Emergency! Which spinners can Pakistan use in the UAE?

[Junaids]

We know Pakistan's World Test Championship draw.

Away to Australia, England and New Zealand.

They host Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa.

And there the full horror of Pakistan's spin predicament becomes obvious. Even New Zealand beat them in the UAE last year, because apart from Yasir Shah the Pakistanis have no proven spin bowler in Asian conditions. But Bangladesh has quality spinners. And both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have batsmen who are strong against spin.

The obvious solution is to host Bangladesh and Sri Lanka outside Asia. But time is running short for that option, and the PCB has shown no sign of understanding that they are going to lose if they try to host those teams in the UAE.

So we return to the main problem: can Pakistan find an international quality off-spinner and an international quality slow left-armer to back up Yasir Shah in Abu Dhabi and Dubai?

And it gets worse! I think we all agree that Mickey Arthur has erred in only playing 2 spinners in UAE Tests.

But if you pick 3 spinners and 2 quicks, you need two of them to be reliable batsmen.

Yasir Shah is not that batsman. But he picks himself in the UAE.

So there is the challenge.

1) Identify a quality off-spinner.
2) Identify a quality slow left-armer.
3) Ensure that one of them is a Test standard Number 7 batsman.

 

[Junaids]

Bilal Asif was a very mediocre offie when we saw him in the UAE eleven months ago.

Zafar Gohar doesn't seem like a particularly good bowler, and has no real loop to his bowling.

There's already one leggie in Yasir Shah, so there's no point picking a second one.

Who else is on the horizon?

 

[hadi123]

For UAE tests, Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Asghar would do well.

 

[Junaids]

For UAE tests, Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Asghar would do well.

But Shadab is another leggie. And Asghar turns it away from the right-handers too.

Don't they need an off-spinner too in Asia?

 

[hadi123]

But Shadab is another leggie. And Asghar turns it away from the right-handers too.

Don't they need an off-spinner too in Asia?

There are no good off spinners.

2 leggies isn't ideal, but it's probably the only way to go as we have no good off spinners coming through. I do think Asghar, Shadab and Yasir in the same XI in Asia tests could still be lethal.

 

[shah_1]

Zafar Gohar

 

[Barragan]

Zafar and Asghar.

Management chose shadab because of his ability to bat, but he has hardly played any FC games and was nowhere near ready for Tests.

On top of that, they don't seem to want to play a 2nd pure spinner because Arthur wants someone who can bat - so ridiculous.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

It's going to be Shadab but Zafar Gohar should atleast be selected in the squad. Because Bilal Asif is simply not good enough and his credentials with the bat in particular were heavily over-estimated.

 

[Titan24]

Bilal Asif was a very mediocre offie when we saw him in the UAE eleven months ago.

Zafar Gohar doesn't seem like a particularly good bowler, and has no real loop to his bowling.

There's already one leggie in Yasir Shah, so there's no point picking a second one.

Who else is on the horizon?

Zafar Gohar does have the loop and flight however, in T20s just like other spinners he bowls a bit faster and flatter however, the last couple of matches he played in PSL he did have a decent loop going for a T20 match. On top of that I think he is one of the few finger spinners who actually gives revs to the ball and spin it.

I dont agree selecting an off spinner for the sake of it. As you mentioned Bilal is mediocre and I never agree on the phenomenon that we have to select him for variety, in my opinion you need to select your best bowlers irrespective of which arm or style of bowling they have especially when the difference is too much.

 

[warcry]

we wont play the uae.
play in pakistan, and prepare green pitches for our medium fast bowlers.

 

[Omer2002]

Umar Khan is the way forward there is no other spinners at all in Pak which is very worrying considering we are sub continent

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Umar Khan is the way forward there is no other spinners at all in Pak which is very worrying considering we are sub continent

Don't be ridiculous. We have Asghar and Zafar Gohar too

 

[Justcrazy]

You cannot develop players on paper. You need to play them to see.

Pakistan needs to play spinners who can flight and loop the ball , instead of darting.