PakPassion.net presents an exclusive interview with Mohammad Khalil. Khalil, a left-arm medium-pace bowler from Lahore, made his debut for Pakistan in 2004 against the mighty Australians. Khalil was one of the young bowlers given an opportunity to play for Pakistan after the team?s poor performance in the 2003 World Cup and the subsequent retirement of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram. He failed to pick up any wickets but showed glimpses of talent. He has been out of the team since 2005, having represented Pakistan in only 2 Tests and 3 ODIs. Now at 28 years old, Khalil is coming off a great domestic season and was amongst the highest wicket takers in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy. Khalil believes he still has time on his side and can still play for Pakistan. He?s confident of proving his talent if given another opportunity. We thank Khalil for his time and wish him the best of luck for the future.

PakPassion.Net: You made your international debut against Australia in 2004. At the time, the Aussies were a very strong team. How did you feel at the time going up against the mighty Aussies at Perth?

Mohammad Khalil: The team had been announced the night before but I was very confident at that time. There wasn?t any pressure on me because I had performed very well at the domestic circuit. Unfortunately I failed to pick up any wickets in my debut match but I did give my 100 percent effort to the team. 

PakPassion.Net: Your second Test was against a strong Indian side. Their batting at the time was very strong. Tell us a bit about the match at Kolkata. 

Mohammad Khalil: I made my debut against the Aussies and played my second match against India. Both of those teams had world class batting lineups. The conditions in India do not favor fast bowlers. In Kolkata we had to deal with high temperatures, which were close to 40+, with 95% humidity. On top of that it was a very flat wicket. I did not perform that well but that was really my own fault. 

PakPassion.Net: The Late Bob Woolmer always had high praises for you. He really liked your bowling and was impressed. Tell us a little something about Bob Woolmer. What advice did he give you?

Mohammad Khalil: I did a lot of work on my bowling with Bob Woolmer. I remember going on an ?A? team tour of Zimbabwe and Namibia. During that tour, Bob Woolmer came all the way from South Africa to watch our matches and we had coaching sessions at that time. I also had the opportunity to work with Wasim Akram. Wasim Bhai gave me a lot of tips on bowling an inswinger and that really improved my bowling. 

PakPassion.Net: It?s been five years since you have played any international cricket. Now you are 28 years old and have become a very experienced player in the domestic circuit. Do you think you?ll have another opportunity to play for Pakistan at the international level?

Mohammad Khalil: Absolutely. If you are performing well at the domestic level then you should be given the opportunity to play international cricket. Pakistan?s domestic cricket is similar to county cricket and performance at that level should determine if you get a chance to play for Pakistan. If you perform well then you should not be ignored. If given another opportunity I will definitely prove my talent. 

PakPassion.Net: You were one of the highest wicket takers, having picked up over 60 wickets, in domestic cricket during this season. You were saying that you really enjoyed your cricket this year. What was so different about this season?

Mohammad Khalil: I had never been to England to play any cricket. This year I had the opportunity to go to England and was able to get myself in great shape. I had great workouts there and worked on my bowling a lot. I had prepared myself to play 11 matches in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy without breaking down. I had my mindset on being fit and bowling well. 

PakPassion.Net: You picked up over 60 wickets in domestic cricket since returning from club cricket in England. Do you think that the success was a result of being physically fit or did you make any technical changes to your bowling?

Mohammad Khalil: Being physically fit and mentally strong makes a great difference on your performance. If you aren?t fit then you will not enjoy playing cricket. If you enjoy playing cricket then you?ll be able to give your best effort at all times. 

PakPassion.Net: Your team has a very good bowling attack. The likes of Rao Iftikhar and Sohail Tanvir are very experienced bowlers. Does playing with such bowlers help you improve as a bowler? 

Mohammad Khalil: Definitely. I really enjoy bowling in tandem with Sohail Tanvir. We really enjoyed the bowling partnership and had success. It was a very enjoyable experience. 

PakPassion.Net: Most of the matches had very low scores this season. Is that due to the type of wickets or the poor techniques of the batsmen? Were the tracks favorable to bowlers?

Mohammad Khalil: There were only one or two tracks that helped the bowlers and most of the pitches were very sporting. I?ve been playing domestic cricket for some time and I haven?t come across any batsman that can become a good test cricketer for us.

PakPassion.Net: Pakistan is really struggling when it comes to batting at the test level. Do you think that the batting standard in domestic cricket is really poor?[/B]

Mohammad Khalil: I haven?t seen many batsmen that can survive in tests cricket. There may be one or two that have the talent but overall it?s not very good. These guys are alright for one-day cricket because it?s a short form of the game. But the real format is test cricket and that?s where they struggle. 

PakPassion.Net: You said that there were one or two batsmen that had the chance to succeed at the test level. Who are those batsmen?

Mohammad Khalil: Haris Sohail is a very good left-handed batsman. He?s a talented middle order batsman and is currently playing for ZTBL. If you are looking for a mature cricketer then Usman Salahuddin is also very impressive. 

PakPassion.Net: Is that the Usman Salahuddin who recently played at the under-19 level?

Mohammad Khalil: Yes. He?s very talented and can be developed into a good batsman. 

PakPassion.Net: Babar Azam is another young player that has impressed a lot of people. What do you think about Babar? 

Mohammad Khalil: Babar Azam is a very good cricketer. He hasn?t played a lot of matches so it will take time for him to develop.

PakPassion.Net: You have been playing domestic cricket in Pakistan for a long time. As a first class cricketer, do you think that the current domestic setup is good enough or does it require some altering?

Mohammad Khalil: The domestic structure definitely needs to be improved. There are some concerns with the current structure. The pitches need to be improved and the balls used in domestic competitions also need to be improved. When you get to the international level you end up playing with a kookaburra ball. But in domestic matches we are playing with a different ball.

PakPassion.Net: There were rumors that the players have not been paid the match fees for the recent matches. Is there any truth to that? 

Mohammad Khalil: I think it was an issue for players playing for regional teams. I'm playing for a department team so it didn't concern me but I have heard that regional players have had problems

PakPassion.Net: So, the players that are playing for various departments have gotten their wages?

Mohammad Khalil: Yes. The departments are paying the players.

PakPassion.Net: It was a great pleasure speaking with you. We thank you for your time and wish you the best of luck for the future.

Mohammad Khalil: Thank you.