‘You need to bowl 15 to 20 overs every day’
While Bangladesh are still searching for leg-spinners, Afghanistan have made producing world-class leg-spinners their forte. Rashid Khan has established himself among the best in world cricket, but the country has many other quality leg-spinners such as Qais Ahmed, who has become a sensation in franchise cricket worldwide. The 21-year-old, currently playing for Minister Dhaka in the ongoing Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League spoke to The Daily Star's Mazhar Uddin and discussed the subtleties to the art of leg-spin. The excerpts of the interview are below:
The Daily Star (DS): How much are you enjoying life as a global T20 cricketer?
Qais Ahmed (QA): I enjoy playing worldwide and sharing dressing rooms with great cricketers around the world. It feels really great to perform among those players and they also share their experience with me. I am learning a lot.
DS: Leg-spinners are dominating across the globe, especially in the shortest format. Can you describe the challenges a modern-day leg-spinner faces?
QA: Obviously leg-spinners have the ability to turn things around. In the shortest formats, batters tend to go after leg-spinners and this gives them an opportunity to outfox the opposition. It's a challenge to bowl a good line and length consistently. But once you adapt to it and bowl consistently, it makes life difficult for batters and then you start getting success.
DS: What is the secret to Afghanistan's production of quality spinners?
QA: There is no secret to producing quality spinners. To become a good leg spinner, you need to work really hard. You need to do a lot of spot bowling in the nets and you need to bowl at least 15 to 20 overs every day. That helps you assess yourself as a bowler. Leg-spin is a difficult art that you need to master. Without proper training, it's not possible.
DS: How can domestic cricket help leg-spinners grow?
QA: We have at least five-six leg-spinners in all the academies in Afghanistan and the competition is very tough. We have talent hunts, where youngsters come in and give trials. Then we gradually step towards grade 1, 2 and 3 level cricket. And then they can reach club level. The competition is very stiff because we have a lot of leg-spinners in Afghanistan at almost every level. By the time they reach the club level, they mature by playing games. It is very important for leg-spinners to play as many games as possible because it will help them mature in regards to decision-making in pressure situations.
DS: How challenging will it be for Afghanistan to play Bangladesh at home in the coming series?
QA: It will be a challenge for Bangladesh at home considering the conditions and wickets. They have got some top-quality batters and bowlers such as Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad. But we have been working hard. We had a training camp in Qatar and preparation-wise, we are ready.
DS: You made your Test debut against Bangladesh in 2019 and that remains the only Test you have played so far. You must want to establish yourself in the longest format as well?
QA: Who doesn't want to play Test cricket for their nation? I made my Test debut against Bangladesh and I am definitely willing to play all formats for Afghanistan. But we have got some world-class spinners in the side like Rashid, Mujeeb and myself so it's a tough competition. But I am waiting for my opportunity and looking forward to giving my best.