Turned down by Pakistan, Mohammad Asif seeks glory in Norway

33-year-old believes he can still return to international cricket

Right-arm pacer Mohammad Asif, who last played for Pakistan in 2010, has recently joined Christiania Cricket Club in Oslo, Norway to play domestic cricket in the Scandanavian country.

Although playing cricket in Norway is not the best way to plot a Test match comeback, the 33-year-old still believes he can make a return to international cricket. “My dream is to make a comeback and play for three to four years,” he said. “I want to play a good standard of cricket again – that’s my dream,” he added.

Asif would have been in the prime of his career, but he made certain bad decisions in life, both on and off the field, which have landed him in Oslo. “One of my friends called me to come and play some cricket here,” he said. “There’s good weather for training – that’s why I came here,” he added.



In his career, the right-armer was punished twice for testing positive for steroids, imprisoned once in Dubai, UAE for travelling with a recreational drug, and banned for five years for deliberately bowling no-balls in exchange for £65,000 at Lord's cricket ground in 2010. He was later handed a one-year prison sentence as well for the last offence.

Speaking of his past, Asif admitted that he faced some difficult times, but he believes in moving forward. “It was a very difficult time, but difficult time passes,” he said. "That’s in the past, I don’t want to talk too much about that. I just want to play cricket,” he added.



With fellow pacer Mohammad Amir already selected for Pakistan’s Test squad for the tour of England, Asif now believes that he can return to the international arena as well.

“Hopefully I will do well in Pakistan and get selected for the national team for the upcoming tours of New Zealand and Australia,” he said. “I am 100 per cent sure that I will play again.”

It was only six years ago that the right-arm bowler was ranked World No 2 in Tests behind South Africa’s Dale Steyn.



Taking inspiration from Amir, Asif also yearns to wear green colours again. “Every human being can make mistakes. They've given us punishment and after the punishment everybody has a right to play. Cricket is my life,” he said.

“In my hands the ball will talk, not me,” he added.

Mohammad Asif was quoted by ESPNCricinfo.