16-year-old Sami Aslam is an exciting left handed opening batsman from Lahore who states that his favourite Pakistani batsman of all time was Saeed Anwar. Of the current crop of international batsmen Sami rates Indian middle order batsman Suresh Raina as his favourite.

By PakPassion Staff (27 March 2012)

A very successful tour of South Africa recently with the Pakistan Under 19 team has seen Sami being talked about as "one for the future". Sami struck an excellent opening partnership with captain Babar Azam in South Africa and hopes are high that he and Babar can perform well at the Under 19 Asia Cup and the Under 19 World Cup later this year and give Pakistan some sold starts.

Following the tour of South Africa, Sami made his debut for the senior Lahore Eagles team in the National One Day Cup and made 125 runs in 4 innings including a highest score of 73.

Sami is a confident young man and someone who many believe has a very bright future ahead of him.

PakPassion.net: How did your interest in cricket develop?

Sami Aslam: My father played for State Bank of Pakistan and watching him, I started playing cricket. My interest for cricket had developed naturally from a very early age.


PakPassion.net: Does anyone else in your family play cricket besides your father?

Sami Aslam: No, there is no one else in the family that plays cricket.


PakPassion.net: Do you remember the first cricket match you watched on TV or in the ground?

Sami Aslam: The first matches I saw on television were of the 2003 Cricket World Cup. I remember the group match between Pakistan and India in which Tendulkar scored 98 and Saeed Anwar made a century but Pakistan lost the match.


PakPassion.net: Since you live in Lahore, you must have come through the school system in Lahore where there is a lot of competition at school and club level. Tell us about what school or club you play for?

Sami Aslam: I play for the Punjab Cricket Club and my school was the Crescent Model School. In school, there wasn't much scope for sports and all the emphasis was on education. Currently, though I am continuing my studies at GC University and working towards passing all of the exams.


PakPassion.net: What are you studying?

Sami Aslam: I am studying General Science, Mathematics, Economics, and Statistics.


PakPassion.net: Good luck with your studies.

Sami Aslam: Thank you. I am trying very hard. Up until matric, I did well, but after that its been very tough trying to manage my time. Despite that, I was still able to clear first year. I am trying to make sure that I don't leave my studies.


PakPassion.net: How do you manage your time while playing first class cricket, training, practicing, and also continuing your education?

Sami Aslam: It is difficult, very difficult. When I need to do training, I have to wake up very early. Then, I spend some time doing batting practice. After that, we have to go to the National Cricket Academy for further training and practice, where we work with the current players. Our trainer there is Yasir Malik.


PakPassion.net: How often do you train at the NCA?

Sami Aslam: We train five times a week, Monday through to Friday. We have a gym session and an outdoor training session.


PakPassion.net: Babar Azam was also telling me that training at the NCA is very intense. Do you train the whole day? What type of training do you do - fitness, batting, etc?

Sami Aslam: We train for about two and a half hours. Training starts at 10 AM and lasts till 12: 30 PM. In the NCA, we only focus on fitness training. As far as batting practice is concerned, that we do at our respective clubs.


PakPassion.net: Who were your cricketing heroes - Pakistani and non-Pakistani?

Sami Aslam: I really liked Saeed Anwar. Currently, I would say Suresh Raina. I really like his style of batting.


PakPassion.net: You are a left-handed opening batsman just like Saeed Anwar, so what did you like most about Saeed Anwar's batting?

Sami Aslam: He was a very a good driver of the ball and he was very wristy in the shots he played. I didn't watch much of Saeed Anwar live, but I have seen many videos of his batting, in particular his innings of 194 against India.


PakPassion.net: Have you ever had the chance to meet Saeed Anwar?

Sami Aslam: No, I have never had the chance to meet him yet, but I hope to one day in future.


PakPassion.net: InshaAllah (God-willing), you will get the opportunity in the near future.

Sami Aslam: InshaAllah.


PakPassion.net: You've worked with Yasir Malik, Sabih Azhar, and many other coaches. What would say is the best advice you have received from any of the coaches about your batting?

Sami Aslam: The coaches have said that a lot of the young talent makes it to the Under 19 level. After that, they stop working as hard. They have advised me that this is only the beginning and you need to continue to work hard with the goal of playing for Pakistan at the international level.

There is a need to continuously improve day by day and there should be no ending to this. Take Sachin Tendulkar for example, he has completed one hundred 100s, but there is no ending to his hard work and its a matter of constantly improving one-self. He is an excellent example to young cricketers.


PakPassion.net: You have just come back from the tour of South Africa. It was a very good tour for the U-19 team. In the triangular series, Pakistan reached the final and defeated South Africa in the final. You must be very happy with the tour of South Africa?

Sami Aslam: Yes, absolutely. Apart from two or three players, these were new conditions for all the other players, including myself. We had to adjust to those conditions and our coached worked very hard with us to develop tactics based on the conditions.


PakPassion.net: How important is it for the Pakistan Cricket Board to continue to organise tours to Australia, England, West Indies, South Africa etc for the youngsters?

Sami Aslam: It is very important because we are able to get exposure in the playing conditions abroad, which are entirely different to those we encounter in Pakistan. I feel that this is important, especially for the players at the U-19 level and our development.


PakPassion.net: How were the cricketing facilities in South Africa? You would have noticed that the grounds and training facilities were exceptional?

Sami Aslam: Yes, it was definitely a change from what we have in Pakistan. Even at the club level, players get elite conditions - the grounds, the facilities, support from the club. It was all very different from what we have in Pakistan. They also have a very big emphasis on fielding in their training in South Africa.


PakPassion.Net: Any of the South African U19s that really impressed you?

Sami Aslam: Corn? Dry was a very good bowler for South Africa. His line was very good and he was very capable at seaming the ball around. He is definitely one for the future.


PakPassion.Net: What sort of advice did your coach, Sabih Azhar give you on your batting while on tour in South Africa?

Sami Aslam: He used to say that I have to try and survive the new ball. That was my role. Survive the new ball and be selective with your shot making. Don?t try and play every shot in the book in the first 10 to 15 overs such as not trying to drive the ball loosely. Cut down to 2-3 shots to start with and as you get more comfortable at the crease you can start expanding your shot selection.


PakPassion.Net: Recently we have seen you play first class cricket for Lahore in Division 2for the first time. It went very well for you. How was that experience?

Sami Aslam: It was a very good experience. I did not feel a huge difference as we have played in the U19s, and so it was not that difficult. Plus we had flat wickets. I think the South African tour was tougher and comparatively playing first class cricket was easier.


PakPassion.Net: Before you began playing first class cricket you also played U19 regional cricket. When did you play your first season in U19 regional cricket?

Sami Aslam: The first time I played Under 19 regional cricket was in 2009. The team was formed under the name NCA Colts. It was a Pakistan U15 team which played in the domestic U19 tournament.


PakPassion.Net: How did that season go?

Sami Aslam: In that season I finished third highest run scorer in Pakistan at Under 19 level. That was a Under 19 World Cup year but I was fairly young, so due to this I was not considered and was told that I would be looked at for future tours.


PakPassion.Net: In the Lahore team, you also have your Under 19 team mate and friend Usman Qadir. Must be very helpful to have a team mate from your U19 team with you?

Sami Aslam: Yes definitely. It is good that Usman and I have played U16 and now U19 together. We have played together from the start and know each other very well.


PakPassion.Net: This season is a big season for U19 cricket. You start off with the U19 Asia Cup in Malaysia which is coming up later this year and then the U19 World Cup which is coming up in Brisbane, Australia. Tell us about your plans regarding these tournaments?


Sami Aslam: Asia Cup I believe is coming up in June. There will be tough teams such as Sri Lanka and India there. Hopefully we can win games so that it can be a confidence booster for us for the World Cup.

Good performances from the boys at the Asia Cup will help get our confidence levels up. We have won in South Africa, so if we win the Asia Cup we will go into the World Cup with a winning combination and a lot of confidence.


PakPassion.Net: Then with the World Cup in Australia. Must be a challenge for Pakistan with the conditions they will face there?

Sami Aslam: Yes certainly, but we have played in similar conditions in South Africa to what we will encounter in Australia. We have adjusted well to such conditions in South Africa and I am hopeful that we can adjust to conditions in Australia too.


PakPassion.Net: Pakistan has a very good record in U19 cricket, so you must be hopeful that you can continue that good tradition?

Sami Aslam: Yes Inshallah we will be looking to be double champions this year, the Asia Cup and the World Cup. It is a hard working team, the players and management back each other a lot and I am confident that Inshallah we will win both trophies.


PakPassion.Net: You have mainly played 50 over cricket for Lahore, for the U19 and also for the regional. Have you had much exposure at other formats?

Sami Aslam: I have also played 3-day cricket for the Lahore regional U19s


PakPassion.Net: How has your performance been in this format?

Sami Aslam: This year in 3-day cricket, over six games I scored around 400 runs. It included a 170. Even last year I scored 300 over five 3-day games.


PakPassion.Net: Playing club cricket in England, does help improve a player. You must be looking for a chance to play club cricket in England at some point in the future?

Sami Aslam: Inshallah after I return from the World Cup I can look at getting a good contract to play in England. Playing well in tough conditions in the World Cup will hopefully help and impress everyone.


PakPassion.Net: PCB is supporting young cricketers with education programmes these days after Mohammad Amir was embroiled in spot-fixing. How is the PCB helping young cricketers to make sure they do not make the same mistake as Amir, do you think the PCB are doing enough to help?

Sami Aslam: They (PCB) are helping a lot. We have small camps where we have classes on match-fixing and anti-doping and all other issues. So they are certainly helping with education of such issues.


PakPassion.Net: Are they PCB officials providing the education?

Sami Aslam: No, they are specific professionals who come and talk to us on various topics. It's a very good format and very helpful.


PakPassion.Net: Obviously all players have dreams and ambitions to play for the Pakistan senior cricket team. When do you think we will see Sami Aslam play for Pakistan. Have you set yourself a time frame?

Sami Aslam: Inshallah I am hoping that we can win the World Cup and I give match winning performances. After that I hope to one day get the chance to play for the national side