Doosra is a weapon that unnerves the batsmen: Saeed Ajmal

Saeed Ajmal baffled the best in the business with his deceptive bowling before being suspended by ICC for suspect action in 2014. He was once the strike bowler in all formats but the ICC roadblock forced him to remodelled his action learn his art almost from the scratch yet again. Ajmal was cleared to bowl again a week before the 2015 Cricket World Cup but has struggled to replicate his performance which had once made him a feared spinner.

Ajmal was suspended by the ICC in 2015 for five months for an illegal bowling action. Since his suspension was lifted, Saeed has been out of the Pakistan selectors’ eyes. The spin wizard is currently playing in the Twenty20 domestic Pakistan Super League and is determined to regain his old magic and make an impact for Pakistan despite being left out in the cold for the Asia Cup T20 and World T20.

According to an exclusive interview to Cricinfo, Saeed Ajmal stated how he re-learned everything in the past one and half year and the various regimes he followed to start bowling with the same intensity at which he used to previously bowl.

“I have relearned everything. Even with my body, I have had to start new exercises. Then I followed that up by bowling with a heavy ball. Everyone knows my right wrist is broken [in a bus accident]. The wrist bone protrudes out and my whole arm flexes. To get this under control, because it is already ten degrees, I have learnt to bowl with a heavy ball,”said Ajmal.

The off-spinner also shared the learning experience which he underwent.

“I learnt a lot of things. I learnt that you can bring everything from your fingers if you are willing to work hard. At 38, I have learnt something that I probably never did in my 15 years as a cricketer. I had to become a child – like the first time I went into the academy as a ten-year-old. So I had to look at it like that again over the last year.”

Ajmal also talked about how he enjoyed bowling after he began bowling after his action was cleared

“Last county season, I was playing for Worcestershire. Former England left-arm spinner Richard Illingworth, who played for Worcestershire, was the umpire. He asked me how I was going to get the batsman out. I told him I would bowl a whole over of off spin. He would push me to the leg side. Next over I would bowl the doosra and he would get caught at slip. So I bowled only off spin in the first over and the batsman played me to short midwicket.”

“Next over, first ball, I bowled the doosra and he played it to the slips. Illingworth was astounded. I told him, this is cricket. I looked at what he was trying to do, and if he wins, it’s fine. But what I was doing to him that is in my control. I was making him play on my terms, not his.”

Ajmal states that he still bowls the ‘doosra’ though it is not as effective as it was in the past.

“ I have cleared the doosra during the ICC testing process. Even against Karachi Kings, I got Saifullah Bangladesh with a doosra. I bowled a few to Iftikhar Ahmed. Out of 18 deliveries, I bowled six doosras. I still rely on the doosra. I know it is a weapon that unnerves a batsman. With time my hand speed will get faster, as it was before. Then the doosra will become more effective,” he said.

The off-spinner then underwent remedial work with former Pakistan great Saqlain Mushtaq and was cleared to bowl again in February 2015.

“Saqlain Bhai would strap my wrists with 1kg bands on both wrists. He did not want my front arm staying to the side and the bowling wrist high and locked. I also strapped 2.5kg weights on my [left] leg to make sure it did not go high and the head did not fall down sideways. The head needed to be straight and relaxed. I would then deliver with a heavy ball. It took me three months just to get used to it, to develop muscle.”

He also refreshed old memories, his dominance over the batsman and how the batsmen’s attitude has changed about him

“I was bowling with my earlier action for 22 years. Even now, when I see videos of my old matches, different things come to mind. Batsmen’s legs used to shake, every batsman used to think twice before stepping out to hit me, lest the ball bounces or turns. I can’t forget those memories. Now when a batsman stares back at me I get angry. I think: till last year he used to cry, but why is he staring back now?”

Ajmal also believes that the ICC has to be less stringent on the spinners as the batsmen have the freedom to innovate and improvise every time.

“Why did the spinners start chucking, bowling faster? Heavy, broad, big bats, a mishit would go for a six; Powerplays, four fielders outside the circle, five inside in the ODIs. Pitches have changed. What can spinners do in such a setting?”

“Spinners had to learn something new, and so started bowling faster. Earlier if you flighted the ball, you would get respect. Abhi agar hawa mein do toh hawa mein jaata hai. [Now if you toss it up in the air, it disappears into the air.] With the playing conditions changing, spinners started to learn to bowl fast and the chucking issue became prominent.”

“Finger spinners can’t survive in international cricket, especially in ODIs and T20 cricket. The guy who does not have variety will be hit. You have to have variations, and for that you have to work hard, otherwise you are out.”

Ajmal last played for Pakistan in a T20 match against Bangladesh in April 2015 and finished with figures of 3.2-25-0. He also played two ODIs on the Bangladesh tour and had a similarly unimpressive return. His 19.1 overs in the two games cost 123 runs for a solitary wicket.

But the 38-year-old says that he is a different bowler from the last time he turned up against Bangladesh last year.

“I am ready. There is a big difference from the time when I played in the Bangladesh series last year after I was cleared. At that point, I had the fear on the inside. Now I have removed that fear by working hard.”