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Is Mohammad Abbas suited for playing regular Test cricket?

Suleiman said:
To be fair for the people bumping this thread OP did say England would be one of the few places he would succeed in, so you can’t say his predictions backfired yet..
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He's done well in the UAE, WI, Ireland and England thus far. He might be having a false dawn but for the moment he is the real deal.
 
Abbas has been bowling so well that today when I was following the live score was shocked to find he hadn't taken any wickets with the new ball, think folk have been harsh on the lad. He's a new fella on the scene and deserves a long rope, some have been out to get him from day one though; despite this, he has been serving Pakistan very well despite the inexperience at this stage of his career. He may not have pace but a very good cricketing IQ, if he continues to develop that I see him playing a key role in future series home or away.
 
What on earth is wrong with ppers.
The guy has been awesome since he started playing and he has one average day ( I wouldn't call it poor) and people are out to get him.
Our team as a whole is quite young and we only have a problem with sarfaraz . All the young guns deserve a long rope even imam. They are made of good stuff.
Azhar and Asad are also not going anywhere and it is only series where the ball swings where will he have issues with them.thats about 2 series every 4 years.
Just calm down all of u!!
 
Abdullah said:
What on earth is wrong with ppers.
The guy has been awesome since he started playing and he has one average day ( I wouldn't call it poor) and people are out to get him.
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What's wrong with what I said? I just said I hope he comes back strongly tomorrow because he was average today
 
PakSarZameen said:
What's wrong with what I said? I just said I hope he comes back strongly tomorrow because he was average today
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Wasnt aimed at u. I have seen other threads than this one too about Abbas.
And about most of the other members of the team.
In reality this team is the way forward and we can't have game to game judgements and need to be patient
 
Is Abbas expected to get 4fer n 5fers every innings now. He has had a tremendous start to Test Cricket. Even the greats have off days and off games it happens. Abbas isnt the most naturally talented bowler but he keeps it simple and effective. People shut cut him some slack
 
He was running in faster and hitting the deck harder last match.looked a little slow yesterday and batsmen were playing him a bit comfortably.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
He was running in faster and hitting the deck harder last match.looked a little slow yesterday and batsmen were playing him a bit comfortably.
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to be fair 3 fast bowlers were this team is a work in progress which includes their fitness
 
Xoib said:
to be fair 3 fast bowlers were this team is a work in progress which includes their fitness
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Yeah I know just saying that he is much more effective when he bowls around 81/82 mph in these conditions and even went on to hit 86 mph last match. This match was noticeably slower and I saw one of the English batsmen batting outside the crease to counter him.
 
Abbas doesn't have the pace to do well against good batting lineups on flat tracks. Lucky for him, apart from Aus in Aus there isn't any other strong batting lineup he'll encounter over next few years.
In SA/Eng/NZ he'll get enough pitch assistance to do occasionally well and average 27-30 level.

In UAE he'll get enough chances to pad stats against SL/WI and protect against Aus (gets one free throw at Smith/Warner-less Aus) and SA.

Will be surprised if he doesn't progress to 30 tests - 110 wkts at 28.xx figures by 2021
 
The English batsmen have tried to negate him by standing outside the crease. Buttler showed them how to do it at Lord's. However Sarfraz then stood up.

Seem like he doesn't want to do it here for some reason. Should have done it against Jennings straight away.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Yeah I know just saying that he is much more effective when he bowls around 81/82 mph in these conditions and even went on to hit 86 mph last match. This match was noticeably slower and I saw one of the English batsmen batting outside the crease to counter him.
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Pace dropping is the norm at Headingley. It's swing and control that take precedence over there, as well as conditions not being ideal for generating pace.
 
He's absolutely suited for test cricket.

He will never become an 85mph+ bowler in his lifetime and I'm absolutely fine with that. Along with Inzamam's nephew he's the one that's got me very excited.

Inshallah he will be a permanent fixture for us for the next 4 or 5 years. He may be 28 but he can play until he's 36 as his type of bowling is less taxing on the body. So maybe another 8 years inshallah.

He will improve even more inshallah.

I am very confident that we've found a gem in him. Alhamdulillah.
 
He’s suited for test cricket but needs pressure from the other end to be effective. His major weapon is the new ball. After over 15 he might as well go and put his feet up and leave it for the others. When amir (his opening bowling partner) is leaking runs then abbass is nullified. These types of bowlers can’t take wickets on their own like say a wahab can.
 
Abid Z said:
He’s suited for test cricket but needs pressure from the other end to be effective. His major weapon is the new ball. After over 15 he might as well go and put his feet up and leave it for the others. When amir (his opening bowling partner) is leaking runs then abbass is nullified. These types of bowlers can’t take wickets on their own like say a wahab can.
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As would be expected from the Wahab nostalgia brigade, this is just nonsense sprinkled with banalities.

Abbas is an excellent exponent of reverse swing and has been the best tail ender bowler Pakistan has had in Tests for some time.

I don't know what taking wickets "on their own" means. Sure Abbas can benefit from pressure from the other end, but what bowler does not?

More to the point, he is the kind of bowler who can himself create such pressure, which is beyond Wahab on most any day of the week.

The 100 million dollar question for Wahab fans is: if Wahab is truly the force of nature that he is made out to be, if he is able to take wickets, "on his own," why quite plainly, does he not actually take wickets? Why does he average a lousy 33 after 25 Tests? Why does he have only 2 5fers in all that time? Why has he never looked like running though a side, the way Abbas has done twice already on this tour? Isn't it rather the case that Wahab is far more reliant than other, more skilled bowlers, on a very particular constellation of conditions, including dry abrasive pitches, in order to have a chance of making even a moderate impact?
 
New Yorker said:
As would be expected from the Wahab nostalgia brigade, this is just nonsense sprinkled with banalities.

Abbas is an excellent exponent of reverse swing and has been the best tail ender bowler Pakistan has had in Tests for some time.

I don't know what taking wickets "on their own" means. Sure Abbas can benefit from pressure from the other end, but what bowler does not?

More to the point, he is the kind of bowler who can himself create such pressure, which is beyond Wahab on most any day of the week.

The 100 million dollar question for Wahab fans is: if Wahab is truly the force of nature that he is made out to be, if he is able to take wickets, "on his own," why quite plainly, does he not actually take wickets? Why does he average a lousy 33 after 25 Tests? Why does he have only 2 5fers in all that time? Why has he never looked like running though a side, the way Abbas has done twice already on this tour? Isn't it rather the case that Wahab is far more reliant than other, more skilled bowlers, on a very particular constellation of conditions, including dry abrasive pitches, in order to have a chance of making even a moderate impact?
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If I could give a thousand likes to this post I would.

Excellent post.
 
New Yorker said:
As would be expected from the Wahab nostalgia brigade, this is just nonsense sprinkled with banalities.

Abbas is an excellent exponent of reverse swing and has been the best tail ender bowler Pakistan has had in Tests for some time.

I don't know what taking wickets "on their own" means. Sure Abbas can benefit from pressure from the other end, but what bowler does not?

More to the point, he is the kind of bowler who can himself create such pressure, which is beyond Wahab on most any day of the week.

The 100 million dollar question for Wahab fans is: if Wahab is truly the force of nature that he is made out to be, if he is able to take wickets, "on his own," why quite plainly, does he not actually take wickets? Why does he average a lousy 33 after 25 Tests? Why does he have only 2 5fers in all that time? Why has he never looked like running though a side, the way Abbas has done twice already on this tour? Isn't it rather the case that Wahab is far more reliant than other, more skilled bowlers, on a very particular constellation of conditions, including dry abrasive pitches, in order to have a chance of making even a moderate impact?
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What what what???

When did you get that this thread was about pushing for wahab inclusion? You know from previous threads that I can’t stand wahab (only rahat is worse) but as always these analyses are not just about individuals but more importantly the make up of the attack. Wahab has something to offer as a strike bowler but he obviously has many weaknesses

I don’t know if you are related to abbass but at best he is another Azhar mahmood. He doesn’t have the height of asif or philander to get a ball to rise off a good length to prevent batsmen driving. So he’s always going to be just a new ball bowler. Reverse swing is about the ground and the team working on ball. In Headingley he had conditions perfect for him yet still wasn’t so effective.

So why? Quite simply this attack doesn’t work. Amir is close to the end of his test career in my opinion. He’s either injured or very mediocre. Hasan Ali I have serious question marks over.

Fact is bowlers like abbass need to operate in pairs and maintain pressure. As amir is bowling loose balls every over quite simply abbass can be seen off then picked off. It’s elementary really I don’t know why I’d have to explain it!
 
Chief Destroyer said:
Philander operates at that pace.
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Their is a huge difference in capabilities of philander and Abbas, philander cuts the ball of the seam and also can swing the ball, where as this guy will be bread and butter in Australia or any flat pitch.
 
Bubby said:
Their is a huge difference in capabilities of philander and Abbas, philander cuts the ball of the seam and also can swing the ball, where as this guy will be bread and butter in Australia or any flat pitch.
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No, their skillset is pretty much the same. Except Philander is a proven metronome, Abbas isn't.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
Philander operates at that pace.
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I don’t have a problem with 79 mph. Wasim and Shaun pollock post 1999 bowled at that pace and were ok. But they were over 6ft could get a ball to rise of a good length and were very good with the old ball also as is philander.

At his height abbass’s 79 mph is just nice juicy shin height drivable deliveries. He’s not as accurate as people make out and once you stand outside the crease to him he is nullified. He is no philander.

I think he deserves to be in tests but he needs a decent opening bowling partner soon who isn’t amir and can also bowl tight and maintain pressure . Pakistan then need a 3rd seamer who can operate in short bursts like a strike bowler even if a little raw.
 
These harmless trundlers are not going to inspire any young teens to bowl like them. We're not going to get the next Wasim Akram if we have guys like this making a joke out of our fast bowling legacy.
 
Abid Z said:
What what what???

When did you get that this thread was about pushing for wahab inclusion? You know from previous threads that I can’t stand wahab (only rahat is worse) but as always these analyses are not just about individuals but more importantly the make up of the attack. Wahab has something to offer as a strike bowler but he obviously has many weaknesses

I don’t know if you are related to abbass but (1)at best he is another Azhar mahmood. (2)He doesn’t have the height of asif or philander to get a ball to rise off a good length to prevent batsmen driving. (3)So he’s always going to be just a new ball bowler. Reverse swing is about the ground and the team working on ball. In Headingley he had conditions perfect for him yet still wasn’t so effective.

So why? (4)Quite simply this attack doesn’t work. Amir is close to the end of his test career in my opinion. He’s either injured or very mediocre. Hasan Ali I have serious question marks over.

(5)Fact is bowlers like abbass need to operate in pairs and maintain pressure. As amir is bowling loose balls every over quite simply abbass can be seen off then picked off. It’s elementary really I don’t know why I’d have to explain it!
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(1) The domestic statsalone suggest that Abbas is a far better bowler than Azhar, who needed about 150 non Test FC matches to register 3 10 fers, at an average of 25, whereas Abbas has 7 10fers in about 60 FC matches, average 20, and 2 5fers in just 8 internationals, while Azhar never managed a single 5 fer in 20 Tests.

(2) Abbas, 180 cm, is actually taller than Philander, who is 175 cm.

(3) However (un)effective Abbas was in Headingly, he has shown several times in his short career that he is adept at gaining reverse swing. Commies have made note of that, and the transcripts are there to see in the commentaries, from the England series, and the Windies series. He also shown his ability to seam the ball and gain unexpected bounce. His skill set is very comparable indeed to Philander's.

(4) The attack as a whole may or may not work, but what does this have to do with Abbas?

(5) Isn't it a bit banal to say that he is a bowler who's performance is affected by those who bowl alongside him? Isn't this plausibly true for every bowler, to some extent? What bowler benefits from bowling alongside a spray gun? And isn't it a big plus in Abbas's favor, that he is himself a bowler who can be counted on to keep the pressure on, to stop the opposition from scoring. Doesn't this ability of his speak to his suitability for playing regular Test cricket, as is the question of this thread?
 
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venomousx said:
These harmless trundlers are not going to inspire any young teens to bowl like them. We're not going to get the next Wasim Akram if we have guys like this making a joke out of our fast bowling legacy.
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Take the trundler nonsense elsewhere please. There is nothing insulting about a 17 Test bowling average. Another Asif would be a very welcome addition to the Pakistani fast bowling tradition.
 
New Yorker said:
Take the trundler nonsense elsewhere please. There is nothing insulting about a 17 Test bowling average. Another Asif would be a very welcome addition to the Pakistani fast bowling tradition.
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How is he another Asif? lol...Asif was tall and had charisma...he was someone who performed on all kinds of pitches...This kid can't remove the indian top order even in his wildest dreams
 
venomousx said:
How is he another Asif? lol...Asif was tall and had charisma...he was someone who performed on all kinds of pitches...This kid can't remove the indian top order even in his wildest dreams
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I believe the question was what kind of bowlers we wanted to inspire, and I thought it was pertinent to point out that there are other Pakistani inspirations than Wasim Akram, for instance Asif, who has inspired Abbas, says Abbas. As for how good Abbas is, it is surely early to tell, but perhaps you could start by telling us about the iron clad evidence, apart from your dreams, that you possess for slating this 17 averaging pace bowler? What pitches has Abbas so far failed to perform on? You may also tell us what charisma has to do with anything. Do you think McGrath was charismatic?
 
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New Yorker said:
I believe the question was what kind of bowlers we wanted to inspire, and I thought it was pertinent to point out that there are other Pakistani inspirations than Wasim Akram, for instance Asif, who has inspired Abbas, says Abbas. As for how good Abbas is, it is surely early to tell, but perhaps you could start by telling us about the iron clad evidence, apart from your dreams, that you possess for slating this 17 averaging pace bowler? What pitches has Abbas so far failed to perform on? You may also tell us what charisma has to do with anything. Do you think McGrath was charismatic?
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Yes, McGrath was. His average will come up as you know. Anyway I hope he keeps taking wickets. I'm just not in favour of line & length bowlers just like tanvir ahmed, rao iftikhar, asad, imran khan etc etc. who also might have had good averages but proved crap for the long term success of our fast bowling resources.
 
venomousx said:
Yes, McGrath was. His average will come up as you know. Anyway I hope he keeps taking wickets. I'm just not in favour of line & length bowlers just like tanvir ahmed, rao iftikhar, asad, imran khan etc etc. who also might have had good averages but proved crap for the long term success of our fast bowling resources.
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i don't see any logic to this.

did they prove crap, in your words, because they were line and length, or because they were, well, crap?

are there not non-line and length bowlers who also proved crap despite having decent averages?

which one of them averaged 17 in international cricket at this stage of their careers?

why is having control of line and length a bad thing, in your mind?

how can iftikar be said to have proven anything, after just one Test?

and, how on earth could mcgrath be said to be charismatic? he was a boorish bully with his sledging, and bowled relentless medium pace line and length.
 
New Yorker said:
i don't see any logic to this.

did they prove crap, in your words, because they were line and length, or because they were, well, crap?

are there not non-line and length bowlers who also proved crap despite having decent averages?

which one of them averaged 17 in international cricket at this stage of their careers?

why is having control of line and length a bad thing, in your mind?

how can iftikar be said to have proven anything, after just one Test?

and, how on earth could mcgrath be said to be charismatic? he was a boorish bully with his sledging, and bowled relentless medium pace line and length.
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They were crap in the sense they didn't contribute anything to Pakistani cricket. No teenager ever got inspired by Rao Iftikhar Anjum to bowl fast and play for Pakistan one day. The reason we produce great bowlers is that the kids have some heroes to look up to. Do you see any kids in your family imitating amir's action or hassan ali's celebration? Well you might. But you won't find any wanting to be like Abbas no matter what his average. Hope you get my point.
 
venomousx said:
They were crap in the sense they didn't contribute anything to Pakistani cricket. No teenager ever got inspired by Rao Iftikhar Anjum to bowl fast and play for Pakistan one day. The reason we produce great bowlers is that the kids have some heroes to look up to. Do you see any kids in your family imitating amir's action or hassan ali's celebration? Well you might. But you won't find any wanting to be like Abbas no matter what his average. Hope you get my point.
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It’s not Abbas’s responsibility to inspire young bowlers.His main duty is to get wickets.And he has done that so far in his short career.
 
Arham_PakFan said:
It’s not Abbas’s responsibility to inspire young bowlers.His main duty is to get wickets.And he has done that so far in his short career.
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Then don't complain of the lack of pace or aggression in our bowlers 5-10 years down the line because those kids will only be following the current lot's footsteps.
 
if we don't win matches kids will stop playing cricket anyway so priority must be winning matches first, which needs wicket taking bowlers.
 
venomousx said:
They were crap in the sense they didn't contribute anything to Pakistani cricket. No teenager ever got inspired by Rao Iftikhar Anjum to bowl fast and play for Pakistan one day. The reason we produce great bowlers is that the kids have some heroes to look up to. Do you see any kids in your family imitating amir's action or hassan ali's celebration? Well you might. But you won't find any wanting to be like Abbas no matter what his average. Hope you get my point.
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Well I get your point it is not complicated, but I don't see the merit of it. Great bowler is not the same as fast bowler. Asif was great but he was not fast. Abbas himself says that he was inspired by Asif. Not Akram or Waqar but Asif. Why could one not imagine that another young bowler would in turn be inspired by Abbas? It is important that there are different kinds of role models for young Pakistan bowlers. Not everyone is built to bowl like Waqar or Shoaib. So it is good if there is a template like Abbas for a young bowler who may be supremely talented but not necessarily fast. Really, this is very basic.
 
ExpressPacer said:
I'm sure his average is going to go up once he starts playing better teams and when he at least has 10 matches (I seriously hope this is his last ever international match).

I personally think Abbas is the absolute worst fast bowler playing Test cricket today. Maybe Shafiul Islam gives him some competition but even then the guy picked up Amla in his last match and also got Elgar cheaply.
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This has aged well :srt.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some said he's not a typical Pakistani pace bowler.<br>Some said he's not fast enough.<br>Some said he lacks aggression.<br>Some said he will be useless on slow pitches.<br>Mohammad Abbas 7 wickets for 49 runs so far<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1049991982146379776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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This guy will be a superstar if he keeps himself from getting banned. Nearly 50 wickets in his first nine test matches and has already shown the ability to succeed on a variety of pitches.

Hoping to see him and Amir reform the 'AA' bowling partnership later this year.
 
Can OP get an award for one of most stupid threads ever on PP? ;)
 
Bilal7 said:
This guy will be a superstar if he keeps himself from getting banned. Nearly 50 wickets in his first nine test matches and has already shown the ability to succeed on a variety of pitches.

Hoping to see him and Amir reform the 'AA' bowling partnership later this year.
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Banned for what?
 
Bilal7 said:
This guy will be a superstar if he keeps himself from getting banned. Nearly 50 wickets in his first nine test matches and has already shown the ability to succeed on a variety of pitches.

Hoping to see him and Amir reform the 'AA' bowling partnership later this year.
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Don't see any indication for that whatsoever.
 
Bilal7 said:
This guy will be a superstar if he keeps himself from getting banned. Nearly 50 wickets in his first nine test matches and has already shown the ability to succeed on a variety of pitches.

Hoping to see him and Amir reform the 'AA' bowling partnership later this year.
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why you think he will be banned? his action is so legit
 
Credit to Abbas for shutting up the haters. This is a strong test bowler. He's got a big opportunity to make a name for himself the next three to four months.
He needs two more wickets to top his best bowling in a match (9 for 110). At this point in the match his average has dropped to 16.28. I don't care who you're playing, in Tests that's absolutely ridiculous.
 
What could have been: Asif and Abbas sharing new ball. Oh well, hopefully we find a genuine new ball left armer to partner with him in South Africa. Either Junaid Khan or Maybe Shaheen Afridi
 
Removed three tailenders who were playing at the top today.

As I said , he is the best test pacer we have.
 
Pete Rose said:
What could have been: Asif and Abbas sharing new ball. Oh well, hopefully we find a genuine new ball left armer to partner with him in South Africa. Either Junaid Khan or Maybe Shaheen Afridi
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Hamza seems a wonderful prospect don't you think?
 
Such an unfortunate guy - lost at least 3 years, because of PCB's safety first selection policy. In Just 12 months the way he has improved at this age, could have a genuine prospect for PAK ATG, had he been picked in 2014-15, when in a period of 15-16 months between late 2014 - early 2016, he took ~100 FC wickets for like 17-18 average. Could have been the missing piece in 2015 UK tour. Also, I feel his average speed has increased since his debut - here he is bowling in UAE, probably bowling a bit slower deliberately, but he can reach close to 140K; which I am sure he could have broken 144Km mark, had he been picked in national set-up at much younger age. Brilliant, skilled pacer - rare in recent days PAK.

Still should have one great series in UK in 2021 (?)
 
MMHS said:
Such an unfortunate guy - lost at least 3 years, because of PCB's safety first selection policy. In Just 12 months the way he has improved at this age, could have a genuine prospect for PAK ATG, had he been picked in 2014-15, when in a period of 15-16 months between late 2014 - early 2016, he took ~100 FC wickets for like 17-18 average. Could have been the missing piece in 2015 UK tour. Also, I feel his average speed has increased since his debut - here he is bowling in UAE, probably bowling a bit slower deliberately, but he can reach close to 140K; which I am sure he could have broken 144Km mark, had he been picked in national set-up at much younger age. Brilliant, skilled pacer - rare in recent days PAK.

Still should have one great series in UK in 2021 (?)
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It is even sadder if we consider that he may not be so rare, ie that there are others who have been similarly overlooked, and will continue to be overlooked, most notably Sadaf, who used regularly to outbowl Abbas when playing alongside him at KRL. Let's just hope that Hamza gets his chance soon. Atrocious to see a stale horses for courses Wahab still getting selected ahead of a genuine quality prospect like Hamza.
 
New Yorker said:
It is even sadder if we consider that he may not be so rare, ie that there are others who have been similarly overlooked, and will continue to be overlooked, most notably Sadaf, who used regularly to outbowl Abbas when playing alongside him at KRL. Let's just hope that Hamza gets his chance soon. Atrocious to see a stale horses for courses Wahab still getting selected ahead of a genuine quality prospect like Hamza.
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In a "dream" team for NZ ODIs, I actually kept Sadaf in XI - just from my burning desire to see the guy in a televised game. His domestic stats are like pacers of 19th century, and he is 6'5" ish. But, I read there are other issues with him, therefore might never make it to even A team.
 
ExpressPacer said:
If you ignore numbers, stats and figures for a moment and just look at the man's bowling for just a moment, it is easier than drinking water to concur and come to the realization that that this man is the absolute definition and epitome of mediocrity and dare I say, inability.

An insult to the world "fast", this bowler casually saunters into the pitch and hopes for the best when delivering the ball. It is beyond my basic understanding what some "experts" see in him but all I say is an unfit trundler bowling at speeds of 125-132 KPH with absolutely no seam movement, no swing, no bounce, no lateral movement, no reverse, absolutely NOTHING at all.

He doesn't have height of a fast bowler, he doesn't have the run up of a fast bowler, he doesn't have the pace of a fast bowler, he doesn't have the action of a fast bowler, he doesn't have the fitness of a fast bowler, he doesn't have ability of a fast bowler, heck he doesn't even have the attitude. I have not seen a more innocuous bowler in my life!

The only place I can ever see him being successful is England and that too on a green top with helpful conditions and cloud cover, and I have my doubts about that too, frankly. Not tall/pacy enough for Aus or SA, doesn't swing it enough for UAE, doesn't seam it enough to be find any sort of success in India/Lanka/BD and if he ever plays a Test in Pakistan, I'm sure he simply doesn't have the energy to play in the Lahore heat.

Lets talk about everyone's favorite topic: Statistics.

I'm sure a bunch of "experts" are going to question my cricketing knowledge for disregarding this gem that we have unearthed because of his MIGHTY average in a grand total of 4 matches against #7 and #8 ranked teams. But I have the answer for that.

Out of his 20 wickets in Test matches, FIFTEEN have come against Tailenders. Is he the first ever tailender specialist "fast" bowler? The other 5 wickets? Well, they came against either newbies or the wicket of a batsman after he'd played 150+ delivery innings.

I'm sure his average is going to go up once he starts playing better teams and when he at least has 10 matches (I seriously hope this is his last ever international match).

I personally think Abbas is the absolute worst fast bowler playing Test cricket today. Maybe Shafiul Islam gives him some competition but even then the guy picked up Amla in his last match and also got Elgar cheaply.
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ur head should hang in shame now
abbas is one of the wonderful pacers today
 
MMHS said:
Such an unfortunate guy - lost at least 3 years, because of PCB's safety first selection policy. In Just 12 months the way he has improved at this age, could have a genuine prospect for PAK ATG, had he been picked in 2014-15, when in a period of 15-16 months between late 2014 - early 2016, he took ~100 FC wickets for like 17-18 average. Could have been the missing piece in 2015 UK tour. Also, I feel his average speed has increased since his debut - here he is bowling in UAE, probably bowling a bit slower deliberately, but he can reach close to 140K; which I am sure he could have broken 144Km mark, had he been picked in national set-up at much younger age. Brilliant, skilled pacer - rare in recent days PAK.

Still should have one great series in UK in 2021 (?)
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Its a double edged sword. One could say the extra 1-2 seasons of domestic cricket helped him fine tune his bowling. What I would like is for him to be placed on a special nutrition and training program to further improve his physique and hopefully the increase in pace will come accordingly.
 
Savak said:
Its a double edged sword. One could say the extra 1-2 seasons of domestic cricket helped him fine tune his bowling.

What I would like is for him to be placed on a special nutrition and training program to further improve his physique and hopefully the increase in pace will come accordingly.
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2nd part is the best possible solution, no question about that ..... not sure about the first part though.

I am not comfortable about PAK pacers "tuning" their bowling skills under Basit Alis. For example, Wahab started his FC career in 2001-02 (as a 16 years old baby), and made his Test debut in 2010 - that's almost a decade of tuning period - guy still can't control new ball and doesn't have any RADAR, and his grip I can say is like his bowling - "unconventional". What Junaid was in his first 2-3 years with a little time at Lancashire, and what he has become now - at 27-28 (OK, I add 2-3 more) - at 30-31, he should be at his prime, among best pacers in world .... sadly, you know.

Personally, I think, to be a top quality fast bowler, probably every asset is there in Afridi & Arshad, now they need to dodge one mighty bullet - PCB's domestic cricket.
 
ExpressPacer said:
If you ignore numbers, stats and figures for a moment and just look at the man's bowling for just a moment, it is easier than drinking water to concur and come to the realization that that this man is the absolute definition and epitome of mediocrity and dare I say, inability.

An insult to the world "fast", this bowler casually saunters into the pitch and hopes for the best when delivering the ball. It is beyond my basic understanding what some "experts" see in him but all I say is an unfit trundler bowling at speeds of 125-132 KPH with absolutely no seam movement, no swing, no bounce, no lateral movement, no reverse, absolutely NOTHING at all.

He doesn't have height of a fast bowler, he doesn't have the run up of a fast bowler, he doesn't have the pace of a fast bowler, he doesn't have the action of a fast bowler, he doesn't have the fitness of a fast bowler, he doesn't have ability of a fast bowler, heck he doesn't even have the attitude. I have not seen a more innocuous bowler in my life!

The only place I can ever see him being successful is England and that too on a green top with helpful conditions and cloud cover, and I have my doubts about that too, frankly. Not tall/pacy enough for Aus or SA, doesn't swing it enough for UAE, doesn't seam it enough to be find any sort of success in India/Lanka/BD and if he ever plays a Test in Pakistan, I'm sure he simply doesn't have the energy to play in the Lahore heat.

Lets talk about everyone's favorite topic: Statistics.

I'm sure a bunch of "experts" are going to question my cricketing knowledge for disregarding this gem that we have unearthed because of his MIGHTY average in a grand total of 4 matches against #7 and #8 ranked teams. But I have the answer for that.

Out of his 20 wickets in Test matches, FIFTEEN have come against Tailenders. Is he the first ever tailender specialist "fast" bowler? The other 5 wickets? Well, they came against either newbies or the wicket of a batsman after he'd played 150+ delivery innings.

I'm sure his average is going to go up once he starts playing better teams and when he at least has 10 matches (I seriously hope this is his last ever international match).

I personally think Abbas is the absolute worst fast bowler playing Test cricket today. Maybe Shafiul Islam gives him some competition but even then the guy picked up Amla in his last match and also got Elgar cheaply.
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This looks like an old Post. But Partly true Mohd Abbas is not a typical fast bowler (call him medium pacer if you like) but is a different type of Bowler, same Category as Glenn Mcgrath, Vernon Philander and M Asif. He gets wickets thru accuracy and guile.
Their is a reason why Abbas keep getting wickets where Wahab Riaz and Mohd Amir can't. His First Class average, county average and his International Cricket average are all very good and in the Same zone.
It is not easy to bowl fast only few can bowl at 150+. But the great Michael Holding once said "It means nothing if you can bowl fast, but do you have control, can you out think a batsman"
 
New Yorker said:
Hamza seems a wonderful prospect don't you think?
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I haven’t seen him play tbh. But going against my bias, maybe it’s time for Sadat Hussain to get a look in. Abbas was averageing 35 in first class cricket till about five years ago and the last three years before his selection, he changed teams and was averaging around 16 or something (lifting this off Twitter).
Safe to say quite a few folks were sceptical about Abbas when he started off because he SEEMED meh.
So, assuming that Sadaf Hussain’s fitness is not an issue, and he is still churning out the numbers..... worth a look this home season as audition for South Africa
 
mak36 said:
Banned for what?
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DeadBall said:
Don't see any indication for that whatsoever.
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srh said:
why you think he will be banned? his action is so legit
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It was a reference to Asif and the various bans that he suffered because of his internal demons.

JibranAnsari said:
Removed three tailenders who were playing at the top today.

As I said , he is the best test pacer we have.
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He's one of the best young test bowlers in the world.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mohammad Abbas top of the list <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/4Io0b3bEDb">pic.twitter.com/4Io0b3bEDb</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1050296000777203713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Well i can see where the OP was coming from. He did look innocuous at the start of his career. So lets not attack the OP for having an premature opinion.
 
Trundler is getting lucky again., sending all the wrong signals to the next generation of wannabe Pakistani phaast bowlers.
 
This thread is the gift that keeps giving.
 
I hope OP change his username and pretend that he never said anything about M.Abbas...
 
Pete Rose said:
What could have been: Asif and Abbas sharing new ball. Oh well, hopefully we find a genuine new ball left armer to partner with him in South Africa. Either Junaid Khan or Maybe Shaheen Afridi
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Tbh I like the look of this Mir Hamza. Too early to say what they will both do in swinging bouncing conditions but with a tight bowling partner Abbas will run riot. (I hope)
 
Nice juicy anda for OP’s face. Abbas is is a top draw bowler. I don’t think OP understands the term ‘pace is not everything’.
 
Madplayer said:
Well i can see where the OP was coming from. He did look innocuous at the start of his career. So lets not attack the OP for having an premature opinion.
Click to expand...

Far from attacking, we are celebrating it. It was a veritable paen to the belief that one look at a bowler will tell you all you need to know. 8 10 fers in 70 something domestic FC matches didn't look so innocuous to some of us though.
 
Last edited:
It just wasnt a one off message... this was pure analytical yet somehow he manages to take 50 wickets in his 9 tests...ohh my!!!
 
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