‘If they are short of a chef, I will fill that role’: Safyaan Sharif ready to prepare T20 World Cup shock

IIt’s fair to say that England’s first two games at the T20 World Cup haven’t inspired much confidence – unless you’re one of their future opponents. For Scotland, called up at the last minute following the decision to banish Bangladesh from the tournament last month, England’s trials have added some extra spice ahead of the now crucial Group C match in Calcutta on Saturday.

“Absolutely,” says sailor Safyaan Sharif. “They will feel pressure because they know they have to win if they want to qualify. Obviously it’s the same with us, but I don’t think we have too much to lose. I think they have more to lose than us. Nepal gave them a good run and they were stressed in that match. They were very panicky, you could see that from the way they played in the last few overs. So it’s how they handle the pressure.”

“I know they played good cricket, but then Nepal almost beat them, and West Indies overpowered them towards the back end. Every team is dangerous in the T20 format, and we are playing good cricket at the moment too. In T20, anyone can beat anyone, and everything can change within one over or one ball.”

The Scots know better than most teams here how quickly things can change in the sport. Just a few weeks ago, Sharif expected to spend the entire month of February training indoors and helping out at his father’s restaurant in Kirkcaldy. Then the phone rang.

“I was just at home, had some time with my family, did some training, and I help my father in the winter or when I am off from cricket. I am a kind of supervisor and make sure everything goes well, and if they are a chef, I will fill that role,” says Sharif.

“We had read so much in the media that Bangladesh might go, but might not go. I thought it was just noise. I was at home when I got the call that we had been invited to India and that I was going. I was a bit shocked because it all came a bit suddenly, and I didn’t think Bangladesh would pull out, I thought they would work something out.”

Sharif’s Pakistani heritage complicated his visa application, delaying his arrival in India. The speed of that turnaround means that even though this is his sixth World Cup in various flavors, no one quite prepared him for this. “I arrived here two days before our first warm-up match. It was a bit of a challenging process,” he added.

“At other World Cups you know you’re going, so you have so much preparation, your mind is set and it makes a big difference, whereas if you just get a phone call and they say you’re going to the World Cup, of course it’s exciting and I’m very happy to have been selected, but you just have to accept the challenge that’s in front of you.”

The 34-year-old struggled in Scotland’s opening match, a 35-run defeat to the West Indies, and was left out in their second match, an emphatic win over Italy. “I just couldn’t execute the way I wanted to,” he says of the West Indian game. “That obviously comes down to being a little bit unprepared. But we’re here to play, we can’t use that as an excuse. Now we’ve been here for a while, we’ve had a few extra sessions, and that’s what I needed, and I’m looking forward to the big day.”

Sharif is Scotland’s fifth most capped player in Twenty20 internationals, with all of the top six in a squad that combines youth and experience. All six of these senior players also featured in perhaps Scotland’s biggest international match, the one-day international victory over England in 2018 (leaving only Adil Rashid for the English). Sharif took one wicket, trapping Mark Wood lbw and winning the game.

“I have no words. It was an amazing feeling,” he remembers. “In my head I was thinking, I just have to bowl my best ball, which is the yorker, which I’ve been playing for so many years. But last time I tried to get that ball and it didn’t quite work. When it came to the big moment of approaching the crease, I jumped and let go of the ball, and it just felt really good when it came out of my hand. I thought, ‘Yes, this is the ball.'”

It is the only time he faced England. He has played 76 T20s against 24 opponents, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, but Saturday offers the chance to add another name to that list. “It’s always good to play against England because you’re playing against some of the best players in the world,” he says. “Whether it’s bowling, batting, all-rounders, they’ve got it all, so it’s a good exciting challenge.

“But the boys are in good form, the batting group is doing really well. This is why you want to be here, to put in performances and show your talent. And we will continue to do that and hopefully when it comes to England we do exactly the same: play to our strengths, play our best cricket and hopefully we will be on the winning side.”