Finch pays tribute to 'genius' Ahmed

Australia T20 captain Aaron Finch has paid tribute to veteran leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed, who yesterday conceded his playing days with Victoria might be over.

Ahmed tweeted a note thanking the current and former players, coaches and staff he’s worked with at Cricket Victoria and wished the best to the Victorian squad for the upcoming season.

The 36-year-old played 41 JLT Sheffield Shield for Victoria and captured 147 wickets with a career-best 8-89 in the Shield final draw of 2014-15 that secured one of the three titles he won during his tenure with the Bushrangers.

Finch remembers the first time he and his state teammates laid eyes on Ahmed and how the leggie blew them all away with his untapped talent.

“He (Ahmed) was just playing park cricket in the western suburbs of Melbourne,” Finch told cricket.com.au.

“He came down and the boys were like ‘Who is this guy? He’s a genius!’, and before long, I think it was within six months he was training with the squad full time and it wouldn’t have been far after that he made his debut for Victoria.

“We just saw this guy who had an unbelievable passion for the game and helping others, which when you’re at the age he was when he came in, to still be looking to improve everyone, from batters to bowlers, just trying to learn as much as he could personally but then give back as much as he could, it’s a great asset.

“When you have a guy who has played a lot of cricket throughout his life and in different conditions to us, the knowledge that he passed on to us was exceptional.”

More than a big-turning leg-spinner with a deceptive wrong’un, Ahmed will be remembered for his deeds off the field just as much as on it.

And his tireless work ethic, as Finch recalls.

"One thing I remember about him, when he first started his fielding was borderline shocking,” Finch said.

"But the amount of hard work and effort he put in to become a really solid fielder, that goes to show for a guy that was, well, however old he is, 36, could be 46, is still willing to push himself to continue to get better because he knows that five per cent extra he puts in the field will help the team win a game here and there, was extraordinary.

"The service that he provided to Victoria, not just to the Victorian cricket team but to people outside of the organisation, the amount of barriers that he broke down for immigrant cricketers who are coming over and trying to form a similar path to him, the time and effort he’s put back into his own community here in Melbourne was unbelievable and I’m sure he’ll have a role to play in Victorian and Australian cricket in some capacity in the future."

While he might have played his last game for Victoria, Ahmed is still under contract with KFC Big Bash League club Sydney Thunder for next season.