Ajmal preparing for two-month stint with Worcestershire

Image
Press Trust of India Karachi
Last Updated : Apr 19 2014 | 10:00 AM IST
Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal is preparing for a two-month stint with English county Worcestershire with the World Cup 2015 in mind as he believes bowlers now have to reinvent themselves to be successful in the limited overs formats.
"Cricket has changed a lot now and life is becoming increasingly difficult for the bowlers. Unless we reinvent ourselves in nearly every second match the batsmen will dominate us," Ajmal told PTI.
The off-spinner who has taken 169 test and 182 ODI wickets besides being a force in T20 cricket, said that he was joining Worcestershire to prepare for the World Cup in 2015.
"Playing in England will help me a lot to try out new things and settle down to a consistent form as pitches in England neither in Australia offer much encouragement for spin bowlers," he said.
"Obviously I was not happy with my form in the recent World T20 and I think it is good I will have time in England to get over it and work on my bowling in good competitive conditions," he added.
He pointed out that unless spin bowlers didn't work on their art regularly it was difficult for them to survive in international cricket.
"There is always pressure on us now because batsmen have been given a free license to go on the attack from the start in T20 cricket and in 50 oers cricket the recent rule changes like having five fielders inside the circle has not made life easy for us" he said.
He pointed out that batsmen today are far more adventurous than in the past. "They are now playing shots that could not be imagined some years back so the bowlers are under pressure in formats now made for batsmen."
"I think bowlers now have to have lot of variation and be unorthodox at times that is how quality spinners are doing well now. This stint with Worcestershire will be very helpful for me as I am keen to do well also in the World Cup."
The Pakistan Cricket Board yesterday issued a NOC to Ajmal to play for the english county but he has been to return by mid July for Pakistan's tour to Sri Lanka.
"Obviously even for me national duty comes first so I will be back in July to play for Pakistan but it will be a great experience bowling in english conditions," he stated.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 19 2014 | 10:00 AM IST

Next Story