@Rana @mominsaigol
I rate pacers who excel with the new ball. Nothing pegs a batting lineup more than wickets up front.
1. Wasim
2. Imran
3. Shaheen (2019-22)
4. Asif
5. Amir
This is my top 5. I am only rating bowlers that I have watched or who retired few before I started watching (Imran). This is why I am not commenting on the likes of Sarfaraz Nawaz and Fazal.
Shaheen before his injury demonstrated the highest level of new ball bowling we have seen from a Pakistani bowler since Wasim. His spell vs India and Australia in Dubai in good batting conditions, as well as his knack of taking wickets in first over, is something we didn’t see from Amir and Asif in such conditions.
Those two were still superior than Waqar and Gul with new ball. Gul was bang average with the new ball who couldn’t swing the ball to save his life. The only movement that he would generate was hitting the seam.
As far as Waqar is concerned, he has had a huge impact on Pakistan cricket and his numbers are incredible but he greatly benefited from circumstances. He was a huge beneficiary of ball-tampering and he played in an era where almost every batting lineup would end after 5-6 wickets because the tailenders had no batting skill and most teams had WK who were barely better than today’s bowling all-rounders like Pat Cummins and Chris Woakes.
Had he played in the last 10-15 years, he would be barely better than guys like Rauf and Wahab who would also create havoc with the balls that Waqar bowled with and to the tailenders that he bowled to.
