Mohammad Asif – A Chequered Career | Nazar

Mohammad Asif – A Chequered Career

By Zafar Syed 5 September 2008 269 views 3 Comments

His face flushed with droplets of sweat, Mohammad Asif calmly walks back to the top of his bowling mark. The wind is gentle and the atmosphere expectant. The grin on his face says it all: he is in full command. He trudges in, his limbs moving like clockwork, his run-up rhythmic, his approach measured and his wrist firmly behind the seam of the ball. Four deliveries tease and tempt the talented Kumar Sangakkara, before the fifth cannons back to hit the tip of the off-stump. The batsman’s walk back to the pavilion is a dejected one, his demeanor that of a defeated man. He has just been out-classed by the most talented bowler in the world.

The Kandy cricket ground in the island of Sri Lanka proved to be the ideal venue for the prodigy’s fifth game against Pakistan. After a slow start to his international career, the seamer outclassed the Sri Lankan side by taking 11 wickets, with a bowling performance not many can manage in an entire career. And he did so with such arrogance, such panache, that one would think he was made to dominate and rule over many a batsmen.

From the desolate streets of a small town to leading cricket grounds, Mohammad Asif’s upward rise to become Pakistan’s leading bowler is a memorable one. His story, like all the great stories, is one tainted with rumors and controversy. At the tender age of 25, he had already been implicated in a run-in with his team-mates, the irksome issue of drugs and steroids, and the personality of a prima donna. Yet he is still loved because of his unbelievable talent.

What with the drug controversy, the indiscipline, and the obvious disregard for rules, Mohamamd Asif should surely be shown the door. But will he? No. And as is the case with the magicians of sport, he will be back. The slanted seam, the sauntering approach to the crease, the arrogant smirk as the ball befuddles the batsman will all once again shock spectators, win the respect of team-mates, and out-play opponents.

And if the world thinks of this man as a cheat, a degenerate, or even a sinner, it will not matter one bit. No one can help but be blown away by the prowess of his craft, by the talent he possesses, and by the gift he’s been granted.

This is the story of Mohammad Asif - Pakistan’s badly needed bad boy.

Photo Courtesy: FatMandy

3 Comments »

Ravi said:

What does it say of us if we enjoy accomplishment at the cost of fair play? Get me Barry Bonds. I hear he has excellent suggestions.

[Reply]

# 5 September 2008 at 1:11 pm

Sanjay said:

You have hit the nail on the head. Asif is definitely a world class bowler who has really suffered because he comes from a humble background and is not really informed or educated.
Let’s all hope that he is able to put this episode behind him and continue to amaze us with his ability and craft.

[Reply]

# 19 September 2008 at 11:10 pm

VJ said:

I completely disagree.

Whether it be a ‘humble background’ and the ‘desolate streets of a small town’ or a palace in Hawaii … there is no way anyone can claim to be uninformed about what is legal and what is not.
And it’s not for the first time; it happened in October two years ago. That time round, I remember he made the same statement that he thought he was taking mere supplements.

All things said and done, fact is that through the medium of cricket, two things have surfaced in the past couple of years that seem to plague India and Pakistan respectively - 1. the fact that we are racists and not conscious/wary of it 2. We tend to take things lightly and cover it up with a charade of innocent ignorance.

[Reply]

# 20 September 2008 at 12:55 pm