Talented pacer Muhammad Irfan wants Pakistan and India to resolve whatever issues they have so that Pakistani players can participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Irfan, who made his international debut at the age of 28 in an ODI against England in 2010, said as a player, you do wonder about why we are not allowed to play in the IPL when other cricketers from the world over are involved in this tournament.
“I just hope that India and Pakistan can at some point resolve whatever issues they have so that our players can participate in the IPL,” he told Pakpassion.net.
Irfan said apart from earning good money, IPL is also a great experience as you get to play alongside some of the best players in the world.
“You get to learn about the players strengths and weaknesses and also able to test your skills against them. Obviously, you also get to know such quality players personally which is another advantage,” he said.
Speaking about his career, Irfan said he was given some great help by his coach and mentor, Nadeem Iqbal when he was playing club cricket in Gaggoo Mandi.
“Once I came over to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and then Aaqib Javed was the person who took great interest in me and helped me refine my cricket,” he said.
Irfan said Aqib told him that all the other great bowlers like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and others were legends but you (Irfan) need to develop your own unique style of bowling which is based on your own skills rather than copying the style of other bowlers.
“I follow Aaqib’s advice till today. I bowl within my limits and try and do what I do best based on the conditions of the game and this is probably the reason for whatever success I have had in cricket,” he said.
Talking about his future plans, Irfan said he wants to play for Pakistan to the best of his abilities for the next 4 to 5 years. “I hope to break a few records and also help Pakistan win and be the top team in the world in all formats,” he said adding he wants the people to remember him like Greats Wasim and Waqar.