Asif was a pure joy to watch - people go to watch cricket for fours & sixes .... I used to be glued on screen when Asif was bowling with new ball - absolute class, a treat to watch and a very non Pakistani type pacer - slow in pace, but extremely cunning, skillful and brilliant with new ball. He was probably the best pacer to read a batsman and I dare say, Asif was as good as Wasim of MCG 1990, in that SAF Series of 2006-07. I did see him clocking 141.7Km, but he didn't need that - pace was just a surprise element for him, he was damn good within 127-134Km range. Facing a peak Asif on grass with a new ball was probably the toughest job in cricket after facing two Ws with a old one on dry surface. I have to give lots of credit to Woolmer for this one - after Ul Haq quickly got rid of him after the 2005 AUS tour, it was Woolmer who took care of him and I believe in a Tour game, he took 10for, which led a call back for him to that Karachi Test, ironically where Inzi was missing for injury. Absolute genius - could have taken 400 Test wickets for PAK.
[MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION] - your assessment is wrong for Asif - Trott. JT was successful in that tactics because he was in tremendous form that time - everything was working for him. If tactics could have solved every problem, his career average won't have dropped from mid 60s to mid 40s.
Cricket's fundamental skills are still intact, probably the first page of MCC Coaching Manuel, written 200+ years back is still applicable - batting fundamentals are always same - foot-work, balance, judgement, application, alignment ..... Yes, time to time batsmen adjust their game to the condition/opponents, which works for a short period and WHICH ONLY works, if your basics are correct. It's a game of instincts, therefore sometimes inform batsmen get away with doing fancy things, but the key is fundamentals - both bat or ball, that's why Fakhar Zaman or Hasan Ali couldn't last two years while Tendulkar or WAkram would make it count if they make a come back, at this age.
Coming to that shuffling tactics of Trott - that time it worked, because the guy was in great touch, almost everything worked and Asif didn't get the time for a counter measure. That's the way player's improve - I saw a young Faisal Iqbal using feet better than any Englishman since WW2 against Warne and almost took him out of bowling attack with his inside out drives through covers, taking a leaf out of Salim Malik's batting page - next game, Warne came with a slip cordon in front of batsman - 5 men between point to mid-off and he was bowling leg line, forcing Faisal to attempt drives against spin .......
Asif was accurate like an off-spinner darting - six inches out-side off, releasing from very close to wickets, which indeed was countered by shuffling the front pad outside line and leaving anything going away, for a short period. But, with same accuracy and movement, to counter that shuffling tactics, I am sure Asif would have come round the wicket within few games - now releasing close to wickets and within sticks with 4 men on leg side - mid-wicket, mid-on, squire-leg and deep fine-leg, to block leg-side flicks; only two in slips for fine edges, but two in gully/point and keeping entire cover mid-off open to encourage batsmen attempting drives through covers with a cramped feet from shuffling. The way he could bring the leg-cutter in late, and on target - just once or twice in every spell batsman missing to connect with that shuffle (remember, uncanny shuffle means batsman is also sacrificing his balance & alignment, batting is a side-on skill) - a 5for for Asif, almost every completed innings.
Only thing, that could have worked against him was that the guy ate, smoked, drank every thing in every format - he could have lost his stamina and no matter how skilled you are, at least 125Km speed one has to maintain.
