‘I had no idea it was a world record’ – Saad Bin Zafar looks back on his historic four-maiden spell [Exclusive]

In an exclusive interaction with CricTracker, Saad Bin Zafar reflected on his historic achievement of bowling four maidens in four overs in T20Is and spoke about the importance of match awareness for spinners in modern T20 cricket. He also offered valuable advice to young cricketers in Canada, urging them to take the sport seriously and consider it as a professional career option.

He stated that Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, and Tilak Varma are among the current Indian players he enjoys watching. Additionally, he named Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Sunil Narine, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Rashid Khan as his top five spinners of all time across formats.

Excerpts from the interview

You became the first bowler to bowl four maidens in four overs in T20Is. Your take on it?

It happened during our regional T20 qualifier in Antigua, West Indies, where we were competing against Panama. I think it was in 2021, if I am not mistaken. In that match, I bowled four overs, all four were maidens, and I took two wickets. At that moment, I had no idea that it was a world record.

After the match ended, my coach told me that I had just created a world record. I asked him what it was, and he explained that I had bowled four maiden overs in a T20 international, something that had never been done before in the history of the game. That is when I realized the significance of what had happened. It was an amazing feeling to achieve something no one had ever done before.

Later, Lockie Ferguson equaled that record during the 2024 World Cup, so he matched it. Still, it remains a very special memory for me.

How important is match awareness for spinners in modern T20 cricket?

Match awareness is extremely important, especially in today’s game. Modern wickets are very flat, and matches are high-scoring, so as a bowler, you are bound to get hit. But when you are in the middle of your over, you cannot just switch your mind off and go with the flow. If you get hit for a couple of boundaries, you cannot assume the over is ruined and then bowl the remaining deliveries without thinking.

Match awareness means constantly reading the batter, understanding what they are trying to do, where they want to score, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and then adjusting your bowling accordingly. If something is working, you should continue with it.

If you lack match awareness, even when something goes right, you may not understand why it worked. And if you find yourself in a similar situation in the next match, you won’t be able to repeat that success. On the other hand, if something goes wrong but you are aware of what and why it happened, you can fix it. So it is very important to be aware of the situation, your decisions, and the reasons behind them. Following the right process is a must.

For a young kid in Toronto or Vancouver picking up a cricket bat or ball today, what is the single best piece of advice you can give them to get noticed?

I would tell them that cricket in Canada has grown so much now that you can actually take it up as a profession, which was not the case a few years ago. Back then, we were all part-time cricketers. Everyone had a job and played cricket on the side. But now, because franchise cricket has expanded, things have changed significantly.

In Canada itself, we currently have two franchise tournaments, GT20 and Canada Super 60. Along with that, the national team received ODI status two years ago, so we are now regularly playing One Day Internationals. Our schedule has become much busier and more professional.

So my advice to all the young kids is that if cricket is your passion and you have the skills, take it seriously. Believe in hard work and stay focused. Today, you can genuinely look at cricket as a future profession in Canada, which was not possible earlier. Believe in hard work, stay consistent, and the sky is the limit.

Among current Indian batters, whose batting style do you love the most, and why?

In the current Indian team, I think Ishan Kishan has been in exceptional form recently and is playing really well. Abhishek Sharma is another exciting player, and Tilak Varma is definitely someone to watch. These three stand out to me at the moment.

Your top five spinners of all-time across formats

Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Sunil Narine, Saqlain Mushtaq, Rashid Khan