"I don't want to be compared to Mohammad Amir" : Mohammad Aftab

[Saj]

Pakistan’s rich pace bowling resources have been a source of national pride for many decades. Names such as Fazal Mahmood, Khan Mohammad, Sarfraz Nawaz, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Zahid and Shoaib Akhtar just roll off the tongue, bringing back memories of stumps being cartwheeled out of the ground, inswinging yorkers and batsmen dancing to the tune of chin music.

More recently, the baton has passed to Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan, but beyond this current list of names, fans of fast bowling will be pleased to hear that the Pakistani pace bowling factory is very much in full working order. A recent fast bowling camp in Karachi run by Wasim Akram brought together some of the brightest fast bowling talent in Pakistan and gave these up and coming pace bowlers the opportunity to work with one of the world’s greatest bowlers.

One of the young bowlers who received glowing reports after attending the training camp was Lahore born teenager Mohammad Aftab. Another in the battery of left arm pace bowlers, Aftab came to the attention of the watching public when he bowled excellently for the Lahore Lions against Abbottabad in the hugely popular Super Eights Twenty20 tournament earlier this year. Bowling with good pace and accuracy, Aftab took one for 27 from four sharp overs, as Lahore won by three wickets.

Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net, Aftab expressed his admiration for his role model Wasim Akram, provided his thoughts on the training camp in Karachi, spoke about the comparisons with Mohammad Amir and looked ahead to the upcoming Under 19 tour of England.

“I’m from a cricket loving family. Cricket has always played a large role in my life. If I wasn’t playing cricket on the street, in the park, at the local cricket club, I would be reading about it or watching it on television. I’ve been lucky enough to have fantastic support from my family since I started playing cricket and also been very fortunate to have brilliant coaches to work with at club level and now in first class cricket.”

Aftab who was born on 14th August, Pakistan’s Independence Day, stated that his cricketing hero is Wasim Akram and that he models his bowling on the former Pakistani captain. “I think I’ve watched and studied every single available DVD of Wasim Akram’s bowling. He was a great bowler, he’s a legend and I dream of one day achieving a fraction of what he achieved for Pakistan. It was an absolute honour working with him at the training camp in Karachi and I cherished every moment. To meet him and then for him to praise my bowling was stuff that dreams are made of.”

16 year old Aftab confirmed that he was drafted in at the last moment to play in the Super Eights tournament in March after originally not being in the squad. However after playing that match for the Lahore Lions, his life quite literally changed overnight.

“I wasn’t included in the Lahore Lions squad originally but I was drafted in at the last minute. When I was told that I was playing against Abbottabad I was surprised but at the same time very excited. It all happened so quick that I thought I was dreaming. Playing the match against Abbottabad which was televised was a great experience and I was pleased with my performance. I received a lot of support before and during the match against Abbottabad as for a sixteen-year old to be playing in such a high profile match was quite an ask. Since that match, a lot of people within Pakistan cricket have spoken about me and praised my bowling which is really motivating and pleasing. Bowling in front of a huge television audience helped me catch the eye of some of Pakistan’s leading coaches and I’ve had a lot of support since that match.”

Speaking of the training camp that he attended under the supervision of Mohammad Akram and Wasim Akram, Aftab said “Being called up to attend the camp was a superb experience. I was there with some of Pakistan’s best bowlers and two excellent coaches, both of whom have years of experience playing cricket all around the world. To be given that opportunity by the Pakistan Cricket Board was a humbling experience as I’ve never thought of myself as someone deserving of such treatment at the moment. Wasim spoke at length to me about ensuring that I have the inswinger and the outswinger in my bowling armoury, as he said that being a one trick pony means that top batsmen will work me out and I will not be as effective. Wasim spent a lot of time with me working on my wrist position for both deliveries and he said to me that he had watched me bowling in domestic cricket and was impressed. My natural delivery is the inswinger to the right handers and Wasim spent a lot of time with me working on the one that swings away. After watching Wasim and listening to his advice I felt more confident bowling the one that moves away from the right hander and it wasn’t long before his advice started working.”

“Mohammad Akram also offered me a lot of advice and guidance and he particularly focussed on working on my yorkers and consistency in line. He was also impressed with the speed that I was achieving at my age. On the speed gun, I was consistently being clocked at 135kph and over and i think those speeds will be improved upon as I grow stronger and with more technical guidance.”

Naturally Aftab’s bowling style and impressive pace have already brought comparisons with fellow left arm pace bowler Mohammad Amir, something that Aftab isn’t surprised about but is a little uneasy over.

“I look at the comparisons in two ways. Firstly Amir was a fantastic talent, at such a young age he showed the world what a gifted bowler he was. I’m yet to even begin my first class career so saying I am the next Mohammad Amir is a bit premature. Also I don’t want to be compared to anybody, he is Mohammad Amir and I am Mohammad Aftab. A lot of people watch me bowl and immediately start comparing me with Amir, but I would much rather they didn’t, I don’t want to be compared with Mohammad Amir, I want to make a name for myself through hard work, achieving my own goals, rather than making a name as someone who is being labelled the new Mohammad Amir.”

Aftab has been included in Pakistan’s Under-19 squad that will next month take part in a 50 over tri nation tournament in England that includes the hosts and Bangladesh Under-19s. The tournament is one that Aftab is excited about and hopes will help his development as a cricketer and set him on the road to stardom.

“Seeing my name in the squad for England was really exciting. I was hoping that I would be included but competition for places was really intense and I wasn’t sure that I would be picked. However having been named in the squad I now have some targets in mind. I want to be named "Man of the Series" and I want to make sure that I learn from bowling in English conditions. It’s an important tournament in my development and I hope it’s the first stepping stone in a long and fruitful career.”

[HASHAM2]

Mohammad akram blv Mohammad aftab is future of Pakistan team
keep eye on him

Natural Ball inswinger to Right hand batsman this is exciting

[KingKhanWC]

Thanks for this, best of luck to the young prospect.

[lestaboy]

Lets see how he goes all the best to young man

[godzilla]

an excellent well written article - thanks saj.

[Syed Sulaiman]

He is Future Talent

[razabbas]

Pakistan and Pace bowling still a better love story then twlight

[Muhammad_1]

in pakistan i see talented young fast bowler every where need some batsmen now

[Sakss]

his profile link?

[kingusama92]

We could one day have a left-handed pace trio of Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, and Mohammad Aftab.

Could be special.

Best part is all three are young. Even when Amir comes back he'll be only 23. Junaid will be 25. Aftab would be 18-19.

Hope his talent works out.

[mebs]

is the u19 tri series on sky? it will be exciting to watch him bowl

[azimiqbal]

135 kph at 16 is impressive

[waqar_ahmad]

We could one day have a left-handed pace trio of Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, and Mohammad Aftab.

Could be special.

Best part is all three are young. Even when Amir comes back he'll be only 23. Junaid will be 25. Aftab would be 18-19.

Hope his talent works out.

Dont forget Irfan. And then there is hype about zia ul haq

[GreenKnightRises]

A Good Talent..Indeed.. !!! wish Him Good for the England Series.. and a wonderful future awaiting him...

[JilaWatan]

Still have yet to see him bowl on tape

[saiyan0312]

great talent. hope he impresses in england.

[Azzurri]

anyone can share his video of bowling???

[s28]

[Sultan Yusuf]

Has anyone seen him bowl? If so, and the hype is to be believed, he should make his international debut in the next year - 18 months.

On another note....can we please find some right armers now!

[HASHAM2]

i Can challenge all of You
Awais Munir 19 year old ZTBL Left arm Fast bowler will do well compare to Aftab and Zia in England Tour

Awais Munir also is fastest among those Lefty Fast Bowlers in un-19 level

in Trail Awais Bowled at 140kph
Zia bowled at 138kph
Aftab at 136kpj

[mr.crickett]

good, in 90s pakistan have only one left armer Wasim but now a days there are plenty and keep coming.
what has happend to right armers.

[HASHAM2]

good, in 90s pakistan have only one left armer Wasim but now a days there are plenty and keep coming.
what has happend to right armers.

4 Fast bowlers are in Pakistan un-19 Squad
3 of them are LEFT ARM Pacer :Wasim

and those 3 pacers have Same height same Pace (6 foot Height 140kph pace Junaid.Amir type of lefty pacers i seen all 3 I like Awais Munir most

[Six or four]

Forget the bowling look for anyone and I mean anyone that can bat left or right.

[LooneyReturns]

I already like htis guy

[Saj]

Exciting prospect.

I've spoken with a few coaches and players in Pakistan cricket and they are very impressed by him.

Under 19 tour of England will provide us with more details on him.

[waqar-uk]

I am going to watch some matches as they are playing in Leicestershire which is pretty local to me!

[Stewie]

If I can believe any hype coming out regarding Pakistani players, I can only believe it if it concerns Pakistani fast bowlers. I usually turn a deaf ear to people claiming the next bradman, tendulkar, inzi coming out of Pakistan.

Hoping this kid turns out to be better than Aamir. Seems like he has a mature head on his shoulder based on this interview.

[PakGirl!]

135kph?at the age of 16?that sounds great..
He looks like a good prospect!wish we could produce batsmen this frequently as well

[HASHAM2]

135kph?at the age of 16?that sounds great..
He looks like a good prospect!wish we could produce batsmen this frequently as well

We also have Good Batsman.s at UN-19 Level

Babar azam
Sami aslam
Umar waheed
Imran butt
Hussain talat

[PakGirl!]

Babar esp looks good!but will reserve my judgement till I see them perform internationally..

[mebs]

saw babar at u19 wc i was hoping he would be given a taste of international cricket by now india played chand in a few games. I cant see any harm in trying with the way our run machines are performing

[Shayan]

Good luck to him, seems a good prospect.

[HASHAM2]

Good luck to him, seems a good prospect.

Can swing Both way
decent pace
1 Thing Aftab Need to add in his Bowling Control

i heard Aftab dont have Control on his Bowling like Rahat ali

Bowl 1 Good ball in Over other Balls all over the place

[Saurav]

When I read the title,I thought he had others to not want comparisons with Amir.came here to congratulate him on his guts,but alas

[Saj]

Spoke with Wasim Akram about Aftab recently and he is really excited about him.

More details to follow.

[HASHAM2]

Spoke with Wasim Akram about Aftab recently and he is really excited about him.

More details to follow.

More Details to Follow

what Wasim thinks about Aftab

[Saj]

More Details to Follow

what Wasim thinks about Aftab

Yes indeed.

Watch this space.......

[HASHAM2]

Yes indeed.

Watch this space.......

Ok

Also Saj bhai do Talent Spotter on Usman khan
Today Usman khan bowled Jamshed with Brillent Bowl

Usman Khan already better than

[Haroon786]

Do we still have express pace bowlers (150kph) apart from Sami

[s28]

Wahab Riaz is our number one pace bowler.

Sami is medium pace.

[Saj]

And this is Mohammad Aftab

[Saj]

4 for 24 today for Aftab in the Haier Cup semi final including the wicket of Sohaib Maqsood.

[Professor]

Got smashed by Zulfiqar Babar at the death but bowled really well in the beginning though.

[IAJ]

4 for 24 today for Aftab in the Haier Cup semi final including the wicket of Sohaib Maqsood.

3 overs 0/43 so far in today's match when it really matters.

This is the problem with paksitani players, way too inconsistent. One day they are great, next day they come up with a hideous performance, nothing in between.

But in Aftab's case, he is still young. Hopefully he can learn by this experience.

[justpace]

Has anyone got a video of Mohammad Aftab's bowling? the left arm fast bowler for Lahore Lions whose supposedly very like Mohammad Amir?

[s28]

he is nothing like aamir unfortunately

over-hyped by people who have not seen him bowl

[Orbis]

Saw him bowling in the U19 tri-series between England, Pakistan and Bangladesh; nothing special at all tbh.

Now if you look at Amir's stats when he was 16-17 touring England in U19 matches, he was phenomenal.

[zarar]

Saw him bowling in the U19 tri-series between England, Pakistan and Bangladesh; nothing special at all tbh.

Now if you look at Amir's stats when he was 16-17 touring England in U19 matches, he was phenomenal.

Amir and Asif were once in a generation type of bowlers.

[ForeverIndian]

Obiviously . Who would want to be compared to a shameless fixer ?

[Orbis]

Obiviously . Who would want to be compared to a shameless fixer ?

More Indians have been caught fixing than anyone, and god knows how many of your players have fixed in IPL. Then again you're Indian, a country where convicted fixers become politicians. Heck even fixers such as Manoj Prabhakar and Ajay Jadeja said that Kapil Dev was a serial fixer (their captain).

[Madplayer]

Desperation was the reason for the hype he generated.

[MRSN]

he served his ban. You cannot deny his bowling skills. The way he owned Sachin,KP,Cook,Smith and other legendary batsmen it was treat to watch and it holds its significance even though he was involved in spot fixing he showed the world what he was made of as a bowler.

now that he has served his ban rightly so if he can make a comeback and bowl at same speeds with same swing I'll be delighted. You see if your teacher has caught you cheating should he cancel your paper or not trust you and ban you lifetime from entering any unis or college? This isn't how it works. He served his ban you should move on too.

[Saj]

Lots of hard work ahead if he reaches the levels that Mohammad Amir reached before his ban.

However when I saw him in England during the Under 19 tour he looked raw but promising.

[b.lesner]

aftab on fire

[TalentSpotterPk]

Mohammad amir and mohammad aftab (pseudo amir)
Both of them action's have changed abit .
2 seasons ago aftab's action was ditto copy of amir when he debuted for Lahore team . Looked more pacier than too.

[Prince of Pakistan]

Saw him for the first time today.

Shades of M. Aamir in M. Aftab in terms of bowling conditon. I hope he becomes an even better bowler than M. Aamir was before the ban.

[Prince of Pakistan]

Mohammad amir and mohammad aftab (pseudo amir)
Both of them action's have changed abit .
2 seasons ago aftab's action was ditto copy of amir when he debuted for Lahore team . Looked more pacier than too.

Some swing as well for M. Aftab. I hope he gets into Pak A soon instead of Zia ul Haq.

[TalentSpotterPk]

@Prince of Pakistan
Majority Ppers rate zia ul haq very high
But I don't , he was better when he represented pak u-19 then his bowling depreciated abit
Aftab is good but he too seemed much better in action pace and follow through 2years back .

[axl100mph]

Overrated.clear difference of ability BTW him n amir

[Neferpitou]

He doesn't have enough pace.

[mussu-100]

Nothing special at all. Only needed an over to figure that out.

[zains_rulez]

You cant be dear

Kahan Aamir kahan tum

[TalentSpotterPk]

Sadly he has regressed rather than progressed in last 2 years.

[Prince of Pakistan]

@Prince of Pakistan
Majority Ppers rate zia ul haq very high
But I don't , he was better when he represented pak u-19 then his bowling depreciated abit
Aftab is good but he too seemed much better in action pace and follow through 2years back .

The only thing Zia ul Haq has is pace. Either he should learn to swing the ball or become a bowler in the mould of Wahab Riaz.

[BigBoy123]

Don't know u much but i em sure u can't be compared to amir .... Amir is once in a decade bowler , bowlers like u bowl too me every Sunday

[axl100mph]

Sadly he has regressed rather than progressed in last 2 years.

He didn't HV too much ability to start with. His action n everything has always been fine but just like anwar Ali, he lacks raw natural fast twitch fibre muscles hence he has a slow arm speed despite putting in the effort.

Can only improve it if he tries to biomechanically alter his action

[TalentSpotterPk]

We majority as a nation want amir ans asif back.
Since they have served their punishments.
They also brought laurels for pdkistan as match winners.
They were caught unlike many who did match/spot/fancy fixing but were not caught by icc or respective boards and were sidelined by there board or pardoned under the table.
Shane warne ? Mark Waugh ? Didn't they make Australia win many matches ?? Dean jones ? Waqar ? Wasim ? Raina ? Jadeja ? Azharuddin ? Saleem malik ? Ejaz ? And many many more ?? Hansie cronje ? Gibbs ?
Why just whine about amir and asif only ? Since the ability they had is not possessed by others ? Do not target only pakistani players.
We felt bad sad and hurt what amir Salman and asif did . They let us down . But get over it now kindly .

[Prince of Pakistan]

He didn't HV too much ability to start with. His action n everything has always been fine but just like anwar Ali, he lacks raw natural fast twitch fibre muscles hence he has a slow arm speed despite putting in the effort.

Can only improve it if he tries to biomechanically alter his action

And how will that help?

[DRsohail]

where is this guy...he was good at the start..........

[Saj]

Another who has fallen by the wayside and faces a tough challenge in future.

Again, some problems with off-field issues and attitude.

[Zohaib Shah]

Another who has fallen by the wayside and faces a tough challenge in future.

Again, some problems with off-field issues and attitude.

What do you mean by that?

[DRsohail]

Another who has fallen by the wayside and faces a tough challenge in future.

Again, some problems with off-field issues and attitude.

what problem specifically???

[Sports_Psychologist]

Another who has fallen by the wayside and faces a tough challenge in future.

Again, some problems with off-field issues and attitude.

Oh so you gave the answer to that riddle,

[muhammad saad]

Had a sluggish arm speed and even after giving it all he barely managed to bowl in early 130ks and add to that he wasn't accurate either however his seam position was pretty good.
@Saj what do you mean by off field attitude issues? Drugs and partying or misbehaving with some one?

[Ellipsism]

Had a sluggish arm speed and even after giving it all he barely managed to bowl in early 130ks and add to that he wasn't accurate either however his seam position was pretty good.
@Saj what do you mean by off field attitude issues? Drugs and partying or misbehaving with some one?

Probably some attitude issues, highly doubt it's drugs or partying.

[GudduBadmash]

This guy is a mediocre bowler that was smashed around by the Usman Ghani and Hashmatullah Shahidi in that U19 tour. Not remotely good enough to ever represent Pakistan

[TalentSpotterPk]

He was a Superb Prospect at the Age of 15 when He played a T20 match for Lahore.

He was 90 % copy of Amir in Action, had the ability to swing the ball late into Right handers, had great control and was 132-134 kph at that Age.


Next time I saw him 18 months later his Action was changed quite abit, speed remained same and lost the late inswing. He became abit taller but overall Weak. His Efficacy decreased rather than improving.


Either He could not retain his action ie did not bowl enough or again wrong coaching ruined him.


Definitely Lack of Hardwork and Poor Attitude can be a big reason for his downfall. At Age of 15-16 your Action isn't final and it only becomes repetitive and final if you bowl Tons of Overs in Nets & in any available matches. If You don't train regularly or if you quit matches thinking they are not worth it than Your Progress stops.


He is Contracted with HBL. Lets see if they give him a game this Season or Not. Furthermore his Current Physique is not good enough as per modern cricket needs and fitness required.

[MenInG]

Muhammad Aftab 3-43 today in QEA Trophy