We are delighted to present an exclusive interview with Hammad Azam; Hammad was one of the stars of Pakistan's Under-19 team in this year's U19 World Cup, and his heroics in New Zealand earned him a surprise selection to the senior squad for the prestigious World Twenty20. 

Here, he speaks to PakPassion.net about the experience of working with his heroes at the training camp for the T20 World Cup, his cricketing inspirations, and his dreams for the future.

PakPassion.net thanks Hammad for speaking with us, and wishes him all the best for the upcoming tournament.

By: "ShehryarK"  

27 April 2010

PakPassion.net: Thank you for your time, Hammad. Congratulations on being selected for the World Twenty20! A great honour for you, and well-deserved. So how did you hear about your selection, and what was your reaction?

Hammad Azam: Well the first I heard that I might be in contention was from Express News – they had announced a ‘probable’ squad list for the World Cup and my name was in it. That was still just a rumour, but before that, I wasn’t even aware that I might be in the running for such a prestigious tournament!

It was always my dream to play for the national side, so I was extremely delighted once the selection was confirmed.


PakPassion.net: Who did you first speak to in the national set-up?

Hammad Azam: The first one to call me was from Ijaz bhai, who was as you know our coach at the Under-19 level too. So he called me up, congratulated me and he asked me to come to the National Cricket Academy immediately. We had a match at Sargodha, he asked us to report at the NCA after that match was over, and so Reza and I went to the NCA.


PakPassion.net: You have just ended the camp for the national team, its been reported to be a tough camp. Your views on attending this camp?

Hammad Azam: This was my first-ever camp with Pakistan so it was an amazing experience. And Masha Allah it was very tough! Actually everybody worked very hard, the boys as well as the coaching and other support staff. It has really helped my game a lot, in all disciplines; batting, bowling and fielding.


PakPassion.net: Any examples of things that you learnt or improved in the camp?

Hammad Azam: Technical aspects, mainly. In particular, Waqar bhai spent a lot of time working with me on my bowling. I also had sessions with Ijaz bhai on my batting, in particular on technique.

And needless to say, a key focus of this camp was discipline. I thank Allah that my discipline was good before the camp too, but this was also emphasised during the camp so hopefully it improved during the camp.


PakPassion.net: How was it working with a legend like Waqar Younis?

Hammad Azam: Well, firstly, it was a joy just to meet a person of his stature! I had really wanted to meet him, so it was great to do that. And then as the coach, the experience was very good, I learnt a lot from him, not just about cricket but about life too.


PakPassion.net: About life? Such as?

Hammad Azam: Just things on how Waqar bhai deals with other people, how he meets them and talks to them; how he deals with the senior players, with the juniors, with everyone else – it was great just to observe someone like him from close quarters! And yes, I did pick up a few things just by watching him.


PakPassion.net: Which players did you get to develop good friendships with, at the camp?

Hammad Azam: Everybody was very nice to me as I was the new guy! Of course, they are all my seniors, they’ve all been playing cricket for some time so I wouldn’t say we developed informal friendships yet; they are all like my elder brothers (bhai) so I respect and admire them all. In terms of friendships, I think Saeed bhai (Saeed Ajmal) and Salman bhai, both to a limited extent though.


PakPassion.net: Did you have much interaction with the captain, Shahid Afridi?

Hammad Azam: Absolutely. When I first went there, Shahid bhai specifically called me and had a chat with me. He said, “look, I’ve seen you bat, you play well Masha Allah. Just work very hard, stay clear in your objectives”. So it was very inspiring for me as a new guy to be called individually by the captain at the outset and then get this great motivational feedback from him.

Later on too, Shahid bhai would speak individually with me regularly during the camp, give feedback and advice. That gives me a lot of confidence to succeed.


PakPassion.net: What do you enjoy more, batting or bowling? And what do you feel is your role in the team for the T20 World Cup?

Hammad Azam: Well I am a batting all-rounder, and that’s my role in the team.


PakPassion.net: Speaking of your batting, your exploits in the Under-19 World Cup were quite special. In particular, what impressed observers most was your calmness and your ability to play under pressure and finish matches. What do you attribute this to?

Hammad Azam: I would mainly attribute it to Ijaz bhai, who was my coach at the Under-19 level. I worked with him over a number of months, starting with the Under-19 camp for the Sri Lankan series, then the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka, then the camp for the Under-19 World Cup itself. After that we had the Under-19 series in New Zealand and finally the World Cup. 

So I had been with Ijaz bhai for quite some time – and he really did teach me a lot. Not just about the technical aspects of batting, but about cricket in general too, since he’s just an experienced former player, has played the game at the highest level. He shared his cricketing experiences with us, and I just tried to act on his advice, to learn from his experience, and put all of that into practice. 

I thank Allah that I was able to put that into practice and as a result, had a very good tournament at the Under-19 World Cup. But really, the credit for my batting there goes to Ijaz bhai who mentored me.


PakPassion.net: That’s great to hear. Let’s talk a bit about the upcoming T20 World Cup. You will get a chance to meet with players from all over the world. Can you name one player that you are really keen to meet?

Hammad Azam: Kevin Peitersen – I am really looking forward to meeting him, watching him play and playing against him.


PakPassion.net: And hopefully you will! Which players have inspired you, when you were a kid growing up watching cricket?

Hammad Azam: In batting, its Inzi bhai, and in bowling Wasim bhai.


PakPassion.net: Great! Could you name some young Pakistani players whose example you are looking to emulate?

Hammad Azam: The two obvious examples and inspirations for me are Umar Akmal and Mohammad Aamer, as far as youngsters are concerned. They both hit the ground running, and made a name for themselves at the outset, and both of them are now regularly included in the national side – so yes, I am very inspired by what they have achieved and would love to follow in their footsteps. And it was a lot of fun to spend time with both of them at the camp, we got along well. Masha Allah both are outstanding performers and have established themselves in the national side at such a young age.


PakPassion.net: What do you feel are the main differences between the Under-19 camps you have attended, and the camp for the national side?

Hammad Azam: There are a lot of differences. It’s a completely different level, no comparison. The players at this level are experienced, there is a lot more pressure at this level. The players one comes across at this level are more mature, they have groomed as cricketers and as people too, so it is a huge difference!


PakPassion.net: What are young long-term aspirations and dreams as a Pakistan cricketer? Which formats do you see yourself excel in?

Hammad Azam: As you said, everybody would want to excel in all three formats, Tests, ODIs and T/20s - that's definitely what I aim for. But if I had to pick, I’d say I love ODIs and T20s more.


PakPassion.net: So in the future, do you see yourself as the next Abdul Razzaq in these two formats?

Hammad Azam: Insha Allah, I would love to contribute like Razzaq bhai has done! He helped me a lot in the camp too, gave a lot of great advice and I learnt a lot from him. 



PakPassion.net: Hammad, we hope you achieve all that, and more. Thank you for your time and best wishes for the tournament!

Hammad Azam: Thank you, it was great talking with you and with PakPassion.net!