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Asif Ali can be to Pakistan what Jos Buttler is to England

mak36

mak36

First Class Captain
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Dec 18, 2016
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Those who read my posts know I rate Asif Ali highly, and I truly think he can be the X factor to Pakistan’s ODI batting line for the WC19. However, he seems to be getting a lot of hate on here (with a few notable exceptions) so it's time to clear up a few things.

Asif has it all. He has the power, he has the range, he has the ability to improvise, he can hit it to all corners of the ground, he switches between power and deftness with ease and he is equally comfortable playing pace and spin.

More than that though is his character; he reminds me a lot of Fakhar. He’s selfless and has a steel like determination. He comes across as having a great drive and work ethic. His exploits in the PSL 3 final shows he likes the big stage and has the “clutch” gene.

A lot of his critics point to his career stats as evidence he is a “hack” and/or lacks “temperament.” But actually if you look at his recent domestic stats, he has been pretty consistent. He did brilliantly in the T20 Cup just before PSL3 and was one of the best batsmen in the One Day Cup that was held immediately after PSL3. He started slowly in PSL3 but he came good towards the business end of the tournament and delivered when it mattered; the final.

Being selected for IT20s, on the back of a successful PSL 3, proved a big motivating factor for him and he used the Pakistan Cup to force his way into the ODI squad. How so? He was the second highest run-scorer in the tournament with 328 runs at an average of 109 and SR of 128. In just four innings he scored 2 big hundreds and one fifty. For context, before the Pakistan Cup he averaged 18 in List A from 35 innings. Talk about taking an opportunity and making the most of it…

I am not saying there isn’t work to be done but he has shown greater maturity and game awareness on the domestic level. Now he just needs to show that on the international stage. As long as he continues working on constructing an innings and strike rotation, everything else will fall into place and he will only get better.

I fully expect Asif to come good for Pakistan; all he needs is time and investment which he will get from this management. Once he brings it all together, Asif will be a match winner for Pakistan. Mark my words.

N.B: To be clear, I am not comparing the ability of Asif Ali with Jos Buttler. Rather I am saying they can play a similar role for their respective national teams.
 
Excellent post. No one should be writing him off as a hack at all.
 
He will develop. His bat speed is world class. Just needs more experience to control his aggression. He is so explosive such a huge potential.
 
One over of mindless slogging is responsible for this emotional thread. Nobody should hold the OP responsible 50 ODIs later. So I hope.
 
That was not slogging lol. Those hits were clean and middled. I think credit should go to captaincy for bringing on a leg spinner at the right time.
 
AMSS said:
One over of mindless slogging is responsible for this emotional thread. Nobody should hold the OP responsible 50 ODIs later. So I hope.
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Nope. Been meaning to do this for a while. Happy to be held to account.
 
Give him some time and he will win many matches for you, there are not too many like him in our domestic cricket, we need to invest on him .
 
The difference in opinions right now is crazy:yk

To some Asif is the next big hitting superstar and to others he’s another TTF.
 
Few world batsmen are on Buttler's level when it comes to powerhitting.

However Asif Ali does provide us with the clean boundary hitting ability that we've been crying out for - but he needs to develop his game awareness. Not every ball can be dispatched to the stands.

Hopefully that'll come with experience and coaching. He merited selection given the domestic form the OP mentions and it would be crazy to discard a batsman like him so early given how few powerhitters we have in this one paced ODI lineup.
 
The way he slogged that ball of Chahal doesn’t give me any confidence
 
Powerhitting doesn't mean 30 off 20 (ala Asif Ali) when you have 10 overs to spare. Powerhitting means 60 off 40 (ala Buttler)
 
Asif's a keeper, ignore the naysayers. Just needs to keep playing.

Our real problem is the top order outside of Fakhar.
 
This is the mentality of Pak fans. Just hit one or two sixes and another super star is born.
 
Jos is an exceptional talent and is a very versatile player. Asif is an incredible hitter but does he have that extraordinary range of shots? I have not seen it yet anyway.
 
I think Asif Ali can be a good investment.Don't see any power hitter in the domestic circuit as good as he is.
 
Worth persisting with for now but needs to improve. Quickfire 20's and 30's are good enough for allrounders but not specialist batsmen.
 
He is a quality player worthy of being in our team. He is a big hitter that the Pakistan need. He is very important to our team, when it comes to the final 10-15 overs in the game.
 
Our fans have no shame. Kahan Buttler aur kahan Asif Ali.

He is a good slogger by our standards, but that is it. Maybe we need to be humiliated further for our fans to come to terms with reality.

He will never be anywhere near Buttler - there I said it. Tag me when that happens and laugh at me all you want. I will accept it. It is an open invitation.
 
Mamoon said:
Our fans have no shame. Kahan Buttler aur kahan Asif Ali.

He is a good slogger by our standards, but that is it. Maybe we need to be humiliated further for our fans to come to terms with reality.

He will never be anywhere near Buttler - there I said it. Tag me when that happens and laugh at me all you want. I will accept it. It is an open invitation.
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A really terrible comparison.
 
With due respect.

Blasphemy detected.


Asif at present is slightly better version of Shahid Khan Afridi.


Asif is a big hitter, sweet timer, power hitter with average to below average control over nerves & instinct.


His today’s dismissal can be best described as “ annay wah, closed eyes, tullah “ which deserves to be seen in gully cricket only.


Steady head and restraint is required of finishers. Asif cannot resist temptation to hit sixes ball after ball. This doesn’t work against top 5 bowling sides in int cricket.



He has talent, skill set and ability but He will go nowhere with this batting attitude. His mental game needs whole lot of improvement.


It’s good to be fearless but reckless approach would take you nowhere against good bowling sides.
 
Whilst most have read the OP before commenting, it is a real shame a notable few have not done so. To be clear:

1. This was not a post in response to one innings. If you read the OP you would know that.

SIDE NOTE: I considered delaying posting this to avoid that accusation, but I chose not to because I assumed posters would engage with the actual reasoning in the post (most have, some haven't).

2. I did not say Asif is as good as Buttler. I said that with work Asif can play a similar roles for Pakistan. Again, if you read the OP you would know that.

3. I did not say he is the finished product or that he will definitely reach the levels his talent merits. I made clear he needs to show more maturity and game awareness on the international stage if he wants to succeed. His increased maturity at the domestic level gives me reason to think he has it in him. If you read the OP you would know that.
 
Buttler can play 360 degress versus pace and spin. He is also capable of rebuilding an innings and is a brilliant finisher.

Asif Ali has so far only shown he is capable of hitting a few sixes. I don't see him playing a similar role to Buttler. I think he can be a decent finisher but he hasn't shown any sign of improving when it comes to building an innings.
 
Buttler is a keeper who can slog as well build an innings when needed. He is no hack. He is immensely talented.

Asif Ali is a good striker and that's all. He does not look like a batsman that can maintain his composure when under pressure.
 
Maybe its worth a try of promoting asif ali at no 4 against Bangladesh and see what he is actually made of.If he cant score a 50 at least against this Bangladeshi attack then we have other options,like hussain talat who if given the chances can add more balance to the squad.
 
Agreed, but a lot of improvement is needed in shot selection. Made a similar thread when he debuted.
 
At the moment asif is very good against the pacers(he also gave a phainty to the Australian pacers in Zimbabwe) but he needs to get better against spin.He has all the shots in the book i remember he when playing in the psl against zalmi and wahab was bowling a very good spell(he was the best bowler in the tornumaent and the every batsman struggled against wahab) and most of the united batsman were struggling but when asif came he changed the match and one shot he played against wahab was the scoop just like the ab devillers one.Its not easy to play a scoop against a 145kph pacer.Mark my words if this guy improves his game against spinners we might see ABS RECORD BEING BROKEN..
 
Plays like a tailender. Sums of Pak cricket when this guy is supposedly one of our best hitters.
 
Asif Ali has done nothing in the few matches he's played in. Should be given another go against New Zealand. I don't see anything in him that impresses me.
 
Jos Butter is on his way to become England's greatest ever LO cricketer of all-time.

It is ridiculous to expect Asif Ali to play the role which Butter does. We expect Buttler to construct the inning if England loses a few wicket early on. Asif just can't do that. He doesn't even have the range of shots which Jos has.

Jos is on a different league and the expectation is way too high if you are expecting Asif Ali to play this role.
 
Ab Fan said:
Jos Butter is on his way to become England's greatest ever LO cricketer of all-time.

It is ridiculous to expect Asif Ali to play the role which Butter does. We expect Buttler to construct the inning if England loses a few wicket early on. Asif just can't do that. He doesn't even have the range of shots which Jos has.

Jos is on a different league and the expectation is way too high if you are expecting Asif Ali to play this role.
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This. Well said. He doesn't have his shot range to even be compared to him and neither has he shown the ability to rebuild an innings.

Awful compairson by OP.
 
Talent wise this guy is almost up there with Rahul and Hetmyers of world cricket. Jos isnt a big deal.
 
freelance_cricketer said:
Talent wise this guy is almost up there with Rahul and Hetmyers of world cricket. Jos isnt a big deal.
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Lol you mean talent of being able to watch a medium pace bowler bowl on zero seeming conditions and hit long. That is not talent, that's just hand eye coordination+ mascular power. Asif is a big hack. Afridi was a more talented hitter than this guy.
 
Loves to hit every ball in the air in mid wicket region. Has no defence. Cant play spin. Cant bowl.
U cant expect sloggers like him to pull the team out of trouble when 70/4-5 in ODI's.
At best He can play T20's
 
Not sure if most of the posts in this thread are to be taken seriously. Anyway he’s another flop who’s very inconsistent.

The only consistency is he gets out trying to hit a big shot!
 
Described in the OP as some kind of master batsman when he's actually a tailender who hits a few sixes making a career after slogging Zimbabwe reserves.
 
Pakistan needs to send him up the urge order with a decent amount of overs to spare
 
Savak said:
Pakistan needs to send him up the urge order with a decent amount of overs to spare
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He had decent amount of overs in 2/3 matches in this series, he is just not good enough for this level.
 
I look forward to him proving you all wrong. I just hope you all hang around long enough to eat humble pie...
 
Can't wait to watch him on a motorway against a pop gun attack like England :afridi
 
mak36 said:
I look forward to him proving you all wrong. I just hope you all hang around long enough to eat humble pie...
Click to expand...

He may have the potential but if he’s gonna keep performing like this, he won’t last long in the team
 
Just to provide some perspective - this thread was created minutes after Asif Ali hit Bhuvneshwar for a couple of sixes in the Asia Cup.

Our friend got over-excited, and this is the result of the adrenaline rush. As they say, never respond to a letter when you are angry - I think one should refrain from posting when emotions are high as well.
 
Ahson8 said:
He may have the potential but if he’s gonna keep performing like this, he won’t last long in the team
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Complete hack. Total bunny unless the ball is in his arc and he hits it to cow corner. His domestic averages make sense, he has no semblance of batting intelligence and is technically very poor as well.

I would be surprised if he is not out of the team by the end of this year. A failed experiment which weakens our already weak middle/lower-order.

Pakistan cannot afford to carry three walking wickets in Asif, Faheem and Shadab, especially not in ODIs. They are occupying important positions in the batting lineup and contribute nothing.

You know you are in trouble when these duds walk to the crease with 20-25 overs left. Total shambles.
 
Mamoon said:
Complete hack. Total bunny unless the ball is in his arc and he hits it to cow corner. His domestic averages make sense, he has no semblance of batting intelligence and is technically very poor as well.

I would be surprised if he is not out of the team by the end of this year. A failed experiment which weakens our already weak middle/lower-order.

Pakistan cannot afford to carry three walking wickets in Asif, Faheem and Shadab, especially not in ODIs. They are occupying important positions in the batting lineup and contribute nothing.

You know you are in trouble when these duds walk to the crease with 20-25 overs left. Total shambles.
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I agree that he hasn’t shown any signs of batting intelligence. Thrown it away almost every time, and has been ordinary vs spin. I’d like to see what he has to offer outside the UAE, in the South Africa series but we should be looking for alternatives incase he fails there too.
 
Agree that in addition to having major technical issues against spin, Asif Ali has no batting intelligence.

Was worth a experiment since we needed a hitter at 6. Now NZ odi series will be interesting to see who selectors decide to go with at 6. Maybe Rizwan.
 
AliMurtaza said:
Agree that in addition to having major technical issues against spin, Asif Ali has no batting intelligence.

Was worth a experiment since we needed a hitter at 6. Now NZ odi series will be interesting to see who selectors decide to go with at 6. Maybe Rizwan.
Click to expand...

Rizwan is worth a try.
 
Lol no he has not got a game against spinners and ultimately that will sot him his place. His decent against pace bowling on his day.
 
Conflicted on Asif Ali.

One one hand, he's an extraordinary power hitter who can hit sixes with ease. The type of batsman we need in the middle/lower

One the other, he's has no other skills. Defensive skills lacking, struggles against spin, doesn't really milk the bowlers for singles and doubles when he's not hitting. Lacks intelligence.

I'd stick with him in T20s, but until he can show he can expand his game, I'd keep him away from ODIs
 
ahmadharis1 said:
Conflicted on Asif Ali.

One one hand, he's an extraordinary power hitter who can hit sixes with ease. The type of batsman we need in the middle/lower

One the other, he's has no other skills. Defensive skills lacking, struggles against spin, doesn't really milk the bowlers for singles and doubles when he's not hitting. Lacks intelligence.

I'd stick with him in T20s, but until he can show he can expand his game, I'd keep him away from ODIs
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Needs to bat up the order.
 
Keep him away from ODIs, he should only be playing T20s. Said this when he was first picked, Asif lacks batting intelligence, nor can he rotate the strike, and he has some very obvious technical weaknesses. There is a very good reason that his List A average is only 28.

I think someone like Hussain Talat is a far better player to invest in. He's young, has power hitting ability, but is also a proper bat who can play a long innings. Gives us a very decent bowling option too.
 
Matchwinning 33 ball 80 (7 fours and 5 sizes) for Cape Town Vs Durban Heat. Hit 360 with an array of shots including a reverse sweep and scoop (both of which went for four).

Hit pace (De Lange, Abbot and Philander) as well as spin (inc Maharaj) out of the ground. As I have repeated ad nauseum, contrary to what a lot of posters are saying Asif is a good player of spin; his issue in some of his previous outings has been the slowness of the UAE pitches NOT spin per se. On true pitches he can be lethal and I am sure he will adjust his game to the UAE in good course.

The point is there aren't many batsmen who are able to combine power and innovation; Asif needs to be invested in and can provide a much needed X factor to the national team. Thankfully Mickey is aware of this and seems keen on giving him a chance.

Also it was a smart move on Asif's part to play in this South African league over T10 as Pakistan have an upcoming LOI series Vs South Africa; it allows him to acclimatise and SA pitches are better suited to his game.
 
mak36 said:
Matchwinning 33 ball 80 (7 fours and 5 sizes) for Cape Town Vs Durban Heat. Hit 360 with an array of shots including a reverse sweep and scoop (both of which went for four).

Hit pace (De Lange, Abbot and Philander) as well as spin (inc Maharaj) out of the ground. As I have repeated ad nauseum, contrary to what a lot of posters are saying Asif is a good player of spin; his issue in some of his previous outings has been the slowness of the UAE pitches NOT spin per se. On true pitches he can be lethal and I am sure he will adjust his game to the UAE in good course.

The point is there aren't many batsmen who are able to combine power and innovation; Asif needs to be invested in and can provide a much needed X factor to the national team. Thankfully Mickey is aware of this and seems keen on giving him a chance.

Also it was a smart move on Asif's part to play in this South African league over T10 as Pakistan have an upcoming LOI series Vs South Africa; it allows him to acclimatise and SA pitches are better suited to his game.
Click to expand...

So according to this recent form and getting acclimatised to SAF conditions we can safely expect Asif Ali to be the best batsman in coming SAF tour, agreed?
 
Extra_Cover said:
So according to this recent form and getting acclimatised to SAF conditions we can safely expect Asif Ali to be the best batsman in coming SAF tour, agreed?
Click to expand...

Predicting the future is a fool's game. What I can say is Asif is giving himself the best chance of success by choosing to play in South Africa over the UAE. Do you disagree?
 
Asif Ali is worth investing in imo. We need a power hitter like him but we also need him to learn to play sensible when situation requires.
I remember people said lots of things about sharjeel that he's a hack etc but he turned out to be our best player at the time.
 
Very talented and the reason Mickey invested in him.

But with a fragile batting line up you cannot have such luxuries. Fans will always blame Asif for not adding even though it's the job of the top order to provide him with a platform.

In T20's he has a free hand.
 
mak36 said:
Matchwinning 33 ball 80 (7 fours and 5 sizes) for Cape Town Vs Durban Heat. Hit 360 with an array of shots including a reverse sweep and scoop (both of which went for four).

Hit pace (De Lange, Abbot and Philander) as well as spin (inc Maharaj) out of the ground. As I have repeated ad nauseum, contrary to what a lot of posters are saying Asif is a good player of spin; his issue in some of his previous outings has been the slowness of the UAE pitches NOT spin per se. On true pitches he can be lethal and I am sure he will adjust his game to the UAE in good course.

The point is there aren't many batsmen who are able to combine power and innovation; Asif needs to be invested in and can provide a much needed X factor to the national team. Thankfully Mickey is aware of this and seems keen on giving him a chance.

Also it was a smart move on Asif's part to play in this South African league over T10 as Pakistan have an upcoming LOI series Vs South Africa; it allows him to acclimatise and SA pitches are better suited to his game.
Click to expand...

I respect your views as a poster but a small look at the highlights of his innings will show you that the majority of his runs came against very average deliveries. He's also gave a lot of chances and skied a good 3-4 shots.
 
ExpressPacer said:
I respect your views as a poster but a small look at the highlights of his innings will show you that the majority of his runs came against very average deliveries. He's also gave a lot of chances and skied a good 3-4 shots.
Click to expand...

The point about bumping this thread wasn't about this innings per se, but to make the point he is a potential match winner and needs to be invested in.

However, given you have raised it I should add some context to his innings. I watched the match live and you are right to say it was by no means a perfect innings. However, the innings was in two parts: he was comfortably batting at the RRR of around 10 an over but there was a threat of rain and his side were behind the DLS par score (due to how many wickets they had lost) so he had to bat even more aggressively than the RRR to keep up; that is when the mishits happened (as well as some very nice shots).

Before that he was batting with ease and for the most part he showed good batting intelligence and match awareness. Fact is he out-batted all the local batsmen and carried his side home- they were going nowhere until his innings.
 
mak36 said:
Matchwinning 33 ball 80 (7 fours and 5 sizes) for Cape Town Vs Durban Heat. Hit 360 with an array of shots including a reverse sweep and scoop (both of which went for four).

Hit pace (De Lange, Abbot and Philander) as well as spin (inc Maharaj) out of the ground. As I have repeated ad nauseum, contrary to what a lot of posters are saying Asif is a good player of spin; his issue in some of his previous outings has been the slowness of the UAE pitches NOT spin per se. On true pitches he can be lethal and I am sure he will adjust his game to the UAE in good course.

The point is there aren't many batsmen who are able to combine power and innovation; Asif needs to be invested in and can provide a much needed X factor to the national team. Thankfully Mickey is aware of this and seems keen on giving him a chance.

Also it was a smart move on Asif's part to play in this South African league over T10 as Pakistan have an upcoming LOI series Vs South Africa; it allows him to acclimatise and SA pitches are better suited to his game.
Click to expand...

This. We should never judge a batsman in UAE conditions. Farhan is another one who struggled in UAE so we should not completely write him off.
 
mak36 said:
The point about bumping this thread wasn't about this innings per se, but to make the point he is a potential match winner and needs to be invested in.

However, given you have raised it I should add some context to his innings. I watched the match live and you are right to say it was by no means a perfect innings. However, the innings was in two parts: he was comfortably batting at the RRR of around 10 an over but there was a threat of rain and his side were behind the DLS par score (due to how many wickets they had lost) so he had to bat even more aggressively than the RRR to keep up; that is when the mishits happened (as well as some very nice shots).

Before that he was batting with ease and for the most part he showed good batting intelligence and match awareness. Fact is he out-batted all the local batsmen and carried his side home- they were going nowhere until his innings.
Click to expand...

I see. From what I've seen of him, I'm not entirely convinced of his inclusion in the team. It's criminal to average in the 20s as a specialist batsman in this day and age. However, given our limited resources of batsmen able to play with the long handle, I'm willing to give him a shot. However, would you agree, the series in RSA should be his last chance?
 
I thoroughly agree with you on this. Asif, like many hitters, needs time to get acclimatized to this level and he will come good. Players like him have the ability to take the game by the neck and win it for you. Hopefully, Mickey continues to back him.
 
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