PakPassion.net spoke with pace bowler Rahat Ali about his below par international debut, plans to claim a spot on the tour of South Africa, his hopes for a strong domestic season for KRL and aspects of his cricket that he is looking to improve upon.

By Saj Sadiq (13th October, 2012)

To say that 24 year old left arm pace bowler Rahat Ali's international debut did not go according to plan would be a huge understatement. 4 wicketless overs for 34 runs against Sri Lanka at Pallekele was not what the Multan born bowler was quite hoping for and unfortunately for Rahat no further opportunities have been presented to him since his international debut in June.

However despite a debut to forget Rahat feels that those 4 overs against Sri Lanka will stand him in good stead in future and hopes that further international opportunities present themselves in days to come.

PakPassion.net spoke with Rahat about his below par international debut, plans to claim a spot on the tour of South Africa, his hopes for a strong domestic season for KRL and aspects of his cricket that he is looking to improve upon.

"My international debut against Sri Lanka did not go according to plan. In fact it was a shock to the system. I felt good, I felt ready, all of my team mates were very supportive and I had been bowling well in domestic cricket but for some reason that day against Sri Lanka I did not bowl well at all. It's difficult to pinpoint one area where things went wrong, perhaps it was partly down to nerves but I was really disappointed with myself and know I could and should have done better on debut. Things just did not click at all, perhaps I was a bit too excited and my emotions got the better of me, but it was a harsh lesson."

Rahat added "However I look at the positives of my debut and I now know what international cricket is like, how tough it is and the challenges it presents for a fast bowler. I'm sure that whenever my next opportunity arises in international colours I will perform at a higher level than I did on debut."

Ali who is regarded as amongst the quickest bowlers in Pakistan is playing for KRL in the ongoing President's Trophy competition and has taken 7 wickets so far in two matches. With out and out quality fast bowlers in short supply at the moment in Pakistan and the tough tour of South Africa coming up in the new year, Rahat could be an integral part of the touring party for South Africa if his domestic form is impressive. He admitted that he definitely has one eye on the tour of South Africa and hopes to impress the selectors with his form in domestic cricket ahead of the tour to South Africa.

"There's obviously intense competition for places in the Pakistan team in all formats and for every position there are a number of contenders. All I can do is to work hard, try and do well in domestic cricket and hope to catch the eye of the selectors with lots of wickets. There's no doubt though that I am targeting the tour of South Africa early next year as of course Pakistan will need additional resources in the fast bowling department. I've made a decent start to the domestic season and I hope that I can build on that and have a consistent and successful domestic season this time around."

Ali who has taken 114 wickets in 29 first class matches at an average of under 20 and at a strike rate of 40 feels that he's still learning as a bowler with each first class match that he plays and that there is always scope for improvement in all facets of the game. He also added that he has been working hard in the off season particularly on his fitness levels.

"Although I made my debut back in the 2007/08 season I have only played 29 first class matches so I'm still learning and developing as a bowler. I'm working with the coaches at KRL on my technique as a bowler with a view to fine tuning a few things. Of course fitness plays a big part too and this season I'm feeling a lot stronger and fitter than in previous seasons. I feel that it's a big season for me, perhaps a ground breaking one where I hope to develop and mature as a fast bowler."

KRL's next match is against WAPDA at Faisalabad on 15th October to 18th October.

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