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players want to do is to leave their home
club,” said Shahzad.
“Everyone dreams of playing somewhere
for 15 years and becoming a legend at their
county but things happen and it’s just a
page in a book now.
“I’ve got good friends at Headingley and
it was surprising when I got a bit of a
drilling from the Chairman in a newspaper
because prior to that we’d been sat down in
the dressing room discussing plans for the
future.
“It ended quite abruptly but it wasn’t
entirely unexpected. I had asked to leave
a few times because there were a few
disagreements on cricket matters. None of it
was ever personal though and I have a lot of
respect for Martyn Moxon, Jason Gillespie
and all of the boys but cricket is my career
and I want to develop my strengths and I
felt that was being taken away from me.
“I was a senior player atYorkshire but it was
hard to get my point across at times because
Captain and Coach would speak and
decisions would be made. At Lancashire
I spoke my mind more and felt more
comfortable in making a contribution.
“I’m not going to walk into the dressing
room here and try to establish seniority but
I’ve got knowledge to pass on and I want to
do that whilst also listening to others and
picking people’s brains.”
Andre Adams
is a player long-admired by
Shahzad, who also holds Glen Chapple in
high esteem for the manner in which he
remains amongst the wickets at the twilight
of his career.
“Andre and Glen keep things simple by
making sure that they put the ball exactly
where they want it all day, every day, with a
couple of change ups and they maintain that
until the batsman gets bored,” he said.
“Captain and Coach need to be able to hand
you the ball knowing what they’re going to
get from you and to have confidence in you
because if they haven’t got that then they’ll
look to somebody else.”
England have continued to look elsewhere
since Ajmal’s solitary Test appearance
against Bangladesh at Old Trafford in 2010
when he claimed match figures of 4-63.
The emergence of Tim Bresnan and Steve
Finn has kept him in the cold but his desire
to break back in is as strong as ever.
“I spent a lot of my time with England
carrying drinks and although I learned a lot
from it, I don’t think that I made the most
of it,” he said.
“I enjoyed the journey but I didn’t play as
much as I hoped and felt that I deserved
more of a chance because I took three
wickets in my last One-Day International.
“Consistency is a big thing and I need to
get runs and wickets regularly to get myself
up there. All-rounder spots are always up
for grabs if your numbers are good and I
don’t think anyone has tied one down as a
fast bowler.
“In your own head you think you can bat at
number 6 but objectively my highest score
is 88 and I haven’t got a first class hundred
so I’ll look to secure the number eight spot at
Nottinghamshire and be consistent enough
to give them the option to bat me higher.
“There are plenty of fast bowlers on the
scene so my batting might give me an extra
string to my bow.”
Shahzad’s immediate priority is to be talked
about for his cricket. He harbours hopes
of securing a contract in the Bangladesh
Premier League if he can overcome a minor
knee problem that has caused some recent
discomfort.
“I’ve had a tough year and it has made me
grow up,” he said.
“I needed a change of scenery and moving
away from home will be a good thing for me.
“This is where I want to finish my career
because I don’t want to move around the
counties.
“There aremembers of the Nottinghamshire
squad who can have 10 years at the top of
the game and that could lead to the Club
having at least five or six years at the top of
the table and winning finals.”
Here’shopingShahzad,andNottinghamshire,
can exceed their ambitions.