"There were never any doubts about my fitness" : Sohail Khan

[RedwoodOriginal]

I think if you go through my post again, i am simply giving my opinion and not implying anything on anyone and I never advocated for Sohail in the playing XI, I think that's pretty clear from my post

I did. And I'm telling you again that an intra-squad practice game means nothing beyond a point of shaking off the proverbial cobwebs. Pakistan should still go with their best team on-paper regardless of the performances of this practice match.

 

[gazza619]

If Test matches were one innings only, this guy would be a legend.

Correction, one innings and that too of max 45 overs..

 

[Savak]

The problem with Sohail Khan is he needs to bowl plenty of overs and do continuous bowling before finding the right rhythm in a spell. You can't do that in international cricket where you have to be on the money straight away

 

[TrentDevil]

I did. And I'm telling you again that an intra-squad practice game means nothing beyond a point of shaking off the proverbial cobwebs. Pakistan should still go with their best team on-paper regardless of the performances of this practice match.

bro this isn't about the practice game only, Faheem has been a disaster since SA tour where he was smashed in LOIs and he's never recovered from that, not that he was some Jacques Kallis but still his bowling was very crucial esp in LOIs. After grooming him for WC for 2 years, he was kicked out of squad for the same reason that his form was atrocious and even in PSL this season he failed, a tournament where he has delivered mostly in the past.

He's being made to appear as some hero & saviour based on his stats from 4 Tests while the truth is that 83 of his 138 runs have been scored against Ireland, he's a mug with the bat and that should be apparent by his HS of 28 & 21 in ODIs and T20Is respectively at an avg of 12 & 11 and that's after playing 50 games. And he's been struggling with the ball for almost 2 years now. It's wasting a spot by playing him in the XI and as the poster said, it's essentially going with 10 men by having him in the playing XI

And again I am not vouching for SK ahead of him or SK in the playing XI at all, imo he shouldn't have been even in the squad but it's a fact that SK gets you the wickets everytime, his problem is his fitness and thus goes missing in 2nd innings which has had a effect on his stats as well

 

[Markhor]

bro this isn't about the practice game only, Faheem has been a disaster since SA tour where he was smashed in LOIs and he's never recovered from that, not that he was some Jacques Kallis but still his bowling was very crucial esp in LOIs. After grooming him for WC for 2 years, he was kicked out of squad for the same reason that his form was atrocious and even in PSL this season he failed, a tournament where he has delivered mostly in the past.

He's being made to appear as some hero & saviour based on his stats from 4 Tests while the truth is that 83 of his 138 runs have been scored against Ireland, he's a mug with the bat and that should be apparent by his HS of 28 & 21 in ODIs and T20Is respectively at an avg of 12 & 11 and that's after playing 50 games. And he's been struggling with the ball for almost 2 years now. It's wasting a spot by playing him in the XI and as the poster said, it's essentially going with 10 men by having him in the playing XI

And again I am not vouching for SK ahead of him or SK in the playing XI at all, imo he shouldn't have been even in the squad but it's a fact that SK gets you the wickets everytime, his problem is his fitness and thus goes missing in 2nd innings which has had a effect on his stats as well

Thank God somebody is pointing this out. That's literally the only innings Faheem supporters have to justify his presence as an all-rounder in the Test squad.

The guy has no defensive technique. As for his bowling, this fraud that he's a still a decent Test seamer will be exposed too as soon as there's a larger sample size.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

bro this isn't about the practice game only, Faheem has been a disaster since SA tour where he was smashed in LOIs and he's never recovered from that, not that he was some Jacques Kallis but still his bowling was very crucial esp in LOIs. After grooming him for WC for 2 years, he was kicked out of squad for the same reason that his form was atrocious and even in PSL this season he failed, a tournament where he has delivered mostly in the past.

He's being made to appear as some hero & saviour based on his stats from 4 Tests while the truth is that 83 of his 138 runs have been scored against Ireland, he's a mug with the bat and that should be apparent by his HS of 28 & 21 in ODIs and T20Is respectively at an avg of 12 & 11 and that's after playing 50 games. And he's been struggling with the ball for almost 2 years now. It's wasting a spot by playing him in the XI and as the poster said, it's essentially going with 10 men by having him in the playing XI

And again I am not vouching for SK ahead of him or SK in the playing XI at all, imo he shouldn't have been even in the squad but it's a fact that SK gets you the wickets everytime, his problem is his fitness and thus goes missing in 2nd innings which has had a effect on his stats as well

Surely you you know that Tests and ODIs are two different formats? Faheem has never been good in ODIs but was pushed and given opportunities because Pakistan lacked a seam-bowling all-rounder. In Tests he has done exceedingly well in the small number of matches he has played, done well in the recent QeA Trophy and there's absolutely no reason why he shouldn't get more chances especially considering how well he would balance Pakistan's bowling attack. At some point Pakistan will have to consider that playing a 4 bowler attack is not always a viable option in SENA if you actually want to win.

You can have all your prejudices against him but that is no real reason to say he shouldn't get an opportunity when he has clearly earned it.

 

[TrentDevil]

Surely you you know that Tests and ODIs are two different formats? Faheem has never been good in ODIs but was pushed and given opportunities because Pakistan lacked a seam-bowling all-rounder. In Tests he has done exceedingly well in the small number of matches he has played, done well in the recent QeA Trophy and there's absolutely no reason why he shouldn't get more chances especially considering how well he would balance Pakistan's bowling attack. At some point Pakistan will have to consider that playing a 4 bowler attack is not always a viable option in SENA if you actually want to win.

You can have all your prejudices against him but that is no real reason to say he shouldn't get an opportunity when he has clearly earned it.

I have no prejudice or bias at all, you seem to be picking up one line from the post and ignore everything else

You keep bragging about Faheem having done well in QeA trophy, so I thought about checking stats and I came up with this:


Faheem Ashraf
Bowling
Matches: 3
Innings: 6
Wickets: 8
Avg: 30
SR: 54

Out of 8 wickets 5 came in a single Innings

Tried looking for his batting stats as well but he's nowhere, not in top 50 anywhere(last person on the list has 200 runs)

Let's talk about other guy now who people seem to have forgotten

Aamer Yamin

Batting
Matches: 5
Innings: 5
Runs: 305
Avg: 61
Highest: 142
SR: 82

That Batting avg & SR is something Faheem won't achieve in his dreams and a HS of 142, something Faheem won't score in a whole year.

Bowling
Matches: 5
Innings: 7
Wickets: 7
Avg: 40
SR: 68

Faheem does have a better SR & avg with the ball but Yamin overall trumps him by a long margin

And then there's Amad Butt as well who has done better than Faheem overall but I think he's not yet ready for Tests for various reasons primarily because he tends to leak away runs with his bowling and SR is on the higher side & although he's much better with Bat than Faheem but Yamin is clearly way ahead.

So in short lol at Faheem having clearly earned it

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I have no prejudice or bias at all, you seem to be picking up one line from the post and ignore everything else

You keep bragging about Faheem having done well in QeA trophy, so I thought about checking stats and I came up with this:


Faheem Ashraf
Bowling
Matches: 3
Innings: 6
Wickets: 8
Avg: 30
SR: 54

Out of 8 wickets 5 came in a single Innings

Tried looking for his batting stats as well but he's nowhere, not in top 50 anywhere(last person on the list has 200 runs)

Let's talk about other guy now who people seem to have forgotten

Aamer Yamin

Batting
Matches: 5
Innings: 5
Runs: 305
Avg: 61
Highest: 142
SR: 82

That Batting avg & SR is something Faheem won't achieve in his dreams and a HS of 142, something Faheem won't score in a whole year.

Bowling
Matches: 5
Innings: 7
Wickets: 7
Avg: 40
SR: 68

Faheem does have a better SR & avg with the ball but Yamin overall trumps him by a long margin

And then there's Amad Butt as well who has done better than Faheem overall but I think he's not yet ready for Tests for various reasons primarily because he tends to leak away runs with his bowling and SR is on the higher side & although he's much better with Bat than Faheem but Yamin is clearly way ahead.

So in short lol at Faheem having clearly earned it

Faheem was excellent in South Africa and performed very well in England and Ireland. That's what puts him above Aamer Yameen and Amad Butt. The fact that he has shown he has what it takes to succeed at the top. Whenever he has been given a chance in test matches he has done something. And that is a good enough reason to give him more opportunities.

I said Faheem was very good in the QeA Trophy. Never said he lit the tournament on fire. That is a factually correct statement because he averaged 29.6 with the ball, not 30. And 59 with the bat at a SR of 90.

Also, I find it quite funny that when it came to his bowling stats (which are good but by no means amazing) you had no problem mentioning the fact that he played 3 matches with the bulk of his wickets coming in a single innings. But when it came to his batting stats you didn't even care to mention his batting average in the tournament. And then you say you have no prejudice.

 

[Abdullah719]

On fire in the 2nd practice match, gets Abid Ali and Shan Masood within his first 3 overs.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Shan, Azhar, Abid all removed by sohail khan. Will pakistan go with Sohail/Abbas/Naseem/Shaheen attack?

 

[Invincible Gujjar]

Not this trundler again.one of the worst ever.He averages 41 in 9 tests. He is awful.

 

[gazza619]

On fire in the 2nd practice match, gets Abid Ali and Shan Masood within his first 3 overs.

I think he has used up all his gas in the practice games.

 

[hitthestump]

Not this trundler again.one of the worst ever.He averages 41 in 9 tests. He is awful.

He did well in England last time (in the 1st innings anyway) and he's obviously doing well again. Nothing wrong with having horses for courses.

 

[gazza619]

Not this trundler again.one of the worst ever.He averages 41 in 9 tests. He is awful.

A very highly spirited guy. Cannot deny the fact that he is taking wickets in the practice games..

 

[Zaz]

Theres never been an issue with his 1st innings bowling

The problem is hes useless in the 2nd innings as we will find out in a day or two

 

[gazza619]

Theres never been an issue with his 1st innings bowling

The problem is hes useless in the 2nd innings as we will find out in a day or two

He may have survived back in the good old days when there was a rest day in test matches..

 

[shamaan]

Theres never been an issue with his 1st innings bowling

The problem is hes useless in the 2nd innings as we will find out in a day or two

Even if he does get wickets in the second innings I would not play him in the test series unless abbas is injured then he can play like for like

 

[Zaz]

He may have survived back in the good old days when there was a rest day in test matches..

True as we found out in 2016 he has the skills action and personality to have a been a very fine bowler for pakistan a few years back if he was only fitter and not carried as much weight as he has been

 

[shamaan]

He did well in England last time (in the 1st innings anyway) and he's obviously doing well again. Nothing wrong with having horses for courses.

Agreed if abbas gets injuried then yes he can play

 

[Zaz]

True as we found out in 2016 he has the skills action and personality to have a been a very fine bowler for pakistan a few years back if he was only fitter and not carried as much weight as he has been

His time has been and gone and there should be no going back now

 

[The Viper]

5-37 for Sohail in the warm up game

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Must a seaming wicket? Can't believe that Pak's main team is out for 130 odd.

Would have been interesting to see Sohail's progress on a flat wicket.

 

[shamaan]

Must a seaming wicket? Can't believe that Pak's main team is out for 130 odd.

Would have been interesting to see Sohail's progress on a flat wicket.

Pakistan always had 1 innings where they bowled out for mediocre score

 

[mon858]

Must a seaming wicket? Can't believe that Pak's main team is out for 130 odd.

Would have been interesting to see Sohail's progress on a flat wicket.

This is a key point, we dont know about pitch and weather conditions. if its a flat old trafford track he may not do anything.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

This is a key point, we dont know about pitch and weather conditions. if its a flat old trafford track he may not do anything.

It has been raining in the UK so there is some moist in the wicket. I am sure the wicket must have been tougher than normal to bat on. Even in form guys like Babar, Rizwan couldn't get on.

When Faheem takes two and is also economical you know that the wicket is too good for seamers. Unless Pak plays 4 genuine pacers, playing Sohail remains a risk.

 

[Salman4.]

1st spell of 7 overs
2nd spell of 9 overs.
Definitely improved.

 

[Abdullah719]

Theres never been an issue with his 1st innings bowling

The problem is hes useless in the 2nd innings as we will find out in a day or two

His short Test career tells the story.

9 first-innings: 24 wickets @ 31
8 second-innings: 3 wickets @ 123

 

[TrentDevil]

Fakhar and Imam doing good, this isn't looking good for First XI players

 

[shamaan]

Fakhar and Imam doing good, this isn't looking good for First XI players

Fakhar is out

 

[shamaan]

This is a key point, we dont know about pitch and weather conditions. if its a flat old trafford track he may not do anything.

Their will be abit in the wicket thier always is

 

[shamaan]

It has been raining in the UK so there is some moist in the wicket. I am sure the wicket must have been tougher than normal to bat on. Even in form guys like Babar, Rizwan couldn't get on.

When Faheem takes two and is also economical you know that the wicket is too good for seamers. Unless Pak plays 4 genuine pacers, playing Sohail remains a risk.

Let's judge it when both teams have batted onit

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Let's judge it when both teams have batted onit

That's also tough as wickets in the UK vary from day to day. The opposition team also getting quick wickets now shows that there has been something today for the seamers.

Let's see how Abbas does tomorrow morning.

 

[shamaan]

That's also tough as wickets in the UK vary from day to day. The opposition team also getting quick wickets now shows that there has been something today for the seamers.

Let's see how Abbas does tomorrow morning.

Yes agreed but Abbas and co bowled 15 wickets and only managed 1 wicket in that period.it either shoes pakistan were loose outside off stump or it was swinging alot and stopped swing when abbas and co came to bowl.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sohail Khan is in great form with the ball. It's unfortunate for him that Test cricket isn't one innings per team:<br><br>9 first-innings: 24 wickets @ 31<br>8 second-innings: 3 wickets @ 123<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/bcWL54sRTO">pic.twitter.com/bcWL54sRTO</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1286764824312127488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Highlights of his spell of 5/37:

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 50%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/gq22lq" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[MenInG]

Looking in good shape Sohail Khan

 

[Abdullah719]

“Obviously performances in intra-squad games are important as is a player’s current form; Obviously Sohail Khan is bowling well but most important thing is our opposition and the conditions in which we will play the match, these are important for our decision making when it comes to deciding the final team combination which will be most effective for us; The conditions during the intra-squad games were a little different and the conditions were bowling friendly; The conditions in Manchester are different and a little drier and the pitch doesnt have that much grass; We will decide the best combination based on all these factors”

Based on Misbah’s comments today, it doesn’t look like Sohail is a contender for the first XI at the moment.

 

[Salman4.]

He might not be great but one of Naseem/Shaheen should rest.

 

[MenInG]

He might not be great but one of Naseem/Shaheen should rest.

Naseem will have to rest.

We cannot risk injury for him

 

[MenInG]

So should Sohail Khan replace Naseem Shah for 2nd Test? Aaqib seem to think so.

 

[Hasan123]

His fitness was shocking 4 years ago. Really don't see how it will have improved when he is older.

 

[Junaids]

So should Sohail Khan replace Naseem Shah for 2nd Test? Aaqib seem to think so.

Sohail has that fantastic second innings record to continue.

Bowling average 94
Strike Rate 204

 

[CrIc_Mystique]

Looking in good shape Sohail Khan

Dont know much about him as an indian but dude looks fit and strong, looks in great shape, saw himon sidelines in the1sttest....however the regulars here know more about his bowling that i do...i leave it at that....

 

[Shafi]

It will embarrass Pakistan team if he gets injured after 10 overs of bowling. As long as Misbah is happy to help his buddies its matter.
Should include Iftikhar and I Khan because we are not winning anyway.

 

[mon858]

lot of rain/clouds forecast. we should just go with 4 pacers, and in the squad we have he is the 4th best pacer at the moment. even if it takes 3-4 wickets in first innings that will be enough to get ahead in the game. have to take 20 wickets to win the game. i suggest 4 pacers plus shadab to not weaken batting too much. with rain breaks fast bowlers should get enough rest in the middle as well.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

He is a fitter and better bowler now when compared to four years ago, but he still cant be relied upon in a 4 man attack.
Without question, he knows the art of bowling more than anyone in the playing XI or on the bench.

 

[Abdullah719]

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Please pick him for the second test!! Feel like he can do a lot.

 

[MenInG]

In the 16 - possible that Naseem is rested and he comes in for him?

 

[Zaz]

Dont know much about him as an indian but dude looks fit and strong, looks in great shape, saw himon sidelines in the1sttest....however the regulars here know more about his bowling that i do...i leave it at that....

He looks strong but not cricket fit

All that excess muscle and weight for a bowler is detrimental as it makes you slower in the field n inhibit your bowling action n reduces your stamina

As has been exhibited in his 2nd innings over the years in intl cricket

Sohail khan has always been a couple of stones too heavy for his good

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

He looks strong but not cricket fit

All that excess muscle and weight for a bowler is detrimental as it makes you slower in the field n inhibit your bowling action n reduces your stamina

As has been exhibited in his 2nd innings over the years in intl cricket

Sohail khan has always been a couple of stones too heavy for his good

His problems are not so much about how much muscle mass he has, but rather on the type of muscle fibres his body naturally grows which are type 1 or in other words slow twitch fibre muscles.
Such athletes struggle with explosive sports and have a higher propensity to get stiff after a workout. No wonder he bowls well in the 1st innings when the body is fresh but struggles in the 2nd innings.

So in a nutshell, he can only be as fit as his body naturally allows.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Yasir will be of no use in these wet conditions. Got to play four pacers and the fourth one should be Sohail!!

If they include Fawad Alam then he could bowl his lefties as the spin option alongside Azhar's leggies.

 

[sshakir411]

Sohail should play in place of Nasim who needs to be rested.

 

[MenInG]

Almost won the game for Sindh with the bat and 1/24 in 4 overs vs Balochistan - not bad!

 

[PakPremi]

Better all rounder than Faheem and Nawaz, and better batsman than Asif.

 

[aloo paratha]

Hasan Ali and Sohail Khan are better all rounders than Faheem "Kluesener" Ashraf

 

[MenInG]

Tough going for Sindh bowlers but Sohail Khan done ok today : 2/40

 

[Abdullah719]

3/24 against CP in Nat T20.

 

[Titan24]

Used his experience well.

 

[MenInG]

2/12 in 4 overs - albeit in a low scoring game but amazing figures vs KP today

 

[MenInG]

2 overs, 5 runs and 1 wicket - unplayable Sohail Khan today vs SP

 

[Xoib]

Has developed in to a really skillful bowler hope he had mastered these skills ten years earlier.

 

[Loralai]

Credit where it is due. He has been very impressive in this National T20 Cup - well ahead of many other fast bowlers who have been talked up but failed to deliver.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

I have always admired him, his attitude towards bowling and cricket is fantastic.
If only he was made of fast twitch fibres and not slow twitch ones, he would have been an ATG.
Nevertheless, a very skillful bowler and someone who would become a very good bowling coach post retirement.

 

[Kaddy]

Has developed in to a really skillful bowler hope he had mastered these skills ten years earlier.

He's a late bloomer.

 

[shamaan]

Very impressed with sohail khan despite his age he has put in some impressive spells

 

[MenInG]

From Day 1 of Round 3 of Qea20:

Sindh gathered three bonus points for bowling on the opening day of their round three first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixture against Northern at the UBL Sports Complex as pacers Sohail Khan and Tabish Khan shared six wickets between them equally.

Northern found themselves in a precarious 90 for five as the two Khans hunted in pairs after Northern captain Nauman Ali elected to bat. Tabish’s three wickets cost 41 runs, while Sohail took his for 43 runs.

 

[Saj]

Well he's back in the Pakistan squad at the age of 36 and having last played a Test in 2016 and a T20I in 2017.

 

[Hasan123]

He can't even last a spell of bowling without running out of gas. Clueless selection.

 

[Saj]

He can't even last a spell of bowling without running out of gas. Clueless selection.

I'm guessing he's been picked for the T20Is after doing well in the National T20 Cup where he took 15 wickets and had an economy rate of 7.57.

 

[Hasan123]

I'm guessing he's been picked for the T20Is after doing well in the National T20 Cup where he took 15 wickets and had an economy rate of 7.57.

But Hasnain,Shaheen,Wahab, and Rauf are well ahead of him in the pecking order. Surely it would have been better to go with someone younger.

 

[PakPremi]

Sohail can bowl better than Fahim gas or no gas, and score more. In my opinion he would be a good wicket taking option and should be rotated with Wahib. BTW I am yet to see him run out of gas in limited over cricket.

 

[shamaan]

His stats in national cup were good and also practise matches against england were good to

 

[Saj]

But Hasnain,Shaheen,Wahab, and Rauf are well ahead of him in the pecking order. Surely it would have been better to go with someone younger.

Age 36.

No international matches for several years.

Some would say, a strange pick.

 

[Forum363]

He’s one of the leading swing bowlers in Pakistan. He’s clearly being to help with the practise as on the tour to England.

 

[aloo paratha]

To me it looks like he's being selected as a net bowler only. He's still probably one of the best new ball bowlers in the country, and he can give good practice to batsman in the nets where stamina is not nearly as important.

 

[MenInG]

So is a Sohail Khan comeback likely for the 2nd Test vs New Zealand?

 

[Rana]

Select him but are we still going to open with Abbas as the new ball bowler and him coming in at first change?

The issue is Abbas. This guy being a 1st or second change is pointless.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Select him but are we still going to open with Abbas as the new ball bowler and him coming in at first change?

The issue is Abbas. This guy being a 1st or second change is pointless.

Abbas is the real problem ever since his pace deteriorated into the trundling 120s. He bowls such great lines/lengths but his pace is so shallow that once batsmen step outside the crease, he has no answer to that and just continues to bowl line/length which the batsmen oblige to by soaking up balls and targeting the other bowler in the attack.

I'd frankly bench Abbas for the SA series. If Faheem bowls more overs, then we can drop Abbas here and bring someone like Amad Butt or Sohail Khan into the team.

 

[MenInG]

Gets a chance to play in PSL 6 - started off well and an immediate upgrade on Sohail Tanvir (atleast for now)

 

[Firebat]

Very good bowling from Sohail Khan today. 0/24 in his 4 overs, bowling the last over and just conceding a single each ball.

Not so good in the field however.