The quaint St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury is a pretty picture despite the construction girders hugging the half-finished stands. The sight and smell of sand and cement haven't deterred loyal patrons from compiling their scoresheets while absorbing every ball. Others lie in deck chairs on the grass embankments, soaking in the joys of the sunny yet windy April afternoon. It's a scene far removed from the urban jungle of Islamabad, but Azhar Mahmood, Kent's Pakistan professional, is at home.It's the penultimate day of Kent's County Championship match against Gloucestershire - Mahmood's first four-day game of the season. He has just returned from stints as a studio analyst for Sky Sports and ITV for the World Cup and the IPL respectively.His run-up and pace are down by a few yards, but he is still effective, taking 4 for 56. He also looks far less menacing than in his days as a street-fighting allrounder in a sun hat, sporting a moustache.Mahmood sips his tea while keeping an eye on Kent's chase of 291 as he recounts his stop-start career with Pakistan and his life as a county pro. Would it be factually incorrect to label him a "former Pakistan player"? Is Azhar Mahmood a spent force in international cricket?"I'm always available for Pakistan. I haven't retired yet," he says with a chuckle. "On March 17 I qualified for England as well. But there's nothing like playing for your home country.A lot of people have been asking me if I want to play for England. It's like a bubble in the air, if the opportunity comes up I will take it.Turn the clock back four years to the day, probably the gloomiest in Pakistan's cricket history, when they were ejected out of the World Cup by Ireland. Mahmood had the misfortune of bowling the delivery that sealed Pakistan's fate. Their coach, Bob Woolmer, died tragically that night. Mahmood didn't know it then but his Pakistan career was to take a nose dive. It was his last international to date.Now, married to a British-Pakistani, Mahmood's options have increased. He joined Surrey in 2002, thanks to his Pakistan team-mate Saqlain Mushtaq, who was their overseas player at the time. Six seasons later Mahmood signed for Kent. It was quite a transition, going from a power-packed Surrey unit to struggling Kent, now relegated in the County Championship.In Surrey there was competition for places, as we had Saqlain, Graham Thorpe, Alec Stewart," he says. "Adam Hollioake [the Surrey captain] and Wasim bhai [Akram] are the best captains I've played under. Surrey is like a big company, but Adam made sure we gelled well. Kent is a much smaller club, and has more of a family atmosphere.The talk shifts to Pakistan. Did success come too soon for Mahmood? His CV boasts a century on Test debut: one hundred of three in his first five Tests against South Africa - no mean feat considering they had Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock in the side. Mahmood's 132 in Durban in 1997-98 was ranked at No. 8 in Wisden's Top 10 Batting Performances of all time list (compiled in 2001). Wisden wrote: "Even more impressive, for a batsman two days short of his 23rd birthday, was the way he protected the tail.That was the last time he passed 50 in a Test, though. He stayed on for a bit as a vital member of the one-day team, forming a deadly all-round partnership with Abdul Razzaq, which helped Pakistan reach the final of the 1999 World Cup. For reasons known only to his supposed betters, he was dropped from the Test side after the summer of 2001, and his one-day appearances became sporadic.
Mahmood says Pakistan's frequent captaincy changes led to poor man-management. "After Imran bhai [Khan], no other allrounder has performed like Razzaq and myself," he says. "Each captain has his own way of thinking. Some captains had more trust in Razzaq, some trusted me more. When you keep changing captains, you can't settle."He looks back at one conversation with regret. "In 2000, Gen Tauqir Zia [the PCB chairman then] took me aside and said, 'You're the next Pakistan captain.' I said, 'No, make Waqar [Younis] the captain'."Why did he hold back? "I was too young then," he says. "That was the biggest mistake I made in my life."The captaincy wasn't offered for a long term. I saw no point having it for one tour alone. It's in the culture in India and Pakistan where seniors wonder why the captaincy is given to the youngsters and not them. I thought it would disturb my cricket. That's why I said no."When Waqar became captain, I got injured. They couldn't drop Shoaib Akhtar. Wasim was too good to be dropped, Razzaq was playing well. They had to play four seamers and one spinner. Who could they have dropped?
