Published: May 17, 2011, 10:45 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 20, 2014, 11:21 PM (IST)
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
Sharon Olds, the famous American poet, once said: “I am a late bloomer, but anyone who blooms at all ever, is very lucky.”
A crafty off-spinner, who is not afraid to give the ball air and has a very dangerous ‘doosra’ is making headlines in the World of cricket. It is hard to imagine that Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistani off- spinner, made his international debut at the age of 30. The late bloomer is not the only one who is lucky, but Pakistan cricket is fortunate to have found an off-spinner of his ability.
In a land where pace is the preferred medium and leg-spin dwelled as the form of spin, Pakistan produced a Saqlain Mushtaq who changed the way off-spinners bowled. He was the one who made the ‘doosra’ popular.
The way he induced batsmen to play strokes against their will and made them dance to his tunes made him a star. Ever since his exit, Pakistan have tried to find somebody to step into his shoes, but without much success.
In July 2008, the Pakistan selectors made an exception to the traditional policy of preferring youngsters when they gave Ajmal a One-Day International cap against India in the Asia Cup. A debut is always difficult for any player and in particular when it is against arch-rivals at home. But Ajmal bowled with great maturity in his first outing and was the most economical bowler on show when all the other bowlers conceded over five runs an over. Yusuf Pathan was Ajmal’s first victim in international cricket as he was foxed by the ‘doosra’ and ended up playing the ball down long off’s throat. Figures of 10-0-47-1 in a game where the Indian batsmen scored over 300 showed that he was ready for the big league.
It was only in the year 2009 that Ajmal became a regular feature in Pakistan’s playing eleven. He was one of the key performers for Pakistan in their victorious campaign at the ICC World T20 2009 in England. That tournament was the turning point of his career and the much-awaited Test debut came immediately after it in Sri Lanka. Since then Ajmal has not looked back and has been doing what he does best that is teasing the batsmen with his flight, variations and his biggest weapon the ‘doosra.’
To say that Ajmal is the next Saqlain Mushtaq isn’t just hype, but is based on his efforts and performance in the last two years. Like Saqlain, Ajmal uses the ‘doosra’ productively. The beauty of the ‘doosra’ is employing it as a surprise weapon, especially when the batsman is unable to pick it. Saqlain was a master of that art. Ajmal show a similar ability.
On many occasions Saqlain would get batsmen bowled through bat and pad which highlights the amount of turn he could get. In his three-year long international career so far, Ajmal has picked up 55 wickets in ODIs, out of which 13 are bowled. Most of these bowled dismissals are very similar to Saqlain’s wickets – i.e., hitting the wood work through the gap. As many as 23% of Ajmal’s dimissals are bowled, compared to Saqlain’s 19%. These are really high percentages, indicating the ability to turn the ball and creating a hole in the batsman’s technique.
Another similarity between the two is their economy rate in ODIs. Ajmal’s current economy rate is 4.23 which is marginally better than Saqlain’s 4.29. For a spinner to have an economy rate under five in ODIs is simply great. In fact, Ajmal is bowling in the age of T20s where batsmen look to attack at every stage. To maintain an economy a little over four in this era shows how difficult it is for the batsmen to score against him. Thus, like Saqlain, Ajmal not only picks up wickets but also keeps batsmen quiet.
Saqlain made his debut at the age of 19 and was 27 by the time he played his last match for Pakistan; in contrast, Ajmal made his international debut at 30. He has played just 10 Test matches to date and his recent eleven-wicket haul against West Indies augurs well for his future.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya, a 20-year-old law student, is a club and college-level cricketer. His teachers always complain, “He knows the stats and facts of cricket more than the subjects we teach him.”)
