KARACHI, Dec 23: Fast bowler Mohammad Sami said on Wednesday that he was looking forward to the tour of Australia with renewed vigour after guiding Karachi Blues to a crushing 141-run victory over Habib Bank in the final of the RBS Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship.
Sami, who blew away Habib Bank’s hopes with a stunning bag of 6-38, was due to leave for Melbourne via Bangkok late on Wednesday night after being summoned to Australia by Pakistan team management to complement the pace battery of Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamir, Umar Gul and Abdur Rauf.
Talking to reporters after the final at the National Stadium, Sami was upbeat about his international comeback after playing his last Test against India at Bangalore in December 2007.
“I’m going to Australia in a confident mood especially after the way everything clicked for me this afternoon. I felt in rhythm and everything I tried worked well,” the 28-year-old speedster said of his match-winning spell in Habib Bank’s second innings.
“This is probably the best I’ve bowled in terms of taking wickets, but there were many times this season when I bowled really well without any reward. There is no doubt in my mind that if I get a chance to play there [in Australia] there will be no lack of effort on my part.”
Sami hoped that despite a chequered span in international cricket he was hoping for better luck from now. “There were times when I really felt disappointed with myself. I even thought of giving up playing cricket. But somehow I kept going in the hope of getting another chance at the top level and here I am!”
The Karachi Blues skipper, who claimed 38 wickets in the championship, paid tribute to the entire team for their splendid win. “It was a great teamwork that we all took part in. It would be unfair for me to single out anyone, but I must appreciate the way all the guys contributed. Tanvir Ahmed and Asad Shafiq stood out as top performers, but others also made invaluable contributions,” Sami remarked. “The support staff also did a marvelous job. Sadiq Mohammad [the team coach], Zafar Ahmed (manager] encouraged us throughout while and our video analyst Mohammad Asim was always ready to pinpoint our flaws and available to rectify them.”
Hasan Raza, the Habib Bank skipper, while expressing his disappointment at the defeat conceded that Karachi Blues deserved to win the title.
“There are no excuses after such a big defeat in a low-scoring final. Definitely we batted poorly this afternoon with no game plan at all. But at the same time, both Sami and Tanvir bowled in the right areas and troubled our batsmen.
Particularly Sami was simply unplayable and that’s one reason for me to admit that Karachi Blues are deserving champions,” the former Pakistan batsman said.
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