Fawad Ahmed eager to play for Australia

Pakistan-born Australian cricketer Fawad Ahmed is more than ready to make his mark if he gets a chance to play in Australia’s squad soon. The leg-spinner has had a tough road to travel in the last few years. From getting Australian citizenship to difficulties in making it to the Test squad and then being dropped quickly, he has still not lost hope though at 34. With Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon doing well for Australia, Fawad Ahmed’s chances of earning a Test call-up might be very slim. But it is his more than hopeful attitude, that has kept him going chasing the spot in the team. ALSO READ: Australia’s boozy celebrations don’t make Fawad Ahmed uncomfortable

“I want to be picked even now … if someone’s getting injured maybe in Sri Lanka, you never know – anything could happen,” Ahmed said as quoted by foxsports.com.au. “I wouldn’t want it (someone to get injured), but if anything happened, like emergency or anything, and if I’m not ready it’s going to be my loss. So I’m going to be ready. I want to train harder and harder and I need to be ready any time. It just depends on the luck. Sometimes luck favours you, sometimes you need a chance as well. I have to be ready on the other side if I’m getting a call to play for the country.” he added. Australia will be touring Sri Lanka from July 26. The teams will play 3 Tests, 5 ODI’s and 2 T20I’s.

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Ahmed would possibly be at around the 5th spot on the minds of selectors as although he had taken the most wickets in the Sheffield Shield last summer compared to any slow bowler, other spin bowlers have done well too. Stephen O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar and Australia’s new spin sensation Adam Zampa have shown calibre too. Meanwhile, even if Ahmed doesn’t get an emergency call-up, he has plenty of cricket to look forward to, including Australia’s tour of India early next year.

He said – “Definitely India would be on the cards but especially the home summer.” He added – “There’s a big home summer coming up with two or three countries visiting here. I would love to play (a Test) on home soil. I’m looking forward to it.”

Nowadays though, Ahmed is working with on the pre-season with Victoria but his preparations have been slightly different. The holy month of Ramadan is going on and Ahmed is not eating or drinking anything from sunrise to sunset. ALSO READ: Ramadan Kareem Mubarak, wish cricketers

“The trainer gave me a little bit easier on the training side,” Ahmed said. “It’s more a timing thing. I can do hard stuff as well, but it can’t be any time. I wouldn’t do any running sessions or bike sessions or a spin class in the morning, where I’d have to wait seven, eight or ten hours to break the fast. But if I’m doing it in the afternoon, when there’s only two or three hours left (of the fast), then it’s really easy for me. It’s just all about the timing. I’ve been doing this for the last 20 or 22 years, so it’s just like a habit now.”