Cup dream a reality for Asif

Mohammad Asif has had a turbulent career © Getty Images

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Mohammad Asif, who recently shot into the top 10 of the Test bowling rankings, has revealed watching Pakistan triumph at the 1992 World Cup inspired him to play for his country.

Asif, watching from home in Sheikhupura, was aged nine when Imran Khan lifted the trophy in Melbourne.

It instilled in him a determination to follow in Imran's footsteps.

“The '92 World Cup was the first one I can remember watching and it was great to see my country win the tournament,” Asif said.

“I watched them all after that. I remember bits of the semi-final against New Zealand and all the final, but nothing else.

“My heroes were Imran Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Wasim Akram and I remember thinking that I want to be as good as they are.

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was one of Asif's early heroes © Getty Images

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“I still have a long way to go, obviously, but it will be great to just be a part of a World Cup,” added Asif, who played for Leicestershire early last year.

He first became known to English enthusiasts after claiming 10 wickets for Pakistan A in a warm-up match against England in Lahore in 2005.

The performance earned him a one-day international debut against England six weeks later and he dismissed Marcus Trescothick with his third ball.

Asif has maintained that level of promise throughout his career and currently has 49 Test victims in just nine matches at an average of 20.

It is hard to imagine he will fail emulate that form in the shorter game too.

Along with Shoaib Akhtar, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Umar Gul, Pakistan have an attack to be feared.

Although wiry seamer Asif is arguably now Pakistan's leading strike bowler, he has had to endure quite a bit of controversy already in his short career.

His world fell apart when he was banned for a year in November for failing a doping test, along with team-mate Shoaib.

Both were ordered to return to Pakistan after they received the news at their hotel in Jaipur while in India for the ICC Champions Trophy.

Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar had their drugs banned overturned © Getty Images

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But, just when Asif was contemplating a year of his life without cricket and missing his first World Cup, the bans were overturned on appeal in December.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is contesting this decision but any outcome may come too late to prevent him featuring in the showpiece event in the Caribbean.

“It was a big relief,” was all Asif would say on the subject, no longer wishing to discuss the sorry episode that threatened to tarnish a promising career.

He was on the plane to South Africa a month later and finished as Pakistan's most outstanding individual with 19 wickets in three Tests at an average of just 18.47.

With bowlers like Shoaib, Umar Gul and Shabbir Ahmed suffering injuries, Asif manfully shouldered the burden of carrying the attack on his young, slender shoulders.

His performance in the series that Pakistan lost 2-1 was what elevated him three places in the ICC rankings to number eight.

“It was a big achievement for me after just nine Test matches,” Asif said. “Hopefully I can enjoy the same success in one-day cricket as well.

“I enjoy the one-day game as much as Test cricket so I am looking forward to achieving more success at the World Cup.

“I want to try my best in the World Cup and hopefully I can bowl as well in that as I did in the South Africa Test series.

“We have a very strong one-day side with the likes of Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq joining us and I don't see why we cannot win.”