In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Hasan speaks of the thrill of making a record breaking debut , his progress in the domestic circuit and above all, his burning ambition to play for Pakistan as he feels that he is ready and able to serve his country once again.
By Haroon Khan & Nasser Khan (12th December, 2011)
PakPassion.net is delighted to present an interview with Habib Bank captain Hasan Raza.
Hasan is well known for shocking the cricketing world by making his international debut around the age of 15, making 27 against Zimbabwe.
A prolific runscorer in domestic cricket Hasan has only featured in 7 test matches for Pakistan and 16 ODIs, the last of which was in December 2005.
In this interview, Hasan speaks of the thrill of making a record breaking debut , his progress in the domestic circuit and above all, his burning ambition to play for Pakistan as he feels that he is ready and able to serve his country once again.
PakPassion.net: First of all many thanks for your time today for doing this interview with PakPassion. You are a record holder, you were so young when you played international cricket. How has your cricket progressed since that debut?
Hasan Raza: For the past 14/15 years I have been playing very positive cricket. I?m still playing domestic cricket and working on my game. Now it is up to the selectors on when they give me a chance again. The last test I played was against England in Multan and I did not make enough runs at that time. But I have had some good performances in "A" tours and I have continued to play well in the domestic competitions. So I will keep working hard playing domestic cricket and let?s see what happens.
PakPassion.net: Let?s go back 15 years to that time when you were selected for Pakistan to make your test debut. Which club were you playing for and how did you get noticed by the selectors?
Hasan Raza: At that time I was playing U16 domestic division matches in Karachi. That was in 1996/97 and I was playing school cricket in inter-district tournaments and made lots of runs at that level. There was zone cricket in Karachi in those days from 1 to 7 and I played in zone 1 club cricket.
PakPassion.net: Were you noticed by a selector or recommended by one of your coaches?
Hasan Raza: Zaheer Abbas was the chief selector and he saw me at the Under 15 World Cup in England in 1996. I did very well against Sri Lanka in that Under 15 tournament when I made 56 runs. At that time Javed Miandad was there and his nephew Faisal Iqbal was playing with me. There was also Bazid Khan the son of Majid Khan as well as Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Yasir Arafat who were all playing with me.
I scored a 56 against Sri Lanka and I was given a lot of confidence. Then I played in the Under 15 World Cup final at Lords against India and I got 80 runs. That match was telecast in Pakistan and everywhere in the world on StarSports. People all over the globe watched that match very closely and when I returned to Pakistan, the chief selector Zaheer Abbas decided to try me in a side match against Zimbabwe.
PakPassion.net: When you were playing Under 16s, did the selectors come and say anything to you? Did they select you after they had watched you play?
Hasan Raza: Yes they had seen me play at the Under 15 World Cup. Also for the Under 19s I scored a century against Lahore Association at the Lahore University ground. Then in a side match against Zimbabwe at Sahiwal I made 60 runs and the selectors asked me if I was interested in playing Test cricket and asked me if I had the confidence to play Test cricket. I said ?Yes, I have made lots of runs in age groups and if given a chance I will definitely prove myself.?
PakPassion.net: When you found out you will be playing for Pakistan for the first time. How did you hear the news?
Hasan Raza: At that time, I was playing domestic cricket in Pakistan. I was playing an Under 16 game and the PCB gave me a call on my home landline and told me that I had been selected for the Pakistani team and I had to go to Faisalabad to play a test match.
PakPassion.net: How did the family take the news. Were they surprised that you had been selected at such a young age?
Hasan Raza: They were really surprised. They thought I might just be part of the squad, but not playing and debuting for the Pakistani team at such an early age. At that time I was 15 years old and I was still studying at school and playing as a captain for my school cricket side. So it was a big surprise for the entire family. Even I could not believe that so early I had been given an opportunity to play Test cricket.
PakPassion.net: Who gave you that phone call from the PCB?
Hasan Raza: The chief selector of the PCB announced the squad. Mushtaq Mohammad was the coach at the time and Zaheer Abbas the chief selector. In those times if someone was selected for the Pakistani team, the PCB got in touch with the players and sent them the tickets and details of accommodation. So they asked for my name and address and told me how to get to Faisalabad and meet up with the rest of the squad.
PakPassion.net: When you joined the squad in Faisalabad for the match against Zimbabwe, what was the reaction of your team-mates to see a young kid rock up to play?
Hasan Raza: Exactly they did think of me as a kid, but they knew I was coming. Wasim Akram was captain at the time and I believe it was one of the best teams Pakistan has had. It was a great honour to play in that team with those players. Players like Aamir Sohail, Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq and Aaqib Javed ? they were legends at the time. Javed Miandad and Mushtaq Mohammad were our coaches then.
They had all followed my performances at the Under 15 and Under 19 level and during some side matches, and had recommended me to Zaheer Abbas and the selection committee that I be selected for this Test. I had scored a century in zone cricket against LCCA and I had also scored a lot of runs for Karachi Whites. As we were a batsmen short in the middle order, I was given a chance in that role.
PakPassion.net: How were you welcomed to the team as a young debutant?
Hasan Raza: I received a very good welcome. When I got to the hotel, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram shook my hand at breakfast in the morning. I met Mushtaq Mohammad who was the coach he also greeted me very well. The entire team was there and supported me. It was literally a dream come true. I could not believe that so early I would mix with the players and become a part of the squad. I was able to achieve a lifetime achievement at such an early age.
PakPassion.net: What about your first practice session. What did the other players tell you?
Hasan Raza: Although they were very experienced players, they treated me very well and gave me plenty of confidence ? guys like Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul-Haq. They told me to play as I had played in regional cricket and in the international age group. They told me not to take any pressure and to continue to play with that freedom to maintain that performance. They explained that the quicker I was able to learn and adapt the better I would become. To go out and show positive play when I went out to bat.
PakPassion.net: All players, whether they are 25 or 30 years of age, all get nervous. How did a 15 year old kid like yourself manage the situation? How nervous were you?
Hasan Raza: I found it to be a magical experience. It was unbelievable ? in a nation of 180 million people, every player, at the age of 15, 16, 18 wants to represent Pakistan. But fate and Pakistani cricket gave me the opportunity and along with my hard work, I had a lot of confidence, so when I received my early chance I believed in myself.
PakPassion.net: What did your classmates say when you returned to school?
Hasan Raza: They gave me good feedback, even my Principal. I was captain of the school cricket team, and when the news of my selection in the test squad of the Pakistani national team for the first time, a lot of sweets were distributed in my neighbourhood and parties had. No one was expecting it. They knew I had played for the Under 19s, and that I may be selected for the U24s, but never thought I would be selected for the full Pakistan team at the age of 15.
PakPassion.net: You must have been very popular when you returned to school after the Test debut?
Hasan Raza: Yes, very popular! I used to be scolded in classes, but when I returned to school even the teachers that would tell me off were congratulating me and appreciating my achievements.
PakPassion.net:Nowadays, we cannot fathom a 15 year-old was selected for a national team. Do you think it could ever happen again?
Hasan Raza: I don't think a youngster could come in to international cricket at that age. There is so much technology in cricket nowadays, you have to be outstanding and also there is a separate test, Twenty20 and 50-overs teams. In my opinion, it's unlikely a player of such a young age will be given a chance again, unless a player achieves such extraordinary feats in say, an Under 16 World Cup or other junior tournament, then maybe it's possible.
I got my test chance after I played in the U15 World Cup and the 80 I made at Lords in the final is my favourite innings in my career to date, even taking into account all the centuries, because the whole world was watching when I made those runs. It was due to my participation in that Under 15 World Cup that I was selected for the Test team.
PakPassion.net: You were saying it would be a miracle if somebody so young plays cricket again. Looking back, do you think maybe it happened too soon, you were too young? Should the selectors have waited one or two more years?
Hasan Raza: I think so. A lot of people say I was selected too young. However, I had started to make a lot of centuries at a very young age. When I was 14, in the domestic Under-19 regional matches and U16 level there used to be a team for the sports boards. I went to the university grounds in Lahore versus Karachi matches and Fazal Mahmood gave me the best batsman of the series award after I had hit three centuries. The matter of centuries continued consistently and I gained a lot of confidence and whoever would pick up the newspaper, would label me a ?century machine? in the Under 19s and Under 15s.
PakPassion.net: You must also feel a degree of sadness that you made your debut at such a young age, yet you weren't given a consistent chance by the selectors in international cricket?
Hasan Raza: I haven't been saddened, I have been very happy. The regrets I have are over consistency ? the reason I was dropped, back then there were a lot of players in the middle order and I was a youngster who had toured with the Under 19s. I was playing cricket for nine or ten years continuously from Under 19s. The regrets I have relate to the lack of consistent chances I received, which I couldn't control. These days, players receive plenty of chances after a year or two, but my comebacks were after three, four or five years.
PakPassion.net: You are approaching 30 years of age, look at Misbah-ul-Haq has made a late comeback into international cricket. You must also have hopes of playing for Pakistan again?
Hasan Raza: Definitely, a lot. I have three or four years of domestic seasons ? I played a very good Twenty20 innings recently against Abbotabad and have had a few innings which were highlighted which may aid my comeback. I'm very hopeful.
The day when the bat comes out to play for runs, it doesn't look at the bowling! When you are playing well, you get positive results.
PakPassion.net: Captaincy matures a player, builds experience. Its must have been helpful, for you to have been a regular captain for Habib Bank?
Hasan Raza: Certainly. I captained a lot in the Under-19s, including leading some of the players who are currently in the Pakistan team - Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Taufeeq Umar ? all played under my captaincy for eight year in the Under-19s.
I captained quite a lot, including in the Abu Dhabi tournament, Euro-Asia Cup, Under 19 World Cup I captained in Sri Lanka. Since then I have been captaining Habib Bank for 10 or 12 years and it's been a very good experience for me. I have been positive and gain a lot of confidence from it.
PakPassion.net: Whenever we speak, you always sound very positive, looking forward, with few regrets. It's a very good attribute ? it must be this positivity that you are hoping will get you back into the Pakistan side after some good performances.
Hasan Raza: Definitely. I'm hoping and trying my best - I have significant experience in my cricket career, 14-15 years. I am looking forward to them, playing positive cricket and you never know, in Pakistan a lot of players make comebacks and play, disappear and play again! I hope my name is amongst these players and if I get the opportunity I will prove myself, and show it in the Pakistan team.
PakPassion.net: Hasan, thanks for your time.
Hasan Raza: It's been a pleasure.
