What's new

[VIDEOS] “I am used to getting dropped from the team despite performing" : Sohail Khan

MenInG

MenInG

PakPassion Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Runs
217,988
Karachi: Right-arm pacer Sohail Khan said he has become habitual of getting dropped from the national team despite performing at every level.

Speaking to a local New channel, Khan expressed disappointment over his exclusion from the team national team for South Africa series without playing a single match in New Zealand.

“I am used to of getting dropped for the team despite performing. In England, I performed in side-matches, took 13 wickets in two matches but didn’t get a chance there. In New Zealand, again I didn’t get a chance due to not fitting in the team’s combination,” he shared.

“Then for South Africa series, I was told that here spin tracks will be made so I will not be a part of the team, dropped again. But, I will keep on working hard as I have talked to chief selector Mohammad Wasim and he told me that I am still there in their plans. Let’s see, what happens,” he highlighted.

Khan, 36, shared that he got a chance to work with the team’s bowling coach Waqar Younis in England and New Zealand. “Waqar Bhai worked with me in England and New Zealand. I tried to learn a few things from him. I will keep on working to make myself stronger for the comeback,” he said.

“I have improved my fitness as earlier a lot of people used to criticize me on my fitness. I have also worked on my batting and fielding. I am ready once again to make a comeback in the national team,” he concluded.

https://arysports.tv/used-getting-dropped-despite-performing-sohail-khan/
 
Is it just me or literally every Pakistani cricketer have no self awareness ? Sohail Khan got 9 Tests and 13 ODIS and failed to prove himself. He's 36, he got his fair chance didn't perform, a normal bloke would just say I wasn't good enough but not Pakistani players.
 
Sher Khan

He’s been a marked man since the ‘apne ghar main hoga Kohli’ comment
 
Never was a long term guy. Never had the bowling temperament nor the fitness to succeed in tests.

Could have been handy as a bowling allrounder in ODI's but since the Mickey era he has never been considered for the OD formats.

The only way he could have had a few games in the last five years was as a tactical short term solution on lively wickets. But our Pakistani coaches are very conservative and not known to think out of the box. He could have played in Eng or NZ as he especially in the UK looked in good touch.

Hope he gets his T20 franchise games in order to make sufficient money out of the game. That's his only future now.
 
Still remember when his name broke through the domestic scene as everyone started talking as if Pakistan had found it's new Shoaib Akhtar as he was compared to the Rawalpindi Express but in comparison he never really had the pace to sustain in international cricket.

He wasn't ready when he was thrown into the ODI side back in 2008 against Zimbabwe as he had not played any List A before that and his only notable performance came against India in the 2015 WC where he took a 5fer.

He has been at best a 125-130kph bowler who even grunts while delivering at those speeds and is pretty much on his last legs for now so he can just hope he gets picked around for T20 or even T10 stints as he has not had much like apart from playing in PSL.
 
Deewana Mastana said:
Still remember when his name broke through the domestic scene as everyone started talking as if Pakistan had found it's new Shoaib Akhtar as he was compared to the Rawalpindi Express but in comparison he never really had the pace to sustain in international cricket.

He wasn't ready when he was thrown into the ODI side back in 2008 against Zimbabwe as he had not played any List A before that and his only notable performance came against India in the 2015 WC where he took a 5fer.

He has been at best a 125-130kph bowler who even grunts while delivering at those speeds and is pretty much on his last legs for now so he can just hope he gets picked around for T20 or even T10 stints as he has not had much like apart from playing in PSL.
Click to expand...

He isnt a 125-130 kph bowler. Let's not willify him unjustly.
He is a 135-143 kph bowler when fresh, and has got a very good skillset plus temperament.

However, he just doesn't have the body of a fast bowler. I know that because i had the same issue. People like Sohail are built with more slow twitch fibres, and the body stiffens up a lot more as a result.
It isn't as languid and explosive as someone like Haris Rauf, Amir or Steyn. These guys' bodies are predominantly composed of naturally explosive fast twitch fibres.
Sohail no matter how hard he works will always find it hard to bowl at full throttle in the 2nd innings of a test.
You can be only as good as your body allows you to be.
 
In England and New Zealand he should have played over Club level Naseem no question
 
Pacy with wisdom said:
He isnt a 125-130 kph bowler. Let's not willify him unjustly.
He is a 135-143 kph bowler when fresh, and has got a very good skillset plus temperament.

However, he just doesn't have the body of a fast bowler. I know that because i had the same issue. People like Sohail are built with more slow twitch fibres, and the body stiffens up a lot more as a result.
It isn't as languid and explosive as someone like Haris Rauf, Amir or Steyn. These guys' bodies are predominantly composed of naturally explosive fast twitch fibres.
Sohail no matter how hard he works will always find it hard to bowl at full throttle in the 2nd innings of a test.
You can be only as good as your body allows you to be.
Click to expand...

I watched him from the start and hence did not put the speeds of his earlier career (between 137-140kph) but these are the speeds when he was reintroduced into the side a couple of years later but his pace had gone to the speeds stated and an effort ball used to go to 135kph at most which was also a rarity.

I am sure nobody would have forgotten his huffing and puffing even after his first spell not that he used to bowl 8-10 overs on the trot but still when it came to his 2nd and 3rd spells he would be so worn out that the speeds stated of 125-130kph were much that he used to operate at when he played.

As for the body and physique, you are fairly on point as he did not have the power to go at full throttle as most people expected when he broke onto the scene back in 2007.
 
Last edited:
Extreme Pace said:
Is it just me or literally every Pakistani cricketer have no self awareness ? Sohail Khan got 9 Tests and 13 ODIS and failed to prove himself. He's 36, he got his fair chance didn't perform, a normal bloke would just say I wasn't good enough but not Pakistani players.
Click to expand...

not just in cricket, its an every man for himself kinda society, generations of lack of meritocracy means if u dont big ur self up, no one notices you.
 
Sohail should've played a lot more ODI cricket given his poor fitness for Tests, especially when he made his comeback in 2015.

His peak was wasted as Waqar kept playing his blue eyed boys like Rahat, Wahab, Irfan, Bhatti and Anwar.
 
We already got Sajid Khan. Nauman Ali and Yasir in the squad. Don't need another spinner, but Thank You Sohail Khan. I am glad to hear that you have toughen and you can take the hit for being dropped.
 
He should have played over Naseem in England but delusional fans would have abused Misbah for favoring old players, and we would hear stories about how Naseem would have won that series for us.
 
Alas, if only Test cricket was a one innings affair, Sohail would be a legend.

He's an honest trier but we need to move on from him, purely because of his struggles with fitness.
 
Last edited:
Pacy with wisdom said:
He isnt a 125-130 kph bowler. Let's not willify him unjustly.
He is a 135-143 kph bowler when fresh, and has got a very good skillset plus temperament.

However, he just doesn't have the body of a fast bowler. I know that because i had the same issue. People like Sohail are built with more slow twitch fibres, and the body stiffens up a lot more as a result.
It isn't as languid and explosive as someone like Haris Rauf, Amir or Steyn. These guys' bodies are predominantly composed of naturally explosive fast twitch fibres.
Sohail no matter how hard he works will always find it hard to bowl at full throttle in the 2nd innings of a test.
You can be only as good as your body allows you to be.
Click to expand...

Where did you read this stuff about his body being made of slow twitch fibers and stuff?

The muscle fibers are genetically programmed. Had he taken up sports or cardio earlier on, with training, he could have achieved this. Nothing to do with his body. Muscles adapt with stress, regardless of how much muscle on your body is. Gastrocnemius will always be predominantly a type 2(fast) muscle and soleus a type 1(slow). It's just a range to how much the muscles can change. It's not like Sohail was genetically inferior or anything. Steyn and Lee's activities earlier on in their life would have developed their bodies to their naturally lean frame. Sohail used to work on mountainous areas of KPK possibly did woodchopping. His lifestyle probably led to his body becoming like that.
 
Mamoon said:
He should have played over Naseem in England but delusional fans would have abused Misbah for favoring old players, and we would hear stories about how Naseem would have won that series for us.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

Unfortunately, Naseem was hyped beyond belief. Forget Sohail Khan, i wouldn't have been surprised if they picked Naseem over Shaheen at that time if only one were to be selected.

Before the ENG series, some fans and media were wondering whether Naseem was going to take 1 or more 10-fers. He was predicted to run through the ENG batting line-up, especially after he injured a couple of our batsmen during practice.

Fast-forward, now we have been forced to debut a bunch of 35+ year-old bowlers.
 
9 Tests Played:

Sohail Khan in 1st Innings: 24 Wickets @ 31.5
Sohail Khan in 2nd Innings: 3 Wickets @ 123
 
"DROPPED DESPITE PERFORMING"??????????

By the time Sohail Khan played his last Test, aged 31:

First innings record: 24 wickets in 202 overs, average 31.50
Second innings record: 3 wickets in 103 overs, average 123.00.
 
He got slower and slower as the match progressed. He was good in his 1st spell in 1st innings. He tailed off alarmingly in 2nd/3rd spell etc.

He was solid in 50 over cricket though, he should have been given further chances in that format.
 
He was more of a wicket taker in tests than Rahat, Naseem, Shaheen, and Hasan Ali. He should have played in England and NewZealand. His bowling also has more variety. Fitness I think has been an excuse to keep him out.
 
The image that sticks with me regarding Sohail Khan is when I was at Edgbaston in 2016.

It was the end of England's second innings, Sohail had bowled 52 overs in the match, 23 in the first innings and 29 in the second and had to be literally carried off the ground as he could barely walk.

Another point is that he's listed as 36, I'd say he's probably close to 40.
 
Last edited:
His international future is gone.

Someone like Abbas should be working very hard on his pace and look at the example of Sohail. Doesn't matter how good you are on wickets that support you, if you can't perform when the chips are down, you aren't a frontline bowler.

Looking at our test circuit, old is not the way to go anymore in terms of fast bowlers. Tabish is being hyped as someone who can solve our fast bowling problems, when realistically, he's well past his prime. Would rather have us go for some pacers like Irfanullah Shah, Usman Khan Shinwari, Shahnawaz Shani, and more when they show promising results in domestic cricket.

I reckon Irfanullah needs one more season of FC Cricket before we can consider him, has exceptional stats so far.
 
Saj said:
The image that sticks with me regarding Sohail Khan is when I was at Edgbaston in 2016.

It was the end of England's second innings, Sohail had bowled 52 overs in the match, 23 in the first innings and 29 in the second and had to be literally carried off the ground as he could barely walk.

Another point is that he's listed as 36, I'd say he's probably close to 40.
Click to expand...

Fitness issues can happen to anyone, as long as he wimproved his fitness afterwards, but now it's too late age is not on his side and he would have been more effective in Sena.
 
PakPremi said:
Fitness issues can happen to anyone, as long as he wimproved his fitness afterwards, but now it's too late age is not on his side and he would have been more effective in Sena.
Click to expand...

That's the whole point and what many of us are saying.

He was never the fittest and that continued and now it's too late for him to get his fitness levels up for Test cricket.

But in terms of skills, he was right up there. He had it all.
 
Last edited:
It’s a shame he was so unfit, probably the last real swing bowler we have had. But his spells later in a day were jokeworthy. He maybe should have got a game in England though probably at the expense of Abbas once it was clear Abbas was doing no damage and getting slower and slower.

He needs to be honest with himself now though. Who ever picks a 36 year old for a fast bowler. His international career is done. He should re-invent himself as a t20 specialist, make some money from the Mickey Mouse leagues over the world and retire
 
Sohail Khan apparently needs 5-6 overs on the trott before his rhythm and speeds are up. Sadly the team suffers and cannot afford to give him these many overs to deliver
 
He won't be getting any further chances at 36 years. I liked him to be honest however generations in team sports turn very fast. Perhaps he was a late developer that we saw him so late at international level. Just another of our cry babies who feels victimised.
 
PakLFC said:
He won't be getting any further chances at 36 years. I liked him to be honest however generations in team sports turn very fast. Perhaps he was a late developer that we saw him so late at international level. Just another of our cry babies who feels victimised.
Click to expand...

The only thing I like about his cricket is actually his bowling action (with no speed though).

His run up, bowling action and follow through is smooth and easy on the eyes. And this has become a rare thing to see in Pak pace bowlers.

Almost everyone has a jerky, broken wrist, tattering and jittering arm and head falling on the side action.
 
Part of his fitness problems and 'lost' years are down to a number of injuries which probably deprived him of playing international cricket when he was at his peak.

No denying the fact that he has always been an honest tryer and a bowler with a lot of aggression and skill.
 
Colorblind Genius said:
The only thing I like about his cricket is actually his bowling action (with no speed though).

His run up, bowling action and follow through is smooth and easy on the eyes. And this has become a rare thing to see in Pak pace bowlers.

Almost everyone has a jerky, broken wrist, tattering and jittering arm and head falling on the side action.
Click to expand...

He was a good lower order batsman as well.
 
Has one of the best outswingers in Pakistan.

Sohail changed our fortunes on the 2016 tour of England, taking 5-fers. However he spent far too much time on his upper body instead of conditioning and endurance, hence his poor returns in later spells.
 
His actual ability isn’t the problem. He doesn’t have the fitness for test match cricket. If he worked under a pro coach earlier in his career, I’m confident he would have had a good international career.
 
Hasan123 said:
His actual ability isn’t the problem. He doesn’t have the fitness for test match cricket. If he worked under a pro coach earlier in his career, I’m confident he would have had a good international career.
Click to expand...

The major problem in Pakistan is not having specialists who know how to train - Not having professionals as in fitness trainers to train people from the early stages of the career to make a player into an athlete.

In Pakistan it was a trend to show off that people go to the gym rather than actually train properly but just to make a statement to the others around.

An example being a few weeks back there was a video of Kamran Akmal put up where he had yoga mat placed on top of his lower abdomen and a guy (trainer) stood on top of it while he was doing some crunches which looked so wrong. It begs to ask the question that what type of workout is that as it more than anything could cause serious injury.
 
Sohail Khan's 4 wickets in 2nd Semi final of Pakistan Cup 2023-24 helped Karachi to book spot in final.


 
Good bowler

career wasted had all the attributes to be a good bowler in odis and t20s for pakistan.
 
Sohail Khan gets the first breakthrough for Pakistan Champions against India Champions as he removed Robin Uthappa upfront in his second over. His figures so far 18/1 in 2 overs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The Bald Eagle
[EXCLUSIVE] "I wasn't given a chance even in First-Class cricket": Umer Khan
Replies
10
Views
1K
pakistani pride
P
BouncerGuy
When will the PCB find the courage to say that senior players have been "dropped" instead of being "rested"?
Replies
9
Views
494
Cricket Warrior
Cricket Warrior
The Bald Eagle
[EXCLUSIVE] "Players are playing to survive, not for the team": Aamer Sohail
Replies
17
Views
1K
Saj
S
BouncerGuy
  • Poll Poll
PCB appoints Mike Hesson as the new Whiteball Head Coach of Pakistan Cricket team, Aaqib Javed appointed Director of High-Performance
2
Replies
95
Views
7K
Savak
Savak
FearlessRoar
[EXCLUSIVE] "Babar Azam needs to be dropped": Atiq-uz-Zaman
Replies
11
Views
1K
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
Back
Top