Naseem Shah
Naseem Shah celebrating with his teammates (Credits: Twitter)

Former Pakistan fast-bowler Mohammad Asif has levelled serious age-fraud allegations at current Pakistan bowlers. The controversial cricketer has alleged that the current Pakistan bowlers are much older than what their official ages suggest. Mohammad Asif’s comments have come after the Pakistan bowlers’ poor performance in recent times including the recently-concluded first Test against New Zealand.

He shared his views on the current state of Pakistan cricket during an interaction with his former teammate Kamran Akmal on the latter’s YouTube channel. Akmal asked Mohammad Asif why the current set of Pakistan bowlers are unable to take 20 wickets like him and Shoaib Akhtar in the recent past as well as Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis before that.

Mohammad Asif
Mohammed Asif (Credits – AFP)

In reply Mohammad Asif said that it has been a while since a Pakistani quick took a 10-wicket match haul. He pointed out how he and his contemporaries used to salivate whenever they got the chance to bowl on pacer-friendly wickets like the ones in New Zealand. He then criticised the current pacers and said that they lack knowledge and control.

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“I feel it might have been 5-6 years since a fast bowler took 10 wickets in a match. We used to salivate after seeing the pitches like the ones in New Zealand. There was no question of leaving the ball as a fast bowler. I never used to leave the ball before taking a five-wicket haul,” said Mohammad Asif.

“These kids do not have the knowledge. They don’t know how to keep the batsman on the front foot, not give them a single and how to bowl on the wickets. When they try to bowl on the wickets, it goes down the leg-side. They do not have the control,” he added.

Mohammad Asif questions pacers’ age:

Criticising the pacers further, Mohammad Asif questioned the authenticity of their official ages and reasoned that it is evident by their lack of flexibility. He went as far as saying that the current pacers are almost ten years older than their official ages.

“And they are so aged. It is written as 17-18 years on paper, but they are actually 27-28 years old because they don’t have the flexibility to bowl 20-25 overs. They don’t know how to bend the body; they become stiff. They are not able to stand on the field after bowling a 5-6 over spell,” said Mohammad Asif.

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Age fraud has always been an issue in Pakistan cricket. Last year, Naseem Shah had landed in controversy over his age.  There were several alleged proofs, showing that the pacer had hidden his real age. However, the controversy soon ended after the PCB hit out at the critics.

Mohammad Asif
Mohammad Asif (Credits: Twitter)

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