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[EXCLUSIVE] "I’ve really enjoyed my 3 Tests and hope that I get more call-ups in future": Mir Hamza

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Mir Hamza chats to Saj about his career progress, the benefits of playing County cricket, the disappointment of only playing 3 Test matches so far, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s domination in producing Pakistani pace-bowlers, upcoming pace-bowlers from Sindh region that have impressed him, his hopes of more international call-ups and more.

 
If only Mir Hamza had the capability to be a number 8 batter, he would have played more tests.

Similar to M Abbass, he is a decent new ball medium pacer who swings both ways.
 
gazza619 said:
If only Mir Hamza had the capability to be a number 8 batter, he would have played more tests.

Similar to M Abbass, he is a decent new ball medium pacer who swings both ways.
Click to expand...
It's possible that Mir Hamza's limited batting capabilities may have affected his opportunities in Test cricket. In Test matches, especially in longer formats of the game, having a well-rounded skill set can make a player more valuable to the team. Number 8 is typically a lower-order batting position, and players in this position are often expected to contribute with both the ball and the bat.

If Mir Hamza could have developed his batting skills and become a more reliable lower-order batsman, he might have been considered for selection more often, as it would have added depth to the team's batting lineup. In cricket, all-rounders who can both bowl and bat effectively are highly prized, as they provide flexibility to the team in terms of team composition and strategy.
 
Happy Birthday to Mir Hamza - 31 years old - still time to make an impact in international cricket?
 
Mir Hamza has been named in Test sqaud announced by Wahab Riaz for Australia tour 2023-24.

A very welcoming call. Because he has 418 FC wickets at eco of just 2.90
 
I respect Mir Hamza as a domestic workhorse, and there's certain conditions where he'll come in handy.

Australia aren't those conditions unless we see green tops.

Any bowler who relies more on swing through the air than hitting the deck hard and getting movement off the pitch, and who struggles to reach 130kph, will be cannon fodder there.
 
Wahab Riaz on the selection of Mir Hamza during his press conference today after he was selected in the Pakistan test squad for the Australia tour.

"Mir Hamza is a very good left-arm bowler who does well with the new ball. We needed someone who could cover for Shaheen Shah Afridi, because he plays a lot of cricket as well and we wanted to cover all our bases."
 
Time to move away from Hamza he’s 31 and has never looked threatening in Pakistan colours. Personally I would have picked Kashif Ali over him he’s 22 and had the FC numbers that they were looking for this season Hamza I can safely say will never be more then 4 day cricket journey man
 
He lost his rythm in last few years, might not be that much effective with the sort of Pace he had.
 
Australia (and even Pakistan in small bits) showed that all you need to do is stay consistent; put the ball in the same spot every time and natural deviation can restrict runs and take wickets. You don't need outrageous swing or movement to be threatening. That's Mir Hamza's strength and why I'd strongly consider him for the next test
 
It is very likely that he'll play against Australia in the second test match at Melbourne. He can be a useful bowler in Australian conditions and I hope that he'll perform well in his comeback into the test side.
 
I'm excited to see him bowl today. I haven't seen him bowl before. I recon he will do better than Shaheen :)
 
Mir Hamza puts too much focus on fixing his hair. It looks like it distracts him from his main job which is bowling.
 
Once the swings finishes from the new ball, think so will his effectiveness given his speed.
 
Clear signs of ability to swing the ball boys ways. Hitting the right channels with no exceptional pace.

Only concern is, once swing is gone… Will he be as effective?
 
Mir Hamza showing how irrelevant pace is. Great new ball spell with control and variation.
Another rude reminder for many who say domestic FC performance doesn’t matter and ask for speed merchants like Musa, Ihasnulah, Rauf. No please no!
 
Farabi said:
Muhammad Asif tormented the world with sub 130. And no, he did not bowl 130+ after 2006/7.
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Really don’t understand the logic here.

You keep using Asif’s pace as an example but the difference with Asif and others bowlers with same pace is, Asif was world class. He was a gifted artistic bowler with exceptional skills. What he did with that pace, no one has done that.

You have Messi who was one of the quickest in football. Does that mean other quick players should have shined to? No. Ability my friend, ability.
 
Oh dear. This guy is bowling at 118-122 kph. No swing no Seam in his bowling just fun barrel straight.
 
Farabi said:
Mir Hamza showing how irrelevant pace is. Great new ball spell with control and variation.
Another rude reminder for many who say domestic FC performance doesn’t matter and ask for speed merchants like Musa, Ihasnulah, Rauf. No please no!
Click to expand...
Are we watching the same match? He barely swung a ball. Just was bowling harmless 120kph deliveries.
 
Theo_14 said:
Really don’t understand the logic here.

You keep using Asif’s pace as an example but the difference with Asif and others bowlers with same pace is, Asif was world class. He was a gifted artistic bowler with exceptional skills. What he did with that pace, no one has done that.

You have Messi who was one of the quickest in football. Does that mean other quick players should have shined to? No. Ability my friend, ability.
Click to expand...
Asif was Gifted with what?
 
Sher Khan said:
Are we watching the same match? He barely swung a ball. Just was bowling harmless 120kph deliveries.
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He looks the best bowler today. Bowled some absolute pearler and unlucky to not have a wicket to the name yet
 
Farabi said:
Mir Hamza showing how irrelevant pace is. Great new ball spell with control and variation.
Another rude reminder for many who say domestic FC performance doesn’t matter and ask for speed merchants like Musa, Ihasnulah, Rauf. No please no!
Click to expand...
Applauding Hamza for doing the bare minimum on a pitch thats tailor made for him is crazy. He's terrible. It doesn't matter how much he moves the ball, the batsman can adjust with time to spare when its coming in at the rapid speed of 120 kph.
 
Farabi said:
You mention some cliches like “artistic” and “gifted”. What specifically was he gifted with?
Click to expand...

Ah some clarity, good.

He was gifted with the ability to naturally swing the ball both ways, whether it was on sub-continent or non sub-continent pitches. Hitting the right channels consistently. A wicket taker who made the ball talk, with no real pace.

But my opinion doesn’t matter. What my point is, your logic is flawed, I’ve used the Messi illustration as example which you subtly ignored.
 
Theo_14 said:
Ah some clarity, good.

He was gifted with the ability to naturally swing the ball both ways, whether it was on sub-continent or non sub-continent pitches. Hitting the right channels consistently. A wicket taker who made the ball talk, with no real pace.

But my opinion doesn’t matter. What my point is, your logic is flawed, I’ve used the Messi illustration as example which you subtly ignored.
Click to expand...
There you go! That’s what we need more of. Not pace.
If our bowlers can hit the right areas and look for swing/seam, we will do well.
Mir Hamza, Shaheen and others don’t have wickets because they haven’t done that consistently enough. Every over has to be relentless to challenge Aussies not just 2 deliveries per over
 
Theo_14 said:
Ah some clarity, good.

He was gifted with the ability to naturally swing the ball both ways, whether it was on sub-continent or non sub-continent pitches. Hitting the right channels consistently. A wicket taker who made the ball talk, with no real pace.

But my opinion doesn’t matter. What my point is, your logic is flawed, I’ve used the Messi illustration as example which you subtly ignored.
Click to expand...
And all this came at the height of 6 feet plus and the ability to read the batters after every ball
 
Farabi said:
There you go! That’s what we need more of. Not pace.
If our bowlers can hit the right areas and look for swing/seam, we will do well.
Mir Hamza, Shaheen and others don’t have wickets because they haven’t done that consistently enough. Every over has to be relentless to challenge Aussies not just 2 deliveries per over
Click to expand...

Except it isn’t “there you go!.” My point is simple, you keep using Asif as a blueprint but Asif was in the top tier bracket. Can’t just throw his name out there.

Just because Asif had average pace but top tier skills ie consistent right channels, swing both ways etc which led to wickets, doesn’t mean likes of Mir Hamza can replicate the same. If cricket was so simple, you’d see Hamza grabbing 2-3 wickets, you’d see every bowler with average pace (but hitting right channels, swing) be as good as Asif.

Hamza has shown capability to bowl faster - he has shown to be quicker, so for him to suddenly come to this pace level is alarming.
 
Caved12 said:
And all this came at the height of 6 feet plus and the ability to read the batters after every ball
Click to expand...

Exactly! And peoplee now using Asif’s name as a justification or blue print for trundlers. Deary me. :))
 
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the guy knows where to bowl,has the swing, seems consistent with lines BUT with pace like that on slow wicket he is toothless
 
Theo_14 said:
Except it isn’t “there you go!.” My point is simple, you keep using Asif as a blueprint but Asif was in the top tier bracket. Can’t just throw his name out there.

Just because Asif had average pace but top tier skills ie consistent right channels, swing both ways etc which led to wickets, doesn’t mean likes of Mir Hamza can replicate the same. If cricket was so simple, you’d see Hamza grabbing 2-3 wickets, you’d see every bowler with average pace (but hitting right channels, swing) be as good as Asif.

Hamza has shown capability to bowl faster - he has shown to be quicker, so for him to suddenly come to this pace level is alarming.
Click to expand...
Why can’t other bowlers replicate what Asif did? Where is that written.
Philander from SA, Anderson from Eng are just some of the other examples who are world beaters within 120-130 range.
Obsession with pace in Pakistan is a fetish at this point and it’s not helping anyone.
If you have skills like Steyn at 140+, then sure. But if you’re erratic and have no variation, then sorry no 140+ is a total liability specially in Aus.
Of course one needs “top tier skills” in Test Cricket to succeed. But the boys should be judged on their ability to bowl consistent channel with variation. Control and variation is non-negotiable in test cricket but pace is a bonus. Never the other way round.

Recently India won a test series in Aus. Remind me how fast are Nataranjan, Thakur, Saini, Siraj. All are 125-135 in test cricket.
 
Farabi said:
Why can’t other bowlers replicate what Asif did? Where is that written.
Philander from SA, Anderson from Eng are just some of the other examples who are world beaters within 120-130 range.
Obsession with pace in Pakistan is a fetish at this point and it’s not helping anyone.
If you have skills like Steyn at 140+, then sure. But if you’re erratic and have no variation, then sorry no 140+ is a total liability specially in Aus.
Of course one needs “top tier skills” in Test Cricket to succeed. But the boys should be judged on their ability to bowl consistent channel with variation. Control and variation is non-negotiable in test cricket but pace is a bonus. Never the other way round.

Recently India won a test series in Aus. Remind me how fast are Nataranjan, Thakur, Saini, Siraj. All are 125-135 in test cricket.
Click to expand...

I think we just need one faster bowler. We don't need all of them to be express. But just one quicker one who can give variety to the attack. Otherwise they are all fairly similar, except for Shaheen because of his height. When everyone is the same height and pace, it makes it easier for the batters to adjust.

The other issue, is that if you are going to bowl at 130, then you have to be accurate with at least 9/10 deliveries. But our bowlers are spraying around way too much taking the pressure off. The issue is that they are neither fast nor accurate.
 
Farabi said:
Why can’t other bowlers replicate what Asif did? Where is that written.
Philander from SA, Anderson from Eng are just some of the other examples who are world beaters within 120-130 range.
Obsession with pace in Pakistan is a fetish at this point and it’s not helping anyone.
If you have skills like Steyn at 140+, then sure. But if you’re erratic and have no variation, then sorry no 140+ is a total liability specially in Aus.
Of course one needs “top tier skills” in Test Cricket to succeed. But the boys should be judged on their ability to bowl consistent channel with variation. Control and variation is non-negotiable in test cricket but pace is a bonus. Never the other way round.

Recently India won a test series in Aus. Remind me how fast are Nataranjan, Thakur, Saini, Siraj. All are 125-135 in test cricket.
Click to expand...

You used Asif as a blueprint for Pakistani bowlers in your post, specifically Mir - and my post was in reference to you using Asif as a blue print for Hamza Mir; not bowlers around the world of that pace range. Mir cannot and will not produce the levels of Asif so why use such example in the first place lol?

You used the term world beater - again, if you are going to use justifications or convince yourself that Hamza can get wickets, at least use realistic examples and not examples of in your words “world beaters.”

I never disputed that bowlers need pace, my dispute is very simple, you keep using Asif as an example but Asif was one of few low paced bowlers in modern day cricket for Pakistan who did so well. Just because he did it, doesn’t mean Mir will. Finally, yes a bowler should be judged on consistency in terms of line & length, variations etc but you missed one important thing: wickets.
 
Asad T said:
I think we just need one faster bowler. We don't need all of them to be express. But just one quicker one who can give variety to the attack. Otherwise they are all fairly similar, except for Shaheen because of his height. When everyone is the same height and pace, it makes it easier for the batters to adjust.

The other issue, is that if you are going to bowl at 130, then you have to be accurate with at least 9/10 deliveries. But our bowlers are spraying around way too much taking the pressure off. The issue is that they are neither fast nor accurate.
Click to expand...
I tend to agree with your thought process here but it only works if you have someone who can fulfill that role.
Mark Wood, Bumrah, all have tremendous control, FC experience and seam movement. Maybe Naseem can develop?

But if you’re erratic and have no brain or variation, which are majority if not all of Pakistani “140” pacers who allegedly had / have “aag” and pace. No please no!! I’d rather take Abbas, Hassan Ali, Khurram Shahzad
 
Theo_14 said:
You used Asif as a blueprint for Pakistani bowlers in your post, specifically Mir - and my post was in reference to you using Asif as a blue print for Hamza Mir; not bowlers around the world of that pace range. Mir cannot and will not produce the levels of Asif so why use such example in the first place lol?

You used the term world beater - again, if you are going to use justifications or convince yourself that Hamza can get wickets, at least use realistic examples and not examples of in your words “world beaters.”

I never disputed that bowlers need pace, my dispute is very simple, you keep using Asif as an example but Asif was one of few low paced bowlers in modern day cricket for Pakistan who did so well. Just because he did it, doesn’t mean Mir will. Finally, yes a bowler should be judged on consistency in terms of line & length, variations etc but you missed one important thing: wickets.
Click to expand...

Hamza looks in the mould of Asif. Same style of bowlers. Hamza should not be expected to bowl faster, he should be expected to develop more control and variation.

Hamza has 415 FC wickets. Last I checked one can’t buy FC wickets in empress market.

Last time we were in Aus, Waqar took “140+” bowlers to Aus. it was so embarrassingly bad that it was unwatchable. Ricky Ponting called it the worse pace attack to come to Aus. All 3 of Musa, Shaheen and Naseem were 140+ consistently through that test series but Australia was going at 6 RPO.

This attack has kept Aussies more in check with their 125-135 bowling that last test series
 
Kianig89 said:
The barometer of any successful bowler should be taking wickets not control and speed
Click to expand...
Somewhat. Take Mir Hamza. The bloke offered 2ish RPO, which kept the pressure on. So if you’re not getting wickets, at least you’re keeping pressure on.

However, the discussion was about how to get there?
Every single post is about pace and why we don’t have wickets because the pace is 130.
 
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It's just as hopeless to take a Mir Hamza bowling 123K pies to SENA as it is to take a Musa Khan bowling 140K scattergun garbage from a height of 5'6.

There is a role in Test Cricket for a medium-pacer who bowls at 122-128K. That role is as fourth seamer/all-rounder, and the bowler has to be able to guarantee a minimum batting average of 30. Mir Hamza is nowhere near qualified.

Mir Hamza is embarrassing. Pakistan won the toss in cloudy, overcast conditions, and kept getting rain breaks to keep the bowlers fresh.

And he still took 1 wicket in 14 overs.
 
Junaids said:
It's just as hopeless to take a Mir Hamza bowling 123K pies to SENA as it is to take a Musa Khan bowling 140K scattergun garbage from a height of 5'6.

There is a role in Test Cricket for a medium-pacer who bowls at 122-128K. That role is as fourth seamer/all-rounder, and the bowler has to be able to guarantee a minimum batting average of 30. Mir Hamza is nowhere near qualified.

Mir Hamza is embarrassing. Pakistan won the toss in cloudy, overcast conditions, and kept getting rain breaks to keep the bowlers fresh.

And he still took 1 wicket in 14 overs.
Click to expand...

Did you watch the game?

Mir Hamza was very impressive, there were lots of play and misses. David Warner said he was very difficult to bat against.

He was also very good in the field and made some crucial catches.
 
Was easily Pakistan’s best seamer

Beautiful catches as well
 
Farabi said:
Hamza looks in the mould of Asif. Same style of bowlers. Hamza should not be expected to bowl faster, he should be expected to develop more control and variation.

Hamza has 415 FC wickets. Last I checked one can’t buy FC wickets in empress market.

Last time we were in Aus, Waqar took “140+” bowlers to Aus. it was so embarrassingly bad that it was unwatchable. Ricky Ponting called it the worse pace attack to come to Aus. All 3 of Musa, Shaheen and Naseem were 140+ consistently through that test series but Australia was going at 6 RPO.

This attack has kept Aussies more in check with their 125-135 bowling that last test series
Click to expand...
Those were some extremely batting friendly wickets and all 3 pacers were fairly young and new to Test Cricket. Remember, Yasir Shah scored a 100 on that tour..
 
Satisfied with his 1st inn. performance, for speed lovers fulfill your fetish somewhere else
 
Yes, it is true that Hamza should have picked more wickets in those overcast conditions but he got 2 and on the other hand, he kept the pressure on with his tight line and length which helped other bowlers to get a wicket so Hamza did a good job here.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Yes, it is true that Hamza should have picked more wickets in those overcast conditions but he got 2 and on the other hand, he kept the pressure on with his tight line and length which helped other bowlers to get a wicket so Hamza did a good job here.
Click to expand...
But he didn’t bowl 140+ :p
 
shaaik said:
Those were some extremely batting friendly wickets and all 3 pacers were fairly young and new to Test Cricket. Remember, Yasir Shah scored a 100 on that tour..
Click to expand...
It wasn’t batting friendly wickets when Pakistan was batting. Our batting was atrocious. Yasir Shah fluke 100 doesn’t count.
Those were normal Aussie wickets. If you gonna bowl erratic to Aussies down under, you will be bowling for days.
 
Junaids said:
It's just as hopeless to take a Mir Hamza bowling 123K pies to SENA as it is to take a Musa Khan bowling 140K scattergun garbage from a height of 5'6.

There is a role in Test Cricket for a medium-pacer who bowls at 122-128K. That role is as fourth seamer/all-rounder, and the bowler has to be able to guarantee a minimum batting average of 30. Mir Hamza is nowhere near qualified.

Mir Hamza is embarrassing. Pakistan won the toss in cloudy, overcast conditions, and kept getting rain breaks to keep the bowlers fresh.

And he still took 1 wicket in 14 overs.
Click to expand...
Says who? Anderson, Philander, Asif are all sub 130 pacers that were leaders of their respective attacks.
Test cricket you don’t need pace, specially in helpful conditions.

Mir Hamza 2 wickets at 2 RPO. Just because he’s sub 130, it means nothing.
 
Junaids said:
It's just as hopeless to take a Mir Hamza bowling 123K pies to SENA as it is to take a Musa Khan bowling 140K scattergun garbage from a height of 5'6.

There is a role in Test Cricket for a medium-pacer who bowls at 122-128K. That role is as fourth seamer/all-rounder, and the bowler has to be able to guarantee a minimum batting average of 30. Mir Hamza is nowhere near qualified.

Mir Hamza is embarrassing. Pakistan won the toss in cloudy, overcast conditions, and kept getting rain breaks to keep the bowlers fresh.

And he still took 1 wicket in 14 overs.
Click to expand...


And what has the premier pacer shaheen done .

Khurram shahzad outbowled shaheen

And now mir hamza.

The question marks are with shaheen who over 6ft height and god gifted physique is trundling and being out bowled by domestic journeymen like shahzads and hamza
 
Mir Hamza did well at keeping runs dry. Shaheen bowled well but he was unlucky that his catch was dropped and also some umpire decisions were overturned. But overall, it was a good team effort from Hamza and co.
 
That was a good performance. He can swing it and bowls tight lines. He just needs to add 5k more in speed. Needs the Shoaib 2000s diet :ROFLMAO:
 
Because "Pace is Pace yaar" is the dumbest saying in the world:

eXQFqun.png
 
Flat_Track_Bully said:
That was a good performance. He can swing it and bowls tight lines. He just needs to add 5k more in speed. Needs the Shoaib 2000s diet :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
More importantly, he needs to get his length and line more consistent. He balls 1 jaffer and 1 poor delivery every over.
If he can improve his consistency, he can be a good Asif like bowler.
5k won’t hurt but not necessarily gonna make a big difference
 
Haven't seen all that much of his game today but his figures are pretty impressive.
Has the lowest economy out of all bowlers and has picked up 2 wickets.
Seeing some of his wicket highlights - seems like pretty good balls.
 
Mir Hamza has magical today. Especially the delivery, one that bowled Travis Head for duck, it reminds me of Mohammad Asif.
 
His delivery to remove Head. Beautiful.

“Kabhi sham dhale tou mere dil main aa jana…”

I will always remember this wicket whenever I am feeling sad or lonely to cheer me up in life.
 
Rana said:
His delivery to remove Head. Beautiful.

“Kabhi sham dhale tou mere dil main aa jana…”

I will always remember this wicket whenever I am feeling sad or lonely to cheer me up in life.
Click to expand...
Pure magical delivery. I am not getting over it.
 
If you are a Pakistan cricket fan that is suffering from heartbreak, depression or anything that is bringing you down in life….


Just remember that delivery from Hamza. It will cleanse your mind and soul.
 
A solid bowler that has found conditions to his liking. Too slow to make any meaningful impact at home and would need heavy cloud cover to be effective. Bowled well yesterday and well done to him
 
Bewal Express said:
A solid bowler that has found conditions to his liking. Too slow to make any meaningful impact at home and would need heavy cloud cover to be effective. Bowled well yesterday and well done to him
Click to expand...


That's why it's better in home series pitches are prepared that have pace and bounce , with grass left on .

Not like the previous pti chairman who openly said we are scared of England and Australia bowlers so prepared absolute dead wickets which ended up backfiring.

Good bowling wickets were prepared against South africa in 2021 and pakistan won both tests .
 
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