AFG vs PAK: "Trying To Bring Balance In Our Bowling Attack"- Afghanistan Bowling Coach Hamid Hassan
Updated - 20 Aug 2023, 09:54 PM
Afghanistan bowling coach Hamid Hassan has spoken very highly of his team’s pace bowling department heading into the three-match ODI series against Pakistan in Sri Lanka. The series will be the prelude to Afghanistan’s continuous cricket going onto the Asia Cup followed by the World Cup.
Bowling coach Hamid Hassan is happy with his pace bowling resources heading into these crucial tournaments. He said that Afghanistan were predominantly a spin bowling side in the past but the new crop of pacers is making the bowling outfit look competitive.
“Look, for the first 10 years of Afghanistan cricket there were fast bowlers and later Nabi came, followed by Rashid and lot of other spinners also joined the party. When we were playing matches it was mostly spinners doing the bulk of the bowling and we were dependent on the spinners but that does not mean we didn’t have fast bowlers at that time,” Hassan told Cricbuzz.
He further spoke about the Afghanistan pacers and their quality. He named players like Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Azmatullah Omarzai, Farid Malik, and Nizaat Masood all of whom have the quality to lead the Afghanistan pace bowling unit.
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We Will Find Bowlers Who Can Bowl At 150 K In The Next 5-10 Years: Afghanistan Bowling Coach Hamid Hassan
“Now we are trying to bring balance in our bowling attack and as the Asia Cup and World Cup is approaching, we don’t want to be dependent on any particular department in our bowling. Spin wise we are very good and there is no doubt about it. But if you come to fast bowling there is Farooqi, who is world number two in T20Is, and there is Farid Malik, Naveen (Naveen ul Haq), Azmat (Azmatullah Omarzai) Nizaat Masood and you see the new guy Abdur Rehman can bowl up to 140 and there is Salim Safi and Wafadar Momand so there is back-up in fast bowling unit. “Sometimes when we pick the 11 we get confused whom to play and whom to drop. This is a good thing but what we are trying is that we will find bowlers in next five to 10 years who can bowl over 150 for Afghanistan,” Hamid added further.
He had a special mention for Fazalhaq Farooqui whom he compared with former England great fast bowler Stuart Broad, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket.
“I tell him (Farooqi) there is Stuart Broad who was hit for six sixes and later picked 600 wickets so getting hit for a six or two doesn’t mean the end of the world because after being hit, what is important is that you have to make a comeback and deliver even better. If you see the last ODI against Bangladesh, Shanto hit him for a six and next ball he dismissed him, because he believed in himself,” said Hassan.
The AFG vs PAK ODI series will be played from August 22-26 after which both teams will participate in the Asia Cup 2023.
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AFG vs PAK 2023 Afghanistan National Cricket Team Hamid Hassan Pakistan national cricket team
