Former Lancashire bowler Kabir Ali says he
is enjoying the opportunity to give something back to cricket after
establishing his own coaching school based in Birmingham.
Since being released by Lancashire at the
end of the 2014 season, the former England fast-bowler has started coaching
clinics where he hopes to inspire the next generation of cricketers by teaching
them new skills.
The 34-year-old was out of action towards
the end of last year with a shoulder injury, which prevented him from playing
in the final of the Natwest t20 Blast.
Ali claimed 17 wickets in seven County
Championship matches last season and played a crucial role in their
limited-overs success, taking 20 wickets in 11 games to help the Lightning
reach the final at Edgbaston.
He said: “I always wanted to stay in the
game one way or another. I’ve played the game for 16 years and I’m lucky to
have played with and against some high quality bowlers, so I’ve obviously
learned quite a bit myself. I want to pass on that knowledge and experience to
youngsters.
“The idea has been there for a couple of
years now but with my commitments of playing for Lancashire there hasn’t been a
lot of time to be serious about coaching, but that’s all changed this winter.
“I think the biggest problem youngsters have
is that they know how to bowl up and down straight, but bowling yorkers, slower
balls and identifying situations of games and trying to counteract them is
something I’m trying to work on.
 |
| Ali was a vital part of Lancashire's t20 success. |
“It’s for any kind of age, I’ve got kids
from 11 years of age teaching them what I know and then I have kids travelling
from Manchester, London and even Leeds. I’m trying to teach them using my past
experiences and mistakes I have made and it’s quite nice when they ask you
questions because you try and answer them as honestly as you can.
“I have been rehabbing my shoulder during
that time and I just want to give something back to the community. I’ve seen
the surgeon a couple of times and he is very upbeat and positive about my
shoulder. I’ve been having weekly treatment on it in Birmingham and even travelling
to Manchester every other week to get it checked.
“I’ve also set a fast-bowling camp in
Mumbai. I’m looking to take fast bowlers around March-April near the
Easter break just before the cricket season starts. It will be a really good
experience for them to go out and do some bowling and to play in Indian
conditions and to learn some different skills.
“I’ve set this up with Zaheer Khan, India’s
fast bowler. He has a gym called ‘Pro Sport’ and the boys who join us will be
expected to work pretty hard on their fitness. It will be a 10-12 day camp and
it will be a great learning experience for them. I’m interested in any talented
kids, batsman or bowlers, to take to India to try and improve their skills.”
Ali sustained a shoulder injury in
Lancashire’s 50-over game against Hampshire in July and he managed to recover
enough to feature in Lancashire’s semi-final victory over Hampshire in the t20 blast, claiming
1-15 in two overs before his injury prohibited him making the final.
 |
Ali bowling in the game where he
sustained his shoulder injury. |
Talking about his shoulder injury, he said:
“Luckily I managed to get myself fit enough for the semi-final but
unfortunately I didn’t quite make it for the final. It was a great day and a
really enjoyable couple of years at Lancashire.
“I’ve never set dates on coming back from
injuries because you never know. You feel good for a couple of days and then
you don’t feel so great or you get a setback, so just to avoid any
disappointment I don’t like to set a date on injuries. I’d rather take an extra
couple of weeks than try to come back too soon.”
“I really enjoyed my time at Lancashire. I
made some good friends and learned quite a lot as well. I’ve enjoyed my cricket,
it was a pleasure working under Peter Moores, and I think he is one of the best
coaches alongside Tom Moody I’ve ever worked with.
“It was a shame to have to end my time at
Lancashire but I picked up my shoulder injury at the wrong time of the season and
I completely understand. I shall be looking forward to getting back on the park
next year.
"I really enjoyed the changing room
atmosphere at Lancashire they support each other well through the good times
and the bad times. It was a great changing room, especially when you had people
like Simon Katich, Ashwell Prince, Paul Horton and Tom Smith and also Glen
Chapple who is a legend of the game."
Ali also commented on Lancashire’s recent
signing of Alviro Petersen and he believes that this signing will have a positive
impact on the dressing room.
“He’s a great signing for Lancashire after
a period at Somerset. His record speaks for itself really and you can’t doubt
his ability. I think he is going to be a really good signing and I think
youngsters will definitely learn quite a bit from him.
“When you’ve got players of that caliber
like Katich and Prince in the dressing room it has a knock-on effect on
confidence throughout the team and when you have these guys they’re legends and
they do bring positive energy with them.”
Ali believes Lancashire have what is
takes to make an immediate return to Division One of the County Championship,
but understands that there are no guarantees in a highly competitive league.
“Lancashire have a quality side. I never
thought we would have been relegated last year but we did and funny things
happen in sport and hopefully Lancashire will bounce back. It all comes down to working hard and
sometimes you need a bit of luck in this game as well and I’m sure the players
will do well next season with the excellent coaching staff at Lancashire.”
For further information, please see the poster with details for contacting Kabir Ali about his coaching school in Birmingham, or to be a part of the coaching tour to India.
