Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif: “If the national team begins winning matches at home using spinners, fast bowlers will eventually disappear”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan seamer Mohammad Asif believes “fast bowlers will eventually disappear” if the men in green keep using spinners to win matches on home soil.
His comments come after Pakistan’s last two Test series at home, where they faced England in October 2024 and the West Indies in January 2025.
During the England Test series, 43 out of the 47 wickets taken were by spinners Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saim Ayub, Zahid Mahmood and Salman Ali Agha.
As for the two-Test series against the West Indies, Noman, Sajid and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed combined to take 38 out of the 40 wickets.
Asif noted that if this trend continues, where Pakistan keep producing spin-friendly pitches and only pick one specialist fast bowler, the number of pacers in the country will significantly decrease.
“If the national team begins winning matches at home using spinners, fast bowlers will eventually disappear,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be an ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa.
After this, they will feature in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will be held from February 19 to March 9.
Pakistan Squad for 2025 Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah