Regarded as one of Pakistan's finest bowling prospects, paceman Mohammad Asifsays he is in no hurry to bring variation in his bowling as he can deceivebatsmen with his lethal combination of swing and discipline.
The 23-year-old bowler said he was still learning the tricks of the trade andwould like to be clubbed in the same league as the legendary Imran Khan andWasim Akram when he finishes his career.
"I know what I am capable of doing. For me, discipline is the key. Ialways try to put the ball in the right areas. I have control and thankfully Ihave the swing. Besides, I know how to deceive a batsman," Asif said inDharamshala.
Advertisement
"But I am still learning the game. And I would stick to my disciplinedperformance. It's too early for me to think about bringing any variation to mybowling," added the bowler who took the cricketing world by storm after asensational debut against Australia in January last year.
The bowler from Sheikhupura said it was this pragmatic approach which hadhelped him to emerge as a key bowler for Pakistan.
"When I started I knew I could not compete with Shoaib Akhtar interms of speed. So I tried to become a bowler who could bowl maidens for theteam and one whom every captain needs," he said.
Advertisement
Asif is here to play in the inaugural Mohammad Nissar trophy match betweenRanji Trophy winners Uttar Pradesh and Qaid-e-Azam champions Sialkot.
Asif, however, withdrew from action on the first day after taking two wicketsdue to a back sprain, saying he did not want to aggravate the injury, keeping aneye on the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy tournament in India.
"It is a minor injury. But I did not want to take a risk as theChampions Trophy is round the corner," he said.
The Champions Trophy will be hosted at four venues in the country fromOctober 7 to November 5.
Asif also said the ball tampering episode had affected the morale of the sidebut expressed the hope that skipper Inzamam-ul Haq would emerge unscathed fromthe hearing which began in London today.
"It was a one-sided decision by the umpires and they just walked out (ofthe Oval Test). There is no evidence of ball tampering. I am confident thehearing would conclude in our favour," said the bowler who has taken 30wickets from six Tests.
Asif said it pleased him to see that the mofussil townships of Lahore wereproducing a lot of talented players of late.
PTI
