Asif to emulate Anderson style if got a chance to return

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan banned cricketer, Mohammad Asif, has said that he would try to emulate English player James Anderson if he gets to make a comeback into the national team.

Asif, who is currently serving a 5-year ban from international cricket, said, "I have watched Anderson's bowling very closely again and again and it has been very interesting watching him bowl."

"When I come back to cricket even after the time away I will be thinking about how Anderson bowled against India and will use that for my benefit.

If you think you are the finished article and don't need to learn from others then you are wrong", pakpassion.net quoted Asif as saying.

"I love watching Test cricket. Test cricket for me is the pinnacle, the real deal. The England versus India Test series was fascinating, I really enjoyed it. I watched more of the England v India match as I wanted to see Anderson bowling," he said.

Asif also felt that Anderson is bowling with the similar skills and tactics that he had previously used.

"Only someone like me who has bowled like Anderson, with a similar style of bowling can truly appreciate what he is doing with the cricket ball and how well he is bowling these days. Anderson has not been playing cricket against the Indians, he has been playing with their minds," he elaborated.

"He has truly out-thought and baffled the Indians with his artistry and skill. It reminded me so much of what (Mohammad) Amir and I did at times last year to the Australian and English batsmen.

If Anderson carries on bowling the way he has been recently and continues to improve then he can become a cricket legend," he said.

Asif admitted that being involved in the entire spot fixing mess has left him very disappointed.

"When you have served your country as a professional sportsman, then you don't want that to ever be taken away from you. I've been practicing regularly with some of my friends but it's heartbreaking to think that not so long ago I was playing cricket at the top tier of the game and now I'm occasionally playing nowhere near that standard," he added.

Asif, who has taken 106 wickets in 23 Tests, said it was difficult for him to predict where he would be in four year's time when the ban ends.

"It's four years into the future, it's difficult to predict what can happen in those four years I don't know what the situation will be like in four years. I guess only time will tell. Anyone who has been involved in the game finds it hard to totally move away from the sport," he added.

However, Asif said that he is confident of being cleared of the criminal charges at next month's trial under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 at Southwark Crown Court, London.

"I'm hopeful that I will be cleared of everything and I can resume playing cricket again as soon as possible," he concluded.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011