Pathan at nets on Thursday

Dambulla: Indian speedster Irfan Pathan believes that not only will he be not tired after his county stint, his county experience would actually come in handy for him in days ahead.

That he could be tired bowling in county cricket was a claim reportedly made by Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka earlier this week. “I don’t think I am tired as I played only one and-a-half months there,” said Pathan after nets Thursday morning. “Maybe if I had gone through the grind of entire county experience, it could have been different.”

Pathan is looking ahead at the coming season after the last one was hampered by injury and poor form. “I think it (his county experience) is going to help. Just travelling around and meeting different opponents on different pitches is an experience.”

Pathan said he has gained enormous confidence in bowling well in Twenty20 in England this summer.

“Bowling in Twenty20 is a real test for a bowler. You get only four overs and batsmen are ever ready to go after you. You have to be spot on from the first ball.

“So in that respect I think I have begun to concentrate better and learned to introduce more variety in my bowling,” he said.

Pathan has been working with coach Greg Chappell and his assistant Ian Frazer in sorting out his bowling rhythm further and he said the experience has been rewarding. (PTI)