We need to end this obsession with speed, modern day batsmen are now used to facing pace.
What we must look for is skill and control. No use having speed like Musa or Hasnain if you can't land six balls in the same area, or move the ball in the air or off the seam.
I agree control and ability to swing the ball is very important as without it you and up as a Mohammed Sami. However our current bowling attack really is the worst of all worlds, apart from Shaheen.
On the one hand you've got Abbas who is very accurate but a) is just ridiculously slow which means batsmen stand half way down the pitch to negate any effect he could have, b) is unable to adapt to the conditions he is playing in - he has bowled a UAE length all test despite the fact that 93% of his balls are missing the stumps due to the extra bounce. Good test bowlers adapt to the conditions, which Abbas has not done and c) Abbas is surrounded by brainless captains and players - FOR GOD'S SAKE RIZWAAN, STAND UP TO THE STUMPS!! How many times have we said this during the England series and now this series. And how many times have edges induced by Abbas fallen short of our very deep slips? It's like our players and management suffer from some sort of collective memory loss, never learning from past mistakes and never setting or executing a plan.
Then you've got Naseem who doesn't swing or seam the ball much and so his great asset is pace. Except it no longer is. He is bowling at speeds Faheem Ashraf would consider to be fast! So Naseem is slow and inaccurate. Perfect combination for a phainty!
Then you have Yasir. At least at the start of every test, Pakistan know they will have at least one centurian because Yasir is playing. He is very generous and will gift runs to all the opposition batsman. Great attitude as the commentators keep saying - he smiles from ear to ear whilst getting hit around the park. Just what we need.
And finally Faheem Ashraf. If ever there was a bits and pieces cricketer, this would be it. A short distance away Australia was debuting Cameron Green - a proper batsman who bowls at 140kph plus. Meanwhile here we are playing someone who could only be described as a tailender who bowls gun barrel straight filth.
Thank God for Shaheen Afridi. Without him, batsman world over would be averaging 100 runs more each against the rest of Pakistan's non-wicket taking pathetic excuse for bowlers.
