An analysis of Naseem Shah's first-class record prior to his international selection

[Slog]

Naseem Shah was selected as a 16 year old for the Australia test tour after playing 4 matches of the 2019-20 Quaid-e-Azam trophy (his first full debut season) where he had done well.

The reason given for his selection was that Naseem Shah is a generational talent who needs to be fast tracked into the national team since his talents will be wasted and not honed in FC cricket.

His stats for that season read as follows:

Matches: 4
Innings: 8
Overs bowled: 106.2
Wickets: 18
Runs Given: 347
Average: 19.27
BBM: 9/111

So he bowled only an average of 13 overs per innings. And went at 3.3 runs per over. And based on that he was selected for Test cricket where you know that no matter who you are you are bowling long spells. No wonder as Naseem has had to bowl longer spells, he has gotten progressively worse in terms of line, length and speed. He clearly lacks the stamina and concentration for long spells. And he has no discipline and leaks runs like no tomorrow. There really is no redeeming feature with this guy right now.

Now lets get to the second point. His average of 19.3 in the FC season prior to his selection was great. But it is not an average unheard of in domestic cricket. Heck, we have had some bowler like Sadaf Hussain, Mohammad Abbas, Hammad Azam, Tabish Khan etc average 20 season after season for several years but not gotten a call up. But Naseem did.

However, following from above, what really is the kicker is that the 19.3 bowling average comes entirely due to one game where he took 9 wickets. Remove that and his average for the season was 26+. Nothing specially meriting a call-up especially in case of an unproven talent with no experience. So that record wasn't a consistent record across 4 games. If you go back to his 2018/19 season where he made his FC debut, 7 of his 8 wickets for the season again came in one game.

Many years ago Sohail Khan took 10 wickets on his FC debut and there were calls for him to be selected immediately. But they were rightly not taken seriously since just a few games in the initial games aren't the basis for handing out international caps. He was rightly not picked since he was not ready. The same was the case with Naseem Shah.

Naseem Shah is getting a lot of flak but he did not select himself. He deserves some of the ire due to needless tall claims and statements when he should have shut up and tried to learn on the job. But the majority of the blame lies with Misbah (chief selector and head coach at time of Naeem's call up) and Waqar. They selected a teenager (along with Musa) to appease the Pakistani fans and distract them with topi-drama of 'young team', 'exciting talent' and 'building for future', when they knew themselves that these cricketers are not ready. Besides its not a young team anyway.

 

[Savak]

Waqar selected the bowling line up for the tour to Australia in 2019 on the basis of a two day bowling camp in Lahore during the middle of the domestic season. He even personally promoted the likes of Naseem Shah, Hasnain, Musa on his twitter calling them the future of the Pakistani bowling line up even before the selectors picked them.

Apparently Tabish Khan the bowler with loads of domestic experience and history of topping the charts also got called up to the camp but Waqar snubbed him and even told that even though you are perhaps the most skillful, capable out of all these bowlers, but you are too old now and your time is up, tough luck

Its criminal who Waqar is able to get away with such grotesque mis management

 

[Varun]

Wow, somebody is on the warpath against Mr. Shah.

The lesson to be learned here is to stop getting excited about greenhorns and younglings until they've played - minimum 50 FC games or 10 tests or 20 ODIs. Until then, continue holding your breath.

 

[aloo paratha]

We need to stop fast tracking kids into international cricket. There should be a soft rule where a player shall not be selected unless they have 15+ FC games or 25+ List A/T20 games, depending on the format.

 

[Slog]

We need to stop fast tracking kids into international cricket. There should be a soft rule where a player shall not be selected unless they have 15+ FC games or 25+ List A/T20 games, depending on the format.

Either we fast track then as teenagers when they aren’t clearly ready or developed or we select them at 30+ when they are already pet their peak. Why can’t we be like normal teams and select the middle ground.

 

[Titan24]

Either we fast track then as teenagers when they aren’t clearly ready or developed or we select them at 30+ when they are already pet their peak. Why can’t we be like normal teams and select the middle ground.

But, if we will be normal how will we maintain the famous tag of unpredictability which some people in management, players and ex players love more than the wins.

 

[Plumb]

Just like any other cricket. Naseem Shah was hyped. Unless he spent 2 season in domestic and prove his worth I would not select him ever again in tests. More than Naseem I blame the so called our legends who hyped him to be the future, time and time again we pick wrong player at the wrong time.

Wit the continues failure of our test/odi teams I see the pattern of picking wrong players at worng time/format. I believe we have a problem in identifying what is a "talent".

 

[Titan24]

Naseem Shah is getting a lot of flak but he did not select himself. He deserves some of the ire due to needless tall claims and statements when he should have shut up and tried to learn on the job. But the majority of the blame lies with Misbah (chief selector and head coach at time of Naeem's call up) and Waqar. They selected a teenager (along with Musa) to appease the Pakistani fans and distract them with topi-drama of 'young team', 'exciting talent' and 'building for future', when they knew themselves that these cricketers are not ready. Besides its not a young team anyway.

Absolutely. Such kind of decision making in any field would either need a very solid reasoning to back it up or person wont be in that position anymore.

People dont realize its not just the cost of playing them in international cricket which Pak cricket had to bear but, impact and halt in the careers of such young players also comes under the collateral damage.

 

[wajid]

Waqar selected the bowling line up for the tour to Australia in 2019 on the basis of a two day bowling camp in Lahore during the middle of the domestic season. He even personally promoted the likes of Naseem Shah, Hasnain, Musa on his twitter calling them the future of the Pakistani bowling line up even before the selectors picked them.

Apparently Tabish Khan the bowler with loads of domestic experience and history of topping the charts also got called up to the camp but Waqar snubbed him and even told that even though you are perhaps the most skillful, capable out of all these bowlers, but you are too old now and your time is up, tough luck

Its criminal who Waqar is able to get away with such grotesque mis management

Grotesque mentality. Can’t help fuming.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Wow, somebody is on the warpath against Mr. Shah.

The lesson to be learned here is to stop getting excited about greenhorns and younglings until they've played - minimum 50 FC games or 10 tests or 20 ODIs. Until then, continue holding your breath.

The lesson is to not play undercooked cricketers against top teams. Can get away with it against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka, but against top teams you need a bit of experience.

Naseem just doesnt know how to set up batsmen, neither does Shaheen for that matter. But Shaheen has superior skills, which is why he doesnt look half as bad.

 

[Markhor]

Waqar selected the bowling line up for the tour to Australia in 2019 on the basis of a two day bowling camp in Lahore during the middle of the domestic season. He even personally promoted the likes of Naseem Shah, Hasnain, Musa on his twitter calling them the future of the Pakistani bowling line up even before the selectors picked them.

Apparently Tabish Khan the bowler with loads of domestic experience and history of topping the charts also got called up to the camp but Waqar snubbed him and even told that even though you are perhaps the most skillful, capable out of all these bowlers, but you are too old now and your time is up, tough luck

Its criminal who Waqar is able to get away with such grotesque mis management

So Tabish is too old yet Waqar okayed the selections of 36 year old Sohail Khan and 33 year old Imran Khan ?

Logic truly out the window.

We need to stop fast tracking kids into international cricket. There should be a soft rule where a player shall not be selected unless they have 15+ FC games or 25+ List A/T20 games, depending on the format.

A batsman should score minimum 900+ runs in two seasons of FC cricket and a bowler should be in top 5 wicket-takers for two seasons minimum. Obviously you'll also need to assess technical and fitness aspects too.

However any callup needs numbers to back themselves up, not vague claims of "raw talunt".

 

[Slog]

The lesson is to not play undercooked cricketers against top teams. Can get away with it against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka, but against top teams you need a bit of experience.

Naseem just doesnt know how to set up batsmen, neither does Shaheen for that matter. But Shaheen has superior skills, which is why he doesnt look half as bad.

Do you agree that even his record in the limited sample set we have wasn’t worthy of a call up and his international performances have shown all the issues we could have gleaned from 4 FC games?

He went at 3.3 an over which is terrible in domestic cricket. He’s been leaking runs at international level.

He bowled on average of 13 overs an innings. He hasn’t shownthe ability to bowl long spells and maintain standards at international level.

He tends to take wickets in bunches rather than consistent performances. At international level 10 of his 20 wickets have come in 2 games.

 

[ManFan]

Listen, Waqar selected Naseem based on how Imran selected Waqar.

Waqar, got smashed in the game IK watched while injured and had a decent domestic record.

The difference between the two is the era, where professionalism is greatly required and the use of reverse swing.

The issue of reverse swing, well, I’ll leave that to posters to discuss.

 

[Slog]

Listen, Waqar selected Naseem based on how Imran selected Waqar.

Waqar, got smashed in the game IK watched while injured and had a decent domestic record.

The difference between the two is the era, where professionalism is greatly required and the use of reverse swing.

The issue of reverse swing, well, I’ll leave that to posters to discuss.

Well standards were very different In 1989 compared to 2019. Also Misbah was chief selector. He made the final decision. Not bowling coach.

 

[Abid Z]

Either we fast track then as teenagers when they aren’t clearly ready or developed or we select them at 30+ when they are already pet their peak. Why can’t we be like normal teams and select the middle ground.

30+ selections are normally batsmen. Picking 19/20 yo bowlers is not bad in itself provided as you say they’ve played a good amount of games prior. However the key point with bowlers has to be this. Can they
1) maintain good control of where they wanna put the ball. I.e top of off stump is fine but are they able to have a well disguised bouncer to push a batsman back even if he decides to step out to you
2) is the bowler able to beat both sides of the bat. Move the ball in and out.
3) does the bowler have at least 81/82mph speed while maintaining an accurate line and length
4) does the bowler have enough stamina to bowl 20 over in a day without dropping in any of the 3 points above.
Cutters and other variations are optional extras.

Now I know Naseems selection for Australia was forced upon us by the retirement of wahab and amir but what I can’t for the life of me understand is why our bowling coaches aren’t developing any of the bench in this regard. There’s a bunch of new younger bowlers and a bunch of discards ie Rahat Ali, ehsan adil etc that have been set aside for good reason but seems again and again we are going everywhere with the same undeveloped attack and if for some reason Naseem doesn’t click his replacement is awful too.

Almost every team in the world now knows abbas has an average of over 100 if you step out to him, shaheen won’t often move the ball away from rhb. And Naseem is just a younger version of SAMI but not as quick.

Infact it’s time to forgive Sami’s 50 plus average and see if he can come back. He’s better than all this lot.

 

[Slog]

30+ selections are normally batsmen. Picking 19/20 yo bowlers is not bad in itself provided as you say they’ve played a good amount of games prior. However the key point with bowlers has to be this. Can they
1) maintain good control of where they wanna put the ball. I.e top of off stump is fine but are they able to have a well disguised bouncer to push a batsman back even if he decides to step out to you
2) is the bowler able to beat both sides of the bat. Move the ball in and out.
3) does the bowler have at least 81/82mph speed while maintaining an accurate line and length
4) does the bowler have enough stamina to bowl 20 over in a day without dropping in any of the 3 points above.
Cutters and other variations are optional extras.

Now I know Naseems selection for Australia was forced upon us by the retirement of wahab and amir but what I can’t for the life of me understand is why our bowling coaches aren’t developing any of the bench in this regard. There’s a bunch of new younger bowlers and a bunch of discards ie Rahat Ali, ehsan adil etc that have been set aside for good reason but seems again and again we are going everywhere with the same undeveloped attack and if for some reason Naseem doesn’t click his replacement is awful too.

Almost every team in the world now knows abbas has an average of over 100 if you step out to him, shaheen won’t often move the ball away from rhb. And Naseem is just a younger version of SAMI but not as quick.

Infact it’s time to forgive Sami’s 50 plus average and see if he can come back. He’s better than all this lot.

It’s not fair to compare Sami and Naseem right now. Sami in his initial games was tearing apart lineups. Naseem never got thrrr

 

[Hasan123]

It’s clear to see he has been thrown into the deep end when he isn’t ready and doesn’t have the required skill set. One thing I must say that is worrying me right now is that I don’t think he is very good. If he can go back to domestic cricket and pick up wickets and show some improvement in skill, he can prove me wrong and come back to international cricket a better player.

 

[Titan24]

It’s not fair to compare Sami and Naseem right now. Sami in his initial games was tearing apart lineups. Naseem never got thrrr

To be honest even Sami wasn't tearing apart any decent lineups either otherwise Naseem has also got a 5fer and a hatrick in test cricket in his first few matches. You have to perform against quality batting lineups to differentiate yourself.

 

[kingusama92]

I think it's important to look at his entire body of work as a bowling prospect. There's a reason he skyrocketed up the ranks including getting such a young FC debut.

Slog has a fair point, but let's not assume he was blindly picked with no track record beyond a few FC matches.

PEPSI U-16 Tournament - 6.90 AVG (9 Matches)
U-19 Three-Day Tournament - 6.40 AVG (2 Matches)
Patron's Trophy - 21.40 AVG (3 Matches)
Inter Region Three-Day Tournament - 17.07 AVG (4 Matches)

There are several other tournaments in between, but I won't list all of them. He pretty much excelled in every game he played even as a young teen. It wasn't just the stats, he was passing the eye test too.

This is when his name started making the rounds and he earned a spot in FC cricket.

Debut FC Season - 10.25 AVG (2 Matches)
Second FC Season - 19.27 AVG (4 Matches)

Putting him down as an unjust or illogical selection is unfair. It's rare for a prospect to be as good as he was especially among his age group.

The wickets he was taking included some of the biggest names in Pakistan cricket including current Test cricketers. Not just taking wickets but absolutely schooling them with pace, movement, and bounce.

The changes to his run-up and action have led to some issues at the international level. He will have to go back to domestic cricket and work on this, which is okay for a young bowling prospect.

 

[Abid Z]

It’s not fair to compare Sami and Naseem right now. Sami in his initial games was tearing apart lineups. Naseem never got thrrr

That’s true. Plus Sami bowled alongside some great bowlers.
Nevertheless the comparison is with waywardness and introduction of youthful speedsters. Bowlers plucked out and thrust into the international arena because of pace and pace alone. These are all half baked bowlers and fail more often than not. Waqar is the only youthful speedster that’s been consistently successful from his early career but playing fewer cricket matches in the early 1990’s may have something to do with it

 

[ManFan]

Well standards were very different In 1989 compared to 2019. Also Misbah was chief selector. He made the final decision. Not bowling coach.

Misbah obviously has left the job of bowlers to Waqar. They are really two peas in a pod.

Waqar has even less intelligence in identifying the right talent than Misbah.

Naseem is an unfinished product and there is no shame in it for everyone to admit and pick him when he is ready.

 

[Slog]

I think it's important to look at his entire body of work as a bowling prospect. There's a reason he skyrocketed up the ranks including getting such a young FC debut.

Slog has a fair point, but let's not assume he was blindly picked with no track record beyond a few FC matches.

PEPSI U-16 Tournament - 6.90 AVG (9 Matches)
U-19 Three-Day Tournament - 6.40 AVG (2 Matches)
Patron's Trophy - 21.40 AVG (3 Matches)
Inter Region Three-Day Tournament - 17.07 AVG (4 Matches)

There are several other tournaments in between, but I won't list all of them. He pretty much excelled in every game he played even as a young teen. It wasn't just the stats, he was passing the eye test too.

This is when his name started making the rounds and he earned a spot in FC cricket.

Debut FC Season - 10.25 AVG (2 Matches)
Second FC Season - 19.27 AVG (4 Matches)

Putting him down as an unjust or illogical selection is unfair. It's rare for a prospect to be as good as he was especially among his age group.

The wickets he was taking included some of the biggest names in Pakistan cricket including current Test cricketers. Not just taking wickets but absolutely schooling them with pace, movement, and bounce.

The changes to his run-up and action have led to some issues at the international level. He will have to go back to domestic cricket and work on this, which is okay for a young bowling prospect.

Still don’t think those games were enough. 6 FC games are just not enough especially when almost half of your wickets are in 2 of those FC games.

There is a huge step up in level to international cricket from the other tournaments you listed. It is genuinely competing on a different stratosphere.

Out of curiosity what is this U16 Pepsi tournament and where did you get the stats? Any batsmen we may have heard of? I don’t know how much stock to put in a tournament where you’re bowling to what will likely be genuine 14 year olds. Even from U19 international level, majority of the youngsters never make it to international cricket. This is a domestic Under 16 tournament. This genuinely would have no value imo.

 

[Abdullah719]

[table=class:grid][tr][td]Name[/td][td]Wkts[/td][td]Ave[/td][td]SR[/td][td]Econ[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tabish Khan[/td][td]25[/td][td]40.92[/td][td]71.08[/td][td]3.45[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sohail Khan[/td][td]22[/td][td]39.77[/td][td]69.23[/td][td]3.45[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Waqas Ahmed[/td][td]21[/td][td]39.57[/td][td]70.10[/td][td]3.39[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Rahat Ali[/td][td]19[/td][td]36.63[/td][td]62.79[/td][td]3.50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Naseem Shah[/td][td]18[/td][td]19.28[/td][td]35.44[/td][td]3.26[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ehsan Adil[/td][td]18[/td][td]32.67[/td][td]69.67[/td][td]2.81[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Taj Wali[/td][td]17[/td][td]45.82[/td][td]76.71[/td][td]3.58[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Aizaz Cheema[/td][td]16[/td][td]31.06[/td][td]53.56[/td][td]3.48[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Junaid Khan[/td][td]16[/td][td]42.69[/td][td]68.06[/td][td]3.76[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sadaf Hussain[/td][td]16[/td][td]50.31[/td][td]96.94[/td][td]3.11[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Usman Khan Shinwari[/td][td]15[/td][td]25.33[/td][td]50.00[/td][td]3.04[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mir Hamza[/td][td]14[/td][td]50.43[/td][td]87.43[/td][td]3.46[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Anwar Ali[/td][td]12[/td][td]33.92[/td][td]66.00[/td][td]3.08[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bilawal Bhatti[/td][td]12[/td][td]35.00[/td][td]53.42[/td][td]3.93[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Khurram Shahzad[/td][td]12[/td][td]54.67[/td][td]85.58[/td][td]3.83[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Amad Butt[/td][td]11[/td][td]45.73[/td][td]74.55[/td][td]3.68[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Waqas Maqsood[/td][td]10[/td][td]47.80[/td][td]90.00[/td][td]3.19[/td][/tr][/table]

Naseem was far better than any of the pacers last season. That probably caught the eye of the management since 2019/20 was the most batting-friendly season in ages (average 38.43 per wicket, 41 for fast bowlers). In comparison, the last 10 seasons of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy saw bowlers picking up wickets at an average of 25, and pretty much all of the kings of that system were exposed in the new conditions.

I think things will become more normalized in the future, and performances will be given more credence at the domestic level. Hopefully, that will lead to a more normalized approach, where bowlers are selected after a reasonable amount of exposure at the domestic level. Unfortunately, the FC ‘achievements’ of the last 10 years don’t seem to count for much for the management, and it could be argued that’s the right approach.

To get an idea of how useless the old FC system was, one just needs to look at the numbers. In 2017, bowlers averaged 21 runs per wicket. In 2018, it was 23. The standards were so low that even if a bowler averages 20 for the season in such a scenario, his wickets are practically worthless because his performance is just about average. Even Abbas was only selected after he picked up around 150 wickets in 3 years, averaging 15, and very few bowlers come close to that level of performances in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

For the South Africa series, it would be surprising if Hasan Ali and Waqas Maqsood don’t make it to the squad. Both finished the season with 40+ wickets at an average of ~20, which is considerably better than the season average of 32 for pacers.

 

[Savak]

I agree, pacers should play at-least 2 seasons of first class cricket with respectable performances with the bulk of the games being 4-5 day games before they get called up to the national side.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

I think it's important to look at his entire body of work as a bowling prospect. There's a reason he skyrocketed up the ranks including getting such a young FC debut.

Slog has a fair point, but let's not assume he was blindly picked with no track record beyond a few FC matches.

PEPSI U-16 Tournament - 6.90 AVG (9 Matches)
U-19 Three-Day Tournament - 6.40 AVG (2 Matches)
Patron's Trophy - 21.40 AVG (3 Matches)
Inter Region Three-Day Tournament - 17.07 AVG (4 Matches)

There are several other tournaments in between, but I won't list all of them. He pretty much excelled in every game he played even as a young teen. It wasn't just the stats, he was passing the eye test too.

This is when his name started making the rounds and he earned a spot in FC cricket.

Debut FC Season - 10.25 AVG (2 Matches)
Second FC Season - 19.27 AVG (4 Matches)

Putting him down as an unjust or illogical selection is unfair. It's rare for a prospect to be as good as he was especially among his age group.

The wickets he was taking included some of the biggest names in Pakistan cricket including current Test cricketers. Not just taking wickets but absolutely schooling them with pace, movement, and bounce.

The changes to his run-up and action have led to some issues at the international level. He will have to go back to domestic cricket and work on this, which is okay for a young bowling prospect.

this.

I may agree that he maybe should have played more first class for a year or so, but the talent was never to be doubted.

People are quick to jump on Naseem at his absolute lowest, after action modification, and pace reduction. If you want to have a problem with someone it should be with the management for selecting him for the playing XI while he’s still undergoing action rehabilitation and getting used to it, or with the management for shortening his runup in the first place, or for failing to address issues in hip and foot alignment and pivot at the crease.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

this.

I may agree that he maybe should have played more first class for a year or so, but the talent was never to be doubted.

People are quick to jump on Naseem at his absolute lowest, after action modification, and pace reduction. If you want to have a problem with someone it should be with the management for selecting him for the playing XI while he’s still undergoing action rehabilitation and getting used to it, or with the management for shortening his runup in the first place, or for failing to address issues in hip and foot alignment and pivot at the crease.

Dont give heed to the OP, and the rest of the sorry bunch's agenda based bashing.
Most of these guys are hardly in the loop sbout anything.
They are having a great time trampling on a guy who has been hard done by the coaching staff and has lost his way as a result.
However, I expect Naseem to bounce back, provided he sees an actual bowling coach, not PE teacher Wicky Bhai.

 

[Slog]

this.

I may agree that he maybe should have played more first class for a year or so, but the talent was never to be doubted.

People are quick to jump on Naseem at his absolute lowest, after action modification, and pace reduction. If you want to have a problem with someone it should be with the management for selecting him for the playing XI while he’s still undergoing action rehabilitation and getting used to it, or with the management for shortening his runup in the first place, or for failing to address issues in hip and foot alignment and pivot at the crease.

People are always ready to make excuses for this mediocre talent. If Pepsi Under 16 tournament is basis to call up to international cricket then Allah hi hafiz hai.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

People are always ready to make excuses for this mediocre talent. If Pepsi Under 16 tournament is basis to call up to international cricket then Allah hi hafiz hai.

You didn’t address the points I actually made in the post

 

[Slog]

You didn’t address the points I actually made in the post

There’s no real point. You’ve just pointed his basic technical issues and international cricket isn’t place to fix these basic issues.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

There’s no real point. You’ve just pointed his basic technical issues and international cricket isn’t place to fix these basic issues.

I agree it’s not the place. But Naseem is not the one to blame and he continues to retain the talent we saw in him a year ago, with the shortened runup massacring his rhythm and making him look half the bowler with twice the no balls.

The issue is with the lack of a proper bowling coach who understands the technicals of the game.

 

[Bigboii]

In loop, out of loop
Technical problems or no technical problem
Agenda or no agenda

Was he taking 2-3 per innings on a consistent basis?

No than kick him PCT is not the place to learn

Simple as that

People need to stop being apologists and see the truth with open eyes

 

[Slog]

In loop, out of loop
Technical problems or no technical problem
Agenda or no agenda

Was he taking 2-3 per innings on a consistent basis?

No than kick him PCT is not the place to learn

Simple as that

People need to stop being apologists and see the truth with open eyes

Yea. Too many apologists for him

 

[kingusama92]

Still don’t think those games were enough. 6 FC games are just not enough especially when almost half of your wickets are in 2 of those FC games.

There is a huge step up in level to international cricket from the other tournaments you listed. It is genuinely competing on a different stratosphere.

Out of curiosity what is this U16 Pepsi tournament and where did you get the stats? Any batsmen we may have heard of? I don’t know how much stock to put in a tournament where you’re bowling to what will likely be genuine 14-year-olds. Even from U19 international level, majority of the youngsters never make it to international cricket. This is a domestic Under 16 tournament. This genuinely would have no value imo.

My point was, it's not fair to just look at his FC matches. He's a prospect with considerable history.

There are several players who play one "talent hunt" tournament, do well, and then get picked for FC squads like their dad runs the team. Naseem is not one of them and shouldn't be lumped in that group.

When he first tried out, Naseem stood out in the nets and that's when he found a spot in the U-16 tournaments. He completely dominated those tournaments (regardless of skill level) and was the best player on show let alone bowler. I assure you, a lot of talented cricketing prospects have gone through these tournaments and they don't perform like Naseem did.

Naturally, this meant they pushed him up a rank.

He went on and dominated those matches too including various three-day cricket tournaments. I believe he only had one "below-par" tournament where he averaged 30+ in a couple of matches but everything else was elite. It got to the point, they couldn't ignore him any longer and realized FC cricket was a must for someone of his caliber.

This is when he joined FC cricket and played those 6 matches across two seasons. In these FC matches, he kept doing well including getting the likes of Fawad Alam, Abid Ali, and other Test level players out.

When you see such momentum in terms of performances, it becomes a lot easier to want to fast track a bowling prospect. Plus, as I mentioned before, he was passing the eye test too throughout the process. It wasn't some trundler running up and picking wickets through pure luck.

This is why he got selected.

Now, what has happened after is unfortunate and you have noted those points well. The run-up change, action modifications, and of course the limited extended spells in FC cricket have caught up to him. There is nothing wrong with this and it's not a disaster at all. He can go back to domestic cricket, re-learn his craft, perform, and make his way back.

I just wanted to show he is the real deal as a prospect and has a backstory of 3-4 years worth of performances at different levels. This isn't a guy who was just backed because of his age. I won't speak on behalf of the selectors (maybe all they looked at was his age lol) but his backers saw a talented bowling prospect with tremendous skill.

Whether it's injuries or the technical changes, it's a sad sight to see what he's trending towards if not sent back to domestic cricket. This is not only bad for the national team but a terrible look for the entire system.

What type of information is being passed through about these prospects to the national coaches?

Does Waqar Younis know what the prospect's history is, what changes were already made, and what training program was already in place for Naseem? I highly doubt Waqar and co. know anything except what they're seeing in front of their eyes and that's pathetic.

This is actually why I think the point of giving him more FC experience is valid. If the coaches are going to mess around with you, it is a lot easier to get influenced when you don't have FC experience to look back at. You won't know what's best for you and that's what seems to be happening with Naseem.

This is a real loss for Pakistan cricket.

I'm 100% sure they would have lost Babar Azam too. It's his own determination that has led him to grow as a prospect. He has often mentioned the amount of work he's done on his own and that's sad. Why is the coaching/development at such a pathetic level? You are going to lose so many prospects this way.

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

Waqar still lives in his own lalaland. He still thinks pace alone can dismantle teams. During Imran, there was no professionalism. If you could bowl fast and 'extract' reverse swing, you were good enough. No wonder except Wasim most of our bowlers were better off with the older ball. This does not apply anymore in this day and age. Hence the likes of Naseem are suffering. The likes of KW would be devouring pace for their breakfast. Heck even Zimbabwe would play well if they have enough video assessments of all the bowlers.

Bottomline is that only discipline and the art of setup will yield results in the modern era. Waqar maynot be the ideal person to coach this to the youngsters.

 

[Slog]

My point was, it's not fair to just look at his FC matches. He's a prospect with considerable history.

There are several players who play one "talent hunt" tournament, do well, and then get picked for FC squads like their dad runs the team. Naseem is not one of them and shouldn't be lumped in that group.

When he first tried out, Naseem stood out in the nets and that's when he found a spot in the U-16 tournaments. He completely dominated those tournaments (regardless of skill level) and was the best player on show let alone bowler. I assure you, a lot of talented cricketing prospects have gone through these tournaments and they don't perform like Naseem did.

Naturally, this meant they pushed him up a rank.

He went on and dominated those matches too including various three-day cricket tournaments. I believe he only had one "below-par" tournament where he averaged 30+ in a couple of matches but everything else was elite. It got to the point, they couldn't ignore him any longer and realized FC cricket was a must for someone of his caliber.

This is when he joined FC cricket and played those 6 matches across two seasons. In these FC matches, he kept doing well including getting the likes of Fawad Alam, Abid Ali, and other Test level players out.

When you see such momentum in terms of performances, it becomes a lot easier to want to fast track a bowling prospect. Plus, as I mentioned before, he was passing the eye test too throughout the process. It wasn't some trundler running up and picking wickets through pure luck.

This is why he got selected.

Now, what has happened after is unfortunate and you have noted those points well. The run-up change, action modifications, and of course the limited extended spells in FC cricket have caught up to him. There is nothing wrong with this and it's not a disaster at all. He can go back to domestic cricket, re-learn his craft, perform, and make his way back.

I just wanted to show he is the real deal as a prospect and has a backstory of 3-4 years worth of performances at different levels. This isn't a guy who was just backed because of his age. I won't speak on behalf of the selectors (maybe all they looked at was his age lol) but his backers saw a talented bowling prospect with tremendous skill.

Whether it's injuries or the technical changes, it's a sad sight to see what he's trending towards if not sent back to domestic cricket. This is not only bad for the national team but a terrible look for the entire system.

What type of information is being passed through about these prospects to the national coaches?

Does Waqar Younis know what the prospect's history is, what changes were already made, and what training program was already in place for Naseem? I highly doubt Waqar and co. know anything except what they're seeing in front of their eyes and that's pathetic.

This is actually why I think the point of giving him more FC experience is valid. If the coaches are going to mess around with you, it is a lot easier to get influenced when you don't have FC experience to look back at. You won't know what's best for you and that's what seems to be happening with Naseem.

This is a real loss for Pakistan cricket.

I'm 100% sure they would have lost Babar Azam too. It's his own determination that has led him to grow as a prospect. He has often mentioned the amount of work he's done on his own and that's sad. Why is the coaching/development at such a pathetic level? You are going to lose so many prospects this way.

Most of what you say makes senses. But there is no justification to fast track someone into national team based on under 16 district tournaments.

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

By the way don't worry. We'll come back to Pakistan, prepare some spin pitches and win against South Africa and Zimbabwe again. All will be forgotten and forgiven.

 

[happydavy]

- Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make them talented..Perhaps replace gods with PPers..

 

[Savak]

Waqar still lives in his own lalaland. He still thinks pace alone can dismantle teams. During Imran, there was no professionalism. If you could bowl fast and 'extract' reverse swing, you were good enough. No wonder except Wasim most of our bowlers were better off with the older ball. This does not apply anymore in this day and age. Hence the likes of Naseem are suffering. The likes of KW would be devouring pace for their breakfast. Heck even Zimbabwe would play well if they have enough video assessments of all the bowlers.

Bottomline is that only discipline and the art of setup will yield results in the modern era. Waqar maynot be the ideal person to coach this to the youngsters.

Tbh reverse swing was a novelty in the 80's and early 90's and Waqar took maximum benefit from it. When batsmen started to adapt to reverse swing, his inswinging yorkers were no longer that effective and when he completely lost his special pace, he became an ordinary bowler.

Waqar as coach based on what i have seen does not follow the Imran doctrine. He encourages line and length, full pitched stuff, sacrificing pace for some control. I mean the bowlers right now are just doing net balling where they will blindly bowl on the channel for 6 deliveries out of 6 wasting the new ball which Asif talked about. Even Starc mixes it up with yorkers, back of a length, bouncers, he knows how to set the batsman up for the full pitched inswinger or bouncer whereas our bowlers are totally clueless in this regard

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

Tbh reverse swing was a novelty in the 80's and early 90's and Waqar took maximum benefit from it. When batsmen started to adapt to reverse swing, his inswinging yorkers were no longer that effective and when he completely lost his special pace, he became an ordinary bowler.

Waqar as coach based on what i have seen does not follow the Imran doctrine. He encourages line and length, full pitched stuff, sacrificing pace for some control. I mean the bowlers right now are just doing net balling where they will blindly bowl on the channel for 6 deliveries out of 6 wasting the new ball which Asif talked about. Even Starc mixes it up with yorkers, back of a length, bouncers, he knows how to set the batsman up for the full pitched inswinger or bouncer whereas our bowlers are totally clueless in this regard

I agree to what you say and to add to it, with the advent of PSL and domestic matches available to global audience, there is no surprise element anymore. Each bowler is studied even before their debut.

 

[PerfectionPersonified]

waqar and misbah hyped him and now will dump him destroying his career. The kid should have been in domestic circuit buidling expererience.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

waqar and misbah hyped him and now will dump him destroying his career. The kid should have been in domestic circuit buidling expererience.

For a second I thought you were talking about Abdullah Shafique. What a shame, same story over and over again.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Waqar selected the bowling line up for the tour to Australia in 2019 on the basis of a two day bowling camp in Lahore during the middle of the domestic season. He even personally promoted the likes of Naseem Shah, Hasnain, Musa on his twitter calling them the future of the Pakistani bowling line up even before the selectors picked them.

Apparently Tabish Khan the bowler with loads of domestic experience and history of topping the charts also got called up to the camp but Waqar snubbed him and even told that even though you are perhaps the most skillful, capable out of all these bowlers, but you are too old now and your time is up, tough luck

Its criminal who Waqar is able to get away with such grotesque mis management

Waqar needs to get fired ASAP.

 

[Ity699]

Waqar and Misbah need to get fired for not realizing that he is not ready for international cricket, you could tell after the Australian series he was no where near and should have been taken out of the firing line:

To succeed in international cricket Naseem lacks the skills as with Husnain and Musa all they have in common is normal pace of a international bowler which waqar buzzes off. Not sure what he is teaching them, but looks like he's doing nothing. Skills they all lack or don't have or use are listed below:

1. No inswing
2. No outswing
3. No consistent line n length
4. No seam
5. No reverse swing
6. No cutters
7. No Yorkers
8. No pace variations
9. No use of the crease

Just pace which is of no use in test cricket on its own. Due to this he cant take any wickets

Domestic proven bowlers must be given a chance until these guys prove them selves in domestic cricket. I.e like Hassan Ali, Waqas Maqsood

 

[JaDed]

[table=class:grid][tr][td]Name[/td][td]Wkts[/td][td]Ave[/td][td]SR[/td][td]Econ[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tabish Khan[/td][td]25[/td][td]40.92[/td][td]71.08[/td][td]3.45[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sohail Khan[/td][td]22[/td][td]39.77[/td][td]69.23[/td][td]3.45[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Waqas Ahmed[/td][td]21[/td][td]39.57[/td][td]70.10[/td][td]3.39[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Rahat Ali[/td][td]19[/td][td]36.63[/td][td]62.79[/td][td]3.50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Naseem Shah[/td][td]18[/td][td]19.28[/td][td]35.44[/td][td]3.26[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ehsan Adil[/td][td]18[/td][td]32.67[/td][td]69.67[/td][td]2.81[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Taj Wali[/td][td]17[/td][td]45.82[/td][td]76.71[/td][td]3.58[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Aizaz Cheema[/td][td]16[/td][td]31.06[/td][td]53.56[/td][td]3.48[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Junaid Khan[/td][td]16[/td][td]42.69[/td][td]68.06[/td][td]3.76[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sadaf Hussain[/td][td]16[/td][td]50.31[/td][td]96.94[/td][td]3.11[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Usman Khan Shinwari[/td][td]15[/td][td]25.33[/td][td]50.00[/td][td]3.04[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mir Hamza[/td][td]14[/td][td]50.43[/td][td]87.43[/td][td]3.46[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Anwar Ali[/td][td]12[/td][td]33.92[/td][td]66.00[/td][td]3.08[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bilawal Bhatti[/td][td]12[/td][td]35.00[/td][td]53.42[/td][td]3.93[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Khurram Shahzad[/td][td]12[/td][td]54.67[/td][td]85.58[/td][td]3.83[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Amad Butt[/td][td]11[/td][td]45.73[/td][td]74.55[/td][td]3.68[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Waqas Maqsood[/td][td]10[/td][td]47.80[/td][td]90.00[/td][td]3.19[/td][/tr][/table]

Naseem was far better than any of the pacers last season. That probably caught the eye of the management since 2019/20 was the most batting-friendly season in ages (average 38.43 per wicket, 41 for fast bowlers). In comparison, the last 10 seasons of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy saw bowlers picking up wickets at an average of 25, and pretty much all of the kings of that system were exposed in the new conditions.

I think things will become more normalized in the future, and performances will be given more credence at the domestic level. Hopefully, that will lead to a more normalized approach, where bowlers are selected after a reasonable amount of exposure at the domestic level. Unfortunately, the FC ‘achievements’ of the last 10 years don’t seem to count for much for the management, and it could be argued that’s the right approach.

To get an idea of how useless the old FC system was, one just needs to look at the numbers. In 2017, bowlers averaged 21 runs per wicket. In 2018, it was 23. The standards were so low that even if a bowler averages 20 for the season in such a scenario, his wickets are practically worthless because his performance is just about average. Even Abbas was only selected after he picked up around 150 wickets in 3 years, averaging 15, and very few bowlers come close to that level of performances in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

For the South Africa series, it would be surprising if Hasan Ali and Waqas Maqsood don’t make it to the squad. Both finished the season with 40+ wickets at an average of ~20, which is considerably better than the season average of 32 for pacers.

On what basis is Sohail Khan being called for his inclusion if those are his stats and wow Naseem did deserve the hype.. those are some next level stats, also is that the same Anwar Ali?

 

[Abdullah719]

On what basis is Sohail Khan being called for his inclusion if those are his stats and wow Naseem did deserve the hype.. those are some next level stats, also is that the same Anwar Ali?

These are last season’s stats. So for this season, Sohail Khan played two matches before leaving for NZ and averaged 18. Yes, that is the same Anwar Ali.

Last season was an anomaly. From a bowling point of view, it was a complete disaster. In terms of the numbers, this season (which ended today) was the most balanced in a very, very long time. Hopefully, the trend continues.

 

[JaDed]

These are last season’s stats. So for this season, Sohail Khan played two matches before leaving for NZ and averaged 18. Yes, that is the same Anwar Ali.

Last season was an anomaly. From a bowling point of view, it was a complete disaster. In terms of the numbers, this season (which ended today) was the most balanced in a very, very long time. Hopefully, the trend continues.

Is it possible to post stats for current season?

 

[Abdullah719]

Is it possible to post stats for current season?

Pacers, minimum 100 overs.

[table=class:grid][tr][td]Name[/td][td]Mats[/td][td]Wkts[/td][td]Ave[/td][td]5wl[/td][td]SR[/td][td]Econ[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Hasan Ali[/td][td]9[/td][td]43[/td][td]20.07[/td][td]2[/td][td]36.42[/td][td]3.31[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Irfanullah Shah[/td][td]6[/td][td]23[/td][td]20.22[/td][td]1[/td][td]39.35[/td][td]3.08[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Waqas Maqsood[/td][td]10[/td][td]41[/td][td]21.78[/td][td]1[/td][td]44.10[/td][td]2.96[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Aamer Yamin[/td][td]6[/td][td]18[/td][td]23.83[/td][td]1[/td][td]41.33[/td][td]3.46[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Khurram Shahzad[/td][td]5[/td][td]18[/td][td]27.89[/td][td]1[/td][td]43.28[/td][td]3.87[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Umaid Asif[/td][td]4[/td][td]13[/td][td]29.31[/td][td]0[/td][td]50.77[/td][td]3.46[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Zia ul Haq[/td][td]6[/td][td]17[/td][td]29.65[/td][td]1[/td][td]50.59[/td][td]3.52[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Taj Wali[/td][td]9[/td][td]27[/td][td]30.63[/td][td]1[/td][td]60.26[/td][td]3.05[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tabish Khan[/td][td]9[/td][td]30[/td][td]30.97[/td][td]1[/td][td]59.13[/td][td]3.14[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Shahnawaz Dhani[/td][td]7[/td][td]26[/td][td]31.19[/td][td]0[/td][td]51.88[/td][td]3.61[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sameen Gul[/td][td]4[/td][td]10[/td][td]34.50[/td][td]0[/td][td]66.60[/td][td]3.11[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bilawal Iqbal[/td][td]9[/td][td]22[/td][td]35.23[/td][td]0[/td][td]67.55[/td][td]3.13[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Arshad Iqbal[/td][td]5[/td][td]15[/td][td]36.40[/td][td]0[/td][td]65.20[/td][td]3.35[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mir Hamza[/td][td]6[/td][td]14[/td][td]44.93[/td][td]0[/td][td]87.00[/td][td]3.10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Waqas Ahmed[/td][td]8[/td][td]19[/td][td]45.79[/td][td]0[/td][td]73.68[/td][td]3.73[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Imran Khan Snr[/td][td]6[/td][td]9[/td][td]49.78[/td][td]0[/td][td]95.33[/td][td]3.13[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mohammad Ilyas[/td][td]6[/td][td]7[/td][td]80.57[/td][td]0[/td][td]128.57[/td][td]3.76[/td][/tr][/table]

 

[Bullet Drive]

Waqar selected the bowling line up for the tour to Australia in 2019 on the basis of a two day bowling camp in Lahore during the middle of the domestic season. He even personally promoted the likes of Naseem Shah, Hasnain, Musa on his twitter calling them the future of the Pakistani bowling line up even before the selectors picked them.

Apparently Tabish Khan the bowler with loads of domestic experience and history of topping the charts also got called up to the camp but Waqar snubbed him and even told that even though you are perhaps the most skillful, capable out of all these bowlers, but you are too old now and your time is up, tough luck

Its criminal who Waqar is able to get away with such grotesque mis management

I can confirm this kind of thing with Waqar is true.

Shahzaib the leggie was once called to a camp in 2015. Waqar didn't let him bowl and said we are only looking at Yasir Shah.

 

[Hasan123]

Pacers, minimum 100 overs.

[table=class:grid][tr][td]Name[/td][td]Mats[/td][td]Wkts[/td][td]Ave[/td][td]5wl[/td][td]SR[/td][td]Econ[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Hasan Ali[/td][td]9[/td][td]43[/td][td]20.07[/td][td]2[/td][td]36.42[/td][td]3.31[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Irfanullah Shah[/td][td]6[/td][td]23[/td][td]20.22[/td][td]1[/td][td]39.35[/td][td]3.08[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Waqas Maqsood[/td][td]10[/td][td]41[/td][td]21.78[/td][td]1[/td][td]44.10[/td][td]2.96[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Aamer Yamin[/td][td]6[/td][td]18[/td][td]23.83[/td][td]1[/td][td]41.33[/td][td]3.46[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Khurram Shahzad[/td][td]5[/td][td]18[/td][td]27.89[/td][td]1[/td][td]43.28[/td][td]3.87[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Umaid Asif[/td][td]4[/td][td]13[/td][td]29.31[/td][td]0[/td][td]50.77[/td][td]3.46[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Zia ul Haq[/td][td]6[/td][td]17[/td][td]29.65[/td][td]1[/td][td]50.59[/td][td]3.52[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Taj Wali[/td][td]9[/td][td]27[/td][td]30.63[/td][td]1[/td][td]60.26[/td][td]3.05[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tabish Khan[/td][td]9[/td][td]30[/td][td]30.97[/td][td]1[/td][td]59.13[/td][td]3.14[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Shahnawaz Dhani[/td][td]7[/td][td]26[/td][td]31.19[/td][td]0[/td][td]51.88[/td][td]3.61[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sameen Gul[/td][td]4[/td][td]10[/td][td]34.50[/td][td]0[/td][td]66.60[/td][td]3.11[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bilawal Iqbal[/td][td]9[/td][td]22[/td][td]35.23[/td][td]0[/td][td]67.55[/td][td]3.13[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Arshad Iqbal[/td][td]5[/td][td]15[/td][td]36.40[/td][td]0[/td][td]65.20[/td][td]3.35[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mir Hamza[/td][td]6[/td][td]14[/td][td]44.93[/td][td]0[/td][td]87.00[/td][td]3.10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Waqas Ahmed[/td][td]8[/td][td]19[/td][td]45.79[/td][td]0[/td][td]73.68[/td][td]3.73[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Imran Khan Snr[/td][td]6[/td][td]9[/td][td]49.78[/td][td]0[/td][td]95.33[/td][td]3.13[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mohammad Ilyas[/td][td]6[/td][td]7[/td][td]80.57[/td][td]0[/td][td]128.57[/td][td]3.76[/td][/tr][/table]

What’s happened to Sameen Gul?

 

[JaDed]

Pacers, minimum 100 overs.

[table=class:grid][tr][td]Name[/td][td]Mats[/td][td]Wkts[/td][td]Ave[/td][td]5wl[/td][td]SR[/td][td]Econ[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Hasan Ali[/td][td]9[/td][td]43[/td][td]20.07[/td][td]2[/td][td]36.42[/td][td]3.31[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Irfanullah Shah[/td][td]6[/td][td]23[/td][td]20.22[/td][td]1[/td][td]39.35[/td][td]3.08[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Waqas Maqsood[/td][td]10[/td][td]41[/td][td]21.78[/td][td]1[/td][td]44.10[/td][td]2.96[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Aamer Yamin[/td][td]6[/td][td]18[/td][td]23.83[/td][td]1[/td][td]41.33[/td][td]3.46[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Khurram Shahzad[/td][td]5[/td][td]18[/td][td]27.89[/td][td]1[/td][td]43.28[/td][td]3.87[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Umaid Asif[/td][td]4[/td][td]13[/td][td]29.31[/td][td]0[/td][td]50.77[/td][td]3.46[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Zia ul Haq[/td][td]6[/td][td]17[/td][td]29.65[/td][td]1[/td][td]50.59[/td][td]3.52[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Taj Wali[/td][td]9[/td][td]27[/td][td]30.63[/td][td]1[/td][td]60.26[/td][td]3.05[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tabish Khan[/td][td]9[/td][td]30[/td][td]30.97[/td][td]1[/td][td]59.13[/td][td]3.14[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Shahnawaz Dhani[/td][td]7[/td][td]26[/td][td]31.19[/td][td]0[/td][td]51.88[/td][td]3.61[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sameen Gul[/td][td]4[/td][td]10[/td][td]34.50[/td][td]0[/td][td]66.60[/td][td]3.11[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bilawal Iqbal[/td][td]9[/td][td]22[/td][td]35.23[/td][td]0[/td][td]67.55[/td][td]3.13[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Arshad Iqbal[/td][td]5[/td][td]15[/td][td]36.40[/td][td]0[/td][td]65.20[/td][td]3.35[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mir Hamza[/td][td]6[/td][td]14[/td][td]44.93[/td][td]0[/td][td]87.00[/td][td]3.10[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Waqas Ahmed[/td][td]8[/td][td]19[/td][td]45.79[/td][td]0[/td][td]73.68[/td][td]3.73[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Imran Khan Snr[/td][td]6[/td][td]9[/td][td]49.78[/td][td]0[/td][td]95.33[/td][td]3.13[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mohammad Ilyas[/td][td]6[/td][td]7[/td][td]80.57[/td][td]0[/td][td]128.57[/td][td]3.76[/td][/tr][/table]

Thanks! Good to see Hasan Ali deserves a comeback

 

[Abdullah719]

What’s happened to Sameen Gul?

Didn’t play for the best part of the season (for the 1st or 2nd XI). Not sure if it was a fitness issue or otherwise. He joined for the last few games and struggled to make an impact.

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

I think it's important to look at his entire body of work as a bowling prospect. There's a reason he skyrocketed up the ranks including getting such a young FC debut.

Slog has a fair point, but let's not assume he was blindly picked with no track record beyond a few FC matches.

PEPSI U-16 Tournament - 6.90 AVG (9 Matches)
U-19 Three-Day Tournament - 6.40 AVG (2 Matches)
Patron's Trophy - 21.40 AVG (3 Matches)
Inter Region Three-Day Tournament - 17.07 AVG (4 Matches)

There are several other tournaments in between, but I won't list all of them. He pretty much excelled in every game he played even as a young teen. It wasn't just the stats, he was passing the eye test too.

This is when his name started making the rounds and he earned a spot in FC cricket.

Debut FC Season - 10.25 AVG (2 Matches)
Second FC Season - 19.27 AVG (4 Matches)

Putting him down as an unjust or illogical selection is unfair. It's rare for a prospect to be as good as he was especially among his age group.

The wickets he was taking included some of the biggest names in Pakistan cricket including current Test cricketers. Not just taking wickets but absolutely schooling them with pace, movement, and bounce.

The changes to his run-up and action have led to some issues at the international level. He will have to go back to domestic cricket and work on this, which is okay for a young bowling prospect.

Great analysis, but see the bolded part. I'm of course only referring to youth cricket, not FC stats.

If one assumes - and I could be wrong - that he is 3-5 years older than his records show, then all of his stats become meaningless.

Because if he is older (say 21-23) then he simply becomes someone who used a considerable natural talent to over-perform in youth cricket, but then that age gap advantage becomes irrelevant at the international level. Now he is competing on pure skill and talent in the company of his peers, and he has been found wanting.

 

[Hasan123]

Didn’t play for the best part of the season (for the 1st or 2nd XI). Not sure if it was a fitness issue or otherwise. He joined for the last few games and struggled to make an impact.

Sad. I thought if he had a good season he would be in contention for international selection.