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meet the new boy
By the admission of both parties, an
alliance between Ajmal Shahzad and
Nottinghamshire seemed an unlikely
prospect when a line was drawn under the
2012 season.
In the first phone call between the two
parties, it was outlined that James Harris was
Mick Newell’s primary target whilst Ajmal
was keen to secure a permanent move to
Lancashire, the county he had joined on loan
following a very public attack on his mindset
byYorkshire Chairman Colin Graves.
But with Harris selecting Middlesex from
an endless list of potential suitors and
Lancashire languishing in division two,
Nottinghamshire’s vacancy for an assertive
seamer who can hold a bat paved the way
for Shahzad to sign a three-year contract at
Trent Bridge.
“There were a few clubs interested but my
first loyalty was to Lancashire because they
helped me to settle last year,” he said.
“Mick told me the script from day one and
I knew he was pursuing James Harris but
when that broke down he made me an offer.”
Ajmal has always been close to his family
and will live apart from them for the
first time when he moves to a riverside
apartment on the banks of the Trent. His
father, a keen Yorkshire league cricketer
and accomplished badminton player,
moved to England from Pakistan to study
accountancy as an 18-year-old and enjoyed
a successful career that allowed him to fund
Ajmal’s private education.
Having developed his skills at school, Ajmal
played club cricket for Windhill CC but
was rejected at a regional under-15s trial.
In the wake of Imran Khan’s assertion that
inherent racism was preventing British
Asians prospering at Headingley, Ajmal
attended Asian trials and emerged as the
hottest prospect.
He would later go on to become the first
British Asian to wear the white rose having
been offered a contract after his first
Academy net session aged 17.
He is able to immediately recall his debut for
Yorkshire - ‘Worcestershire at Headingley, I
was none for 35 from six overs, bowling fast
atVikram Solanki and Kadeer Ali on a really
good wicket’ - but disaster struck in his
second outing when he developed a stress
fracture that led to a year on the sidelines.
Shahzad returned stronger than ever though
and developed his reputation bowling
alongside the likes of Deon Kruis, Darren
Gough and Matthew Hoggard. His county
form saw him drafted into the England
Performance Squad and international
debuts followed in all formats.
Lively and likeable, Shahzad knows that
conditions at his new home venue will help
his game. His burning ambition is to add to
the 126 overs he has bowled in international
cricket by harnessing the edge that bowlers
enjoy at Trent Bridge.
“Trent Bridge is a great place for a fast
bowler to play because it swings and seams.
There is a great track record of getting
players into the England squad and that’s
what I’m looking to do,” he said.
“I look to hit the ground hard, back of a length,
and utilisemy pace asmuch as I can. I naturally
angle the ball in and like to be aggressive. I
try and swing it in more in one-day cricket
but mainly I just try to bring enthusiasm and
contribute to a positive atmosphere.
“I don’t like meandering along in four-day
cricket and I always want to make something
happen. With the maturity I’ve got now I
feel that I can do that within the parameters
of what we’re trying to achieve as a team.”
Shahzad’s candid assessment of his own
strengths and mentality leave the debate
open as to the validity of Graves’s pre-
departure comments.Yorkshire’s 2012 LV=
County Championship bowling averages
show Shahzad above Tim Bresnan and
Ryan Sidebottom though, and he was
Lancashire’s leading wicket taker in the
Clydesdale Bank 40.
“The way things ended at Yorkshire was
disappointing because the last thing
trent bridge
has a great
track record of
getting players
into the England
squad and
that’s what I’m
looking to do
AJMAL SHAHZAD