[EXCLUSIVE] Shaun Tait "Naseem Shah is nearly the best fast-bowler I've ever seen at that age"

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Shaun Tait chats with Saj about only playing 59 times for Australia, his favourite bowling spell, working with Pakistan's pacers, his thoughts on pitches in Pakistan, his admiration for Naseem Shah, why he rates Shaheen Shah Afridi so highly, what he feels a good bowling coach should do, his toughest opponent, the challenges for modern day pacers and the advice he has for them, career regrets and more.

 
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Thanks Saj bro, great interview.

Tait speaks very well, under his coaching there is no doubt Pak pacers have improved.

Sadly he suffered from injuries but at his very best, Tait was more lethal than Brett Lee with his slingly action. I have no doubt he reached 100mph even if not documented.

Ps. Guys please subscribe to Saj's Youtube channel!
 
Nice interview, Saj!
Seems like quite a candid person. I found it interesting that he most enjoyed his contests against McCullum. Always fun to see aggressive matchups and see batsman get extra brazen against an express bowler. Maybe thats what Sharma and Gill should do against our pacers next time we play (and they should look to play our spinners out :ROFLMAO:)
 
I thought our white ball bowling came along well under Shaun Tait. However his lack of red ball experience was reflected in our poor Test showings. That being said he was unlucky to have lost Shaheen to injury during his tenure.
 
I thought our white ball bowling came along well under Shaun Tait. However his lack of red ball experience was reflected in our poor Test showings. That being said he was unlucky to have lost Shaheen to injury during his tenure.
And we produced wickets that were the worst possible for our pacers and made them look awful.
 
It was great to see how Shaun Tait has evolved into an exceptional coach which is making a significant positive impact on Pakistan cricket particularly evident in the performance of our bowlers.
 
Excellent comments on Pakistan not using it's fast bowling strength by preparing flat pitches in internationals. I wonder if they even consult the bowling coaches for such decisions
 
No doubt our pacers improved under him. His praise for Naseem and Shaheen is encouraging.
Would love to see him work with the team again
 
Without a doubt he is the most skillful pacers going around for his age and one of the best amongst the pacers who are U-25 currently with only Shaheen being his competitor as of now in that category.
 
Thanks Saj Bro, enjoyed the interview. He comes across as honest and forthright, has his own way of doing things and wont follow the well tread path.
i guess his feedback about your pitches shold be taken on board (Being Indian, I wish someone like him commented on how pathetically useless indian pitches are for pace bowling).
I guess he had limited chances as a player in that team of bowling galacticos and if not for injuries, he could have thrilled a lot more of us pace loving fans.
 
Naseem Shah is easily the best bowler of Pakistan. Perfect line and length which leads to good economy and a solid 2 to 3 wickets per game.

Important player for Pakistan, solid batsmen too for a tail ender. Can hold his own and provide support to batsmen.
 
Thanks Saj Bro, enjoyed the interview. He comes across as honest and forthright, has his own way of doing things and wont follow the well tread path.
i guess his feedback about your pitches shold be taken on board (Being Indian, I wish someone like him commented on how pathetically useless indian pitches are for pace bowling).
I guess he had limited chances as a player in that team of bowling galacticos and if not for injuries, he could have thrilled a lot more of us pace loving fans.
The galaticos you mention were done by 07. Only Lee was left. It was simply his injury/lack of fitness. Otherwise he was well on his way to become an Australian goat atleast if not an atg in white ball cricket. His stock was skyrocketing after 07 wc, at that period he had clearly bypassed Johnson on the pecking order but unfortunately fitness came on the way. He was mesmerizing to watch in 10 t20 wc.
 
Excellent comments on Pakistan not using it's fast bowling strength by preparing flat pitches in internationals. I wonder if they even consult the bowling coaches for such decisions
Yes defensive mindset to nullify the opposition.

Why do this when you have at least 2 world class pacers at your disposal.
 
I thought our white ball bowling came along well under Shaun Tait. However his lack of red ball experience was reflected in our poor Test showings. That being said he was unlucky to have lost Shaheen to injury during his tenure.
I wonder if PCB would ever think of going down the ECB route of different coaches for different formats.

Specific bowling coach for white ball formats and another for the red ball format.

Worth some thought.
 
Thanks Saj Bro, enjoyed the interview. He comes across as honest and forthright, has his own way of doing things and wont follow the well tread path.
i guess his feedback about your pitches shold be taken on board (Being Indian, I wish someone like him commented on how pathetically useless indian pitches are for pace bowling).
I guess he had limited chances as a player in that team of bowling galacticos and if not for injuries, he could have thrilled a lot more of us pace loving fans.
Thanks.

yes very forthright and honest answers.

Not one of those guys who will just say what's politically correct and I like that about him.

He was critical of himself which many cricketers aren't.

I really enjoyed his comments about Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi. It's clear that he has a lot of respect and admiration for both of them.
 
Great interview

Naseem has really come on leaps and bounds in the past year or so, he is looking a very dangerous ODI bowler.
 
I think Naseem Shah is actually better than I thought he would be at this stage of his career.

He's maturing as a bowler, he's improving and teams are starting to realise that this guy isn't just there to make up the numbers.

He deserves a lot of credit.
 
Yes defensive mindset to nullify the opposition.

Why do this when you have at least 2 world class pacers at your disposal.
Our wickets are destroying our bowlers with their lack of pace and bounce. I remember some stat that showed that our wickets are the lowest bouncing in World cricket
 
Our wickets are destroying our bowlers with their lack of pace and bounce. I remember some stat that showed that our wickets are the lowest bouncing in World cricket
During the match against Bangladesh the pitch offered substantial assistance to the fast bowlers.
 
What I like about him is that he can move the ball both ways even at high pace. At MCG in the last T20 WC Final, Shah vs Butler contest is a testament to it. Once he gets his radar in check, he will make batsmen dance to his tune. He has to be the MOST IMPROVED bowler of the past few years.
 
Naseem Shah possesses exceptional control over swinging the ball in both directions, making him the next bowling superstar to follow in the footsteps of Shaheen Afridi.
 
Our wickets are destroying our bowlers with their lack of pace and bounce. I remember some stat that showed that our wickets are the lowest bouncing in World cricket
This is true and a point well-made by Shaun Tait.

Incredible that we have world-class bowlers yet give them dead surfaces to bowl on.
 
This is true and a point well-made by Shaun Tait.

Incredible that we have world-class bowlers yet give them dead surfaces to bowl on.
So pathetic and negative is our thought processes that will kill the good bits of our cricket. Rambo a good game but he was just as bad as the others and quite rightly we got smashed by Eng and easily beaten by Aus. Just produce good wickets and trust the players but we cant.
 
yeah he bowled on good lengths and was getting the swing both ways.

He could have got wicket of Rohit early but luck was with him.
What was even that dropped catch by slip fielder ..off Naseem Shah’s bowling? I think it was Shubman gill… too unlucky was Naseem Shah today
 
What was even that dropped catch by slip fielder ..off Naseem Shah’s bowling? I think it was Shubman gill… too unlucky was Naseem Shah today
Yes, it was Naseem to Gill. He bowled well, but that is cricket for you. Sometimes, the most deserving get no reward, and sometimes the not-so-inform bowlers (Like Shadab and Shaeen) pick up wickets.
 
If naseem was slightly taller he would be even more potent. Great player with elite tier potential. He can become the next spearhead to carry the torch from shoaib akthar. He can be what asif was supposed to be although i do believe Asif was the greater talent.
 
I fear that the way Naseem Shah keeps getting injured in all major tournaments he might turn into another Shaun Tait.
 
Naseem needs to bowl a more attacking line however his progress has been good.
 
how frequently Naseem Shah is getting injured, I don't think his cricket career can be extended.

His lower body looks too bulky for a fast bowler.
 
how frequently Naseem Shah is getting injured, I don't think his cricket career can be extended.

His lower body looks too bulky for a fast bowler.
Lol didn't had any injury for more than a year. When you play a fast bowler all 3 formats this is bound to happen
 
Any further update on Naseem, how long will he be out for?
Nothing yet.

My understanding is that he is virtually rules out and only a miraculous recovery will see him take any part in the tournament.
 
He is the best young fast bowler in world cricket at the moment. He was almost unplayable in the recent Asia Cup. Unfortunately, he got injured and now will miss the World Cup that would be a HUGE blow for team Pakistan.
 
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