Saeed Ajmal

Saeed Ajmal is one of the late bloomers who has developed into one of the most pivotal spin bowlers for Pakistan during the last couple of years. Armed with a mesmerizing doosra and a big heart, Ajmal is one of the best spinners in the country and has shown his mettle on the international stage as well.

He made his debut in the Asia Cup of 2008 against India and he impressed with the amount of spin that he generated. It was in the T20 format of the game where Ajmal showed his class. He demonstrated it during the 2009 T20 World Cup in England. Bamboozling the batsmen with his off-spin and doosra, he finished the tournament as the joint second highest wicket taker with 12 wickets. His exploits, along with Shahid Afridi's all-round brilliance helped Pakistan win the trophy.

His excellent showing in the T20 World Cup earned him a spot in the Test squad for the tour to Sri Lanka. He excelled immediately by picking up 14 wickets in three matches. He had an excellent time in the Champions Trophy in South Africa and continued with his excellent showing in the ODI series against New Zealand at Abu Dhabi.

In 2009, the ICC called him for suspect action, but he was soon cleared from it and he continued to trouble the batsmen, with his bagful of tricks.

He continued to excel in the shorter format of the game. He picked up 4/26 to knock South Africa out of the competition in the 2010 T20 World Cup. However, the semi-final against Australia was a nightmarish experience. Michael Hussey stamped his authority and clouted him for three sixes in the final over bowled by him to win a cliff-hanger. Ajmal was heart-broken but moved on and continued to be consistent.

In Tests, he picked up his first five wicket haul against England at Birmingham in 2010 when he picked up 5/82. He contributed with the bat by scoring a fifty that was punctuated by the ball hitting more of his body than the bat. He had a good ODI series which followed but was surprisingly picked for only three matches in the 2011 World Cup. He made the West Indies clueless in the quarter-final and in the semi-final troubled Sachin Tendulkar to a great extent without any luck. Ajmal has grown from strength to strength and had an outstanding Test series in the West Indies. In the two match series, he picked up 20 wickets, including his first ever 10 wicket haul at Guyana.

He ripped through the England strong batting order in 2012, which Pakistan won 3-0 by taking 24 wickets in 3 games at an average of 14.70. Ajmal was signed by Adelaide Strikers for the 2012 Big Bash League in Australia. He continued his golden run with the ball and was one of the leading wicket takers in ODIs in 2013. Ajmal had a fantastic start to 2014 as he picked up 11 wickets in the Asia Cup, including three crucial ones in the final against Sri Lanka but ended up on the losing side. Ajmal had a mixed 2014 T20 WC, he picked up 4 wickets in 4 games but was expensive in the crucial match against West Indies. In the end, Pakistan lost that game and failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

With his unreadable doosra and variations in flight, Ajmal is currently one of the most feared spinners of his time.

by Cricbuzz staff

As of April 2014