Nauman Ali .... Proof that Domestic Cricket Helps

[Rellu_Katta]

Everyone is screaming high abt Hassan Ali and SSA and Rizwan and Faheem and Fawad but Nauman Ali was the most vital clog

Useful runs in both tests, decent holding and threatening bowling in both matches ... was the man in Karachi with ball

Is he, on his own, proving M.Wasim and Wasim Khan right .. and for that matter most of posters here that domestic cricket needs to be the only case (95%) for selecting players?

Nauman has had some serious battles and matches under him and he proved that on the pitch today. The hours battled in the sun in domestic has helped.

And now with the new structure, he was even more prominent than before....

and now he has done it on big stage.

Moral of the Story : Just look at domestic performances only (or 4 day games played in English county)

 

[RickyG]

It's not just Nauman Ali but Fawad as well. Your domestic performances do matter. But there are a couple of other things as well that have led to certain players getting ignored.

I've found in general that when there is a vacancy in the team the opportunity is granted to a central Punjab bloke (Imran Butt, Akmals, Zafar Gohar, Wahab, Ahmed Shehzad, Abdullah Shafique etc). Case in point is Imran Butt getting ahead of Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel. Hopefully, that will also finally change.

But it's not just domestic performances that are important. It's also quality of cricket and pitches. We finally have a system where the cream is encouraged to rise to the top and this needs to be maintained. Although players should be allowed to move from region to region for opportunities. The quality of pitches is also important because last thing you want is mediocre medium pacers averaged 20 because the quality of the pitch makes the successful. Similarly, batsmen should be playing shots not looking to survive.

The challenges will be keeping nepotism out with limited spots now up for grab. There are ways to fight it. Increase accountability for selection. That means ask regions like Islamabad why they select Arsal Sheikh if they do. If they don't have a response then replace their management. Secondly, incentivize winning with large money so regions are encouraged to put out their best teams.

But yes I agree with you. It's time we put faith into our domestic structure and even if it takes a little longer to yield results. We can't go around picking Abdullah Shafiques and Haider Alis after 1 decent performance because of "talent" forever. Unless you get a supreme talent like Shaheen Shah or Babar Azam they should be required to prove themselves first.

 

[ElRaja]

and also dont select new players for foreign tours, let them debut in pakistan where they know the conditions, dont wanna have another zafar gohar episode.

ideally before going on away tours you should go on an A tour with first class games the year prior.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Very impressed by him as a bowler. He has a quiet confidence in his game that you can’t help but admire, something you don’t see in a lot of spinners these days because of the amount of T20 cricket they play.

In the last Test, Dewald Brevis was really going after him, I think in one over he even hit Nauman for three consecutive boundaries. But rather than trying to bowl quicker or try to bowl variations -which is what a lot of spinners tend to do these days when they’re attacked- he stuck to his natural game and focused on how he could bowl it slower to get more out of the pitch. And lo and behold, he cleaned Brevis up with an absolute beauty.

He’s a very skillful bowler and a genuine match-winner. It’s just a shame that most of his career has gone to waste simply because he happens to be Pakistani.

 

[sweep_shot]

Best spinner in Pakistan currently.

He is sadly almost 40 years old. So, not much time left probably.

Definitely the best spinner since Ajmal and Yasir Shah.

 

[Rana]

If I’m honest, you learn this kind of bowling more playing league cricket in UK. These tracks Pakistan is making now and this kind of bowling is very similar to what you see here at the amateur club divisions in the higher levels.

Noman I believe has played lots of club cricket throughout his career here in UK as an overseas.

 

[RidiculousMan]

If I’m honest, you learn this kind of bowling more playing league cricket in UK. These tracks Pakistan is making now and this kind of bowling is very similar to what you see here at the amateur club divisions in the higher levels.

Noman I believe has played lots of club cricket throughout his career here in UK as an overseas.

Then why England spinners are so bad?

 

[Rana]

Then why England spinners are so bad?

Because they don’t really find spinners from those divisions

A lot of English spinners are already in the county system for their regions at a very young age…and this means they are playing their league cricket in the premier divisions. Premier division tracks are very different to the ones at the league’s below, plus English batters are not as ruthless against spin the way Asian batters are in the lower leagues.

It’s very hard to explain but you are more likely to be torn apart as a spinner in the lower divisions then you are in the Prem/div 1s which are majority white batters.

So a lot of these spinners in the pipeline for county and national are bowling to true batsmen, in the premier divisions, county second XIs and minor counties etc on very good tracks that don’t offer the kind of spin you will see in the club cricket scene in the lower divisions.

You won’t learn that guile and cleverness that you see from the Indian/Pakistani overseas spinners from the young English prospects because they won’t bowl as much to Tullah’s in the lower leagues as you can say. Tullah’s are brutal.

@shaz619 could probably explain this better

 

[shaz619]

Because they don’t really find spinners from those divisions

A lot of English spinners are already in the county system for their regions at a very young age…and this means they are playing their league cricket in the premier divisions. Premier division tracks are very different to the ones at the league’s below, plus English batters are not as ruthless against spin the way Asian batters are in the lower leagues.

It’s very hard to explain but you are more likely to be torn apart as a spinner in the lower divisions then you are in the Prem/div 1s which are majority white batters.

So a lot of these spinners in the pipeline for county and national are bowling to true batsmen, in the premier divisions, county second XIs and minor counties etc on very good tracks that don’t offer the kind of spin you will see in the club cricket scene in the lower divisions.

You won’t learn that guile and cleverness that you see from the Indian/Pakistani overseas spinners from the young English prospects because they won’t bowl as much to Tullah’s in the lower leagues as you can say. Tullah’s are brutal.

@shaz619 could probably explain this better

You summed it up so well and I relate to this as well, I use to get smashed to bits in the worcester & staffordshire leagues, but then made it to the 2nd’s of the premier league as a leggie . The footwork at that level against spin is truly remarkable. Even Moeen came through the lower leagues and it was from division 2 he made a name for himself and getting to work with Ajmal helped him a lot, so many ex-pak cricketers still play in leagues here & there’s a more broader ranger of talent & experiences, a relative of mine has been playing with a guy who represented Scotland in the 1999 WC, he faced both Lee & Akhtar & said the former was more difficult to face due to his action, the stories are legendary and then the comedy these guys cause on the pitch is even better & you wonder, man I should have turned pro instead of this jobber.

 

[shaz619]

If you come through the county system your technique will be sound & you”ll get to play on better pitches and be more feee flowing, but at higher levels it will cost you. It’s the traditional route to getting a big contract though, but likes of Mo & Alistair Cook have tried to change the sentiment around that.

 

[Katwalindian]

Best spinner in Pakistan currently.

He is sadly almost 40 years old. So, not much time left probably.

Definitely the best spinner since Ajmal and Yasir Shah.

He can play 5 more years....

 

[sweep_shot]

He can play 5 more years....

I think so. It is because of 3 reasons:

1) He is the best Pakistani spinner currently.
2) He plays only 1 format.
3) He is a spinner.

 

[RidiculousMan]

I think so. It is because of 3 reasons:

1) He is the best Pakistani spinner currently.
2) He plays only 1 format.
3) He is a spinner.

4) He takes good care of his fitness