Saeed Ajmal speaks to the press during the Faysal Bank T20 about his career and his aspirations...

By Amir Husain (September 30, 2011)

Perennial underachievers Faisalabad Wolves, bowed out of the Faysal Bank T20 tournament yesterday after failing to overcome a target of 165 runs set by the well-drilled Rawalpindi Rams outfit.

One of the key components of the defeated Faisalabad side was Pakistan’s premier off spinner Saeed Ajmal and he spoke to the press after the match.

When questioned on changes noticed in his bowling action he answered “I was getting a nice variation from it, I brought my arm over a little more slowly and I found it to be beneficial, so that's why I changed it.”

Ajmal performed well in his debut series against Sri Lanka in 2009, and as Pakistan prepare to face the Sri Lanka in a few months, Ajmal shared his thoughts on the opposition's batting line-up “their batting is experienced, they have two or three batsmen who are very experienced and InshaAllah we will perform well.” He continued “I'll play normally, I have played against them quite a few times and InshaAllah I will give a good performance.”

Shoaib Akhtar's recent comment that Sachin Tendulkar didn't enjoy facing Ajmal also drew a measured reaction from Ajmal. He said that “I was trying my best to get him out, for the team. I don't know if he was afraid, but I was trying to get him out and I was successful, but the umpire gave it not out. Whether he was scared of me, I have no idea, but I beat him with some deliveries quite a few times and got him out too. That decision should definitely have been given out, but that's cricket - they have admitted the technology is not correct all the time but what can you do?”

A new ICCs new ruling to be implemented in October, which will require two new balls to be used from each end in limited over matches, could adversely affect spin bowlers who traditionally rely on wear and tear on the ball for grip. Whilst some spinners will look at this ruling with great apprehension, the ever optimistic Ajmal had no such concerns “The new ICC rulings will have very little effect on the way I bowl as I will simply get more bounce with the new ball - if anything, this could be beneficial to my bowling and aid my variations!”

Turning to his aspirations in the international stage, Ajmal who now has 56 Test wickets from a mere 12 test matches, was questioned on Graeme Swann and his ambition to be the number one bowler in the world. Ajmal replied “He [Swann]is a good bowler. We both have our own qualities, he has his variations I have mine. We are different types of bowlers but I want to be the number one bowler!“