We conducted this interview earlier this year when Mohammad Zahid was playing for Pakistan Customs. We'd like to thank Bilal Shafayat for putting us in contact with Mohammad Zahid and Zahid for taking time out of his schedule for a long an interesting chat!

By Pakpassion Staff (4th August 2009)

PakPassion.Net: Tell us about your mentor Nadeem Iqbal.

Mohammad Zahid: He was a very pacey fast bowler who opened the bowling for Multan region with Waqar Younis. Nadeem was faster than Waqar, he was another express pacer. He helped set a first class record by bowling out NBP for just 20 runs, Nadeem himself took 6 wickets for just 9 runs in the process.


PakPassion.Net: How did you meet Nadeem and come to be coached by him?

Mohammad Zahid: When I was around 13/14 I was crazy about football and I used to play with my friends at a ground which was shared between games of cricket and football. One day I arrived and there were no football games going on so I picked up a ball and started bowling in one of the cricket games. Nadeem saw me bowling and was very impressed, he approached me and told me that I had natural speed. I wasn't really interested in cricket but Nadeem wouldnt take no for an answer so I joined the Gaggoo Club and started playing cricket. Nadeem taught me everything he knew about cricket, he didnt hold anything back. The amount of knowledge that Nadeem imparted only to me, I doubt Waqar and Wasim will ever give away that much knowledge over the course of their entire lives.


PakPassion.Net: Have you seen Nadeem's giant left armer, Mohammad Irfan?

Mohammad Zahid: Yes. I saw him a few years ago, he looked ok then but I havent seen him since.


PakPassion.Net: How did you get to play for Pakistan?

Mohammad Zahid: I was living in Saiwal in Multan when the trials for the Pakistan u19 team were happening, Miah Basharat (the President of the Multan Division) sent me to the trials on behalf of Multan region because he was impressed with my speed. There were thousands of boys at the trials hoping to secure a spot in the Pakistan u19 team, to me it seemed like every u19 boy in Pakistan was present for the trials. There were guys like Shahid Nazir, Rana Naved, Shoaib Akhtar, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Akram there to try out. I was called into the nets and as soon as Saleem Altaf (the Chief Selector) saw me bowl he selected me straight away. Although my performance hadn't been great, he selected me based on the potential he saw in me. I remember him saying this boy will go far.


PakPassion.Net: So where was your first u19 tour for Pakistan?

Mohammad Zahid: I was sent to New Zealand where I bowled really fast, on my return to Pakistan I was signed up by PIA. I played 3 games for them and performed really well, then in the break between the domestic season I was called up to a Pakistan camp. I bowled really fast in the nets and Moin Khan recommended me to Zaheer Abbas, so I got a chance to play for Pakistan.


PakPassion.Net: What were your best 3 spells of super rapid fast bowling?

Mohammad Zahid: Back in 1994 (or 1995) I played a one day game for Multan u19s vs NZ u19s at Sahiwal. I had loads of catches dropped but I still took 6 wickets. It was such a thrill to see the New Zealand batsmen backing away from the stumps when I sent down my scorching deliveries. Another one that comes to mind is the game where I took 12 wickets versus NBP, that was another game where catches were dropped off my bowling but I still took lots of wickets The 3rd match was the side game before the test match in New Zealand where I took 11 wickets. I only took around 7 wickets in that side game but I bowled better and faster in that game than I have in actual games. You wouldnt believe the amount of catches dropped off me in that game, if I had to say a number I'd say around a dozen or so. Even though in the Test match I took 11 wickets and was really fast, for me I bowled much better in that side game. (Those 11 wickets were made up of 8 lbws, 1 bowled, 1 caught keeper and 1 caught other)


PakPassion.Net: What about your best performance in an International game?

Mohammad Zahid: My debut test match which I've mentioned above and the ODI in Australia where I took Brain Lara's wicket!


PakPassion.Net: The game where Brian Lara said you were the fastest bowler he'd ever seen?

Mohammad Zahid: Yes. The game where Carl Hooper and Brian Lara called me the fastest bowler they'd ever seen. For me there hasnt been and there cant be any greater compliment because it came from two batsmen who'd grown up with the great West Indian fast bowlers of yore.


PakPassion.Net: Tell us about that match and dismissing Brian Lara.

Mohammad Zahid: The night before the game I had a very high fever, the doctor spent the whole night trying to sweat the fever out of me. I stayed awake wrapped up in several blankets and continuously drinking cups of coffee all night long. I barely got any sleep and the doctor advised me against playing in the game. However Saeed Anwar and Waqar were unavailable for that game and Aamer Sohail had fallen and hurt his head so he couldnt play either. We were virtually down to 10 men and were struggling to field XI players. Wasim Akram called me and told me to get on the coach and come down to the ground to make up the numbers, so I went to the ground. When I got there Wasim took me to one side and said (he'd never spoken to me like this before or since) that to be a big player you have to play though pain and sadness. He said that great players make sacrifices for the team. As soon as he had said that I told him that I was ready to play the game.


PakPassion.Net: I wish we had a few more players like that.

Mohammad Zahid: Thank you. In that game Lara was plumb lbw early on but it wasn't given and that made me really angry. My battle had begun, I had to take his wicket. He played a few overs and kept get beaten, then in the over where I took his wicket he was beaten on every ball before I took his wicket. I dont know if Lara was having a bad day or I was having a great day but he really did look clueless against me that day. It was after that match that he said I was the fastest bowler he'd ever seen.


PakPassion.Net: You forced yourself into the Pakistan first team and became an automatic selection during an era when you were competing with the likes of Wasim, Waqar, Akhtar, Mo Akram and Ata Ur Rehman. How did that make you feel?

Mohammad Zahid: It's a source of great pride for me and the highlight of my career. It's something no-one can take away from me, the fact that I achieved that through my own blood, sweat and tears. It wasn't easy to get there or to get past so many talented and fast bowlers, I worked really hard to achieve that position in the starting lineup.


PakPassion.Net: I did an interview with Mohammad Akram, he said that Waqar and Wasim didn't help young bowlers. He said they saw them as competition and closed them out.

Mohammad Zahid: I agree with him, what he said is the truth. Neither of them went out of their way to help anyone, nor did they give youngsters the help and guidance that they should have.


PakPassion.Net: What was your experience with Wasim and Waqar?

Mohammad Zahid: They didn't help me out. They should have been grooming young players and looking to the future of Pakistan cricket but they only looked after themselves.


PakPassion.Net: In 1997 Waqar gave an interview saying your bowling style was too demanding, were you aware of that?

Mohammad Zahid: No I didn't know about that at the time and he never said anything like that to me personally.


PakPassion.Net: What was it like being part of the C&U Series in 1997 and being part of a Pakistan team that beat both Australia and the Windies in Australia?

Mohammad Zahid: I was very happy to be part of such a strong and successful team, in fact that team may have been one of the strongest in Pakistan's history. I'd never even dreamed of being part of success like that, I was glad my bowling had helped to contribute towards such a huge win for Pakistan against the two strongest teams in the world.


PakPassion.Net: What do you feel was your fastest every delivery in any form of cricket?

Mohammad Zahid: It was during a side match in New Zealand before my debut test. That game is burned into my brain, I was just so fast that day. If there had been speed guns present then I'd have broken the world record several times in the same game!


PakPassion.Net: What about the yorker to Lee Germon in your debut?

Mohammad Zahid: That was fast but nowhere near my fastest, I remember the yorker quite clearly. My bowling wasnt as fast as I can be in that game.


PakPassion.Net: Were you faster than Shoaib Akhtar?

Mohammad Zahid: That's what everyone keep telling me including the wicket keepers and they would know best. Moin has kept to both of us at our fastest and he always says that I was faster than Shoaib. Even Shoaib will tell you the same thing, he's said it to lots of people many times and often mentions it to me when the subject comes up.


PakPassion.Net: Are you aware that you have a lot of fans on PakPassion.Net who are convinced that you were the fastest bowler in the history of cricket?

Mohammad Zahid: No I'm not on the internet so I didn't realise. It's great to hear that I'm still remembered for my speed, please pass on my thanks to everyone for still remembering me.


PakPassion.Net: Tell us about when you 'unofficially' clocked 100mph in New Zealand.

Mohammad Zahid: I was touring New Zealand with the Pakistan u19 team back in 1995 and I was still a few months away from turning 19. We played a couple of test matches and some one day games on that tour. During one of the matches (I think it was in Wellington) the venue was fitted with speed guns and I clocked 100mph on them a few times. No other bowler was getting close to that speed and it even made the papers the next day, I still have some newspaper clippings somewhere at home.


PakPassion.Net: Who were the other Pakistani bowlers in your team and do you remember what speeds they clocked?

Mohammad Zahid: The other fast bowlers were Rana Naved, Azhar Mahmood and Adnan Naeem. It's over 14 years ago now so I dont remember exactly what speeds they were clocking but it wasnt anywhere close to 100mph, there was a clear difference in the speeds with or without a speed gun. Our coach on that tour was very strict about short pitched bowling, he didn't allow any of the other bowlers to bowl short. I was the only one who was allowed to do so because I was too quick for the batsmen. He told us that Zahid is the only one who can make short balls count so he's the only one who will be allowed to bowl them.


PakPassion.Net: What would've happened if there had been speed guns in your day?

Mohammad Zahid: History would've been made many times because I would've kept breaking the 100mph barrier!


PakPassion.Net: If you could go back to the start of your career, would you cut your speed to prolong your career?

Mohammad Zahid: If I could go back then I'd still bowl as fast as I could, I've no regrets about bowling fast. Speed was my identity, speed was what I was about. Speed was why everyone knew me and why batsmen feared me. There's no way I would compromise my speed for a longer career because it's better to be who you are than pretend to be someone you're not. Live your life to it's fullest, you may not live as long but at least you'll feel more alive in those few years than you otherwise would if you stretched your career out for decades of mediocrity. The most important thing for me is that when I look back I can truly say that I gave everything I had and so I don't regret any of it. However if I had my time again then there is one thing I'd change, I'd listen to my body rather than other people and I would rest when I was too tired and take better care of myself and my back.


PakPassion.Net: What's your advice to youngsters who want to bowl fast?

Mohammad Zahid: The best training is repetition, bowl as many overs as you can in the nets and you will reach your optimum speed. Pace is natural, if you have it then practise will help you hone it.


PakPassion.Net: What advice would you give youngsters to help prevent them getting injured?

Mohammad Zahid: I'd give them the advice that I never got when I started playing first class cricket. I wasn't a physically strong person, I had very little muscle on my frame and so my speed wasn't as good as it could've been. Although I was fit enough to run in and bowl at 100mph, the lack of muscle on my frame put too much pressure on body and due to that I became more injury prone. My advice to youngsters would be to stay fit, do lots of bowling in the nets and to keep a regular gym schedule.


PakPassion.Net: I take it you're not talking about body building here?

Mohammad Zahid: (laughs) No, certainly not! Fast bowlers shouldn't be going to the gym to do body building. I'm talking about cardio and strengthening the muscles on your back, legs, arms and shoulders in order to prevent those areas becoming injury prone. As a fast bowler you really need to look after your back, that part of your body is crucial to all fast bowlers. But when you're strengthening your muscles you should be careful not to get bulky because that will make you stiff and restrict either your ability to bowl fast or negatively affect your stamina. I never did any of the above and that's the main reason that I got injured.


PakPassion.Net: So you're saying that you could've bowled even faster?

Mohammad Zahid: If you've seen me during those days then you will know that I was nothing more than skin and bone, there wasnt a trace of muscle on me. Yet I was still generating the speeds that I did. Now imagine how fast I could've bowled if I'd been physically stronger and been able to bend my back properly when delivering the ball. Don't you think I'd have been even faster?


PakPassion.Net: Do you still think that if you really wanted to, you could still bowl the odd one at 100mph?

Mohammad Zahid: It's going to be really tough, those speeds were achieved a long time ago and I'm in a lot of pain these days. However deep inside me, there's this little voice that keeps telling me that I can still do it. Sometimes when I'm bowling, I grit my teeth and really let myself go. On those occasions I'm positive that I'm unleashing some seriously rapid deliveries. Maybe it's not 100mph anymore but probably not that from it either.


PakPassion.Net: How fit do you feel these days? Are you still taking pain killers before you bowl?

Mohammad Zahid: Before I go out to bowl I have to tightly strap my ankles, knees, shoulders and back. Pain is my constant companion now, we play each game side by side. It's always there following me around like my shadow but what can I do? I've come to accept that it is a part of my life and I've learnt to play through the pain.


PakPassion.Net: How many overs can you bowl in a match now?

Mohammad Zahid: This year I've been bowling 15-20 over per innings so I can still play my role fully.

PakPassion.Net: What are your chances of a return to the Pakistan team?

Mohammad Zahid: I did make a comeback in 2003 and despite having been through all those injuries I was still clocking around 90mph then! I made my return to first class cricket with Pakistan Customs after 2 or 3 years away and I feel I've been bowling pretty fast. Of course I would love to play for Pakistan again, who wouldnt? I'd like to have another shot at it before I retire.


PakPassion.Net: You just mentioned that you've made a return to first class cricket after 2 or 3 years out, what were the reasons behind you not playing for that period?

Mohammad Zahid: It's not that I fell out of love with cricket but my heart was no longer in it. I kept getting dropped from my domestic team regardless of my performance and when you're getting dropped after performing well it's quite depressing. You can't see any way forward and inconsistent chances sap your morale, so I left cricket because of that.


PakPassion.Net: Did you ever bowl to Afridi or Ijaz Ahmed?

Mohammad Zahid: I've bowled to Afridi many times, from the junior level upwards.


PakPassion.Net: Afridi loves to dominate the bowling, did you ever have challenges in the nets to see who was more dominant?

Mohammad Zahid: (laughs) No, nothing like that. Afridi would never challenge the fast bowlers in the nets, especially not me. He was always careful around me and didnt mess around, he would even avoid eye contact when the nets were on.


PakPassion.Net: But what about when you did come face to face in the nets, did you try and rattle his cage sometimes?

Mohammad Zahid: (laughs) I never got the chance to try. As soon as he saw me, he would call out and say 'lala araam se' (go easy big brother)


PakPassion.Net: (laughs) What about Ijaz Ahmed?

Mohammad Zahid: We've played against each other at the domestic level but he didnt ever dominate me like I've seen him do to other bowlers.


PakPassion.Net: We've all heard the stories of Inzamam thrashing Waqar and Wasim in the nets, when they were both at their prime. How did Inzi handle Zahid in his prime?

Mohammad Zahid: Inzamam is a different story altogether, he was always too good. I never saw him impressed with what I did, it didnt matter how fast I was bowling to him he just wasn't bothered by it. It didn't matter if I was bowling to him in the nets or in a match, the result was the same. It used to amaze me that even when I was bowling at full tilt and holding nothing back, Inzi would still be playing me quite comfortably. I've never seen another batsman who has so much time when playing the ball.


PakPassion.Net: Who was the most difficult international batsman you bowled to?

Mohammad Zahid: In my prime I've bowled to Lara, Taylor, Sachin, the Waughs etc but I didn't feel that I was struggling against any of them. Any time I struggled in a game it was because of my own fitness or rhythm. But when I lost my speed after returning from injuries, I began to feel human. I came to the realization that without my speed I would have to learn other ways with which to take wickets, it wasn't an easy fact to accept.


PakPassion.Net: Tell us about your injury. Who was your captain and when did it happen?

Mohammad Zahid: It happened by accident during fielding practise, I was working on diving to stop the ball when I hurt myself and ended up getting whiplash. This was one day before the 2nd test match vs Sri Lanka at Colombo in 1997. Although Wasim was the captain at the time, he was injured for that series and so Rameez Raja took over the captaincy. During the match the injury got a lot worse and I kept going to Rameez to tell him that I couldnt bowl because I was in too much pain. I stressed that it wasn't a good idea for me to keep bowling but Rameez kept re-assuring me that it was probably only a niggle and that I would be fine. Myself and Shahid Nazir were the only two fast bowlers in that match.


PakPassion.Net: So you told him that you didn't think you should be bowling?

Mohammad Zahid: It wasn't just me, Saleem Malik kept going up to Rameez and telling him the same thing. Saleem was saying to Rameez that if he didn't stop bowling me then my injury would get worse but Rameez was convinced it was just a niggle and said not to worry and to keep on bowling.


PakPassion.Net: Are the flat pitches we prepare in Pakistan the main reason for so many of our fast bowlers getting injured?

Mohammad Zahid: It's one of the reasons, nobody would deny that. But then you have to remember that it's because of those same flat pitches that we produce so many express bowlers. In helpful conditions fast bowlers dont need to go all out like they have to on flat tracks, on flat tracks a bowler has to put everything into his bowling and that's one of the reasons why we have so many speedsters. After my test match debut Imran arranged a meeting with me and taught me about how to get the most out of reverse swing. He said that in order to get extravagant reverse swing you have to give the ball as much air as possible because the moment the ball hits a flat Pakistani pitch it kills the swing and movement. He taught me that the longer the ball stays in the air the more it will swing and the harder it will be to play. The reason I mentioned that was because you asked me about flat Pakistani pitches, the only help a fast bowler gets on those pitches is with reverse swing because those pitches rough up the ball very quickly. In order to make the most of reverse swing you need to be able to generate express pace and thats why our pitches produce so many express bowlers. Because our bowlers cant get away with bowling within themselves and letting the conditions do the rest. Our bowlers have to put all their energy into each delivery. Coming back to your question about the causes for injuries, I would say a lack of proper education about fitness is a bigger reason for injuries than flat pitches.


PakPassion.Net: So getting back to your injury, where did you get it treated?

Mohammad Zahid: It was treated in Nottingham, England. I'd signed to play county cricket with Nottinghamshire and arrived in the UK carrying my injury from the test series. It wasn't until I reached the UK that I was diagnosed with stress fractures to my back. Nottinghamshire were very good about it and the took care of the costs and the treatment straight away.


PakPassion.Net: But you suffered the stress fractures whilst on national duty, wasn't it the PCB's responsibility to take care of the costs and the treatment?

Mohammad Zahid: Majid Khan was the head of the PCB at the time and he told me that they wouldn't pay for me to get it treated straight away. They wanted me to return to Pakistan where I'd be checked out by PCB's own doctors and then a decision would be made on whether or not they would pay for the treatment. The county on the other hand were offering to pay for me to be treated straight away because they knew injuries of this nature need to be dealt with fast.


PakPassion.Net: That was very nice of them, I guess their insurance must've covered it.

Mohammad Zahid: I don't know, maybe it did. I accepted the county's offer because it was better than catching a long haul flight back to Pakistan, waiting around to be tested and then waiting for the results. The PCB's actions didn't make any sense to me, by travelling I would risk aggravating my injury and even if the PCB agreed to pay for the treatment they might just end up sending me back to the UK to have it done. Then doubts began creeping into my mind, what if the PCB did the tests and decided they wouldnt pay for my treatment? I would've turned down Nottinghamshire's offer and be left with serious stress fractures but no help from the PCB either. So that's why I accepted Nottinghamshire's offer and I'm very thankful to them for all that they did for me when I needed their help.


PakPassion.Net: That's disgraceful from the PCB, especially considering the way they've showered money on Shoaib over the years.

Mohammad Zahid: They did help Shoaib and they were right to do so but at the same time they should've done the same for me and others in my position as well.


PakPassion.Net: In 2003/2004 Mohammad Sami was constantly clocking 95mph+ but he never converted his speed into performance, what went wrong with him?

Mohammad Zahid: Sami was a genuine express pacer, he had the sort of speed which could've seriously troubled batsmen. However he couldnt work the pitch, there was no help for him off the deck. After pitching his deliveries used to come in dead straight and because he wasn't tall he didn't get even get extra bounce off the pitch. During Waqar's last few years (when he was captain) he used to take Sami around with him, Waqar put an awful lot of work into Sami at that time. He tried very hard to make him into a successful bowler but it didn't work. Waqar used to tell Sami that his wrist breaks away when releasing the ball and that Sami needed to keep his wrist upright till after he'd released the ball. Waqar said that this problem took the bite out of Sami's bowling but Sami couldnt keep his wrist upright.


PakPassion.Net: What's your opinion on Sohail Khan.

Mohammad Zahid: He quick but he's not express pace, he will have to put a lot of effort into his bowling if he wants to make it at international level.


PakPassion.Net: If you were his coach what would you advise him?

Mohammad Zahid: He's too bulky, too stiff. If he wants to make the most of his speed then he needs to get leaner and work on his fitness. His arm needs to be straighter, it comes to the side a bit and that's not good. If Sohail was express pace then wherever he landed the ball he would trouble the batsman but he isn't so he needs to learn variation if he wants to be successful.


PakPassion.Net: What about Mohammad Talha?

Mohammad Zahid: