'I kept getting dropped from the ODI side because of my Test performances' - Mohammad Sami
Over a dozen comebacks into a stop-start career that never delivered on his early promise, Mohammad Sami looks back
The last (international) comeback? Sami celebrates a wicket against India in the 2016 World T20 • AFP
Test cricket was a struggle. I was Man of the Match in my first Test. But then after two or three series, I did not play regularly. And really, I did not perform according to the expectations of me.
It was a dream come true. With Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar around on the scene, to be Man of the Match in my first Test was an honour for me. Every kid in Pakistan dreams of playing Test cricket for the country and donning the green cap. So you can imagine as a young cricketer to be named Man of the Match in your first Test is a dream coming true.
The plan always was to serve Pakistan as well as I could, but when you speak of Wasim and Waqar, you're talking about all-time greats and legends of the game. I don't think it's right to compare me to them. Opportunities were there, but again, I didn't perform as I should have.
Quiz: Which of these statements about Mohammad Sami is true?
I don't think so. Honestly, 36 Test matches is enough for someone to prove themselves and I didn't do it. But because I didn't perform well in Test cricket, it had an impact on my place in the ODI team. If you look at my performance and my ODI statistics, they are very good, but because of my Test performances, I kept getting dropped from the ODI team. To be honest, that did hurt. I accept that my Test match performance was not great, but my ODI stats suggest I should not have been dropped from the ODI team.
Yes, of course, you can talk to the captain, the coach or the cricket board, but the person you really need to talk to is yourself. Self-motivation is most important. Once you get dropped, the way back is long and very difficult. You have to go back to domestic cricket and work hard to start the process of your comeback, the course of which you have to plot yourself. You have to self-motivate at a time when you're most disheartened. I've had 14 or 15 comebacks. It doesn't happen without hard work and mental toughness.
Of course. It's very difficult. If you've played at the highest level, it is distressing to go down a few levels. The facilities you've been used to, the attention from fans and media coverage - all the things you get when you play international cricket, you don't get any of that at the lower levels. But I've always loved the game and as long as I stay fit, I will play. I made 14 comebacks because I love the game to the point of obsession. I told myself that anything else could be happening around me or in the team, but I had to focus on my own game.
Yes, it was frustrating because I was bowling well, but then again there were also wickets falling from the other end. Things like that can be frustrating when you're bowling well but don't get the ball, or you might want to bowl from a particular end, but there's another strike bowler in the team who also wants that end. But that's part and parcel of the game. You don't always get what you want, and you have to cope with that.
Well, you can ask but the decision rests with the captain. The most frustrating thing from a personal point of view about that Test was that I was dropped again. There were other occasions too when I was in a good spell and the ball was taken away, and then I got dropped. The cycle resumed of going back to domestic cricket to make my way to the Test team again. So, going back to one of your earlier questions, about working my way back up to Test cricket - it takes a lot out of you, the energy and motivation you have to put in. Sometimes you work so hard to get back that by the time you get there, you've lost steam. I think this long comeback process has ultimately been a factor in my performance at Test level too.
Yes. T20 didn't exist. It was just Tests and ODIs and it was a batsman's era. Look at the scorecards from the subcontinent in that time - 500 runs in an innings was quite common.
I loved to play, so I didn't mind. My extra pace was a factor in playing me on flat tracks, but then of course, it also continued the worsening impact on my overall record. I maybe played four or five Test matches in helpful bowling conditions. I played most of my Tests on the flattest pitches, which is a factor in why I couldn't show my true potential.
I don't want to name anyone. I guess I have been unlucky too. Everyone has appeals turned down by umpires, but there were certainly times when I had put hard work into a spell and was bowling well, that calls that definitely should have gone my way didn't. That was just my luck. All I could do was put in my best effort.
There were a lot of them, but I think Inzamam-ul-Haq used me well and he gave me the most chances. Rashid Latif understood my bowling well. I played most of my cricket under the two of them.
I think it's 97.68mph or something like that. There were matches where, like Shoaib Akhtar, I was clocked at 100mph, but for whatever reason those speeds have not been recognised. Maybe the machine was faulty. I really don't know.
Definitely. Even as the ODI game evolved, I had to adapt. I brought changes to the length I bowled and how I placed my field. There were a lot of bowlers who were very good in ODIs but couldn't adapt to the T20 format.
I've worked with a lot of coaches on these things and received all kinds of advice. Ultimately as a bowler you have to choose what is the best option from all of that advice, and figure out yourself what works for you and what suits your bowling.
Yes. Everyone has their time. I think my international career for Pakistan is over. I could still play T20 cricket, but my Test and ODI days are over. I do work hard and pay attention to my fitness. I try to make sure my bowling stays in rhythm. T20 is a shorter format and I think I can still play in T20 leagues for another couple of years if I stay fit.
Faraz Sarwat is the cricket columnist for the Toronto Star and the author of The Cricket World Cup: History, Highlights, Facts and Figures. @farazcricket