Former Pakistani sailor Mohammad Asif alleged that the Pakistani pacemakers currently in New Zealand with the national team are much larger than the newspapers suggest.
Asif’s remarks came after Pakistan lost Test 1 to New Zealand by 101 runs, under the leadership of alternate captain Mohammad Rizwan. During a conversation with former goalie-batter and teammate Kamran Akmal on YouTube, Asif criticized the inability of bowlers to cast longer spells.
“They [current Pakistan bowlers] they are so old. It is written as 17-18 years old on paper, but they are actually between 27 and 28 years old. They don’t have the flexibility to throw 20-25 overs. They don’t know how to bend the body and they get stiff after a while. They can’t stand on the field after casting a 5-6 spell, ”Asif said without taking any names.
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Asif expressed his disappointment at the current crop of fast pitchers on the national team. He called them “children” who “have no knowledge” of bowling in international cricket.
“These kids don’t have the knowledge. They don’t know how to keep batters on the front foot, not hit a single, and how to bowl at wickets. When they try to jump over the portholes, go down the side of the leg. They are not in control, ”Asif said.
The former cricketer also recalled the time when legends such as Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan dominated Pakistan’s bowling attack. Asif himself had formed a powerful partnership with legendary sprinter Shoaib Akhtar during his playing days.
“I feel like it could have been 5-6 years since a fast pitcher took 10 wickets in a game. We used to salivate after seeing the fields like New Zealand. It wasn’t about leaving the ball as a fast pitcher. He never used to put the ball down before doing a five-wicket round, ”Asif said.
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Among the current group of Pakistani pacemakers serving in New Zealand, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah are 20 and 17 years old respectively. Mohammad Abbas is 30 and Faheem Ashraf is 26.
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