Dubai: Former spin ace Saqlain Mushtaq inspired youngsters in the UAE by not only giving tips on how to bowl Doosra, his invention that has terrorised batsmen, but also on the intricacies of his craft.
Speaking on the sidelines of a clinic hosted by Maxtalent Global Academy last week, Saqlain stressed on the virtues of practice from an early age. “I began experimenting with the ball from the age of nine,” said Saqlain, who is now correcting Saeed Ajmal’s suspect action and has been responsible for the success of bowlers like West Indies spinners Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine. He also conducted a clinic at the Young Talents Cover Drive Academy
“I tried out different deliveries in my family home terrace. As I was too small to go down and play and since I had a very protective family environment, I had to be content by playing on the house terrace most of the times. I always did different things with the ball and the first ball with, which I tried out my various deliveries was a table tennis ball.”
It was a magical experience for the participants and Max Talent had rightly named the clinic as Spin Magic Clinic.
Everyone was curious even to know how Doosra got its name and he attributed it to Moen Khan, who is currently in UAE as the manager of the Pakistan team. “This delivery did not have a name till I got into the Pakistan team. Moen Khan was our wicketkeeper and he used to signal me to bowl this delivery calling Doosra in our language, not wanting the other team players to know it. Except Indians, no one understood the meaning of Doosra, which means the ‘other one.’ Commentators heard Moen asking me to bowl Doosra and they announced it to the world.”
When asked who the motivator behind this delivery, Saqlain named former Pakistan captain Imran Khan. “Though I never played with Imran, he spotted me bowling this delivery in one of the exhibition match. After the match, he told me that I have something special in my hand and asked me to keep working on it. He also told me to use it well and I will be successful.”
Sudhakar Shetty, the head coach of Maxtalent, is hoping to fly down Saqlain again in December for another clinic.
Saqlain, who visited Young Talents Cover Drive Academy, was delighted to be with kids as young as eight years. “I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of young cricketers. I can see the impact of good coaching in these youngsters,” said Saqlain.
