PakPassion.net spoke to Mohammed Talha about his personal form and his quest to make a comeback to International cricket as well as his views on Pakistan’s current tour of Sri Lanka.

By Amir Husain (7th July, 2012)

 

As Pakistan face up to the challenge of maintaining their unbeaten record in Test series under Captain Misbah ul Haq, the state of Pakistani fast bowling reserves is a steady source of concern for the team management. Once regarded as the powerhouse of fast bowling with the likes of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis at its beck and call, Pakistan has been unable to muster the type of talent that made them the envy of the cricket world.

There was, however, some glimmer of hope when Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Asif were bowling for Pakistan but that was unceremoniously extinguished when the 2 bowlers were indicted and banned due to spot fixing in matches. The feeling of “back to square one” is hard to dispel but then thankfully, the Pakistani bench strength isn’t as depleted as it may appear.

In recent times, a number of young fast bowlers have emerged on the scene who are considered as likely candidates to pick up the baton as far as bowling is concerned. The name Mohammed Talha is one such talent although he isn’t entirely new to International cricket. Indeed, his claim to fame apart from appearances for the Pakistan U19 squad, happens to be just one Test Match against Sri Lanka in Lahore in March 2009 which was abandoned in unfortunate circumstances.

Since that fateful day in March 2009, Mohammed Talha has struggled to find a place in the Pakistani team but his hopes remain high of making a comeback to International cricket. There have been some close calls along the way such as his selection in the Pakistan “A” team to face England in a warm up match during the “home” series in UAE, but these have proved to be false dawns and Talha awaits his chance with patience.

As he prepares to fly out to the U.K. next week to complete his ECB Level 2 coaching qualification which will allow him to play league cricket in England, PakPassion.net spoke to Mohammed Talha about his personal form and his quest to make a comeback to International cricket as well as his views on Pakistan’s current tour of Sri Lanka.

A lean young Talha made his debut at the age of 20 for Pakistan in 2009 and whilst his maturity may have been in question, he feels that the intervening years in first class cricket have helped him develop into a better and faster bowler

“I have been playing first class cricket for four and a half years, so that experience has been vital in my development. Now that I am 23 years old, I feel that I am much physically stronger and also mentally tougher. In terms of speed, I will also say that at the moment in Pakistan I am the quickest bowler even though bowling on domestic wickets is truly a “back breaking” effort.


Talha has had injury concerns in the past – the most recent one being a back problem which ruled him out of a possible International call against England in UAE after he took 4 wickets against the same side in a warm up game. Talha, however, is of the opinion that he is now fitter than ever and ready to make a comeback.

“Injuries in the past have hindered my career progress but I am hopeful that those problems are behind me now and I am looking forward to the future. I really want to focus on a return to the National squad as my performance against England in the UAE for Pakistan "A" gave me great confidence, as I was able to take wickets of some of England’s top batsmen (Strauss, Cook, Trott and Prior)”

With Pakistan and Sri Lanka completing a high scoring draw in the 2nd Test in Colombo, Talha is critical of the type of pitches that provide little assistance to bowlers and feels that more should be done to improve this aspect of the game stating that “I would like to see a more even contest between bat and ball around the world in first class and International cricket. Wickets such as SSC in Colombo are not doing International cricket any good as they do not provide incentive for the bowlers to work hard. On the domestic front, more bowler friendly wickets would improve the techniques of Pakistani batsmen and encourage the bowlers as well.”

The recent confusion with the awarding of Central contracts and stipends to 42 players by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has certainly caused disappointment to many hopeful of getting this prestigious recognition of their hard work. Talha, who was a glaring omission in this process is still optimistic of getting the decision in his favour “I am obviously disappointed at not getting a central contract but it is a matter for the PCB to resolve. For my part, I am hopeful that PCB will take the right decision."