By Saj Sadiq (24th December,2014)

PakPassion.net : What inspired you about Wasim Akram?

Mir Hamza : He was a world class cricketer, a cricketer who will always be remembered as an all-time great and someone who has inspired many youngsters across Pakistan to take up the sport of cricket. From a personal perspective, well he’s a left-arm pace bowler like me and that really made me like his style of bowling. Not only is a he legendary cricketer but his personality is tremendous also.


PakPassion.net : The competition in Karachi for places at the best cricket clubs, academies and First Class teams is intense. How did you get noticed amongst the thousands and thousands who hope for a career in cricket?

Mir Hamza : After finishing my studies I joined the UBL Academy in Karachi. That’s where my cricket career progressed and I came under the scanner of coaches in Karachi and started to get noticed by various high profile figures in the Karachi cricket circuit. I worked with coaches like Masood Anwar and Azam Khan who really assessed my game and looked at the strengths and weaknesses and really helped me mature and improve. 

At that age, the competition for places was daunting, but it actually inspired me and made me want to work even harder and want to make a name for myself in cricket. I started to go to the UBL Academy on a regular basis and that gave me a very good grounding in my cricket.


PakPassion.net : So after joining the UBL academy, how did your career progress?

Mir Hamza : I saw the professionalism at the academy and that made me hungry for success. My thoughts turned to wanting to represent Karachi and then Pakistan. I knew it was a distant dream and one where there would be many hurdles but one that I felt I could achieve. 

Whilst at the UBL Academy I was picked for Karachi Under 19s where I was the leading wicket-taker and then I was picked for Pakistan Under 19s in 2012. From then I was picked for the Karachi First Class team and have continued to make steady progress culminating in a very good Quaid-e-Azam tournament for me recently.


PakPassion.net : You’ve taken 58 wickets recently in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Gold tournament at an average of 17.43, which is quite a performance. What do you put that remarkable effort down to?

Mir Hamza : In Pakistan there is so much competition for places. To get noticed you have to be special and I always promised myself that if I played cricket professionally there would be no half measures and I would do my utmost to play at the highest level and for my country one day. I said to myself that you don’t get noticed by taking thirty or so wickets in a First Class tournament, you have to do more than that and you have to be amongst the highest wicket-takers not amongst the also-rans.

Last season when I played regional cricket I took 45 wickets in seven matches which was really pleasing. This season was a continuation of the efforts of last season and I’m glad I’ve had a good Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. I worked on my fitness and on a few technical amendments and it’s worked out well. 


PakPassion.net : At the age of 22 you are obviously still learning the game but already you are showing tremendous signs of improvement?

Mir Hamza : Yes it’s very heartening. Both physically and in terms of skills I am maturing as a cricketer. I’m feeling in good shape and as a cricketer you are always developing and learning and if you ever feel that you are the complete cricketer, you can come back to earth with a bump. I’m learning more about diet, more about myself as a cricketer and developing my skills. Things are coming together nicely but there’s a long road ahead.


PakPassion.net : Having spoken with a number of first-class cricketers about you, they’ve all said that you are one of the very few young left-arm pace bowlers in Pakistan who can swing the ball both ways. Is that accurate?

Mir Hamza : It’s good to know that my fellow professionals are speaking highly of me and there is no bigger praise than getting respect from people in the game and who know the game of cricket. I’ve also read comments on PakPassion about my bowling and it was really encouraging to read positive comments from knowledgeable fans, so I thank those fans on PakPassion who have been writing good things about me. It’s great that a site like PakPassion talks about and interviews cricketers in Pakistan that aren’t that well known instead of just focussing on the big names.

When I started bowling, my natural delivery was the inswinger to the right hander. I never had any problems with that delivery, it just came to me from a very early age and I developed that delivery further in my under 19 days. However my coaches told me that at Under 19 level having just the inswinger could work but if I really wanted to make a mark at a higher level particularly in international cricket then I would need to bowl quicker and be able to bowl the one that moves away from the right hander too.

So in the last two years I’ve been working very hard on my outswinger. At first it was a bit of a struggle but gradually as time went by and with more practice the outswinger is now part of my repertoire. These days the outswinger actually feels like the more natural delivery which is very pleasing.


PakPassion.net : Pakistan has always been well represented by genuine out and out pace bowlers. What have you been measured at on the speed gun?

Mir Hamza : I honestly don’t know because I don’t think I’ve ever bowled where there has been a speed gun present. I’m well aware that in international cricket you need to have some pace behind you to succeed so I’m working on getting up to the 140kph mark. I think I’m in the mid to high 130s but until my speed is measured I won’t know for definite. I’m working on some adjustments so hopefully we’ll get up to the 140kph mark soon.


PakPassion.net : You were selected for the last two matches for Pakistan A against Kenya. How was that experience?

Mir Hamza : It was a proud moment to be selected and playing alongside experienced international players like Saeed Ajmal and Fawad Alam. There were a number of players who have played for Pakistan in the Pakistan A side so it was good to be in that environment and around those players. The likes of Saeed Ajmal and Fawad Alam were very supportive and offered great advice to me. 

I’d set myself the goal of playing for Pakistan A this season if there were any matches coming up and to have achieved that goal and played two matches and taken some wickets was very encouraging and a step up the ladder towards international cricket. 


PakPassion.net : The next domestic tournament is the Pentangular Cup. What are your aims and targets in that tournament?

Mir Hamza : I want to continue the good form that I’ve been in this season so far, so this tournament cannot come quick enough for me. I’m looking forward to it and I want to be the leading wicket-taker in this tournament after being the second highest wicket taker in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.


PakPassion.net : People will say that you are another left arm pace bowler, something that the Pakistan team has an abundance of. Do you think you can offer Pakistan something different to what they already have?

Mir Hamza : I think I can. Pakistan cricket is blessed with several world class left arm pace bowlers like Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz and it won’t be easy to replace any of those bowlers. My dream has always been to play for Pakistan and not be amongst the many cricketers who never see international cricket. It would be an honour to play alongside the likes of these fast bowlers I’ve mentioned but I think I can hold my own in international cricket whenever the chance comes.

This season has been a breakthrough season for me and my progress has been heartening, but the next step is international cricket and I feel that if the chance comes I will not let anyone down.

Discuss!