The Hindu : Sport : A match-fit Pathan raring to go

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Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005

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A match-fit Pathan raring to go

Sports Reporter

BACK AT HIS BEST: Irfan Pathan is all set for the duels in the coming season and would love to share more happy moments on the field with the agile Yuvraj Singh. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

BANGALORE: : Fresh from his County stint, Irfan Pathan is keen to have a crack at rival batsmen as a new season unfolds.

Pathan had lost his way a little bit in the last season with an indifferent performance but the recent stint with Middlessex has re-ignited the fire within him.

"My County experience was good and, God willing, whatever aim I had, I achieved it and it will help me in the coming seasons. I did a lot of bowling there and I am match-fit now. It always helps when you bowl in matches, no matter how much you bowl at the nets. Playing in the County season was tiring as you play day in and day out but it was a good learning process," Pathan told the media here on Monday.

Optimistic

On the last season that saw his performance graph dip in the Tests, two wickets averaging 84 against Australia and six wickets averaging 68.33 against Pakistan, Pathan said: "If I look back it will be a negative approach and I don't believe in that but then when you think about it, I did fairly well in the last one and half years of International cricket except for the last series, which was disappointing. Actually it was good that it happened that way because I learnt some lessons. Probably if my career was smooth through out then I wouldn't have learnt in the last two months, may be instead of going to the Counties, I would have gone to the MRF Pace Foundation and bowled and learnt a few things but I am sure it won't be as much as I learnt in the County circuit. I am sure a lot of positive things will come out of the last few months."

Pathan was also quick to point out that he relies on swing than speed.

"I am not a quick bowler and I am someone who relies on swing so I concentrate on line and length and not on speed. Speed comes with rhythm, you cannot just wake up one day and say `I am going to bowl fast today', it doesn't work that way," he said.

Pathan also emphasised that he has not lost the in-coming delivery and dismissed the talk as mere speculation. "In India it does not swing so much, there has been never a time when someone has swung so much, no matter who the bowler was. When you and the team are not performing well, there is a lot of talk and all these things like `losing the incoming delivery' get pointed out but I knew what exactly I was doing and I knew I was having it. All this talk happened because I did not perform that well. Infact in the one-dayers I bowled well with the new ball. There is never a question about my swing having vanished, it is there and I am working on it," he said.

Mild issue

Pathan also dismissed the recent shoulder strain as a mild issue.

"In England it does get very cold at times and when you throw from the deep and do other activity in the field, sometimes you do feel the strain. It was actually just a muscle catch and it didn't affect me and I played almost all the matches. Now I am match fit and by the grace of God I will do well," he signed off.

Meanwhile the conditioning camp concluded here on Monday and the probables have been given an off-day on Tuesday. The cricket skills camp will commence here on Wednesday though the opening day will be a closed-door strategy session at the team hotel.

The quartet of V.V.S. Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Mongia and Murali Kartik are expected to arrive here on Tuesday evening. Sachin Tendulkar, who is recuperating from surgery and Sourav Ganguly, who is slapped with a six-match ban are also expected to be here on the opening day of the cricket skills camp that will conclude on July 19.

The Indian team will leave for Sri Lanka on July 22 to compete in the Tri-Series.

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