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ODI Debutant
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In a thread posing the question whether Mohammad Hafeez was the best Pakistani cricketer of the last decade is a sobering thought.
This suggestion highlights how poor Pakistan must have been if Hafeez is one of the prime candidates. So who had the potential to be our best player of the last decade? But for whatever reasons, failed to make any sort of lasting impression.
Note: this thread is not for naming those players that could actually have been our best player, that thread already exits here - http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?291546-Was-Mohammad-Hafeez-the-best-Pakistani-cricketer-of-the-last-decade
This sort of rules out the likes of YK and Misbah as these players would be touted as our best. This thread is more about those players that showed great potential but didn't live up to expectations.
I'll throw a few of names into the hat to get started:
Umar Akmal - what is there to add, so I'll leave it that!
Wahab Riaz - a real speed demon who burst onto the scene in the Mohali WC semi-final. Four years later, again left a mark in the WC with a blistering spell of pace bowling against a rattled Australian side, especially Shane Watson.
Unfortunately, these performances were far and few between and he came to be known as a spray gun amongst some other uncomplimentary terms. Will also be known for THAT delivery against Steve Smith in a WC T20 match a year late as that famous Watson spell. He is also in the dubious company of a handful of players conceding more than century of runs in an ODI.
However, I do think Wahab could have been so much more than what he achieved during the last decade. He had the pace and build to carry on the fearsome Pakistan fast bowling legacy but unfortunately could not sustain any sort of quality.
Ahmed Shehzad - again, just like Akmal, a lot has been written and discussed not to mention he was famously described as having more talent than Sachin Tendulkar by one of our own great players.
This seems utterly ridiculous now but had Shehzad made the most of his numerous chances, perhaps had the potential to be one of our leading players during the last decade. He certainly had his hardcore fan support during the early days.
Still relatively young, but has largely been out of the side in the last two or three years and unlikely to make a comeback but you can never say never with this being Pakistan cricket after all.
Sharjeel Khan - big Sarj came to the party a bit late - in the latter half of the century; although he did have the odd appearance earlier making his debut in 2013. But just like Nasir Jamshed before him, made an impact right away when recalled back to the side.
After the failure of the 2015 WC, the Pakistan ODI top order was crying out for such a player. Sharjeel's thunderous starts meant that Paksitan finally had an opener that would propel them into the "modern ODI era" and help achieve those 300+ totals that were now a prerequisite of ODI batting.
Despite being labelled as a leg side hack, there is no doubt that Sharjeel had established himself as a first choice opener and the speed at which he could score was a breath of fresh air. Sadly though, it was off field issues that put paid to his playing days in the process frustrating many fans who came to enjoy and appreciate his batting.
A brute of a bloke who loved smashing the ball to all parts and also showed that he could put the ball away on the off side as well. However, Sharjeel could not showcase his talent at the CT17 and future tournaments due to the off field reasons. He may still make a comeback but what could have been if he was still able to play for the remainder of the last decade?
So who do you feel should have made it as our best player of the last decade? But for whatever reasons, just could not make enough of an impact to reach those lofty heights.
This suggestion highlights how poor Pakistan must have been if Hafeez is one of the prime candidates. So who had the potential to be our best player of the last decade? But for whatever reasons, failed to make any sort of lasting impression.
Note: this thread is not for naming those players that could actually have been our best player, that thread already exits here - http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?291546-Was-Mohammad-Hafeez-the-best-Pakistani-cricketer-of-the-last-decade
This sort of rules out the likes of YK and Misbah as these players would be touted as our best. This thread is more about those players that showed great potential but didn't live up to expectations.
I'll throw a few of names into the hat to get started:
Umar Akmal - what is there to add, so I'll leave it that!
Wahab Riaz - a real speed demon who burst onto the scene in the Mohali WC semi-final. Four years later, again left a mark in the WC with a blistering spell of pace bowling against a rattled Australian side, especially Shane Watson.
Unfortunately, these performances were far and few between and he came to be known as a spray gun amongst some other uncomplimentary terms. Will also be known for THAT delivery against Steve Smith in a WC T20 match a year late as that famous Watson spell. He is also in the dubious company of a handful of players conceding more than century of runs in an ODI.
However, I do think Wahab could have been so much more than what he achieved during the last decade. He had the pace and build to carry on the fearsome Pakistan fast bowling legacy but unfortunately could not sustain any sort of quality.
Ahmed Shehzad - again, just like Akmal, a lot has been written and discussed not to mention he was famously described as having more talent than Sachin Tendulkar by one of our own great players.
This seems utterly ridiculous now but had Shehzad made the most of his numerous chances, perhaps had the potential to be one of our leading players during the last decade. He certainly had his hardcore fan support during the early days.
Still relatively young, but has largely been out of the side in the last two or three years and unlikely to make a comeback but you can never say never with this being Pakistan cricket after all.
Sharjeel Khan - big Sarj came to the party a bit late - in the latter half of the century; although he did have the odd appearance earlier making his debut in 2013. But just like Nasir Jamshed before him, made an impact right away when recalled back to the side.
After the failure of the 2015 WC, the Pakistan ODI top order was crying out for such a player. Sharjeel's thunderous starts meant that Paksitan finally had an opener that would propel them into the "modern ODI era" and help achieve those 300+ totals that were now a prerequisite of ODI batting.
Despite being labelled as a leg side hack, there is no doubt that Sharjeel had established himself as a first choice opener and the speed at which he could score was a breath of fresh air. Sadly though, it was off field issues that put paid to his playing days in the process frustrating many fans who came to enjoy and appreciate his batting.
A brute of a bloke who loved smashing the ball to all parts and also showed that he could put the ball away on the off side as well. However, Sharjeel could not showcase his talent at the CT17 and future tournaments due to the off field reasons. He may still make a comeback but what could have been if he was still able to play for the remainder of the last decade?
So who do you feel should have made it as our best player of the last decade? But for whatever reasons, just could not make enough of an impact to reach those lofty heights.
