Scots take a punt with full-time deal for Haq

Published on Wednesday 11 November 2009 22:25

MAJID HAQ was unveiled as Scotland's latest full-time cricketer yesterday and vowed to banish for good the charge that his commitment does not match his ability.

Haq, the off spinner from Paisley, is as gifted as any player in the country perhaps bar Ryan Watson, whose place on the Cricket Scotland roster he has inherited. But successive coaches have despaired at the phlegmatic attitude to fitness and new skills that has impeded his potential.

In paying him to play, head coach Pete Steindl and the selectors have taken a gamble that many would have shirked, and as the 26-year-old contemplates playing near-continuous cricket in 2010 alongside fast bowlers Gordon Goudie and Dewald Nel, he realises that if he fails to get the best out of himself now, he never will.

"I'm delighted that Cricket Scotland have shown faith in my abilities this year and I really hope I can repay them fully by working hard and improving my game," he said.

The only time Haq has tasted full-time cricket was in 2007, when the Scots had two months of trans-continental preparation for the World Cup in West Indies. He lost about two stone and took the bull by the horns when asked to open the batting, scoring three half-centuries. That bodes well for next year.

"I have been told I'll be expected to keep improving my game and not just my bowling – I've got to contribute a lot more with the bat, and I'm just looking forward to working hard."

Haq, a veteran of two World Twenty20 tournaments who has 87 caps, is pursuing a Chartered Accountant qualification and will have to balance cricket with studies. He will remain living at the family home, but will have to commute at least "a couple of times a week" to Edinburgh, Steindl said.

"Majid has been offered this opportunity on the basis of his adherence to philosophies of working hard on areas he has not done true justice to in the past," said the coach, adding that fitness will be an imperative to the spinner getting through an arduous year. This year's inaugural provision of full-time deals was cursed by Watson's poor form and long-term injuries to both Nel and Goudie.

There are no surprises in the 18-man elite squad for 2010, though one refreshing development is the provision of six-month contracts to four players.

Spinner Ross Lyons, 24, all-rounder Richie Berrington, 22, batsman Qasim Sheikh, 25, and wicketkeeper Simon Smith, 29, will be the recipients of support from April to September.

Watson, 33 today, was offered a one-year deal that incorporated playing and coaching duties, but, with a wife and child to support, he preferred to look for more secure employment.

The batsman acknowledged that his team's failure to qualify for the 2011 World Cup effectively sounded the death knell for the type of long-term contract he sought.

"It probably was our fault; I'm guessing that was the case," Watson said. "Cricket Scotland did offer me a really nice job, but unfortunately they could only stretch to a one-year deal."