courtesy: pakpassion
In an era where graft was favored over grace, one Pakistani batsman rose above it all to leave an indelible mark. The blade within his hands was the baton of an orchestra conductor.
Zaheer Abbas – fondly remembered as the Asian Bradman – was one of only a few batsmen of his era to score a hundred first class hundreds. He had a self-proclaimed love of breaking records, and did so with the utmost of style and elegance.
PakPassion.net had the distinct pleasure to speak to this legend about some memorable moments in his career and views on issues relating to this great game.
Pakpassion.net: You played in the Pakistan Vs India series of 1978; how did you find that experience and what were the pressures you faced?
**Zaheer Abbas: **Playing against India is always a special moment for any Pakistani cricketer. This series was the first we’d played against India after about 17-18 years and, as such, the public were charged up for the clash as were all the participants.
The games were intense and both teams wanted to face and do well against each other. Pakistan played really well in that series and we beat the Indians and won the series. It was a great moment for us and all Pakistanis enjoyed the win.
Off the field, the series was mentally straining. The Indian team were here in Pakistan for five weeks and I would struggle to sleep each night – while my body was still, my mind was working over-time planning on how to counter their spinners!
It was a tense time for both teams because we had to prove ourselves and show that we could play much better against India; the fact that the whole of Pakistan expected the same just added to the pressure. For the next few years of my career, India would tour Pakistan a few more times and then unfortunately, it stopped again. Regardless of the situation, we always wanted to produce our best performances against India.
Pakpassion.net: Which innings in your test career to you cherish the most?
Zaheer Abbas: When I scored my double hundred at Lahore, I had achieved the special landmark of a century of centuries in first-class cricket. It was a huge achievement to get to such a milestone and only two other players of my era matched this – Geoffrey Boycott and Vivian Richards. Interestingly, both these players took a similar time, in terms of innings batted, to get to the landmark.
Pakpassion.net: You played a few ODIs and achieved success when that format was new, which innings is your favourite?
**Zaheer Abbas: **I played less than 70 ODIs. I think my favourite moment would be when I managed to score three consecutive centuries, all against India. It was a great moment for me and I was in fantastic form. Knowing I was seeing the ball so well during that period, I always made sure to stay in and score without playing a stupid shot or needlessly throwing my wicket away. I knew I had to cash in being in such good touch as it was inevitable I would eventually go through a period where runs would dry up for me.
Pakpassion.net: You faced several great bowlers in your time, who were the most challenging you came up against?
Zaheer Abbas: The Indian spinners were all world class. Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghavan always presented a stiff challenge. The two Australian opening bowlers, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thompson were also a very skilful duo and I can’t forget the pair of Andy Roberts and Malcolm Marshall from the West Indies. All these players were very good and I felt I always had to be extra careful against them.
Pakpassion.net: What in particular made the West Indian fast bowlers, such as Malcolm Marshall, so tough to face?
Zaheer Abbas: The fact that they were genuinely quick - they would run in and try to not only hit your wickets, but your body too! If you didn’t possess quick enough reflexes against them you were bound to be in hospital after the first three or four balls. They were a truly terrifying challenge.
Pakpassion.net: Which bowlers did you rate the highest when you were in the Pakistan side?
Zaheer Abbas: The first names I think of are Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Sarfraz Nawaz. All of them were great, no doubt about it.
Abdul Qadir was a great spinner. Although I never played with or against Saqlain Mushtaq, who came later, I’d also rank him as one of the best bowlers I’ve seen from Pakistan. He was a superb offbreak bowler who introduced the doosra to the world.
Pakpasion.net: You played under both the captaincy of both Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. How do you sum up their approaches to the job and how was your own experience as captain?
**Zaheer Abbas: **In those days, the team used to be very close and as you know, Imran was a great fighter. Being a fast bowler, he had a very aggressive attitude and would always be positive. I think when you’re a bowler you have a different outlook on the game - you always try to take wickets.
Batsmen probably have slightly different attitudes, perhaps they aren’t as positive. If they have world class bowlers, or pacers who are genuinely quick, then they always gain the confidence to attack because of how good the team is. With such weapons, the captain is willing to back his team-mates because he knows they can bundle out the opposition. However, if they don’t have the bowlers, batsmen aren’t as happy to attack from the first ball.
PakPassion.Net: You had a very successful career when playing County Cricket at Gloucestershire. In an article written by your ex-Gloucestershire teammate Alastair Hignell, he indicated you focused on records. What are your views on his comments?
Zaheer Abbas: Yes of course I loved to break records and why not? I loved to bat for hours and hours. Not just scoring hundreds, but big hundreds and then double hundreds and big double hundreds. My job was to score as many as I could.
**PakPassion.Net: That motivated you to achieve all that you have? **
Zaheer Abbas: There is no value in sitting in the dressing room but you have a lot of value when at the crease. The whole world is watching, the media is watching and they are praising you on the field. There are so many factors.
PakPassion.Net: How important was fielding in your era? With respect to you personally and your teammates, how good were you?
Zaheer Abbas: I was an ok fielder, but not world class. I used to have safe hands and most of the time I fielded in the slips. Of course you have to be a very good fielder nowadays because when you play for your country, you’re playing one day cricket and Twenty20 has been introduced recently- if you’re not a good fielder you have no place in the team.
In our days when we used to play test cricket, our fielders were not that sharp.
**PakPassion.Net: There are many players who have a batting average over 50 nowadays whereas in comparison to your era, there were only two or three. **
Zaheer Abbas: I’ll tell you the reason why that is so. There were only a limited number of teams who used to play against each other. Back then, they were all world class teams, we had fast wickets and batted without helmets. The standards were very high and it was difficult to beat any side but now you have plenty of teams against which records can be made and against which you can score as many runs as you want.
PakPassion.Net: Do you think the quality of bowlers these days may be lower?
Zaheer Abbas: The bowlers are not the same - they’re slower and the wickets are slower. Also, there is all sort of protection can be found these days which has been introduced with the passage of time, the technology changes. Now action replays mean umpires cannot do anybody a favour. Sometimes if you gave me out, whether I was out or not out, once I’d been given I had to leave the crease, regardless of whether I was out or not out.
The boys these days have a lot of protection in the field, not just physical, but if they had been given incorrectly run out, or evidently caught behind, he can ask for a referral for the umpires.
PakPassion.Net: If you can rank some of the players you played with: Majid Khan, Sadiq Mohammad, Mushtaq Mohammad, Asif Iqbal, yourself. Who would you rank as the best batsman playing with you at that time?
Zaheer Abbas: Of course Javed Miandad was a very good player and Majid [Khan], whose test record wasn’t that good but he was a quality player. Asif Iqbal and Sadiq Mohammad were also up there.
PakPassion.Net: Obviously that was a very impressive batting line-up back then. Based on the current team, there appears to be is a serious decline in batting talent in Pakistan. What do you think that may be down to?
Zaheer Abbas: I don’t know the reason. I don’t think the batsmen have that temperament to stay at the wicket for a long time and somebody has to teach them. To score a century you have to have a lot of patience, to stay at the wicket for a long long time.
To complete a century you need to stay at the wicket for at least three and a half hours but for a bowler to take five wickets, he can take them in one over!
PakPassion.Net: You talk of temperament, do you also think the players are technically deficient nowadays?
Zaheer Abbas: Temperament and technique come together as you need to stay at the crease for a long time to develop.
**PakPassion.Net: You say someone needs to teach them, would you consider taking up a batting coach position within Pakistan? **
Zaheer Abbas: Well, it’s all up to the Pakistan Cricket Board. I’ve got nothing to do with that.
PakPassion.Net: So you are available, if asked?
Zaheer Abbas: Yes.
**PakPassion.Net: The current Pakistani coaching staff includes Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed. Do you think it’s too bowler-heavy at the moment? **
Zaheer Abbas: They only need bowlers to coach them? What about the fielding coach? What about the batting coach? What about the departments which we are [not good] in? The bowling has been so good for many many years and we have been producing good fast bowlers. They have doing their work properly but if you take the example of batsmen, they haven’t produced any. Only a few can be named, but not many.
PakPassion.Net: What do you think of the young batsmen coming through?
Zaheer Abbas: I’ve been watching them but so far they haven’t scored and stayed at the wicket for a long time. You can see their potential while playing test matches and so on. Nowadays, these guys have been playing T20. If you have been an opening batsman or a number three batsman in ODI matches for 50 overs, then to prove to the world that you are good you have to score centuries. In a year these players have been playing too many ODIs, tests and T20 matches - in a year they must be playing 10 – 15 matches and many ODIs and T20s.
**PakPassion.Net: The PCB have announced today they might be having another T20 competition later this year. **
Zaheer Abbas: Lets see when- they have to introduce some kind of a programme to introduce those T20 games – so far that’s what I’ve heard.
PakPassion.Net: Which up and coming players have you seen with potential? Any thoughts on Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal?
Zaheer Abbas: Umar Akmal is a good prospect and the new boy who batted at No 3, Asad Shafiq, he is done well but the way he got out against India – a straightforward ball that he was trying to cut – well if you can do well in a big match, then nothing like it but he didn’t!
About Fawad Alam, I don’t think he has that much of potential – I really doubt it but if he can improve himself then why not? As for Umar Amin, I haven’t seen him play at all.
PakPassion.Net: In your view, who is the best player, apart from yourself (!), that Sialkot has produced so far?
Zaheer Abbas: Well if you ask me, Sialkot hasn’t produced any good cricketer except maybe a few famous hockey players! So the answer is not anyone of repute.
PakPassion.Net: Moving onto Pakistan cricket, who do you think the best choice for future captain of the national team? What are your thoughts on Afridi and his captaincy during the World Cup campaign?
Zaheer Abbas: It’s a difficult question to answer but basically this has to be a player who can place himself in the team permanently and then you can judge his ability etc but really changing captains all the time is not a good idea.
As for Afridi, he performed really well and we are all proud of his performance during the World Cup and we are hopeful that he will continue doing his good work.
PakPassion.Net: How about the performance of Pakistan during the World Cup? We lost to India in the semi finals - any views on that?
Zaheer Abbas: They all did really well with Afridi being outstanding. Also Umar Gul performed very well.
PakPassion.Net: It would seem that once again, as demonstrated in the World Cup, it’s the bowlers who have done well but the batsman have not – how do you feel about that?
Zaheer Abbas: For a balanced team, you need a good bowling and batting combination and ofcourse, the fielding has too be good too. If you have all that, then you are World Champions!
PakPassion.Net: What are your views on domestic cricket in Pakistan? Do you think it can be improved for example, do you feel that there are too many teams etc?
Zaheer Abbas: Actually, I think that they should have good coaches with the domestic teams – sensible guys who can train batsmen, bowlers and fielders. I am sure the time will come when we will have complete teams which we don’t have so far. By that I mean, all three departments [batting, bowling, and fielding] have to be very good.
PakPassion.Net: Moving on to the county cricket scene, you had the honour to represent Gloucestershire during your playing days but do you feel that Pakistani players are missing out on the county experience as not a lot of them are playing there?
Zaheer Abbas: They [counties] have changed their policies and are not taking too many overseas players. They only allow one overseas player in the team in one match – they may hire two but only one can play at a time. Given these restrictions, our players aren’t getting exposure to many county deals as compared to the times before. We really enjoyed our time in the county as Pakistan never used to play so much test cricket as compared to India for example. Take my example, I played for my country for 16-17 years and only played 78 test matches! If you take an example of any other players nowadays, in a career of 16-17 years, they would have played close to 150-200 test matches!
PakPassion.Net: In more recent times, you were involved in the Oval Test match controversy in which ball tampering accusations were levelled at Pakistan. What was going through your mind when that happened and what was your approach to resolve that issue?
Zaheer Abbas: We were NOT guilty. The way, the Pakistan team was treated there was really bad. We were called cheats but it was shown that we were not guilty. The point is that there should be some legal basis for this – if someone says that look they have tampered with the ball and it has to be proven! So imagine the team’s feelings when they are being told that they are cheats – well it’s not on!
PakPassion.Net: The Spot fixing saga and the fallout of these scandals – your feelings about that?
Zaheer Abbas: Well its not for me to answer for that – you should ask the accused but the whole affair is not good for the team. We have lost 3 of our best players and I don’t think they will play again as the sentences they have got (5-7 year bans) are for a long period of time.
Its very very hard [as an ex-cricketer] for us. You just hope that there will no more scandals and thankfully nothing happened during the World Cup which was satisfying for us.
PakPassion.Net: Many thanks for your time and we wish you luck in your future assignments.
Zaheer Abbas: Thanks.
