After performing consistently in the domestic circuit for two years in a row, Northern's left-arm spinner Nauman Ali has been added to the Test squad of Pakistan to face South Africa at home. 

The 34-year old spinner is completely elated after his name was announced in the 20-member squad. After his inclusion, Nauman in a virtual press conference stated that he's inspired by the former Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori and Sri Lankan legend Rangana Herath. 

He also watched some of the giants of the game in action to try and understand how great players used to play their game.

“I watched Wasim Akram a lot and followed Brian Lara. When I started bowling I tried to follow Daniel Vettori and Rangana Herath. I have also watched Saqlain Mushtaq’s bowling a lot. I kept seeing these on YouTube. The spinners I followed, I tried to pick the good things from all bowlers, like line, length and variations,” Ali said.

Nauman shifted to Hyderabad to pursue his cricketing talent properly and he was inspired by his uncle who had represented Pakistan.

“I belong to a small city of Sanghar. I then shifted to Hyderabad and played there for some time. I started playing cricket because of my maternal uncle who represented the Pakistan side,” he added.

Ali said that he was over the moon after the team for South Africa Tests was announced and he had lost all his senses for like ten minutes.

“When the selection was announced, I was at practice. Our manager told me that I was selected for the national squad. I lost all sense of where I was for the next 10 minutes. I felt elated. My family and friends were also very happy. We have been playing here for the last two years. I am accustomed to playing at the National Stadium and the weather. I will try to perform my level best if I am selected for the final side,” he stated.

If given the opportunity, he's planning to give his 100% and he isn't targeting any specific batsman from the squad of the Proteas.

“I have not targeted anyone in particular. I will just try to give 100 percent and bowl as well as I can to get the batsmen out. We will start our camp and we will plan accordingly with our staff on how to tackle the South African batsmen,” he said.

He also talked about the team selection and expressed happiness at being given the opportunity and he was also quite happy for other domestic performers who have been named in the squad.

“It is really good for domestic cricketers to know that if they perform well, they can get into the national side. I don’t think anything can be better than that. I think the domestic cricket in Pakistan has been really good in the past two years. I think everyone will now try to perform well and do the same,” he concluded.