KARACHI: While terming his sudden inclusion in the Pakistan World Cup squad as a ‘pleasant’ surprise, pace bowler Rahat Ali pledged on Sunday to make his mark in the one-day arena despite figuring in just a single international game of this format during his career.

In an exclusive interview with Dawn, the 26-year-old pacer from Lahore admitted being a bit nervous at his selection for the cricket’s mega event as a replacement for fellow left-arm quickie Junaid Khan after the latter failed a fitness test of his injured knee.

“To be honest, the news came as a shock to me personally but at the same time it was something I had always dreamt about,” Rahat said.

“To be playing in the World Cup is what every cricketer dreams about and I’m no exception. At the same time I feel extremely sad for Junaid for not being at the World Cup. But this is part and parcel of life where one gains from someone’s misfortune.”

A regular member of the Pakistan Test squad, the Multan-born Rahat looked forward to play alongside his close friend Mohammad Irfan who shares the new ball with Rahat whenever the duo play in the national Twenty20 competition for their region as well as for their department Khan Research Laboratories (KRL).

“We understand each other very well and talk a lot about our bowling when we play in domestic competitions,” Rahat said of his partnership with the giant figure of Irfan.

“The two of us have had experienced many ups and downs during our time together. But on the whole, I have really enjoyed bowling in tandem with a guy like Irfan. Basically, we complement each other extremely well since the two of us are very close.”

Rahat conceded that it would have helped him had he got more opportunities in One-day Internationals than just a solitary appearance against Sri Lanka – at Pallekele in June 2012.

“In fact, it was my debut for Pakistan at the international level on that tour,” he recalled.

“I remember bowling a handful of overs [0-34 in four] in tough conditions. But nonetheless, it was a learning experience for me. The selectors at the time then thought I would be more useful in Test cricket compared to the ODIs.”

“People might say that lack of international limited-overs cricket is a hindrance for me. But it doesn’t matter because I have played a lot of the shorter game at the domestic level. I felt in the groove during the Pentangular One-day Cup in Karachi last month and really enjoyed myself while bowling with the white ball,” Rahat added.

“And then I got more opportunities in the Gold League One-day Cup when I played for KRL. Bowling in those competitions helped me a great deal to stay in [bowling] rhythm.”

Rahat, who was not in the 30-member list of probables for the mega event, remained optimistic about participating in Pakistan’s opening World Cup fixture against India in Adelaide next Sunday (Feb 15).

“When I was overlooked for that list, I was disappointed. But I didn’t give up hope,” he remarked.

“Having said that, I’m already dreaming of playing against India because I know I can do well against them. If they [team management] give me the opportunity to play I’ll do my best to help Pakistan perform well considering it is a huge game [against India] where the pressure will be on both teams, not just us.”

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play