Pakistan's leading pace bowler Mohammad Asif comments on his team's chances in the upcoming World Twenty20 and the exciting summer of Pakistani cricket after that in an exclusive discussion with PakPassion.net.

By: Saj Sadiq

16 April 2010

Mohammad Asif's 63 match international career has been a topsy turvy affair to say the least. At it's dizzy heights, he has mesmerised some of the best batsman in the world with his artistry when having a cricket ball in his right hand. Who will ever forget the off cutter that he bowled to VVS Laxman, it was just sheer brilliance from a compelling and thinking cricketer.

Sadly though Asif's 5 year international career has hit what you could term "a few stumbling blocks" over the course of time and what Pakistan cricket fans from all over the world want from the 27 year old bowler now is some maturity off the field and consistency of performance on it. Will we see that? Well the ball is firmly in the court of Mohammad Asif.

Talent is a word that is sometimes overused and far too many ordinary cricketers over the years have been labelled talented for my liking. However make no mistake Mohammad Asif fully deserves the talented label and if he knuckles down, works hard and focusses on his cricket he will look back at the latter part of his international career with great satisfaction when sitting with his children and grandchildren and looking through the record books following his farewell from the great game.

Speaking to PakPassion.net from Lahore, Asif was understandably very cautious with his choice of words and very deliberate about what he had to say. However the words that he spoke today had a certain determination about them and they displayed a hunger and desire to succeed that all fans want to hear from their nation's cricketers.

The ongoing training camp was the first topic that we discussed. There was no tired, lethargic, or resigned response from Asif. I could tell that he had genuinely enjoyed the camp and had appreciated working with legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis. "The training camp has been very good preparation for all of the boys" stated Asif. "Yes it's been hard work, but I believe it will definitely benefit us ahead of the World Cup finals in the West Indies. The preparation for such an important tournament has to be spot on".

Working with Waqar Younis would be a dream come true for any fast bowler, did Asif feel the same about working with Waqar?

"Waqar has been very helpful with his thoughts on my bowling. He analyses the art of bowling very well and has constantly provided me with feedback, advice and support. We have worked together on some new things, a few variations here and there and they have worked out very well. The camp has provided me with an opportunity to once again work with one of Pakistan's greatest ever cricketers. We had already worked together on the tours of New Zealand and Australia and we have continued in Lahore the work that we put in, on those tours. Waqar hasn't spotted any major technical flaws in my bowling, but as I said, we have worked on some minor adjustments and new ideas here and there".

Twenty/20 cricket must send shivers down the spines of many a bowler around the world, so does Asif wake up in the middle of the night worried at the thought of being carted around in his next spell of four overs......not a chance !

"Twenty/20 cricket is a totally different game to the other versions of the game and as a bowler I believe you have to try and out think the batsman. My objective is to outsmart the batsman, try and be one step ahead of your opponent. This form of the game is mentally very tough as a bowler and I always try to dodge the batsman".

Asif has been utitlised by his captain's in different ways in the Twenty over thrash version of cricket, where he has represented Pakistan on 10 occasions. So I asked him what was his pwn preferred option with the ball, bowl 4 overs continuously with the new ball, bowl 3 overs and then come back at the tail end of the innings when the slog is on? The response was one of a genuine team player.

"I am prepared to bowl whenever the captain or the team need me to. In twenty over cricket you know the batting side are looking to attack you continuously. If the team needs me to bowl four overs at the start, I am happy to do that, if they want me to bowl some of my spell at the start and then come back later in the innings, I am more than happy to do that for my team and skipper. What I do look to do is to try and get an early breakthrough for my team as I feel that if you get early wickets you put the opposition onto the backfoot and they have to reassess their strategy and the new batsmen will have to come in and will realise that they have already lost one or two top order batsmen".

When Pakistan's fixtures are arranged, Asif must cringe at the thought of another series in the United Arab Emirates, especially given that Pakistan are going to be playing a lot of cricket in the Middle East later this year and beyond. He was asked whether he thought he would eventually get the chance to play in Dubai or Abu Dhabi again or would he have to remain a spectator for those series.

"Of course it's frustrating as I want to play for my country all of the time. I don't want to miss any matches. The matter is being dealt with by Ijaz Butt saheb and I know he is talking to the relevant people to try and sort out the issue. Hopefully I can start playing cricket in the UAE shortly".

Looking ahead at Pakistan's packed schedule Asif must be licking his lips at the thought of a prolonged tour of England, where one would expect him to be a thorn in any opposition's side.

"I'm looking forward to the summer in England where we play a lot of cricket this year against the hosts and Australia. I've been pleased with my comeback in New Zealand and Australia and want to build on those series. This is an importnat phase of my career and I want to establish myself as a key component within the Pakistan team in all versions of the game".

However before the summer in England for Pakistan, there is the "small matter" of defending the Twenty/20 world champions crown. Asif was not part of the World Cup squad last year in England, but this time around he is an integral part of an impressive looking bowling lineup. So, I asked Asif what he thought about Pakistan's chances of defending the Twenty over crown. The reply was immediate, confident and straight to the point.

"We will win the World Cup" A short and sweet response from the Sheikhupura born medium fast bowler. What of the teams that could also win the tournament Asif? "I only know that Pakistan are favourites and we will win the World Cup" repeated Asif. No need to ask him his thoughts on any of the opposition teams or players, as Asif's primary concern appears to be to focus only on the team that he represents and to win the Twenty/20 World Cup for Pakistan.

The future can be very bright for Mohammad Asif and we can all hope that the headlines that he makes are for the right reasons.