Ata ur Rehman's career has had its ups and downs. Spotted playing cricket on the streets of Lahore, he was plucked from obscurity and found himself playing for a very strong Allied Bank team at the age of 16.

Ata ur Rehman's career has had its ups and downs. Spotted playing cricket on the streets of Lahore, he was plucked from obscurity and found himself playing for a very strong Allied Bank team at the age of 16. Miraculously a year later he was touring England with the Pakistan team alongside legends such as Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Inzamam ul Haq, Salim Malik and Waqar Younis.

Ata made his debut at Edgbaston in June 1992 alongside Inzamam and Amir Sohail, taking the wickets of Alec Stewart, Alan Lamb and Mark Ramprakash. 

His international career spanned 4 years and he made 30 one day appearances and also played in 13 test matches.

Ata has been a regular in the leagues of England and an outstanding performer during his time in the UK.

I caught up with Ata as he turned out for his current team in the North West of England, Northop Hall where he is enjoying another very successful season.


PakPassion.Net: How did you get into cricket and what made you want to become a cricketer? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Watching the great Imran Khan on tv was an inspiration for me. I enjoyed the way he played his cricket and after watching him I made my mind up that I too wanted to become a cricketer. 


PakPassion.Net: Is it true that when you were chose to play, you didnt even have any cricket boots? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Yes that is true. I owe a lot for my career to Dr Zafar Altaf who spotted me playing tape ball in the streets of Lahore. He gave me support and encouragement in those early days and alerting others of my ability. Saud Khan a former first class cricketer helped me greatly too in coaching me as well as helping me purchase cricket equipment.


PakPassion.Net: Who else has helped you in your career from a coaching perspective? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Arif Abbassi and Majid Khan have also been very important figures for me. They have helped me and supported me throughout my career. As from a coaching perspective Mudasser Nazar has always been very helpful with the technical aspects of the game.


PakPassion.Net: Who were your role models when growing up? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Imran Khan without any doubt. He was an inspiration to a whole generation of Pakistani cricketers like myself.


PakPassion.Net: Please go through that famous ODI final where Jayasuriya scored 76 of 28 balls and yet Pakistan defended a fairly small target? 

Ata Ur Rehman: (smiles) Yes I remember the match. It was the Singer Cup. Jayasuriya was in awesome form that day and hit Amir Sohail for 34 runs in one over. We thought we had lost but when Jayasuriya was out it gave us renewed hope and lifted the team. I managed to get 3 wickets in one over during that match and we eventually won a remarkable match.


PakPassion.Net: Who is the best coach you have worked under? 

Ata Ur Rehman: It would have to be Mudasser Nazar. He has played cricket at all levels and has a lot of insight and experience. He was always great in offering advice and suggestions to the players.


PakPassion.Net: Did any coaches try and change your bowling action during your career? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Saud Khan, a former first class player who was a fast bowler himself worked with me on my action. He made a few changes when I played under 19 cricket and junior cricket and as mentioned earlier in the interview actually paid for some cricket boots for me.


PakPassion.Net: Ata your story about the cricket boots is amazing. Is this a common occurrence where young and talented cricketers do not own cricket equipment in Pakistan? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Sadly it is. There is talent in abundance in Pakistan, but some of the boys dont take their talent seriously because they and their families know that purchasing equipment is too expensive for them.


PakPassion.Net: What advice would you have for Gul, Tanveer and Sohail Khan to improve fitness and improve their bowling? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Tanvir in my opinion is not a 50 over or test match bowler. He's fine at Twenty/20 but I dont think he has the required skills for 50 overs or tests. I like Umer Gul, he is a very good bowler and he is improving all the time. Sohail Khan is also a good bowler, I like what I have seen so far from him. All of these guys need to be careful that they are not overcoached and dont get confused with all the advice and coaching. As for fitness, injuries are part of the game but its important to make sure that you are doing the necessary training and fitness work. (At this moment Ata's friend, Muhammed Zahid who is also a first class cricketer states that Ata still does a lot of gym work and training to keep himself in shape).


PakPassion.Net: Name the batsman that you loved bowling to? 

Ata Ur Rehman: It was always enjoyable to play against the great players of my generation. The likes of Brian Lara, Sachin, Carl Hooper, Richie Richardson, Jayasuriya etc.


PakPassion.Net: What are your future plans? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Well at the moment I am busy playing League cricket which I have done for several years now. I am settled in the UK, but would love to go back to Pakistan and give back something to the game. I would like to coach youngsters at school and college level.


PakPassion.Net: Who do you rate higly amongst the current Pakistan bowlers? 

Ata Ur Rehman: I think Umer Gul, Abdur Rauf and Saeed Ajmal are the best options we have at the moment.


PakPassion.Net: Do you think Akhtar should be dropped or do Pakistan still need him in the team? 

Ata Ur Rehman: When he should have been dropped from the team due to indiscipline and other reasons, he wasnt and that let him "off the hook". The problem is Pakistan does not have any other bowlers at the moment who have Akhtars pace and the ability to unsettle top batsmen with raw pace.


PakPassion.Net: How would you have dealt with Akhtar if you were a selector? 

Ata Ur Rehman: I would have given him the chance to accept greater responsibility. I would have made him skipper of the team instead of Shoaib Malik and then we would have seen if having the greater responsibility will have had a positive effect.


PakPassion.Net: What are your views on Malik's captaincy? 

Ata Ur Rehman: I think Shoaib Malik is a good one day cricketer. However I do not think he is a very good captain or the right person to be captaining the team at this moment in time.


PakPassion.Net: Who do you think should take over the captaincy after Shoaib Malik's reign ends? 

Ata Ur Rehman: In my opinion it should be Salman Butt. He would be the best person to take Pakistan cricket forward, he would be the right choice and the best man for Pakistan cricket.


PakPassion.Net: How would you place yourself under the category of Wasim and Waqar? What was your role in the side? How would you rate Aqib Javed? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Both the Ws were great bowlers. All that has been written about them is justified, they are legends. It was an honour to play alongside them. Aqib was a very good new ball bowler who could seam the ball. If the wicket was grassy then I would be the 4th seamer. My job really was to be the stock bowler and try to keep things tight, but of course you try and bowl in each match as per the situation of the game.


PakPassion.Net: Did you manage to spend time with Imran Khan? 

Ata Ur Rehman: I started in 1991 and Imran's career of course ended in 1992. He was always great for advice to the players especially the youngsters. We all of course listened to his every word, as he was an inspiration to us.


PakPassion.Net: What are your views on Shoaib Akhtar? What do you think went wrong with him? Even Imran, Wasim, Waqar had the same fame, why couldnt he handle it? 

Ata Ur Rehman: His discipline and lack of professionalism has been a big problem for himself and for Pakistani cricket and his team mates too. He needs to look at himself and sort this out, even now at this late stage of his career he is still needed. He needs to become sincere with himself and the game of cricket. As for Imran, Wasim and Waqar, they were 100% disciplined when it came to their cricket and on field performance. They did not let anything get in their way of their cricket.


PakPassion.Net: Are there any speedy prospects who could come into the team? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Sadly I dont know of any really quick up and coming bowlers in the domestic scene?


PakPassion.Net: What about any up and coming spinners that you have hopes for? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Salman Qadir, the young leg spinner is one that I think could do well in the future.


PakPassion.Net: Why do you think we are not producing many world class cricketers these days ? 

Ata Ur Rehman: There seems to be a focus on quantity rather than quality these days. Departments are closing, players are worried about getting into cricket because they are worried about their futures. Youngsters are worried about whether they can actually afford to buy the required cricket equipment. The domestic system is flawed too.


PakPassion.Net: What actually happened with Aamer Nazir's career after he started so well in his debut series in Zimbabwe? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Amir was a very good bowler. He was unlucky with injuries, lost his way, but then worked hard on his game, improved his cricket and came back, but he was not given a further chance. These days Amir works for Allied Bank.


PakPassion.Net: Who is the best coach/captain you have played under ? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Captain would be Imran Khan, due to reasons I have mentioned earlier in the interview. The coach would be Mudasser Nazar. He was very helpful in offering good advice to players as he was such an experienced cricketer himself.


PakPassion.Net: Who was the best player that you played with during your Pakistan days ? 

Ata Ur Rehman: I was so lucky to play with a number of great and legendary players and its so difficult to pick one out of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Javed Miandad, Salim Malik, Inzamam ul Haq, Rameez Raja, Aamir Sohail, Saeed Anwar.


PakPassion.Net: Who do you think is the ideal coach for Pakistan ? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Wasim Akram would be my choice. I would also have Waqar Younis involved in working with the bowlers at junior level.


PakPassion.Net: Can you please walk us through the Bangalore Quarter Final 1996...anything from dressing room during the game that we do not know? 

Ata Ur Rehman: We were all aware that Wasim had a problem with his ribs. He practiced in the morning after taking a painkilling injection and tried his best to make the match, but 10 minutes before the toss he told me and the other players that he cant make the match and said to me that I would be replacing him. To suggest that Wasim faked injury is ridiculous, we all know that he tried his best to make that match.


PakPassion.Net: Tell us who was more helping to you as a young fast bowler, Wasim or Waqar? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Wasim Akram. He was very helpful to me with regards to my action. He was always offering advice and tips.


PakPassion.Net: Who do you think are World class cricketers in the current Pakistan squad? 

Ata Ur Rehman: There is only one player and that is Mohammed Yousuf.


PakPassion.Net: How was the dressing room after the 1996 WC and how was the planning before such a big game ? 

Ata Ur Rehman: We were all very down and tearful. Nobody was talking and we were all naturally very sad, especially after the great start that Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail had given us.


PakPassion.Net: How did you rate Mohammad Zahid when he first came into the international scene? 

Ata Ur Rehman: He was an excellent bowler. He had the ability to get awkward bounce just off a good length. A talent that very few bowlers have.


PakPassion.Net: Did you do video analysis on players strengths and weaknesses back then? How did you prepare your self for your opponents? Did you have a plan for individual batsman or you knew your strengths and tried out fox batsmen with that? 

Ata Ur Rehman: There was no video analysis or use of technology back then. We relied on the senior players and the coach and captain to give us advice on opponents.


PakPassion.Net: Who was best batsman that you bowled at? 

Ata Ur Rehman: It would have to be Brian Lara. He had the ability to hit any ball for 4 or 6 if he so wished. Good deliveries to other batsman were ordinary deliveries to Lara.


PakPassion.Net: Which is your most memorable wicket? 

Ata Ur Rehman: It would have to be Richie Richardson. He was my second one day international wicket and I got him caught behind by Rashid Latif. We bowled the West Indies out for 148 and won by 38 runs.


PakPassion.Net: Have any IPL offers come your way? Would you join the ICL if given the chance? 

Ata Ur Rehman: I'm not at all interested in joining either the ICL or IPL.


PakPassion.Net: Was Waqar Younis, when he was at his peak between 1989-1996, ever like Shoaib Akhtar with regards to arrogance, stubborness, missing team meetings, coming late, curfews etc? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Waqar when it came to his cricket was very disciplined. He was someone who was very professional and would never miss team meetings or miss curfews and was not at all arrogant. 


PakPassion.Net: Was Waqar as fast as Akhtar during that time period? 

Ata Ur Rehman: In my opinion Waqar at his peak was faster than Akhtar. Some of his spells were just breathtaking.


PakPassion.Net: Away from cricket, what are your hobbies? 

Ata Ur Rehman: Religion is an important part of my life these days. I enjoy listening to talawat of Quran and also listening to naats.


PakPassion.Net: Who do you think was faster at their peak Zahid or Akhtar? 

Ata Ur Rehman: I think it was Akhtar. 


PakPassion.Net: What are your views on the ICL banned players? 

Ata Ur Rehman: They have been deservedly banned. They knew what they were doing and what the consequences were. I fear the ICLs and IPLs of this world are going to crop up all over the place now.


PakPassion.Net: Do you think match fixing is still happening around the cricketing world? 

Ata Ur Rehman: No, the ICC have done an excellent job in stamping this out.