A former teen prodigy of Pakistan cricket will make a keenly-awaited return to the full international arena during their tour of New Zealand.
No, not that guy. Another one. One with an unarguable talent, but a clean rapsheet to go with it.
It feels like Mohammed Amir’s impending return to the fold has dominated cricket’s news agenda for an age now, both at home and abroad. By contrast, Imad Wasim - that other guy - is barely known beyond his homeland as yet.
One sizeable difference between Amir’s case and his is the fact Wasim’s comeback will be universally celebrated by supporters. There will be little ill-will from his teammates, either. Nor a doubting public.
Wasim’s has been a career waiting to happen for the best part of a decade, stalled by a lack of opportunities, then, last year – once he had been given his chance and impressed – by injury.
It goes without saying the broken finger which kept Wasim out of the limited-overs series against England in the UAE before Christmas was badly timed. When is an injury ever well timed?
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But that series in particular meant so much to the player from a personal perspective. Wasim was born in Britain. Theoretically, had the Pakistan international career that had once seemed so certain after he captained the national Under 19 side never actually eventuated, he would have been within his rights to try his luck with England.
The 27-year-old all-rounder knows little about Swansea, the city in south Wales where he was born. His parents moved back to Islamabad, where he grew up, when he was two and he has not been back there to visit since.
The UK has a special resonance for his playing career, too. Wasim captained Pakistan U19 on a tour there in 2007, playing against an England age-group side including Steven Finn, Chris Woakes and Adam Lyth.
While many of his contemporaries, both from his own side and the opposition, steadily graduated to senior international cricket thereafter, his own advance stalled. He might have been forgiven for growing impatient, but it is never a feeling he suffered from.
“The only thing I feel is that we get what God has decided for us,” Wasim, who was recalled to the Pakistan squad for the tour to New Zealand after his injury healed.
“For a time it felt like I was not going to get the chance, but in my heart I knew I was going to get picked.
“I just knew that when I was picked I had to deliver, I had to perform to make sure I stayed in the team. That is what I always thought. There were never any negative thoughts in my mind - even after I was injured.”
That U19 side of 2007 provided a rich yield for Pakistan. Wasim had Shan Masood, another player with strong links to the UK having gone to school and university in England, as his deputy.
Further to the current Test opener Masood, Amir, Ahmed Shahzad, Umar Amin, and Junaid Khan all beat Wasim to the senior side. One way or another, each has made a name for themselves, too.
Wasim did not lose focus, though. So devoted was he to the idea of representing Pakistan one day, he even opted to forego a degree in medicine to improve his cricket prospects.
“I was about to do medicine, I had my admission accepted to university, but I quit because I wanted to play cricket,” he said.
“If you are going to be a success, you have to give this sport 100 per cent of your time, so I chose cricket over studies.”
To further that ambition, he played six seasons of league cricket in England and Ireland, too, starting when he answered a request from Papplewick, a club side in Nottingham, for an overseas professional. He was just 17 at the time, and had no relatives or friends waiting for him in the UK to smooth his journey.
“I knew no-one there,” he said. “I was playing Pakistan U19, there was a gap of three months. A club called me and said they wanted me as a pro. I asked my parents and they let me go. It was a great experience.”
Eight years spent trying to better himself in UK club cricket, and prove himself worthy of a senior call up via the Pakistan domestic game finally led to selection for a limited-overs series in Sri Lanka last year.
Wasim has a perfect command of English, but he says he is at a loss to describe how it felt when he was invited to play for his country.
“It is every cricketer’s dream,” he said. “It was fantastic. I cannot describe those feelings. It just felt like a dream come true. I am very lucky to play for my country.”
So far, the left-handed all-rounder has featured in two low-key, away series for Pakistan, in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, to date. It may only be a small sample size, but supporters have generally been impressed by what they have seen, and they are not the only ones.
In a country, perhaps more than any other, that has never feared giving youth its chance, Wasim is still seen as a young prospect, even though it is nearly nine years now since he captained that under 19 side. Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s coach, refers to him as “very young”, even though Wasim turned 27 in December.
“He’s got a lot to offer,” Waqar said. “He hasn’t played much cricket, he is very young, but he offers something with the bat and the ball, and he is very energetic in the field.
“He is a good utility, one-day and T20 cricketer. He is a smart bowler when it comes to controlling the game and when it comes to big hitting he can hit it hard.”
The evidence from his five one-day internationals and five Twenty20 internationals so far backs up Waqar’s enthusiasm.
After his initial bow in Sri Lanka last summer, he underlined his credentials most during his second tour, in Zimbabwe in October.
He made an even-time 61 from No 7 in the order to set up a win against Zimbabwe in Harare. In his next appearance in the series, he took three for 36 with the ball, but had his thunder stolen by Bilal Asif’s five wicket-haul.
In a Twenty20 international against the same opposition, he took the new-ball, took four for 11, and affected two run outs.
Even though Waqar terms him a limited-overs utility player for now, Wasim aspires to represent his country in the longest format, too.
Pakistan’s next Test commitment is in England this summer. It would provide a compelling storyline if he was to make his Test debut on British soil.
There is even a one-day international scheduled for Cardiff, the Welsh capital which is 68 kms from where Wasim was born.
“Test cricket is the only cricket that every cricketer dreams of playing,” he said. “It is the most important thing to have as a cricketer.
“I have been performing well in first-class cricket. I will keep doing that, and if the selectors want me there ... I am happy playing ODIs and T20, but I would love to play Test cricket.
“At some point in my life I hope to get that chance.”
Pakistan Super League
Imad Wasim will be playing for Karachi Kings, alongside the likes of Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Amir and Shakib Al Hasan, in the HBL Pakistan Super League in Dubai and Sharjah, starting next month.
Each of the five teams in the new Twenty20 tournament have 16 member squads, comprised of 11 Pakistan players and five from overseas. Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle and Shane Watson will be among the foreign contingent.
Matches begin when Islamabad United face Quetta Gladiators on the opening evening, Thursday, February 4 at Dubai International Stadium.
Tickets for the competition are now on sale. Prices start at Dh20 for the single header matches in Dubai and Sharjah, while the cheapest double header, playoff, and final tickets are priced at Dh30.
At the other end of the scale, for those looking to enjoy the PSL in luxury can opt for the platinum package, with tickets priced at Dh200 for a single header and Dh250 for the latter stages. Tickets are available to purchase at kyazoonga.ae/psl.
pradley@thenational.ae
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