Sohail Tanvir, a product of the much acclaimed Rawalpindi tape ball circuit, burst onto the scene from nowhere when he was picked for the inaugural ICC World T20 in South Africa in 2007. Though he was well known on the 'Pindi tape ball scene even before he stepped foot in South Africa, it was the World T20 that shot him to stardom. Tanvir dropping the catch of Sanath Jayasuriya and then rearranging the woodwork a few deliveries later was one of the more memorable moments of the tournament that propelled Tanvir into mainstream discourse. His wrong footed action and attacking lower order batting made him a compelling sight and he was soon a household name in his home country. Tanvir was a regular fixture in Pakistan’s ODI and T20I sides for the next year but a glut of emerging pace bowlers and fierce competition for a handful of spots in the team meant his appearances became intermittent.

For someone who emerged in the first World T20, it was not surprising that it was in that format that Tanvir established himself as a player of the highest caliber, picking up the most wickets in the first IPL and becoming a regular fixture in T20 leagues around the world, in places as far apart as the Caribbean and Australia. In recent years, Tanvir’s strong performances have compelled the national selectors to include him in the team again and the faith was repaid when Tanvir picked up three wickets in his most recent ODI against Australia for 40.

In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, the Pakistan all-rounder discusses his comeback to the national side during the recently concluded series against Australia, his recollection of the last over in the 3rd ODI, Pakistan’s batting woes in One Day International cricket, his own chances of making it to the 2015 World Cup squad and his unique bowling action.

By Farid Khan (6th November, 2014)

PakPassion.net: You've been around in international cricket for seven years but seem to have been in and out of the Pakistan limited overs teams, why do you think that is?


Sohail Tanvir: For the first year and a half, I played regularly before suffering a back injury during the World T20 in 2009 and later a knee injury which required surgery. For a year or so, I was completely sidelined and didn't play any cricket. Due to several fitness issues, I remained in and out of the team. Alhamdulliah, there is no fitness issue right now and my performance has been very decent of late. In the CPL, I performed both with bat and ball. The most satisfactory thing is my consistent batting form. I scored 170 runs against Lahore Lions in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match just recently. These are positive signs and I hope I will now become a consistent member of the national team.


PakPassion.net: Your critics say that you've not performed well enough with the bat in international cricket. What is your response to that?

Sohail Tanvir: Yes, I do agree with that and on several occasions, I have admitted to that as well. I accept my shortcomings, but at the same time, I have not been given many chances up the order in international cricket. I mostly bat at number 9, where I hardly play 3-4 overs and my role is to slog. International cricket is not easy at all. I admit I missed a few chances, which I should have availed. Had I grabbed those opportunities, I would have been a regular in the team. I'd say it has been a mixture of both; being given less chances, as well as not being able to make most of them.


PakPassion.net: You made quite a comeback when called up to replace Junaid recently against Australia. Can you describe how difficult it is to have to make so many 'comebacks' ?

Sohail Tanvir: Yes, definitely it is very hard to make comeback after comeback. I believe a comeback is much harder than your debut game because there is a very high level of expectation from your comeback, while on your debut, you are a new and unknown feature.

When you're making your comeback, every team is well aware of your strengths and weaknesses. I have made a lot of comebacks and I know that if any player is given confidence by the selection committee and the team management, then it becomes easier for the player to perform. If a player is able to perform in international cricket on a consistent basis, then that means that there is justification for investing time and effort in that player and to help him polish his skills for the betterment of the team. We have to remember that every player goes through a bad patch, but that is exactly the time he needs the support from the team management.


PakPassion.net: How do you rate your performance in the 3rd ODI against Australia and what would you like to say about the rather eventful final over?

Sohail Tanvir: First of all, I would like to speak about my bowling effort in that match. It was a hot day, the pitch was dead, I was making my comeback and there was immense pressure, but I brought all my experience into play and did well in that match. I knew about the strengths and weaknesses of the Australian batsmen and I also bowled extraordinary spells in that match.

When I went into bat, we were under pressure. We had to score 30 runs from 5 overs, with two wickets in hand. Zulfiqar Babar and I batted well and took the match into the last over. Everyone is criticizing me for that shot in the last over, but had I connected we would have won the match. It's part of the game. Maybe, I should have taken a single or waited for a loose ball. The fielders were all close in and the slog was on. Unluckily, I was bowled and I regret it, but then, you learn from your mistakes.


PakPassion.net: Despite the whitewash against Australia do you think Pakistan can win the 2015 World Cup?

Sohail Tanvir: You can neither rate Pakistan highly nor discard it completely. If you take the example of the 1992 World Cup, nobody really gave us a chance of winning it. However, the way they performed in that tournament is now part of history. Similarly, in the World T20 2007, nobody was expecting much from us as was the case in World T20 2009 and in the 2011 World Cup. The lesson here is simple - You can expect anything from our team!


PakPassion.net: Do you think you warrant a place in the Pakistan 2015 World Cup squad?

Sohail Tanvir: My target is the upcoming series against New Zealand. If I am able to do well in that series, I have a very good chance of taking a spot in the World Cup squad. I don't think I warrant a place in the squad by just performing in one match and I would not want to be selected on the basis of that match only. In the past, I had good starts initially and then I was dropped after one or two bad games. I don't want that to be repeated once again. I want to perform consistently, so that there are no question marks on my selection.


PakPassion.net: Why are the Pakistan batsmen struggling so much in One Day cricket?

Sohail Tanvir: I don't think we have a mature enough batting lineup. If you're playing your youngsters, you have to be patient. International cricket is quite difficult as compared to domestic cricket. International teams don't allow you to score runs freely. If you have decided to stick with your youngsters, you have to give them enough time to mature and prove their worth.


PakPassion.net: Do you think there could be an issue with possibly having too many left-arm pacers in the Pakistan 2015 World Cup squad?

Sohail Tanvir: No, I don't think that is an issue at all. There are some teams, which play four right-arm pacers in their team. The bowlers should not be similar to each other. As long as they have variations, it doesn't matter if they are left-arm or right-arm. If you have swing bowlers, pacers and good death bowlers, you should be fine playing all of them together.


PakPassion.net: How do you rate Waqar Younis as Head Coach of the Pakistan team?

Sohail Tanvir: Look, it was just his second series in charge of the team. He is coaching a young team, which is in a re-building process. Obviously, the limited overs team is not producing the desired results, but he is very hardworking. He pays attention to every player separately. If you see him during the training camps, he's always doing something and likes to keep himself busy. I am sure he will start producing good results if he is persisted with for longer.


PakPassion.net: You won the inaugural IPL but since then Pakistani players haven't been allowed back. Is it a disadvantage for Pakistani players not to play in the IPL?

Sohail Tanvir: Being barred from the IPL is not a disadvantage for Pakistani players, but maybe, it is a disadvantage for the IPL not having the Pakistani players in their franchises. Our players have star value when it comes to Twenty20 cricket. Players like Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq and Saeed Ajmal are well respected across the globe and have high demand in India. The crowd there wants to see them play. We are playing in leagues in different countries like the Big Bash, CPL etc. and are gaining experience in those conditions and tournaments. Of course, IPL is a mega event and it will be advantageous, both financially and in terms of the experience, for Pakistan players if they get to take part in it.


PakPassion.net: You've played T20 cricket around the world, how important is it for the PSL to be up and running soon?

Sohail Tanvir: Yes, it is the need of the hour. Whenever I have been questioned on this topic, I have stressed on its importance. It is a must for us and must be established as soon as possible. Once it has started, it will automatically attract top international players. You will see your domestic players gaining a lot from it. Your bench strength will increase. If you take an example of the IPL, you would see a lot of players playing in the Indian team who have been picked from there. For now, it has to be staged on a neutral revenue as international players will be hesitant to come to Pakistan.

The IPL was successfully staged in the UAE and we can emulate it. With the help of good management, it will be a great project and very popular as well. When you share dressing rooms with notable players and rub shoulders with international stars, you earn a lot of exposure. When you play in front of cameras and a large crowd, your confidence is boosted. Then, when you play international cricket again, the fear of failure is eliminated as you have some good experience (PSL) to fall back on.


PakPassion.net: There's a lack of genuine all-rounders in Pakistan cricket, why do you think that is?

Sohail Tanvir: I think all-rounders are not produced, they are naturally talented players. We have examples of Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood with us. You can produce an all-rounder to a certain extent, but you have to identify the skills in a player and polish them. I would say our team management have been lacking in that aspect and have failed to groom all-rounders.

Irfan Pathan is a very good example of what I am referring to here. He started his career as a bowler but when Indian management saw potential in him, they moved him to the number 3 position as they could see that he had potential to be an all-rounder. Similarly, we have the example of Abdul Razzaq who batted at number 3 during the 1999 World Cup where the team management saw that he had skills and encouraged him to attain better results. Fact is that you have to give players the confidence and persist with them despite of their initial failures.


PakPassion.net: Your bowling action is unique, have coaches tried to change it over the years?

Sohail Tanvir: No, it has never happened with me. Coaches do apply some minor tuning, but generally they don't modify your action completely. You will never see a player's action being completely changed. In my case, I have a very unique action, which is my strength as well and you can't change it. The swing I get is maybe, due to my action. No coach has ever tried to change it. I learned about swing bowling from Wasim Akram. Initially, I had issues swinging the ball inwards so tuning was done with my skills, but not to my action.

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