Five years in the past, Mushtaq Ahmed, the then head coach of Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy in Lahore, requested 19-year-old “Harry Potter” lookalike Abrar Ahmed: “Do you know who Abdul Qadir is?” Pat’s reply got here: “Yeh kaun hai, kabhi naam nahi suna (Who is he, never heard his name).”
What a ball to take his first Test wicket!
Instant Effect by Abrar Ahmed 🎯#PAKvENG , #UKSePK pic.twitter.com/8tvnuGFzyo
– Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 9, 2022
The reply left Mushtaq Ahmed in splits, and if Abrar’s brother Sajid is to be believed, the previous Pakistan leg-spinner could not cease laughing for 10 minutes.
Sajid Ahmed instructed The Indian Express from Karachi, “Everyone started laughing and Mushtaq bhai told him ‘you have registered yourself as a leg-spinner and you don’t know about the greatest player of all time’. “
“When he narrated this story to us, we also started laughing. Bachpan se itni deewangi cricket ko le kar aur itne bade legend ko nahi jaanta (He was so passionate about cricket since childhood, but had no clue about such a legend),” provides Sajid.
Abrar’s coach Muhammad Masroor defended his ward. “It just isn’t his fault; He has made Sunil Narine his idol all through his life. You can not blame him for not figuring out the nice Abdul Qadir.
Abrar, Pakistan’s newest spin sensation who made his debut towards England within the Multan Test, hails from Shinkiyari, a small village on the outskirts of Mansehra close to Abbottabad. But his father moved to Karachi in 1977, the place he grew up taking part in tape-ball cricket.
Cricket got here very naturally to Abrar; His father Noor Ahmed was an enormous fan of the Pakistan workforce, and one other elder brother Shahzad Khan, a quick bowler, represented National Bank within the home circuit.
“I still remember it was the Multan Test, where Virender Sehwag scored a triple century, and he took the brunt of Saqlain Mushtaq. Abrar was about six years old and used to count mistakes in Saqlain bhai’s bowling. My father got so annoyed with his running commentary that he locked him in another room,” laughs Sajid.
The youngest of eight siblings (5 brothers and three sisters), Abrar was nearer to his mom. When he turned 9, Abrar’s mom requested him to do hifz (memorization of the Quran). Cricket took a backstage for the following two years.
“He was probably the most sensible amongst us. My mom needed him to do aalima (research of Islamic science). And for the primary time he instructed his mom no. He stated, ‘I need to play cricket, I’m not taken with changing into an alim’. Yes,’ Sajid remembers.
‘fingers like iron rods’
For the following 4 years, Abrar performed tape-ball cricket. One day whereas returning house, he heard a couple of cricket trial at Rashid Latif’s academy.
Muhammad Masroor, who was Pakistan’s U-19 coach, was overseeing the checks and was greatly surprised by his variations.
Abrar Ahmed after getting his Test cap. (PCB)
“Same grip se carrom ball, leg-spin, googly, slider saree variations daal raha tha (He was bowling all variations with the identical grip). He would not have such a heavy flip. He was bowling on the stumps and no person was in a position to learn his size.
“I immediately asked him if he had ever played with a hard ball. The answer was ‘no’. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Out of curiosity, I checked his fingers, and they were like iron rods,” says Masroor.
In 2016, Abrar took 53 wickets within the Zonal Under-19 event in Karachi. Masroor, who was then the fielding coach of Pakistan Super League facet Karachi Kings, despatched his movies to Rashid Latif, who was the director of cricket on the franchise. In 2017, Abrar grew to become one of many rising stars for Karachi within the PSL.
“He played only two games and did not keep wicket but impressed everyone with his brilliant spell against Peshawar Zalmi. Eoin Morgan scored 80 runs in 57 balls and against him Abrar bowled 16 balls and gave only 17 runs including seven dots. I remember coach Mickey Arthur, captain Kumar Sangakkara, Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, everyone was very impressed,” says Masroor.
‘Could have paralyzed them’
There was a setback after the excessive. After the PSL, Abrar suffered a stage-five stress fracture and was dominated out of motion for 2 years.
“He could have been paralysed. It was serious. I remember the doctor telling our elder brother and me that he would never be able to play cricket again,” remembers Sajid.
Masroor explains the explanation behind the damage. He began taking part in aggressive cricket on the age of 17. In two years he performed continuous cricket. He bowled tirelessly within the nets. The physique could not take the toll. As a coach, I didn’t handle his workload,” says Masroor.
Abrar Ahmed in dialogue with former Karachi Kings fielding coach Muhammad Masroor and Director of Cricket Rashid Latif. (particular association)
Noor Ahmed saved encouraging his handicapped son. “Pathan ka bachcha hai tu, haar nahi maan sakto” (You are the son of Pathan, you can not quit). He instructed her about his preliminary struggles in Karachi, how he used to drive a taxi for 20 hours to earn a dwelling. This impressed him and rekindled his ardour for the sport.”
Abrar made a comeback in early 2020 for Sindh’s second XI. In the Quaid-e-Azam Second XI event that 12 months, Abrar took 57 wickets at 11.75.
“He was back. The next year, he was promoted to the senior team,” says Masroor.
stress of bowling off spin
After making notable enhancements, nevertheless, he was tagged as a restricted overs bowler; Masroor obtained calls and texts from former Pakistan cricketers asking why he was not engaged on Abrar’s off-spin.
“Main hamesha Jasprit Bumrah ki misaal deta hun, agar wo ladka Pakistan mey hota toh ye humare former cricketers uske peeche pad jaate, uski motion ke wajah se (I at all times give the instance of Jasprit Bumrah, if he had been in Pakistan, our former cricketers would have been after him due to his bowling motion).
“There are too many examples. Anwar Ali is the most recent that involves my thoughts. He modified his motion on the NCA (National Cricket Academy) and he misplaced his inswing. He was by no means the identical bowler once more. In the Eighties a The quick bowler was Atiq-ur-Rehman, he was quicker than Imran Khan. His bowling motion was very like that of Jeff Thomson. He was attending his first Pakistan camp, the place Fazal Mahmood modified his motion; he Lost his tempo, and by no means performed for Pakistan once more.
“In Pakistan, most former cricketers have no idea the ABCs of cricket teaching; All they need is for the youth to admire them. You ask any legend right here if they’ve a clue what muscle reminiscence is.
“Arshad Khan (former Pakistan off-spinner) known as me up and requested me to change Abrar’s motion in order that he may bowl off-spin. Tell me one factor, is there any level in altering somebody’s motion when he’s 22 years outdated? I stated no to Arshad. Abrar couldn’t ship his googly to the left-handed batsmen. I stated I’ll work on his googly, which is pure for him and I can’t put stress on him to do one thing which he has by no means accomplished in his life.
In Pakistan they known as him T20 specialist. That child was not chosen by any PSL workforce in 2021. Then earlier than the T20 World Cup, he was chosen for the seven-match T20I sequence towards England, however didn’t get a single match to showcase his abilities.
Fearless, Abrar set the 2022-23 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on hearth, taking 43 wickets at a mean of 21.95. The second finest tally was a distant 31. Abrar took 5 five-wicket hauls in seven matches, incomes a Test call-up towards England.
not depending on pitch
History has by no means been sort to thriller spinners. Ajantha Mendis was detected. Narine, Abrar’s idol, has by no means excelled with the purple ball. But Masroor feels that his ward is a long-haul horse.
“To be trustworthy, I do not suppose he’ll get caught. Mujeeb (Afghanistan spinner) has additionally performed for thus a few years and he’s nonetheless a menace. Abrar has all of the playing cards to play worldwide cricket for at the least 10 years . He just isn’t depending on the pitch. It just isn’t straightforward to play sweep photographs towards him. On a docile pitch, he can do issues,” says Masroor.
“The important thing will be how he handles himself and how he deals with the situation when things get tough. But PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) also has to handle him carefully. My only advice would be don’t spend much on it. He could be the dark horse of Pakistan in the days to come,” says Masroor.
Wickets however, the story of the tape-balled avenue bowler whose profession was almost ended by damage, who has now turn out to be considered one of Pakistan’s finest spinners, has already been the topic of a e book, a Netflix documentary, or a characteristic movie. Is worthy.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
