Imad Wasim hoping to adjust quickly to foreign conditions

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Little-known Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim says the key to his success in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League will be the ability to adjust, as he readies himself for his first-ever appearance on regional soil.

Pakistani left-arm spinner Imad Wasim.
Pakistani left-arm spinner Imad Wasim.

The 27-year-old left-arm spinner has played six One-Day Internationals and 11 Twenty20 Internationals but has never set foot in the Caribbean before.

He has signed on with Jamaica Tallawahs for the upcoming fourth season of the CPL and believes the campaign will present a learning curve.

“In every international game you play, you learn to adapt to the conditions. I’ve never been to the Caribbean before, so I will learn a lot,” he said.

“When you try to grow and progress, you need these kinds of new things. I’m always a big learner – I want to learn again and again … I want to give back to Pakistan … and always want to be the best. I know that I have to work hard to be the best.”

Imad made his international debut last year May and has since become a fixture in the limited overs setup for Pakistan. He has taken seven ODI wickets and 10 T20 wickets, and has also been handy with the bat, smashing a run-a-ball 61 against Zimbabwe in Harare last October.

He said he was now hoping to make a similar impact for Tallawahs in the June 29 to August 7 campaign.

“It’s a great honour for me to be a part of CPL and Jamaica Tallawahs. I saw the CPL last year and there’s a lot of great talent in the West Indies, and the CPL standard is really good, so I’m really looking forward to playing with the Tallawahs,” he noted.

“There are great players playing in Jamaica [this year], so I will try to learn from them. As a Pakistan player I’m really proud and really happy about being here because it’s a career-defining thing.”

Tallawahs open their season against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on July 2 in St Kitts and play their home leg from July 15-20.

They will be led by batting superstar Chris Gayle and include the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Shakib Al Hasan, Dale Steyn and Andre Russell.