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Naved Arif talks exclusively to PakPassion.Net about playing for the Sialkot Stallions and on hoping to be selected for the Pakistan A squad

by Abdul Habib

 

Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.Net; the Sialkot Stallions fast bowler Naved Arif said that he'd really enjoyed playing in the T20 cup and hoped that his performances would lead to more chances at first class and list A level. He loved the atmosphere, he really enjoyed testing his skills against the best players in Pakistan and most of all he was proud to be representing the reigning champions. Arif went on to say "I was the leading wicket taker in the QEA Trophy earlier this year with 62 wickets to my name and I'm glad that I was also one of the top performers in this T20 Cup too."



Arif confided to PakPassion.Net that initially he'd been nervous at the prospect of having to step into the shoes of world class bowlers like Rana Naved and Mohammad Asif but that Shoaib Malik had given him the confidence he needed. He was told by both Nazir and Malik that he was Sialkot's main bowler and that both of them had full respect for his talent and real confidence in his ability. Arif said that when two huge names like Malik and Nazir give you their backing then it makes a world of difference to your outlook.

Arif revelled in being the bowling spearhead for the Stallions and enjoyed helping to take them to their 4th consecutive T20 Cup win. I told Arif that on PakPassion.Net we'd heard about him and his ability back in 2004 and that we were surprised that it had taken him this long to get into the Sialkot first team. Arif replied that it's hard to get selected in any team in Pakistan but in Sialkot it's nearly impossible. Arif said that Sialkot has as many talented players as Lahore and Karachi but whilst they both have two teams in competitions, Sialkot only has one. Arif feels that there is enough cricketing talent in Sialkot for it to field two teams in major events just like Lahore and Karachi do.

Arif gave the example of fast bowling talent saying that the Sialkot region had Rana Naved, Mohammad Asif, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Kashif Raza, Ali Imran Pasha and Tahir Mughal all of whom are top domestic performers. He pointed out that whilst those players were in the first team and still performing, players like him who had yet to make their name would struggle to get into the team. He said he cant claim that he's been hard done by because the Sialkot team is always selected on merit which is why they are 4 times champions. It's also why they have so many talented and focused players because each player knows that he's there because of his ability to play cricket. The problem for guys like Arif is that there arent enough spaces in the Sialkot team for them to come in and play regulalry enough to be able to make a name for themselves.

Arif is actually a bowling all-rounder, so I asked him why he'd been batting so low for the Stallions and why his batting hadn't been better utilised. Arif replied that his coaches had told him that Sialkot had no need for more batting but that they were missing their best bowlers. The coaching team had told Arif that they wanted him to forget about his batting for this tournament and concentrate on being the bowling spearhead, they wanted him to behave and think like a strike bowler. They didnt want Arif splitting his focus between two disciplines and end up being distracted away from his bowling.

The Pakistan A team is to be announced shortly and Arif is hoping that his name will be included. He feels that by topping the first class wicket takers in the QEA Trophy and spearheading the T20 winners bowling attack he has hopefully caught the selectors attention. In the Pakistan A warmup games, Arif played for Pakistan Reds who beat the Pakistan Greens 3-2 in the 5 match series. Arif took part in 3 games and took 6 wickets, he also added that Talha took five wickets in one game and Umar Akmal scored an 85 not out too. When I asked him which batsman had impressed him the most he said that Shahriyar Ghani looked a very good batsman and had made some really good scores.

Moving onto the T20 World Cup, Arif feels that despite the heavy defeats in the warm-up games Pakistan can still go on to win because they have all the tools needed. Arif thinks that they just need a bit more self-belief and a lot more thought about the right combination. When asked if Pakistan would miss Asif and the ex-ICL rebels Arif said that he thought Pakistan could still win without them. But he went on to say that with those players in the team, Pakistan would be an even stronger unit.