Pakistan pacers have always defied cricketing logic. They keep churning out pacers at the age of 16-17 who seem to hit high speeds of 145-150 km/hour in no time. The world remains amazed that how come players in their teens can bowl at such speed. Former Pakistani pace sensation, Mohammad Asif has made a startling revelation in this regard.
Pakistan’s Fast Bowling Legends:
The likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, Rawalpindi express-Shoaib Akhtar, have enthralled the cricketing world with their bowling. Their ability to bowl quick and swing the ball at pace made them a very rare commodity in the modern game. The baton was passed onto the likes of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir who had the world at their feet thanks to their ability to swing and seam the ball at will. But unfortunately, the duo along with ex-captain Salman Butt were caught in the spot-fixing scandal. While Amir did return to cricket after 5 years of being suspended, Asif could never really make a comeback into mainstream cricket.
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Mohammad Asif makes a startling revelation:
In a surprising revelation about the state of affairs in Pakistan cricket, Asif stated that the current pacers in the Pakistan team are 9 to 10 years older than what their birth certificates suggest. He made this observation since none of the bowlers were able to bowl the long spells. Asif’s sharp criticism came in after Pakistan succumbed to a 101 run defeat against hosts New Zealand in the first Test in Mount Maunganui.
Asif remarked about this issue in former Pakistan wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal’s YouTube channel. He quoted about the Pakistani pacers saying, “They are so aged. It is written as 17-18 years on paper, but they are actually 27-28 years old.” Asif went on to add that, “They don’t have the flexibility to bowl 20-25 overs. They don’t know how to bend the body and they become stiff after a while. They are not able to stand on the field after bowling a 5-6 over spell.”
Asif is not happy with the current state of Pakistani fast bowling, he feels the legacy left behind by Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis has not been carried by any of the young fast men coming into the game. He observed that, “I feel it might have been 5-6 years since a fast bowler took 10 wickets in a match. We used to salivate after seeing the pitches like the ones in New Zealand. There was no question of leaving the ball as a fast bowler. I never used to leave the ball before taking a five-wicket haul.”
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Age fraud issue:
Asif during his peak formed a potent combination with speed merchant Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Amir during his time in top-flight, mentioned that today’s pacers lack the knowledge to test the batsmen. “These kids do not have the knowledge. They don’t know how to keep the batsmen on the front foot, not give them a single and how to bowl on the wickets. When they try to bowl on the wickets, it goes down the leg-side. They do not have the control,” Asif quoted.
Among the current lot of Pakistan pacers representing the team in New Zealand, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah are said to be of 20 and 17 years of age respectively. Mohammad Abbas is aged 30 and Faheem Ashraf is aged 26. Age fraud has been one of the issues troubling Pakistan cricket for many years. And it needs to be addressed by the management and the authorities sternly.
