slowfinger
International Debutant
I want you to see this video first : Muhammad Asif - King of Swing
It seems like his control of the ball was almost perfect, his game plan seemed impecable, he got just as many batsmen out through out thinking the batsman as he did through unplayable deliveries. It wasn't like he swung the ball 10 inches, or he bowled 85+ mph, he did neither, but there was always a threat, something in his arsenal. that kept him one step ahead of the batsman.
His average varies from 31 against England to 19 against Sri Lanka, which shows that he can sometimes struggle against more affluent teams, but strangely enough on flatter pitches (Sri Lanka, South Africa etc) he seems to take more wickets, apart from in Pakistan, which has let his average down somewhat.
But number crunching apart, the bowler that has me so confused it this guy, it seemed like he had it all. the skill was there, the fitness was there, the Board was allowing him to play but still he got into controversy after controversy, which speaks volumes about his character. How come his love for cricket didn't come first? It makes me very sad that he took the other side of life, his span so similar and typical of Pakistani's themselves, madly talented, but nowhere near hard working enough. Now he finds himself banned, at the age of 31, with seemingly no international cricket left.
My question remains though, had he, after starting in 2005, if he kept away from controversy, till now, 2014, been a legend, or close to? He would have had 9 years of cricket, possibly close to 70 or 80 games, ample time to adapt his game, or do you think he would have wilted? Amongst our best bowlers in Waqar and Wasim, possibly even Shoaib Akhtar, he was evidently up there in terms of talent, and ability, his pace aside, he was soooooo talented, im not even joking, it was disgusting how good his control was. So do you think he could have been one of the best? I think definitely.
It seems like his control of the ball was almost perfect, his game plan seemed impecable, he got just as many batsmen out through out thinking the batsman as he did through unplayable deliveries. It wasn't like he swung the ball 10 inches, or he bowled 85+ mph, he did neither, but there was always a threat, something in his arsenal. that kept him one step ahead of the batsman.
His average varies from 31 against England to 19 against Sri Lanka, which shows that he can sometimes struggle against more affluent teams, but strangely enough on flatter pitches (Sri Lanka, South Africa etc) he seems to take more wickets, apart from in Pakistan, which has let his average down somewhat.
But number crunching apart, the bowler that has me so confused it this guy, it seemed like he had it all. the skill was there, the fitness was there, the Board was allowing him to play but still he got into controversy after controversy, which speaks volumes about his character. How come his love for cricket didn't come first? It makes me very sad that he took the other side of life, his span so similar and typical of Pakistani's themselves, madly talented, but nowhere near hard working enough. Now he finds himself banned, at the age of 31, with seemingly no international cricket left.
My question remains though, had he, after starting in 2005, if he kept away from controversy, till now, 2014, been a legend, or close to? He would have had 9 years of cricket, possibly close to 70 or 80 games, ample time to adapt his game, or do you think he would have wilted? Amongst our best bowlers in Waqar and Wasim, possibly even Shoaib Akhtar, he was evidently up there in terms of talent, and ability, his pace aside, he was soooooo talented, im not even joking, it was disgusting how good his control was. So do you think he could have been one of the best? I think definitely.