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Dhaka: Iqbal Qasim, a top-bracket left-arm spinner, spoke to The Telegraph at the Le Meridien.

Qasim did the star-turn in the 1986-87 season's Bangalore Test (together with off-spinner Tauseef Ahmed), which put Pakistan on the road to a first, in India, under Imran Khan.

Now 62, Qasim is a former chief selector, too.

Excerpts ...

Q You played under Imran, arguably the most charismatic captain of all time. What made him so special?

A Imran had more than one quality... He liked leading from the front, set an example with the way he trained... Imran backed his instincts, yet didn't hesitate to seek the views of Javed Miandad or Mudassar Nazar. I saw that first-hand on the 1986-87 tour of India, which saw us register a fantastic win in the Test series... I know Imran's best remembered for the 1992 World Cup victory, but it was that series win in India which transformed him as a captain. He became more confident, was more comfortable taking bold decisions.

Imran hasn't tasted the same success in politics, though...

I suppose he needs more time.

Could Imran actually become Prime Minister at some point in time?

I can't say what position Imran could hold... Can't make that prediction. However, Imran looks destined to make a difference. When, I don't know, but he certainly offers an alternative. Issue is whether a majority of voters will accept that alternative.

To talk of cricket proper... Hasn't the quality of spinners declined?

Ek era ko doosre era se compare karna mushkil hai... Also, while we played in Tests and ODIs only, the present generation has to adjust to T20 cricket, too. Today, we see less of Test cricket and more of T20Is and ODIs... Obviously, then, the quality would get affected. It's a fact that the T20 format has hurt the quality of spinners... If you want to see another Bishan Bedi or (Erapalli) Prasanna, then T20 is serving no purpose.

Would you have played T20 or stayed away?

This format offers a lot of money, it has a huge commercial pull... Aap ke ek spinner (Pawan Negi) ko eight crore se jyada diya gaya in the last IPL auction... That's the amount which is on offer, even when somebody hasn't played for his country. I saw him bowl the other day, but didn't find him extraordinary.

Even the approach of batsmen has changed, hasn't it?

It has, yes... In our time, if one was bowling to a Sunil Gavaskar, one had to wait for him to make a mistake. Often, Gavaskar didn't... Now, like the bowlers, the batsmen don't have the patience... Their mental make-up is so different. Nikal ke maro ab ek habit ban gayi hai... So, you neither have classical batsmen nor bowlers in that category... That said, it's good that spinners have been making a mark in the newest format, contrary to what one believed when T20 began growing.

Is there a spinner who stands out?

Sure... (Off-spinner) Ravichandran Ashwin definitely stands out... If I'm to talk of left-arm spinners, there's no one who is out of the ordinary. The ones who're there are more intent on being defensive.

What, according to you, is special about Ashwin?

Ashwin's variation... Woh ek tarah se bowling nahin karta.

It seems Saeed Ajmal won't ever regain the sting he had...

It's never easy when you modify your action. Ajmal is trying, but age isn't on his side - he's 38.

Are you happy with the regulation covering illegal bowling?

My view is simple: Either a delivery is legal or it isn't. I'm not in favour of partial leeway (15 degrees) being given. Also, why make an allowance for any deformity? Then, allow batsmen, too, to have an advantage... Either a bowler is a chucker or he's not a chucker. There has to be one yardstick, one standard.

Moving away from spinners, who was the one batsman who made you think overtime?

Gavaskar. Bowlers needed a God-given ability to get him out without waiting for him to make a mistake... Gavaskar and Zaheer Abbas were such class batsmen, the ultimate. I'd say every emerging batsman should see videos of their best innings... Sachin Tendulkar was a great, too... But where will you now find batsmen in the league of Sachin or Inzamam-ul Haq or Rahul Dravid? You have to live with their memories. The line of greats has ended, but I do admire Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Generally, though, the technique of Indian batsmen is good... Earlier, Test cricketers would move to playing ODIs. Now, T20 players graduate to becoming Test cricketers.

Why is Pakistan so inconsistent?

It's an old ailment... Bowling isn't an issue, it has never been, but batting is still a concern... After the Inzamams have gone, the maturity among batsmen isn't there... There was a time when almost the entire Pakistan team played County cricket. Now?

The last one... You finished on 999 first-class wickets. Why did you retire before touching the 1,000 mark?

(Laughs ) Frankly, I wasn't aware of the tally... I retired in 1992-93, when one didn't have cricket statistics at the press of a button... Some months after I'd called it a day, I happened to meet a statistician. He asked why I'd decided to retire without waiting for just one more wicket... I said 'bhai, you should have told me this some months ago'... I could have taken back my retirement, but that wouldn't have looked nice. Chalen, jo hona tha ho gaya ... Zindagi aage nikal jati hai.