Pakistan Test batsman Asad Shafiq believes he will be able to deliver more for the national side if he bats at the number four position but isn't too perturbed about the fact that he has received little recognition for consistent performances over the last five years.
“I know I'll come good if I get to bat at number four in the future. I’ll get a chance to score big,” says the 29-year-old.
Boasting a career average of 43, with eight Test centuries in his bag, the lower middle-order batsman deserves appreciation for remaining focussed on the job despite being discarded from the ODI side on several occasions for not being 'good enough'.
Shafiq, since making his Test debut for Pakistan in 2010, has been a significant part of the line-up Misbah-ul-Haq leads.
His consistency and fitness can be gauged by the fact that he has been dropped just once from the national Test side during his 41-match career.
The batsman from Karachi has been a silent guardian of a batting order notorious for collapsing in an instance.
His ability to anchor down and build and innings was visible when he featured in a 219, 5th wicket-stand with Younis Khan to rescue Pakistan in the first innings of the 2nd Test against South Africa in Cape Town two years ago.
In an exclusive interview with Dawn, Asad reveals how he graduated from tape-ball cricket, Shoaib Akhtar's faith in him and the lighter side of being on plane with Mohammad Irfan.
Q. How long did the transition from tape-ball to serious level cricket take? You almost walked away from your trials?
Like every other boy from Karachi, I used to play tape-ball cricket out in the streets which only increased my love for the game with time.
But I never thought that I would go on to represent my country. I started taking a serious interest only when I went for trials at an academy in Karachi.
Seeing a long queue of aspiring cricketers already waiting for their turn, I lost hope about getting selected. And I would have left if it weren't for my friend who stopped me and persuaded me to wait for my turn.
During the trials, Jalaluddin was impressed by my batting and I was selected. That was the first step towards my career as a professional.
I had to overcome a serious hurdle after my trials (laughs).
Noticing my deep interest in cricket, my father set me a target to achieve: 75% marks in my Matric exams. If I had failed he would have not let me continue playing. But I escaped this scare by managing 78% marks and I never looked back.
Q. Which cricketer inspired you the most?
Before I started playing First-class cricket I was a big fan of Rahul Dravid. Whenever he was came out in the middle, I used to be transfixed to the screen until he got out.
When Mohammad Yousuf became of the highest run-getter in a calendar year in 2006, I was inspired to emulate him too. Among the Pakistani batsmen, he is my favourite. He was perhaps the most stylish Pakistani batsman.
Q. You have said on several occasions that your First-class debut was quite dramatic. What happened?
In 2007, when I made my debut for Karachi against Hyderabad at Niaz stadium, I did not get to bat in the first innings. I was a little disappointed.
But my teammate Khalid Latif was called up for the national side during the game and it gave me a chance to open in the second innings. I went on to score a century which cemented my place in the Karachi team.
Q. Despite numerous match-winning performances for Pakistan in Tests and solid career stats, you seem content in staying away from the media attention. Do you feel you get less recognition than you deserve?
(With a smile) This is quite true as I have been a consistent performer in Tests since the last five years.
Batting at number six is never easy as I get to play mostly with tail-enders at the other end. Nonetheless, I am satisfied with myself as I constantly live up to the team management’s expectations.
As far as media hype is concerned, I think only a really big innings will bring the limelight on me. But batting lower in the middle-order does not guarantee the chance to score big consistently.
In any case, I think big centuries scored by higher order batsmen are truly worthy of being discussed in the media.
If I get to bat at number four in future it will be a little bit more fun as I’ll get a chance to play with some freedom.
Q. Younis and Misbah are towards the end of their careers. Do you think the Pakistan Test line-up will receive a blow when the veterans leave?
Though Misbah and Younis are great players — and I credit them a lot for my growth as a cricketer — their departure will give players like myself and others to come up and take responsibility and apply what we learned from both these legends.
Players come and go. Cricket never stops.
We will try our best to keep continue our fighting performances.
Q. Shoaib Akhtar has always rated you highly and regards you as the ‘most compact’ batsman in the Pakistan lineup. It is believed he has been a mentor of sorts for you?
Since my First-class days, Akhtar used to tell me that I can go on to represent my country.
His words have motivated me big time and I am really thankful to him for it.
Q. You have not been able to prove your mettle in the shorter formats of the game. What do you feel is the main reason for this?
Yes. I'm not too happy with my ODI performances either, but being dropped from the team after a couple of bad performances does not help in recovering from a bad patch.
I was given consistent chances in Test cricket and the result has been positive.
Q. The dynamics of ODI cricket have changed now. We witness teams scoring 400 runs quite frequently now. Does this change pressurise you to tinker with your batting style as you are more of a conventional batsman?
I think it is not difficult to maintain an average of six runs per over without hitting sixes. If a batsman does not get a consistent run in the side, it’s hard for him to gain confidence and play without fear.
I personally believe that if I am given enough chances in the ODI side, I can be as explosive as any other batsman and that too by playing my natural game.
Q. There is a lot of talk about a Pakistan-India bilateral series in December. What is the challenge of playing against India like?
I’ve played just two matches against India, but honestly, nothing gets more interesting than playing against India. The response from the fans is extraordinary. Family members and friends too get excited and send in messages when India is the opponent.
I would love to play against India again and hopefully use the chance to cement my place in the ODI side too.
Q. Which innings would rate as your best?
I think scoring a century against South Africa at Cape Town in 2013 gave me a lot of confidence.
Before leaving for the tour, people told me about the fast and bouncy wickets of South Africa. But playing on those pitches against the likes of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel convinced me of my ability in tough conditions away from home.
Q. Share with us the lighter side of the life inside the Pakistan dressing room.
During an U-19 match against Australia, when Sarfraz Ahmed was captaining Pakistan, both openers from both teams came out to bat. I think Sarfraz did not really know what had happened at the toss (laughs). It is something that still makes us laugh.
In another incident, when Mohammad Irfan was new in the team, he did not speak much English.
During a flight he asked me to translate every time the air hostess spoke to us.
After doing this for a bit I got tired and asked him to say ‘no’ to whatever the air hostess said and I went to sleep.
After an hour Irfan woke me up telling me that he was starving and the air hostess did not give him any food. I burst into laughter as I realised that the excessive use of ‘no’ had deprived the tall fast bowler of his meal.c
