Saeed Ajmal, a former Pakistani spinner, was considered one of the best bowlers in the world during his short international career. He took 447 wickets in 212 matches across all formats of cricket, using his deceptive variations to trouble batsmen. He even reached the top of the ODI and T20I Rankings, earning the title of the world’s number one bowler.
However, Ajmal’s cricketing journey took a sudden turn when he was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2014. Recently, he reflected on his career and mentioned that if he had played for India, he believed he could have taken 1,000 wickets across all formats. This statement shows his confidence in his abilities and the impact he believed he could have had on the game if circumstances were different.
Regarding his ban, Ajmal expressed his thoughts, saying that he believed the authorities should have taken action against him earlier, specifically during his debut in 2009. He felt that they intervened when he had already established himself as one of the most dangerous bowlers in international cricket.
“They should have stopped me in 2009 only. But they allowed me to play. After I got 448 wickets, they realized there needs to be a way to stop him, and so they did what they did. I was the world number one bowler when I was banned from bowling,” he added.
