ECB Coaches Association links Hitting the Seam 39 | Page 10

AJY’S ROAD
Despite a truncated playing career, Ajmal Shahzad is still blowing sides away.
Only now, at 32, he’s also helping others learn how to do the same.
Ankle. Knee. Hamstring. Shoulder. For a
non-contact sport, cricket can be brutal.
Few will agree with that as vociferously as
Ajmal Shahzad, whose career was peaking in
2010, when his place in England’s limited overs
side was threatening to turn into a Test spot.
Then he twisted his ankle. Six months later it was
his hamstring. He was never to play for
England again.
Now 32, but injury free, Ajmal has plenty to offer
local side New Farnley CC in the Bradford Premier
League. Crucially for the paceman, his sights
aren’t settled on merely skittling club sides, as
he explains.
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Hitting the Seam Issue 39
“My future plans are to play cricket for as long
as I possibly can and make the transition as a
player into a coach/mentor for future cricketing
professionals.
“I feel the experience and exposure I am getting
now as a 32 year old will set me up well in the
coming years to become an elite coach in all
formats of the game, who has not only had
international experience but has also played with
three different counties and worked alongside
some fantastic players and coaches.”
Equally as important as his playing career in
shaping his coaching style was his upbringing