Abdur Rauf: “Despite seeing Mohammad Asif and Abbas, our coaches went behind pace instead of skill”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan seamer Abdur Rauf feels sorry for ex-speedster Mohammad Asif and current fast bowler Mohammad Abbas as he believes they fell victim to the problem of coaches preferring pace over skill.
Asif and Abbas bowl around 130 kph, but trouble batsmen with their impeccable line and length, and the ability to swing the ball both ways.
Knowing how difficult it is to master the skills Asif and Abbas possess, Rauf lashed out at the coaches Pakistan have had over the years, questioning why they don’t utilise such bowlers.
“Despite seeing Mohammad Asif and Abbas, our coaches went behind pace instead of skill,” he told PakPassion.
Abbas hasn’t been involved in any of Pakistan’s recent assignments, which included a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, a T20I tour of Bangladesh, and a limited overs tour of the West Indies.
Instead, he has been representing Nottinghamshire in the County Championship in England, where he has taken 26 wickets in seven matches, which includes two five-wicket hauls, at an average of 23.07.
The Pakistan team just got done playing a T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah, which they won.
Their next assignment will be the 2025 Asia Cup, which will be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem