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[ElPerro]

Re: That Moeen review

The ball hit the glove after the pad right? I think the third umpire ballsed it up by not rolling the replay forward long enough

I didn't notice this live but kept an eye out for it in the highlights, definitely looked that way

[Sitonit]

I looked him up on cricinfo and he's got some decent first class stats so he can't be a goober

IMO, Pak's CURRENT first class setup is poorer and below standard than the standard of cricket played in the streets Somalia or Mogadishu.

Lots of corruption, and non-existing coaching.
Kids play cricket in streets by putting electric tape on a tennis ball. The almost non-existing public cricket grounds are so crowded that you feel like you are in downtown London in a sunny afternoon. So playing with a regular cricket ball is almost impossible.

So if you know someone in PCB or if you have money to buy a berth in first class cricket, all of a sudden you find yourself playing first class cricket with a regulation hardball.

(I think many, many, many junior level English county batsmen are better in technique and temperament than a few batsmen in Pak's test squad. Thanks to tennis/tape ball cricket)

So if you put aside Sohail Khan's domestic stats, and see how he bowls now, you will notice that he really didn't bother the batsmen.
He hardly had any game plan. A couple of his short outside the off stump balls should have been punished but instead he got a wicket.
His swing was OKish only with the new ball. Does not understand the concept of reverse swing.

And from the past, he has some serious arrogance and anger issues (plz don't confuse "anger" with "passion").

Whether he has potential? I would say yes. Does he have the attitude to show meekness and docility and LEARN more? I doubt it.
Just like a few other very ordinary Pak cricketers, Sohail Khan also thinks he is already a super star, and that's the end of the world. "No more to learn from here, I got it all"

Nonetheless, I wish him all the best!

[ca_gold]

IMO, Pak's CURRENT first class setup is poorer and below standard than the standard of cricket played in the streets Somalia or Mogadishu.

Lots of corruption, and non-existing coaching.
Kids play cricket in streets by putting electric tape on a tennis ball. The almost non-existing public cricket grounds are so crowded that you feel like you are in downtown London in a sunny afternoon. So playing with a regular cricket ball is almost impossible.

So if you know someone in PCB or if you have money to buy a berth in first class cricket, all of a sudden you find yourself playing first class cricket with a regulation hardball.

(I think many, many, many junior level English county batsmen are better in technique and temperament than a few batsmen in Pak's test squad. Thanks to tennis/tape ball cricket)

So if you put aside Sohail Khan's domestic stats, and see how he bowls now, you will notice that he really didn't bother the batsmen.
He hardly had any game plan. A couple of his short outside the off stump balls should have been punished but instead he got a wicket.
His swing was OKish only with the new ball. Does not understand the concept of reverse swing.

And from the past, he has some serious arrogance and anger issues (plz don't confuse "anger" with "passion").

Whether he has potential? I would say yes. Does he have the attitude to show meekness and docility and LEARN more? I doubt it.
Just like a few other very ordinary Pak cricketers, Sohail Khan also thinks he is already a super star, and that's the end of the world. "No more to learn from here, I got it all"

Nonetheless, I wish him all the best!

Unfortunately that is a very unfair and blatantly wrong assessment. A bit harsh for you to say if he doesn't really have  the attitude to learn more or get better. Did you even listen to his press conference after? He got back into this team by the strength of his first class performances. He didn't create the system, he can only do as well as he can in the games he does play. He has had to wait five years for this opportunity and you think he has let that go to his head after one test? Your comment on reverse swing too, he is one of the biggest reversers of the ball in the domestic scene. He is trying to adjust to bowling with a different ball in England.

I agree with you that the first class structure in Pakistan is much poorer in terms of infrastructure and merit based national selection - however, there is talent and hard working determined cricketers there. Your generalizations of how they get into the team is what perpetuates a negative image of them.

[rickjames]

lolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Hafeez

[Batbuddy99]

JIMMY!!!!!

[justnotcricket86]

(No Swearing Please) get wickets!

[Calzehbhoy]

I know it's early days and probably going to curse him now but Finny is looking a bit more like his usual self, probably a little short but he looks like he's actually trying to bowl rather than just putting it there.

[InternalTraining]

lolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Hafeez

Was Professor Hafeez caught lecturing his team mate again? Half HS/half SS stickered bat?

[Felix Tito]

Finny probably needs a bagful here, as Wood is currently on fire against Somerset

[brokenbat]

That Mana in Sami hands looks amazing..

[rickjames]

This is tedious

[Felix Tito]

Moeen Ali bowling a load of tripe as per usual...

[csnew]

Anderson throwing the toys out of the pram as usual!

[InternalTraining]

That Mana in Sami hands looks amazing..

You know, I was wondering about this bat. Good call. I looked it up on GM's site, it has a "Powerarc Bow".

Is Mana the GM bat that was designed for/by Joe Root?

[rickjames]

Very well batted but what on Earth was Azhar thinking?