After just three weeks at The Rose Bowl Kabir Ali still looks very much the new boy. So new that Bobby Parks has to tell the barman he’s a player so he isn’t charged for our coffees. So new he’s still living out of a suitcase at his hotel. But not so new he isn’t up for a joke with Nic Pothas and David Balcombe when they appear in the Atrium. And certainly not so new that he doesn’t look as though he’s going to fit in.

Reading some of the media coverage about Kabir’s drawn out transfer from Worcester you could come away with the impression that he’s a bit of a prima donna. Well forget it – that’s the last thing he is. Confident of his abilities on the pitch, of course; but quietly spoken and polite – with a mind that seems permanently open to learning.

Kabir Ali is a cricket nut. His whole life seems to revolve around the game – and his family. For him the two are very closely tied together. “Basically I come from a family where everyone plays” he told me. “My Dad’s got a twin and they’re married to two sisters; there’s five boys in the two houses and three of us play professionally [Kabir and his cousins Kadeer and Moeen] and the other two are pretty good as well. If you don’t show any interest then you’re not really considered part of the family” he says, laughing. “When I go back home from here on Fridays we tend to talk cricket. We do have a bit of a life as well, but cricket’s the main topic in our family.”

Kabir, who hails from Birmingham, started in the Warwickshire youth system at the age of thirteen and only a year later realised that he wanted to make the game his career. “I put on some pace and started to believe I wasn’t too bad at it, so I kept working hard and it paid off. I was at Worcester for ten years and I enjoyed all of them, to be honest. The reason for the change was that I needed another goal and Hampshire was the only County that appealed to me. I’ve always enjoyed coming to play against them; the atmosphere here was good and the guys seemed like a nice bunch. Especially Dominic Cork – I played Hong Kong Sixes with him and I’ve spoken to him quite a bit throughout this journey.

“Now that I’ve been here for three weeks I’m starting to enjoy it. They’re top lads – actually very funny lads as well. The good thing about it is that they all seem to get on really well; they work really hard too – harder than I’ve been used to! But they all sit around in here and have lunch and enjoy each others’ company, from the senior players right through to the Academy guys. There’s a very strong positive energy which is definitely good for someone like me coming into the squad.”

I was interested to hear where Kabir sees himself fitting into the Hampshire bowling attack. “Well I’m not that young any more [he is in fact 29, so ‘not that young’ is relative here], but I still have a lot to learn, especially from the likes of Corky who’s played so much Test and First Class cricket. There’s something about the way he goes about things I can learn a lot from.

“I was lucky to have good overseas players at Worcester, like Glenn McGrath, Shoaib Ahktar and Zaheer Khan. You don’t copy people’s actions or anything, but you still learn; how to change pace, what their tricks are, just by watching them. I also talk to other bowlers whenever I can to get new ideas on what to work on. Coming into this side I’ll bring some of that experience. I’m looking forward to Mendis coming in because most County players haven’t seen him bowl – it’ll be very interesting.”

And will The Rose Bowl pitch suit him? “We played here early season last year and it certainly did a bit. I’m more of a swing bowler so I think it will, but you need to be able to play on all sorts of wickets, even if they don’t suit you. There’s always a way of adapting to playing on new wickets. You’ve never really cracked bowling so you always have to learn and there’s always a new challenge. For Worcester I played in all forms of cricket and I’m hoping to do the same here.”

Having taken fifty First Class wickets in both 2007 and 2008 and with a strike rate of 16.8 in Twenty20 there is every chance he will. But Kabir is almost coy about his figures. “My stats aren’t too bad” he admits “but there are still areas for improvement I want to sit down with the coaching staff here and work on. A big objective is to get through the season injury free, but if I do that I’m confident of being one of the leading wicket takers.”

Outside cricket Kabir likes to be with his family. “I’ve got three little nephews and a niece so I enjoy playing games with them. I spend time with friends too, play a bit of snooker. I definitely miss my family, but I’m sure they’ll come down. I’m really close to my mum and dad but I’m sure they’ll be here quite often once I’ve got a place to live sorted out.”

After we finish our chat I notice Kabir having a coffee with Rod Bransgrove. For a new player, away from home, The Rose Bowl seems like a hard place to be lonely – and I’m sure Kabir Ali will fit into our welcoming Hampshire family just fine.

Jane Cable

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