What the likes of Azhar Ali and Umar Amin can learn from Steve Smith...

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a batsman Steve Smith is. Started his Test career against Pakistan at Lord's in 2010 batting at number 8 and 9, scoring 1 & 12. Now he's one of the best batsmen in the world <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvENG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvENG</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/934390839689793537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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[MenInG]

This was the same series where Azhar and Umar Amin debuted as well in Tests.

Whilst Azhar has made a name for himself, he is still not at the stature of Steve Smith.

 

[Pakprideuk]

How are you going to compare Azhar Ali with Umar Amin lol? That's ridiculous. Azhar has done really well and works probably as hard as anyone in Pakistan. He's just not as gifted as Steve Smith.

 

[MenInG]

How are you going to compare Azhar Ali with Umar Amin lol? That's ridiculous. Azhar has done really well and works probably as hard as anyone in Pakistan. He's just not as gifted as Steve Smith.

I did not compare Umar Amin with Azhar Ali

As the title says.....

 

[Major]

Skill wise i always believed Azhar and Smith were same kind of players.

Lacking the natural skill of a batsmen due to being bowlers in the past, but still scoring runs.

 

[Syed1]

Skill wise i always believed Azhar and Smith were same kind of players.

Lacking the natural skill of a batsmen due to being bowlers in the past, but still scoring runs.

Smith wipes the floor with Azhar and then some. They are in totally different leagues.

 

[Hasan123]

Azhar is a very good test batsmen but he's not in the league of Smith, Root,Kane,and Kohli.

He's good at grinding but when it comes to taking the game away from the opposition, he just can't do it. Not every player can be an elite batsmen. He'll still finish as a very good test batter but behind the best of this era.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Skill wise i always believed Azhar and Smith were same kind of players.

Lacking the natural skill of a batsmen due to being bowlers in the past, but still scoring runs.

False comparison

Smith was a gun all round sportsman who always had crazy hand eye coordination

 

[ego-gambit]

Technique wise all players are good
But Smith has nerves of steel and amazing shot selection all through his innings bowlers not been able beat his bat

 

[jnaveen1980]

Smith is an unconventional batsman who could make his technique work for him. Don't think he is not one of those players you can copy. It is easier to copy players like Moyo, Dravid.

 

[Abdul]

Azhar is the most hardworking in Pakistan.

The title would sound much better if you put the golden boy's name there.

 

[TeymurBlake]

There's no doubt that Steve Smith is a really impressive batsman with that being said he's also on a different level to Azhar. Azhar is a really good player and probably right now Pakistan's best test batsman. But thats probably it with Azhar, he's a really hard worker but he's a test batsman he can't make it at ODI and T20 cricket.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Nothing. Azhar doesn't have his hand-eye coordination and Amin doesn't have 1% of his temperament.

 

[Savage]

Azhar is a quality batsmen and probably pakistan's best batsmen across all formats.He played brilliantly against us on both occasion in CT.

 

[htariq25]

Azhar is already nearly as good as Smith. Umar amin didn't get many chances in tests tbh.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Smith has flair, the range of strokes he has is brilliant. Azhar meanwhile is a grafter whose game is based on patience. Azhar just doesn't have it to dominate the bowlers and take the game away from the opposition like Smith.

 

[Pete Rose]

At test level there is little to learn from Steven Smith for Azhar Ali. He is probably the only one in the test team who knows his game completely.
As for Umar Amin, he can learn from at already a thousand other batsmen who are statistically better than him in international cricket

 

[leatherface58]

A willingness to learn and improve matters a lot. I will give Azhar a pass because he is hardworking and performs more often than not. However, guys like Shehzad and Akmal buy into their hype and think they know the sport inside out. There is also the cricketing culture. Australians do not accept mediocrity to the extent Pakistan or even the subcontinent does. That explains why perennial losers like Kamran kept finding their way into the team.

 

[kingusama92]

It's important to remember Steve Smith was always gifted with great hand-eye coordination.

It was his wonky technique (worse than right now) that let him down at the international level.

Don't forget he hit four centuries (773 runs in total) and averaged 73+ in 2010 (domestic cricket). This guy wasn't a mug with the bat at all!

Over time, he refined that technique with subtle changes and maintained his natural ability. I would say Azhar has done the same in his own way and can act as a great role model for youngsters too.

Other batsmen such as Umar Akmal, Umar Amin, and Ahmed Shahzad deserve a mention though.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Azhar has done very well in his own way,but Smith is in a different league.The likes of Shehzad and chota Akmal could learn a lot from him.Babar too,to a certain extent.

 

[Sadevdesai]

The word most appropriate here is FLAIR ..... when a Batsman plays a defensive Innings, it looks as if he is owned by the bowling !!!!! Batsmen hate that .... so even if going after a bowler may be bad for the batsman and his Team, not having whacked the bowler is a shameful. Also, overconfidence in his own ability to force the pace, to show them up, sort of, takes the precedent. Lot also has to do with T/20s and ODIs playing. That is why Test Match Cricket is the very best !!!!!

 

[Buffet]

Hand-eye coordination can't be learned. Ali has a good temperament and not much to learn there. One thing he can learn is game awareness. Scoring a bit faster in some sessions may help to avoid defeats or even win games.

I don't know much about Amin to pass comments here.

 

[Savak]

Not sure why Amin has been mentioned here. The guy looks a much improved player in the last 1-2 years and has been batting very aggressively.

 

[Gilly]

Steve Smith has stayed true to himself, he does what he is good at and not tried to be something he is not. Thankfully coaches have not tried to change his style and let him develop his own style.

 

[Zaz]

Its umar amin who needs to learn Hes nowhere near the test team after all these years
Not sure why azhars name is mentioned Hes doing pretty well, 5k and a avge of near 50 is pretty darn good

 

[kingusama92]

Not sure why Amin has been mentioned here. The guy looks a much improved player in the last 1-2 years and has been batting very aggressively.

Not in FC cricket.

23.00 AVG in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy last season.

This year is the first time he's picking things up with an average of 54.12.

 

[The intelligent Supporter]

Azhar is the most hardworking in Pakistan.

The title would sound much better if you put the golden boy's name there.

That could be your own opinion as a fan.
But surely posting workout videos on twitter is not a criteria judge hardwork. He needs a lot of improvement in his game to adapt to the pace of the modern game. Especially if he wants to play LOI cricket. Looks so out of sorts when trying to accelerate. Ugly looking hack shots across the line and severely lacks the skill for aerial shots against pace.

Definitely a lot more hard work needed .

 

[The intelligent Supporter]

The thing that puts SMith at a whole another tier is his ability to hit clean powerful shots when needed. He can accelerate whenever he wants. After blocking 20 balls, he could still cream one through extra cover at 150 km.h. No sweat.

Azhar gets all hot and bothered when playing fast and can only hit boundaries when hes very well set and opposition already tired.

The kind of sixes over cover Kohli hit off a in-form Lakmal in 90s, Azhar can never dream of that much skill.

Hardworking individual but hyped to the moon by some fans that love his gentle soul

 

[Savak]

That could be your own opinion as a fan.
But surely posting workout videos on twitter is not a criteria judge hardwork. He needs a lot of improvement in his game to adapt to the pace of the modern game. Especially if he wants to play LOI cricket. Looks so out of sorts when trying to accelerate. Ugly looking hack shots across the line and severely lacks the skill for aerial shots against pace.

Definitely a lot more hard work needed .

Compared to the nervous debutant who looked devoid of any shots, Azhar has come a long way especially in test cricket. He has already punched above his weight and he has achieved a lot more than Asad Shafiq in both Test Cricket and ODI Cricket even though the later has more natural ability than the former.

 

[Savak]

The thing that puts SMith at a whole another tier is his ability to hit clean powerful shots when needed. He can accelerate whenever he wants. After blocking 20 balls, he could still cream one through extra cover at 150 km.h. No sweat.

Azhar gets all hot and bothered when playing fast and can only hit boundaries when hes very well set and opposition already tired.

The kind of sixes over cover Kohli hit off a in-form Lakmal in 90s, Azhar can never dream of that much skill.

Hardworking individual but hyped to the moon by some fans that love his gentle soul

If the likes of Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq had shown the kind of hard work Azhar Ali has done on his game to punch above his weight, they would have had far better careers, but these guys inspite of having more ability than Azhar have absolutely nothing to show for it.

 

[Convict]

Skill wise i always believed Azhar and Smith were same kind of players.

Lacking the natural skill of a batsmen due to being bowlers in the past, but still scoring runs.

People always make the claim that Smith was a bowler in the past but the reality is that batting was always his main suit. He made his debut off his 2009/10 shield season where he averaged 77 and scored 4 centuries.

 

[Bilal7]

Azhar has done just as well as Smith given the gulf in talent between the two. Both started as leggies but ended up as world class batsmen.

Of course, Smith is better but you cannot really fault Azhar for not making it to his level. Smith simply had a higher ceiling. No amount of hard work can change that.

 

[Savak]

Azhar has done just as well as Smith given the gulf in talent between the two. Both started as leggies but ended up as world class batsmen.

Of course, Smith is better but you cannot really fault Azhar for not making it to his level. Smith simply had a higher ceiling. No amount of hard work can change that.

The criticism should actually be levelled at Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq

 

[Abdul]

The criticism should actually be levelled at Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq

Weren't you like the biggest fan of both of them?

 

[Bilal7]

The criticism should actually be levelled at Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq

Agreed. All three have failed to live up to the expectations and have not worked hard enough.