I am delighted to have alongside me, Mohammad Zahid, the former Pakistan Fast Bowler and the man rumoured to have bowled the fastest delivery ever in international cricket. He is playing this season in the Liverpool Cricket League for Huyton Cricket Club. Zahid thanks very much for doing this interview for PakPassion.
by Saj Sadiq (23rd Aug 2009)
I am delighted to have alongside me, Mohammad Zahid, the former Pakistan Fast Bowler and the man rumoured to have bowled the fastest delivery ever in international cricket. He is playing this season in the Liverpool Cricket League for Huyton Cricket Club and I'm honoured and privileged to interview him.
PakPassion.Net : Zahid, it hasn't gone too well today, out for only a few runs is that right?
Mohammad Zahid : [laughs] Yes, unfortunately only scored I think like 5 runs. A bit disappointing!
PakPassion.Net : You were saying to me before the interview that you have a groin injury and currently are not bowling.
Mohammad Zahid : Yes, I haven't been bowling since last week due to the groin injury. I was bowling before this and Inshallah I will be bowling again in 1 or 2 weeks.
PakPassion.Net : I noticed from Cricinfo scorecards that this season you were playing for Pakistan Customs. How do you think you fared this season?
Mohammad Zahid : It went well. It had been 3 or 4 years since the last time I played first class cricket. I struggled for the first couple of games but I got my bowling rhythm going and since then I bowled okay and enjoyed myself.
PakPassion.Net : You have been playing Cricket for many years since the time of Legendary players such as Javed Miandad, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram were
PakPassion.Net : Zahid, it hasn't gone too well today, out for only a few runs is that right?
Mohammad Zahid : [laughs] Yes, unfortunately only scored I think like 5 runs. A bit disappointing!
PakPassion.Net : You were saying to me before the interview that you have a groin injury and currently are not bowling.
Mohammad Zahid : Yes, I haven't been bowling since last week due to the groin injury. I was bowling before this and Inshallah I will be bowling again in 1 or 2 weeks.
PakPassion.Net : I noticed from Cricinfo scorecards that this season you were playing for Pakistan Customs. How do you think you fared this season?
Mohammad Zahid : It went well. It had been 3 or 4 years since the last time I played first class cricket. I struggled for the first couple of games but I got my bowling rhythm going and since then I bowled okay and enjoyed myself.
PakPassion.Net : You have been playing Cricket for many years since the time of Legendary players such as Javed Miandad, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram were
playing in their prime. Comparing the two different eras, what do you think of the quality of the domestic scene, now and back then?
Mohammad Zahid : I believe that the standard isn't as good as it was back then. I can't pick out one point which has contributed to this. Perhaps, there are too many teams, too many players playing which means that the quality has dropped. But, I do believe there was more competitive cricket back then when the likes of Miandad, Wasim and Waqar were playing compared to nowadays.
PakPassion.Net : What exact reason? Is it the domestic setup, more teams playing, more average players given the chance to play, what do you think?
Mohammad Zahid : Mainly, I think that these days the cricketing authorities in Pakistan are promoting regional cricket now over departmental cricket. Departmental cricket was the main cricket back then and all the main professionals use to play it then. The authorities are doing more now to promote cricket such as play one day matches or sending players to England to gain experience, but departmental cricket teams back then were of better quality and there was more of a competitive edge. I think this is the main reason.
PakPassion.Net : Its interesting you mentioned regional cricket, I noticed in the domestic competitions there were regional teams in separate groups and departmental teams in their own groups, does this cause an imbalance in domestic cricket?
Mohammad Zahid : I think it is very imbalanced. It's been 2 to 3 years since I last played domestic cricket. I haven't see the quality of cricket which it was 6 to 8 years ago. The cricketing authorities and the people in power need to think and decide on what they want to do about the domestic scene. There is a lot of work to be done in the organisation of domestic cricket.
PakPassion.Net : Your status as a fast bowler is legendary. You were one of the fastest bowlers to ever play domestic and international cricket. Of the Pakistani fast bowlers coming (I will name 4 or 5 separately) through what do you think of their ability, attitude and their future prospects?
Mohammad Aamer?
Mohammad Zahid : I am very impressed with this youngster, he is very talented. I am also worried about him. He is very young and very lean. He is physically not ready to play all formats of cricket. I had the same problem when I was coming through. He bowls fast and he isn't physically strong enough to deal with the day to day grind of full time cricket. We will need to treat him well and plan his near future. If he wants a long and fruitful international future. He is a very impressive bowler though.
PakPassion.Net : You are talking about his physique, obviously he is just 17 or 18 year old at the moment and he will need to train a lot still. Cricketing wise, talent wise, he looks the real deal doesnt he?
Mohammad Zahid : Yes, for this reason, I am worried, he looks very talented. 17 years old, bowling 90mph etc. He is playing test cricket and one day cricket. It is very demanding cricket internationally physically. God forbid he gets a serious injury, as we only him at that age bowling that fast and it would be a loss to Pakistan cricket. At the moment he is really the only Pakistani bowler bowling anywhere near to 90mph.
PakPassion.Net : How should we playing him, let him play 1 or 2 matches and then rest him in between? We played him in all the Twenty20 World Cup matches too. Are the selectors asking for trouble by pikcing him in all forms of the game?
Mohammad Zahid : Twenty20 cricket is fine as you only bowl 4 overs and then you are off. I am more concerned about him playing test cricket which of course lasts 5 days and you bowl an average of 20 overs a day and he is also playing one day cricket. I believe a special plan need to be devised for him. For example, Play him say in one day matches and let him bowl only 7 or 8 overs and in test cricket maybe play him irregularly and understand his recovery time from that. Maybe do this until he is about 20 or 21 where he will be physically stronger and ready for full time cricket. That is what should be done to give him a long future in Pakistani cricket. He will need to be looked after.
PakPassion.Net : Moving on to Umar Gul, right arm fast bowler, who has a few injury problems in the past, a back injury like yourself. You have seen a lot of him, do you reckon it's due to his action?
Mohammad Zahid : I have played a lot of cricket with Umar, 4 to 5 years with PIA. His action is a complete action. Regarding his injuries, all fast bowlers get injured. There are very few fast bowlers out there who go throughout their career without injuries. He has come back well from his injuries and is fully fit and bowling well. I am impressed with him.
PakPassion.Net : Umar Gul, did well in Twenty20 cricket but in Test cricket he isn't performing too well. Why do you think this is?
Mohammad Zahid : Twenty20 format is a totally different format compared to the other two. Twenty20 you bowl 24 balls compared with Test cricket where you bowl for long spells around 20 over stints and in one day cricket you bowl up to 10 overs. Umar Gul will need to work hard and think about how to bowl at batsmen and come up with a bowling plan for formats other than T20.
PakPassion.Net : Moving on to Mohammad Asif, Very talented cricketer, successful in league cricket and international cricket. Bowls Inswingers and Outswingers, very good ability. Cricketing wise, what are your thoughts on him ?
Mohammad Zahid : (big sigh) No one has ever doubted his cricket ability and I dont doubt it either. He is a very talented cricketer, but he has a big decision to make, he needs to decide if he wants to play cricket or not. Its all down to him now.
PakPassion.Net : If Mohammad Asif came to you for advice, what would you advise him?
Mohammad Zahid : I would just give one piece of simple advice and that is to forget everything in the past which has happened and just play cricket! play cricket! play cricket!
PakPassion.Net : Asif has been named in the 30 man squad for the champions trophy. When he returns to international cricket, do you think he will have learnt his lessons or will he carry on with the same mistakes?
Mohammad Zahid : I believe he will have learnt his lessons or should have learnt from them after the severe punishment he has received. He will be playing cricket after 18 months and he will have to prove himself again as he wouldn't have bowled for at least 12 months and the spotlight and pressure will be on him. He will need to be mentally prepared. He has a lot to think about when he returns.
PakPassion.Net : The Captain, the selectors and the board will need to be patient with him as he can't be the same form that he was of before.
Mohammad Zahid : It will be difficult for him to return with the form he was of before. He will need to be backed by both the authorities, fellow players and the public. I hope he gets backing. I believe no one has really supported him within the authorities. If perhaps his name was Shoaib Akhtar, maybe he would got more support from the authroities! (laughs)
PakPassion.Net : Talking of Shoaib Akhtar, my next question is about him. Shoaib has himself told us that he believed that you (Mohammad Zahid) were the faster bowler ever. With Shoaib Akhtar what advice would you give him considering he is another cricketer where is off field activities is publicised more than his cricket.
[B]Mohammad Zahid : Shoaib and myself both came up the ranks together in first class cricket. We played together for PIA for 3 to 4 years. From Pakistan Juniors to Senior Internationals early on. His attitude has been like this from the early years! What advice can I give him?! I have no real solution for him as he hasn't changed. It's part of his makeup! He is not a bad character. He is a good guy! If I saw him I would give him the brotherly advice and say you have at most 1 or 2 years left in your career and concentrate just on cricket, as it would be good for him and for Pakistan if he knuckled down and kept his focus on crikcet.
PakPassion.Net : Wasim Akram, who we recently interviewed said Shoaib Akhtar's international career is over. Whereas Abdul Qadir disagreed and said he still has a future. What are your thoughts on this matter?
Mohammad Zahid : I have been hearing that Shoaib Akhtar's career is over for the last 6 or 7 years. I personally don't know how his fitness is currently. But, his fitness has always been like this even before he played for Pakistan. His body's anatomical condition is such that it isn't made to play say 5 tests in a series for example. He can play 1 test and then he will say rest him, so his body and his joints can recover. This way he can play for 1 or 2 years longer. I believe he should play longer.
PakPassion.Net : Do you reckon the selectors will pick Shoaib Akhtar again or do you think they have washed their hands of him?
Mohammad Zahid : (laughs) That is down to the selectors. They have been playing him with all this baggage for the last 10-12 years and utting up with his attitude. If the selectors can bear with him for just 1 or 2 years more, he deserves to carry on playing.
PakPassion.Net : Don't you get annoyed with Asif and Akhtar who have at times wasted their talent, whereas you put in the hard graft and got unlucky with injurie. Yet Asif and Akhtar have all these chances to represent their country and try their best to ruin them.
Mohammad Zahid : Of course, whenever I meet them I tell them this. Whatever they have got in this life is because of their cricketing ability, be it name, money, respect, public adoration etc. I tell them to put their cricket first and put all the non cricketing stuff after cricket. I tell them they have only have a short cricket career. Its about time the pair of them made cricket their main priority and everything else secondary. Otherwise, when they look back at their careers they might regret how their careers turned out and ended.
PakPassion.Net : Cricketers often talk about the selection policies at domestic and international level and say they are the wrong ones, what are your thoughts on this?
Mohammad Zahid : I have a lot to say about this. From playing domestic cricket, I believe the setup needs to be restructured from top to bottom. We need to go back to basics starting with school cricket which seems to have been forgotten by those in authority - where there is a lot of work to do, its not as good as it used to be - and also look at overhauling club cricket, then first class cricket. Once we have done this, our international level results will improve and we will start to produce better quality players.
PakPassion.Net : What do you think of the regional and national academy setup, are they working or do you think the academy system is flawed?
Mohammad Zahid : It's a work in progress. But there are no results or major output as of yet being produced in the regional academies. When we were One Day champions back in 1992, there were 10 PCB employees and now when we are struggling in international cricket there are between 700-750 employees at the PCB. (laughs)
We have now decent regional facilities, grounds, coaches, physios and nutritionists whereas back then we had nothing. But even after all this improvement, we are wondering where all the talent is.
PakPassion.Net : Talking of talent, any up and coming talent through at Pakistan Customs or teams you played against? Be it bowlers, batsmen or wicketkeepers
Mohammad Zahid : Unfortunately I have to say that not as of yet. 6 or 7 years ago, I could see couple of genuine batsmen, genuine top class spinners, fast bowlers with potential in each first class team who could become internationals and possibly world class. But, I am unable to say that I have seen any potential stars coming through this season when I have played domestic cricket.
PakPassion.Net : Earlier before the interview, we discussed Umar Akmal's potential and he has just recently made his ODI debut, you were not impressed with him, were you?
Mohammad Zahid : No, I wasn't impressed with him. I might be wrong on this as he's still very new to first class cricket. He will need to prove himself. He is new at this level and lets see what he can do. He has a lot of things to prove.
PakPassion.Net : I was speaking to Ijaz Ahmed and he said one of the biggest problems was that a lot of Academy, A team tours arranged by the PCB were to places such as Zimbabwe, Kenya and Bangladesh and now they were correcting this and arranging academy tours to Sri Lanka, South Africa and England, what are your thoughts on this?
Mohammad Zahid : Tours are always helpful as long as the boys are learning from it, irrespective of where they are playing. It's a good sign if the boys are going on these tours. They will learn from playing in different conditions in different atmospheres. They will learn a lot from these "A" and academy tours especially to the major test playing nations.
PakPassion.Net : Did you recently watch the Twenty20 world cup, what do you think of the tournament? Pakistan seem to be very strong in this format of the game, yet they seem to struggle in the other two formats.
Mohammad Zahid : Pakistan will always do well in the Twenty20 format, be it now or in 5 years time. Pakistan's club cricket is based on 20 or 25 overs of cricket. A lot of Pakistani cricketers play this format at club level and are very well trained in it and are brought up playing this shorter format. ODI and Test cricket is a totally different format for them.
PakPassion.Net : Thank you very much for your time. All your fans on Pakpassion.net wish you all the best of luck for the future!
Mohammad Zahid : Thank you very much.
Mohammad Zahid : I believe that the standard isn't as good as it was back then. I can't pick out one point which has contributed to this. Perhaps, there are too many teams, too many players playing which means that the quality has dropped. But, I do believe there was more competitive cricket back then when the likes of Miandad, Wasim and Waqar were playing compared to nowadays.
PakPassion.Net : What exact reason? Is it the domestic setup, more teams playing, more average players given the chance to play, what do you think?
Mohammad Zahid : Mainly, I think that these days the cricketing authorities in Pakistan are promoting regional cricket now over departmental cricket. Departmental cricket was the main cricket back then and all the main professionals use to play it then. The authorities are doing more now to promote cricket such as play one day matches or sending players to England to gain experience, but departmental cricket teams back then were of better quality and there was more of a competitive edge. I think this is the main reason.
PakPassion.Net : Its interesting you mentioned regional cricket, I noticed in the domestic competitions there were regional teams in separate groups and departmental teams in their own groups, does this cause an imbalance in domestic cricket?
Mohammad Zahid : I think it is very imbalanced. It's been 2 to 3 years since I last played domestic cricket. I haven't see the quality of cricket which it was 6 to 8 years ago. The cricketing authorities and the people in power need to think and decide on what they want to do about the domestic scene. There is a lot of work to be done in the organisation of domestic cricket.
PakPassion.Net : Your status as a fast bowler is legendary. You were one of the fastest bowlers to ever play domestic and international cricket. Of the Pakistani fast bowlers coming (I will name 4 or 5 separately) through what do you think of their ability, attitude and their future prospects?
Mohammad Aamer?
Mohammad Zahid : I am very impressed with this youngster, he is very talented. I am also worried about him. He is very young and very lean. He is physically not ready to play all formats of cricket. I had the same problem when I was coming through. He bowls fast and he isn't physically strong enough to deal with the day to day grind of full time cricket. We will need to treat him well and plan his near future. If he wants a long and fruitful international future. He is a very impressive bowler though.
PakPassion.Net : You are talking about his physique, obviously he is just 17 or 18 year old at the moment and he will need to train a lot still. Cricketing wise, talent wise, he looks the real deal doesnt he?
Mohammad Zahid : Yes, for this reason, I am worried, he looks very talented. 17 years old, bowling 90mph etc. He is playing test cricket and one day cricket. It is very demanding cricket internationally physically. God forbid he gets a serious injury, as we only him at that age bowling that fast and it would be a loss to Pakistan cricket. At the moment he is really the only Pakistani bowler bowling anywhere near to 90mph.
PakPassion.Net : How should we playing him, let him play 1 or 2 matches and then rest him in between? We played him in all the Twenty20 World Cup matches too. Are the selectors asking for trouble by pikcing him in all forms of the game?
Mohammad Zahid : Twenty20 cricket is fine as you only bowl 4 overs and then you are off. I am more concerned about him playing test cricket which of course lasts 5 days and you bowl an average of 20 overs a day and he is also playing one day cricket. I believe a special plan need to be devised for him. For example, Play him say in one day matches and let him bowl only 7 or 8 overs and in test cricket maybe play him irregularly and understand his recovery time from that. Maybe do this until he is about 20 or 21 where he will be physically stronger and ready for full time cricket. That is what should be done to give him a long future in Pakistani cricket. He will need to be looked after.
PakPassion.Net : Moving on to Umar Gul, right arm fast bowler, who has a few injury problems in the past, a back injury like yourself. You have seen a lot of him, do you reckon it's due to his action?
Mohammad Zahid : I have played a lot of cricket with Umar, 4 to 5 years with PIA. His action is a complete action. Regarding his injuries, all fast bowlers get injured. There are very few fast bowlers out there who go throughout their career without injuries. He has come back well from his injuries and is fully fit and bowling well. I am impressed with him.
PakPassion.Net : Umar Gul, did well in Twenty20 cricket but in Test cricket he isn't performing too well. Why do you think this is?
Mohammad Zahid : Twenty20 format is a totally different format compared to the other two. Twenty20 you bowl 24 balls compared with Test cricket where you bowl for long spells around 20 over stints and in one day cricket you bowl up to 10 overs. Umar Gul will need to work hard and think about how to bowl at batsmen and come up with a bowling plan for formats other than T20.
PakPassion.Net : Moving on to Mohammad Asif, Very talented cricketer, successful in league cricket and international cricket. Bowls Inswingers and Outswingers, very good ability. Cricketing wise, what are your thoughts on him ?
Mohammad Zahid : (big sigh) No one has ever doubted his cricket ability and I dont doubt it either. He is a very talented cricketer, but he has a big decision to make, he needs to decide if he wants to play cricket or not. Its all down to him now.
PakPassion.Net : If Mohammad Asif came to you for advice, what would you advise him?
Mohammad Zahid : I would just give one piece of simple advice and that is to forget everything in the past which has happened and just play cricket! play cricket! play cricket!
PakPassion.Net : Asif has been named in the 30 man squad for the champions trophy. When he returns to international cricket, do you think he will have learnt his lessons or will he carry on with the same mistakes?
Mohammad Zahid : I believe he will have learnt his lessons or should have learnt from them after the severe punishment he has received. He will be playing cricket after 18 months and he will have to prove himself again as he wouldn't have bowled for at least 12 months and the spotlight and pressure will be on him. He will need to be mentally prepared. He has a lot to think about when he returns.
PakPassion.Net : The Captain, the selectors and the board will need to be patient with him as he can't be the same form that he was of before.
Mohammad Zahid : It will be difficult for him to return with the form he was of before. He will need to be backed by both the authorities, fellow players and the public. I hope he gets backing. I believe no one has really supported him within the authorities. If perhaps his name was Shoaib Akhtar, maybe he would got more support from the authroities! (laughs)
PakPassion.Net : Talking of Shoaib Akhtar, my next question is about him. Shoaib has himself told us that he believed that you (Mohammad Zahid) were the faster bowler ever. With Shoaib Akhtar what advice would you give him considering he is another cricketer where is off field activities is publicised more than his cricket.
[B]Mohammad Zahid : Shoaib and myself both came up the ranks together in first class cricket. We played together for PIA for 3 to 4 years. From Pakistan Juniors to Senior Internationals early on. His attitude has been like this from the early years! What advice can I give him?! I have no real solution for him as he hasn't changed. It's part of his makeup! He is not a bad character. He is a good guy! If I saw him I would give him the brotherly advice and say you have at most 1 or 2 years left in your career and concentrate just on cricket, as it would be good for him and for Pakistan if he knuckled down and kept his focus on crikcet.
PakPassion.Net : Wasim Akram, who we recently interviewed said Shoaib Akhtar's international career is over. Whereas Abdul Qadir disagreed and said he still has a future. What are your thoughts on this matter?
Mohammad Zahid : I have been hearing that Shoaib Akhtar's career is over for the last 6 or 7 years. I personally don't know how his fitness is currently. But, his fitness has always been like this even before he played for Pakistan. His body's anatomical condition is such that it isn't made to play say 5 tests in a series for example. He can play 1 test and then he will say rest him, so his body and his joints can recover. This way he can play for 1 or 2 years longer. I believe he should play longer.
PakPassion.Net : Do you reckon the selectors will pick Shoaib Akhtar again or do you think they have washed their hands of him?
Mohammad Zahid : (laughs) That is down to the selectors. They have been playing him with all this baggage for the last 10-12 years and utting up with his attitude. If the selectors can bear with him for just 1 or 2 years more, he deserves to carry on playing.
PakPassion.Net : Don't you get annoyed with Asif and Akhtar who have at times wasted their talent, whereas you put in the hard graft and got unlucky with injurie. Yet Asif and Akhtar have all these chances to represent their country and try their best to ruin them.
Mohammad Zahid : Of course, whenever I meet them I tell them this. Whatever they have got in this life is because of their cricketing ability, be it name, money, respect, public adoration etc. I tell them to put their cricket first and put all the non cricketing stuff after cricket. I tell them they have only have a short cricket career. Its about time the pair of them made cricket their main priority and everything else secondary. Otherwise, when they look back at their careers they might regret how their careers turned out and ended.
PakPassion.Net : Cricketers often talk about the selection policies at domestic and international level and say they are the wrong ones, what are your thoughts on this?
Mohammad Zahid : I have a lot to say about this. From playing domestic cricket, I believe the setup needs to be restructured from top to bottom. We need to go back to basics starting with school cricket which seems to have been forgotten by those in authority - where there is a lot of work to do, its not as good as it used to be - and also look at overhauling club cricket, then first class cricket. Once we have done this, our international level results will improve and we will start to produce better quality players.
PakPassion.Net : What do you think of the regional and national academy setup, are they working or do you think the academy system is flawed?
Mohammad Zahid : It's a work in progress. But there are no results or major output as of yet being produced in the regional academies. When we were One Day champions back in 1992, there were 10 PCB employees and now when we are struggling in international cricket there are between 700-750 employees at the PCB. (laughs)
We have now decent regional facilities, grounds, coaches, physios and nutritionists whereas back then we had nothing. But even after all this improvement, we are wondering where all the talent is.
PakPassion.Net : Talking of talent, any up and coming talent through at Pakistan Customs or teams you played against? Be it bowlers, batsmen or wicketkeepers
Mohammad Zahid : Unfortunately I have to say that not as of yet. 6 or 7 years ago, I could see couple of genuine batsmen, genuine top class spinners, fast bowlers with potential in each first class team who could become internationals and possibly world class. But, I am unable to say that I have seen any potential stars coming through this season when I have played domestic cricket.
PakPassion.Net : Earlier before the interview, we discussed Umar Akmal's potential and he has just recently made his ODI debut, you were not impressed with him, were you?
Mohammad Zahid : No, I wasn't impressed with him. I might be wrong on this as he's still very new to first class cricket. He will need to prove himself. He is new at this level and lets see what he can do. He has a lot of things to prove.
PakPassion.Net : I was speaking to Ijaz Ahmed and he said one of the biggest problems was that a lot of Academy, A team tours arranged by the PCB were to places such as Zimbabwe, Kenya and Bangladesh and now they were correcting this and arranging academy tours to Sri Lanka, South Africa and England, what are your thoughts on this?
Mohammad Zahid : Tours are always helpful as long as the boys are learning from it, irrespective of where they are playing. It's a good sign if the boys are going on these tours. They will learn from playing in different conditions in different atmospheres. They will learn a lot from these "A" and academy tours especially to the major test playing nations.
PakPassion.Net : Did you recently watch the Twenty20 world cup, what do you think of the tournament? Pakistan seem to be very strong in this format of the game, yet they seem to struggle in the other two formats.
Mohammad Zahid : Pakistan will always do well in the Twenty20 format, be it now or in 5 years time. Pakistan's club cricket is based on 20 or 25 overs of cricket. A lot of Pakistani cricketers play this format at club level and are very well trained in it and are brought up playing this shorter format. ODI and Test cricket is a totally different format for them.
PakPassion.Net : Thank you very much for your time. All your fans on Pakpassion.net wish you all the best of luck for the future!
Mohammad Zahid : Thank you very much.
