Harper Sercombe
Fawad Ahmed has travelled the world with his crafty leg-spinners but he will be taking his talents back to Hoppers Crossing for the upcoming Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association season.
Ahmed developed his craft at the club in 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons where he picked up 90 wickets at an average of about11 which resulted in him being awarded as the consecutive club champion.
Eleven years on and Ahmed has more than 200 first class wickets, 172 top level T20 wickets and has played white ball cricket for Australia.
A player of this level is something the Cats captain-coach Simon Lambert could have only dreamt of.
“We’re obviously really pleased to have a player of Fawad’s calibre coming back to the club,” he said.
“Hopefully he can install some higher standards across the club and really take our performances as a club and as a first team to the next level.”
Ahmed’s strengths will not be limited to just his on field capabilities but to also help nurture and teach valuable lessons to all at the club including their large crop of young spinners Lambert said.
“His knowledge of spin bowling is going to be invaluable to those younger guys and fellow spinners at the club,” he said.
“They’ll be able to gain so much knowledge and learnings from him and hopefully that enables their games to go to the next level as well.
“Overall, he should have a big impact not just on the field but off the field, and hopefully it makes people want to come and join the club as well.”
After falling agonisingly short of finals last season Lambert said Ahmed’s experience could take the team deep into the finals this time around. The Cats were in the top six for most of the season, before a final round loss ended their finals hopes.
“We probably just lacked a little bit of something extra with the ball and probably a bit of experience in those tight situations,” he said.
“He’s been all over the world, and played in a lot of big games, he can provide that composure and experience we were probably lacking this year.
“[Last season] we lost a lot of tight games and ended up losing our finals spot on the last game of the season.
“We believe we’re one of the better teams in the competition, and feel if we made finals, we sort of felt we would have gotten very close to winning it.
“[This season] making finals is a bare minimum, and then hopefully going really close to winning a flag.”
While Lambert is hopeful Ahmed’s impact around the club will be stark, he said the team will not be reliant on his leg spinning brilliance.
“Obviously getting Fawad is a huge get for us, but by no means does it mean we’re relying on one man, we’ve got some really quality cricketers in the side and he’s just another one to add to that list,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot of match winners so it’s still going to be a team effort.
“But there’s no doubt having someone of his calibre in that 11 is going to help us in those important situations.
“And hopefully he can bamboozle a fair few batters around competition.”
