Flights and highlights

First time on a plane
People think of me as well-travelled, but I had not been out of Pakistan until I was picked in the Under-19 squad in 1997. The flight went from Lahore to Karachi and then from Karachi to South Africa. It was my first time on a plane and my first trip overseas. It was on that same tour that I met my wife, Sumayya, and I moved to South Africa to marry her in 2006.

First pair of bowling boots
All I remember about them was that they didn't have any brand name or stickers or anything like that on them.

First catch that I was really proud of
There are so many! But I guess people always laugh at my fielding, so I should remember a special one. In 2004 in England, there was one catch that was very special to me. I was bowling in a league match and the batsman hit the ball over my head. I had to run back to between mid-off and mid-on to take the catch, and I did. I was so happy, I was celebrating on the other side of the field and the whole team had to wait for me to come back to them to high-five. And then there is also the catch I took to dismiss Robert Key in the 2011 county season. That became a television advert.

First meeting with the South African squad
It was at the Garden Court Hotel in Umhalanga, just outside Durban. I was very nervous and very emotional but everyone was nice to me, especially the captain [Graeme Smith]. It was a good day.

First time I got highlights in my hair
My wife is a beautician but the first time I did something to my hair was not through her. I was playing in England in 2003 and I went to a place that is part of a very famous chain of hair salons called John English, in London, and that's where I had them put in. They closed down in 2009.