Taha Hashim sits down with Ajmal Shahzad to talk about the premature end of the former England cricketer’s playing career, a dark time in search of new opportunities, and how the future is looking brighter as MCC’s new head coach.
Photo credit – MCC
“I had some tough conversations with my mum, who said: ‘Why isn’t the game looking after you now? You’ve played the game for so long. Where are those people you’ve dedicated yourself to? You’ve put your body on the line, you’ve been under the knife, you’ve bent over backwards for them – where are they now?’
I just said: ‘That’s the game.’”
Ajmal Shahzad and I are sat at Lord’s on an unusually sunny February day, discussing his new esteemed role as MCC’s head coach. The pavilion looks typically glorious, the outfield lush. There seems to be little wrong with the world.
And yet, just as spring is preceded by winter, so too is Shahzad’s new beginning a tale of emerging from darkness. Decked out in his coaching tracksuit, Shahzad comes across as every inch a ready-made coach, but to him, taking up such a position would have seemed near unimaginable just under two years ago.
Despite the high of national honours, Shahzad’s career was also littered with the disappointment of injuries, instability as he moved from county to county, and a premature end. There are plenty of lessons to be passed on to youngsters now under his tutelage.
“I feel, ideally, you’d like to be remembered as a one-county man. Go back to the olden days where people played for one county for 16-20 years – you’ll be remembered as a great if you play for that long. I happened to move counties a few times, ultimately leaving me in a position at 33 where not many people wanted to touch me. I’ve learned the hard way. But on that journey, I’ve seen a lot and it’s helped me be the person I am now.
“Everybody is unique and there’s value in what everyone offers – it’s just how you can use that. Haseeb Hameed – he bats the way he bats. There’s no point trying to add too much to him. He can do you a job and if you give him direction and tell him that the job he does is brilliant for what you want from him, he’ll go do it to the best of his ability.
“Cookie’s [Sir Alastair Cook] played international cricket for so long – been knighted – by playing four shots. But he does them pretty well. You’ve got to work with what you’ve got and that sits pretty well with what I’m trying to do.”
