All-rounder Sohail Tanvir is likely to make a Twenty20
International (T20I) comeback after a 10-month-long hiatus during
Pakistan's one-off contest against England at Old Trafford, Manchester
today. The 31-year-old last donned Pakistan's colours in November 2015
in a T20I contest against England at the United Arab Emirates.
Dawn: After performing in CPL you're now coming back in the national side, how are you feeling?
Sohail Tanvir:
I am very happy. When you wear the green shirt, it gives you happiness ─
unmatched happiness. There are financial benefits attached to playing
in leagues around the world, but nothing is bigger than playing for your
country.
I am in good rhythm and in good form. I have
bowled consistently in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the
Pakistan Cup. I hope that I'll carry the form to the international
level.
There was only one match; It is difficult to make
comebacks. It was a bit harsh to drop me after I was the highest wicket
taker for Pakistan in 2015.
"I'm at a stage where I want to play cricket consistently."
Dawn: Your performance in the leagues has been better than that for Pakistan. What are the reasons behind this?
Sohail: I don't think I have underperformed for Pakistan.
Every
player goes through ups and down. In my case, when I am going through a
rough patch, there are some people who exploit that.
In
leagues, you have chances to cover up for poor performances. But, in
international cricket there are only a few games in a series and if you
are playing in only one format that is a disadvantage for you.
I
bowl two overs in powerplay and two in the death. My economy rate is
7.15, which is not bad. I have one wicket per game, which is again not
bad.
Sohail says players should be given some time to prove themselves. — AFP
Dawn: Pakistan has not been up to the
mark in the shorter formats and our performance graph is showing a
downward trend. What are your thoughts about it?
Sohail:
Our T20I performances have fallen in the last one-and-a -half years and
it is because our contemporaries have improved. They are taking the
T20I seriously and they do their homework.
Our cricket
standards have fallen, I don't know what are the reasons. We have the
players, it is only about their utilisation in the team.
We should think about the combinations of youth and experience like other teams.
Dawn: You're playing the National T20, what do you think? Why is new talent not coming in the field?
Sohail: There are many reason for the decline of interest in cricket in our country.
The first one is the security. Parents don't send their kids out to play. The street cricket is dying!
Moreover, there is no international cricket.
If
I look at my childhood, we did not have any activity other than going
to ground after our school time. Now kids have many indoor activities
like online gaming.
Parents also desire to keep their
children indulged in the indoor activities. These things have translated
into a lack of cricketing-talent in the country.
"My economy rate is 7.15, which is not bad. I have one wicket per game, which is again not bad."
Dawn: You will now play under a new captain, are you looking forward to it?
Sohail:
Sarfraz has a history of leading cricket teams ─ He has led the
[Pakistan] under-19 team, Karachi, and Quetta Gladiators in Pakistan
Super League. I don't think there will be any problem for him to take up
the captaincy.
It is a big achievement to lead Pakistan. We have played a lot of cricket together and we understand each other.
I wish him all the best!
My
goal, right now, is to cement my place in the team. I'm at a stage
where I want to play cricket consistently. When you are struggling for
your place in the team, you cannot set higher goals for yourself.
Dawn:
Do you agree that new players don't get proper chances, just after one
or two bad performances the management tends to drop them?
Sohail: Players should be given time to prove themselves. You need to have an eye to detect the talent.
It
all boils down to the ability of the people who identify the young
players. Our culture is different, there is a lot pressures on us ─ like
that of social media. Our people tend to get very emotional.
Dawn: After a few bad performance fans start to "troll" sportsmen. As a player what do you feel about this?
Sohail: Players are also human beings and they get hurt when bad is spoken about them [on social media].
We
have friends and family who convey all the happenings of the social
media to us. When I come across such stuff, it stays at the back of my
mind.
We make heroes and villains on the basis of a
single game. I think people should only speak those words that they can
listen for themselves.
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