29-year-old Tabish Khan made his first-class debut ten years ago and in that period, has taken 327 wickets at an average of 26 from 77 matches, including 18 five-wicket hauls. He has also taken ten wickets in a match on three occasions.

A right-arm fast-medium bowler, he has spent the majority of his career playing for major teams from Karachi including Karachi region, Karachi Blues and the T20 side Karachi Dolphins. He has also played 31 List A matches and 18 Twenty20 games. Tabish also played for the Pakistan All Star XI against the International World XI in Karachi in 2012 and took an all-bowled hat-trick. 

Khan is a versatile seamer who can move the ball both ways but his stock ball is the inswinger, the delivery which gets him the most wickets. He has also represented Pakistan A for tours of Sri Lanka and the West Indies as well as a series against England in Dubai, but has not as yet been selected for the national side. 

PakPassion.net caught up with Khan to discuss his career to date, his suggestions on how domestic cricket can be improved and whether he feels there is a still a chance for him to make it to the national side.

by Farid Khan (28th December 2013)

PakPassion.Net: You've been playing domestic cricket for over 10 years now, how has it changed over the years?

Tabish Khan: There have been significant changes in our domestic cricket from the past. I feel that domestic cricket about a decade ago was tougher than what it is today. The main reason is that departmental and regional cricket was not separate. The players representing departments used to play for regions as well. Also most of the Test players played together along with the rest of the domestic players. Playing first-class cricket at that time was not at all easy. After the 2007/08 season, changes took place in our domestic cricket when regional and departmental cricket were separated from each other. I wouldn't say there has been a huge difference overall, but the quality of cricket has declined a little bit over time. 


PakPassion.Net: Any regrets about any aspect of your career? Surely, you must be disappointed that even after taking over 300 first class wickets, you are yet to represent Pakistan?

Tabish Khan: There are no regrets whatsoever. Cricket is my passion and I play cricket because I enjoy playing it. Obviously, not playing international cricket hurts especially when one has been playing for ten years! If I had not performed well then I would have accepted my fate. It is therefore very painful to still not be selected for international duties after being the best bowler for two years and also after topping the tables in Pakistan’s premier domestic tournament.

I have been the best bowler in Pakistan for some time and still have not been rewarded with a berth in the team which I find really sad. On the other hand, I have seen players representing Pakistan in all three formats after just getting a few wickets in domestic cricket. Forget about playing in Tests, ODIs and T20Is - at the moment, it seems almost impossible to even get a place in the junior squad!

So yes, there are no regrets but there is disappointment as there should be when I have taken over 300 first-class wickets in 70 matches and have yet to play international cricket! I have performed on almost every pitch, especially in Karachi, where I have played almost 50 first-class matches. In Karachi, pitches are batting friendly and don’t offer much support to the bowlers. If you see my statistics, I have taken 6-7 wickets in matches where teams have scored 400-500 runs in an innings. Bowlers who have performed on supporting tracks have made it to the Pakistan team, whereas those who have done that on batting-supportive tracks have not been given a chance. 


PakPassion.Net: All said and done, you are 29 now, do you believe you can still make it to international cricket?

Tabish Khan: Yes, why not? As long as you’re fit and are performing, you can play. We have examples of Zulfiqar Babar, Tanvir Ahmed and Aizaz Cheema in front of us. They are still playing even after being over the age of 30. There are several other players, who are over 30 but are still playing domestic cricket. There are even some batsmen who are about 35 years old and are still playing! Age doesn’t matter but it’s the form and fitness that matters in the end. I believe a mature player is one who is around 32 but here people start making his age an issue whilst in other countries, players make debuts at the age of 29-30! The fact is that only when a player has played ample domestic cricket is he ready to withstand the pressure of international cricket. 


PakPassion.Net: How have the changes to the domestic fixtures this season been accepted by the players?

Tabish Khan: The schedules are fairly hectic and it’s not easy to play in every match of the season. You will note that some players are playing either four-day matches or one-day matches and are not performing in all of them. The quality of cricket deteriorates with so many matches arranged in a tight schedule. Also the fatigue factor in the players comes into play. 

In the past, the gaps between match days allowed us to represent our department for the entire season with ease but that’s not the case now. The only real advantage I can see with this format is that it encourages quick adaptability in all three formats. On the other hand, it also becomes a little tough for the players as it’s not easy to shift mentally or physically, between T20s, one-day and four-day matches within a short period of time. 


PakPassion.Net: Karachi doesn't seem to have many international players at the moment, why do you think that is the case?

Tabish Khan: I don’t agree with that. I believe Karachi is still producing international players, but maybe they are being overlooked. Fawad Alam is performing very well. Khurram Manzoor has been a consistent performer as well and Asad Shafiq always does well whenever he plays in domestic cricket. I am another example! As I have said earlier, I have been performing for the last four years and Mashallah, I am in very fine touch these days too. There are several other players who are doing well but are being ignored. What more can I say? 


PakPassion.Net: Do you think T20 cricket is producing technically weak cricketers in Pakistan?

Tabish Khan: No, that’s not the case. T20 cricket is entertainment cricket and it’s fun to watch for the crowds. The entire world plays that format and it should be persisted with. I don’t think it should be held accountable for damaging the techniques of batsmen across the globe. Those who feel that they are not gaining anything from it are not playing it and on the other hand, those who feel that T20 cricket is not doing any harm to them, are playing. 

I am of the view that a T20 player can adjust to every format with ease, while a Test player might not find it easy to adjust to the T20 format. Those who adjust remain in the team and play all formats, while those who can’t adjust, don't survive too long!


PakPassion.Net: You've bowled some very quick spells over the years. When do you feel you were at your quickest and how important is speed for a fast bowler?

Tabish Khan: I feel that I was bowling at my fastest around two years ago, but then realised that even if I bowl at 150kph+ and it’s wayward, it’s of no use. Now my focus is not only to bowl fast, but also to bring control into my bowling. I also swing the ball and have been very successful with it. In international cricket, even a bowler bowling at 155kph+ gets hammered if he’s wayward, whereas a bowler like Mohammad Asif, who bowled at about 127kph and had command over the swing, did really well. So I believe pace is not the only thing, it’s the control and swing which you have to work on. 


PakPassion.Net: Tell us about the “Tabish Yorker” which became quite famous in the FBT20 tournament earlier this year?

Tabish Khan: It’s a natural delivery for me! Whenever I have the ball in my hand, I try to bowl yorkers. You can say it’s my strike ball. It’s the delivery that gets me wickets and one that I seem to have good control over.


PakPassion.Net: Do you think players from certain departments stand less chance of playing for Pakistan?

Tabish Khan: Yes, that is the case, unfortunately. Departments like PIA, HBL and NBP are given priority when selecting players. If you take the example of my department, SBP, and the newly-promoted PTV, even if players perform, they get overlooked. SNGPL is also in the list of departments from which a lot of cricketers are picked. There is some discrimination in the sense that a player from SBP having similar stats as a player from SNGPL will not be picked and the player from the other department will get the nod. All the departments are playing the same format and the same tournament, so there should be no bias. If there are 12-13 departments, players should be picked from all of them and not from some of them. 


PakPassion.Net: What is your impression of the analytical and coaching help which is available for domestic players in Pakistan?

Tabish Khan: Mashallah, the level of coaching has improved a lot over the last few years. Level 1, 2 and 3 coaches have been appointed in regions as well as in departments. Many former Test players have become coaches which is another plus. The benefit of having a video analyst is that we get to see our performances closely. We get feedback after the match and find out where we are lacking and what we need to improve upon. Of course, the coaches also guide you on all aspects of bowling such as where to bowl and from which angle to bowl at the batsman. 


PakPassion.Net: How good is the advice given to players about injury prevention in domestic cricket?

Tabish Khan: To prevent injuries, a player has to do physical work himself. Nobody will take care of you, you have to do it yourself. I follow that philosophy as I do a lot of physical work in the off season which aids me throughout the year. Trainers and physios can only guide you. At the end of the day, it’s the players who have to implement the fitness plan given to them. If you take guidance but don’t do it practically, you won’t succeed. I live in Karachi and during the off season I do a lot of running, swimming, and gym work myself. Fatigue is obviously a factor, but you recover when your body is trained to handle this level of effort. So there is no magical formula for fitness, you have to gain and maintain it yourself.


PakPassion.Net: Competition for fast bowling places in domestic cricket seems to be intense. How difficult is it to succeed in such an environment?

Tabish Khan: There are a lot of fast bowlers but there is very little or no competition at all. We don’t have pacers who can bowl at 150kph, so where is the competition? Again, there are good performers in domestic cricket but they are being overlooked. Bowlers who have taken 13-14 wickets are getting picked whereas the ones who are taking 60-70 wickets in a season are not getting selected. I took 77 wickets in two seasons and was not considered at a time when I believe I was at my peak. If you will not give players a chance at their peak then how will you discover talent? If performance is the only criteria for selection as opposed to preferences of individuals then you will see a lot of bowlers come up who are fit and who can also perform. 


PakPassion.Net: Any young batsmen who have impressed you this season?

Tabish Khan: No, unfortunately there are no such batsmen who have impressed me. Batsmen who are in form will trouble the bowler, but I have not seen one batsman who has performed consistently in the last four years. Although, it’s definitely easier for the batsmen as they get selected if they score runs, regardless of whether or not they are consistent. There are a few bowlers, though, who have performed consistently and Zulfiqar Babar is one of them. He has proved his credentials over the years and has been a very fine and consistent bowler, and of course has also been rewarded by the selectors.


PakPassion.Net: What can the PCB do to improve domestic cricket in Pakistan?

Tabish Khan: All the domestic matches should be televised as this will improve the standard of our domestic cricket. This is because the players will get confidence while playing in front of the cameras. This may sound strange but there are so many players who are outstanding but they struggle to perform as they cannot take the pressure of playing in matches which are being televised! 

If all the matches, whether four-day, one day or T20s are televised, players will get used to playing in front of the cameras and will not find it hard to perform. The PCB is doing its bit, but another factor is the financial one. I have seen incredibly talented players part ways with cricket due to financial reasons. Players are not educated and when they quit cricket, they can't find jobs. What will they do? The PCB should make our players financially strong. India is a huge example in front of us - all their domestic matches are televised, their players play with international players and are full of confidence. 

When they play with such cricketers, their thinking broadens and their cricket improves. When money is not a problem, a player has better spending power and is motivated to perform better. Here, our match fee is only Rs. 3,500. Now, you tell how many domestic one-day games are staged in one year? How much will you earn and how will you run your household? The PCB should seriously look into this issue.

  Discuss!