"Playing in the Ashes would be a dream come true" : Fawad Ahmed

[Convict]

Congrats to Fawad on a great season but I think he is a good domestic player not an international class one. But then again I would have laughed if you predicted he would top the Shield bowling so maybe there is something there.

Yep- Australian batsman playing spin.

[superman]

From what I know, his actual country is AFGHANISTAN.
He is an Afghani born in Pakistan.

so should have been sent back to afghanistan not claimed asylum on the basis he was going to be persecuted in Pakistan

[FreeBird]

so should have been sent back to afghanistan not claimed asylum on the basis he was going to be persecuted in Pakistan

I am not sure what are his basis of asylum but 99.99% of the time Afghanis use a Pakistani passport to reach western countries where after landing they destroy the Pakistani passport and claim asylum by identifying themselves as Afghan's whose lives are in danger in Afghanistan.

Or sometimes they just tell the immigration officers that this Pakistani passport was used only as means of travel to escape out of Afghanistan otherwise they don't have any sympathy or allegiance with Pakistan.

In some cases they are actual Pakistanis who claim to be victims of Shia or Qadiyani target killing, to seek asylum.

[kennyd]

@Convict

We've signed Nathan Rimmington for our t20 and I wanted to know a bit more about him and I wanted to know what you thought about him as he plays WA.

[Convict]

@Convict

We've signed Nathan Rimmington for our t20 and I wanted to know a bit more about him and I wanted to know what you thought about him as he plays WA.

Only for the T20?

He isn't particularly fast but he does move the ball.

However he's a very clever bowler and uses what he has quite effectively and can cut the runrate down a fair bit.

English conditions should suit his bowling.

[Xoib]

Congrats to Fawad on a great season but I think he is a good domestic player not an international class one. But then again I would have laughed if you predicted he would top the Shield bowling so maybe there is something there.

never underestimate a Pakistani bowler we might produce dunces when it comes to batting our bowlers usually come through don't forget this is a bloke who was a fringe first class cricket in Pakistan and now he is a premier domestic spinner in a much tougher league and Aus play spin well in their own country so weak against spin argument does not hold true.

[Convict]

never underestimate a Pakistani bowler we might produce dunces when it comes to batting our bowlers usually come through don't forget this is a bloke who was a fringe first class cricket in Pakistan and now he is a premier domestic spinner in a much tougher league and Aus play spin well in their own country so weak against spin argument does not hold true.

Nah.
I see a lot of these shield blokes. They can't play spin.

Have a look at old man Hoggy in the BBL and how Australian domestic batsman play wrist spin

[Zeshan547]

Nah.
I see a lot of these shield blokes. They can't play spin.

Have a look at old man Hoggy in the BBL and how Australian domestic batsman play wrist spin

@Convict is he poor man's imran tahir or even worse, how much you rate him? Can he trouble quality players of spin on unhelpful surfaces and can he be a match winner in sub continent potentially, personaly i don't think he is any thing special.

[Zeshan547]

Think*

[Convict]

@Convict is he poor man's imran tahir or even worse, how much you rate him? Can he trouble quality players of spin on unhelpful surfaces and can he be a match winner in sub continent potentially, personaly i don't think he is any thing special.

My feelings are much the same of yours.

I think he'd get smashed out of the attack on an unhelpful pitch against good players of spin.

But if Lyon misses a game he's possibly the best of the rest and he has at least got the results at shield level to merit consideration

[Asadullah]

funnily enough Yasir Shah, him (and Junaid) are from same town

Yes, and fawad is yasir shah's first cousin.

From what I know, his actual country is AFGHANISTAN.
He is an Afghani born in Pakistan.

Nope, he is a Pakistani pakhtoon, and a cousin of yasir shah. Everyone knows he lied of getting threats when his own town guys had debuted for Pakistan in 2011 without any fuss, including his cousin.

His Aussie passport was a political move, and I am sure warnie would not like this new bloke playing for Australia if given a choice

[kennyd]

QUOTE=Convict;7711389]Only for the T20?

He isn't particularly fast but he does move the ball.

However he's a very clever bowler and uses what he has quite effectively and can cut the runrate down a fair bit.

English conditions should suit his bowling.[/QUOTE]

thanks for the info

We've signed him for the T20. We're looking to get him in early to play club cricket so that he can acclimatise to the conditions.

[Bilal7]

Yes, and fawad is yasir shah's first cousin.

Nope, he is a Pakistani pakhtoon, and a cousin of yasir shah. Everyone knows he lied of getting threats when his own town guys had debuted for Pakistan in 2011 without any fuss, including his cousin.

His Aussie passport was a political move, and I am sure warnie would not like this new bloke playing for Australia if given a choice

He received threats because of the social work he was involved in, not because of his cricket.

[Asadullah]

He received threats because of the social work he was involved in, not because of his cricket.

Acha, I didn't know that. Apologies

[MenInG]

Leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed is holding out hope of snagging a last-minute state deal after the former Australia ODI representative was a shock omission from the initial round of state contracts.

Fawad, who finished the recent JLT Sheffield Shield season as the second leading spinner with 27 wickets in seven games, faces an uncertain wait to see if the Bushrangers retain him in their 2018-19 squad.

It's understood paceman James Pattinson's return to state ranks after he was overlooked for a national contract has left Victoria with some tricky decisions to make, which could include overlooking one of the country's best spinners.

News Ltd has reported that highly-rated teenage off-spinner Sam Grimwade looks set to win a spot alongside recent South Africa Test squad member Jon Holland on the Bushrangers list for next season.

Victoria, or another state, could yet offer Fawad a deal with contract lists to be finalised early next month. When contacted, Cricket Victoria declined to comment. The 36-year-old remains under contract for the Sydney Thunder in the KFC Big Bash League.

The development comes despite an impressive Sheffield Shield record of 147 wickets at 31 in 41 games for Victoria, in which he has played a key role in their history-making three-straight Shield titles between 2014 and 2017.

The Pakistan-born wrist-spinner was also a top performer in the JLT One-Day Cup last October, claiming 12 wickets – the equal-third most in the tournament.

It would appear a number of his state teammates remain in his corner; former Victoria captain Cameron White on Friday labelled Fawad the third-best spinner in the country on Twitter.

And only last month, Australia limited-overs star Aaron Finch singled out Fawad for praise after a match-winning Shield performance against NSW, suggesting he's getting "better with age".

Fawad takes five as Bushrangers win a thriller

"The way he has kept bamboozling guys with a leg-spinner and a googly that guys are still struggling to pick after he has played for five, six years now is extraordinary," Finch said of the leggie, who played five times for Australia in the limited-overs formats in 2013.

"He's such a huge asset, and he's bowling beautifully at the moment. He was probably just off it in the game before he played … but he has worked hard, and it's good to see him get the rewards."

Victoria failed to reach the Shield final for the first time since 2013-14 last summer, while they have gone five seasons without reaching the one-day domestic competition, finishing third the past three seasons.

Fawad's reported exit from Victoria comes after Tasmania confirmed the first major interstate signing of the off-season, with former Blues quick Gurinder Sandhu crossing the Bass Strait.

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/fawa...ers/2018-04-27

[giri26]

Among the first messages Fawad Ahmed received upon being drafted by the fledgling Vancouver Knights franchise for this month's Global T20 tournament in Canada was from a rival batter who will be looking to flay the leg-spinner to all parts of Toronto’s Maple Leaf Cricket Club.

David Warner has enjoyed a spirited relationship with Fawad over a number of years, most conspicuously during Australia's 2015 Ashes tour to the UK when Warner routinely took to the struggling bowler at nets session.

But the pair have maintained a strong friendship that was forged when they were teammates on an Australia A tour to Zimbabwe and South Africa in 2013, and which will begin a new chapter when they lock horns in the most unlikely of locales – the Great Lakes region of south-east Canada.

The circumstances that unite the Masters-educated spin bowler who seized his second chance at life when he fled his native Pakistan under threat of persecution in 2010, and the opener who until recently was among the most sought-after players in world cricket are as disparate as their respective circumstances.

Fawad is looking to make yet another fresh start having been cut from Victoria’s list of contracted players for next summer, despite being the state’s leading Sheffield Shield wicket-taker since making his debut for them in February 2013.

Warner, who was picked up by the Waqar Younis-coached Winnipeg Hawks in the draft held overnight on Monday (Australia time) is suspended from international and state cricket for the next 10 months for his role in the ball-tampering incident in South Africa last March.

Despite lining up for rival outfits in the 22-match tournament spread over two-and-a-half weeks, Fawad is delighted by the prospect of living and playing alongside Warner and the also-banned former Australia Test captain Steve Smith, who will represent the Toronto Nationals.

"I’ve heard Canada is a nice country – it looks like Australia but a bit colder, although it’s going to be summer over there so it should be fun," Fawad told cricket.com.au.

"More so, I’m really happy for Davey Warner and Smudge (Smith) to be playing and hopefully those two can start their new chapters.

"I know they'll kick on from here because they are quality characters and great cricketers, and I’m looking forward spending some time with them over there.

"He (Warner) texted me very early in the morning (on Monday) and he said 'brother, I’m really happy to be hanging out with you and I’m looking forward to playing over there – Canada, here we come'."

Fawad got to know both suspended stars during 2015 when he was a member of Australia’s Test touring party to the West Indies and then England for the Ashes, where Warner became something of a soul mate and sounding board for the uncapped spinner who was repeatedly overlooked for the starting XI.

Having been left out of the line-up for the opening Test in the Caribbean, at Dominica’s Windsor Park where spinners were expected to dominate, Fawad admits he slumped into despair upon realising his dream of a Baggy Green Cap was unlikely to materialise over the coming months.

And it was to Warner, who at that point had yet to rise to the office of vice-captain, who served as Fawad's primary source of on-tour support.

"When I missed out in Dominica, everyone was saying that I wouldn’t play again on those tours and I knew they were right," Fawad recalled.

"I spoke to Davey and there was even a tear in my eye, I was really upset and said to him 'I’m not going to be playing again on this tour, it looks like this is the end'.

"We’ve played against each other in Australia and had some good times on tour together, especially those tough four months or so in 2015 when I was in the squad and not playing.

"You get to know a lot about each other in that situation and he’s a really, really good man.

"It’s a different story, what people sometimes see.

"In our (Pakistan) culture they say 'if you really want to know a person, travel with him or do trade with him, then you will know the real person'.

"I have travelled a lot with Davey Warner so I know him really well."

Indeed, Fawad acknowledges he's more familiar with some of his fellow Australians from rival franchises than most of those he'll take the field alongside for the Vancouver Knights, who also drafted West Indies drawcard Chris Gayle and New Zealand swing bowler Tim Southee.

One teammate who Fawad will know is former West Indies allrounder Andre Russell with whom he played in the KFC Big Bash League, first for the Melbourne Renegades in BBL|04 and then the Sydney Thunder in the competition’s next two iterations.

Despite being named in the player-chosen Australian Cricketers' Association BBL team of the year for the past two summers, Fawad concedes his priority in a first-class career that began in Pakistan in 2005 has always been the long form of the game.

But now that he is no longer a contracted player with Victoria, he is eyeing a possible role with other franchise T20 competitions possibly in Bangladesh and Pakistan if his form at Premier Cricket level next summer does not convince the Victoria hierarchy he remains worthy of a Shield berth.

"My aim was to always play for Australia, my love was for red-ball cricket and I was never so much interested in playing in those T20 leagues," the 36-year-old said.

"But time changes, and unfortunately sometimes you have no choice but to change your mind.

"You can’t just sit back and expect opportunities to come to you, especially when you get to my age.

"As the saying goes ‘when one door closes for you, another one opens’.

"And I think this will be really exciting."

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/fawa...aft/2018-06-05

[mak36]

Australia should give serious thought to playing him in WC19.

His turn, bounce and variations would add the X factor to Australia's bowling attack, especially in the middle overs; Australia currently lacks a wicket-taking spinner and it shows in their recent outings.

He was one of the highest wicket-takers in last year's One Day Cup and is the leading wicket-taker in this year's CPL.

There's a reason why legspinners have become so popular in LOIs- Australia need to get with the times!

@Convict @wrongun

[wrongun]

Australia should give serious thought to playing him in WC19.

His turn, bounce and variations would add the X factor to Australia's bowling attack, especially in the middle overs; Australia currently lacks a wicket-taking spinner and it shows in their recent outings.

He was one of the highest wicket-takers in last year's One Day Cup and is the leading wicket-taker in this year's CPL.

There's a reason why legspinners have become so popular in LOIs- Australia need to get with the times!

@Convict @wrongun

I think he's a talented bowler and I've never heard a bad word said about him.

That said, I think time has passed him by in the eyes of Oz selectors. He had a little shot and didn't really grab it. Unfortunately leg spinners these days don't seem to be given the same time to adjust to top level that the big standard - Warne himself- enjoyed at the start of his career.

Zampa & Swepson seem to be more in favour as leggies these days. Lyon imo should be #1 spinner and I suspect selectors have an eye on Agar as spinning allrounder for WC19 but it's still an open field.

Wicket taking potential of leggies is proven in LOI I agree and it does frustrate me, with our history, that Oz no longer trust leggies.

Side note: I am sure no one in Oz is paying attention the CPL. It's not regarded as a serious tournament here. Might as well be the BPL.

[mak36]

I think he's a talented bowler and I've never heard a bad word said about him.

That said, I think time has passed him by in the eyes of Oz selectors. He had a little shot and didn't really grab it. Unfortunately leg spinners these days don't seem to be given the same time to adjust to top level that the big standard - Warne himself- enjoyed at the start of his career.

Zampa & Swepson seem to be more in favour as leggies these days. Lyon imo should be #1 spinner and I suspect selectors have an eye on Agar as spinning allrounder for WC19 but it's still an open field.

Wicket taking potential of leggies is proven in LOI I agree and it does frustrate me, with our history, that Oz no longer trust leggies.

Side note: I am sure no one in Oz is paying attention the CPL. It's not regarded as a serious tournament here. Might as well be the BPL.

Zampa is a wasted investment, and Swepson is nowhere near ready (50+ average in List A). Lyon and Agar aren't really wicket taking options which is what Australia needs from their spinner.

Australia need a ready made option and Fawad has shown he has really developed/improved since his debut and really understands his game now. Like I said, he was one of the highest wicket-takers in last year's One Day Cup; at the very least he is a stop-gap solution for WC19!

Regarding the CPL, whether people watch it or not in Australia is besides the point. The fact is he is playing in a high scoring tournament against some quality batsmen and leading from the front.
@pakistanigoneaussie what do you think?

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Zampa is a wasted investment, and Swepson is nowhere near ready (50+ average in List A). Lyon and Agar aren't really wicket taking options which is what Australia needs from their spinner.

Australia need a ready made option and Fawad has shown he has really developed/improved since his debut and really understands his game now. Like I said, he was one of the highest wicket-takers in last year's One Day Cup; at the very least he is a stop-gap solution for WC19!

Regarding the CPL, whether people watch it or not in Australia is besides the point. The fact is he is playing in a high scoring tournament against some quality batsmen and leading from the front.
@pakistanigoneaussie what do you think?

havent seen much of recently, been working in Europe past few months. However I doubt australia would pick him. I'd back Zampa regardless, but i get your point about Fawad being a stopgap for the world cup, just cant see it happening

[MenInG]

Quetta Gladiators pick Fawad Ahmed #PSLDraft pic.twitter.com/wyzkdfCdG4

— PakPassion.net (@PakPassion) November 20, 2018

[shaaik]

Fawad shelves red ball in World Cup bid

Leg-spinner calls time on first-class career, but remains intent on winning spot in Australia's side for 50-over title defence

Fawad Ahmed has announced his retirement from first-class cricket, but the journeyman leg-spinner is as optimistic as ever he can play a part in Australia's World Cup campaign this year.

After a decorated Sheffield Shield career that’s seen him collect 156 wickets at under 30 as well as three titles, Fawad has confirmed he won't be available for Victoria for the remainder of the ongoing first-class season as he looks to go all in on an unconventional push for a national recall.

The 37-year-old played the last of his five international limited-overs matches nearly six years ago but is hopeful of playing a role in Australia’s 50-over title defence in the United Kingdom later this year.

Although he missed selection for the home summer and the upcoming ODI tour of India, Fawad could come into contention for Australia's five-ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE in March.

Despite not being offered a state contract at the end of last season, Fawad remains among the country's most effective white-ball spinners; since the start of BBL|06, no Australian spin bowler has taken more wickets in the T20 competition.

After his Sydney Thunder narrowly missed a KFC Big Bash finals spot, Fawad will spend the coming weeks in the UAE playing for the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League, before returning to Pakistan for the T20 league's concluding stages.

It will mark the first time he's played cricket in his native country since fleeing as an asylum seeker nearly a decade ago.

Fawad holds no grudges towards Victoria despite losing his contract last summer and playing just two Shield games this season with Jon Holland preferred as their first-choice spinner, stressing the decision to call time on his 43-game Sheffield Shield career wasn't easy.

"The way I train and the way I love the game - I have spent hours and hours in the nets and enjoyed my time both on the field and off the field.

"It was a very tough decision, but that was the (best) available option and that was the future looks like.

"There is an end for everything.

"I still love the game – one-day, T20 or four day cricket – but for me the only available option was white-ball cricket so I'm going to continue to play 50-overs and T20."

The right-armer will remain available for selection in domestic 50-over cricket next summer having helped Victoria to this season's title, while he hopes to extend his career on the global T20 circuit as well continuing to play in the BBL.

It's not the typical pathway to a national recall but Fawad is holding out a flicker of hope of an Australian recall for next month's ODI series against Pakistan.

"If I get selected against Pakistan, that would be great. I'm not expecting anything but if something came up, I've been bowling really well for the last few years," he said.

"Performance-wise I'm in a good position and fitness-wise I'm pretty good as well. If something like that came up, it'd be nice to play with my teammates again, otherwise I'm very grateful for what I've had over the last six-seven years here in Victoria."

Fawad said he discussed his decision with Victoria captain Peter Handscomb, coach Andrew McDonald as well as general manager of cricket Shaun Graf.

"They were all pretty happy for me whatever decision I took," explained Fawad, who played in each of Victoria's 'three-peat' of Shield titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

"This wasn’t ideal for me because I wanted to play cricket and I wouldn't be able to play any cricket with Victoria if I was staying for the last couple of months of the summer.

"The best option was to move on and to get some cricket over there (in the PSL) in the near future.

"If something happens regarding Australia or anything, that (playing in the PSL) would really help my cause as well because I'll be in touch with white-ball cricket."

Fawad, the holder of a master's degree in political science and international relations, says he's excited to return to Pakistan for the PSL, which will see the final eight games of the tournament, including finals, played in Karachi and Lahore.

Most major cricket nations have elected not to tour the country for security reasons, with Australia declining fresh requests from the Pakistan Cricket Board to play the upcoming ODI series there.

Current Australia captain Tim Paine was among a trio of Australians to play a three-match series in Lahore for an ICC World XI in 2017 and Fawad hopes international cricket will be back there in the near future.

"Since (recently-elected Prime Minister and former World Cup-winning captain) Imran Khan came to power, the law and order has been great and there's been no such problems," said Fawad, one of six Australians competing in the PSL.

"I have seen Australians like Tim Paine, George Bailey and 'Cuttsy' (Ben Cutting) visit for the World XI and last year in the grand final of the PSL (was held in Karachi).

"People are very passionate about it, they have been deprived for almost 10 years now. Hopefully they will have something to cheer and cherish … the kids will come and watch their own heroes and the ones from overseas as well and from Australia.

"I still love Pakistan – that's my country, my family is there, that's where I was born, that's where I grew up.

"At the same time, I love Australia, that's my new home. I'm not comparing them – it's like a Mum and Dad, you love both."

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/fawa...mpression=true

[SensiblePakFan]

Sunil Narine is injured so he has a chance in the psl to make a stake.

[MenInG]

Playing for Quetta in PSL 4 - hope he does well and I am sure will be enjoying himself.

[mak36]

Australia should give serious thought to playing him in WC19.

His turn, bounce and variations would add the X factor to Australia's bowling attack, especially in the middle overs; Australia currently lacks a wicket-taking spinner and it shows in their recent outings.

He was one of the highest wicket-takers in last year's One Day Cup and is the leading wicket-taker in this year's CPL.

There's a reason why legspinners have become so popular in LOIs- Australia need to get with the times!

@Convict @wrongun

Like I said. Let's see if Australian selectors have any sense.

[Hasan123]

Australia need a specialist spinner so he's in with a shout.

[Rana]

For his sake, I hope the Australian selectors are following his progress in the PSL. Has been brilliant with his googleys against the left handers today.

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Looks quality.

Best spinner so far for me in PSL.

[Boi]

Faheem the hack made him look better than he is.

[Rana]

Faheem the hack made him look better than he is.

He beat Delport with an absolute beauty also. Sarfaraz missed the stumping.

[SensiblePakFan]

He's consistienly been topping the wicket charts.
Reminds me of monty panesar, forgotten when most needed.