July 27 Saturday 2002
Abdul Razzaq: Shining with bat 'n' ball

LONDON: Pakistan's Abdul Razzaq is a cricketer with lots of potential. Very quickly, this calm young man has performed well enough to carve a niche for himself in a team already bristling with some very talented bowlers. 

Razzaq saw that there was room for an all-rounder and worked on certain aspects of his batting technique, making himself a very useful addition to the batting line-up. 

He is one of the most reliable bowlers around in the one-day cricket scene. 

In an interview here, he said he appeared on the international scene because his performance at the junior level was very convincing to the selectors. 

Playing international cricket at the age of 16 was no small feat and Razzaq said he had never ever dreamt of getting a breakthrough at such a young age. Asked who helped him, he replied, "My family is my greatest strength. They are always around when I need them. Also, Wasim Akram has been very encouraging". 

"Everybody in our country thinks of Wasim Akram as his idol. I am no exception and Wasim Akram remains my ideal cricketer". Razzaq was so inspired by Wasim Akram that he himself decided to become a fast bowler. 

"Wasim Akram inspired me. His exploits thrilled me. So I also decided to be a fast bowler," he said. 

Pakistan U-19 tour of West Indies in 1996 was the turning point in Razzaq's career and he captured 17 wickets doing equally well with the bat. Asked how he rated himself as a bowler?

"I don't have the pace of Shoaib Akhtar, but I have got enough variation to pick up crucial wickets," he replied. 

Razzaq is referred to as one of the leading all-rounders in the world, but the honour hasn't made him arrogant. 

He knows his roots, and he hasn't forgotten the hard work he had put in. He said when he bowls, he often finds Wasim Akram guiding him and helping him keep his cool. 

The support from Wasim Bhai in the field is an asset for him. He gets counsel from his bowling idol before every delivery. He admits that he feels nervous when he bats. 

However he has gained confidence after some very fine knocks against the West Indies and in England. He avoids playing loose shorts early in the innings and his running between the wickets has improved too. 

He finds it a great challenge when he has to bowl against Sachin Tendulkar whom he rates as the number one batsman in the world. He hopes to play for Pakistan as long as he can and become as great a cricketer as Imran Khan and, of course, Wasim Akram! Razzaq has some very fond memories of the 1999 World Cup. 

The interesting thing was he batted at one down and fully lived up to his captain's confidence. He said one day during the nets, Wasim Akram asked him if he could bat up the order. 

"I told him I would try my best. In the nets, I faced Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis and gained a lot of confidence."