Sohail Tanvir: “I am hoping that Hasan will improve his cricket and it’s not right to say that he is done as a cricketer”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Pakistan left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir believes “it’s not right to say” pace bowler Hasan Ali’s international career is done after his disappointing performance at the World Cup.
Tanvir’s comments come after Hasan struggled during the tournament, where he took two wickets in four games at a dismal average of 128. He also finished with an economy rate of 7.75.
Tanvir noted that by having a plan B in place, Hasan can not only regain his form, but also become a better and more successful bowler.
“Any player can improve himself regardless of how badly he may be doing at any point and the same can be hoped for Hasan Ali in the future,” Tanvir wrote in his blog for PakPassion. “Learning is a process which has no age limit and I am hoping that Hasan will improve his cricket and it’s not right to say that he is done as a cricketer.
“We all know that he is a very talented player and the fact is that he is a very good bowler when the ball is reversing. We saw that ability in action during the Champions Trophy where the ball was reversing, and those kind of performances earned him the player of the tournament award as well.
“Where he is lacking and what he needs to work upon is in the area of hitting the good length when bowling at a time when the ball isn’t doing much for him. So, this is the time when there is no lateral movement or conventional swing available for the bowler to use which seems to happen a lot in today’s white-ball cricket.
“This is where he needs to learn to survive in such conditions and apart from hitting the right areas on the pitch, he needs to bring variations into play which can get him wickets. He needs to have a plan B which he is clearly lacking at the moment.
“Take the example of Amir who was extremely economical even at a time when he wasn’t taking wickets. He knew where to bowl on what kind of pitch and was using his common sense to not give away runs. This is what Hasan Ali needs to learn which is to learn to survive with a low economy rate when the ball is not doing anything. He must also remember that bowling isn’t only about running in hard and giving it all, you have to hit 140-145kph with very little to show for in terms of wickets as well.
“Another example for Hasan is Shaheen Shah Afridi. He was all over the place during Pakistan’s ODI series in England and in the early stages of the World Cup but then he made a change to his tactics and his performances changed for the better. One only has to look at his pitch map to note that he was regularly hitting the good-length area in the latter part of the tournament and that was the key to his success and the same template can be used by Hasan Ali to improve himself too.”
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