Underrated Test Player - Saeed Anwar

[BazBall21]

I get that sample size is the main problem with Anwar (55 Tests played) and that might be why he isn’t talked about too much but this guy was a gun.

Two of his best knocks came in overseas wins over in India and South Africa and he also succeeded in England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, even did very well against Australia etc. To average 46 batting in the 90s overall with a nice balanced distribution of runs says it all.

Certainly looks the part whenever I watch footage of his batting too. Class act that looks in control of what he’s doing; has time, solid technique, all the tempos and shots all around the wicket etc. Shame that it seems it was mainly non-cricket issues that cost him what would likely have been a few stats-boosting years in the 2000s.

 

[mr_mister]

One of those players I'm always surprised played so few tests. Just remember him being Pakistan's premier opener for quite a while, played some notable innings and had a great ODI career too

 

[Chrish]

One of most elegant batsmen I saw.. His daughter’s death was tragic and he never fully recovered.

pakistn side in late 90s had so many quality players: Anwar, Yohana, Inzi etc. and amazing bowling attack. I can’t wrap my head around how little they achieved despite all the potential.

 

[Burgey]

Jeez he was a great player. Complete gun.

 

[Shady Slim]

Jeez he was a great player. Complete gun.

balancing out every bad thing you say about a nonwhite player with a good one doesn't make you not a racist fwiw

 

[Burgey]

I think we are all very grateful he was never called for chucking

 

[Burgey]

The other Pakistan bloke from that era I loved was Ijaz. Played a couple of seriously good knocks out here batting three. Had the wood chopper stance but got it done.

 

[Shady Slim]

I think we are all very grateful he was never called for chucking

i concur, though think it requires twelve pages of discussion to determine whether it would be racist to do this

(years from now new members will view this post with astonishment and yearn to learn of the zeitgeists of yore imho)

 

[trundler]

Had some bad luck with injuries IIRC and didn't play a test after losing his daughter. Heartbreaking really. Was never the same after as one would expect. Best opener of the '90s.

 

[honestbharani]

The other Pakistan bloke from that era I loved was Ijaz. Played a couple of seriously good knocks out here batting three. Had the wood chopper stance but got it done.

Ijaz bowled left arm mediums too early in his career. Seems like a style of bowling you almost never see these days.

 

[Burgey]

Had some bad luck with injuries IIRC and didn't play a test after losing his daughter. Heartbreaking really. Was never the same after as one would expect. Best opener of the '90s.

Yeah I think that’s a fair take on his place that decade. He was just quality.

i either forgot about his daughter or was unaware of what happened. Just read about it. Terrible.

 

[Burgey]

Ijaz bowled left arm mediums too early in his career. Seems like a style of bowling you almost never see these days.

Used to bowl left arm medium pace* myself back in the day. A lost art

*a very generous interpretation of the pace I bowled. I used to twirl the arms to hint at the skipper and he’d say “you wouldn’t get a bowl in a Chinese restaurant.” Harsh but fair tbh

 

[honestbharani]

Used to bowl left arm medium pace* myself back in the day. A lost art

*a very generous interpretation of the pace I bowled

I mean batsmen who can bowl bowling that style. There was a bit of hope with Brendon Nash but he fizzled out. Who was the RSA opener who used to do that?

 

[Burgey]

I mean batsmen who can bowl bowling that style. There was a bit of hope with Brendon Nash but he fizzled out. Who was the RSA opener who used to do that?

I can’t remember tbh. Nash was another bloke with a good story though. Unusual path to test cricket. Played a decent role for a while too.

 

[Shady Slim]

I mean batsmen who can bowl bowling that style. There was a bit of hope with Brendon Nash but he fizzled out. Who was the RSA opener who used to do that?

how fast is kyle mayers? i know that he's an allrounder but he's not particularly quick i don't think (@Beamer @GotSpin)

 

[Magrat Garlick]

how fast is kyle mayers? i know that he's an allrounder but he's not particularly quick i don't think (@Beamer @GotSpin)

105-110 iirc?

 

[nightprowler10]

Saeed is one of my all time favorites. One of the great cricket memories was being cooped up with the family in a cheap hotel in Islamabad waiting to hear back from the American consulate, but all my focus was on Saeed's 194 against India.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Certainly looks the part whenever I watch footage of his batting too. Class act that looks in control of what he’s doing; has time, solid technique, all the tempos and shots all around the wicket etc. Shame that it seems it was mainly non-cricket issues that cost him what would likely have been a few stats-boosting years in the 2000s.

anyway i'm unsure I want to open this can of worms but it has to be better than the previous one and I don't know much about this, was it personality clashes or politics or even weirder stuff

 

[honestbharani]

how fast is kyle mayers? i know that he's an allrounder but he's not particularly quick i don't think (@Beamer @GotSpin)

He is like a better Wavell Hinds, isn't he? But I was specifically talking about left arm medium. Not even medum-fast, just medium. Its somehow so rare, lol.

 

[honestbharani]

anyway i'm unsure I want to open this can of worms but it has to be better than the previous one and I don't know much about this, was it personality clashes or politics or even weirder stuff

He was famously neutral on the Waqar-Wasim feud. Think he lost his daughter in very tragic circumstances and just kinda gave up on cricket a bit.