"I want to learn the ball Mohammad Asif bowls'' : James Anderson

[spoiled]

Today on commentary Michael Atherton was talking about the delivery James Anderson got VVS Laxman out in the last test match

He was talking about the wobbly seam delivery..Anderson asked Saker that he wants to learn the delivery that Asif bowls..He worked on it for two months and perfected it

Now he seems to be getting a lot of wickets of that wibbly wobbly seam delivery

Asif was such an artist..

[Bouncer]

Artist and a cheat....end of story

[MVP26]

Well Asif was a magician with the ball

[CORNERED-TIGER]

Asif is Genius

i dont care what he does off the field thats his personal stuff.

im only talking about asif the cricketer.

[spoiled]

Asif is Genius

i dont care what he does off the field thats his personal stuff.

im only talking about asif the cricketer.

can't agree more

[Down2Earth]

in terms of skill and ability, i can't think of many bowlers better than him. a shame.

[kingusama92]

Asif was a magician with the ball.

I always wonder how someone that idiotic (controversies wise) could bowl with such intelligence.

What made Asif even harder in England is his height + the perfect seam control.

[Ruri]

Yeah Asif used to be brilliant.

But the wobbleseam was brilliant in Australia too, Anderson is just taking up skills from all the best bowlers he's played. Actually, his wobbleseam is a new delivery developed by him and Saker, based off Asif's ability to wobble the ball, but used in a different way. Anderson also took Zaheer's method of hiding the ball and improved it when he tries to reverse.

[Down2Earth]

i'm sure zaheer wasn't the first to hide the ball

[Ruri]

i'm sure zaheer wasn't the first to hide the ball

No, probably not, but Anderson first saw it being used live from Zaheer.

[cricfan4ever]

Asif

watching him bowl was like seeing poetry in motion, the way he outsmarted his opponents was a treat to watch...I actually used to look forward more to our bowling because of Asif & Amir, more so because of Asif...could watch him bowl all day...

alas not meant to be

[Khabri420]

Asif is Genius

i dont care what he does off the field thats his personal stuff.

im only talking about asif the cricketer.

Well he got banned for his on field involvement no?

[Justcrazy]

Pakistan is surely missing Asif. His control was exceptional. Its really unfortunate that he is not playing. Salman Butt should be kicked for ding such a thing.

[Ironcat]

No, probably not, but Anderson first saw it being used live from Zaheer.

Every reverse swinger from Imran to Wasim to Waqar to Gul has done the "hiding" in public. If anything, Zaheer got on the bandwagon a bit too late in his career.

[kkmix]

crazy crazy bowler ... absolutely loved watching him bowl, always tested the best batsmen in the opposition team ... has good record too. What has he done.

[1137moiz]

Zaheer Khan hasn't reverse-swung it in yonks...now he (very effectively) wobbles the seam at a medium pace and gets lauded for reversing it, lol. The last time I saw him reverse the ball was around 2008, when he was much quicker

I do appreciate Anderson and Zaheer's improvement though, signs of a thinking cracketer

[1137moiz]

And yes, I seriously loved watching Asif bowl. I don't think I've ever had that pleasure watching any other bowler--Imran, Hadlee, Waqar and Roberts were brilliant too but I never saw them live

[humzy]

wasim, asif and warne.. my three fav bowlers to watch..
you could always sense that these 3 bowlers were one step ahead of the batsmen facing them

[CORNERED-TIGER]

Well he got banned for his on field involvement no?

on fields wel a no ball ofcoz but its not as if he fixed the match.

there is huge difference between a match fix and spot fix.

anyhow asif is was will always be a genius

most of us only know him as a cricketer thats what matter.

just for a fact there have been many more worthy of life ban then asif

[Usman]

Asif was in Glen McGrath's league. Had he kept himself on the right path, him and Amir would have pushed aside Wasim and Waqar as Pakistan's greatest pace duos. I have no doubt in my mind that they were that good.

To some extent, both Asif and Amir were unlucky. There is no doubting the fact that Wasim at least was corrupt. Tge ICC itself stated that widespread fixing took place in Sharja, where Wasim played much of his cricket. The PCB's own judge let report told the world that Wasim was. corrupt. Nothing was done to Wasim because he was too valuable an asset. For that, Amir and Asif suffer. These guys grow up in a culture of without education and as cricketers themselves, they know better than anyone about past instances of corruption in Pakistan and how easily people got away. I guess this was destined to. happen until someone was made an example of. Unfortunately, it turned out to be Asif and Amir who were the ones caught red handed. I just wish it had been someone less talented before these two came on the scene.

Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk

[Saqs]

I always wonder how someone that idiotic (controversies wise) could bowl with such intelligence.

Yeah I guess some people are just born with a specific skill-set and nothing else ( :Warne)

[Saqs]

And yes, I seriously loved watching Asif bowl. I don't think I've ever had that pleasure watching any other bowler

Fair call. Was very good to watch.

Warne and Akram though were the best to watch for me in the way they'd set the batsman up.

Waqar for his ferocity.

[kabirg]

Asif is Genius

i dont care what he does off the field thats his personal stuff.

im only talking about asif the cricketer.

couldn't have said it better.

[cricketpassion]

I miss Asif and Amir , they both could have been bowlers of this decade atleast in test matches but unfortunatily they just messed up their careers .
Btw how old Asif will be when his ban will be over ?

[rajan70]

Asif was the only bowler for whom the condition of the pitch didnt matter, whether the pitch had grass , bounce , pace , seam movements or absolute flat , Asif was still able to create problems for the batsmen.

I hope that someday India finds a bowler of Asifs class than Raw pacemen like Akhtar / Riaz.

[malakian]

Asif was in Glen McGrath's league. Had he kept himself on the right path, him and Amir would have pushed aside Wasim and Waqar as Pakistan's greatest pace duos. I have no doubt in my mind that they were that good.

But would Wasim & Waqar have allowed Stuart Broad to score 169 against them? ;)

[mate1]

Artist and a cheat....end of story

we are talking about the ability, not his character. He was an artist, when we talk about character, then you can say cheat,
Warne was cheat too then, So was Gibbs, so was Mark Waugh

[mate1]

wasim, asif and warne.. my three fav bowlers to watch..
you could always sense that these 3 bowlers were one step ahead of the batsmen facing them

i think amir too, Imran said he ws streets ahead of wasim at the same stage of the career

[kkmix]

But would Wasim & Waqar have allowed Stuart Broad to score 169 against them? ;)

Would they have treated Cook and KP like kids? ;)

[Fireworks11]

Asif's cunning menace and guile were simply sublime. He was so accurate and made it look breathtakingly easy ... he owned the cherry.

[kabirg]

But would Wasim & Waqar have allowed Stuart Broad to score 169 against them? ;)

What a pathetic point. They almost ended cook's career who have probably been the most consistent cricketer over the last year. They made kp, strauss, and the aussies look like school boys and that counts for nothing? all that counts is that 150 by broad? let's not start imagining things would the two w's have done this and would they have done that. The two w's were/are Legends and asif was an artist great BOWLER as well ( not character).

[malakian]

What a pathetic point. They almost ended cook's career who have probably been the most consistent cricketer over the last year. They made kp, strauss, and the aussies look like school boys and that counts for nothing? all that counts is that 150 by broad? let's not start imagining things would the two w's have done this and would they have done that. The two w's were/are Legends and asif was an artist great BOWLER as well ( not character).

It was joke dude lol. Asif & Amir were magnificent bowlers, I've stated that many times. Amir in particular was the most talented seamer I've ever seen.

[Cricfan4eva]

I can't get it, why he averaged 30+ if he was an artist or so good in England?

[Vegitto1]

I can't get it, why he averaged 30+ if he was an artist or so good in England?

Let me put it into context for you then.

if the same Asif was bowling for SA or Aus or Eng in England, he would be averaging less than 15.

Why you say?

1. Kamran Akmal behind the stumps

2. Imran Farhat, Salman Butt and Umar Akmal in slips

3. Pakistan's general incompetency at taking catches in the field.

I am sure you did not see the matches and are simply looking at the stats.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-...ch/426413.html

In England's first innings, how many catches have been taken behind the stumps?

I think in the whole series, close to 30 catches were dropped

[LethalSami]

I can't get it, why he averaged 30+ if he was an artist or so good in England?

u don't seem to get poetry

its not the length of the poem or other stats

Only thing that matter is: How does every verse feels when its delivered



but

Pallu kya jaanay, shairana zindagi ki fiza - Copyright LS

[Cover Drive]

Cricket can get another Mohammad Amir but to get another Mohammad Asif is quite difficult!

[Ashraful_Rox]

The way Asif swung the ball was amazing, why did you do this

[spoiled]

Cricket can get another Mohammad Amir but to get another Mohammad Asif is quite difficult!

I know exactly where you're coming from

but I'd have to disagree

[RehanG]

Asif's control was best over cricket ball i have ever seen

[RehanG]

btw wait on they will both be back!

[Sultan Yusuf]

Sorry, Asif was a good hard-working and thinking bowler - but magician?? Please give me strength with all the overreaction!

[JibranAnsari]

I can't get it, why he averaged 30+ if he was an artist or so good in England?

no he averages 28 in england , get your facts right dude.

[Cricfan4eva]

no he averages 28 in england , get your facts right dude.

but the last series he played in England, he averaged over 30. Even Tim Bresnan is doing better than him

No doubt he bowled some real gems then and there, wasn't consistent though. But he's being made to seem like a legend in PP.

[sully3]

my favourite pakistani bowler from the last decade, absolute magician. i don't care what he did off field but when he has the ball in his hands he was fantastic.
They are a few mohammed amirs in Pakistan but there was only one Asif. He used to play games with the batsman alone, it felt like it was only Asif and the oppositions batsman on the field alone.

Tell you what these English boys rated Asif very highly, and always praised him. KP even said asif was the hardest fast bowler he faced, and KP faced Mcgrath, Akthar, Steyn etc etc

The magic was all in Asif wrist, a true loss to world cricket.

[James]

What a pathetic point. They almost ended cook's career who have probably been the most consistent cricketer over the last year. They made kp, strauss, and the aussies look like school boys and that counts for nothing? all that counts is that 150 by broad? let's not start imagining things would the two w's have done this and would they have done that. The two w's were/are Legends and asif was an artist great BOWLER as well ( not character).

Hahaha calm down dear.

England fans always rate Pakistani cricketers.

[sully3]

Great read on what Jimmy is talking about. It explains what wobble is

Mohammad Asif: the great wobbler

So it’s goodbye to Mohammad Asif. He’ll be 33 when his latest ban expires, and more than likely he’ll be deemed too rusty/old/controversial to be picked for Pakistan again. What a bowler to lose: 106 wickets at 24.36 in 23 Tests (along with two positive tests for steroids and a bit of spot-fixing between times).

Look up ‘wobble’ in future cricket lexicons and you might find that it is defined as ‘Mohammad Asif’. Wobble is one of the most effective qualities a fast bowler can have; the ball to nip one way or the other, just enough, as opposed to booming swing which defeats batsman but doesn’t always take wickets. Wobble might also describe how a batsman felt when they faced Asif.

Asif had no need for speed for he had wobble. And he achieved it with the sort of control of the ball I rarely manage when flipping a pancake. Almost invariably, it landed where and how he wanted. High skill delivered by a supple, hypnotic action.

The lasting memory of the 2010 summer will be the dark clouds which literally and figuratively hung above Lord’s on the final day of another infamous England-Pakistan series. But I shall also remember watching Asif and Amir produce some of the most skilful swing bowling I have seen. They were the hottest swing pair in town, bowling in the best swing conditions in the world.

As one punter said on the King Cricket website, “I want to watch Asif and Amir, **** your morals.”
Of course, they had to be punished. It’s all pointless otherwise. But I can empathise with the sentiment. The game is poorer for the loss of these two outstanding bowlers.

Amir may return. For the elegant Asif, it is surely one ban too many.

http://sullyme.tumblr.com/post/32327...-great-wobbler

[Faizan Lakhani]

Asif is Genius

i dont care what he does off the field thats his personal stuff.

im only talking about asif the cricketer.

even if he bowls 'no-ball' ?

[sully3]

but the last series he played in England, he averaged over 30. Even Tim Bresnan is doing better than him

No doubt he bowled some real gems then and there, wasn't consistent though. But he's being made to seem like a legend in PP.

what are you on about?
106 wickets at 24.36 in 23 Tests, there is no indian bowlers with stats like this, i repeat there has never been a indian bowler with better stats then Asif.

[sully3]

I can't get it, why he averaged 30+ if he was an artist or so good in England?

what are you on about?
106 wickets at 24.36 in 23 Tests, there is no indian bowlers with stats like this, i repeat there has never been a indian bowler with better stats then Asif.

You troll only picking his ODI stats, but forget to look at his brilliant Test stats which is whats important.

FInd me a indian with a better record then Asif

[JibranAnsari]

but the last series he played in England, he averaged over 30. Even Tim Bresnan is doing better than him

No doubt he bowled some real gems then and there, wasn't consistent though. But he's being made to seem like a legend in PP.

He played six test matches there in a row , I wonder any of your so called spinning fast bowlers can do it. He averaged 28.56 in those 6 test matches , two of them were against Australia. Try and remember , don't pick and choose and for once try having imran farhat in slips.

[Sledger]

Asif averages 28 in England. Dropped catches aside, it isn't easy to run in and take wickets at 18s when your batsmen last a couple of sessions and you're used as a 7-8 over workhorse by your captain. The highly praised James Anderson only averages a run less in England btw.

[Cricfan4eva]

what are you on about?
106 wickets at 24.36 in 23 Tests, there is no indian bowlers with stats like this, i repeat there has never been a indian bowler with better stats then Asif.

Well if you're saying he is better than Indian bowlers you can bring that argument, but I suppose you're saying he was magician with the ball, then why did he struggle so much in England where most bowlers get help? Averaging 30+ isn't good, no?

He did bowl those bowls which did a lot, but wasn't consistent.

[sully3]

Well if you're saying he is better than Indian bowlers you can bring that argument, but I suppose you're saying he was magician with the ball, then why did he struggle so much in England where most bowlers get help? Averaging 30+ isn't good, no?

he averages 24 in test cricket all over the world so your argument is invalid. An average of 24 is world class what more do you want from a bowler. batsman rated him more then Amir that says a lot.

And how is averaging 28 struggling? when was the last time a indian averaged less then 30

KP said he was the hardest bowler he faced and he has played against Mcgrath

[JibranAnsari]

Well if you're saying he is better than Indian bowlers you can bring that argument, but I suppose you're saying he was magician with the ball, then why did he struggle so much in England where most bowlers get help? Averaging 30+ isn't good, no?

He did bowl those bowls which did a lot, but wasn't consistent.

still 30+, ok rant on. BTW steyn averages 30 plus in england

[JibranAnsari]

When was the last time sehwag , laxman and tendulker got clean bowled in a same innings?

[90MPH]

still 30+, ok rant on. BTW steyn averages 30 plus in england

Some people just argue for the sake of it.

Asif was a brilliant Test bowler.I doubt Pakistan can find a bowler like him in the next 20 years.

But he had to be punished. He had enough lives to correct his ways but never learned (no matter how much you blame PCB for being soft).

[90MPH]

Asif should be used as a coach once his ban is over - He can make a huge difference to upcoming young Pakistani bowlers..

[JibranAnsari]

Asif should be used as a coach once his ban is over - He can make a huge difference to upcoming young Pakistani bowlers..

Yah sad story . Was immensely talented and as a sharp cricketing brain. Yah let's hope he redeems himself as an honest citizen and helps pakistan cricket. Match fixers are in parliament in india.

[ethan hunt]

he averages 24 in test cricket all over the world so your argument is invalid. An average of 24 is world class what more do you want from a bowler. batsman rated him more then Amir that says a lot.

And how is averaging 28 struggling? when was the last time a indian averaged less then 30

KP said he was the hardest bowler he faced and he has played against Mcgrath

forget it dude ... you are arguing with an indian about fast bowling , the fact of the matter is most indians have never seen one playing for their team so no point discussing quality bowling with them ..
asif was an absolute joy to watch inbetween all the drugs and fixing he was a pure magician , we might produce another speed demon like akhtar , and amir could return to resume his career as the most talented young bowler .. but asif i feel is irreplaceable

[Sultan Yusuf]

Amir was already a more dangerous bowler than Asif ever was by the time they got banned.

Asif could produce some unplayable deliveries and testing spells, but I remember at times he looked our least threatening bowler last summer. As the ball got a bit older, he was pretty anonymous.

People are hyping Asif too much. I believe it has something to do with most our pakistanis having some sort of educational light bulb going off in their head that they will seem "smarter" and more "enlightened" if they praise a bowler who has no pace.

Asif was a good bowler, a very good bowler - but once in a generation? One in a million? Pure magician? Please give me a break.

Asif eventually would have had a torrid time on flat pitches.

Amir was the bowler who had the potential to take everything out of the equation.

If Asif could carry around the english pitches with him, yes then he would be a constant threat, but as it was - he would have eventually been pounded on flat decks.

[Pak_Lover]

Today on commentary Michael Atherton was talking about the delivery James Anderson got VVS Laxman out in the last test match

He was talking about the wobbly seam delivery..Anderson asked Saker that he wants to learn the delivery that Asif bowls..He worked on it for two months and perfected it

Now he seems to be getting a lot of wickets of that wibbly wobbly seam delivery

Asif was such an artist..

Anderson might copy a trick or two from Asif but from where he would bring the brain like him ??

[Sledger]

England should pray for him to never have a brain like Asif's. There's a fine line between being cunning and being devious.

[Masterji]

Amir was already a more dangerous bowler than Asif ever was by the time they got banned.

Asif could produce some unplayable deliveries and testing spells, but I remember at times he looked our least threatening bowler last summer. As the ball got a bit older, he was pretty anonymous.

People are hyping Asif too much. I believe it has something to do with most our pakistanis having some sort of educational light bulb going off in their head that they will seem "smarter" and more "enlightened" if they praise a bowler who has no pace.

Asif was a good bowler, a very good bowler - but once in a generation? One in a million? Pure magician? Please give me a break.

Asif eventually would have had a torrid time on flat pitches.

Amir was the bowler who had the potential to take everything out of the equation.

If Asif could carry around the english pitches with him, yes then he would be a constant threat, but as it was - he would have eventually been pounded on flat decks.

Watch the legend grow as he will never play again. A good bowler in seaming conditions but lacked pace to be anything special on flat decks as we saw against SA(UAE) on the flat decks and looked harmless.
Talented, def yes but def no genius.

[JibranAnsari]

Watch the legend grow as he will never play again. A good bowler in seaming conditions but lacked pace to be anything special on flat decks as we saw against SA(UAE) on the flat decks and looked harmless.
Talented, def yes but def no genius.

I hope you watch cricket and not only comment. Asif never played a test match in uae. Get ur facts right dude and he averages 22 in asia. Batter than most fast bowlers.

[JibranAnsari]

Amir was already a more dangerous bowler than Asif ever was by the time they got banned.

Asif could produce some unplayable deliveries and testing spells, but I remember at times he looked our least threatening bowler last summer. As the ball got a bit older, he was pretty anonymous.

People are hyping Asif too much. I believe it has something to do with most our pakistanis having some sort of educational light bulb going off in their head that they will seem "smarter" and more "enlightened" if they praise a bowler who has no pace.

Asif was a good bowler, a very good bowler - but once in a generation? One in a million? Pure magician? Please give me a break.

Asif eventually would have had a torrid time on flat pitches.

Amir was the bowler who had the potential to take everything out of the equation.

If Asif could carry around the english pitches with him, yes then he would be a constant threat, but as it was - he would have eventually been pounded on flat decks.

Yah like he had on a karachi flat deck or against srilanka in colombo.The guy averages 22 in asia , enough to get him out of only GTB category. There is no bowler as good as him in pakistan currently and a wonderful amalgamation of skill and wits. Get me a bowler of his speed with such average and strike rate?

[1137moiz]

Amir was already a more dangerous bowler than Asif ever was by the time they got banned.

Asif could produce some unplayable deliveries and testing spells, but I remember at times he looked our least threatening bowler last summer. As the ball got a bit older, he was pretty anonymous.

People are hyping Asif too much. I believe it has something to do with most our pakistanis having some sort of educational light bulb going off in their head that they will seem "smarter" and more "enlightened" if they praise a bowler who has no pace.

Asif was a good bowler, a very good bowler - but once in a generation? One in a million? Pure magician? Please give me a break.

Asif eventually would have had a torrid time on flat pitches.

Amir was the bowler who had the potential to take everything out of the equation.

If Asif could carry around the english pitches with him, yes then he would be a constant threat, but as it was - he would have eventually been pounded on flat decks.

I do agree that Amir was a better bowler and that people overuse the word "magician".

But I don't think Asif was a helpful-pitch bowler per se. He definitely thrived more on seaming/swinging wickets but has some very very good spells on flat decks as well. The only time he actually bowled horribly on flat decks was at home v SA in 2007, and one series out of the several he's played shouldn't take that away.

Plus I personally liked his action and especially his sidling off-cutter. Amir was, imho, a better bowler but I enjoyed watching Asif quite a bit more. Heck I enjoyed watching Sami more, which shows that people's subjective views are not always in sync with who's better or not

[1137moiz]

Asif averages 28 in England. Dropped catches aside, it isn't easy to run in and take wickets at 18s when you're batsmen last a couple of sessions and you're used as a 7-8 over workhorse by your captain. The highly praised James Anderson only averages a run less in England btw.

Plus, again, he had about 15 catches dropped offf his bowling last summer.

[Sultan Yusuf]

Agreed that some people like watching some bowlers more than others.

But I would seriously question your pulse if you preferred watching Asif more than any other bowler in history!

What more than Marshall, Wasim, Waqar, Holding, Shoaib??

Pleaaaaaase!

[1137moiz]

I answered this in another post: No. But from the bowlers I've seen live, definitely (with Shane Bond & Shoaib Akhtar a close second). Overall I think I liked watching Imran, Hadlee, Waqar, and maybe Andy Roberts (I liked his action) but these are mainly from Youtube

[Masterji]

I hope you watch cricket and not only comment. Asif never played a test match in uae. Get ur facts right dude and he averages 22 in asia. Batter than most fast bowlers.

It may have been Karachi, and it was flat and so was he. A good bowler but lets cut the hype.

[Sultan Yusuf]

Yah like he had on a karachi flat deck or against srilanka in colombo.The guy averages 22 in asia , enough to get him out of only GTB category. There is no bowler as good as him in pakistan currently and a wonderful amalgamation of skill and wits. Get me a bowler of his speed with such average and strike rate?

He started off ok on flat decks sure (and remember THAT karachi pitch was pretty juicy).

But even Irfan Pathan started off ok on flat decks! It's how u sustain it where the challenge is.

So can you please remind me how Asif did Vs SA in 2007? Probably one of the last times he actually played tests on a flat pitch?

Asif was a good addition to the team - a nice donkey-work type bowler on flat pitches and dangerous on seaming pitches but that's it!

[phoenix363]

I have a feeling we'll find another amir or shoaib, but with Asif even if a bowler like him comes along he wont be able to do much in flat domestic wickets with medium pace and wont ever get identified. We were lucky with Bob Woolmer that Asif was chosen

[Bullet Drive]

Agreed that some people like watching some bowlers more than others.

But I would seriously question your pulse if you preferred watching Asif more than any other bowler in history!

What more than Marshall, Wasim, Waqar, Holding, Shoaib??

Pleaaaaaase!

Its like watching the magician or the magic.

[JibranAnsari]

He started off ok on flat decks sure (and remember THAT karachi pitch was pretty juicy).

But even Irfan Pathan started off ok on flat decks! It's how u sustain it where the challenge is.

So can you please remind me how Asif did Vs SA in 2007? Probably one of the last times he actually played tests on a flat pitch?

Asif was a good addition to the team - a nice donkey-work type bowler on flat pitches and dangerous on seaming pitches but that's it!

yah , that karachi pitch was juicy . Oh yeas , we had just finished with a score in excess of 600 and declared. Sometimes you are out of form but his overall performance on flat decks is better than the most.

[JibranAnsari]

It may have been Karachi, and it was flat and so was he. A good bowler but lets cut the hype.

even the best fail sometimes and so did he but his overall performance on flat decks is great.

[Express Pace]

Unlike you guys, I don't rate his brain. He can't possibly have one, bowling or otherwise.

[Prince_Pathan]

genius

but also a conman


serious waste of talent

[Sultan Yusuf]

yah , that karachi pitch was juicy . Oh yeas , we had just finished with a score in excess of 600 and declared. Sometimes you are out of form but his overall performance on flat decks is better than the most.

Do you just read scorecards or do you not remember the whole talking point about that test?

It was that grass was left on it - Inzi threw a tantrum and refused to play because the pitch was juicy! Yes we scored 600 in 2nd innings but there was still something in the pitch.

It's just that India didn't know how to exploit it and we had some very good bowlers in the team at the time. Plus if you remember, Asif was a yard quicker in those days. Not the shameful 76-78mph we started getting used to later on.

[duostyle]

Asif was better than Amir even by the end of that tour, but Amir would've eventually surpassed him considering the pace at which he was improving.

[zaid65]

Each time Asif and Aamir's name comes out in discussion, Pakistani fans express their feeling with anger and frustration, but in reality they are feelings of nostalgia and depression which they cannot express or channel out with other emotions.