Published: Sep 03, 2015, 05:43 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 03, 2015, 07:24 PM (IST)
Pakistan right-arm off-break bowler Saeed Ajmal has put aside rumours of his retirement and feels that he is “a good One-Day International bowler.” Ajmal was banned by ICC for a suspect bowling action and he was working on getting his action corrected. Meanwhile he played for Worcestershire. The 37-year old feels that he still has around two years of cricket left in him. Ajmal made his international debut at 31 and emerged through the ranks as one of the best off-spinners in the world. Ajmal has taken 178 Test wickets in just 35 Test matches. His economy in ODI cricket is phenomenal giving just 4.18 runs in every over on an average. He also takes a wicket on every 32.6 balls in ODIs. READ: Saeed Ajmal wants to stage Pakistan comeback
In a conversation with ESPNcricinfo he said, “I never wanted to retire in obscurity as I have done enough for Pakistan to win matches singlehandedly. I want to retire with respect and honour. I will definitely sit with the selectors and discuss my future plan with them. Obviously I needed some time to settle down with my bowling action. I could have persisted for the national selection earlier but it might have been a risky case as we have seen [Mohammad] Hafeez is reported again after been cleared. So it’s a matter of getting things right and wait for the right time.”
Ajmal though a champion bowler did not perform well for Worcestershire and took a mere 16 wickets in the whole season. His average was a poor 51.25. “Cricket is cruel sometimes but I always said one can’t relax. People forget the good and make the bad part our defining feature. There are ups and downs in cricket and you can’t deny the fact every day is a new day and you can’t be taking five or ten wickets in every match. We are human and its natural to have good days and bad days. Regardless of being reported, there were odds that I might have faced a dip in form, could have struggled taking wickets with previous action as well and then what? Actually it’s not really a case that I am not effective, it’s a matter of form and confidence that I just need to hit and I have started to get flow,” he added. ALSO READ: Saeed Ajmal got positive feedback on his bowling action: PCB
Ajmal thinks that his poor-show in England (playing for Worcestershire) was due to pitch and weather conditions, “I know I am not able to get wickets in four-day cricket maybe because the pitches [in England] are green, soft and it rains a lot but at the same time I am still a better limited-overs bowler and taking wickets in the shorter format. I was assured that I will be considered and won’t be discarded. I also understand that Yasir [Yasir Shah] and Zulfi [Zulfiqar Babar] are doing very well and I don’t want to dislodge their place but I think there is some room for me in limited-overs cricket and I will prove that in the T20 cup in Pakistan.” ALSO READ: Saeed Ajmal to play Pakistan National T20 Championship in bid to earn international recall
