"Well I'm not really a big film fan but if we're talking cricketers then Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed were my childhood heroes. I would never miss their matches, I was glued to the TV whenever they were playing"

'd like to thank Sohail Khan for taking the time out to answer the questions asked by PP members, his answers were genuine and in-depth making for a very good interview.

A special mention must go to Osman Samiuddin of Cricinfo for helping us get in touch with Sohail Khan, so thanks Osman!

I'd also like to thank the PPers for continually providing us with quality questions which always positively surprise the interviewees who are used to being asked useless masala questions by the media! 

The quality of questions asked by PPers is what makes PP interviews the best. Thanks to everyone for the joint effort, keep it up!!

PakPassion.Net: When you won the Speed competition your name was Sohail Pathan, why did you change it to Sohail Khan?

Sohail Khan: (Laughs) My name has always been Sohail Khan. As you probably know Khan and Pathan are considered the same thing in Pakistan and so people used to affectionately call me Pathan instead of Khan. That's how the nickname Sohail Pathan came about and I guess there was a mixup when the names were published. So to clear things up my name has always been Sohail Khan!


PakPassion.Net: Who were your heroes whilst growing up?

Sohail Khan: Cricketing heroes or filmi heroes?


PakPassion.Net: Tell us about both.

Sohail Khan: Well I'm not really a big film fan but if we're talking cricketers then Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed were my childhood heroes. I would never miss their matches, I was glued to the TV whenever they were playing.


PakPassion.Net: What about non-Pakistani cricketers?

Sohail Khan: It has to be Jacques Kallis of South Africa, I've always been a big fan of him because I base my batting style on his.


PakPassion.Net: If you weren't a cricketer what would you be and when did you first get interested in cricket?

Sohail Khan: From 4 or 5 years old, I've always wanted to be a cricketer. It's the only thing that I've ever been really passionate about, even at school I was the captain of my school team.


PakPassion.Net: Tell us the story about the pace competition. Why you entered and were you surprised at coming third.

Sohail Khan: Which one? UFONE or Pepsi?


PakPassion.Net: Oh, I didnt realise you took part in the UFONE competition too, ok start with the UFONE pace competition then. What's the story behind your entry and what were your speeds?

Sohail Khan: I was exercising in the gym when a friend told me that there will be a speed competition the next day. It was my first season in Karachi and I didnt play for any club or or dept yet, I went along the next day and I met Sikhander Bakht who was really impressed by the pace I was generating. I was still very raw as I hadn't had any formal training yet but I was still the fastest bowler in the Karachi trial. My 3 fastest deliveries during the competition were 83mph, 84mph and 85mph.


PakPassion.Net: And what about the Pepsi Pace Competition?

Sohail Khan: By the time the Pepsi competition came along I'd spent time at RLCA (Rashid Latif's Cricket Academy) and my pace had improved a lot since the UFONE competition. I was very confident of getting good speeds but unfortunately during training I slipped and injured my groin. Still I didnt let that put me off because I didnt want to lose this golden opportunity. I still took part but I was only able to come in off 6 or 7 paces because the pain was too great. Despite the fact I wasnt bowling at my full pace I still clocked 84mph and 86mph to come second.


PakPassion.Net: What was the first club u played for and who got u the job??

Sohail Khan: My first real break came when I was chosen by Sindh Police to play for their department, I was playing at Asghar Ali Stadium and I was bowling so fast that the opposition batsmen were scared to face me. Dr Shah of AO Club was watching in the crowd and he asked me to come and play for AO Club which I accepted.


PakPassion.Net: How did you get into the RLCA, what did you learn whilst there?

Sohail Khan: I was playing against the RLCA team and I took 4 wickets with my pace bowling, I was both batting and bowling for my team. Rashid Latif was very impressed by my bowling and invited me to join his academy which was a big honour for me. He changed my runup a bit and worked me really hard for 6 months to help me build up my speed and my fitness. During a game I played after that period, I took 3 wickets in 3 overs. I was bowling really fast and firing in bouncers when one of my bouncers hit a guy on his helmet. The guy collapsed and passed out, after that I left the field and refused to continue bowling in case I hurt these guys. Rashid Latif was very supportive and took a lot of time to talk to me and convince me about my talent, then he spoke to the media about me saying that although I hadnt played any FC cricket I had pace and good line and length. I was even in some newspaper articles and after that RL got me into the Allied Bank team but unfortunately the Allied Bank team was shut down before I could join them. Eventually I got another chance when Sikhander Bakht called me to play for the Sui Gas team. 


PakPassion.Net: You made your first class debut at 23, that's unusually late. Why did it take you so long to break through?

Sohail Khan: It's not easy to break into the FC teams, you really have to prove yourself to get your chance. I spent time playing grade II cricket where it's hard to get spotted and I was also out for a while with my groin injury. But luckily I've finally got my break and by the grace of God I'm trying to make the most of it.


PakPassion.Net: Pakistan's new crop of bowlers seem to get injured very easily, what do you do to keep yourself fit and injury free?

Sohail Khan: I never forget about my gym work and fitness training. I love swimming and sprinting but I'm not into the body building sort of training, I prefer fitness training. Over the last few days I could've sat at home using the turmoil on the Karachi streets as an excuse but I was out training and practising every day. I put a lot of value in keeping myself fit.


PakPassion.Net: We saw the pictures of you on Cricinfo and you look more like a (Pehelwan) bodybuilder than a fast bowler, dont you think the best fast bowlers are lean and not bulky?

Sohail Khan: That's just my natural body shape, my younger brother (who's 20) is so well built that when we're standing together people think I'm the younger brother. My father was in the army and genetically my family are naturally well built. Back home we work the land and from a young age I've been chopping wood and doing other physical activities which have naturally built my body up. I'm not into bodybuilding and what you saw in the pictures is just my natural body shape.


PakPassion.Net: The reason we're asking is because Shoaib Akhtar has been doing bodybuilding work which has made him too bulky to be effective as a fast bowler.

Sohail Khan: Shoaib is his own man, he's my senior and it's not my place to comment on his training. I'm sure he knows what's best for him more than I do. He is doing his own thing and I'm doing my own thing.


PakPassion.Net: What motivates you to play international cricket?

Sohail Khan: Like for any Pakistani kid it would be a dream come true to represent your country and play for the Pakistan team.


PakPassion.Net: When you came second in the speed competition your top speed was 86mph, would you say you’re currently bowling at the same pace or faster?

Sohail Khan: Rashid Latif told me to go and see Mohinder Kumar...


PakPassion.Net: ..Mohinder Kumar?

Sohail Khan: Mohinder Kumar was a brilliant fast bowler who was very successful but missed out on International selection due to Pakistan having bowlers like Imran and Wasim in the team. He has a lot of experience and so on RL's recommendation I joined his academy, in fact two of the guys from his academy are high up in both the batting (Naumanullah) and bowling (myself) charts. He deserves a lot of credit for our success because he really gives his everything to his players. He really helped me with my run-up and action, he would spend all day with me assuring me that if I put the work in that I could make it to the national team. Even when I collapsed from exhaustion, he was at my side forcing me to get up and carry on. He really drives us hard...


PakPassion.Net: Sounds like a hard taskmaster.

Sohail Khan: He is really interested in our success, he’s the guy who trained Sami and Kaneria before they both made their international debuts. He worked really hard with them and he’s always been very strict about fitness levels


PakPassion.Net: Sami and Kaneria are two of the fittest (stamina-wise) cricketers in the Pakistan team and both can bowl long spells without a problem much like yourself. So i guess we now know where their work ethic originates from.

Sohail Khan: He’s so meticulous that he even tells you exactly what foods to eat and at what times to eat those foods, he trains you very hard and never lets you give up. I’ve got my pace up and I feel that I bowl noticeably faster than I used to, I just love making the stumps fly. Sometimes I bowl so fast that the ball sends the stumps flying before the batsman has even had a chance to bring his bat down. 


PakPassion.Net: That sounds impressive, so apart from the speed competitions what’s your fastest clocked speed?

Sohail Khan: I haven’t been clocked since the Pepsi pace competition where I was bowling with a groin injury so I can’t give you a specific speed. But judging by my rhythm, the batsman’s reaction times and what my body is telling me it cant (Insha Allah) be less than 90 mph


PakPassion.Net: Insha Allah. But cant u go and get your speed checked somewhere, like in the NCA?

Sohail Khan: Well it’s not as easy as that and besides I dont think they have a speed gun at the NCA. Even in the domestic competitions there are no speed guns at all at the moment, so I dont know exactly what speed im bowling at but Insha Allah my speed will be at least 90mph. 


PakPassion.Net: As a bowler do you rely on pace, swing or accuracy?

Sohail Khan: I'm more of a swing bowler, swing gets batsmen out but my pace and line are good too.


PakPassion.Net: People are curious about your run-up and action. How long is your run-up and which bowler is your action most similar to?

Sohail Khan: My run-up is about 30 paces long, I run in from the circle. For the first 15 paces I jog in but I really sprint hard over the last 15 paces before going into my action. If I had to compare my run-up to anyone then I’d have to say it’s a bit like Shoaib Akhtars run-up. My action is quite side on... actually no it’s more mixed, a little bit of side-on and a little bit of straight on. I dont know who to compare it to as I feel it’s quite a unique action that works for me.


PakPassion.Net: Can you move the ball both ways or are you still working on an inswinger/outswinger?

Sohail Khan: I'm a natural outswing bowler but I’ve learnt how to use my wrist to get deliveries to inswing as well, so yes I can move the ball both ways. But when the ball gets old then I really become hard to play!


PakPassion.Net: What’s your Yorker like? Can you bowl one at will and how much control do you have over it? 

Sohail Khan: I have a lot of control over both my yorker and my bouncer. When I bowl my yorker then either the batsman falls trying to avoid it or his stumps go flying. My bouncers are very effective too, I'm 6.3" and I take a high jump so even off a good length I can bowl bouncers.


PakPassion.Net: We’re asking because apart from Gul our new bowlers dont really seem to have proper control over their yorkers, either that or they dont bowl yorkers very often.

Sohail Khan: You have to remember that unless you’re a natural inswing bowler like Shane Bond or Waqar Younis, it’s very hard to bowl yorkers with the new ball. For outswing bowlers like myself it’s very hard to bowl yorkers with the new ball but as the ball gets older and starts to reverse then it becomes much easier.


PakPassion.Net: So can you bowl reverse swing or is it something you’re still learning about?

Sohail Khan: I’m one of the biggest Waqar Younis fans. Whether it’s a video of him bowling, whether he’s live on TV or even if he’s giving an interview I try to never miss watching him in action. There has never been anyone who could reverse swing like Waqar used to do, he really was the best at it. I’ve spent so much time watching his videos studying his wrist position, his seam and his release as closely as I can, to try and emulate his reverse swing to the best of my own abilities. By the grace of God all the patience has paid off and I practise reversing at least a dozen or so deliveries during every training session!


PakPassion.Net: What’s your favourite delivery?

Sohail Khan: I’m very proud of my bouncer, some of them hit the batsman hard and those that don’t go so high that even the keeper has no chance of catching them. Luckily due to my height and high jump I’m able to extract bounce from a good length and that makes my bouncers hard to play.


PakPassion.Net: Have you ever met Waqar or Wasim and if you have, did you manage to get any advice from them?

Sohail Khan: In my first year in Karachi I took a lot of wickets and Wasim came to meet me. He also met with my brother and gave us both a lot of tips on how to bowl. He spent more time with my brother than me but it was very useful. I have met Waqar but not in a situation where I had a chance to actually talk to him, I’ve just met him in person.


PakPassion.Net: You’ve mentioned your brother a couple of times, can you tell us a bit more about him? Is he fast too?


Sohail Khan: My brothers name is Murad Khan and he’s 20 years old, he plays for the Karachi Association and has been taking a lot of wickets too. He’s 6’2” and well built, in fact despite being 3 years younger than me (20 years old) he actually looks like the older brother because of his size. He’s a left armer and more of a Wasim Akram type bowler than a pace bowler like me, I’d say his pace his only around 82-83mph. He’s not an express bowler but he does swing it a lot, his team won the Karachi Association final and we’re trying to get him into a department at the moment.


PakPassion.Net: If (like Sami) you were asked to change your action or cut your run up to swap speed for line and length, would you do it?

Sohail Khan: By the grace of God all the selectors who've seen me have only had good things to say about my run-up and action. Everyone has their own style, my follow through and action are pretty good because I work very hard on my bowling. However there has been some contention about my run-up, some people advise me to sprint for all 30 paces others say I should jog in all the way but at the end of the day I dont want to disrupt my natural rhythm and will stick to what works for me. I enjoy bowling and if it’s working then I see no need to change it.


PakPassion.Net: Have you played any league cricket overseas or bowled on international tours? How did you get on in those conditions and in what way did the wickets differ from Pakistan?

Sohail Khan: When I was with the AO Club we went on a tour to Malaysia, I made some runs and took a lot of wickets too. The wickets in Malaysia were of International standard, very good green wickets with lots of grass. Very good to bowl on.


PakPassion.Net: Out of all the domestic batsman you have bowled to, who gave you the most problems?

Sohail Khan: It’d have to be Asim Kamal the test player, when I saw him stood at the crease I told myself that if we get him out then we can get the whole team out. He was playing well and got close to 40 when I bowled him.


PakPassion.Net: Who are the best uncapped batsman and bowlers, especially legspinners?

Sohail Khan: I havent played a lot of FC and so I can only speak from the little experience that I have. But in batting you have Asif Zakir who is a very good opening batsman with a very nice batting style and Naumanullah is also a very good batsman who’s been performing well for a long time now. I’m not a selector but if I was, I'd select these two for the Pakistan team. In bowling they're all good. Rauf is one who is a good bowler...


PakPassion.Net: ...Abdur Rauf? What would u say his speed is...

Sohail Khan: Well i havent seen enough of him to make a judgement on that but if you press me then from what i've seen i'd say he's an 80-82 mph bowler. Then there’s Mohammad Irshad who is a very good fast bowler too, he must bowl at around 84-86 mph. 


PakPassion.Net: ...apart from you who are the fastest bowlers in Pak domestic?

Sohail Khan: By domestic do you mean those who havent played for Pakistan yet?


PakPassion.Net: ...yes uncapped domestic bowlers...

Sohail Khan: I havent played that much FC cricket but from what I've seen I'd have to say Mohammad Irshad would be one of them.


PakPassion.Net: ...what about Yasir Ali? Is he fast? Some PPers think he's faster than Irshad...

Sohail Khan: I've never seen him bowl.


PakPassion.Net: Spinners?

Sohail Khan: From what I’ve seen so far, Dilawar Khan really stands out, he took 10 wickets on debut and then 8 wickets in his match against us. He’s a leggie who plays for Habib Bank and looks a very good prospect.


PakPassion.Net: Does the salary at the First class level allow you to sustain a healthy lifestyle whilst focusing on playing cricket or do you have to constantly worry about financial matters whilst playing?

Sohail Khan: The salary is very low, we barely get enough to cover our cricketing expenses so we have to make up the shortfall from elsewhere. However if you perform really well and get noticed then you get more money, I’ve been promised that I’ll get paid more as a result of my performances so far.


PakPassion.Net: That’s unacceptable, we really should be investing more in the future of Pakistani cricket.

Sohail Khan: Of course and if the young players arent getting paid enough then they cant afford to maintain the right sort of diet for their fitness levels nor can they concentrate on cricket, instead they’re worrying about money.


PakPassion.Net: What is the menu for breakfast, lunch and tea at first class games.

Sohail Khan: The department provides meals whilst we're playing but it's just chicken, nothing like the sort of diet you mean.


PakPassion.Net: Did you know that people on PP are very excited about your debut. How do you plan on dealing with all the buzz and excitement?

Sohail Khan: I like to think I havent let the 65 wickets in 9 games thing go to my head. In fact I’m exactly the same as I was before. I train just as hard and treat everyone the same as I always have.


PakPassion.Net: In closing I’d like to wish you the best of luck from everyone here at PP, we’re all hoping you get a chance vs Zimbabwe. Have you heard anything about that?

Sohail Khan: No i haven’t, I’m keenly reading the papers looking for any news about my possible selection. My friends have been telling me to stay fit and ready just in case I do get a call up. I’m concentrating on keeping things normal by playing, practising and praying in the mosque like I always have. I don’t hang out with the wrong crowd and try to stay away from bad influences as much as I can. I just want to concentrate on my cricket.