[PICTURES] Imran Nazir: Greatest waste of batting talent ever?

[Hamza_]

Back in the days, I remember getting excited just to watch him bat because he was always in and out of the team and whenever he was in the Playing XI, I used to pin myself in front of the TV Screen.

Imran Nazir had every shot in the book while being an outrageous timer of the ball.

He could drive, cut, hook/pull and play some drives to the on side as well.

If you were to look upon his batting stats, you will never realize the vast amount of batting potential that the guy carried.

In my opinion, he is one of the greatest if not the greatest batting talent unfulfilled.

 

[Markhor]

He had no brains.

I'll never forget the story Wasim Akram tells about Imran Nazir. One time PCB under Chairman Tauqir Zia had hired Geoffrey Boycott as a batting consultant to work with young batsmen like Imran Nazir, Salman Butt and others.

They set up a tent where Boycott was delivering his lecture in his thick Yorkshire accent. Wasim was doing his warmups and runs, and every time he passed the tent he saw Nazir nodding along to everything Boycott was saying.

Eventually the session ended and Wasim asked him whether he understood anything Boycs was saying. Nazir replied "not a word". Wasim asked why was he nodding along then to which Nazir said he would've carried on talking for another hour if he hadn't !

 

[Hamza_]

[MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION]

Shot Selection

Temperament

Crafting an Innings

Some of his problems that lead to such disappointing career.

 

[Zaz]

Nazir was a huge talent but like many he regressed alarmingly after his first few games

It was sad to see him become a glorified slogger when initially he was a very talented and eye pleasing strokemaker

Just watch the video below in 2000 how he used to bat

https://youtu.be/TfxVkiQVdkE

 

[Hamza_]

[MENTION=21715]Zaz[/MENTION]

That Cover Drive at 3:12 was gold.

Absolutely worth paying to watch.

 

[Savak]

Absolutely. Even Shoaib Akhtar used him as an example and considered him the biggest waste of talent. All talent, no brains or direction.

To be honest I think Nazir decided his niche was ODI and T20 cricket. It's sad his arthritis prevented him from encashing in the global T20 leagues during his prime years, he would have made life changing sums of money

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Yasir hameed was better.He is surely amongst top underachievers.

 

[Hamza_]

[MENTION=146232]jeeteshssaxena[/MENTION]

Nazir's shot array, timing and ability were out of the world.

He was the sort of player who could answer the bowler with any sort of shot he likes but instead he made himself look like a fool.

 

[Hamza_]

[MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION]

I think such players need a good mentor, who could tell them what their strengths are and develop some method and thought process in them by telling them rationales.

You should take such players as audience and have them involved with you and let them feel about the direction.
[MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] Pointed out that he didn't bother about what his coach was telling him. Important thing was to identify and eractify the issues there in his lack of focus/attention. Lets say if i'm a manager to some operational uneducated members of thw organization but I need to make sure that we are all on the same page by mixing in with them and letting them know that they are valued part of rhe organization. I think same can be related to Nazir's mindset because those workers simply will carry on doing what they like if I as a manger don't get them involved.

 

[Mirpur express]

If he really was great then he would’ve left a legacy, just another good timer & stroke maker nothing more.

 

[Saj]

Talent?

I'm not sure talent is the right word to describe him.

 

[Hasan123]

He had every shot in the book. The fact he didn’t live up to this ability is extremely disappointing.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

Not sure greatest waste of talent applies to him.

I think Vinod Kambli gets that accolade— career Test batting average of 54 after 17 tests but he played his last Test when he was just 23 years old.....

 

[ali061091]

The most talented Pakistani opener after Saeed Anwar but as with most of the young pakistani boys, once you become popular, your focus is on money, girls, cars and not on cricket or enhancing that talent gifted by Allah.

 

[Savak]

Not sure greatest waste of talent applies to him.

I think Vinod Kambli gets that accolade— career Test batting average of 54 after 17 tests but he played his last Test when he was just 23 years old.....

Kambli suffered because India had too much batting stocks and once he was out of the team, he couldn't get a permanent position back

 

[sweep_shot]

It is a shame Imran couldn't maximize his talent. He was one of the best clean hitters at his peak.

 

[from_da_lost_dim3nsion]

Mannnnnn... This dude Litt up SA bowling attack when they were feared by all . The shots he played were brutal . It was so incredible to watch him play when others in the team looked so meek infront of SA's bowling.I think It was back when he opened with afridi and scored a 100 something.

 

[mon858]

No way. He was a glorified slugger for the most part, a notch above Afridi and notch below Umar Akmal.

Here are few that come to mind in terms of wasted batting talent in no particular order:

1. Qasim Omer, could have played more
2. KP, could have played more
3. M. Yousuf, could have played more
4. Fawad , at least for tests, esp in UAE
5. Kambli
6. Samaraweera
7. Murray Goodwin, could have played more or had bigger impact with another country
8. Taufeeq Umar, could have played more, better than Farhat/Imran
9. Basit Ali

 

[Sunny_majoka]

No way. He was a glorified slugger for the most part, a notch above Afridi and notch below Umar Akmal.

Here are few that come to mind in terms of wasted batting talent in no particular order:

1. Qasim Omer, could have played more
2. KP, could have played more
3. M. Yousuf, could have played more
4. Fawad , at least for tests, esp in UAE
5. Kambli
6. Samaraweera
7. Murray Goodwin, could have played more or had bigger impact with another country
8. Taufeeq Umar, could have played more, better than Farhat/Imran
9. Basit Ali

agreed with you and good list.
you can add Asim kamal in it.

 

[Savak]

If Imran Nazir was Indian, would the systems in place in India have forced him to apply himself to be a proper reliable batsman?

Maybe Indian posters can shed light here

 

[Phantom Menace]

It would have been nice to see Jesse Ryder make the most of his gifts.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

No way. He was a glorified slugger for the most part, a notch above Afridi and notch below Umar Akmal.

Here are few that come to mind in terms of wasted batting talent in no particular order:

1. Qasim Omer, could have played more
2. KP, could have played more
3. M. Yousuf, could have played more
4. Fawad , at least for tests, esp in UAE
5. Kambli
6. Samaraweera
7. Murray Goodwin, could have played more or had bigger impact with another country
8. Taufeeq Umar, could have played more, better than Farhat/Imran
9. Basit Ali

Basic Ali — good call.
I remember Mark Nicholas describing him at the time of his first few matches as one of the finest young batsmen he had ever seen.
Very odd chap, got involved in controversy (perhaps innocently) but has now ended up bitter and strange

 

[Gabbar Singh]

He didn’t even succeed at first class and list a level. Sure he had some great looking shots he could play at times but so do lots of players.

 

[BaankeJi]

Talent?

I'm not sure talent is the right word to describe him.

Right. People haven't watched him closely. I remember Amir Sohail commentating while he was batting and Sohail was surprised to notice some basic flaws in his technique and lamented that a batsman with so many basic errors is playing international cricket.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/AfzaalHussain9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AfzaalHussain9</a> for this video. I wish I wasn’t a victim of arthritis and could entertain my fans more. <a href="https://t.co/7isNCtYNOb">pic.twitter.com/7isNCtYNOb</a></p>— Imran Nazir (@realimrannazir4) <a href="https://twitter.com/realimrannazir4/status/1294991302753427456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Thephenom]

For me it’s no contest, Umar Akmal, a total failure for someone with so much god given talent!

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

Nazir, Sharjeel, Umar; all stupendously talented but had a pea sized brain.

 

[uberkoen]

Nazir was a hack with no cricketing brains. He showed glimpses of brilliance every now and then but would never have been a consistent run scorer at the top of the order.

 

[Slog]

He was a hack with even less brains than
Umar Akmal

 

[Bhaijaan]

If Imran Nazir was Indian, would the systems in place in India have forced him to apply himself to be a proper reliable batsman?

Maybe Indian posters can shed light here

He was an unreal talent but very unIndian.

You are a nobody in Indian domestic circuit until you start hitting daddy hundreds and the tradition continues in our national team where the whole nation demands centuries and against top teams and frequently. KL Rahul is a great example tk study behaviour of Indians to batting. Talent wise he's superior to both Kohli and Hitman but he's a nobody until the centuries start flowing. Just looking Godly for 15-20 minutes doesn't cut it over here.

It is acceptable for Indian fans to see Amir blowing us apart on merit with really good bowling but brainfades are considered an embarrassment to the nation.

In conclusion, Nazir if he was a good student, then his game would have been changed for good in junior level cricket itself and he would habe debuted for us looking more like a KL Rahul than an Afridi lite.

 

[Slog]

If Imran Nazir was Indian, would the systems in place in India have forced him to apply himself to be a proper reliable batsman?

Maybe Indian posters can shed light here

There’s enough examples of talented indian batsmen not applying themselves either

Besides he didn’t have ability to play big innings so wouldn’t have received attention anyway imo

 

[Bhaijaan]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/AfzaalHussain9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AfzaalHussain9</a> for this video. I wish I wasn’t a victim of arthritis and could entertain my fans more. <a href="https://t.co/7isNCtYNOb">pic.twitter.com/7isNCtYNOb</a></p>— Imran Nazir (@realimrannazir4) <a href="https://twitter.com/realimrannazir4/status/1294991302753427456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Lahore Badshahs were a great attraction in the ICL.

Wow I feel old, ICL was a thing too before IPL I had forgotten

 

[Mueez]

Sialkot Stallions... what a god squad that was.

 

[Bewal Express]

Fluff for brains.

 

[Chokli]

He would have won us the match vs India 2007 T20 Final had it not been for Younis Khan running him out

 

[Saj]

Was he rally that good? I don't think so.

On his day, he was great to watch, but those days were very rare.

 

[Bhaijaan]

He would have won us the match vs India 2007 T20 Final had it not been for Younis Khan running him out

Thank God for that. Yoni bhai love you.

 

[adzzy786]

He would have won us the match vs India 2007 T20 Final had it not been for Younis Khan running him out

I remember he was batting beautifully

 

[coy0607]

Some folks talk about Imran Nazir like he was some otherworldly talent, he wasn't. He had great hand-eye coordination, but thats about it. He was a slasher, in the modern day he would be called a hack. I don't think he could have accomplished much more than he did

Umar Akmal or Afridi were more talented batsmen than Nazir.

 

[hitthestump]

He was an unreal talent but very unIndian.

You are a nobody in Indian domestic circuit until you start hitting daddy hundreds and the tradition continues in our national team where the whole nation demands centuries and against top teams and frequently. KL Rahul is a great example tk study behaviour of Indians to batting. Talent wise he's superior to both Kohli and Hitman but he's a nobody until the centuries start flowing. Just looking Godly for 15-20 minutes doesn't cut it over here.

It is acceptable for Indian fans to see Amir blowing us apart on merit with really good bowling but brainfades are considered an embarrassment to the nation.

In conclusion, Nazir if he was a good student, then his game would have been changed for good in junior level cricket itself and he would habe debuted for us looking more like a KL Rahul than an Afridi lite.

Good post. Basically Imran would have either had his style changed or been discarded before he even got close to the national team. Says a lot about why India continue to produce batsmen, whereas 'looking good for 15-20 minutes' really does sum up Pakistan batting lol.

 

[moghul]

He was very attractive player to watch but had many weakness including poor short selection and used to throw away his wickets after playing some shots . Was very good fielder too. But overall an average players, not special.

 

[cric_4life]

Two big talents one was Imran Nazeer and Mohammed Sami were wasted due to their own foolishness.
Imran Nazir was such a class batsmen but at that time he wanted to out do Shahid Afridi but scoring quicker.
Same with Mohammed Sami he was a hood bowler but wanted to out do Shoaib Akhter in pace.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How many of you remember this bat? <a href="https://t.co/CHOtG02IKO">pic.twitter.com/CHOtG02IKO</a></p>— Imran Nazir (@realimrannazir4) <a href="https://twitter.com/realimrannazir4/status/1312793561746866176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Ilan Bluestone]

I think we overrate players as being talented because they have one off spectacular performances.

Yes, sometimes you look kat the shots that Nazir was capable of and think wow, what a talent, but then you need to look at the shots that he gets out at with as well and think well now he looks like tailender.

I never thought that Nazir was all that talented. He was like any player who when he was seeing the ball, looked great, but more often than not would get out fairly cheaply.

Hamilton Masakadza scored 178 not out, was he the greatest waste of talent? No, he just had a great day.

A 25 average for a batsmen in 80 matches is less than medicore. We can blame PCB and planning and all that, but at the end of the day he had a plethora of chances and simply was not good enough.

We often laud the power that certain players bring, and I think this it the case with IN. That great 160 should also be talked about along with his 10 ducks.

The only teams he has an average of 40 or above against are Bangladesh, Netherlands and Zimbabwe, take those away and we had a full time batsman who played 80 matches with a sub 20 average.

If a player is talented, I think he can do better than 30 at the very least.

I think talented players who did not reach their potential would fit more for a player like Inzi who had all the shots, had the brain, but he did not keep himself fit which likely ruined his all time great status, versus just Pakistani great status.

Nazir to me is just one of those sloggers who got hot against a weak Zimbabwe team and everyone hoped he would replicate it. Reminds me of another young player who scored a quick and entertaining century, whom Pakistani fans waited decades for to think the star in him is coming...

 

[coy0607]

Huh? Batting talent?

C'mon - Afridi and Umar Akmal are way more talented than Nazir.

Nazir timed the ball very well, but he had horrible shot selection, poor temperament, didn't have the best technique or balance, and suffered from the age old habit of Pakistani batting hoicking a random ball only to be caught at mid-on

He played a great cut-shot, but he's hardly a 'great wasted talent'

 

[Justcrazy]

He is not that good.

Had zero shot selection , a glorified hack.
Little swing , and he was done.

 

[RyanRyan10]

He was Shahid Afridi without bowling skills. Any SRLn batsman can match him in stroke play.

 

[Mesozoic]

Remember him from that wt20 final where he was just clobbering for fun early on. Was very similar to Afridi in terms of his stroke play.

Uthappa ran him out or else he was set to win it for Pak.

 

[Greenstorm]

Ian Chappel used to rate him highly. I haven't seen anyone with better bat speed than him.

 

[Zaz]

People need to watch the imran nazir of around 2000 when he came into the team before he became a hack
The lad could play and i mean play He wasnt a slogger then


He has a test century vs walsh and ambrose in their own backyard at age 19-20 It was only down the line somewhere he became the slogger we all remember him for

 

[RyanRyan10]

What was Imran Nazir hyped for?

I have heard good things about him from various Pakistan cricket fans.

His stats are extremely poor. Averages in low 30s in tests and 24 in Odis. His FC & List A numbers are very similar to his test and ODI numbers. He did fine only in the T20s. Stats can be misleading at times but don't understand the hype on someone having such poor stats. Was he ever a good performer or just hyped for his "talent" and one-off performances?

 

[sweep_shot]

He was an attacking opener. He was a match-winner.

He was doing pretty well during early-2000's. But, he started to fade away after that.

 

[Babeikh]

Awful player. If there was a list of 'worst cricketers ever to play international cricket' he would get close to being on that list.

He managed to hit a couple of sixes though so you can assume the kind of fan who rated him.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I thought he was s very gifted player. But no discipline at all to succeed at that level. For a time,(1999-2004) Pakistan produced some really gifted opening batsmen imo
Nazir, Yasir Hameed, Salman Butt etc.

 

[shaz619]

I thought he was s very gifted player. But no discipline at all to succeed at that level. For a time,(1999-2004) Pakistan produced some really gifted opening batsmen imo
Nazir, Yasir Hameed, Salman Butt etc.

They are all bums, Butt maybe was the most sound technically

 

[MenInG]

41 years old today - what a talent but just couldnt deliver for Pakistan

 

[Suleiman]

41 years old today - what a talent but just couldnt deliver for Pakistan

Sadly this became quite the trend for the classes of late 90s-Early 2000 Pakistani players who burst onto the scene but under achieved massively by the end.

Afridi, S Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq, Nazir, Azhar Mehmood, M Sami, Taufiq Umar, Yasir Hameed and Imran Farhat.

Lack of good senior mentors may be a possible cause.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Flat footed brainless slogger, people got over excited by a couple of decent ODI knocks. Zero Talent.

 

[JaDed]

KL Rahul for me! Has no apparent weakness but mentally lol.

 

[Hitman]

I never thought he was talented in the first place. Slogging brainlessly in every direction is not the definition of talent.

 

[MenInG]

Video highlights of one of his innings

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/hfw6o1" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[IAJ]

I never thought he was talented in the first place. Slogging brainlessly in every direction is not the definition of talent.

Lol, it looked ugly when he was out, but he also played many good shots, just look at the video in #61. And he almost took the game away from India in the first World T20 final back in 2007.

 

[boomboomcheema]

He was also Pervaiz Musharrafs favorite batsmen IIRC.

 

[NishanKonar]

He would have won us the match vs India 2007 T20 Final had it not been for Younis Khan running him out

Actually he was carrying an injury and was unable to run properly. Not fault of anybody

 

[moghul]

You need to have skill and brain to be successful cricketer at international level, Nazir had the skill but not the later.

 

[Hitman]

Lol, it looked ugly when he was out, but he also played many good shots, just look at the video in #61. And he almost took the game away from India in the first World T20 final back in 2007.

I believe some one like Imam Ul Haq is a lot more talented than him, someone who has game awareness and knows the value of his wicket.

 

[shokz1408]

When I think Imran nazir one innings come to mind, that one I believe vs Zimbabwe in the World Cup (dead rubber) after we were out and he scored like 150 or something I think and hit many boundaries. But I don’t recall any more memorable knocks.

 

[W63L35]

Imran Nazir was given only 8 test matches. He batted at #3 & #5 in his debut match scoring 64 and 13 respectively.

After that he played 7 more test matches and always opened the innings in those 7 test matches.

Selectors treated him with gross injustice when you look at the number of chances given to other openers (with similar or worse batting average) since Imran Nazir's debut.

Imran Farhat played 41 tests as an opener with an identical batting average as Imran Nazir. Salman Butt was even given captaincy - with same average. If it was not for fixing scandal, Butt might have played many more test.

Imran Nazir was one of the biggest waste of talent in Pakistan. He deserved a longer run in test and even in ODIs.

Pakistani Test Openers since March 1999 (Imran Nazir's debut) with the average same or lower than Imran.

 

[badsha001]

Imran Nazir was given only 8 test matches. He batted at #3 & #5 in his debut match scoring 64 and 13 respectively.

After that he played 7 more test matches and always opened the innings in those 7 test matches.

Selectors treated him with gross injustice when you look at the number of chances given to other openers (with similar or worse batting average) since Imran Nazir's debut.

Imran Farhat played 41 tests as an opener with an identical batting average as Imran Nazir. Salman Butt was even given captaincy - with same average. If it was not for fixing scandal, Butt might have played many more test.

Imran Nazir was one of the biggest waste of talent in Pakistan. He deserved a longer run in test and even in ODIs.

Pakistani Test Openers since March 1999 (Imran Nazir's debut) with the average same or lower than Imran.

I see Shan Masood on that list and some people want him to become the Test captain lol

 

[MenInG]

This is startling, to say the least

==

Between 1999 and 2012, Imran Nazir played eight Tests, 79 ODIs and 25 T20Is for the Pakistan cricket team. He was also part of Pakistan squad for the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup. However, he could never get a long run as other players upstaged him with good performance. He recently narrated a bone chilling incident where he claimed that he was poisoned. The former opening batter said that he was diagnosed with mercury poisoning. He also mentioned that Shahid Afridi provided him financial support during his treatment.

"When I got treated, including MRI and all, it was diagnosed that i was poisoned by somebody. It was mercury. It is a slow poison. It reaches your joint and damages them. All my joints got affected, were damaged. I suffered for five to six years. I prayed to God, 'Please don't make me bedridden'. And thankfully, that never happened," Nazir said on the Nadir Ali podcast.

"When and what did I eat, I cannot figure out. Because the poison doesn't react instantly. I still never wished bad for whoever did this. I am fit now. I am doing fine. All my savings got exhausted. Shahid Afridi helped me with money. He helped me at a time when I was suffering. He told me 'take as much money as you want'. It was around 40-50 lakh. This happened about three years back. Afridi told his manager that I should be given the money without any question."

NDTV

 

[Savak]

This is startling, to say the least

==

Between 1999 and 2012, Imran Nazir played eight Tests, 79 ODIs and 25 T20Is for the Pakistan cricket team. He was also part of Pakistan squad for the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup. However, he could never get a long run as other players upstaged him with good performance. He recently narrated a bone chilling incident where he claimed that he was poisoned. The former opening batter said that he was diagnosed with mercury poisoning. He also mentioned that Shahid Afridi provided him financial support during his treatment.

"When I got treated, including MRI and all, it was diagnosed that i was poisoned by somebody. It was mercury. It is a slow poison. It reaches your joint and damages them. All my joints got affected, were damaged. I suffered for five to six years. I prayed to God, 'Please don't make me bedridden'. And thankfully, that never happened," Nazir said on the Nadir Ali podcast.

"When and what did I eat, I cannot figure out. Because the poison doesn't react instantly. I still never wished bad for whoever did this. I am fit now. I am doing fine. All my savings got exhausted. Shahid Afridi helped me with money. He helped me at a time when I was suffering. He told me 'take as much money as you want'. It was around 40-50 lakh. This happened about three years back. Afridi told his manager that I should be given the money without any question."

NDTV

He lost his prime years when he could have earned big in T-20 Leagues.

Its good to see him run a good real estate broker business by the name of Imran Nazir Associates. He is able to leverage his cricketing name, exploits

 

[Cric1234]

He had an average of 24 after playing 79 ODIs he must have opened in most of them and he had a first class average of 33 clearly he didn’t have enough to be a decent opening batsman.

In Pakistan some players get preference over others by selectors and captains we have always seen that but Nazir would never have become a decent batsman other than an inconsistent flashy one based on his overall record.

 

[Mainul]

Yasir hameed was better.He is surely amongst top underachievers.

I agree. Yasir Hamid was better. Classical batsman type but with shots in the book. Nazir was flamboyant, way better than Afridi. Pakistan wasted a place in opening slot until Afridi was playing as an opener.

 

[Cric1234]

I agree. Yasir Hamid was better. Classical batsman type but with shots in the book. Nazir was flamboyant, way better than Afridi. Pakistan wasted a place in opening slot until Afridi was playing as an opener.

Afridi could have been a 40 plus averaging batsman in tests with a strike rate of 80 if he put more effort in his sixes vs Harbhajan still get a lot of views online in test cricket clearly fans want to see more attacking batsmen.

Nazir wasn’t well ahead of Afridi as a batsman nobody has had the power Afridi had in his batting but underachieved due to hitting too many aerial shots and not trying to improve as a batsman.

 

[Justcrazy]

I agree. Yasir Hamid was better. Classical batsman type but with shots in the book. Nazir was flamboyant, way better than Afridi. Pakistan wasted a place in opening slot until Afridi was playing as an opener.

Afridi was an allrounder , he could bowl pretty decently , Imran Nazir needed to be little careful in shot making . If he had averaged 35 with strike rate of 110 he would have been good , but he averaged 24.61 with strike rate of 81 . That is not acceptable.

 

[Zaz]

Afridi could have been a 40 plus averaging batsman in tests with a strike rate of 80 if he put more effort in his sixes vs Harbhajan still get a lot of views online in test cricket clearly fans want to see more attacking batsmen.

Nazir wasn’t well ahead of Afridi as a batsman nobody has had the power Afridi had in his batting but underachieved due to hitting too many aerial shots and not trying to improve as a batsman.

Afridi would never have avged 40 plus Come on This is afridi we are talking about

He was never consistent or stable as a batsmen He did as well as he couldve

Back to Nazir He just couldnt improve or learn from his mistakes and hence faded away

 

[Cric1234]

Afridi would never have avged 40 plus Come on This is afridi we are talking about

He was never consistent or stable as a batsmen He did as well as he couldve

Back to Nazir He just couldnt improve or learn from his mistakes and hence faded away

In test cricket Afridi averaged 36 at a strike rate of 86 he clearly had ability but chose to quit tests and not work on his game average of 40 and a strike rate of 80 was definitely within his capability with more effort.

In ODIs it’s different he should have aimed for a 30 average with a strike rate of 100 too many aerial shots and cheap dismissals cost him in ODIs.

 

[Suleiman]

He lost his prime years when he could have earned big in T-20 Leagues.

Its good to see him run a good real estate broker business by the name of Imran Nazir Associates. He is able to leverage his cricketing name, exploits

Wow. Didn’t know about that. Knew about the Achilles tendon injury, but not the mercury poisoning nor the real estate business. Very happy to hear about the latter, was very sad to read up on the injury few years ago.

Glad he’s doing well again.

He’s a good guy, would demolish attacks on his day with a smile. Always wore a smile in fact. That 2007 final would’ve been a different story had he not been run out.

 

[Waqar89]

I remember him and afridi running riot vs New Zealand in Sharjah. We went wild looking at how the duo absolutely smashed the Kiwis. He was good before tamasha cricket but sadly lost his spot.

 

[Suleiman]

Also, two of his most memorable knocks for me are both in South Africa strangely. That one ODI where we posted 350+ Vs SA and he got us off to a flier. And the 2007 final innings.