When Zak Smacked the Batsmen

When it comes to bowling, his name in the Indian Cricket team shines out. His international ventures were full of major stints like the knuckleball technique, which made bowling an important game. His stellar performance pushed the Cricket commentary to widen its periscope and credit the pace bowlers who ruled the pitch!

Zaheer khan was the first player to bowl 'knuckle ball' in the International match; Image Source: Indiatimes

It was the time when batsmen ruled the pitch with their striking partnerships and record centuries! The hattrick squad was slowly stepping aside and away from the attention of Cricket fans. Zaheer was an ardent gully cricket lover like any other boy in Bombay, who would give his best to hit the wickets and oust the batsman to get hold of the bat.

Born to Zakia and Bakhtiyar Khan, Zaheer grew with his brothers Zeeshan and Anees loving the sport and becoming the best and most wanted player in his gully. Everytime the guests paid visit at their home; a trail of his cricket maneuvers would get mentioned by them. This encouraged his family to inspire Zaheer to hone his skills.

He never imagined he would play for the country with his dynamic bowling pace which the Indian Cricket team lacked and required the most. His performance in the local Revenue Colony Cricket Club in Shrirampur was noticed and applauded by everyone. Soon Zaheer moved to Mumbai for pursuing his cricketing passion.

The beginnings were humble when he arrived Mumbai, a cranked-up hospital room was provided to him by his father’s aunt who was an employee there. He joined the Cricket club under the guidance of Sunil Naik, who was quite impressed by his pace on the pitch. When Zaheer asked to give his shot, he was completely unaware of some of the basic cricket rules to be adhered while bowling. Sunil recognised the latent potential in him which could benefit the country’s cricket status on international ground. But International ground was yet a distant dream. Zak, as he was eventually called on ground played for Baroda and began his domestic career with blaze.

His debut in ICC Knockout in 2000 became his lucky charm. He started his test and ODI career against the teams of Bangladesh and Kenya. The then team captain Sourav Ganguly believed in Zak’s potential and selected him for the ICC match (2000). His reverse swings made an unpredictable impact on the game turned him into an important player of the team.

The World Cup 2003 witnessed him pick 18 wickets with an average of only 20 runs for the eleven matches played by the team. This was proceeded by the magnificent mark left by him in the World Cup of 2011, his performance helped India to grab its World Cup trophy. He took 21 wickets in 9 matches then!

His average statistic shows a record of 282 wickets with an average of 29 runs in ODI and 311 wickets with an average of 32 runs in the Test series played by him. He was announced a joint highest wicket taker alongside Shahid Afridi in the World Cup 2011 which was rewarded with Arjuna award by the President.

His retirement announcement in Twitter on the 15th of October, 2015; flooded his social media account with his sorrowful fans.

The experimentative player with a unique bowling expertise, Zaheer was appointed as the Bowling Consultant for Indian National Cricket Team in 2017. In 2020 his name was announced as the recipient of Padma Shri which filled his fans with joy and Zak with humility. Success didn’t impact his demure which makes him the beloved cricketer of his fans.

Zaheer (left) with the then Indian Cricket Team captain, Sourav Ganguly (right); Image Source: NDTV