With the English county season well underway, one name Pakistan fans will be looking to watch out for is Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. The right-arm pacer from Sheikhupura is once again representing Sussex this season, and will bring his vast experience, guile and enviable track record to the table.

by Ahmed Zulfiqar

18 April 2011
 

 

 

 With the English county season well underway, one name Pakistan fans will be looking to watch out for is Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. The right-arm pacer from Sheikhupura is once again representing Sussex this season, and will bring his vast experience, guile and enviable track record to the table.

Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net, Rana discussed the pros and cons of county cricket as well as a look back at his own international career so far.

A seasoned veteran of the county circuit, Rana spoke of his delight at returning to Sussex for the 2011/12 season which he now considers his home. He stated that “I am really happy to be back at Sussex. Two years ago I played for Yorkshire and then came back to Sussex last year. I consider Sussex to be my second home because of all the love I get from here. I enjoy my time here because the atmosphere is very much like home.”

Being a fast-bowling allrounder is perhaps the most unenviable task in English domestic cricket. The workload is immense, and the daily grind means that player burnout is a significant problem in a season mixed with T20 and 4 day games. Keeping this in mind, Rana has sensibly chosen to only commit himself for half a season. Explaining his reasoning in detail, he said that "I'm only going to be here for the first half of the season. If I'm doing well physically and holding up at the half way point then I'll consider staying for a longer time.”

With the current emphasis on county cricket and his absence from the International arena, one can easily forget that Rana is a veteran of over 80 international matches for Pakistan. He has had the distinct honour of playing under the captaincy of the great Inzamam-ul-Haq and the equally legendary coach, the Late Bob Woolmer. He has fond memories of serving under both of these imposing figures.

He recalls that Inzamam as a very good captain - "He was the captain when I made it to the Pakistani side. He was able to utilize all the players very well and got the best out of the players. I really enjoyed playing under him. If you are enjoying your cricket then you will perform well.”

Rana considers Inzamam his role model and admits that he gave his best for Inzamam because of the support he received. He also feels that Inzamam had the unique ability to “get the most out of his players and I think Inzamam was the best captain I played under"

The special place in the hearts of all Pakistanis for the Late Bob Woolmer is also reflected in Rana’s thoughts. To him as to most others, "Bob Woolmer was a very good coach. Everybody in the team respected him.”

Rana’s association with “[I]Chacha[/I]”[Uncle] Bob lasted 3-4 years in which he claims to have learned a lot. However, what really stands out in Rana’s mind is the way Bob handled the team, especially given his foreign background. In his view “The Bob Woolmer era was great for Pakistan. He had created a great atmosphere within the team and everybody really enjoyed playing under him. Bob had learned how to deal with Pakistanis and we learned a lot from him. We still miss him and always will. I still consider him to be the greatest coach I ever played for."

He last appeared for Pakistan on the troubled 2009/10 tour of Australia. Nine losses in a row were further compounded with reports of player infighting and under-performance.

A Disciplinary committee of the PCB banned him for the second charge, but he emphatically denied any wrongdoing on his part. He feels that there was a lot of mistrust and infighting in the team in those days and his own situation was exacerbated by an injury which resulted in unfair doubts about his commitment. His recollection of events leading to his bans is equally astonishing as he tried in vain to explain the reason for his being unfit in one of the matches.

"I told the tribunal the truth, that I was injured and could not hit and we ended up losing the match. I said that I was playing for my country and wanted to give it my all". His pleas later fell on dead ears as he was shocked to find himself banned for disciplinary offences. Yet the indefatigable Rana, known for his unreserved displays of patriotism on the field knows that such setbacks would never discourage him - "I have always given it my all when playing for Pakistan."!

In the view of many observers, talk of a 33 year old making a comeback may be too far-fetched to consider but Rana remains positive and feels that he still has the spark in him to make a mark on the International scene. An impressive ODI record of 110 wickets in 74 matches, as well as his continued excellence in T20 cricket round the world suggests that may yet be a useful bowling option for the Pakistan side.

"I played domestic cricket and performed very well. I went on to play in Australia and now am playing in England. So I think I will make a comeback if I continue to stay fit and perform well."