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[VIDEOS] Sohail Akhtar - A clean striker of the ball

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Abdullah719

T20I Captain
Joined
Apr 16, 2013
Runs
44,825
There were some raised eyebrows when Sohail Akhtar was picked by Lahore Qalandars in the PSL draft. He's 31 years old and he isn't very well known. But the LQ management said that they saw his ability and trained him etc. and decided they would pick him for PSL. Looking at the recent matches in the National T20 Cup, he seems to be a really smart pick. He's a great striker of the ball and can chip in with a few overs of medium-fast bowling as well.

He isn't exactly a brainless slogger either and picks out the deliveries to hit. In the match against Lahore Blues, FATA collapsed to 30/5 so he didn't go for big shots till a partnership was formed, after which he started attacking the bowlers. They still fell short by 17 runs but it was a valiant knock.

Earlier today, he played a couple of incredible shots in an innings of 39 off 14 which required him to tee off from the get go.

He also made 326 runs in 6 matches with 3 fifties in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (that places him on #30 in the top scorers' list, ahead of the likes of Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood and Fawad Alam) and has the most number of sixes in QEA by far, 14.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The big-hitting Sohail Akhtar who smashed 39 off only 14 balls for FATA vs Karachi Whites in the National T20 Cup. Looks a good signing by Lahore Qalandars <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/5by47UoYGM">pic.twitter.com/5by47UoYGM</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/933614537949016064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="in" dir="ltr">Super shots by Sohail Akhtar of Lahore Qalandars <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PSL2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PSL2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/nRF2KtvMMe">pic.twitter.com/nRF2KtvMMe</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/967694161129426945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
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Excellent pick by Aqib and nice of him to request Fata to include Sohail in their squad for National t20. Doubt anyone would have known about this man if not for Aqib and LQ's talent hunt program.
Aqib said they wanted him in LQ last year too but there was some issue with his age.

Him and Nasir Nawaz for me are the find of this tournament.
 
Abdullah719 said:
There were some raised eyebrows when Sohail Akhtar was picked by Lahore Qalandars in the PSL draft. He's 31 years old and he isn't very well known. But the LQ management said that they saw his ability and trained him etc. and decided they would pick him for PSL. Looking at the recent matches in the National T20 Cup, he seems to be a really smart pick. He's a great striker of the ball and can chip in with a few overs of medium-fast bowling as well.

He isn't exactly a brainless slogger either and picks out the deliveries to hit. In the match against Lahore Blues, FATA collapsed to 30/5 so he didn't go for big shots till a partnership was formed, after which he started attacking the bowlers. They still fell short by 17 runs but it was a valiant knock.

Earlier today, he played a couple of incredible shots in an innings of 39 off 14 which required him to tee off from the get go.

He also made 326 runs in 6 matches with 3 fifties in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (that places him on #30 in the top scorers' list, ahead of the likes of Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood and Fawad Alam) and has the most number of sixes in QEA by far, 14.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dWhKvGRttlU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y9xyfxCPMOE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Click to expand...

those short arm jabs are treat to watch , he have very Powerful wrists .
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The big-hitting Sohail Akhtar who smashed 39 off only 14 balls for FATA vs Karachi Whites in the National T20 Cup. Looks a good signing by Lahore Qalandars <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/5by47UoYGM">pic.twitter.com/5by47UoYGM</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/933614537949016064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Can't believe he has been on the domestic scene for 5 years and was never mentioned before.
I think I'm the first person who mentioned this striker Sohail Akhtar on this forum back in Oct. 21 after watching his incredible performances in Quaid e Azam Trophy, he was hitting quickfire 50s coming on no. 9 and 10 hitting good no. of sixes in his innings.
Sohail Akhtar strike rate is at 160 as of now, cricinfo records strike rates of players who have faced minimum of 250 balls, if he crosses these no. of balls with the same strike rate he will become one of top 4 T20 players in the world [this highest strike rate list also mention an Ashfaq Ahmed of Lahore Blues who recorded 160+ strike ratefrom 2005 to 2009 and is now completely forgotten] , Sohail Akhtar who up until September of this year was all set to disappear into the oblivion like many talents before him. His age mite be a factor why he was ignored
He made debut for Abbottabad Falcons in 2012 and hit 24 off 10 balls coming on no. 6. Players like Younis Khan and Yasir Hameed were opening for that team and Khalid Usman [current Lahore blues spinner] was captaining. The TTFs were preferred even with their pathetic slow game and Sohail Akhtar was wasted facing constantly changing batting positions from no. 7 to opening for the side to help the TTFs Younis Khan coming down. Same thing is being done with Nasir Nawaz in the current tournament.

Pakistani fans can't do much about the brutal system of PCB, where young talent faces competition from the [old established names but lesser performers or related to bigwigs] instead of guidance and nurturing but we can atleast mention their names and continue to back them by talking about their performances.

pkwdpassion said:
Want to see these players in PSL 3, and the overall strike rate of PSL-3 would double.

Awais Zia[SSGC]
Sohail Akhtar[FATA]
Ramiz Raja Jr[National Bank]
Sahibzada Farhan
Taimur Khan [keeper-batsman]
Bilal Asif
Hammad Azam
Saad Ali
Click to expand...
 
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Looks very strong as in, physically.

He might be a bit too old to have a serious international career but at least looks interesting. Not sure when PSL is, but if it's before the Asia Cup, it could be a good time for the powers to have a better look at him and then let him have a go at India etc during the Asia Cup. He has such strong wrists, he could be pretty good on subcontinental pitches.
 
Abdullah719 said:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y9xyfxCPMOE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Click to expand...

That short arm jab for six was breathtaking, almost like a golf swing.

Looks strongly built, where has this guy been and why did he only start playing domestic cricket in his late 20s ?
 
pkwdpassion said:
Can't believe he has been on the domestic scene for 5 years and was never mentioned before.
I think I'm the first person who mentioned this striker Sohail Akhtar on this forum back in Oct. 21 after watching his incredible performances in Quaid e Azam Trophy, he was hitting quickfire 50s coming on no. 9 and 10 hitting good no. of sixes in his innings.
Sohail Akhtar strike rate is at 160 as of now, cricinfo records strike rates of players who have faced minimum of 250 balls, if he crosses these no. of balls with the same strike rate he will become one of top 4 T20 players in the world [this highest strike rate list also mention an Ashfaq Ahmed of Lahore Blues who recorded 160+ strike ratefrom 2005 to 2009 and is now completely forgotten] , Sohail Akhtar who up until September of this year was all set to disappear into the oblivion like many talents before him. His age mite be a factor why he was ignored
He made debut for Abbottabad Falcons in 2012 and hit 24 off 10 balls coming on no. 6. Players like Younis Khan and Yasir Hameed were opening for that team and Khalid Usman [current Lahore blues spinner] was captaining. The TTFs were preferred even with their pathetic slow game and Sohail Akhtar was wasted facing constantly changing batting positions from no. 7 to opening for the side to help the TTFs Younis Khan coming down. Same thing is being done with Nasir Nawaz in the current tournament.

Pakistani fans can't do much about the brutal system of PCB, where young talent faces competition from the [old established names but lesser performers or related to bigwigs] instead of guidance and nurturing but we can atleast mention their names and continue to back them by talking about their performances.
Click to expand...

yes remmebering u were mentioning him and i found it strange but plus point is the guy can bowl medium pace as well.
 
[MENTION=139734]Langau[/MENTION] Pls check your PMs
 
It will be unlikely but I hope Qalanders give a chance as an opener for Sohail Akhtar

He seems to have the hand eye coordination to do serious damage upfront
 
So, how will be our national T20 team looking with this guy in?
At which spot should he bat?
Should he take the place of Faheem Ashraf , or of Malik, or play as an opener?
 
Good pick by LQ.

If given the chance, he could be a decent performer for LQ.
 
It’s a travesty at the age of 31 he has only played 12 FC matches, 4 List A and 15 T20s. It’s a shame the next t20 WC is in 2020 as it might be too late for him.

Nasir Nawaz is a longer term investment.
 
85 off 55 today with seven 4s and six 6s. Could be the finisher we need. Shame about his age.
 
Probably the best hitter in Pakistan right now. Faheem Ashraf and Hammad also are clean strikers of the bowl but Sohail Akhtar is just incredible. Is playing in the PSL for Lahore qalandars. Hope he gets proper opportunity. In a QEA match PCB had to buy a new box of ballsand some of the hits by Akhtar went out of the ground.

If he comes to play for Pakistan in T20 v West Indies, several balls would be smoked out of the stadium never to be found again.
 
He along with Mukhtar are currently the biggest hitters of the cricket ball in Pakistan right now.
 
Doesn't matter if he's 31. If he's good enough, he's young enough. We badly lack powerhitters so beggars cannot be choosers.
 
He can still play for 5 to 7 years.. thats more than enough.. he can play 2 t20 w cups.
 
52 off 43 balls for him. Even his name makes him sound like a big hitter. Sohail Akhtar reminds me of Sohail Khan and Shoaib Akhtar. Maybe he's as muscular as both of them hence such a big hitter. I think he can play for Pakistan for 2-3 years if he carries on doing good. But not much longer than that unfortunately :(
 
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If he performs well in PSL then there's no reason he shouldn't play for Pakistan limited overs team. Even if it's only for a couple of years, he should get a chance as a Lower order batsman and support bowler.
 
He is another leg side hack who will feast on full tosses and half volleys. Let him face 6 balls from Amir/Hassan/Shadab.
 
He was a full time office clerk for the last 2 years and wasn’t playing cricket at all with a big belly. Someone introduced him to Aaqib Javed in last year LQ trials and Aaqib liked him and advised him to reduce weight and put him in FATA team suing his links and now selected him in PSL too. He is in good form in domestic cricket. But he is almost 33 years now and also a lower order all-rounder. LQ fans do not consider him a specialist batsman, have your expectations low as he plays at #7 or #8 in domestic. Lahore didn’t select batsmen this year and will pay.
 
Looks like an international quality hitter already and has the right hitting technique
 
That six was amazing. So un pakistani lol. That shot was like a maxwell warner finch...get him in pak team as a finisher
 
Saw that shot live, seems to have a good reach and hits the ball cleanly. Hope he impresses the selectors.
 
There are plenty more like him in tape ball cricket if they actually bothered looking. Some real clean and hard strikers of the ball.
 
Sharjeel loved this shot and played it often.

Hopefully Sohail Akhtar can be another Sharjeel for us.

He can bowl too, so it's a nice package. Don't care if he's 32. He can still play for a few years easily.
 
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He needs to score one 50 and three 30+ in 4 out of 10 games to impress the selectors.
He is much better than yamin and fahim as a batsmen.
 
That six was something else! I was sat here watching in awe, hoping to see more of him this tournament.
 
That was a ridiculous shot, watched it N^th times and every time it looks brilliant
 
Hits the ball hard. Strongly built. Probably the hardest hitter off the ball alongside Pollard in the PSL.
String wrists and forearms are the key but his set up is brilliant if you watch closely. Allows him to play on both sides of the wicket.
 
Faheem hasn't achieved his batting potential yet except for his match winning innings against BD in warm up match.

He is there to stay unless he loses his head due to fame & money.


Yamin is a batsman only.


It would be interesting to see bowling depth especially pace of Sohail & Hussain. I guess hussain has picked up a yard of pace in last one season.


Hussain & Sohail would be competing for backup allrounder spot.
 
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 54.878%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/s/s7gwh/ofqvcr" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>.
 
TalentSpotterPk said:
Faheem hasn't achieved his batting potential yet except for his match winning innings against BD in warm up match.

He is there to stay unless he loses his head due to fame & money.


Yamin is a batsman only.


It would be interesting to see bowling depth especially pace of Sohail & Hussain. I guess hussain has picked up a yard of pace in last one season.


Hussain & Sohail would be competing for backup allrounder spot.
Click to expand...

There is a vacant opener position. He could partner Fakhar to give Pakistan the quick starts that they were lacking.
 
Had very high hopes for sohail akhtar but he's been a great disappointment. I hope for a top knock from him now that there's no pressure. I really think he has a lot to offer Pakistan cricket.
 
for a while I thought that the thread was about Shoaib Akhtar. The difference really is only 1 alphabet.

Reminded me of his innings against England in 03 WC
 
Showed what hes capable of today. Clears boundary effortlessly. Todays little cameo will do him a world of good.
 
He should open with Devcich. Fakhar at 3, Agha at 4, McCullum at 5, Yamin at 6, Narine at 7.

LQ should try this for a couple matches.

Devcich
Akhtar
Fakhar
Agha
McCullum
Yamin
Narine
Sohail
Yasir
McClenighan
Gulraiz
 
Not sure if he possesses the required batting technique to succeed at international level. Just strength or 'talunt' will not get you any further. He was destructive in Pakistan, but has struggled here against better bowlers.

Will be interesting to see though how he does after this confidence boost.
 
Reminds me of Sohaib Maqsood in that he has a wide array of shots, but seems to lack the temperament at times and shot selection.
 
I wouldn't mind him opening the innings either for Lahore I think if he was to play for Pakistan he would be a short term option but would be a good option to try
 
Pretty good finish by him today, this is the role he should be playing - coming at the back end of the innings to smash a few. Earlier in the tournament, he kept coming in with no runs on the board and plenty of overs to go.

Pity it's the last game...
 
Age isn't on his side but he is a decent hitter who should be considered for the national squad in T20s only.

Can play a role similar to what he did today. We all see the hitting ability he possesses.
 
Atrocious fielding. This guy won’t last more than a few runs at international level, where fielding levels are much higher.
 
Let him hit some 50s in PSL and he’ll get a T20i debut. We need him
 
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