The wily southpaw spinner provided PakPassion.Net with his views concerning his current levels of confidence, his respect for Daniel Vettori and his plan on helping his batting team mates on the upcoming challenge against New Zealand's excellent left arm spinner .

 by kingusama92

11 December 2010

30 year old left arm spinner Abdur Rehman has beaten the odds again and again over the years to garner a spot in the current Pakistan side. 

His journey to international cricket has been a rigorous and winding one with many years of domestic cricket and Pakistan "A" tours under his belt. Finally, he feels like he belongs in international cricket and hopes that he can establish himself and cement his place in the side in the coming months and years.

The wily southpaw spinner provided PakPassion.Net with his views concerning his current levels of confidence, his respect for Daniel Vettori and his plan on helping his batting team mates on the upcoming challenge against New Zealand's excellent left arm spinner .

“The coaches (Waqar and Aaqib) and management have given me confidence in terms of believing in my ability to perform despite not having as much international cricket experience as others around me. They told me, if I could perform well at domestic cricket and replicate that form into international cricket - the results would show. I was really pleased with my performance against South Africa in the second test and hopefully I can continue that good form" stated the Habib Bank bowler.

When quizzed about his previous international stints with Pakistan and why he was dropped, Abdur Rehman was measured and positive in his reply. 

“Even I don’t know why I was dropped after that tour, but that all depends on the selectors and I can’t say much about what their reasoning was. I am sure the selectors made a fair decision when it came to dropping me and I suppose it was made in the best interest of Pakistan and its cricket.”

Abdur Rehman has been considered a Twenty20 specialist in the past by many analysts. However, a closer analysis of Rehman's statistics at domestic level reveals a record that stands up against any spinner in Pakistan, with 372 wickets, at an average of under 27, including 18 five wicket hauls and 4 ten wicket matches.

Rehman was positive he would successfully be able to translate his domestic success into international success in all three formats. “Allah ka shukar hai (all thanks to Allah). I am glad that I have been blessed with talent as this allows me to adapt to all three formats of the game, easily. My main goal has always been to perform for Pakistan and that can be in any format. I am glad that the selectors have selected me for all three squads and I am trying to make the most of the chances I have received. I don't see myself as a Twenty20 or one day specialist."

Abdur Rehman was complimentary of fellow left arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who will no doubt present the Pakistani batsmen with plenty of food for thought in the upcoming series in New Zealand. There was no doubting the amount of respect Rehman holds for one of the finest spinners in the game at the moment. 

“Vettori is a brilliant bowler. There is no doubt about his bowling skills and in the past he has earned the number one spot in the rankings for bowlers. He is a hard working cricketer. I'll be watching him closely in the upcoming matches, looking to learn from him and I am hoping to perform at that level myself and emulate him.”

Realising the similarities between both Daniel Vettori and himself – Rehman was asked whether or not he would be assisting his batting team mates by providing tips on how to face Vettori, at the ongoing training camp.

"I can’t really provide them with full advice. Most of the batsmen have already played Daniel Vettori in the past. In addition, they have played other left arm spinners in domestic cricket so most of them do have experience against that type of bowling. Although, I do bowl to them in the nets and suggest a few things to them and hopefully that will provide them with useful experience against that type of bowling.”

Rehman and his team mates' preparations for the series against New Zealand continue until the 15th of December at the training camp in Lahore, with the tour commencing on 23rd December when they take on Auckland.