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"It does seem that Ahmed Shehzad is a bit scared of genuine fast-bowlers" : Mohammad Yousuf

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"It does seem that Ahmed Shehzad is a bit scared of genuine fast-bowlers" : Mohammad Yousuf

Mohammad Yousuf speaking on TV after Pakistan's Test squad for the SL series was announced:

"If Azhar Ali has passed the fitness test then it's great. He's a brilliant player and in the past 4-5 years, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq have given excellent performances both overseas and in UAE."

"Ahmed Shehzad wasn't in the team for the Australia and England tours so he hasn't really been dropped, he was never really been a part of the team. He will get chances in the shorter formats as he played well in the matches against World XI. He can make a comeback in Test cricket."

"It's true that there are some problems with Shehzad's game such as him being scared of the ball since being hit. He used to play aggressively before but in the past few years, he is batting very slowly. Since being hit, it does seem that he is a bit scared of genuine fast-bowlers. He will need to improve on these things. When he had started playing, he was a very good player so I hope he can start playing like that again."

"In the past 5-6 years, all our wins have been in UAE so we need a couple of spinners there. It's good that we have Yasir Shah, Asghar and Bilal Asif. There is variety in the spin-bowling options."

"We have genuine fast bowlers in Hasan Ali and Mohammad Amir, they've performed everywhere. Wahab has struggled in the past but wickets such as the UAE ones suit him due to reverse-swing."

"The team is a very good combination overall and it's great to see youngsters getting chances."
 
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Great comments from Yousuf.

Waqar said the same thing about Shehzad in his report:

Ahmed Shehzad was hit in the head during the test match and probably since then he has developed a fear of the ball which he has not been able to shake off. He has never been able to perform since that incident. Sometimes players come back improved and other times it can lead to the end of their careers, for Ahmed, I think it is the latter.
 
I have no idea what created the myth that he is poor only against fast bowling. He is as useless against spin as well.
 
I have no idea what created the myth that he is poor only against fast bowling. He is as useless against spin as well.

Or that he was poor against fast bowling and a slow batsman since his injury

He has always played like this
 
shehzad's best years are ahead of him

i back him to excel in all three formats and should make the opening position his own over the next 7-8 yrs

he needs to keep his attitude in check and bring intent to his team. the rest will fall in place as he has the shots and temperament to succeed.
 
shehzad's best years are ahead of him

i back him to excel in all three formats and should make the opening position his own over the next 7-8 yrs

he needs to keep his attitude in check and bring intent to his team. the rest will fall in place as he has the shots and temperament to succeed.

Lol. Ppl said the same thing 7 years ago. Still waiting for him to 'excel' in any format let alone all 3.
 
Lol. Ppl said the same thing 7 years ago. Still waiting for him to 'excel' in any format let alone all 3.

for our standards he has not done badly

he is a young batsman who is not a slogger for a change. he has temparement and will to play long innings unlike umar,maqsood,amin etc etc who are in the same age group but have not been able to score hundreds like shehzad

his main issue is his negative mindset and of course narcisstic attitude. if he can sort that out he will have a successful career. there is a good player in him but he needs to unlock it.
 
for our standards he has not done badly

he is a young batsman who is not a slogger for a change. he has temparement and will to play long innings unlike umar,maqsood,amin etc etc who are in the same age group but have not been able to score hundreds like shehzad

his main issue is his negative mindset and of course narcisstic attitude. if he can sort that out he will have a successful career. there is a good player in him but he needs to unlock it.

He still has a lot to improve to convince me he is good enough for all 3 formats. But I suppose the right mentality is to let him get better and improve.
 
for our standards he has not done badly

he is a young batsman who is not a slogger for a change. he has temparement and will to play long innings unlike umar,maqsood,amin etc etc who are in the same age group but have not been able to score hundreds like shehzad

his main issue is his negative mindset and of course narcisstic attitude. if he can sort that out he will have a successful career. there is a good player in him but he needs to unlock it.

Do you see a future Kohli in Shehzad :)
 
He's always had flaws in his game but def not the same player since that head. injury.

His timing especially seems to have gone especially on the offside.
 
I think he's right about his weakness against pace especially after being hit on the head.

Pace bowlers smell weaknesses and his is obvious.
 
If it is an obvious thing, then work with a sports psychologist would be good for Ahmed.

I have criticized him and his victim attitude but I must say that he has kept his head down, his mouth shut and looked to work his way back into the team.

He looked fitter against the World XI and he got better as a batsman evey game and his running between the wickets was much better. Also has really good partnerships and rhythm with Babar Azam. I hope he continues down this path and gets better and better, as it will only be good for Pakistan to see th best version of Ahmed Shehzad performing regularly rather than him fading away and becoming a wasted talent.

If he keeps working hard, rewards will come.
 
He scored a century in the ODI series only a month after that injury against Henry and McClenaghan. That injury has just been used as an excuse mask his inconsistency and mediocrity.
 
A bit? Lol.

And he struggles against everyone not just fast-bowlers.
 
Shehzad struggles against anyone with the ball. He should give up on cricket and work in pashto films.
 
I'll never understand this. It's like the Nelson Mendela effect.

shehzad made his debut against australia in 2009 and played a few games in the 2009 t20 world cup and his strike rate was poor

but then he made a come back against new zealand in new zealand in 2011 and he was very aggressive. his strike rate was 100+ in the odi series and he also scored his first odi hundred in that series at a strike rate of 100+

that was the series where shehzad announced himself and people started to take note of him. as a result quite a few people have that aggressive image of shehzad in their mind who took on the bowlers and played his shots.

i hope you "understand" now
 
shehzad made his debut against australia in 2009 and played a few games in the 2009 t20 world cup and his strike rate was poor

but then he made a come back against new zealand in new zealand in 2011 and he was very aggressive. his strike rate was 100+ in the odi series and he also scored his first odi hundred in that series at a strike rate of 100+

that was the series where shehzad announced himself and people started to take note of him. as a result quite a few people have that aggressive image of shehzad in their mind who took on the bowlers and played his shots.

i hope you "understand" now

So one series is all there is to prove his 'aggression'?
 
So one series is all there is to prove his 'aggression'?

as they say first impression is the last impression

on a lot of people minds he made an aggressive impression early on and smashed a hundred at 100+ strike rate away from home in new zealand which is why they started to consider him as an aggressive player
 
"It's true that there are some problems with Shehzad's game such as him being scared of the ball since being hit. He used to play aggressively before but in the past few years, he is batting very slowly. Since being hit, it does seem that he is a bit scared of genuine fast-bowlers. He will need to improve on these things. When he had started playing, he was a very good player so I hope he can start playing like that again."

Shezad needs inspiration from someone like Mohinder Amarnath.

In the Bridgetown Test during India's tour of the West Indies in 1982–83, Amarnath had to retire for stitches after being hit on the head. On returning to the game, he faced one of history's most lethal fast bowlers Michael Holding. It was a given that Holding would try to intimidate Amarnath by bowling a bouncer, and indeed he did so. While most would expect that a batsman in such a situation would do the prudent thing and duck, instead Amarnath stood his ground and hooked the ball to the boundary...
Gideon Haigh writing in The Age says: "In an era replete with fast bowling and unrestricted in use of the bouncer, he never stopped hooking – despite many incentives to do so. He received a hairline fracture of the skull from Richard Hadlee, was knocked unconscious by Imran Khan, had teeth knocked out by Malcolm Marshall and was hit in the jaw so painfully by Jeff Thomson in Perth that he could eat only ice cream for lunch. 'What separated Jimmy from the others,' Michael Holding said, 'was his great ability to withstand pain . . . A fast bowler knows when a batsman is in pain. But Jimmy would stand up and continue.'"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohinder_Amarnath#Character_and_Courage

It's just your body. If it is hit, it will heal. But cricket is your job, and if you don't do your job your life is wasted.
 
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as they say first impression is the last impression

on a lot of people minds he made an aggressive impression early on and smashed a hundred at 100+ strike rate away from home in new zealand which is why they started to consider him as an aggressive player

What are you actually trying to say?

If you are explaining why some people (wrongly) had/have this idea he is an aggressive batsmen despite his stats telling us otherwise, then fair enough.

If however, you are saying it is right people think he is an aggressive batsmen despite his stats telling us otherwise, based on a single series in New Zealand out of an eight year career, then that is laughable.
 
What are you actually trying to say?

If you are explaining why some people (wrongly) had/have this idea he is an aggressive batsmen despite his stats telling us otherwise, then fair enough.

If however, you are saying it is right people think he is an aggressive batsmen despite his stats telling us otherwise, based on a single series in New Zealand out of an eight year career, then that is laughable.

my post is clear. i cannot elaborate further.
 
:)))

Has your keyboard stopped working?

" as they say first impression is the last impression

on a lot of people minds he made an aggressive impression early on and smashed a hundred at 100+ strike rate away from home in new zealand which is why they started to consider him as an aggressive player "


i cannot make it more straight forward than this. read it again (this time slowly) and you will understand.
 
" as they say first impression is the last impression

on a lot of people minds he made an aggressive impression early on and smashed a hundred at 100+ strike rate away from home in new zealand which is why they started to consider him as an aggressive player "


i cannot make it more straight forward than this. read it again (this time slowly) and you will understand.

It's good to see your copy and paste button is still working.

I'll make it easy for you, as you are obviously struggling to understand my question. Put simply, you claim people think Shehzad is aggressive based on a single series he played at the start of his career. Eight years have passed since his debut, and his stats clearly tell us he is not an aggressive batsmen. What you don't mention is whether you agree with this assessment. So my question is, do you think people are mistaken to think of Shehzad as an aggressive batsman or do you agree with this viewpoint?

I know you are one of his fan-boys, which is why you are avoiding the question, but please try and give a clear answer.
 
It's good to see your copy and paste button is still working.

I'll make it easy for you, as you are obviously struggling to understand my question. Put simply, you claim people think Shehzad is aggressive based on a single series he played at the start of his career. Eight years have passed since his debut, and his stats clearly tell us he is not an aggressive batsmen. What you don't mention is whether you agree with this assessment. So my question is, do you think people are mistaken to think of Shehzad as an aggressive batsman or do you agree with this viewpoint?

I know you are one of his fan-boys, which is why you are avoiding the question, but please try and give a clear answer.

why do you care whether i agree or not ? any way shehzad is not an aggressive batsman but he has the potential to be. he has the shots but needs to start playing for the team rather than play for himself and protect his wicket.
 
"Shehzad has been struggling to score runs ever since he was hit by the ball" : Mohammad Yousuf

KARACHI: Pakistan go into the second ODI on a high at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi after claiming the first one in emphatic fashion, and former skipper Muhammad Yousuf believes they should look to assert their authority right from the get-go.

Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik guided the hosts to a comfortable 83-run win after yet another disappointing opening stand for Pakistan and Yousuf believes struggling opener Ahmad Shahzad needs to deliver.

“He has been struggling to score runs ever since he was hit by the ball [in a Test against New Zealand],” said Yousuf. “He used to play aggressive cricket before but for the past few years he has been batting very slowly. It seems that he is a bit scared of genuine fast-bowlers now. He will need to improve on these things. When he had started playing, he was a very good player so I hope he can start playing like that again.”

Yousuf further said that Fakhar Zaman, man-of-the-match in the Champions Trophy final, has proven just why quick batting is so important early on.

“He has been a good opening batsman for the team. If he is supported from the other end, he can score big and quickly, which can give the team good start,” he said.

Yousuf believes Pakistan need to deploy the spinners if they are to continue stifling teams in the middle overs.

“In the past five or six years, almost all of Pakistan’s wins have been in the UAE, and you need a couple of spinners there,” he said. “Pakistan have Shadab Khan, Muhammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Imad Wasim as options. I believe Imad was brought into the attack a little too late in the previous game. This time around he should be brought on a bit more quickly.”

Yousuf is also impressed with the pace options that the Men in Green possess. “Pakistan have proven pacers in Hasan Ali and Junaid Khan; both of them have performed in different conditions. Rumman Raees also bowled superbly and continuously troubled the batsmen. These bowlers will be a handful in Abu Dhabi.”

However, the former middle-order batsman was let down with the way the bowlers failed to close the innings. “They shouldn’t have given away so many runs at the end,” he said. “Pakistan would have won by a bigger margin otherwise and it might come to haunt them if they do it again. The Pakistan is filled with a great mix of youth and experience so I believe they will win the second ODI as well.”

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1532100/yousuf-urges-pakistan-assert-dominance/
 
I keep hearing people say this. Can someone post stats for him pre and post getting hit if possible? Thanks.
 
This is the issue with Pakistani mentality.. always blame it on some situations!!! If a batsman is unable to rectify his issues then that’s his fault.. I’ve been his supporter but now I guess I’m coming back to my senses!!
 
Best thing Waqar did as coach was to kick him out of the team.
 
Don't think his issues is fast bowling. I feel he's in the same category as Umar Akmal in which both like pace. But the big difference is Shehzad is pretty poor against spinners.
 
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He is just not good enough against any kind of bowler he feasts on trundlers occasionally.He has many technical glitches he never moves his feet against fast bowlers.He is really the worst player in whole country
 
I'm not sure if he is scared but he certainly looks short of confidence.

It's the same old scenario - player is picked for Pakistan despite flaws, player is dropped from international cricket, player makes a few runs in domestic with the same flaws, player is brought back for Pakistan despite the same flaws and so the vicious circle continues.
 
I'm not sure if he is scared but he certainly looks short of confidence.

It's the same old scenario - player is picked for Pakistan despite flaws, player is dropped from international cricket, player makes a few runs in domestic with the same flaws, player is brought back for Pakistan despite the same flaws and so the vicious circle continues.

He is selected on the weight of his runs and not how he scored them. I don’t know if selectors watched any of his games, but he would typically start slow and make it up as the innings wore on. Can’t do that in international cricket. You just need better fielders to shut down someone like Shehzad.
 
I'm not sure if he is scared but he certainly looks short of confidence.

It's the same old scenario - player is picked for Pakistan despite flaws, player is dropped from international cricket, player makes a few runs in domestic with the same flaws, player is brought back for Pakistan despite the same flaws and so the vicious circle continues.

But Fakhar Zaman is exactly the same.

In the Champions Trophy he was hit on the head as many times as every other batsman from every team combined!
 
But Fakhar Zaman is exactly the same.

In the Champions Trophy he was hit on the head as many times as every other batsman from every team combined!

Fakhar was in the Navy. So he's faced tougher challenges than being hit on the helmet by a cricket ball. Also, he has discipline that Shehzad lacks at times. What he lacks in technique, he makes up for with his positive approach rather than creating pressure on himself and others by eating up dot balls. :fz
 
I don't know he is scared or not but he must be replaced now. Enough is enough. He can be replaced even with a bowler:sanga
 
Scared would be stepping away from line but here problem is inability to place ball
 
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