'I'll come back supremely fit'
www.mag4you.netWhile his team-mates ready themselves for a tilt at a West Indies side fallen on hard times, Shoaib Akhtar cools his heels in Pakistan, preparing for a spell of county cricket with Worcestershire that he hopes will pitchfork him back into the spotlight. Despite a stunning record, and strong performances in recent times, Shoaib's inability to last the distance has resulted in the team management growing disenchanted with him. In this exclusive interview, Shoaib - ever a bundle of contradictions - puts forth his views, and promises a speedy return. Literally.
There have been all sorts of stories floating around about your omission for the West Indies tour. Were you really fit, because both captain and coach, along with the selectors, suggested that you weren't?
It's simple really. I was saying that I'm fit and keen, but I have no clue what Grant Compton (the PCB physio) told the Board in his report. But it's history now. The team's been selected and they've gone. I'm gearing up now for my county games, the Super Series and England's tour of Pakistan. I'll be supremely fit for those games.
You did little of note in the Tests against India last year. Given that, how disappointing was it to miss out this time, especially as Pakistan did so well without you?
It was very disappointing, but I thought I did the right thing by not playing. I wasn't fit enough, and I never thought that I could make the whole tour. I'd had a hamstring strain for two or three months before that, even before we went to Australia. It was aggravated in Australia, and I couldn't get fit in time for the India games. But yeah, I always look for the biggest series. That's your opportunity to perform big against the good teams. The bigger the occasion, the more I enjoy it, so in that sense, it was a low point.
Even Imran Khan, one of your idols, had suggested that you cut down your run-up in order to bowl more overs. Why have you refused to consider such an option?
I'll probably cut down my run-up after the World Cup in 2007. At the moment, I'm enjoying myself with the long run, and at the moment I'm comfortable with that. I'll think of shortening it when it's needed.
Everyone seems to think that you have bulked up too much, and are carrying too much weight...
(Laughs) A lot of these people don't have a clue about the gym, they've never even been inside one. Anyone will tell you how necessary gym-work and cardio (cardiovascular exercises) are these days. I weigh 84kg now. In Australia, it was 83. So I've put on one kilogram, and that's muscle. During the off-season, you have to work on your muscles to prevent wastage. I have a six-pack on my belly right now, so I don't know how people can call me fat.
Doctors have suggested that excess weight could be responsible for your hamstring troubles. What do you think?
These doctors have never checked me, they've not weighed me to see if I'm overweight or not. There's been no medical test. People are just saying things without even looking at me.
Would you say then that you're as flexible as you once were?
I can still touch my forehead with my knee (laughs).
Usually, a lot of overseas players see the county season as a chance to get some good practice and make some good money. For you, it assumes far more importance now that your place in the team is no longer assured. What are your targets while with Worcestershire?
I'm there to get some good practice and perform well for the club. It's a great opportunity to do something for myself, to show people how keen I am to play. My objective isn't to make money, it's to win games for the county and get fit for the Super Series along with that. I have a great reputation in England, and that's why they keep calling me back to play every year.
Have the performances of Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Mohammad Sami in India, as well as Shabbir Ahmed making a comeback, put added pressure on you?
No, not at all. I'm so happy that pressure is drifting towards other players. If others can perform and win games for the country, people will realise that it's not about one man.
Rana was one of the stars of the India tour, and since then some have suggested that pace isn't everything, especially in subcontinental conditions. What did you think of his performance?
Rana bowled superbly. He's a great fighter, and I can see a good partnership with him once I'm playing for the national team again. I've always been a humble servant for my country, giving 100%, and it will be great to bowl with these guys. I give it everything and I think I can change the scenario of a game.
Are you worried that you will go down in cricket history as the bowler who rarely managed to finish a complete series?
I have completed a few series. If you look at it, McGrath didn't play that full series and Gillespie didn't either [both did, actually, with only Michael Kasprowicz making way in Sydney]. They were rested. You can't play a full series these days. You have to use your fast bowlers sensibly.
Do you feel that pace is becoming a luxury for most teams? Even Brett Lee rarely gets a Test for Australia. What are the reasons for this decline in pace bowling stock?
That's true, pace being thought a luxury. If you ask me, I still think fast bowlers can turn things and win games. The kind of pitches they make don't help. On batting-paradise pitches, it doesn't matter how quick you are, you'll get hammered. How many pitches can fast bowlers enjoy themselves on? You see batsmen scoring nearly 300 in almost every game these days. It's just a joke for the fast bowlers. We also have cricket round the year. I have the county season, then the Super Series, then England, India and the West Indies coming to Pakistan. We'll be playing almost nonstop till the next World Cup, and you'd have to be a machine to stay fit for all the matches.
Initially, Bob Woolmer was very enthusiastic about working with you, saying he could get the best out of you. Lately, even he has expressed displeasure about your attitude and dedication. Why do you think you have upset the team management so much?
I don't know. If you want to talk about my commitment levels, I have 80 Test-match wickets in the last 15 games and 47 in the last 20 one-dayers. I've been serving the country without a problem for the last eight years.
There's been little support for you though ...
That's not right. After they dropped me, Imran [Khan] spoke, Wasim [Akram] spoke, [Javed] Miandad spoke. There was reaction from the newspapers. People do support me.
But within the team?
Younis Khan has spoken to me, Afridi has spoken to me ...
But how do you explain the change in Woolmer's attitude towards you?
Don't know.
Do you think it goes back to Melbourne where you looked uninterested in the second innings?
I cannot get a five-wicket haul every time, especially when the other team needs only 120-odd to win. There was no total on the board, and at the same time I had been complaining about my hamstring in every Test. I took an injection for my hamstring and played the third Test [he didn't]. If I wanted to rest I could have. The management could have rested me and got me fit for the one-day series.
And what about everyone's favourite word when it comes to you: Indiscipline?
I think the best judge is the manager on the tour, and he has given me a good report. Even the newspapers carried that. He had no problem with me, on or off the field. I don't know where people get this idea from.
A few statements in the past about carrying the bowling burden by yourself could have upset your team-mates?
I never said things like that, never said I was doing it on my own. Sami bowled well in that first Test [Perth] and we had them 78 for 5, with a chance to win the game. But we couldn't finish it off, unfortunately.
So you're saying there is no problem with your team-mates?
Well, Afridi spoke to the papers recently and made it clear what my team-mates think of me. Younis has spoken too. A few people have a problem with me, not all.
How can those few problems be sorted out?
They should sit down with me and tell me what to do, what not to do. I have no clue what the team's talking about. I'd like a chance to know what it is people say, what kind of attitude problem they're talking about. Look at my performances. Can someone be unfit and indisciplined and perform like that?
So how does such talk come up?
When I'm performing and winning matches for my country, I don't hear these things. When I'm out of the team, these stories start. I don't have a problem with the team. I've spoken to my team-mates and they have no issues. It's a story created by newspapers.
Why would they do that?
Don't know. Some just want to create an image for me as a bad boy, which is not true. People respect and love me. I got over 2000 letters from India asking when I would be back to play in the series in India.
Recently, there was news that you might feature in a Mahesh Bhatt movie ...
(Laughs) Not interested in any movie or being an actor. My passion is cricket. He's a cricket lover who would like to meet me. But we've not talked about movies or anything. Where do I have the time?
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