Mudassar Nazar played for Pakistan in nearly 200 matches between 1976 and 1989 and was the opening partner with Mohsin Khan on a regular basis. He was a dogged opening batsman who averaged 38 in tests and 25 in ODIs and a more than useful medium pace bowler.
by Saj Sadiq (12th September 2009)
Mudassar Nazar played for Pakistan in nearly 200 matches between 1976 and 1989 and was the opening partner with Mohsin Khan on a regular basis. He was a dogged opening batsman who averaged 38 in tests and 25 in ODIs and a more than useful medium pace bowler.
He later became a very popular and well respected all rounder in League cricket in the UK and he?s also worked at the NCA in Lahore working with some of the finest up and coming talent in Pakistan.
Mudassar also tried his hand at coaching and was coach of the Kenyan national team in 2005, as well as having two stints as coach of the Pakistan team.
These days Mudassar is working for the ICC at their Global Cricket Academy in Dubai where he works with players from the Associate nations.
I?d like to say that it was an absolute pleasure speaking to someone as knowledgeable as Mudassar and I thank him for his time in doing this interview for PakPassion.
PakPassion.Net : Tell us about the time in England when Imran Khan handed you the ball so that one of the regular bowlers could change ends and you ended up taking several wickets and earning the nickname Golden Arm?
Mudassar Nazar : It was during a test match at Lords. Our team were struggling with injuries to key bowlers like Sarfraz Nawaz and Tahir Naqqash. Imran wanted Abdul Qadir to change ends, so he needed someone to bowl one fill-in over and he threw me the ball. In my first over I took 2 wickets and by the end of the second over I had taken 3 wickets. You could say it was an inspired bowling change (laughs).
PakPassion.Net : How do you feel about scoring rates these days in the modern game compared to when you were playing international cricket?
Mudassar Nazar : The game has definitely changed and to score 300 runs in one day in a test match isn?t really big news nowadays, whereas in the past you would have teams scoring 150 runs in a 60 over Gillette Cup match in England. I raise my hat to the Australians who were in my opinion the instigators of attacking batting in test cricket. As well as the Australians, the Sri Lankans deserve praise for the way that they have approached their batting in both forms of the game. Also you have to realise that cricket is competing with other sports like football that provide high intensity action and for that reason I think the implementation of Twenty/20 cricket was a great idea.
PakPassion.Net : What was the atmosphere in the dressing room like with Imran Khan as Captain. Did he come down hard on the players or was it just a myth?
Mudassar Nazar : Yes Imran did come down hard on the players at times, but it was warranted and he especially came down hard on the players whom he felt were not giving 100% effort and had the talent but weren?t fulfilling their talent. His thinking was that he wanted to give those players a push and to give them some self belief. Imran led by example, he had the respect of all the players and even when he gave some players dressing downs on the pitch, he knew which players to do that to, and how it could help them with their future development. He may have come down hard on players on the pitch and sometimes in the dressing room, but in front of the media he always backed his team mates.
PakPassion.Net : You are regarded as a legend in the Lancashire League, how do you feel League cricket in England developed your game?
Mudassar Nazar : Before I played in the Lancashire League, cricketers of the calibre of Viv Richards, George Headley and Dennis Lillee had played in that league. The League had a great heritage and really did help me develop my game, especially my bowling. I came through the Under 19 ranks in Pakistan and didn?t really get the chance to bowl much ? at most I would get the opportunity to bowl 3 or 4 overs in any match. However, as an overseas professional in the Lancashire League, I got the opportunity to bowl long spells and I could experiment with my bowling and work on areas that needed improving and I had the added responsibility on my shoulders so I had to deliver with both bat and ball. They were great days and very beneficial to my development as a cricketer.
PakPassion.Net : You were one of the coaches of the Academy team that toured Kenya and Zimbabwe a couple of years ago. Mohammed Aamer was one of the bowlers on that tour, did you believe that he would have the sudden impact he has had in the Pakistan team?
Mudassar Nazar : Yes I spent 3 or 4 years at the Academy in Lahore before I fell out with the authorities and I went on the very successful tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya with Aamer. I suggested to the Board that we should have a regional academy for each of the 11 regions and I first saw Aamer at one of the regional academies. It was in Rawalpindi and I saw this very slender 14 year old kid running into bowl. I know it?s easy to say this now, but I immediately knew that we had a fantastic talent here and he was one of the most talented kids I had seen whilst visiting the academies around the country. Almost right away, I said to my colleagues that this boy should be taken to the National Academy at Lahore and for him to be developed there under the watchful eye of the coaches, which is what we did a short while later.
Of course Aamer?s career already has had some ups and downs. He was taken to England as part of the Under 19 squad, but came back with a back injury. When we analysed Aamer at the NCA upon his return to Pakistan, it came to light that he was suffering from 3 stress fractures of his back. 2 of the fractures had been present since the age of 11 or 12, and the third fracture was suffered in England on the under 19 tour. The earlier fractures were probably as a result of playing cricket at a young age, perhaps street cricket or tape ball cricket and Aamer was probably not even aware of the fact that he was suffering from the fractures. The third fracture was as a result of being overbowled on the Under 19 tour of England, when Imad Wasim was his skipper. To be fair to Imad, he had no idea of the injury and he was just a very young lad himself given the job of being skipper. There was no physio with the Under 19 squad that went to England which was a huge mistake by the PCB and Aamer's career could have been ended before it even started due to this oversight by the PCB. Aamer came back to Pakistan after the Under 19 tour and was complaining of back stiffness. When he was examined, the stress fractures came to light. Aamer lost 1 year of his development due to the back injury and it took a lot of hard work on his part and from NCA staff to get him fit again.
On that tour of England Bob Willis said that he could see something special in Mohammad Aamer and that he was a very fine prospect. A lot of the media and former cricketers could see that Aamer was by far and away the best bowler on either side and he already knew the ropes regarding pace bowling. He has always had the knack of digesting information from coaches and from what I have seen he is a very quick learner.
I also recall when he was selected for the Under 19 World Cup, I told the selectors not to send him and to instead let us work with him at the academy. However my instructions were ignored and luckily in my opinion Aamer came back early from that tour due to a fever.
Aamer is a diamond for Pakistan cricket, I recall when Mohammad Yousuf faced him in a domestic match. Yousuf didnt even know who Aamer was and Aamer bowled 2 very quick bouncers at Yousuf. Yousuf looked a bit shocked and gave a bewildered look as if to say who is this young kid bowling bouncers at me. Anyway, the third delivery to Yousuf was a very quick yorker that beat Yousuf all ends up and cannoned into his stumps.
For the future Aamer needs to build himself up, build his strength up and to take good care of himself. Already there is interest from County teams in England and this boy will only get better and faster.
PakPassion.Net : What are your views on Anwar Ali and what he needs to do to break into the Pakistan team?
Mudassar Nazar : Anwar is a very fine cricketer, he is very hard working and takes on board any criticism and wants to work on areas of his game that need improving. I?ve worked with Anwar a lot over the years and seen him develop. He has in my opinion one of the best slower balls in the game and his inswingers are of course very well known. We worked on his outswingers at the Academy and I know that he has added the outwinger to his game. I?ve said to him in the past that he needs to work harder on his run up and to add a bit more pace into it. Last season for some reason Anwar didn?t perform very well for PIA, but he needs to put all his might into having a good domestic season and then its up to the selectors.
PakPassion.Net : Ahmed Shehzad was also part of the Academy tour to Kenya and Zimbabwe. Were you surprised that he was included in the Pakistan Twenty/20 World cup squad?
Mudassar Nazar : No I wasn?t surprised at all. He?s a very fine cricketer and someone who I think should work on his leg spin too, as from what I have seen it has potential. His batting is innovative and he has leapfrogged a number of batsman in Pakistan. I will however say that he is a very indisciplined boy and he needs to look at this if he wants to succeed at top level cricket. He has the tendency to lose concentration whilst batting and that leads to silly mistakes. If he puts his mind to it, he could become a very fine cricketer.
PakPassion.Net : Could you explain your current role at the ICC Academy in Dubai?
Mudassar Nazar : I am the head coach and am based at Dubai Sports City. Dubai Sports City own this development and the ICC manages it for them. We work with local cricket clubs in UAE as well as working with school kids in the development of the game in the Emirates. As well as working with UAE club cricketers and schoolchildren we also work in helping players from the Associate members on the improvement of their own game.
PakPassion.Net : Khurram Manzoor was the skipper of the Academy team that I have mentioned in other questions, do you think he has the potential to become a regular in the Pakistan test team? Also in your opinion what areas of his batting does he need to improve upon?
Mudassar Nazar : Khurram is one of those players who has and will score a lot of runs in domestic cricket, but if he continues to bat the way he is, will get found out at international level. I?ve spent a lot of time talking to Khurram about his batting and we have discussed some changes that I feel he needs to make. For example, I have told him to amend his stance as it is too low and too open and he has his legs too far apart. Another flaw is that he gets opened up by the shorter ball and he has the tendency to play the short ball with his bat hanging there well away from his body. Khurram also needs to play more shots off the front foot, as he favours playing off the back foot too much. At the moment though I don?t see any changes being made by Khurram and if I were him, I would look to make those changes as soon as possible.
PakPassion.Net : Would you say that there is still some resentment from some quarters in Pakistani cricket, towards the academies?
Mudassar Nazar : Without a doubt. I dont think the situation is as bad as it was in the past, but there are still players and teams out there who only see the Academies as a last resort.
PakPassion.Net : What are your thoughts on Sohail Tanvir?
Mudassar Nazar : I came across Sohail Tanvir in 2005/06 at the Academy. He was offered some league cricket in England and I advised him to stay at the Academy so we could work with him in areas that we felt he needed to improve upon. Unfortunately and in no way would I criticise him, Sohail opted to go to England and earn some money there. Sajid, you know I would never criticise any cricketer from earning money as some of the boys are the sole breadwinners and there are some very sad stories out there. I feel that Sohail needs to work on his fitness. If I was still at the academy I would have him there with a strict fitness regime and I would be working on his batting, as he has the ability to bat properly, but he doesnt seem to be batting that way these days. I think Sohail is someone who should be part of the T20 squad.
PakPassion.Net :Fawad Alam was another on the Academy tour of Kenya and Zimbabwe. How do you feel he has progressed? Were you surprised that he was asked to open in the test series in Sri Lanka?
Mudassar Nazar : Fawad has been messed about quite a lot. He has been in and out of the side, he's been asked to bat at 7 and sometimes even at number 8 in the one day side. He comes in and is expected to start slogging straight away. That is not the right way to test a young players credentials. Fawad has started to bat at 4 in domestic cricket and its good that he has shown he can bat in that position, as I believe that is the right position for him and he is not an opening bat. He is a talented boy, but there are areas of his batting that need working on, he has some technical flaws that really do need ironing out. He needs to tighten up his batting, meaning cut out the risky shots.
The last time I spoke to him I said to him that you have been unfortunate so far in your international career, but dont feel sorry for yourself, keep working hard and your chances will come.
Fawad was not selected for the Academy tour of Kenya and I felt he deserved a chance. I spoke to the selectors and persuaded them to include him, which they did and I told him that he should bat at 3 throughout the tour. That tour really helped Fawad, he scored very heavily and even scored a triple century.
In my opinion Fawad should bat at 4 or 5 in one dayers and number 5 or 6 in test cricket.
PakPassion.Net : What are your thoughts on Nasir Jamshed?
Mudassar Nazar : Watching Nasir of late is very frustrating for me. This is not the Nasir who I worked with at the academy, the Nasir Jamshed I was working with was a proper batsman. We spent a lot of time working with Nasir and there was a great improvement in his batting. Now I have no idea what has happened to Nasir of late, but what I am seeing is a pale shadow of the player he was. There is so much indiscipline in his batting, he has more or less just become a slogger.
PakPassion.Net : What was the most difficult decision you have ever had to make regarding your cricket career?
Mudassar Nazar : I was offered a huge amount of money to go and play in Australian Sheffield Shield cricket. I knew though that If I went to Australia, it would have ruined my future chances of playing for Pakistan, so I sacrificed the large sums of money being offered and instead played domestic cricket in Pakistan. I believe it worked in my favour as I cemented my place in the Pakistan team that season.
PakPassion.Net : Who was the best young Pakistani talent that you have ever worked with?
Mudassar Nazar : Umar Gul, Shoaib Malik and Salman Butt were fantastic young players that I had the pleasure of working with early in their careers, but I would have to say that Mohammad Aamer was the best.
PakPassion.Net : What are your views on the recent batting sensation that Pakistan have unearthed, Umar Akmal?
Mudassar Nazar : I actually told Umar Akmal to leave the academy at Lahore and not come back. I remember the incident very well. He wasnt focussed on cricket, he wasn't practising hard and he kept on throwing his wicket away due to reckless shots in the games we held at the academy. I said to him that he should pack his bags and leave the academy with immediate effect. He had also thrown his wicket away 3 or 4 times at the Under 19 World Cup.
It was very frustrating, as I could see he had the talent, but his mind was not on the job and I felt that there were more deserving youngsters out there who warranted a place at the academy ahead of Umar.
He left the academy after my outburst, but that was not the last we saw of him of course. He kept on coming back and his brother Kamran also requested that he had learnt his lesson and wanted another chance. I allowed him back to see if he was indeed a changed character and what I saw then was someone who started to practice hard and take his cricket seriously.
These days he is a shining example to any youngster both in terms of ability and his work rate and has a very bright future ahead of him.
PakPassion.Net : Everyone has a view on Shoaib Akhtar, what are your thoughts on him making yet another comeback?
Mudassar Nazar : Its simple, he needs to get fit. He has the tendency to play 1 domestic game and declare that he's fully fit which is ludicrous. If he wants to make a proper comeback, then lets see a full domestic season from him.
PakPassion.Net : You have faced some great bowlers in your time, but who was the best of the lot?
Mudassar Nazar : 2 names immediately spring to mind and they are Malcolm Marshall and Dennis Lillee. Both were devastating in their own way, but if I had to pick one, it would have to be Marshall as he was just superb on all types of surface.
PakPassion.Net : Is Iqbal Qasim the right man for the job of Chief Selector?
Mudassar Nazar : Iqbal is a seasoned campaigner. He's a good personaility and has the ability to get his point across without offending anyone. His partnership with Younis Khan will be a good one as Iqbal is not a forthright character. In the role of Chief Selector I dont think you should have someone who is a very strong personality, as it will result in people clashing as was the case with Abdul Qadir and Younis Khan.
