Mohammad Asif

[SJS]

I find Mohammad Asif alongwith Kamran Akmal and Suresh Raina to be the three most exciting players that have emerged in the subcontinent this year.

No one can predict what will go wrong in a promising youngster's career without taking a big risk of denting his 'soothsayering' reputaion. But from what one has seen so far, he has it all.

He is not just all speed like some others mentioned or all extravagent movement. The guy has the one ingredient that is most likely to help him sustain his great career-start and that is his amazing maturity in maintaing his line and length.

While those who have compared his trait of tight line and length to MCGrath can be accused of fantastic hyperbole, the point is well taken. He HAS the virue of line and length that separates him from other young bowlers just as Mcgrath stands apart from the top bowlers of the world.

He has what it takes to last early though it is to say much more than that.

[adharcric]

Asif, Akmal and Raina definitely. Add Sreesanth and Munaf to that list.

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Originally Posted by dinu23

Lawson and Powell didn't trouble the batsmen like Asif did. they got wickets, some due to good deliveries and others due to bad shots.

They bowled the line. They bowled the lenth. They beat the bat. They got some wickets with good balls. They got some wickets due to bad shots.

Don't try to act like Asif hasn't benefited from some pretty ordinary strokeplay as well.
Again Asif > Powell and Lawson due to greater consistency.

[dinu23]

Originally Posted by Mr Mxyzptlk

Don't try to act like Asif hasn't benefited from some pretty ordinary strokeplay as well.
Again Asif > Powell and Lawson due to greater consistency.

he didnt benifit from ordinary shots, that's whats amazing!
and I agree with the second statement.

[RolledOver]

Originally Posted by adharcric

Asif, Akmal and Raina definitely. Add Sreesanth and Munaf to that list.

why is Dhoni's name misssing from that list??
i think the guy has made a bigger impact on the game than Akmal

[adharcric]

Originally Posted by RolledOver

why is Dhoni's name misssing from that list??
i think the guy has made a bigger impact on the game than Akmal

hmm yeah, he just doesn't seem as recent as munaf, sreesanth and raina, but then neither is akmal.

[tooextracool]

Originally Posted by Jono

The fact that he's doing it on pitches which aren't favouring the seamers is what amazes me. For example in Pakistan's 2nd innings of the 3rd test against India, when Pakistan were piling on plenty of runs, everyone was claiming the wicket had flattened out and India could draw the match etc. etc. Then Asif gets the ball for Pakistan and suddenly the ball is nipping in a mile and all the Indian batsman don't have a clue. Again, the SL pacers couldn't do jack all on the pitch, it was all Murali, yet Asif destroys SL.

He's a star in the making, and I think he'll do very well in England.

i dont know what you have been watching, but from what ive seen so far all 3 of the last 3 test match wickets that hes played on have offered plenty of assistance for seam bowling. karachi had appreciable movement in the first innings, while not so much in the 2nd(but still enough to help accurate seam bowlers), colombo offered plenty in that first innings but absolutely nothing in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings(not that he was absolutely brilliant in the 3rd inning either) and of course Kandy has offered enough to assist accurate seam bowling as evidenced by the fact that even razzaq took a 4fer.
Of course all of this criticism is not to denounce Asif who i think is a fine bowler who gets far more seam movement out of wickets than most other fast bowlers and bowls some very good off cutters, but to say that the wickets that he has bowled on havent been helpful is absolutely not true.

[tooextracool]

Originally Posted by dinu23

ok ur saying that a fast bowler who consistently fools the batsmen with swing and seam with accurancy on pitches in sri lanka can't be called good? as far as I know bowlers like that would be leathal on seamer friendly pitches.

by the way Asif swings the ball much more than either Powell or Lawson IMO. maybe the conditions were better this time around for fast bowlers than when WI were here (with all the rain and cloud cover), i don't know.

actually Asif barely swings the ball, a more accurate statement would be that he gets more seam movement than both Powell and Lawson. Powell bowled plenty of outswingers on that tour to SL i might add.

[Jamee999]

Legend.

[Nnanden]

Dhoni`s glovework has been pretty scratchy, especially recently. Patel has only played a handful of matches, and hasn`t been amazing in any of those. He`s been good in a few, but far from incredible. And Sreesanth (?) has been good in helpful conditions, and very average in many matches.

What about Clark? Great young talent.

[HowsThat]

So far Asif has played in 4 test matches, and three test wkts were bowling friendly (Karachi and two test wkts in Lanka) and the matches were low scoring ones.Also he took most of his wkts against weak opponents, like Lanka.

It remains to be seen as to how he fares against top team on pitches that haven't got much for bowlers.So far he has played one test against a top team in Australia, and he only got a hamerring.

[Armadillo]

I'd like to see how he fares at Worcestershire and later on against England, but right now he looks formidable, especially on those pitches.

[godofcricket]

Originally Posted by tooextracool

Of course all of this criticism is not to denounce Asif who i think is a fine bowler who gets far more seam movement out of wickets than most other fast bowlers and bowls some very good off cutters, but to say that the wickets that he has bowled on havent been helpful is absolutely not true.

Yeah but these sort of wickets are far less bowler friendly then what he might get in england, he has bowled well where it is more difficult for fast bowlers to get wickets. Hence in england the chances of him getting wickets are more........whatever views u have about him, the thing is he has an excellent line and length which is the most important factor, and with this factor he can be successful on all sorts of wickets.

[Armadillo]

Originally Posted by RolledOver

why is Dhoni's name misssing from that list??
i think the guy has made a bigger impact on the game than Akmal

Dhoni has proved that he is an impatient test batsman. Sure, he can hit the ball, but in tests that is not necessarily required. Dhoni needs to mature in tests.

[IndianByHeart]

Originally Posted by Armadillo

I'd like to see how he fares at Worcestershire and later on against England, but right now he looks formidable, especially on those pitches.

Pitches in England is only going to encourage him more, don't see how he will fail there.