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Bilal Shafayat

V Reddy

International Debutant
I read an article on him on BBC a couple of days back and he said that he can be as good as Sachin. He performed very well for Eng U-19 in AUS and now he scored 97 for Notts against Warwicks. He seems to be a real good find for England. Is he as good as Sachin?
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
That's a ridiculous question Vish, of course he isn't, and his role in any side is different.

He's a good player, and I think I've already tipped him to make his Test debut in Bangladesh this winter (assuming he doesn't have 2nd season blues)
 

V Reddy

International Debutant
marc71178 said:
That's a ridiculous question Vish, of course he isn't, and his role in any side is different.

He's a good player, and I think I've already tipped him to make his Test debut in Bangladesh this winter (assuming he doesn't have 2nd season blues)
Maybe not as good but one of the best players in England. He scored a century and double century against India U-19 and he says that he will not be satisfied if he is not one of the best players to have players to have played the game. That sounded to me as he was over confident but thought maybe he really is that talented after seeing his scores. Here is the BBC article.




Shafayat aims for the top


By Matthew Allen
BBC Sport




England under-19 star Bilal Shafayat has India's Sachin Tendulkar in his sights as he looks forward to a future at senior international level.
Shafayat is gunning for an England one-day spot




The Nottinghamshire batsman did his growing reputation no harm in Australia in January when he captained England's youth side to victory in the first Test.
He scored 108, 66 and took 6-54 in the process.
His all-round performance followed another match-winning performance against India's U19 side at Northampton last summer when he made 118 and 201.
And the 18-year-old warmed up for this season's County Championship with a century against Durham University.
Shafayat hit 105 off just 75 balls at Trent Bridge on Sunday.
He credits his progress to former Guyana batsman and Nottinghamshire coach Andrew Jackman, and he is setting himself lofty targets.
"One person I have always looked up to is Sachin Tendulkar. If you want to be number one you have to be better than the number one at the moment, and that's Tendulkar," he told the BBC Sport website.
"I'll never be fully satisfied with myself until I am number one in the world. That's not out of my reach because I believe I can achieve it."
I've got more passion for England than for Pakistan



Bilal Shafayat




The 18-year-old can also keep wicket and believes his best chance of forcing his way into the England set-up is in the one-day side.
But he has first set his sights on establishing himself with Nottinghamshire, having played just 10 first-class games so far at the club.
"Keeping wicket comes naturally to me and it's an extra string to my bow," he said.
"I could be picked ahead of the someone else for the one-day team just because of my keeping.
"The sooner I start playing for England and get on the international level, the sooner my dreams start becoming reality. It's something that I've been aiming at for a long while.
"Whenever the selectors think it's right then I'm sure they will give me a call-up.
"I think they will bring me in slowly so it's not a case of me playing one or two matches but many hundreds of one-dayers and Test matches.
Tendulkar currently has possession of the number one spot



"This year is a big year for me because I want to secure my spot in the Nottinghamshire first team. And then in the winter and the following season things could go either way."
Playing for England was always a natural first choice for Shafayat, despite having strong roots in Pakistan.
He spent time with the Pakistan team in the U19 World Cup a year ago, but has never considered playing for them.
"From a very young age I was always taught by my family that I was born in this country, I grew up in this country, and this is my country.
"Although I will never forget that my roots are in Pakistan, and I regularly visit Pakistan, it's always been a case that I am English.
"I've got more passion for England than for Pakistan, so it has always been straightforward."
Pakistan's loss could certainly be England's gain if Shafayat progresses to the international stage.
His England U19 coach Paul Farbrace was full of praise for the batsman after the tour of Australia.
And his performances will have alerted the national selectors that he is perhaps one for the not too distant future.
 

Eclipse

International Debutant
Good luck to him there is nothing wrong with setting high Goals for yourself you are better aiming high than low.
 

lord_of_darkness

Cricket Web XI Moderator
well good look to this youngster, hopefully he continues to do well and england needs more ppl like him at this stage
 

Neil Pickup

Cricket Web Moderator
He has massive potential and I am certain the guy will play for England - with success - sooner, rather than later.

Sachin, I don't think so - he's more of an all-rounder than Sachin, and much less of a batsman (but who isn't?!)
 

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
I've a feeling that he will make the England side within 2 years - maybe even this year as far as ODI's are concerned.

He's a very good prospect indeed - and should definitely make Sachin his 'target'. Why aim lower? Aim to be the best.
 

masterblaster

International Captain
Bit over confident isn't he?

England im sure would love to see the best of this player, if he can average over 40 in both forms of the game in his International Career, then England have discovered a great find, let alone around 59 (test) and 44 (ODI) which Sachin averages.

But you've got to admire his youthful arrogance and over confidence, but im sure he has to be careful for it not to burst right in his face.

Good luck to him
 

Kiwi

State Vice-Captain
Well I had never heard off him. But it sounds good and Good Luck.. I hope he is as good as it sounds
 

Sudeep

International Captain
An excellent article written on him last year has been printed in July's Wisden Asia Cricket issue. It also puts him over as the next sensation in English cricket. I checked his stats for this season, haven't been anything to get too excited about. :confused:
 

gio

U19 Cricketer
He's hardly played this season. I think the plan was to have him wicket keep in Notts OD games, but with Chris Read being replaced in the England set up, that plan has been binned. And he's not been able to get into the side as just a batsman (and some occasional medium pace). Surprisingly, the supposedly less talented Samit Patel has played more for Notts. He was, and still is, the U-19 captain. He's more of an allrounder - a SLA as well as a middle order batsman.

Hopefully Shafayat will gets some chances towards the end of the season and start showing his supposed talent. Ian Bell was given similar hype and he seems to be delivering now (5 centuries, 1188 @ 84.85 so far this season). Fingers crossed that Shafayat will follow.
 

SpaceMonkey

International Debutant
gio said:
He's hardly played this season. I think the plan was to have him wicket keep in Notts OD games, but with Chris Read being replaced in the England set up, that plan has been binned. And he's not been able to get into the side as just a batsman (and some occasional medium pace). Surprisingly, the supposedly less talented Samit Patel has played more for Notts. He was, and still is, the U-19 captain. He's more of an allrounder - a SLA as well as a middle order batsman.

Hopefully Shafayat will gets some chances towards the end of the season and start showing his supposed talent. Ian Bell was given similar hype and he seems to be delivering now (5 centuries, 1188 @ 84.85 so far this season). Fingers crossed that Shafayat will follow.
Perfectly Said. I think the hype got to him a la Bell but he deffo has the talent. He just needs a good long run in the team for a year.
 

steds

Hall of Fame Member
I don't think he will play for England as soon as you all say, with Robert Key, Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell pressing for regular places, and Kevin Pietersen will be qualified to play for England soon. But, hopefully, he will play for England in the future and be a success, and perhaps even match Tendulkar.
 

SpaceMonkey

International Debutant
steds said:
I don't think he will play for England as soon as you all say, with Robert Key, Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell pressing for regular places, and Kevin Pietersen will be qualified to play for England soon. But, hopefully, he will play for England in the future and be a success, and perhaps even match Tendulkar.
He's no where near Tendulkar. Tendulkar was a freak that will rarely be repeated.
 

yaju

State Vice-Captain
The one thing that makes Tendulkar unique is his humbleness. He never says that I am the world's best batsman, I play really well, I wish to surpass this fellow, etc..

When people compare Sehwag with Sachin they never mention Sachin's humbleness. Everyone knows that Sehwag recently aimed at making 200, and didn't make even 2.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Bilal Shafayat, season by season
Can someone please tell me what all the fuss is about!!!!!!!!!
Why on Earth is someone who had 10 reasonably good First-Class games in 2001 and 2002 and has done virtually nothing in a one-day career given such talk-up as he routinely is.
At least with Bell he'd just averaged 50-odd in 2001 when it all started.
But exactly what has this fellow done to deserve predictions of becoming, essentially, an all-time great - not just on this board, but from people everywhere?
Surely it'd be nice for him to become good enough to play for Notts first?
Then maybe if he starts becoming good enough for them, then he can start, looking like a good county player.
Then maybe he might even start looking like a very good county player and one who might, just possibly, forge a successful Test-match career.
Then maybe he might start looking like a Test-batsman of the highest class, one who might average 50 (which in this day and age is no indcator of all-time great status).
As you can see, he's got just a bit to do yet!
 

steds

Hall of Fame Member
Richard said:
Can someone please tell me what all the fuss is about!!!!!!!!!
Talent. Thats what all the fuss is about

Do you enjoy being a contrary, critical, cynical, lemon-sucker?? Today you've put down Bilal Shafayat(this thread), Andrew Flintoff(thread-'is Andrew Flintoff overrated'), Omari Banks(thread-'What is so wrong with the West Indies?'), and Dinesh Mongia(thread-'kaif should be dropped from the Indian team?')
What's your problem, Richard?
 

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