27th July 2009 Pakpassion spoke to the upcomming and talented Pakistani allrounder anwar ali, Anwar featured in the U19 world cup winning team, he was the man of the match of the final and bowled pakistan to a memorable vicotory.

PakPassion.Net: I'm here at Colne Cricket Club on behalf of PakPassion.Net and I am going to be interviewing Anwar Ali. He has represented Pakistan in one T20 match against Zimbabwe in Canada. Anwar is playing in the Lancashire league this season for Colne and on today’s performance he looks in fine form, he has taken 5 wickets. You will be pleased to know those big inswingers that he bowls are still with him, they haven’t deserted him. 


PakPassion.Net: Anwar, how is it going this season?

Anwar Ali: The season is going very well, mashallah. I have so far played 8 games and have taken 38 wickets, also I have managed to make 300 runs, which includes 1 century and 3 half centuries. My target for this season is to inshallah top the league, I hope to get around 60-70 wickets and around 800-900 runs. 


PakPassion.Net: Is this your first season playing cricket overseas?

Anwar Ali: Yes, this is my first season playing in England for Colne. I am really enjoying playing for Colne, it’s a good team, the players are hard workers and they have given me great support. I will also be able to take plenty of experience back to Pakistan.


PakPassion.Net: You are famous for the U19 World Cup victory against India but how did you get into cricket? Anyone in your family play cricket?

Anwar Ali: No there isn’t anyone in my family that played cricket, it is just me but also now my younger brother, Zaffar who is an all rounder has started playing. From a young age I had an interest in playing cricket right from an early age but my father (Allah jannat naseeb karreh) didn’t allow me to play cricket too often, so all the time that I gave to cricket was at school, I played a lot of cricket at school at GBSS Metreville in Karachi, I was the captain of the school team and we were the schools champions of Karachi when I was there and runners up in the All Pakistan schools competition. After school I started to play club cricket, I play for Pakistan Cricket Club in Karachi. It is a very good club with lots of first class players, we have two international players at the club, one is Sarfraz Ahmed the wicket keeper and the other is me. The club gives us plenty of support from our coaches Azam and Zafar.


PakPassion.Net: Anwar, you did very well in the U19 World Cup 2006 win, tell us a bit about that tournament. What were your feelings on that tournament? which by the way Pakistan were not favourites for, India with players like Rohit Sharma was expected to win

Anwar Ali: Yes they also had Ravinder Jadeja too. Whilst they were the favourites we were the defending champions and various commentators, pundits did mention that we were a strong side. If you look at the performance of that World Cup India were outstanding in the tournament up until the final, we on the other hand struggled a bit, we lost to Bangladesh in the group match which dented the team morale but we managed to beat New Zealand in the final group match, it was a do or die match for us and we pulled it off. I took 5 wickets in that match as we bowled New Zealand out for 75. 

That allowed us to progress to the Quarter Final where we beat Zimbabwe, then we took on Australia in a huge match in the Semi Final. We were nervous for that match, throughout the tournament we were nervous, mainly about our batting as it didn’t perform, even against Australia we were struggling at 40-5 but thanks to a 6th wicket partnership of 150 runs between Riaz Khail and Ali Asad we managed to post a big total of 290 and then we bowled them out for 123, with me taking 2 wickets. The conditions for that match suited the spinners and our spinners performed very well, left arm spinner Imad Wasim and Usman Malik took 3 wickets each. Jamshed Ahmed took the other 2 wickets. 

In the final we won the toss and chose to bat, we only managed to make 109 runs. Despite that we had a meeting with our coach Mansoor Rana and the team manager Aftab Baloch, the meeting highlighted that the Indian top order, the top 3-4 batsmen were batting throughout the tournament and the players below them had not had much batting and time in the middle. So the coach/manager said that if we can get some early wickets of their top 3-4 batters we will be back in this match. The innings got off to a great start with Jamshed Ahmed taking a wicket of the very first ball, at the end of that over India were 4-1. 

My first over didn’t start too well as I bowled a no ball, this prompted our Captain Sarfraz Ahmed to have a chat with me because bowling no balls with only 109 to defend isn’t good, the next delivery I got the wicket of Pujara, who was their main player and was also the player of the tournament, he is a very good batsman so taking that wicket gave me huge confidence, I followed that by taking the wicket of Rohit Sharma, who is also a top class batsman. In that over I took 3 wickets and we were firmly back in the match, that boosted the team morale and our body language and at one stage India were 9-6 but then we had a break for dinner, which disrupted our tempo, if that hadn’t happened then maybe we could have bowled India out for 20-25 runs. 

Mashallah that was a great day for me and for the team, that match certainly changed my life because I performed well in a big match. What has happened since is due to that match. I even played an International match but playing in and winning the final was far greater than even the match against Zimbabwe. I was so happy after winning that World Cup and bringing it back to Pakistan.


PakPassion.Net: You mentioned Jamshed Ahmed, we speak to Akhtar Ayub from time to time, it must be frustrating to see the likes of Rohit Sharma play regularly for the Indian team, whilst you guys, look at Akhtar Ayub for example he doesn’t even play regularly for his domestic side, KRL.

Anwar Ali: The thing is in Pakistan there is loads of talent, as a bowler there is lots of talent. After winning the U19 World Cup I joined PIA, as did Jamshed Ahmed whilst Akhtar Ayub joined KRL. At PIA there are many stars as a bowler, there is Najaf Shah, Fazl-e-Akbar, Aizaz Bin Ilyas etc so finding a spot in the team is tough because they are seniors and have performed for PIA over the years. Mashallah I got a chance last year when I made my debut for PIA and I took some wickets. As for KRL, they have a lot of big bowlers such as Shoaib Akhtar, Yasir Arafat, then there is Sohail Tanvir, Jaffar Nazir who is a senior and an experienced player. 

So the thing is in Pakistan you will struggle and will have to work hard to become a front line bowler. Personally what I also did was to look at my batting, during the U19 I did not take my batting seriously but when I went to the Academy and A team tours the coaches I met, like Aaqib Javed the bowling coach whom I respect a lot as he has given me plenty of help, also Ijaz Ahmed the academy coach saw me batting and asked me why I did not take it more seriously? Since then I have taken it more seriously and work on my batting. I have hit a century in first class and also made a 50, here in England I am doing well with the bat. The last 12 months I have taken my batting more seriously.


PakPassion.Net: What is the contractual situation at PIA, is it a 3 year contract or a season by season contract?

Anwar Ali: Initially I was given a 2 year contract by PIA but mashallah now I have become a permanent member/employee of the PIA establishment. A lot of the teams do keep players on contract but I am very lucky that I have become permanent with such a big department as PIA.


PakPassion.Net: You became famous for the big inswingers, was this a natural ability or was this something that you was taught?

Anwar Ali: At an early age I played a lot of tape ball cricket, I played for Saghir Sports in Karachi. A bowlers action affects the type of swing he gets and my action is suitable for inswinging deliveries, it is my natural delivery and I concentrate on that but I have also worked hard on the outwsinger, Aaqib Javed has worked a lot with me on the outswinger.


PakPassion.Net: The advice you get from people like Aaqib Javed, what is the best advice given? And what type of advice do they give you? 

Anwar Ali: The best advice Aaqib Javed has given is that he tells me not to desert my natural instinct, which is the inswinging delivery. He has also helped me a lot with the outswinger because he himself was a very good outswinging bowler. Also he likes me as a cricketer, he encourages me with my batting, he tells me if I want to take Razzaq’s spot in the team then I need to take my batting more seriously and that to make the national team it should be as an all rounder. He tells me that I am an all rounder and not a bowler, and that I should have the mentality that I am an all rounder, that I should concentrate equally on my bowling and batting. I do listen to his advice and I get a lot of help from him. Whenever I am playing domestic cricket or for the "A" team I am constantly in touch with him over the phone.


PakPassion.Net: As it stands, we have Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Arafat and Abdul Razzaq as all rounders, do you think you can get into the Test side or will you be concentrating in making the ODI side first?

Anwar Ali: My first target is to become a member of the ODI team. Inshallah I can make it into the ODI and T20 side, I believe I have the quality in terms of bowling, batting and fielding to get in the side. As far as Test cricket goes I believe I have the ability to do well in that format but it is a bit harder to break into the side because when they select bowlers they select specialist bowlers, even recently you can see that Abdul Razzaq has had to sit on the sidelines, all rounders don’t really get selected at the moment, so it is bit harder. 


PakPassion.Net: You made your debut in a T20 against Zimbabwe in Canada, you only bowled 2 overs, did the captain at the time, Shoaib Malik, give you an explanation why you were only given 2 overs that day?

Anwar Ali: No there wasn’t any such conversation where he said why he only gave me 2 overs. He was the captain and the captain knows best with regards to the match situation. The match situation was such where I could only do 2 overs.


PakPassion.Net: After that match you wasn’t given a chance again, did anyone at the PCB speak to you after that match? Or the selectors do they keep in regular contact with you?

Anwar Ali: No, as far as the selectors are concerned they don’t keep in contact. After returning to Pakistan and not being selected again there was no conversation with the board regarding this.

In my own mind I had the aim to keep working hard, to get plenty of wickets and runs in domestic cricket so I can get back in the side. Inshallah my target is to return to Pakistan after playing this season in England, and to perform well in domestic cricket and get back in the national side. 


PakPassion.Net: During the A tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya you took 29 wickets and performed well, alongside you was Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Talha who are now in or on the fringes of the national team, do you feel that despite your performance on that "A" tour you haven’t been given a decent chance?

Anwar Ali: The thing is if a player performs for his country, be it for the U19, "A" team or the national side they feel proud and look forward to the next step, though if you are not given that next step then you do feel disappointed. I was disappointed that for the last two tours for Pakistan "A" (Bangladesh/Nepal and Zimbabwe/Kenya) I was the best bowler, I also chipped in with some runs yet I was only given one T20 game, I wasn’t given a chance after that. I also was not selected for the recent A team tour to Australia which was disappointing because I performed well on the previous "A" tours, I did get a phone call from Aaqib Javed who told me not to get downbeat and to continue working hard. I didn’t really discuss this with the selection committee as they hadnt really contacted me, so as a result I came to England to play league cricket


PakPassion.Net: Apart from Kenya, what "A" or Academy tours have you done?

Anwar Ali: I obviously went to Kenya and Zimbabwe, I have also been to Bangladesh 3 times to play for Pakistan "A". I played 2 home series and then there was the U19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. Last year I played in the Hong Kong Super Sixes. I have done about 8 or 9 tours for Pakistan.


PakPassion.Net: At PakPassion your speed is often discussed, what is the fastest you have been measured?

Anwar Ali: My fastest speed has been measured at the U19 World Cup and even in domestic cricket, it is 85mph, 85mph plus.


PakPassion.Net: You have mentioned the influence Aaqib Javed has had but have Waqar Younis or Wasim Akram done any camps in which you have been present?

Anwar Ali: After I returned from the U19 World Cup I was called up to a camp for the Pakistan team, at that time Waqar Younis was the bowling coach and he gave me some tips but he was only with the team for a short time. As for Wasim Akram I have been involved in 3 camps but they were 10 day camps so it was only an hour or so that Wasim could give, so whilst he did give tips the length of the camps was too short. Whereas with Aaqib Javed he spends all day with you and he is always available. 

PakPassion.Net: Away from cricket what are your interests?

Anwar Ali: After cricket to relax I listen to music and watch Indian movies. 


PakPassion.Net:What is your favourite film? 

Anwar Ali: My favourite film is Mann, starring Amir Khan. 


PakPassion.Net: Thank you very much for your time, congratulations on the victory today, on behalf of PakPassion.net best wishes for the season, I hope you have a very successful season with Colne and you go back to Pakistan and get selected for the "A" team or the national side.

Anwar Ali: Many thanks.