'I want to play 100 Tests and 300 ODIs'
The Pakistan fast bowler took a risk by giving up his education early and focusing on cricket, but the move is already paying off
I started playing cricket casually, like most of our youth do, but never thought I could reach the top. My start was haphazard but Wasim Akram and Imran Khan always fascinated me. I used to watch them playing and that's what motivated me. Maybe it was their success and popularity that attracted me [to the game] but they really inspired me to be serious about my cricketing career, because I wanted to be like them.
Cricket is very popular in Pakistan and every boy wants to be a cricketer because of its popularity and the money involved. Very few people could carry on making it a career but I did because my passion for the game, watching Wasim and Imran, was so immense and remained alive. There is a time when you start losing interest but I didn't and my passion for the game only increased the more I played.
I have a high regard for myself. I think I am a frontline bowler, not a supporting bowler. I have my own standing in the cricketing world and have not been promoted to fill the Mohammad Amir vacuum. We both have been playing in the Under-19 team and each of us has our own standing. I don't want to be linked with anyone. I wanted to make my own reputation.
It's a part of the game but I have never suffered an injury until this one. I know Mohammad Khalil has been picked as a replacement for the Bangladesh tour. Luck plays a vital part in your career. I am not in a hurry and never was, as success has no shortcut. What I have to do is ensure my best performance whenever I get the chance. This injury is a minor hindrance and I have already recovered from it. My latest MRI scans are all clear but I am asking the doctor for advice and will return to the ground accordingly. I should be able to start practice from December 13.
I do think about shaping my career to make it a significant one like Wasim Akram and Imran Khan did. So far I have coped well in every form of the game, but I know I have to maintain my fitness to strengthen my prospects of playing every format. I had a useful Lancashire stint and that gave my career momentum. I think it justifies me playing in every form of the game. I have the ability to play Test, ODI and Twenty20. You can't just label me a limited-overs bowler.
"Sometimes interaction with the batsman does help, but this could distract you also, and there is an equal chance that you could lose your own line and length."
Cricket is a modern game these days and bowlers have to bowl with the present state of mind instead of the aggressive mindset. I know most of our bowlers now lack the attacking approach that Shoaib Akhtar had, and I admit he had a powerful impact, but that was his ability. And abilities vary from player to player. I too bowl fast but my emphasis is to seam with my natural speed rather than be distracted just trying to bowl fast. When you try to bowl faster than you are capable of, the chances of injury increase, so it is better for me to stick to my natural speed, which is nearly 141kph.
I don't know if it was the right time when I was first selected or not, but I was confident and never felt nervous. I think I had played ample cricket at the domestic level and had much-needed exposure with the Under-19 team before getting into the national side. I am enjoying playing cricket at the top level and have a desperate desire to thrive.
I was so excited to be in the World Cup squad. I can't express my feelings in words. I didn't know then that I wouldn't play a match in it, but it was a time when I learned a lot. I played a practice match against England, taking three wickets, and hoped that I would get an opening match but Viki bhai [then coach Waqar Younis] told me not to get disappointed but to learn as this is the best ever time for learning. The atmosphere was electrifying and the competition level was so high and I was feeling lucky to experience such a huge event very closely.
I have kept it simple. Obviously the foremost desire is to be a frontline bowler for Pakistan and play 100 Test and 300 one-day internationals. Since I am the first ever player picked from my region, Abbottabad, I would like to set up cricket academies for the development of players and give them an opportunity to play cricket. I have already launched two cricket academies in Swabi.
My father is a farmer by profession, and yes, I wasn't born in a rich family, but I was never deprived of any necessities. Money obviously is important and you have to earn it for your livelihood. Some people earn less, some a lot, but money never got priority. I didn't start playing cricket due to the lure of money. The passion was to play for Pakistan and that reason has remained intact.
Umar Farooq is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent