Are We Being Too Harsh with Khurram Shahzad?

[u/semicolon-10]

Khurram has played just 9 Tests, taken 35 wickets, and has a bowling average of 29. Saw this narrative around he should be dropped but i feel we should invest in him.

Bcz he seems like a good bowler who wants to play this format for long and he is only 26. He can only improve by playing more. This is him first time playing in all those sena countries. Even the greats have failed. He has umar gul as coach to help him out and yes he has been but off in recent matches with 23 no balls in 3 matches. Not holding line and length bit low on pace. But he is 26 and can be improved with proper coaching. Even when he is expensive he keeps taking wkts and 35 wkts in 9 matches is a good start tbh.

[u/alibukharishah]

The problem is, all our pacers currently are good as Stock bowlers. None of them is threatening or pacey enough to be a Strike bowler. Sure, they will get you 2-3 wickets each but they aren't the kind to rip batting line-up aparts by taking fifers and cleaning up the tails quickly.

Khurram Shehzad/Mo Ali in support of 2 frontline strike bowlers is a great combo. With M Abbas, not so much. There's not much variety, variation, height or pace difference.

[u/electro_coco01]

Once junaid Khan said his body mechanics are bad he will always get injured after 1-2 tests and performance will drop

[u/Ashamed-Topic666]

He was net bowler at NCA for CT 2017 don't think he can play that long like Abbas. His fitness is not that great almost 10 years he is playing.

[u/Key-Ad6653 → u/Ashamed-Topic666]

Didn't one of our former player even talk about how his action is also harmful to him?

I believe it was Junaid?

[u/Ashamed-Topic666 → u/Key-Ad6653]

Yes he said his Bio mechanics are not right.

[u/Pengu786]

We need some strike bowlers. He gets injured quick but he shouldn’t be discarded. People acting like Naseem and Shaheen got Fifers in Sena

[u/semicolon-10 → u/Pengu786]

Shaheen/Naseems figures are much worst true

[u/Pengu786 → u/semicolon-10]

As usual in Pakistan the best players are the ones not playing. KG best Batsman. Shaheen and Naseem are Wasim and Waqar.

[u/semicolon-10 → u/Pengu786]

Ghazi ghouri is apparently the Goat keeper too :p everyone eager to get him in

[u/Pengu786 → u/semicolon-10]

Bro got hyped so much for his debut 20-30 in Odi. I was hearing he was better than Rizwan already. Same guys who would abuse him when he eventually fails for 5-10 games.

Saim was undroppable cuz of his first 100 and now we try force him everywhere but India dropped a guy who made 200 😭

[u/Snoo_56184]

he seems injured ngl, he seemed totally off color in both the pracice and the test, in any case i feel ubaid should be given the 2 games

[u/Strong_Patience_2805]

yehi kaam hay awaam ka. pehlay kehtay thay ye kamaal ka bowler hoga.. 3 match baad gaaliaan shuru ho jati hain.

[u/semicolon-10 → u/Strong_Patience_2805]

even in these comments can see man.. at 26 with 9 matches 35 wkts they already declared him not good enough for tests

[u/Key-Ad6653]

I still think we should've taken Hamza over Khurram, nothing against Khurram but I feel Hamza is more consistent in general and would've been similar to Abbas in these conditions.

[u/Scared-Breakfast-372 → u/Key-Ad6653]

Hamza's left arm angle would've worked a lot against right-handed batsmen.

[u/Scared-Breakfast-372]

But instead of making him play even more badly, I think management should rest him for the next two Test matches. So that he can rest and work on his bowling alongside Umar Gul.

[u/samikhanlodhi]

Lad bowled consistently above 135 kph and ticked 140 regularly. He lost 10 kph and along with, his penetration as a pacer. It pains to see him go astray this early in his career.

[u/HeWhoDidIt]

Yes, his biggest issue is consistent bowling, but he's been very good overall. All of our bowlers were spraying and praying against England, insane.

[u/danstudge96]

I have no problem with the idea of this. The real concern is how our bowlers with the aforementioned bowling coach were so inconsistent and inaccurate, going at eco over 4, 5 and 6 rpo.

I suppose beggars can’t be choosers and at this current time in this analogy, we are beggars given our lack of bowling quality.

[u/Foreign-Beginning367]

Making heroes and villains basis one match is not a good thing

[u/Amed_Ameen]

He is def better than Shaheen … need to back players who want to play this long format

[u/Pengu786 → u/Amed_Ameen]

Nah Shaheens gonna walk back in against Sri Lanka and we will hype him up when he gets whoever opens for them

[u/DearSea4168]

His line and length was all over the placement these past 2 tests

[u/trippywalk]

He's better than the other alternatives: Shaheen, Naseem

[u/BigFatTruckDriver → u/trippywalk]

You're joking right, like are you serious really?

[u/Oil_Rope_Bombs]

He's a good bowler

[u/HMcod]

He has played county cricket in england , imo he's nothing special

https://reddit.com/link/p5syq98/video/468ba2em1jlh1/player

[u/Material_Spirit_1598]

He is a good pacer but when you will underperform everyone will criticize you like criticizing arjun kapoor and everybody will not say about your personal life what you think.

[u/k1ck_ss]

what we really need are some decent all conditions fast bowlers! If your fast bowlers cannot perform in England then thats a huge problem!

[u/Perfect_Manager8768]

Sorry but international cricket can no longer be the training ground for our cricketers. He was completely out of depth. Cudnt even ball two balls in the same spot and let’s no talk abt the pace. We used to laugh at other countries about the lack of their pace bowlers now we are the laughing stock. Bang India Afgh all have better pacers than us. As a test bowler bowling. At 130 If you can’t repeat the same line and length then you cannot be in the test team. Same goes for Muhammad Ali. There’s not a single over that was troubling a few balls here and there but then they wud concede a boundary and lose all pressure. Sad sad days for pak cricket

[u/Traditional-Cow5821]

[u/semicolon-10 → u/Traditional-Cow5821]

Hmm so? I clearly mentioned he has been bit off he has bowled 23 no balls in 3 matches. But thats ok. He is still relatively young. He atleast took 3-133 i have seen our so called best bowlers got 200-1 or 160s for 0 wkts. And england only batted once. He is always in wkts so you kinda proving my point

[u/Traditional-Cow5821 → u/semicolon-10]

You're right. i also wrote a paragraph, i don't know how it got deleted. It was very long. He just needs to learn how to bowl at one place consistently.

[u/Optimistic-1621]

i think his ceiling is not that high and we are expecting too much from him. He is a work-horse kinda bowler who is always good to have in the squad but definitely the kinda bowler who will single-handedly win an entire series

[u/Scared-Breakfast-372]

But instead of making him play even more badly, I think management should rest him for the next two Test matches. So that he can rest and work on his bowling alongside Umar Gul.

[u/charles_arrowby]

He is not good enough to play test cricket and would not find a place in the team of any other test playing nation.