowled, you were going to take 5 wickets. You got hit despite good bowling today. It was a great incentive for me and in the next game, I was close to being Man of the Match"
"I used to be dropped by UBL and the newspaper analysts would write how is Imran playing Mushtaq when his own team has dropped him? Imran bhai heard about these things floating around and came up to me while I was training and said don't worry, I trust you, I know your ability and you will play for Pakistan as long as I am here as I have full faith in your ability"
"Imran bhai used to absorb pressure instead of putting it on others. He took the pressure of batting up the order in the World Cup. As soon as pressure came on the team, he would try to reverse it and believed in himself. That's why we went on to play for 15-20 years for Pakistan, because we had him as a role model and knew how to deal with pressure"
