He scripts the Bhangra in a different way

Not the way a Pakistani cricket lover will love to watch a green army. He’s not spontaneous like Qadir or bubbly like Saeed Ajmal or doesn’t invite the kiddish touch of Mushtaq nor charms anyone like Saqlain. His presence on the field can hardly be felt until and unless he’ll outfox a batsman and trigger a wild celebration.

The player doesn’t seem to have the Pakistani ‘Bhangra’ in him but mind you he’s from Pakistan and he’s playing in that team where you naturally acquire the X-factor from birth and while playing for Pakistan that X-factor bears the signature of his style and skill. But this guy from Sialkot lack this but he does trigger wild celebrations..

The guy is Abdur Rehman, a bowler lacking X-factor and which a Pakistani cricket fan doesn’t even care to notice and obviously hardly a topic for the cricket writers.

My first notice of Rehman was way back in 2006 in an ODI series against the West Indies where he won a man of the match award. I wasn’t that much impressed as because I’m addicted to more attacking species and obviously over the years Pakistan has offered me with plenty. So, in that case Rehman was not my cup of tea. Since 2006, Rehman was lost like many Pakistanis, who come up, shines and then get lost in the long run. But those who target hard they do come back in their own style.

Abdur Rehman targeted hard and remained stuck with his simple plan of discipline in his bowling and worked more and more on it and returned in 2010 again and demanded a more permanent place for himself as Pakistan opted for a twin-spin attack in Tests. He showed that he deserved a place too, reaching the 50-wicket mark in only his 11th Test.

And in the ongoing series against England Rehman has proved to be a match-winner for Pakistan by scripting the unthinkable at Abu Dhabi when all eyes were focused on Saeed Ajmal. On the 4^th day England needed just 145 runs to level the series but suddenly an unsung hero from Sialkot tuned in the ‘Bhangra’ and left the cricket world dancing with his nagging line and incisive but varied length.

Wrist-spinners are cricket romanticists’ more favourite subject as because ‘the allure of wrist spin and its infinite potential for subtlety and trickery perhaps has no equal.’ And for which a left-arm spin artist always goes unnoticed by the romanticists’ and they are always in the category of ‘the honest, dependable craftsman, essential but not the star.’

And in that sense Abdur Rehman ‘Is much like the 9 to 5 office goer, punctual and correct; round the wicket, a bit of drift, on a good length, break away and have the heart for a long battle.’

Sounds pretty boring stuff for a cricket romanticist.

But if you watch Abdur Rehman more closely there is something for the romanticists and which is Rehman’s ability to vary his length without changing his action. Like Abdul Qadir or an Ajmal he’s not always after the batsmen with a googly or doosra but Rehman is always at the batsmen with subtle variations in his length. Rehman’s great sense of using the bowlers’ foot-marks makes his bowling further charming and exciting, certainly the romantic eyes always search for charm and excitement.

Yes we don’t find a Bedi or Verity in Rehman but when he winds up to bowl and delivers the ball towards the batsmen by pivoting on the front-foot after completing his roundish arm action, he’s taking every possible test to the batsmen with his mercurial length, a sight which only the romantic eyes can see.

Abdur Rehman just lures the batsmen into the quicksand with his mercurial length. Rehman usually isn’t a huge turner of the ball but from a length he does provide sharp turns and in course of time if Rehman adds the chinaman in his armory then the spider web will be completed.

So, there is something for the cricket romanticists and cricket literature in Rehman which he has developed and not acquired like a Saqlain or a Qadir. And obviously he demands more fan followers from Pakistan.

Abdur Rehman is a spinner who will not offer the Pakistani X-factor which Qadir or Saqlain offered but still he offers some different beat of ‘Bhangra’, a different tune which triggers celebrations. Abdur Rehman is a ‘Bhangra’ dancer of different origin, a spinner of a different breed.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar