[VIDEOS] Mir Hamza at Sussex - Performance Watch

[Abdullah719]

Pakistan left-arm seamer, Mir Hamza will join Sussex Cricket for nine first-class matches in 2019.

Hamza will be available for eight Specsavers County Championship matches, starting with the away fixture against Northamptonshire that begins on Monday 20thMay and finishing with the match against Lancashire at Old Trafford that starts on Saturday 13th July.

The Karachiite’s stint on the South Coast will take in four of Sussex’s home fixtures in the competition, three at The 1st Central County Ground and the match against Gloucestershire at Arundel Castle in mid-June.

The 26-year-old will also be available for the tour match against Australia A at Arundel between Sunday 7th July and Wednesday 10th July.

Looking ahead to his time with Sussex, Hamza said: “I’m very excited to have the chance to play county cricket with a great club like Sussex, following in the footsteps of Pakistan legends like Javed Miandad and Imran Khan.

“I hope I can make a good contribution towards some victories. And on a personal level I am looking forward to working with – and learning from – Jason Gillespie.”

Sussex head coach, Gillespie added: “We’re looking forward to welcoming Mir Hamza to Sussex.

“He’s a left-arm swing bowler who has performed well when opportunities have been there for him for his country. He will add to the depth our seam bowling unit at the club. He will no doubt have a positive impact.”

Hamza made his Test debut for Pakistan in their crushing 373-run win against Australia in Abu Dhabi earlier this winter. He caught the eye with his dismissal of Shaun Marsh via a fine seaming delivery that knocked the opener’s off-stump out of the ground.

In ten first-class matches for Pakistan A, Hamza has taken 25 wickets, including a best of 4-53 against Yorkshire at Headingley the tour of England in 2016. Later in the same tour, he took 4-62 against Sri Lanka A at New Road.

England supporters may also remember Hamza’s performance for Pakistan A in a two-day match against an England XI in October 2015 when he picked up the wickets of Alex Hales, Jos Buttler, Johnny Bairstow and Moeen Ali on his way to figures of 4-34.

In total, the Karachi Dolphins player has taken 282 wickets in 59 first-class matches at an average of 18.34.

[PakPremi]

Hope he does well for them. His performances have been good for Pak A and he should be in Pak squad I think.

[TalentSpotterPk]

Wow.


This is an amazing news.


I hope Gillespie works on his action aswell because his bowling arm and body needs to be perpendicular while delivering the ball. This would increase his speed by 5kph atleast and would improve his control over length and line aswell. Would get more bounce too by staying upright.


Gillespie is a high class Coach so Mir Hamza has a life time oppurtunity.

[hadi123]

Surprised by this signing, but very good news. This will benefit him a lot!

[Arham_PakFan]

That was quite an unexpected signing.

Best of luck to him. I think those pitches will suit his bowling.

[topspin]

His bowling suits English conditions. Shrewd pick by Sussex, knowing he won't be called up for national duty.

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I wonder what brought him to Sussex management's attention? They must have someone on the inside who knows Pakistan domestic cricket pretty well.

[RedwoodOriginal]

Huge for Mir Hamza. Not every day you see a player with only one test cap sign up for a major English county. The stint will do him a world of good.

He has toured England with Pakistan A previously so it's not surprising that he caught someone's eye.

[Mirpur express]

Sussex see what pcb don’t!! He was denied a tour to South Africa just to accommodate the toothless Aamir, wish him all the best hope he gets 50 wickets 💪🏽

[Finisher]

Huge for Mir Hamza. Not every day you see a player with only one test cap sign up for a major English county. The stint will do him a world of good.

He has toured England with Pakistan A previously so it's not surprising that he caught someone's eye.

Probobly impressed Jason Gillespie when he played against Yorkshire, he was their coach in 2016.

[Savitar]

Ishant Sharma is a different bowler after his stint with Sussex last season.

[Fahdi]

Unexpected pick. I didn't see much in him but Sussex did I guess

[Abdullah719]

Finally wait is over, On way to UK to join my team @SussexCCC for the @CountyChamp. Looking forward for a very good season. pic.twitter.com/HgdXxGPvuS

— Mir Hamza (@mirhamza_k) March 31, 2019

[introvert]

Great opportunity under the coach jason Gillespie.

[Abdullah719]

Sussex Cricket and Mir Hamza have agreed to bring forward the Pakistan fast bowler’s arrival at the club.

The left-arm seamer arrived in the UK on Monday morning and will join Sussex ahead of the men’s first Specsavers County Championship match against Leicestershire, beginning at The 1st Central County Ground on Friday 5th April.

The 26-year-old had originally signed for nine matches in May and July but will now also be available for Sussex’s opening two Championship matches and the entirety of the Royal London One-Day Cup. Mir will wear shirt number 92.

Hamza will be present at Sussex Cricket’s men’s media event on Wednesday 3rd April.

[srh]

Good luck Mir Hamza. Insha Allah you will do good there.

I have lobbied for his selection in Pakistan test team as he is one of those who have performed both in domestic and Pakistan A levels. So next he should have got ample chances in Pakistan test team if there was a system in place based on merit. But alas in Pakistan merit is not the only criteria for national team selection and thus players like him suffer.

[Salman4.]

Hope he does even better than Abbas.

[Salman4.]

Probably going to debut tomorrow.

[Saj]

Gave him my coaching advice this evening "good, luck, enjoy it and pitch it up"

[saeed5646]

will take him in test over amir any day .atleast he give his hundred percent and can pitch the new ball up

[JibranAnsari]

He can swing the ball , early summer english conditions will just be perfect for him.

[MenInG]

Playing today but his side in trouble after being asked to bat first on 61/5 (16.3)

[aloo paratha]

will take him in test over amir any day .atleast he give his hundred percent and can pitch the new ball up

Pretty much. Before people used to say that Amir's pace is better, but that's not even really true anymore. In South Africa, Amir hardly ever bowled a ball over 135, he was mostly between 128-133, so pace is not even the problem anymore.

[Sher Khan]

Gave him my coaching advice this evening "good, luck, enjoy it and pitch it up"

Very surprised Sussex picked him. Don’t understand what they saw in him. He bowls at 125kph with no sting in his bowling at all.

[saeed5646]

Pretty much. Before people used to say that Amir's pace is better, but that's not even really true anymore. In South Africa, Amir hardly ever bowled a ball over 135, he was mostly between 128-133, so pace is not even the problem anymore.

I am done with amir unless some thing magical happen and he find his mojo back if not of 2010 atleast of 2016

[Salman4.]

Sussex all out for 173.
Will be interesting to see how Mir does here.

[Zeeraq]

�� REPLAY: The first of many! #gosbts pic.twitter.com/5vKODMACHo

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 5, 2019

Mir Hamza got his first wicket.

[Salman4.]

Gets another one!

[Markhor]

And another. Mark Cosgrove gone.

Live commentary is on BBC Radio Sussex - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/cricket/47531276

[Zeeraq]

�� REPLAY: Enjoy this one with your cake ��

A second for @mirhamza_k and doesn't he just love it! #gosbts pic.twitter.com/n3CL3JAlKF

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 5, 2019

Mir Hamza gets another wicket!

[UN talkz]

Very surprised Sussex picked him. Don’t understand what they saw in him. He bowls at 125kph with no sting in his bowling at all.

They saw something in him which Inzy and Co. cant see. #KaalaChasma

[Salman4.]

Another one.
3 now!

[MenInG]

Another one.
3 now!

Doing exceptionally well

[MenInG]

�� REPLAY: What a start to the evening session... A couple of jaffas!�� #gosbts pic.twitter.com/75Pq1WzgKp

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 5, 2019

[MenInG]

New Sussex overeas star Mir Hamza reckons he can learn a lot when he plays county cricket for the first time this year.

The Pakistan international made his Test debut last October in a 373-run win against Australia in the UAE, where the fast-medium pace bowler took 1-67 across the match.

The 26-year-old said: “I’m very excited. I’m very excited for the English conditions to bowl on the pitches. I’m excited for a good experience for international cricket.”

Hamza - set for his Sussex debut in the county championship opener versus Leicestershire, starting Friday - has played most of his cricket in his home country, including the Pakistan Super League and has revealed he was persuaded to join Sussex by some of his new team-mates.

He said: “Tymal Mills, Luke Wright and Jofra Archer; those players were with me back in the Quetta Gladiators. I played with them and have a very good relationship with them. And obviously, Jason Gillespie is a legendary bowler. I’m very lucky that he is a coach of mine and I feel proud for that and I’ll learn a lot from him."

Asked what he’ll gain from playing county cricket and from his new coach Gillespie, Hamza said: “It’s not about in the ground, it’s off the ground as well, because I’m here for three months.

"I’ll learn a lot from the ground, from the dressing room, from the players, from the coaching staff. The professionalism comes from county cricket where the famous players play here for five to six months just to gain a lot of professionalism to imply it into international cricket.

“When I play matches, I’ll ask him (Gillespie) what I’m doing wrong and what I’m doing right. Obviously, it’s about my bowling, it’s about the experience of the conditions. I’ll ask each and everything to become a good bowler.”

Hamza has taken 282 first-class wickets in 59 matches and has featured for the Pakistan A side.

Talking about his Test debut, he said: “It’s a dream come true for every player. Every player wants to become a Test cricketer and it’s a proud moment for every player. I played for Pakistan v Australia, and after playing Test cricket, you become a Test player and your confidence and morale will become very high, and people start expecting from you because you become a Test cricketer.

"I’ll imply all those experiences and the confidence here to perform well for my team.”

https://www.chichester.co.uk/sport/c...spie-1-8877448

[MenInG]

The legend Imran Khan still remembered as one of their all-time greats at Sussex #Cricket pic.twitter.com/Dr8q7ROxR5

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) April 5, 2019

[srh]

Surprised by this signing, but very good news. This will benefit him a lot!

whats so surprising? his bowling is tailor made for english conditions

[The Viper]

whats so surprising? his bowling is tailor made for english conditions

Yeah his bowling style is perfect for swinging English pitches.

[Bilal Ahmad15]

Does anyone know what his average pace was in this county cricket game (is it still around 125-130kph)?

[hadi123]

whats so surprising? his bowling is tailor made for english conditions

Becaus i wouldn't have expected a relatively unknown player to sign for an English county

[srh]

Becaus i wouldn't have expected a relatively unknown player to sign for an English county

he is not unknown; he has performed and excel at Pakistan domestic and Pakistan A levels; he was so good in last Pakistan A tour of England that there was talk of including him in Pakistan national team rightaway who were also on England tour at that time

[Prince of Pakistan]

Mir Hamza was made for these conditions. He will excel on these pitches.

[ask_analyse_act]

can watch on tv. which sports channel are they showing..

[ask_analyse_act]

he is not unknown; he has performed and excel at Pakistan domestic and Pakistan A levels; he was so good in last Pakistan A tour of England that there was talk of including him in Pakistan national team rightaway who were also on England tour at that time

And mickey didnt use him...

[hadi123]

he is not unknown; he has performed and excel at Pakistan domestic and Pakistan A levels; he was so good in last Pakistan A tour of England that there was talk of including him in Pakistan national team rightaway who were also on England tour at that time

He is unknown from an English POV. When was the last time a Pakistan player with such little experience was signed by an English county.

[Markhor]

can watch on tv. which sports channel are they showing..

The County Championship isn't televised. Sky only show a few matches per season.

There's a link to ball-by-ball radio commentary on BBC Sussex I posted above, and Sussex's Twitter account show all wickets.

[Abdullah719]

Finishes with 3/71 in the first innings.

[MenInG]

no wickets in the 2nd innings yet

[Abdullah719]

�� Less than an hour until the final day vs. @leicsccc begins! @mirhamza_k, @David_Wiese and @luke_wells07 are busy getting warm. �� #gosbts pic.twitter.com/39L0ZLLcG0

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 8, 2019

[MenInG]

So no more wickets for Hamza to add to his 3 wickets in the 1st innings for Sussex

SUS 173, 308
LEIC 252, 232/3 (73.0) CRR: 3.18
Leicestershire won by 7 wkts

[MenInG]

Mir Hamza playing against Durham - has no wickets so far

[Abdullah719]

Gets the wicket of Lees.

5-4-1-1 so far.

[Abdullah719]

Gets the wicket of Lees.

5-4-1-1 so far.

�� REPLAY: ��-ed �� #gosbts pic.twitter.com/VdDxOVhG6h

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 11, 2019

[The_Real_Deal]

�� REPLAY: ��-ed �� #gosbts pic.twitter.com/VdDxOVhG6h

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 11, 2019

WOW! great figures so far of :

8 5 6 1

ECON : 0.75!!

[UN talkz]

13 overs
7 maidens
11 runs
1 wicket

[Zeeraq]

Mir Hamza has revealed how a Sussex great gave his big move to England the seal of approval.

Now he hopes to warm to his task in the far north and help the county get their Championship season up and running.

Hamza still cannot quite believe his Pakistani compatriot Shoaib Akhtar played for Durham.

“Shoaib hates the cold,” he said as he prepared for the first away trip of the Specsavers County Championship season.

Sussex are in Chester-le-Street to take on revamped Durham and Hamza will have a Hove legend keeping an eye on his numbers from afar.

Mushtaq Ahmed, the Pakistan wizard who span Sussex towards three Championship titles between 2003 and 2007, told Hamza he was making a great move when he signed his deal.

Hamza took three wickets on the first day of his Sussex career before it all rather fizzled out in the seven-wicket defeat at home to Leicestershire.

But the signs were there to suggest he can be another Pakistani hit at Hove.

Hamza told The Argus: “Mushtaq was a coach of mine one or two years ago in the national cricket academy.

“He is a very naturally friendly coach and he told me a lot about county cricket.

“When he knew I was contracted with Sussex, he motivated me a lot.

Mushtaq Ahmed

“He congratulated me on joining the Sussex team.

“He said, ‘You are going to love the team because they are a very friendly club, they have a lot of qualities’.

“He told me a lot about Sussex too.

“Obviously he told me about the slope at Hove but, you know, the slope is not actually a problem for fast bowlers.

“They enjoy it a lot because you don’t need a lot of effort bowling down the slope.

“You just come in easily and bowl fast.”

Hamza started out bowling up the slope, as his idol Imran Khan used to prefer, before switching to the Cromwell Road End.

He was brought up on tales of Imran’s exploits for county and country.

Hamza said: “Sussex is a special team for me because our heroes used to play here.

“It is a very exciting and proud moment that I am representing the same team.

“Yes, I’m young, but I follow Imran very much and I know everything about him.

“He is an inspiration for us and he has got a very good personality.

“He used to be a very good cricketer and I know about his performances for Sussex.”

Hamza would love to follow suit for the club. And for his country, perhaps? He said: “I played just the one Test match so my goal and my purpose is to become a permanent member of the Pakistan cricket team.

“Either I do it in Test cricket or one-day cricket.

“These county matches, both four-day and one-day, will really help do that.

“When you play here, you become a very professional cricketer.

“You gain a lot of experience from playing here, especially if you are a fast bowler.

“You learn how to swing the ball in tough conditions.

“The weather can be very cold and we are not used to very cold conditions back in Pakistan.

“When the weather is cloudy, you need to control the swing over here because the ball swings a lot.”

Hamza can test his control or the red ball in cold and cloudy weather over the next few days.

And he might get out and about to pursue his other passion.

He said: “I love photography very much. Wherever I go, I always have a camera in my bag.

“I will do a lot of photography in Hove and in Brighton.

“I always enjoy reading books as well. These two are my passions apart from cricket.”

Durham’s batting order no longer includes Paul Collingwood but they are under new management in Marcus North and James Franklin.

https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/cri...for-mir-hamza/

[Saj]

Very economical today against Durham:

16-7-21-1

[Mueez]

He looks like a very nice lad.

Well mannered and sensible.

[Saj]

He looks like a very nice lad.

Well mannered and sensible.

Intelligent lad.

Well-spoken and loves his photography.

[Sher Khan]

He definetly is well spoken and humble. But my view is that he is not good enough for the international level. He looks like an inferior left handed version of abbas.

[Mueez]

Intelligent lad.

Well-spoken and loves his photography.

Great to hear about this.

Pakistan Cricket needs more educated and level headed players.

[MenInG]

Has taken 2 wickets this morning

�� REPLAY: The old one-two from @mirhamza_k to get Bancroft.

�� Not a bad grab from @Ben_Brown26 in the end either! #gosbts pic.twitter.com/Yfpk8YdYwt

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 13, 2019

�� REPLAY: Stumps aaaaallllll owwwwaaaa! #gosbts pic.twitter.com/eWPXdCw6Me

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 13, 2019

[MenInG]

�� SUSSEX WIN BY 6 WICKETS!

The skipper pulls his first ball for a single and that’s the job done!

A superb fightback and 19 points in the bag.

�� A well-deserved reward for the boys and our loyal supporters #gosbts

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 14, 2019

[MenInG]

Hamza playing his first OD game for Sussex today

[MenInG]

Wicket for Mir Hamz vs Surrey....

[ataullah]

Wicket for Mir Hamz vs Surrey....

And that the prize wicket of Jason Roy

[Zeeraq]

Another wicket taken by Mir Hamza.

[Zeeraq]

Gets 2 more wickets bringing the tally to 4.

Match figures: 9-0-43-4-4.78

[MenInG]

�� @mirhamza_k becomes the first Sussex player to take four wickets on List A debut.

���� 9-0-43-4 for The Hammer! #SharkAttack pic.twitter.com/NDBmTnJT0C

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 19, 2019

[MenInG]

Excellent figures of 9-0-43-4 for Mir Hamza on his 50-over debut for Sussex against Surrey. Hamza's wickets included Jason Roy and Ben Foakes #Cricket

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) April 19, 2019

[Abdullah719]

Sussex won by 2 wickets (with 11 balls remaining).

[Saj]

Interviewed him a few days ago.

Spoke well, intelligent lad who is keen to do well for Sussex and Pakistan.

[gazza619]

Really happy for the lad.

[Mueez]

I hope he will join the WC squad if someone gets injured.

He would have already acclimatized the conditions and as his figures suggest he has done well, so he would be a safe option.

[Bewal Express]

Looked a solid medium pacer. Not of international quality but let's hope the lad makes a good living from his stint.

[gazza619]

Looked a solid medium pacer. Not of international quality but let's hope the lad makes a good living from his stint.

You never know, a county stint may turn him into a beast.

May come back as twice the bowler in tests. He has a good height and gets better bounce than Abbass.

[Bewal Express]

You never know, a county stint may turn him into a beast.

May come back as twice the bowler in tests. He has a good height and gets better bounce than Abbass.

Let's hope so, he needs to use the facilities to work hard and improve and you never know.

[Suleiman]

Wow he's doing really well. One thing is for sure whenever given a chance on A tours and invitation XIs to other countries, he has impressed like he's doing here.

Deserved a longer rope in internationals.

[Theo_14]

Why is there is no hype around him? Why are we not giving him credit and instead mourning about Aamir’s selection?

Mir Hamza is quickly becoming a rising star at Sussex. Broke Sussex’s record of taking the most wickets (4) on list A debut.

In terms of development, this is mouthwatering. I mean he hasn’t even played much for Pakistan but to be playing at county level first will definitely develop him into a fine player and raise his standards in terms of learning the game and fitness levels.

Can I also say, he speaks very good English. Humble, intelligent and performing. Happy for the lad.

[Ronaldo7]

Why is there is no hype around him? Why are we not giving him credit and instead mourning about Aamir’s selection?

Mir Hamza is quickly becoming a rising star at Sussex. Broke Sussex’s record of taking the most wickets (4) on list A debut.

In terms of development, this is mouthwatering. I mean he hasn’t even played much for Pakistan but to be playing at county level first will definitely develop him into a fine player and raise his standards in terms of learning the game and fitness levels.

Can I also say, he speaks very good English. Humble, intelligent and performing. Happy for the lad.

Looked at the highlights. Most of them were catches due to it being near the end of the innings. He was getting smashed before.