By SS
January 12 2004

Insert your comments to the PakPassion Favourites thread and they will be added to the comments against that particular player.

Abdul Rauf

Rashid Latif : "I have kept wickets to many outstanding bowlers and to be honest I believe that after Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Sami, Rauf is definitely the best pacer around on the domestic circuit and can do well for Pakistan."

Majid : Agreed we've never seen this guy in action and probably never will... but for Rashid Latif, who has kept against bowlers like Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib and the rest.. to make such claims about Rauf - seriously, this kid has got to have something about him..

A first class bowling average of 22.58 and strike rate of 37 !

Rauf has played a mere 26 first class games, less than half that by Shabbir... but taken an amazing 8 five-wicket hauls and 2 ten-wicket hauls !! and a best of 8-40.

Any bowler who can boast such a fine record, has got to be worth a game or two... what do u guys say ?


Saj : I would like to see him given a chance in the 3 day warm up match against the Indians, for the Prime Ministers XI or Presidents XI or whatever they call the team these days.


Riaz Afridi

Merc - In an under 19 Pakistan vs Sri Lanka match, this fast bowling all rounder blasted a whirlwind 62 off a mere 35 balls with five sixes and three boundaries. He also took 3 wickets for 51 in the same match. He has first class bowling stats of...

79 wkts at an avg of 24.00 with a S/R of 47.2!!!

...definitely a Pakistani player to watch out for in the future!

Nadeem - He is one of my favourite young prospects. Standing at 6'3'' and possessing a physique more intimidating than Hayden's this 19 year old looks a special player. His recent allround exploits as an under 19 player have projected him in the public and PCB eye as a promising youngster. He is a belligerent lower order batsman who bowls at over 85 mph swinging the ball both ways.


Mohammad Irshaad

Merc - reputed to already be bowling in the 150's (and he's in his late teens) by none other than the king of fast bowlers himself. Shoaib Akthar says this kid has all it takes to be a top class super quick and who are we to argue with him? He's become a favourite here at Pakpassion on hearsay alone, can he deliver the goods? Only time will tell.

Nadeem - Its early days yet but for shoaib to gushing over him in interviews and saying that he is a genuinely fast and deadly accurate bowler is a big statement and has to be given credence as its from the best fast bowler in the world. He had played only a handful of domestic games yet he was rushed into the PAK A team. He is reputedly faster than sami. If all this is true we will have 3 bowlers at over 150 bowling for us. Not to forget shabbir who has now upped his pace to 145.


Salman Butt

Nadeem - When i saw him bat against BANG i was awestruck by the dead easy manner in which he bats. Combine that with elegance, panache and a fluent style and u have a very gifted batsman. He is yet to prove himself on the international scene but he has been causing havoc on the domestic scene with one massive ton after another.

Merc - a stylish and aggressive left hand opening batsman, Butt has often been overlooked for the much more 'taluntted' Mohammad Hafeez. He impressed us in his short cameo vs SA and scored 233 vs the SA academy team in SA. He's scored a few double centuries recently on the domestic circuit too. At the moment he doesnt seem likely to break the Farhat-Taufeeq or Farhat-Hameed pairs but here at PakPassion we want to push Hameed to number 3 in ODI's and open with Farhat-Salman. Lets hope he gets a fair chance to showcase his immense talent for the full side!


Salman Qadir

Nadeem - He is Abdul Qadir's son and played for PAK under 19 recently. He combines extravagant strokeplay with resolute defence. Touted by many including kamran abbasi he looks the genuine article. He is one of those rare pakistani batsmen who hold the innings together instead of going for maximum ever ball.


Nadeem - He is one of my favourite young prospects. Standing at 6'3'' and possessing a physique more intimidating than Hayden's this 19 year old looks a special player. His recent allround exploits as an under 19 player have projected him in the public and PCB eye as a promising youngster. He is a belligerent lower order batsman who bowls at over 85 mph swinging the ball both ways.


Yasir Ali

Merc - a 17 year old debutant fast bowler who impressed us all with his speed but also raised a few eyebrows with his action. After putting in an impressive performance in his first test vs Bangladesh, he hasnt been seen again. His List A limited overs bowling record is...

4 wkts at an avg of 17.75 with a S/R of 27.0!!!

...pretty impressive for some1 so young. Riaz Afridi, Naved-Ul Hasan, Irshaad and Rauf have overtaken him in the PakPassioners hearts but if he can work on his action and his skills. He may be able to force his way into the national team on the basis of merit alone!


Imran Nazir

Nadeem - What a sad story. This guy has been labelled as the most gifted batsman in pakistan by none other than majid khan and imran khan. So much potential yet so little fortitude. His shot selection has to be the worst (after afridi) in international cricket. Nevertheless, the strokes that he does play in his short stays are even beyond the scope of youhana and inzi.


Hasan Raza

Merc - once a promising future test star after his debut at 14 for the full squad, he was widely touted to become one of the greatest batting legends of all time. Depite being the youngest ever test deutant, he has been mistreated ever since. Often he has been the only batsman to hold the team together whilst all around him are collapsing but he is always out of favour with the selectors.


Saeed Bin Nasir

Merc - A very handy and often aggressive right handed middle order batsman. He's just turned 24 but is yet to be selected in the playing XI for the full Pakistan team. With an average of 43.78 in First class matches and 51.61 in List A limited matches.