CHENNAI: He made his international debut for Pakistan during the 2008 Asia Cup against arch-rivals India in Karachi. Saeed Ajmal, the former right-arm off-break bowler, soon became an integral part of the team helping it to lift their only T20 World Cup next year by emerging as the joint second leading wicket-taker.
He also featured in the 2011 ODI World Cup wherein Pakistan lost to the hosts India in the semifinal with Ajmal first dismissing batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar leg before only to see the decision being overturned by the third umpire. He eventually got Tendulkar but by then the damage was already done.
With the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup in the horizon, Ajmal spoke to The New Indian Express sharing his thoughts on that 'famous' dismissal of Tendulkar, India-Pakistan clashes and teams that can win the two prestigious tournaments. Excerpts...
On his debut in 2008 Asia Cup I still remember it was hot in Karachi when I made my international debut against India during the Asia Cup. I probably bowled the last over as well (he bowled 47th over). I always did well in the continental tournament, winning it once in 2012. These clashes (Asia Cup) not only give an opportunity for fans to cheer for their respective teams but also provide a chance for players to perform against each other, make friends. I always enjoyed playing against India and other Asian teams. These days, India and Pakistan play only in World Cups and Asia Cups which is not ideal for the teams as well as the fans. On winning the continental event in 2012 We defended 236 against hosts Bangladesh in the final. They were doing good and the total was not going to be enough. Tamim Iqbal gave them a brisk start and at one stage we were staring at a one-sided loss. Bangladesh, however, apparently got overconfident and overexcited. Mashrafe Mortaza was guiding them home but then he attempted to play a paddle sweep against me in the 48th over losing his wicket. We won the match in the last three overs. Bangladesh are always formidable in their backyard with spinners playing the key role. Their supporters can make life difficult for any team. But their overconfidence meant they lost the match from the winning position. We held our nerves. Our pacer Aizaz Cheema bowled the last over defending nine runs. It must be his best memory from his international career as we won the trophy by a margin of two runs. On his experience of playing in India Playing cricket in India is altogether a different experience. I have played in the 2011 World Cup and then the bilateral series including two T20Is and three ODIs. The World Cup semifinal in Mohali was the most memorable moment, especially Sachin's wicket. The LBW decision was overturned but I still believe he was out. Even the on-field umpire Ian Gould agrees with me to date. I played a lot of County cricket and whenever I met Gould, I always discussed that dismissal. I eventually got him (Sachin) but by then he had played a match-winning knock of 85. I still don't understand how the hawk-eye showed the ball was missing the stumps. I was even abused by the crowd after I dismissed Sachin but that means nothing in comparison to experience of playing in India. That dismissal of Yuvaraj Singh by Wahab Riaz off the first ball, I still remember there was a pin-drop silence as Yuvi was performing consistently for India then. On the India-Pakistan match in Asia Cup The wickets in Kandy are good. It offers assistance to both pacers and spinners. It's easy to bowl in the afternoon as, by evening, the ball starts skidding and comes on nicely on the bat. The toss will be important. If Pakistan win the toss, then they probably will bowl first. On WC clash of two arch-rivals After a long time, Pakistan will be visiting India. Wickets in Asia remain the same so that will not matter. Pakistan are No 1 side in the ODI and this happened because of their top-order batter and pacers. This is not the team which can be beaten easily. They have two good all-rounders in the form of Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan. If they score 250-260, it will be difficult to beat them because their pacers — Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah Haris Rauf — and have claimed the most wickets in the last three-four years. The batters do struggle against spinners and if a spinning track is prepared then it can pose difficulties for Pakistan. Home crowd can be an advantage as more than 1 lakh fans will be rooting for you at the world's biggest stadium in Ahmedabad. But if Pakistan bat first then it will not matter as they will have an edge over the hosts otherwise it will be 50-50 for both teams. If Shaheen and Naseem pick wickets in the first few overs then India will be in trouble early on. Asia Cup and WC favourites? Pakistan are favourites to win the Asia Cup as they have played a few matches in Sri Lanka of late. They have already adapted to the conditions there. We have an edge as far as fast bowling is concerned. Shaheen and Naseem are known to claim wickets with the new ball while Haris Rauf is good at death bowling. Jasprit Bumrah's return has boosted India's confidence and they bat deep with Ravindra Jadeja coming at No 7. They have good all-rounders in Hardik Pandya, Jadeja and Axar Patel. Even Kuldeep can bat. Middle order is a worry for Pakistan and if they can manage it, they along with India, Australia and England can reach the WC semifinals. On Virat Kohli He is a world-class player. Like every player, he also underwent a lean patch. A lot was said then but a good batter cannot always score a century in every outing. Anyways, he along with Sachin is the leading run-scorer which testifies their skills and how good they are. Like Sachin, he has performed consistently for the team. He knows his strengths and weaknesses and he plays accordingly. He and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam have a lot of similarities. They start cautiously but accelerate at the right time in the shortest format. They reach fifty in no time. These are signs of a great player. They are effortless and can play match-winning knocks in any situation.
