Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood believes Faheem Ashraf has the ability to overshadow him and Abdul Razzaq. Mahmood, in his column for a website PakPassion, explained why Faheem can go on to become better than the two greats. “What a player Faheem has proved to be,” exclaimed Mahmood. “When I first saw him in the emerging players camp, I knew that this guy had the potential to be the very best. He is a fantastic talent who has the skills and the desire to improve and work hard. I feel that cricket is all about confidence, and if given that confidence, Faheem has the potential to become an excellent all-rounder.” Mahmood continued by saying that the 23-year-old is being backed by everyone so he can gain more confidence and develop his skills further. “I know that a lot of people complain about the lack of good all-rounders, but considering the manner in which Faheem is progressing, people will soon forget about the past. Faheem is hard working and he needs to continue doing so in the future as well. He will always have our backing and encouragement and the results of that backing are there for all to see.” The 42-year-old then pointed towards Faheem’s heroics. “His hat-trick in the second T20I and the two sixes he hit in the last over of the final T20I against Sri Lanka are all examples of his skills, which can only be good for Pakistan cricket.”

On Hafeez’s bowling action: Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez’s action was reported for a third time in three years and underwent a biomechanical test at Loughborough on October 1. “From the videos we have recorded of Hafeez’s bowling action, and from what our analyst can ascertain, his action looks very similar to before and there is no discernible change in his action,” said Mahmood. “The final decision on his action, obviously, rests with the International Cricket Council and that will become clear when the results come out.”

The bowling coach added that he wants to use Lahore University of Management Sciences’ biomechanics laboratory to avoid future problems. “In the future, I intend to use this facility a little more to monitor our bowlers, to prevent injuries and also to keep an eye on actions, so such issues can be avoided.”

On Amir’s work-load: Pakistan right-arm pacer Mohammad Amir was ruled out of the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka and the Pakistan Cricket Board was criticised for not managing his work-load, but Mahmood thinks otherwise. “There have been some discussions regarding Mohammad Amir’s work-load and his subsequent injury problems. Unfortunately, in today’s cricket, apart from the stress on the body brought on by the games they play, players are suffer due to travelling and a lack of rest,” he explained. “Add to that the severe heat which we experienced in the UAE in the recent series, possibly the worst weather I have ever been exposed to, and you can understand the problems of fitness that can arise in such circumstances.”

Published in Daily Times, November 8^th 2017.