Central Punjab defeat Northern by an innings and 16 runs to win the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

[Abdullah719]

Central Punjab and Northern face-off in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final tomorrow

Lahore, 26 December 2019:

Fresh after their historic Test series win against Sri Lanka in Karachi, Pakistan cricket stars will be in action in the final of the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament between Central Punjab and Northern which commences from Friday, 27 December, at the National Stadium, Karachi.

The return of Pakistan Test captain Azhar Ali and premier middle-order batsman and Central Punjab’s captain Babar Azam bolster Central Punjab, while the comeback of Pakistan U19 captain Rohail Nazir and top-order batsman Haider Ali strengthen the Northern side.

The final of Pakistan’s premier domestic competition, will be a five-day affair.

The contest not only provides an opportunity to both sides to get hold of the prestigious silverware but will also help them make history by being the first winners of the revamped tournament. The winner will also pocket a hefty PKR10m prize money. The runners-up will bag PKR5m.

The two sides have had an intriguing journey this season and were separated by three points on the table. Central Punjab finished on top with 133 points, while Northern, with 130 points, ended the group-stage at number two.

When the two teams meet on Friday, Northern will be eyeing revenge as two out of Central Punjab’s three wins this tournament came against them.

What will add spice to this most-anticipated battle is that the contest will be telecasted live on Ten Sports and PTV Sports.

Road to the final: Central Punjab – 3 wins, 1 loss, 6 draws, 133 points

From the onset of the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Central Punjab established themselves as strong contenders to secure a berth in the final.

Though their journey started off with a draw in a Punjab Derby at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, their points tally got a massive boost in the next two rounds on the back of comprehensive wins.

They rolled over Northern by an innings and 100 runs at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad in the second round and outplayed Balochistan, at their home, in the third round to record a victory with a margin of an innings and 12 runs.

In their third win of the season, they beat Northern, this time by a margin of 205 runs, in Faisalabad in the seventh round.

Central Punjab have lost only one match this tournament, against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 211 runs at NBP Sports Complex, Karachi, in the ninth-round.

Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt, second and fourth on the highest run-getters charts, have been instrumental in ensuring their side’s success with the bat.

Kamran has scored 865 runs with the help of three centuries and three half-centuries and he averages 61.79 in 14 innings. The 38-year-old has not only stamped his authority with the bat but has also been at the forefront of his side’s success with the gloves with 35 dismissals – the most in the tournament.

Left-handed opener Salman Butt has struck three centuries – including a double-century – and two half-centuries in his 827 runs at an average of 75.18.

With the ball, their spin-duo of Zafar Gohar and Bilal Asif, second and third on the list of highest wicket-takers, have been the major tormentors. Left-arm orthodox Zafar has taken 38 wickets, while off-spinner Bilal has 32 scalps to his name.

Central Punjab captain Babar Azam said: “The first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is a prestigious tournament for the country and has a great significance in our domestic cricket as it serves as a nursery for Test cricketers.

“We are very happy to be in the final and look to stretch our match-winning form into this contest. I missed some domestic matches because of the national duty but it was heartening to see the progress that our side made over the course of the tournament.

“Our batting is our main strength and I am looking forward to contribute for Central Punjab after scoring a hundred against Sri Lanka at the same venue.

“It is certainly going to be an exciting contest and from what I have seen in the camp, our all players are charged up for it.”

Road to the final: Northern – 3 wins, 2 losses, 5 draws, 130 points

Northern languished at the bottom of the points table for the first half of the tournament but traveling to Karachi in the sixth round brought a much-desired change in their fortunes.

They recorded their first win of the tournament against Sindh at the National Stadium and took the tally of wins to three in the ninth and tenth rounds by securing wins over Balochistan by eight wickets and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 39 runs at UBL Sports Complex.

Their captain Nauman Ali, the top wicket-taker in the tournament, has spearheaded his side’s epic turnover. His left-arm spin has garnered 52 wickets at an average of 22.85. He has recorded as many as five five-wicket hauls this season and has the best strike-rate (42.60) amongst the top ten wicket-takers.

Northern’s Zeeshan Malik and Faizan Riaz are amongst the seven batsmen to have scored double-centuries this season. The two lead the batting charts for their side with Zeeshan being the leading run scorer from his side with 726 runs at an average of 55.85, while Faizan has 719 runs at an average of 71.90.

Top-order batsman Umar Amin has the third most runs for Northern. The 30-year-old has made 595 runs – which include a century and three half-centuries – across 10 matches.

Northern captain Nauman Ali said: “We are geared up for the final. There won’t be any such pressure on us against Central Punjab in the final. We have been involved in high pressure matches throughout our journey so we are aware how we have to handle the tough situations.

“Our batting has done well with the likes of Zeeshan Malik and Faizan Riaz as both of the batsmen have scored double centuries. In the middle-order we have the experience of Umar Amin, Hammad Azam and Ali Sarfaraz.

“I have had a good run this tournament with the ball and I am looking forward to lead my side from the front in the bowling department. We will also have Musa Khan available for the final and he will be joined by Waqas Malik, who has done well throughout the season. We have high expectations from both of them. The presence of senior pacers like Sadaf Hussain and Sohail Tanvir further bolsters our bowling department.

“Our team has a good blend of youth and experience which makes it a complete unit. I am hopeful that we will do well in the final.”

Officials

The team of the match officials will be led by match referee Iftikhar Ahmed. Ahsan Raza and Asif Yaqoob will be on the on-field umpires, while Rashid Riaz will carry out the duties of the TV umpire. Tahir Rasheed will be the reserve umpire.

Individual awards

In line with the PCB’s policy of incentivising top performers, the best players of the tournament will be awarded lucrative prize moneys.

The best batsman, bowler and wicketkeeper of the tournament along with player of the tournament will get PKR500,000 each.

The man-of-the-final will be awarded PKR50,000.

The match begins at 10am.


Northern captain Nauman Ali (left) and Central Punjab captain Babar Azam (right) pose with the Q.jpg

[MenInG]

Quotes from Babar Azam:

"We have gained a lot of confidence from our Test victory, with Azhar Ali gaining confidence and is back in form with a hundred"

"The Northern side cannot be taken easy as they are in the final and have been performing well"

"Domestic cricket always introduces good players to us and any player who performs well is brought to the fore by participation in the QeA Trophy"

"So this time around the planning is has been good with matches being broadcast live and players being interviewed, so all of these things are useful for grooming players as that helps them handle the demands of international cricket"

"Abdullah Shafique performed outstandingly well as a replacement player, and in the last match Salman Butt also performed as did Ahmed Shehzad so it becomes difficult to make a team with such good performers, but what we will try and do is to play the best team possible"

"We have been told that we had to play the final, and I am the captain of the side but I give credit to Ahmed for taking the team to this point and got the best out of the team and utilized the boys well; So I was told to be captain and I will do what I was told"

"This is not my position to request Bangladesh to come for the tour as this is PCB's decision as to what they wish"

"Sri Lanka have just gone after playing here so I dont think there is a reason for Bangladesh to not come and I feel that they should come here for the tour"

"Both fast-bowlers, Shaheen and Naseem, were released from the QeA as they had been playing for a while and had some niggles and needed to be rested; Also as you know fast-bowler bodies have different stresses and we wanted to give them recovery time before the next series"

"We [Azhar and Babar] were told that we have a 4 days of rest so we have time to recover and we said that it was not a problem for us; We have been playing for a while and if we play another game then its useful for us and also for the team"

"When you play 4-Day cricket that gives you a very good idea of how to perform in Tests"

"So what I am trying to play more and more 4-day cricket and by playing long inning in it will also allow me to understand how to build my innings in Tests"

[MenInG]

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/s/k37i3/jevpyy" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy preview.

[Junaids]

I’m not getting it.

Pakistan get little enough Test exposure and experience anyway. This could have been an unofficial Test Match, but Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are being “rested”?

It cheapens the match but it also deprived them and the batsmen of a major challenge.

[Abdullah719]

I’m not getting it.

Pakistan get little enough Test exposure and experience anyway. This could have been an unofficial Test Match, but Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are being “rested”?

It cheapens the match but it also deprived them and the batsmen of a major challenge.

Agreed, but if they had niggles as Babar said then it makes sense.

[Bewal Express]

Nauman Ali has a chance to show that he is the best spinner in PK domestic cricket

[Omer2002]

Indeed appaling for them not to play..
If bangla tests doesnt happen then technically there is nothing for them till June..so big big rest!!!

Also i did say poor Abdullah Shafique wont get a game in the final and looks he wont

[Chief Destroyer]

I’m not getting it.

Pakistan get little enough Test exposure and experience anyway. This could have been an unofficial Test Match, but Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are being “rested”?

It cheapens the match but it also deprived them and the batsmen of a major challenge.

They're young. If they were 25, different story.

[Ahmed4472]

Does anyone know if this match will be on Willow? Already having withdrawal symptoms.

[Ahmed4472]

Hopefully Babar can get a daddy hundred

[Omer2002]

Its live on ptv and ten sports

[SensiblePakFan]

If salman butt, ahmed shehzad and the akmals get another domestic trophy all at once we may as well forget about any progress.

[Markhor]

Sporting wicket please.

[ZamanFan]

Looking forward to this game. M. Wasim coaching has been a highlight of this domestic season and new regional setup. Babar Azam's captaincy will be tested.

[hur rizvi]

I’m not getting it.

Pakistan get little enough Test exposure and experience anyway. This could have been an unofficial Test Match, but Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are being “rested”?

It cheapens the match but it also deprived them and the batsmen of a major challenge.

They are teenagers who have played 3/4 tests in last few weeks. Good approach to rest them

[MenInG]

Northern have won the toss elected to bat first.

IMG-20191227-WA0004.jpgIMG-20191227-WA0003.jpgIMG-20191227-WA0002.jpg

[Xoib]

Haider ali gone. Looks very raw right now.

[Xoib]

Amin rubbish as usual.

[Abdullah719]

Umar Amin also out, expansive shot. Unnecessary.

[Xoib]

Kudos to cheema fitness at 40 he still looks first class standard

[Xoib]

Ehsan not bowling quicker then Abbas here Cheema looks faster tbh.

[ameemlutfi]

Does tensports have the same broadcast? same commentrators?

[Xoib]

Zeeshan looks ok but seems over weight with water retention on his face needs to work on his fitness

[shah_1]

Cheema was mistreated by Pakistan

He averaged 31.90 in 7 test matches

[Slog]

Cheema was mistreated by Pakistan

He averaged 31.90 in 7 test matches

He should have been picked 4 years earlier.

He was giving Better domestic performances then that at the time when he was picked.

And it’s like world beaters were keeping him out. Rana Naved, Sohail Tanvir and Iftikhar Anjum types were

[shah_1]

Same production team but picture quality is different of tensports and PTV.

[Abdullah719]

He should have been picked 4 years earlier.

He was giving Better domestic performances then that at the time when he was picked.

And it’s like world beaters were keeping him out. Rana Naved, Sohail Tanvir and Iftikhar Anjum types were

He hadn't had any outstanding seasons earlier in his career. It was only 2009-2011 where he had two good back to back seasons and he was picked, but by then he was already 30-32. His best FC performances have come after his debut for Pakistan.

[Xoib]

I don't know how at this pace adill will be an upgrade on Abbas

[anonymous_guy]

Zeeshan looks ok but seems over weight with water retention on his face needs to work on his fitness

Where are you guys watching it, can't seem to find any livestream?

[JibranAnsari]

Cheema was mistreated by Pakistan

He averaged 31.90 in 7 test matches

we were playing mostly in uae and he was not effective in uae , his wickets came against bd and zimbabwe.

[Abdullah719]

Where are you guys watching it, can't seem to find any livestream?

PTV Sports and Ten Sports are broadcasting it.

[shah_1]

we were playing mostly in uae and he was not effective in uae , his wickets came against bd and zimbabwe.

We play most of domestic performers when they are in mid 30s. Well he won us Asia cup 2012

[anonymous_guy]

PTV Sports and Ten Sports are broadcasting it.

Is there any other live stream available, don't have access to these channels?

If not, will be waiting for video highlights on PP.

[Abdullah719]

Poor shot by Zeeshan. Northern in trouble now.

[JibranAnsari]

hint of umar akmal in that shot.

[Xoib]

Poor from Zeeshan blew a golden chance to impress another season of domestic toil awaits.

[JibranAnsari]

We play most of domestic performers when they are in mid 30s. Well he won us Asia cup 2012

that trend started in the last few years , i remember m ayub dogar. Sadaf hussain and tabish khan performed for years without ever getting picked , zulfikar babar was also picked in his twilight.

[Junaids]

Both Ehsan Adil (tall, miserly) and Faheem Ashraf showing precisely what Pakistan missed in Australia.

They should both be in every Test squad to SENA.

[Shams123]

Babar should be made captain of northern instead of central punjab for the next season. He can be the right inspiration for all the young upcoming batsmen of Northern.

[Xoib]

Rohail is the.most ready of young northern bats maybe he should be part of limited overs side as the main keeper.

[Xoib]

I wish Faizan was 5 younger what he lacks in technique makes up with his good eye and fast hands would prefer him to come at 6 and counter punch or drive home an advantage then a timid like asad Shafiq.

[Xoib]

Both Ehsan Adil (tall, miserly) and Faheem Ashraf showing precisely what Pakistan missed in Australia.

They should both be in every Test squad to SENA.

Adil is not bowling quicker then Abbas he would have been slain there Faheem I agree has good energy with the ball but hit batting is dire to be honest to play as a fifth bowler all rounder.

[Slog]

He hadn't had any outstanding seasons earlier in his career. It was only 2009-2011 where he had two good back to back seasons and he was picked, but by then he was already 30-32. His best FC performances have come after his debut for Pakistan.

He was averaging low 20s for few years before debut

[Slog]

Both Ehsan Adil (tall, miserly) and Faheem Ashraf showing precisely what Pakistan missed in Australia.

They should both be in every Test squad to SENA.

The fact that you rate Ehsan Adil and Fahrenheit Ashrafs bowling tells me everything about how much you understand Pakistan domestic cricket

[Abdullah]

Mickey was grooming faheem for the bowling allrounder spot to use in overseas tours.
Still think he is the best option for that role

[Abdullah719]

He was averaging low 20s for few years before debut

Yeah but you won't be catching the selectors' eyes if you're picking up 10-20 wickets per season.

[Xoib]

Mickey was grooming faheem for the bowling allrounder spot to use in overseas tours.
Still think he is the best option for that role

A bowling alk rounder needs to average 28-32 with the bat is Faheem good enough to average even near that?

[Xoib]

Zafar has been really disappointing to be honest sure pitch is not helping but atleast keep it tight I don't see him being an upgrade on Yasir for overseas tests if this is what he can offer

[MenInG]

e95d72cc-a227-41b5-ab09-6c283a236c77.jpg9055ecbc-3440-4195-8c9b-27f7c46af410.jpg32355f58-9386-429c-8d5d-78dfbeddbb5b.jpga279ccdf-a36d-4e22-8b99-2f8313689fde.jpgcbc578ae-d3d0-4090-9187-cf945c896bf9.jpg

[shah_1]

Zafar has been pretty flat
@Bewal Express was right, doesn't get much dip to deceive the batsman.


You need dip and drift then turn the ball to be a effective. Lets wait for Nauman Ali

[m.shah]

Anyone showing it on YouTube ?

[Omer2002]

Rohail looks like he is ready to take over from saffy and rizwan

[Shams123]

Musa should work on his batting to make himself an allrounder. I dont think his bowling will ever be enough to earn himself a place in playing eleven consistently.

[Shams123]

One more season of domestic cricket and Rohail will be ready for Pakistan.

[Xoib]

Zafar and zeeshan the biggest disappointments today both look atleast a couple of seasons away from being ready if they ever are.

[MenInG]

Northern playing like a Pakistan side now

254/9 - 5fer for Faheem Ashraf and Faizan out for 116

[MenInG]

Capture.JPG

[Bewal Express]

Zafar has been pretty flat
@Bewal Express was right, doesn't get much dip to deceive the batsman.


You need dip and drift then turn the ball to be a effective. Lets wait for Nauman Ali

I haven't seen him for a while, He had it at the lower levels but like with a lot of spinners too much of the action is tailored towards the T20 game, no doubt heavily influenced by Imad

[JibranAnsari]

Zafar has become another victim of t20 cricket , pcb lacks a lot when it comes to developing cricketers.

[shah_1]

Nauman Ali is decent

[Xoib]

Musa is really mediocre cant believe he was handed a debut in aus off all.places he is atleast 2-3 seasons away to be fc standard let alone tests.

[shah_1]

Arm ball of Nauman Ali is deceptive. It is the same trajectory, doesn't go flatter.

[zacattakk]

I don't see the live stream on youtube for this game. Are they seriously not streaming the final on youtube?? That's how I had been watching the tournament

[Titan24]

Rohail Nazir and Fahim Ashraf have been the positives till now. While

Faheem might not be the hitter he was being made out in LOIs but he definitely can bat better in longer format. Contrasting differences are also evident from his FC batting average of 30 and List A average of 16.

He was not in the best of rhythms with his bowling in recent times but looks to be getting there. Going forward if he can avg 25 plus (currently averages 23 in 4 tests) with the bat then he gives option of 5 bowling options in tests but would need atleast one more bowling all rounder like Shadab, Zafar Gohar, Amad Butt, Kashif Bhatti etc someone who can give an avg of around 20 with bat in tests or an all rounder like Aamir Yamin.

[Ronaldo7]

Musa is really mediocre cant believe he was handed a debut in aus off all.places he is atleast 2-3 seasons away to be fc standard let alone tests.

He was given a chance because he was in our T20i squad and the PCB didn't want to call a bench warmer solely for the test matches so they just used Musa.

[Titan24]

Zafar was disappointing innings as he couldn’t even keep it tight though he has enough potential to make the much needed amends in the 2nd innings. Zafar has struggled a bit post his left shoulder surgery couple of years ago, maybe needs to work a bit with Mushy at NCA to sort out any issues.

[Abdullah719]

I don't see the live stream on youtube for this game. Are they seriously not streaming the final on youtube?? That's how I had been watching the tournament

It's being broadcast on PTV Sports and Ten Sports so nope, no YouTube live streaming.

[MenInG]

Faheem Ashraf’s five-fer put Central Punjab in control

Lahore, 27 December 2019:

A five-wicket haul by Faheem Ashraf and an unbeaten 57-run stand between Salman Butt and Azhar Ali put Central Punjab in a commanding position on day one of the final of the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament against Northern at Karachi’s National Stadium on Friday.

Faheem, the Central Punjab bowling all-rounder, returned five for 54 – his sixth five-fer at this level – as Northern were bowled out for 254 in 61 overs after electing to bat.

He, along with Aizaz Cheema (two for 56), sparked an early collapse which saw the batting side getting reduced to five for 69 before a gutsy 116 by Faizan Riaz rescued Northern.

Faizan, who now moves to fifth spot in the highest run-getters’ chart after scoring his third century of the tournament, smashed 14 fours in his 133-ball knock and crafted a defiant 155-run stand for the sixth-wicket with Rohail Nazir, who made a solid 80.

Rohail, the Pakistan U19 captain, faced 115 balls, out of which 12 were dispatched for fours.

As Central Punjab captain Babar Azam looked for a breakthrough, Faheem provided his side the crucial wicket of Faizan after which off-spinner Bilal Ashraf (three for 37) wrapped up the tail.

Opener Salman took a lead role in Central Punjab’s reply scoring an unbeaten 48. The left-hander cracked 10 fours in the 67 balls he faced on the first day of the match, which helped Central Punjab to 87 for one in 21 overs before stumps were drawn.

Batting at the other end was Pakistan Test captain Azhar Ali – who scored 17 not out in 37 balls.

Central Punjab’s only wicket to fall was Ahmed Shahzad. The right-handed opener made 20 off 22 balls before getting dismissed by Nauman Ali, the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.

Central Punjab trail Northern by 167 runs. The second day’s play will begin at 10am on Saturday.

Scores in brief:

Northern 254 all-out, 61 overs (Faizan Riaz 116, Rohail Nazir 80; Faheem Ashraf 5-54, Bilal Asif 3-37, Aizaz Cheema 2-56)

Central Punjab 87-1, 21 overs (Salman Butt 48 not out, Ahmed Shehzad 20)

[Abdullah719]

Day 1 highlights.

<iframe frameborder="0" width="480" height="270" src="https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x7ppkfc" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay"></iframe>

[Usman Chadda]

Why is Zafar Gohar hyped so much? The lad went at more than 4 RPO in the first innings. I don't think he's ready for international cricket.

[Xoib]

Rohail Nazir and Fahim Ashraf have been the positives till now. While

Faheem might not be the hitter he was being made out in LOIs but he definitely can bat better in longer format. Contrasting differences are also evident from his FC batting average of 30 and List A average of 16.

He was not in the best of rhythms with his bowling in recent times but looks to be getting there. Going forward if he can avg 25 plus (currently averages 23 in 4 tests) with the bat then he gives option of 5 bowling options in tests but would need atleast one more bowling all rounder like Shadab, Zafar Gohar, Amad Butt, Kashif Bhatti etc someone who can give an avg of around 20 with bat in tests or an all rounder like Aamir Yamin.

For 5 bowlers to work we.need our 6-8 which includes the keeper and all rounders to give us on average 100 runs which means an average of 33 from each. Say if Rizwan ends up a 40 averaging test bat are we confident that the two all rounders which could include the likes of Shadab, Zafar, Faheem or Amad Butt to give us on average of 60 runs between them looks higly unlikely to me.

[Titan24]

Why is Zafar Gohar hyped so much? The lad went at more than 4 RPO in the first innings. I don't think he's ready for international cricket.

He hasnt been at his best recently but he does have good skills with the ball (When in rythm he actually spins it on most surfaces), pretty handy lower order batsman and scored his first FC 100 this season and a decent fielder too. He was exceptional before his left shoulder got injured and he had it operated, bit more strength training for the left shoulder (If necessary) and sessions at NCA with Mushy would help. We dont have many young spinners at the moment with enough FC experience so he needs to developed into a product for international cricket which he has clearly showed glimpses of.

[Bewal Express]

He hasnt been at his best recently but he does have good skills with the ball (When in rythm he actually spins it on most surfaces), pretty handy lower order batsman and scored his first FC 100 this season and a decent fielder too. He was exceptional before his left shoulder got injured and he had it operated, bit more strength training for the left shoulder (If necessary) and sessions at NCA with Mushy would help. We dont have many young spinners at the moment with enough FC experience so he needs to developed into a product for international cricket which he has clearly showed glimpses of.

Zafar has gone backwards since his u19 days. He ain’t coming back with that action.

[Titan24]

For 5 bowlers to work we.need our 6-8 which includes the keeper and all rounders to give us on average 100 runs which means an average of 33 from each. Say if Rizwan ends up a 40 averaging test bat are we confident that the two all rounders which could include the likes of Shadab, Zafar, Faheem or Amad Butt to give us on average of 60 runs between them looks higly unlikely to me.

Average of 30-33 is unrealistic from a bowling all rounder in my opinion. Ben Stokes averages 35 and he is a batting all rounder.

Suggestion is for having another combination if required as Shaheen and Naseem could get a bit of support for 2-4 years as their bodies are still young and developing so burden share can be handy. If the two bowling all rounders develop further than that combination can serve for much longer.

Rizwan is a decent batsman and should be averaging 35+ in the tests in long run. If Faheem can average around 25-30 with the bat and Shadab or Amad can average 20+ than I think it can be handy contribution. Yes one cant expect 100s from them but still would do enough combined to have decent contribution lower down the order. Also it isnt like our specialist no 6 batsmen have been doing much in last few years. Yamin can average 30+ in tests with bat if he is developed so all these 2 of these options can be utilized if required especially in SENA but in Asia as well. Zafar can also come in going forward and he can also be developed into 18-22 avg lower order batsman.

Other option is to use Saud Shakeel, Haris Sohail and Fawad Alam for atleast 10-15 overs so that our pacers remain fresh. Its all about choosing a strategy and then working on it to develop it in an year or two as 5th option is required atleast in the initial years of Naseem, Shaheen and co.

[Titan24]

Zafar has gone backwards since his u19 days. He ain’t coming back with that action.

Yes but his struggles have been mainly post surgery. If he has problems, with them a strength trainer, physiotherapist and a decent spin bowling coach might be the ones who can try to get him back on track.

He is a decent asset and PCB needs to try their level best to get him to his best self. Pak have lost a lot of talents in the last 2 decades for one reason or another, need to reduce that.

[Usman Chadda]

He hasnt been at his best recently but he does have good skills with the ball (When in rythm he actually spins it on most surfaces), pretty handy lower order batsman and scored his first FC 100 this season and a decent fielder too. He was exceptional before his left shoulder got injured and he had it operated, bit more strength training for the left shoulder (If necessary) and sessions at NCA with Mushy would help. We dont have many young spinners at the moment with enough FC experience so he needs to developed into a product for international cricket which he has clearly showed glimpses of.

Playing him right now will be a mistake. He still has some work to do after coming back from injury.

[Bewal Express]

Yes but his struggles have been mainly post surgery. If he has problems, with them a strength trainer, physiotherapist and a decent spin bowling coach might be the ones who can try to get him back on track.

He is a decent asset and PCB needs to try their level best to get him to his best self. Pak have lost a lot of talents in the last 2 decades for one reason or another, need to reduce that.

His action like many of the actions of the left spinners is too geared towards the arm ball. PK and many other countries are dying for a traditional, over the top high action. He needs to be working on getting his arm higher and using his hips and body more to get the dip. Mohammed Asghar has also gone down the same route and he has also gone backwards, bowling quickish arm ball rubbish.

[shah_1]

His action like many of the actions of the left spinners is too geared towards the arm ball. PK and many other countries are dying for a traditional, over the top high action. He needs to be working on getting his arm higher and using his hips and body more to get the dip. Mohammed Asghar has also gone down the same route and he has also gone backwards, bowling quickish arm ball rubbish.

Your views on Nauman Ali?

[shah_1]

Zafar Gohar will struggle at international level.

Nauman Ali is not ideal but an upgrade over Yasir Shah. Sajid Khan is another option.

Our spinning options are dire

[Bewal Express]

Your views on Nauman Ali?

The streams are poor but he looks better than Zafar and Asghar. Irfan the other left arm spinner has something but he is a little too slow and too flighty all the time.
The low arm to fire in at leg and middle is not just a PK thing. Worcestershire have a 17yr old young left arm spinner, who I have known since he was 12 and his action has gone the way of these guys. Its the impact of T20 cricket.