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The many lives of Mohammad Sami

MenInG

MenInG

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A neurologist by training, Dr. Saad Shafqat first rose to fame as the author of Javed Miandad’s autobiography, “The Cutting Edge”. Since then, he has written numerous analytical pieces which have been published in many reputable publications, on many aspects of Pakistani cricket and is generally recognized as one of the top commentators on this subject in Pakistan.

In his latest article, written exclusively for PakPassion.net, Saad analyses the career of Mohammad Sami and attempts to explain the reasons behind Sami’s inability to achieve greatness despite having ample opportunities.

"The Many Lives of Mohammad Sami" : Saad Shafqat

It is said that a cat has nine lives. Mohammad Sami is no cat, but his opportunities for rejuvenation have seemingly been no less numerous. Since making his international debut in March 2001, he has been in and out of the Pakistan side like a rickshaw swerving through busy Karachi traffic. The debut itself – a Test against New Zealand in Auckland – was promising enough, as Sami took 3 for 70 in the first innings and a spell-binding five-for in the second innings. Pakistan won by 299 runs and Sami was declared man of the match.

Lofty beginnings often make for productive careers, but Sami’s subsequent trajectory has sadly been an inexorable slide. He has so far played 35 Tests for a jaw-dropping bowling average of 52.57, in addition to 85 ODIs (average 28.52) and 5 T20Is (average 14.60). Since his entry into international cricket, he has participated in only 37% of Tests, 30% of ODIs, and 20% of T20Is played by Pakistan over this period. That match award on debut didn’t prove too auspicious either. In all these years, Sami has won only two more, the last in December 2003.

Back when he first earned national selection, Sami was being viewed as a new-ball partner alongside Shoaib Akhtar, and even a potential future heir to Pakistan’s hallowed fast-bowling dynasty. But if you track his cumulative Test bowling average and strike rate through time, it paints a despairing picture. Perhaps unique among skilled professionals, Sami has been getting worse with experience. His average had stayed in the 30s during his first eight Tests but since then has gradually ballooned upwards, eventually surpassing 50 after his 32nd Test. His strike rate, hovering around the 60s during his initial few Tests, has risen to 87.4. These are not respectable figures. Even worse, they are continuing to rise.

As a comparison to Sami, take Umar Gul. Also a seam specialist, he has played a similar number of Tests (43) over more or less the same period (since August 2003). Gul’s Test bowling average peaked at 35.54 after his 32nd Test and has gradually been brought down to its current figure of 32.47. His strike rate has held steady for most of his career, and is currently 56.40. These numbers are genuinely impressive and stack up favorably against some of Gul’s leading contemporaries. England’s top strike bowler Jimmy Anderson, for example, has a current Test bowling average of 30.05 and a strike rate of 57.20.

Yet despite all these alarm bells, Sami keeps getting recalled to the national side. The usual triggers are one or more eye-catching performances during the domestic season. This time around, Sami also shone brightly in the Bangladesh Premier League. But re-entry on the basis of domestic success is only one piece of the puzzle. The major reason behind Sami’s perpetual attraction for selectors is more visceral. It is simply his ability to generate pace.

Indeed, Sami’s speed can get furious and scorching. He routinely gets into the high 140s, and has even been clocked at over 150 km per hour on several occasions. When he gets it right, the results are spectacular – batsmen hopping and jumping, stumps uprooted and flying, wicket-keepers pushed onto tip-toes as they collect balls at chest height and rub their hands afterwards to soothe the pain of impact. These are captivating sights that keep us hooked and asking for more.

The problem is that success as an international fast bowler is about a great deal more than just pure pace. You have to keep the batsman guessing, which requires variation of pace and movement. You need to be accurate and bowl according to a well thought-out plan and a strategically placed field. You have to be highly disciplined about length and direction. You need a comprehensive grasp of the state of the pitch as well as the wind and weather conditions. And you have to get inside the batsman’s mind to defeat him in the head.

By these criteria, Sami’s deficiencies are many, and they badly offset his talent for pace. He is incapable of bowling a disguised slower ball, and most of his seam movement appears unintentional. He seldom appears to be executing a plan. You get the feeling he just runs in and delivers the ball with stubborn single-mindedness, hoping for something exciting. He gives the impression that rather than forcing things to happen, he is just hoping that something will happen. Most disappointing, his mental repertoire appears impoverished. Ultimately, the difference between a blank-shooter like Sami and penetrating bowlers like Gul and Anderson is that Sami has not learned the fine skill of wicket-taking, which at core is a complex psychological art.

In a sense, Sami’s career has played out like a cruel tragedy. Speed has masked his foibles, and it has deceived the selectors as well as the fans again and again. Despite proximity and access to some of the greatest fast bowlers that the sport of cricket has ever known, including Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis with whom his career overlapped in its initial two years, Sami has absorbed little. A long series of well-meaning coaches and captains have also tried to help him improve, but to little avail.

If there is one moment that best captures all this futility, it is probably the time when Sami’s lack of success managed to stir even as mighty a personage as Imran Khan. Early in 2006, Pakistan’s greatest living cricket legend decided that enough was enough, and he would personally tutor Mohammad Sami in the art of taking wickets. At the appointed hour, Sami showed up at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, and Imran, cutting a smart and commanding pose in crisp shalwar-kameez, shiny Peshawari sandals, and a tracksuit pullover, began his lesson with grave gestures and a stern manner. Sami listened obediently, but his eyes were distant and confused. It was a look that said, “Skipper, I just don’t get it.”
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Excellent piece as usual from Saad

Problem is that "all that glitters is gold" - This is the Sami we all want to see and we seem to forget his issues

Indeed, Sami’s speed can get furious and scorching. He routinely gets into the high 140s, and has even been clocked at over 150 km per hour on several occasions. When he gets it right, the results are spectacular – batsmen hopping and jumping, stumps uprooted and flying, wicket-keepers pushed onto tip-toes as they collect balls at chest height and rub their hands afterwards to soothe the pain of impact. These are captivating sights that keep us hooked and asking for more.
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very seldom he gets right ..i think sami's problem is temperament ..looses his cool and composure all of a sudden...a drop catch from sarfraz that day resulted in great setback for sami for which he just could not recover.......i think sami has wasted a lot of time now....may be soon he will be a history...
 
It was a look that said, “Skipper, I just don’t get it.”

well said ...he absolutely has no plan in mind...and he ALWAYS gets hit for a four an over...ALWAYS...if hes lucky that is haha...its annoying that he cudnt be better despite all the chances he got :kami
 
waqar goraya said:
very seldom he gets right ..i think sami's problem is temperament ..looses his cool and composure all of a sudden...a drop catch from sarfraz that day resulted in great setback for sami for which he just could not recover.......i think sami has wasted a lot of time now....may be soon he will be a history...
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The look on his face when he was bowling the final over told me that he was thinking more about his career then the game!

Max Babri needs a session with this boy too
 
^
rightly said..i was about to mention psyche problems but then chose little soft words....
 
Funny thing is that we hear of smart bolwers who cant bowl fast - this kid had pace but failure to learn as illustrated by the strike rate graph
 
I don't think any coach can really work with Sami to change this. I don't think he will change too. Sami will always be Sami and will be the way he is. Will be able to blast opponents like he did earlier on in the series and then he'll be bowling horrible deliveries the next.

He's an extremely poor test bowler and I hope they don't select him for the tests.
 
the issues are on the mental side.
he is capable of bowling well.
indeed he might even have the variety.....just doesnt have the mental strength
i guess the hope is that a couple blistering performances will give that confidence.
 
He never looks assured, he doesnt have the confidence of a man who knows what hes doing

A bowlers greatest test is how he bounces back after a poor spell, a drop catch etc In this regard sami is the worst because he just doesnt have the capacity to bounce back after a setback, he just seems to slide further and further

Just not cut out for intnl cricket
 
Why couldnt he ever adopt the Akhtar attitude that i am the fastest bowler in the world, i am going to scare the **** out of the batsman, i am going to blast the batsman out, i am going to seek revenge after being hit for 4 and 6? This guy has severe confidence issues. One cant really blame him, he has received so many international chances and has never delivered hence he is always thinking of his place.
 
pressure of expectation got to him , feel sad for him ,the very pace which made him exciting when he started ,now has turned into ridicule ,that he tries to bowl too quick without swing or accuracy
 
Savak said:
Why couldnt he ever adopt the Akhtar attitude that i am the fastest bowler in the world, i am going to scare the **** out of the batsman, i am going to blast the batsman out, i am going to seek revenge after being hit for 4 and 6? This guy has severe confidence issues. One cant really blame him, he has received so many international chances and has never delivered hence he is always thinking of his place.
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I agree. Its all about the attitude. The guy simply cannot take pressure. You need to be mentally strong to be a fast bowler.
 
Savak said:
Why couldnt he ever adopt the Akhtar attitude that i am the fastest bowler in the world, i am going to scare the **** out of the batsman, i am going to blast the batsman out, i am going to seek revenge after being hit for 4 and 6? This guy has severe confidence issues. One cant really blame him, he has received so many international chances and has never delivered hence he is always thinking of his place.
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Sometimes its adversity which makes you strong.

Akhtar had so many problems to surmount - from physical fitness to issues with mgmt etc that he made it his mission to go out and do his best

Sami on the other hand had chances handed to him on a platter
 
I think Kamran Akmal has a lot to do with Sami's confidence issues. Sami actually used to be a really good bowler but the countless drops from Kamran behind the stumps has really destroyed Sami's confidence.
 
Easy to kick a man when he's down. I would have loved to have seen this article the day after the first ODI when Sami bowled absolutely beautifully. This is just provocative sports journalism that tries to appease the masses by giving them what they want to hear at a time when they r pissed at Sami. It is in fact typical of all Pakistani journalists other than Osman Samiuddin where the articles are just preaching to the choir and are not thought provoking in the least. Thanks but no thanks. I'll make up my own mind about Sami.
 
Assadrulz said:
Easy to kick a man when he's down. I would have loved to have seen this article the day after the first ODI when Sami bowled absolutely beautifully. This is just provocative sports journalism that tries to appease the masses by giving them what they want to hear at a time when they r pissed at Sami. It is in fact typical of all Pakistani journalists other than Osman Samiuddin where the articles are just preaching to the choir and are not thought provoking in the least. Thanks but no thanks. I'll make up my own mind about Sami.
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Fair enough but what is your opinion on his career?
 
Leave the man alone! lol but seriously speaking i agree with the article on the career of sami but i don't think that he "simply does not get it" i'd say his mental strength is questionable that's about it, but right now after that poor final ODI performance its wrong to judge him on that one performance alone since his return hopefully he will get more chances and we all would be in the position to make a valid judgement on his latest return....but as far as his career is concerend i think he is very talented he knows how plans are to be executed you guys are making him out as a complete "idiot" i disagree with that i don't think you would be able to get as many chances as he did just because of "pace" alone, sami's mental strength has been weak throughout his career which has been his downfall and that is the one skill which i wish he had mastered, i think if management had worked on this ability of his more and given him the confidence that his place in the team is secured despite a string of bad performances i think he would have eventually come good in the end but being in and out of the side being dropped and re-selected it can shatter ones confidence not everyone is special not everyone is perfect some have better strengths than others and i think in the end i blame management and selectors etc for what could have been a fine career, however all is not lost just yet if he is persisted with on his latest return i am sure he will do well but how patient are pakistan cricket fans? and how patient are management/selectors i don't really feel they have any patience left anymore with this guy so i guess he is on his last leggs i really hope inshallah he can do his talent atleast some justice and finish his career on a high.....
 
Sami is the equivalent of a SCUD - poor navigation, never know where it's going to land, but rarely it can be effective.

Face it, he's here because the rest MUST be really bad!!!!
 
A very well written piece. As I was reading this article Mohammad Asif's "pace pe pace" story was coming into my mind. LOL.

As a bowler Asif was the complete opposite of Sami in every way; not fast but extremely cunning, with the ability to get into batsmen's head and beating them even before the ball is bowled. What an artist and magician he was with the ball. I've been closely following cricket for 34 years and Asif was by far one of my fav bowlers. What a waste.
 
There are so many things in that article that ring astonishingly true. This guy is not just a sports shrink, he sounds like a specialist fast bowler shrink. Exceptional writing. Very very well written.

And while there are always going to be people around who sympathize with Sami, I have to state that if one has not learnt the fine art of fast bowling in a 10 year, even though sporadic, international career, there is simply no point in continuing.

Again the adage "Fast bowlers are born, not made" can be used here, whether you agree with it or not, but it is certainly most suited for the curious case of M Sami.
 
Stewie said:
There are so many things in that article that ring astonishingly true. This guy is not just a sports shrink, he sounds like a specialist fast bowler shrink. Exceptional writing. Very very well written.

And while there are always going to be people around who sympathize with Sami, I have to state that if one has not learnt the fine art of fast bowling in a 10 year, even though sporadic, international career, there is simply no point in continuing.

Again the adage "Fast bowlers are born, not made" can be used here, whether you agree with it or not, but it is certainly most suited for the curious case of M Sami.
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Say that to Ian Pont
 
LegCutter said:
I think Kamran Akmal has a lot to do with Sami's confidence issues. Sami actually used to be a really good bowler but the countless drops from Kamran behind the stumps has really destroyed Sami's confidence.
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I'd love to see an official stat on that, 'cause this little fact keeps on popping every now and then, I hope Akmal hasn't dropped 100 of Sami's catches...
 
I wonder how strong the point of Sami being mismanaged is true from the captains, coaches, selectors? Lets say if Akhtar was asked to bowl defensively and was dropped for conceeding runs, in and out of the side, would that have shattered his confidence?
 
I was and am preety much in support of Sami as i believe he never should have been dropped after the first ODi in which he had figures of 6-2-19-3 and he also had figures of 2-0-22-1 and 3-0-16-3 respectivelly!!!!!

:sami
 
and he gave 75 runs in the last odi which includes mis-fielding resulting in boundaries and a drop catch by Sarfaraz and also every bowler has his bad dayss.......remember ajmal gave 23 in the last five balls on the world cup 20 20 semi-final in 2010....though ajmals a great bowler but just justifying the fact that everyone has a bad day
 
MenInG said:
Fair enough but what is your opinion on his career?
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I believe he has enormous flaws and he has had a very disappointing career. But he does have enormous talent too. And on the evidence of the last t20 and the first ODI when harnessed correctly, Sami can be absolutely devastating. In summary, Sami played four games, he played brilliantly in two and played poorly in two.

Now if you want to blame something, blame his lack of consistency and the captains who have failed to use him properly. He is obviously a wicket taker when used correctly. What he is not is someone who should be used in the last over when the slog is on. If he is to be played in ODIs he should be given the new ball and should ideally be bowled out by the 45th over

Pakistan's greatest leg spinner, Abdul Qadir was a similar case. As Imran Khan mentions in his book, Qadir had the tendancy to go completely off the boil almost similar to Sami. Imran had to use him very cleverly and shield him when things were not going his way. Even though Qadir sometimes leaked runs, Imran always backed him in the media, gave him attacking fields and even refused to go on tours if Qadir was not selected.

Sami is not and will never be an effective swing bowler or a containing bowler. He is an out and out fast bowler and should only be played in games if the captain wants to blast out batsmen.
 
^^ I'm sorry you've just not seen Sami bowl enough

This latest comeback is the same reel n vein as all of his other comebacks, severely disappointing

The fact is He doesn't have the temperament for intl cricket

I'd go so far as to say he doesnt have the skill or nounce either

Basically a "swallow does not a summer make" - and that's the story of his career
 
Great writeup. I think this hope that Sami can be some sort of fast bowling messiah for us has been stretched for far too long. It's time we accept that he will never be a smart bowler who can out-think the opposition batsmen. His best hope is as a T20 bowler. I hope we don't see him lining up in the whites today against Sri Lanka.
 
Savak said:
I wonder how strong the point of Sami being mismanaged is true from the captains, coaches, selectors? Lets say if Akhtar was asked to bowl defensively and was dropped for conceeding runs, in and out of the side, would that have shattered his confidence?
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I would say that Akhtar had the knack of NOT depending on fielding for his wickets (my impression not based on stats)

In the same way Kaneria could say that he was destroyed by Akmal...
 
I remember watching Sami on test debut when he was in New Zealand.

It was late in the UK and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to stay up or not, but when he started bowling I was amazed. I literally stood up and watched his spell in awe.

I thought that day that the new Waqar Younis was now here.

Reverse swinging yorkers at over 90mph with nagging accuracy.

Sadly it was a false dawn.....and the rest is history.
 
Sami does not have any brain. He can only bowl quick. That's it. He is like afridi, who performs once in a while with the bat.

cheers man!!!
 
An excellent article by Saad for PakPassion and something I wish Sami should have read!
 
Saj said:
I remember watching Sami on test debut when he was in New Zealand.

It was late in the UK and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to stay up or not, but when he started bowling I was amazed. I literally stood up and watched his spell in awe.

I thought that day that the new Waqar Younis was now here.

Reverse swinging yorkers at over 90mph with nagging accuracy.

Sadly it was a false dawn.....and the rest is history.
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That was my impression as well. I remember saying to my friend, not only is he fast but also accurate; he'll be better than Shoaib Akhtar.

:sigh:
 
He bowled brilliant today in his 1st FC game this season with 4 wickets of the 6 that fell of PIA ;-)
 
Finished. He has been lucky enough to have received the amount of chances he did. Any other country would not have picked him after a while.
 
He had all the tools to be a great. Unfortunately he didn't have the brain to put it all together :sigh:
 
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Worst fast bowler ever to represent pakistan and play more than 10 tests and ODis, if it wasnt for polictical and family connections he would have played as much for pakistan!

awful bowler!
 
Lack of attitude. I blame pakistani dressing room environment for his failure.
 
I think its about time we stop even talking about MSami. I think he does not even warrant any of our precious time being spent on bashing him and his pathetic career.
 
its heartbreaking really. i cant say i had much complaint in having him in the side for the t20 squad to be honest, hes a destroyer on the domestic circuit - seven wickets today i think - and hes the fastest bowler in pakistan. if he's outperforming everyone else, i can understand why the selectors might think he will eventually end up taking that form to the international stage which is he has constantly failed to do.
 
Runs in and bowls with no thought. Like Gul. Which is a strength if you're bowling in the death overs. But you can't afford to play a bowler like that in Tests.

Funny thing is my Indian mates don't understand why we don't play him. They're always saying give him to us if you're not going to use a 145+ bowler.
 
Honest triers like Mohammad Sami deserve better. A good lad that has always given his 100% to the team, but he's simply not good enough.

The searing pace has diminished and taken away all of his firepower. In the past, he would sprint in and dart bullets towards the opposing batsmen. Line and length had little meaning as that pace was unplayable on most occasions.

With pacers, you expect them to eventually learn and progress. The speed demon attitude should smoothly transform into a semi-quick accurate bowler. Age catches up to everyone and Sami should have known that.

He simply wasn't prepared. He didn't understand that pace won't take you far and people figure you out at one point or another.

Hurtling in at high speeds and blindly releasing a cricket ball doesn't get things done. It might work in domestic cricket where the talent is more varied. At the international level, all players are top class and beating them requires thought along with pace.

He's an individual and personality everyone wants to see succeed. He's got the right attitude, but the mental thought process lacks severely.

His biggest shortcoming is in the brain.
 
This is the crux of the article and actually makes me sad for Sami

If there is one moment that best captures all this futility, it is probably the time when Sami’s lack of success managed to stir even as mighty a personage as Imran Khan. Early in 2006, Pakistan’s greatest living cricket legend decided that enough was enough, and he would personally tutor Mohammad Sami in the art of taking wickets. At the appointed hour, Sami showed up at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, and Imran, cutting a smart and commanding pose in crisp shalwar-kameez, shiny Peshawari sandals, and a tracksuit pullover, began his lesson with grave gestures and a stern manner. Sami listened obediently, but his eyes were distant and confused. It was a look that said, “Skipper, I just don’t get it.”
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Btw, Saad will be featuring on PP with another article very soon
 
kingusama92 said:
Honest triers like Mohammad Sami deserve better. A good lad that has always given his 100% to the team, but he's simply not good enough.

The searing pace has diminished and taken away all of his firepower. In the past, he would sprint in and dart bullets towards the opposing batsmen. Line and length had little meaning as that pace was unplayable on most occasions.

With pacers, you expect them to eventually learn and progress. The speed demon attitude should smoothly transform into a semi-quick accurate bowler. Age catches up to everyone and Sami should have known that.

He simply wasn't prepared. He didn't understand that pace won't take you far and people figure you out at one point or another.

Hurtling in at high speeds and blindly releasing a cricket ball doesn't get things done. It might work in domestic cricket where the talent is more varied. At the international level, all players are top class and beating them requires thought along with pace.

He's an individual and personality everyone wants to see succeed. He's got the right attitude, but the mental thought process lacks severely.

His biggest shortcoming is in the brain.
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sorry when did the above happen? he would run in send down a 150 mph delivery and the same delivery would dissapear into the stands at twice the pace.

he swung it very early in his career, then forgot that as a fast bowler you have to rely on continous improvement, fitness and echnique. He relied on youth and some talent.thats it. Ive never seen him bowl an incutter or an off cutter. Ive never seen him master the inswining yorker or the outswinger..its all up and down and hope the ball deviates if he flukes a good line..sorry but thats just bakwaas..

then we get the new revisionists who seem to think he was this amazing bowler who just had some bad luck. Wrong, he was never good enough. He had some promise but thats it! we should move on!
 
the Great Khan said:
and for that comment alone you deserve to leave PP and never comment here again...lol.

sorry but he's rubbish..mediocre..lets finally move on!
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I am not much into pace thing. But he is performing pretty well from last 2 seasons which is why I urge for his selection. After his comeback, He hasn't got consistent opportunity as well. So he deserves to be in the ODI team.
 
sunnykhan said:
I am not much into pace thing. But he is performing pretty well from last 2 seasons which is why I urge for his selection. After his comeback, He hasn't got consistent opportunity as well. So he deserves to be in the ODI team.
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nope, he has failed on the international scene and this was his last chance. I'm sorry but his doemstic performances count for nothing as he doesnt have the temprament for international cricket. Its harsh but some players just arent cut out for it. He's been playing for pak since around 2003. I suggest you check out his performances from that period all the way till now. He is not a new young buck.
 
kingusama92 said:
Honest triers like Mohammad Sami deserve better. A good lad that has always given his 100% to the team, but he's simply not good enough.

The searing pace has diminished and taken away all of his firepower. In the past, he would sprint in and dart bullets towards the opposing batsmen. Line and length had little meaning as that pace was unplayable on most occasions.

With pacers, you expect them to eventually learn and progress. The speed demon attitude should smoothly transform into a semi-quick accurate bowler. Age catches up to everyone and Sami should have known that.

He simply wasn't prepared. He didn't understand that pace won't take you far and people figure you out at one point or another.

Hurtling in at high speeds and blindly releasing a cricket ball doesn't get things done. It might work in domestic cricket where the talent is more varied. At the international level, all players are top class and beating them requires thought along with pace.

He's an individual and personality everyone wants to see succeed. He's got the right attitude, but the mental thought process lacks severely.

His biggest shortcoming is in the brain.
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Deserves better? As in deserves better treatment and more chances? Or deserves more wickets? Both are equally as invalid. The guy has no brains for a fast bowler. Read Waqars interview. Shows how much he grew and learnt over the years. Sami still won't set his own field!

He is fast bowling equivalent of Monty. Bowls the same ball over and over and expects different results. They say that's the definition of insanity.
 
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he still has 3 years of t20/0di cricket left in him ..........
 
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godzilla said:
its heartbreaking really. i cant say i had much complaint in having him in the side for the t20 squad to be honest, hes a destroyer on the domestic circuit - seven wickets today i think - and hes the fastest bowler in pakistan. if he's outperforming everyone else, i can understand why the selectors might think he will eventually end up taking that form to the international stage which is he has constantly failed to do.
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His first class bowling average is over 28. If one thing, his domestic performances show is lack of consistency.

Our selectors should have known better :danish
 
the Great Khan said:
nope, he has failed on the international scene and this was his last chance. I'm sorry but his doemstic performances count for nothing as he doesnt have the temprament for international cricket. Its harsh but some players just arent cut out for it. He's been playing for pak since around 2003. I suggest you check out his performances from that period all the way till now. He is not a new young buck.
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I want to know which match was his last chance?
 
I think what is fair to say is that Sami when he first started of his career had a lot more self belief especially from 2001 to 2004. But after that once he started failing to put in the performances day in day out, it just took a toll on his self confidence, belief. This is relected on the fact that he changed his bowling style, experimented as a line/length bowler, had a weak meakish look on his face most of the times and the swing he had from 2001-03 just deserted him which I believe is the biggest reason why he has never delivered. And yes, his mental toughness went down the drain and due to which he could never think on his feet in match situations.

But he has had more than enough chances, opportunities to cement his place in the team. International cricket is not meant for baby sitting anyone. There has to be a reason why he has never improved, if he was as hardworking as we would like to believe, he would surely have identified the technical weaknesses in his bowling ie wrist position, loss of swing etc. The fact he couldn't work out his own problems shows a lack of brains.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9360 using Tapatalk
 
Good going Mohammad Sami
10 overs 58 runs 1 wicket even he is not capable to bowl well in Presdent,s cup
 
He remember him doing well in australia, until the fixers ruined everything
 
Interesting article on Sami that Saad wrote for PakPassion
 
Shame this guy could never learn to move the ball because he would have been lethal and what separated him from Akhtar, was his fitness.
 
One of the great tragedies of Pakistan cricket.

Had absolutely everything to go on and be an ATG bowler until he didn't. The idea that his Test career was ruined by dropped catches is bogus in my opinion. A bowler like him should be getting a high percentage of his wickets bowled and LBW.

Discarded unfairly from ODIs because of his notorious reputation in Tests. Bowled really well in SL two summers ago as well. Clearly a better bet than the likes of Gul, Bhatti and Anwar at the moment.
 
Could HV made a huge difference in our world cup campaign as we lacked a spearhead up front who could swing the ball.
It was the biggest travesty that trundler adil was preffered over him
 
He can still bowl faster than wahab only and only if we works hard on his fitness. His belly getting prominent now. Has to get rid of it to bowl between 148 to 152. But he can't beat wahab'is worldcup fastest ball buy yes yes on average he can be faster. I am sure if the selectors consider him again he will work harder . He still has 2,3 years left in him if selected but I think if he won't be selected in next 6months he will retire altogether
 
[MENTION=138241]axl100mph[/MENTION]
Yes he should have been selected for wc.
History suggests that one of his finest spells was in Australia in his recall test in last Australian tour
 
axl100mph said:
Could HV made a huge difference in our world cup campaign as we lacked a spearhead up front who could swing the ball.
It was the biggest travesty that trundler adil was preffered over him
Click to expand...

Man Adil is so over-rated on this forum. There were people who were comparing him to Asif FFS :facepalm: Asif was probably the most skilled bowler of his generation. The guy was in the league of Wasim and Mcgrath (Skill Wise) and there were people who were comparing Adil to him :))

Someone correctly said it 'The difference between Genius and Stupidity is that Genius has its limits'
 
I think his personality is a problem

I remember meeting him a few times in 2005-2007

He is too humble and understated and has absolutely no aggression

when i met him you could barely tell that he was a regular in the national team which was doing well at the time
 
Slog said:
I think his personality is a problem

I remember meeting him a few times in 2005-2007

He is too humble and understated and has absolutely no aggression

when i met him you could barely tell that he was a regular in the national team which was doing well at the time
Click to expand...

Not trying to be disrespectful here but Sami has a very bleak voice for a professional Athele. In addition to being an international fast bowler and a genuine Pakistani Quick the guy plays excellent Football (Soccer).
 
ahmedwaqas92 said:
Not trying to be disrespectful here but Sami has a very bleak voice for a professional Athele. In addition to being an international fast bowler and a genuine Pakistani Quick the guy plays excellent Football (Soccer).
Click to expand...

football is his first love

interestingly i met him at a football ground
 
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