Rao Iftikhar Anjum (merged)

[Ronnyy]

When Asif and Shoaib come back who will get dropped? i feel for Anjum beacause whenever he is picked he gives a good performance then just gets dropped.

[king_of_kings_ali]

true true, but that is life i suppose, i dont like akhtar actually i hate him, but like we saw in SA test series we do need some one like him on the team. i do feel for the guy.

[iafzal]

Rao has done quite well whenever he is asked to play for Pak
Unfortunatly he has never bowled an amazing spell yet where he takes 5 or 6 wkts. Once that happens he will be considered much higher in selection. But for right now he is in the supporting cast to back up Asif and Gul.
To me he is an inteligent bowler in the mold of Rana where he varies his pace quite a bit. He has taken a few wkts with his variation in ODI 2 and 3.

[infamous9383]

No doubt it wil be rao. He's probably fifth in the pecking order behind akthar,asif,gul and tanveer and just ahead of sami. He's not a sexy choice thatll bowl 90mph and bowl oppossition away but he does what the team requires of him. his critism is that he doesn't pcik up many wickets but recently he's had 6 wickets in two matches. He's a very commited character who'll do anything for the team.

[J-Essence]

shoaib will never be able to keep himself in the team consistently .....it wont be long before rao gets in the team

[Amjid Javed]

I never was a fan at first but the lads start to grow on me. As far as pace/seam bowlers go hes been pakistan best bowler in last 6/7 odis hes played in and deserves a continual run in the side.

[Desi]

he will most likely be in the squad anyway, and when the major players need a rest he will definitely get his chance. like someone else said, when he runs through a side like some of our other bowlers can do, that is when he will be taken very seriously

[jaspa888]

Rao's bowling is not penetrative or aggressive enough to be successful at Test level. He is economical and tricky at best.

Since PCB usually picks the vast majority of the Test squad for the ODI matches, Rao will be overlooked more often than not.

[Muzy]

rao is most definetly an underated bowler - he definetly deserves a spot in the ODI side

[xbox]

Whenever he played for pakistan he always bowled with good line and lentgh. Even when he played against Australia he did pretty good overall. He didnt take many wickets but his economy rate was decent. But on a flat track he can go for runs if he doesnt develop something new since he does not have speed and too much swing.

But I have noticed in this series against S.A that he has worked on his yorkers and good accurate slower ones. He was not doing this before this series. So I think he won't be a bad choice if he keep going this way. Again maybe to disappoint many but I don't see Shoaib Akhtar playing many ODIs. Also I would prefer Rao over Sohail if we talk about bowling strictly. But again Sohail will also improve with time.

[Bailan]

As everyone already said, that every time he has bowled for Pakistan he has done well and performed reasonably.

However, he has not yet decimated any side with his bowling. Something that |Asif|Akhtar|Gul| can claim.

[muz]

I feel that Rao should be played in ODIs. Not much Shoaib can provide in ten overs that Rao cannot - and nine times out of ten Rao will have the better economy as well as pick up a couple of wickets in the middle overs.
Shoaib, Asif & Gul can battle it out for the position of strike bowlers. On dead
pitches, I feel Asif is the one who should make way for Shoaib.

[UJ]

One thing that Rao doesn't have going for him is that he is a medium pacer and with Asif and Gul in the side the selectors might prefer something a little different. Whether that be the left arm of Tanvir or the pace of Akhtar/Sami. But in saying that nothing wrong with his performances and he can hold his head high.

[Hash]

Rao is just an honest hard working bowler. He isn't going to rip stumps out of the ground and send toe crushing yorkers or nose pulverizing bouncers but he will bowl his alottment of overs and he will bowl them well.

He is a very handy first change bowler to have. He keeps it tight and picks up the odd wicket here and there. His pace isn't actually that slow...I have seen him crank it up to 87/88mph before. So far in this series he has been FANTASTIC.

SHABASH RAO!

[Showman]

I agree with most people, that Rao has not decimated any side with his bowling yet.

But if you look at someone like Sami who has done that on a few occasions in the past. He got dropped after performing well and now hes basically become a 6th choice fast bowler. So theres definently competition for spots.

[Bobaran]

I agree with what Hash said, I think he a hard worker and he's been bowling very well. I hope we keep him in the squad for future matches.

[pak4life]

he dosnt have the x factor like asif gul or shoaib. he is very good on slow wickets when his off cutters become useful. he will struggle on flat and bouncy tracks. useful player to have in the squad

[Wazeeri]

It's about getting the right team out for Pakistan. It isn't about making all the players feel loved.

[IMMY69]

do what arsene wenger does and select the team on performance - i.e. is a player is performing and the team is winning so then dont change anything

[IMMY69]

Originally Posted by pak4life he dosnt have the x factor like asif gul or shoaib. he is very good on slow wickets when his off cutters become useful. he will struggle on flat and bouncy tracks. useful player to have in the squad

complete and utter nonsense!

he played well against england in 2006 in the one dayers too and was extremely decent in aussie in the vb series when he was extremely raw and we were without any experiences pacers...

he also did well in windies...

[Boi]

Rao deserves to be in the side but i dont think that would happen when asif and akhtar are back

The thing i like about him is that he keeps it simple and he doesnt try to over do it. Aswell as that he is a good bowler to bowl with first change as he can put pressure on the batsmen

He for sure deserves to be in the team for atleast odis and he is nt that bad with the bat also he has an average of 20 someat

[Wazeeri]

There are people who deserve to be in the team more than him because they are better.

[12thMan]

He has to be in the next game

[pakistani pride]

He is bowling really when and even if shoaib and asif come back he should be our first change bowler.

his pace is decent can bowl at 135 Ks !

[Wazeeri]

So Gul should be kicked out???

[NeVerMind]

What has most impressed me about Rao is how he is improved bowling at the death, now that he bowls yorkers and gets wickets at the end. Rao is da man!

[deviously~fading~away]

Originally Posted by infamous9383 No doubt it wil be rao. He's probably fifth in the pecking order behind akthar,asif,gul and tanveer and just ahead of sami. He's not a sexy choice thatll bowl 90mph and bowl oppossition away but he does what the team requires of him. his critism is that he doesn't pcik up many wickets but recently he's had 6 wickets in two matches. He's a very commited character who'll do anything for the team.

[deviously~fading~away]

I have to confess i wasn't the biggest Rao fan around when this series started but like AJ said he has started to grow on me!

[Amjid Javed]

Asif to me seems to be struggling alot in odis and isnt a guarenteed starter, he does well when conditions suit, i think at moment he could be battling with Rao for a spot in ODI side as bizare as that seems.

[PlanetPakistan]

Originally Posted by Amjid Javed Asif to me seems to be struggling alot in odis and isnt a guarenteed starter, he does well when conditions suit, i think at moment he could be battling with Rao for a spot in ODI side as bizare as that seems.

what about Tanveer?
Asif has a similar role(both new ball bowlers) so i am expecting him to replace Tanveer for the 4th ODI

[Saj]

34 wickets in 33 ODIs. Run rate of 4.57 per over.

These figures aren't earth shattering or breathtaking. He's a steady rather than spectacular performer. My only concern when Rao is bowling especially in batting friendly conditions is that when a batsman gets set, he's the sort of bowler that they tend to look at as the weak link and attack.

[sehsan]

Originally Posted by Saj 34 wickets in 33 ODIs. Run rate of 4.57 per over. These figures aren't earth shattering or breathtaking. He's a steady rather than spectacular performer. My only concern when Rao is bowling especially in batting friendly conditions is that when a batsman gets set, he's the sort of bowler that they tend to look at as the weak link and attack.

I agree. People are over hyping him. the wickets he have took so far are mostly on slow balls. He is nothing spectaular. Asif will come into the oneday team as soon as he is fit

[hussain_0216]

I havent been on for a few days, but need less to say Pakistan choked like a bunch of "?@#in chockers, ( and we really needed that win for confidence going to India ).

But moving on I wanted to give this post to Rao Iffthikar Anjum, when I first saw this guy I thought Pakistan are not going to get anywhere picking these medium pacers, but everytime the guy plays for Pakistan he does the basics well, bowls very accuratley and intelligently and always seems to pick up a few wickets.

I think we all understand that he is best utilised as a first change/middle overs bowler.

The way he has bowled has impressed me and its all due to his own talents and commitments and he is in the team on merit.

Well done Iffthikar and keep it up.



In ODI's if Pakistan pick 3 main seamers he has to be picked second to Aktar with Gull and Asif fighting for the last spot.

[jaspa888]

He has been rubbish today.

Devoid of confidence (not sure why after his performances v SA), but really let the team down today.

I still do not rate him as an international bowler, and would even prefer Sami to him.

[Saj]

Originally Posted by Saj 34 wickets in 33 ODIs. Run rate of 4.57 per over. These figures aren't earth shattering or breathtaking. He's a steady rather than spectacular performer. My only concern when Rao is bowling especially in batting friendly conditions is that when a batsman gets set, he's the sort of bowler that they tend to look at as the weak link and attack.

As today proved if a batting team are on top, he's the guy who is generally targetted by the opposition.

[Waseem]

Originally Posted by jaspa888 He has been rubbish today. Devoid of confidence (not sure why after his performances v SA), but really let the team down today. I still do not rate him as an international bowler, and would even prefer Sami to him.

Yeah Sami is much more consistent with these sort of performances.

[Savak]

I always had a feeling that the indians would fancy Rao Iftikhar, and our selectors fell into the trap of picking him on the basis of his excellent series vs South Africa. But India was a much better batting line up.

[Saudi]

So what do we do now? He bowled very very poorly and bowled none of the deliveries that brought him success against South Africa. Very one dimensional today and gave away way too many runs to the likes of Harbhajan.

[Saj]

One thing is for certain and Malik needs to look at this, is that Rao should not be bowling the death overs. Gul, Akhtar or even Tanvir should be trusted with these overs rather than Rao.

His general length and his pace make him prone to being carted around in the slog overs.