fellow players only by association.
“Thanks to Almighty Allah, I am out from the prison. I am really happy, I have seen very hard time,” said the bowler.
He thanked his fans and well-wishers for standing by him. “I am so happy I have fans who are still supporting me in this way, through social media. I am in touch with them. They wanted to see me on the ground playing again.”
Looking relaxed and fit, Asif described how difficult in the beginning it was at the prison, which is reserved for foreign national criminals, who are normally deported soon after the completion of their sentencing.
The ace cricketer didn’t play much cricket in the prison because there were few facilities but concentrated on staying fit by playing badminton and football. “These six months were difficult. Canterbury has a lot of foreign national prisoners but it has lots of gym and supporting facilities. We got ourselves busy and the time passed. We played football and badminton and used gym regularly. I trained regularly and I am in good shape now. The staff in the Canterbury were very supportive.”
Asif thanked his family for supporting him and having faith in him, especially his father Hassan Deen, who has defiantly defended his son, and his loyal wife. “My family has been brilliant. No other family can defend the way they did it. My father has provided crucial support to me at a very difficult time. They took charge of a very difficult situation and all is fine. When in prison, I remained in touch with my family and my legal team.”
Answering a question on how he plans to regain his once glorious skill, Asif remarked: “A fish will never forget how to swim. A bowler doesn’t forget how to bowl well. I have maintained fitness and I will try my best to keep up with this level of fitness. I am thankful to all those who have prayed for me. I would like to be back in the ground playing and I hope my fans will soon see me back. I would like my fans and well-wishers to continue praying for me,” said Asif.