Former leg spin legend Mushtaq Ahmed of Pakistan has been part of the West Indies think tank in the ongoing World Cup. ‘Mushy’, as he is popularly called, is based in England and has recently finished a stint with Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy in Lahore. The aim of the West Indies think tank was to make use of his vast experience of playing in the English conditions, having turned out for Somerset, Surrey and Sussex in the past.
Successor to the great Abdul Qadir, Ahmed played a key role in Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup winning campaign and was extremely successful bowling in Australia and England during his international career. In addition, he has been teaching the young West Indies team ways to play quality spin. In an exclusive chat with THE WEEK, Ahmed believes that the key to winning the World Cup is bowling well in the middle overs, and despite conditions being different from what was expected before the start of the competition, spinners would play a defining role in that. He also felt that the Indian leg spin duo has been bowling craftily, giving the Men in Blue the advantage.
Excerpts from the interview:
You have decided to be with West Indies team for a month during the World Cup. What is it that you have tried to bring to the side?
The most important thing is belief, and the fact that that there is huge difference between the Twenty20 and 50-over format. Our (West Indies) boys mostly have a strength in T20. How to play the 50-over game, the approach, mindset, how to read the pitches, how a player has to play when he scores 30 runs―these fine things I am sharing with them.
How much more challenging is this assignment ?
The reason I took this job was because I found it challenging. The team is young, and I felt that the youngsters can be very good cricketers. Working with them, I felt that it would be great to come out of my comfort zone. Overall, these boys are very talented and there's a different challenge when it comes to coaching these set of boys.
Coming into the World Cup, there was talk of the role leg spin was going to play, but we have seen things alter―conditions wise, too.
Yes, indeed, and that is where my role comes in―to pass on the experience―how to play in these conditions. But you have to be prepared for what you will get. I tell them about scoring options or scoring against mystery spinners.
How do you assess the two Indian leg spinners?
They are different types of spinners. Their angles are different, both over spin. If you see one bowls over and the other around the wicket. So, I think it's very important to understand angles of cricket. If you understand that, you can figure out how to score against them. To observe strengths of Kuldeep or Chahal and then plan is key.
Most teams are using leg spin options to maximum effect now. Why is that?
Young spinners are doing well. New Zealand has Ish Sodhi, Australia has Adam Zampa apart from Abdul Rashid in England and two Indian leggies and Pakistan’s Shadab Khan. They have a big role to play in the World Cup especially going forward. It is very exciting. Leg spinners―any mystery spinner with variation―I think will be match winners and that’s why we can see teams are doing well, those have spinners to bowl in middle overs are doing well overall.
Conditions have differed in England. People expected flat wickets. In this scenario, the spinners role changes.
Spinners, even if wickets are flat, have a big role to play. If you see India’s matches earlier ones in the World Cup, especially against Australia, the spinners won them the matches. In Pakistan, Shadab’s inclusion has made the team combination different. Any team which wants to win this World Cup, needs to get wickets in middle overs and I think spinners can do that.
