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[VIDEOS/ PICTURES] Mohammad Nawaz - A risky pick for Pakistan's spin attack?

MenInG

MenInG

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It's good to see him in the Test side but is he the specialist spinner that Pakistan need in their line-up? I have always considered him to be a handy all-rounder type but is he suited for a specialist role?
 
Let's see how this goes as Sri Lanka are normally very good players of spin.

In first class cricket he has 93 wickets in 53 matches at an average of 29.37.
 
On the basis of his stats he deserves to be picked, but with lack of quality spinners in red ball cricket for Pakistan, it makes sense to give Nawaz a chance.
 
Pakistan's dry spin stocks are very worrying. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have no issues in terms of spin replacements and pipelines. This is definitely reflective of the kind of pitches being used for the most part in Pakistan's domestic cricket.
 
Nauman and Sajid are useless, Yasir is past his best. no decent domestic spinners so giving Nawaz a go is no brainer really, hope he does well.
 
He has improved leaps and bounds as a bowler in the recent past. He is a proper all-rounder and its high time he got a proper chance in all three formats. Because he is good enough to succeed in all three. His FC stats since 2020 speak for themself:


790 runs in 9 matches @ 46.5 (5 50s and a century)

28 wickets @ 34.96 with 2 five wicket hauls.
 
Pakistan's spin-bowling stocks running dry it seems.

I guess Nawaz deserves his chance, but it wasn't long ago when he was thought of as a mainly a white-ball bowler.
 
I have to say, there was a time when I just couldn’t understand why in our limited overs set up, Nawaz was being preferred over Imad Wasim. However the more I have watched Nawaz, the more I have liked him. He’s got control, he spins the ball and really, he is pretty good option for us. When you consider that he can bat, and quite well, it makes his selection a good one.

He can play the Jadega type role of given a consistent run.
 
He is a white ball bowler , in Tests he can be played on turners as third spinner and handy batsman.
 
He has been the most accurate out of the lot in recent times. Have been generating revs, spinning the bowl, good arm bowl in his armoury and his batting and fielding would he bonus.

I really like his selection and mentioned in the tour threads that he should be selected which was purely based upon the control he has shown and number of good deliveries he has produced in ODIs.

In QAE 2021 final, he took six wickets and scored 46 runs. Economy was just around 2.5.

Issue with other spinners have been that they neither have been able to maintain pressure for long by keeping it tightly nor they have been able to produce good amount of threatening deliveries. Nawaz in recent Aus ODI series and SA series took wickets with some rippers.
 
Titan24 said:
Just 3 overs bowled so far but, already showed the control along with bit of drift and spin which I was expecting.
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and a wicket to show for his effort also so decent.
 
Babar seemed a little reluctant to use him today although he bowled fairly tidily.

I thought he might have got more than 6 overs in the first innings.
 
A decent performance with the ball but failed with the bat in a pressure situation today
 
Saj said:
Babar seemed a little reluctant to use him today although he bowled fairly tidily.

I thought he might have got more than 6 overs in the first innings.
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Should bowl more in 2nd inns, but isnt good enough to be batting as test number 7.
 
Marooned said:
I think he will be ok as a 7. It was difficult conditions here when your entire batting has already failed.
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Our batting line up is not good enough to have a bits and pieces player coming in at 7. We need to start picking 6 front line batsmen + rizwan. Those passengers in top 6 need to go.

Any so called all rounder needs to be coming in at 8.
 
Amjid Javed said:
Our batting line up is not good enough to have a bits and pieces player coming in at 7. We need to start picking 6 front line batsmen + rizwan. Those passengers in top 6 need to go.

Any so called all rounder needs to be coming in at 8.
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This

Obsession with bits and pieces cricketer is ruining our team.
 
Amjid Javed said:
Our batting line up is not good enough to have a bits and pieces player coming in at 7. We need to start picking 6 front line batsmen + rizwan. Those passengers in top 6 need to go.

Any so called all rounder needs to be coming in at 8.
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He has proved himself as an allrounder in qea scoring around 900 runs in a season. As good as any specialist batsman. Deserves his chance. It's not like specialist spinners like Yasir are doing miracles with the ball. I really don't see an argument for keeping him out of the team for now.
 
Marooned said:
He has proved himself as an allrounder in qea scoring around 900 runs in a season. As good as any specialist batsman. Deserves his chance. It's not like specialist spinners like Yasir are doing miracles with the ball. I really don't see an argument for keeping him out of the team for now.
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i have no issue with Nawaz playing as a spinner, there was no need for pakistan to play 5 bowlers with 3 seamers here. means we have a tail starting at 7.

Pakistan could have picked 2 seamers and 2 spinners.

Agha salman was clear picked as he can bowl abit to so could have acted as a 5th bowler. to many bits and pieces players in team. Also this isnt prime Aussies team where we have 5 world class bats + gilly where we have a luxury of picking 5 bowlers. none of bowlers are good enough to be batting number 8.

shambles selection.
 
Amjid Javed said:
i have no issue with Nawaz playing as a spinner, there was no need for pakistan to play 5 bowlers with 3 seamers here. means we have a tail starting at 7.

Pakistan could have picked 2 seamers and 2 spinners.

Agha salman was clear picked as he can bowl abit to so could have acted as a 5th bowler. to many bits and pieces players in team. Also this isnt prime Aussies team where we have 5 world class bats + gilly where we have a luxury of picking 5 bowlers. none of bowlers are good enough to be batting number 8.

shambles selection.
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The selection was a total mess up I agree.
 
Marooned said:
The selection was a total mess up I agree.
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If pakistan had bothered to select saud shakeel and kamran ghulam the batting would be stronger and ud have 2 extra bowling options. Then you can play 2 seamers / 2 spinners and not worry bouf bowlers getting tired.
 
Amjid Javed said:
If pakistan had bothered to select saud shakeel and kamran ghulam the batting would be stronger and ud have 2 extra bowling options. Then you can play 2 seamers / 2 spinners and not worry bouf bowlers getting tired.
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Both should've already become part of test team by now. Both play spin well too.
 
Said it before, will say it again: Babar missed a trick by not bowling him more in the first innings. Especially when that partnership between Chandimal and Theekshana was developing. Not only does he keep it tight but he was getting some turn from the surface aswell. Chandimal hit him for one six and that was enough for Babar to take him out of the attack completely.
 
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Has manfully carried on but is he the best Pakistan has?
 
Five wickets.. Excellent performance. Like the look of this guy. Can ball consistent lines, turns and spins the ball, Can get good bounce. Lot of things going right in this action and loop.
Wonder why he was never looked as a potential option before ?
 
Turns out that he has out-performed the so-called senior guy - and all power to Nawaz!

"Taking a 5fer is every bowlers dream and the same goes for me as well, I am very happy and Inshallah, I will kep working hard and repeat these types of performances again" : Mohammad Nawaz
 
Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz said Monday that his maiden five-wicket haul on return to Test cricket was a "dream" performance he aimed to repeat. The 28-year-old Nawaz, who played just three Tests for Pakistan in 2016, impressed with his left-arm spin to dent the Sri Lankan top and middle-order in the first match in Galle. He combined with leg-spinner Yasir Shah to reduce Sri Lanka to 267 for eight but the hosts hit back with Dinesh Chandimal's unbeaten 86 to lead by 333 at the end of the third day's play.

"It's every bowler's dream to get a five-for in Test cricket and the same goes for me," Nawaz told reporters.

"I am very happy and I will keep working hard and repeat this kind of performance again."

Nawaz made his debut across formats in 2016 but his five-day career came to a halt after just three Tests against West Indies in the United Arab Emirates.

His white-ball reputation has grown, with 19 one-day internationals and 30 Twenty20 matches for the national team, but he insists red-ball cricket is what excites him most.

"I kept on playing first-class cricket, obviously played a lot of white-ball international cricket but a Test opportunity didn't come my way," Nawaz said of his cricketing journey.

"Focus was to play red-ball cricket which makes you grow as a player. My 2022 red-ball season at home was good as I made over 700 runs and took 28-29 wickets.

"I'm happy to bowl well on my comeback and hoping to turn up with the bat as well."

Babar Azam's Pakistan will need to bowl out Sri Lanka, who were 329-9 at stumps, on the fourth day and then chase an already challenging-looking total.

But Nawaz remains confident of the Pakistan batting that fought back from 87-5 to just four runs short of Sri Lanka's 222 in the first innings.

"They have put up a good total, looking at the conditions, but it's not impossible," he said.

"As a batting unit if we get two-three good partnerships then it will be achievable I think."

AFP
 
Mohammad Nawaz was the pick of the bowlers taking 5 for 88, his best figures in Tests.
 
Broke the opening stand today and took out the dangerous Fernando. Would love to see what he can do on a day 5 turner
 
Seems to best spinner in regards to control and taking wickets at moment.
 
PCB coaches and selectors are either risk averse or can’t identify players with potential.Imran Khan picked Wasim,Waqar and Inzaman who were raw but his inner sense told him they had the hallmark of good players.Nawaz could have been selected earlier.Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
 
His release is too wide of the crease and when he gets on decks that don't have spin, he will struggle to get the ball off the straight. Outside the criminally underused Abdul Rehman,we have haven't had a decent left spinner in my lifetime.
 
He has been pretty good. Much better than other recent Pakistani spinners (Nauman, Sajid etc.).
 
Bewal Express said:
His release is too wide of the crease and when he gets on decks that don't have spin, he will struggle to get the ball off the straight. Outside the criminally underused Abdul Rehman,we have haven't had a decent left spinner in my lifetime.
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We had Raza Hassan who had the potential to be an ATG finger spinner for Pakistan but he faded away like so many others :facepalm
 
Mediocre player with the bat. simply not good enough to be selected as a so called all rounder or batting number 7.

play him as a spinner yes, but this guy isnt going to score any sort of runs like a so called 6th batsmen replacement.
 
ChTab said:
We had Raza Hassan who had the potential to be an ATG finger spinner for Pakistan but he faded away like so many others :facepalm
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Raza was indeed sublime but i think the fading away was his own downfall. IIRC, he got caught taking cocaine or something and that contrinuted to him being marginalised!
 
MenInG said:
Has manfully carried on but is he the best Pakistan has?
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In this series, the figures for spinners are:-

1. Nawaz = 10 wickets at 26.10
2. Yasir = 9 wickets at 39.00
3. Nauman = 2 wickets at 59 (1 match)

Turned out to be Pak's best spinner and he's an allrounder!
 
Nikhil_cric said:
In this series, the figures for spinners are:-

1. Nawaz = 10 wickets at 26.10
2. Yasir = 9 wickets at 39.00
3. Nauman = 2 wickets at 59 (1 match)

Turned out to be Pak's best spinner and he's an allrounder!
Click to expand...
Yeah he's OK but not a test number 7 should not bat higher then 8 again brainless by Saqlain
 
Nikhil_cric said:
In this series, the figures for spinners are:-

1. Nawaz = 10 wickets at 26.10
2. Yasir = 9 wickets at 39.00
3. Nauman = 2 wickets at 59 (1 match)

Turned out to be Pak's best spinner and he's an allrounder!
Click to expand...

Did his job as a spinner but hes not good enough to batting as a 6th batter.

No need for us to play 3 spinners and nauman should get the boot.
 
He will be very average on the better surfaces, better than Nauman but still not good enough to be a front line spinner.
 
Bewal Express said:
He will be very average on the better surfaces, better than Nauman but still not good enough to be a front line spinner.
Click to expand...

Which front line spinners in Pakistan domestic are better than him though? Clearly Nauman and current Yasir are not. Neither is Sajid I guess.
 
Bewal Express said:
He will be very average on the better surfaces, better than Nauman but still not good enough to be a front line spinner.
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Bhai who do we have who is better then him when uncle Nauman is your other option then Nawaz looks like Bishen Singh Bedi to me.
 
As a spinner was decent enough in the Srl series considering our resources or lack of in spin bowling department. Can bat a bit so makes a decent no 8 to have.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Which front line spinners in Pakistan domestic are better than him though? Clearly Nauman and current Yasir are not. Neither is Sajid I guess.
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At this point in time there aren't but Asghar has much more potential but has poor control and we could look back at the drug cheat Raza, who also has more chances to succeed.
 
Xoib said:
Bhai who do we have who is better then him when uncle Nauman is your other option then Nawaz looks like Bishen Singh Bedi to me.
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When I watch Nawaz , I see a guy that isn't good enough to be the main spinner, barely good enough to be a 2nd spinner. But you are right that options are very limited
 
Bewal Express said:
When I watch Nawaz , I see a guy that isn't good enough to be the main spinner, barely good enough to be a 2nd spinner. But you are right that options are very limited
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in SENA conditions were spin doesn't play a major part nawaz can perform the holding role but stil shouldn't bat in the top 7.
 
Man of the Match in the 2nd ODI vs Netherlands for 3/42
 
Gets both the big fish, Rohit and Kohli to bring us right back in the game. A must in our LOI attack.
 
In Nawaz we trust - will have to bowl the last over
 
Was expensive but did well. Shadab played a factor as he created the pressure from one end for Nawaz to pick wickets. Nawaz bowled well to get the two dangerous batters. In the last over, he gave away the match by bowling a short pitch delivery
 
How has his batting regressed again..looks well down on confidence and he had a phase where he looked so good
 
A solid and canny bowler to have in the ranks.

His batting is also good, but just didn't fire today and he will come good with the bat eventually down the road in this tournament.
 
Bowled well against a team full of master blasters of spin, except for few bad deliveries where he hot punished. Even final over started well with wicket first ball but against Pandaya you do not have much chance not to give a boundary out of 3 balls.
 
FbR4uYJaAAAjW-G
 
Fantastic spell of 1/25 while all around him were being dispatched to the boundary.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Excellent effort from Mohammad Nawaz 4-25-1 with 7 dot balls <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsiaCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsiaCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1566442137734062080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Good bowling by Nawaz.He needs to contribute more with the bat.He has improved a lot.
 
Barragan said:
A solid and canny bowler to have in the ranks.

His batting is also good, but just didn't fire today and he will come good with the bat eventually down the road in this tournament.
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Like I said, solid bowler and he will fire with the bat eventually.

His fielding is also a bonus.
 
What an absolute blinder that too under pressure. If he can bat even 50% of what he did today, Pakistan have a genuine match winner in the ranks.
 
The guy is turning out to be a really good investment. First star of PSL justifying the faith.

Has been improving consistently since coming back in the side last year.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Most wickets so far in the 2022 Asia Cup <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsiaCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsiaCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/MFOnH3gcqT">pic.twitter.com/MFOnH3gcqT</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1566509014707576833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
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That was an amazing innings came under pressure & played a blinder at a S/R of over 200 is massive.
 
The good thing about Nawaz is that nobody is really crying for the re introduction of Imad 'Cant turn a ball' Wasim!
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mohammad Nawaz at the Asia Cup:<br><br>3.4-33-3 vs India (group stage)<br>2-5-3 vs Hong Kong (group stage)<br>4-25-1 vs India (Super 4)<br>4-23-1 vs Afghanistan (Super 4)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsiaCup2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsiaCup2022</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1567542679910731778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
After his performances in the Asia Cup, Mohammad Nawaz has progressed seven places to 34th in latest ICC T20I rankings for bowlers
 
Needs to be selected as a bowler or bowling all rounder.

His batting is simply not good enough to be used instead of another batting option in team, especially Tests and ODIs.
 
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