Fear in eyes of opposition batsmen motivates Ajmal

Karachi, Sep 1 : Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has said he gets motivated to bowl well by seeing fear in the opposition batsmen's eyes.

Ajmal has vowed to keep improving despite being snubbed from the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year Award.

He is currently with the team playing against Australia and has prompted them to make 'special plans' on countering his threat on the UAE pitches.

Rewarded with a place in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Team of the Year, Ajmal said the pressure to live up to expectations has not taken a toll, but, instead, motivated him to do better, The Express Tribune reports.

He said: "Expectations from fans as well as teammates motivate me a lot. Whenever I've heard of being a trump card for the team, I aim to perform even better. The expectation puts a bit of pressure but this motivates me to do better. I know batsmen fear facing me and it makes me happy. Not dejected on missing out the ICC awards."

Meanwhile, several former cricketers, including chief selector Iqbal Qasim, raised concerns after Ajmal was omitted from the shortlisted candidates for the top three ICC awards.

While he was included in the ICC Test Team of the Year, his name was a notable exclusion from the ICC Cricketer of the Year, ICC Test Cricketer of the Year and ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year, despite an impressive performance during the 12-month qualifying period.

The 34-year old, who surpassed the 100-wicket mark in the opening One-Day International against Australia in Sharjah, said that his aim was to be the best in the world regardless of how much hard work it took.