Lack of Fitness
Lack of fitness has plagued Pakistan cricket for a very long time but over the past some years the situation has hit rock bottom. In the recent Asia Cup group match with India we saw Shoaib Malik retire hurt after scoring a century. It is so typical of Pakistani batsman to get cramps, retire hurt or something after scoring a century!
Of course the Pakistani bowlers could not stay behind with the primary bowler, Umar Gul getting injured after just eight deliveries. Sigh!
Really there are many issues with the state of Pakistan cricket and there is a definite need for some better and more committed players but really the main issue is the lack of fitness and something needs to be done about that. There is no way any team can plan or prepare or strategize if players are not going to play the full match! Any good physical trainers out there? :-)
Of course the Pakistani bowlers could not stay behind with the primary bowler, Umar Gul getting injured after just eight deliveries. Sigh!
Really there are many issues with the state of Pakistan cricket and there is a definite need for some better and more committed players but really the main issue is the lack of fitness and something needs to be done about that. There is no way any team can plan or prepare or strategize if players are not going to play the full match! Any good physical trainers out there? :-)
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This is probably the weakest Pak bowling attack I have seen.. Other than Gul n Tanvir they have no one. Malik refuses to bowl for some unknown reason and Tanvir is no where near his IPL form.
I think fitness with the bowlers has been an issue for a long time in Pakistan. Even Wasim and Waqar had their fitness issues but not as much as other bowlers... Shoaib, Asif, Gul have been a nightmare really... I think it was Andrew Liepus who did a brilliant job with the Indian bowlers... Pakistan need someone like him...
These bowlers need to know how to balance things - while shoaib is over built, Asif and Gul lack the muscle... they're not how ideally bowlers shud be..
Q after Wasim & Waqar I have hardly seen any supporting wicket in Pakistan that is also resulting in poor domestic performance from the bowlers.
You are right about the Shoaib, Asif and Gul.
Gul has been disappointing off late... one thing I noticed... when he first came in, he didn't have much speed but deadly accuracy and sharp seam movement... now he has grown bulkier and generates a good pace but has lost his trademark deliveries... looks like something had to give.
Wasim - Sohail Khan did brilliantly despite the unsporting wickets.
These are the same wickets that Waism and Waqar used to be magical on.
Scoprs - I agree with u. Gul has been good but only in bursts, and he has lost what he had before.
Pakistani bowlers are making a habit of starting as good bowlers and then trying to bowl only fast! Sami and now Gul!
I dont think there will ever be a bowling tandem like the 2 W's!
Malik is a scared captain and needs to be changed - he doesn't bowl coz he is a nervous captain!
Q
I haven't seen much of Sohail Khan, but Wasim & Waqar were in a different league,both of them knew how to conserve energy they could bowl with same effectiveness from a shorter runup, these guys do not have wicket taking deliveries so they keep on trying to bowl fast.
Umar gul under Waqar developed a good yorker but has lost it since,I rarely see any of them reversing the ball, and most of it IMO is because of placid wickets.
Under Wasim most of the times wickets used to be supporting as far as I remember.
I think things changed under Inzamam who loved to bat on dead pitches and always had a defensive
mentality.
Anyways ways a part of the problem is self created we have the fastest bowler in world who is serving a career ending ban just because he criticised a wicket.
I remember I was accused of favoritism when I defended Shoaib Akhtar on different occassions, but strangely Gul and Asif are not criticized with same intensity for not maintaining their fitness. People loved to hate Shoaib Akhtar.
I think thats a valid point Wasim. Gul and Asif have been just as frequently injured as Shoaib Akhtar and yet Shoaib has been constantly criticized.
I guess its just that Shoaib is more in the limelight cos of his umpteen match winning efforts.
Asif and Gul have hardly done that yet.
As for the 2Ws. Definitely we won't find anyone like them but we still had a history of pace bowlers which has died down - much like the Windies though the Windies pacers are coming back now.