'Imad Wasim can be the next Daniel Vettori'

Former Test spinner and chief selector impressed by all-rounder’s bowling

KARACHI: With another stunning bowling performance under his belt left-arm spinner Imad Wasim continues to win accolades both from cricket pundits and fans.

Former Test spinner and chief selector Iqbal Qasim is also showering praise on the Swansea-born and feels he can revive the art of left-arm spin bowling in white ball formats.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Iqbal, the hero of the historic Bangalore Test win in 1987, called Imad a fine talent who can serve Pakistan like New Zealand’s former captain Daniel Vettori.

“Imad can be the next Vettori; his control is excellent while his left-arm spin is wreaking havoc. Batsmen who aren’t familiar with his kind of bowling find him difficult to score runs against. His arm-ball cramps the batsmen for space and fizzes on faster than they expect which gives him a lot of wickets," said Iqbal.

Imad has been in a rich vein of form with the ball ever since his five-wicket haul in the Belfast ODI against Ireland last month. While Pakistan lost the five-match ODI series against England 4-1, Imad kept a tight leash with the ball besides useful contributions with the bat — 153 runs in four innings without getting dismissed.

Iqbal feels Imad can be Pakistan’s impact player for the years ahead yet wants him to be fully established in white ball formats first, before progressing to the longest format of the game.

“Imad has time on his hands, he is a canny operator and I think he has the potential to become Pakistan’s trump card in white ball formats," he said.

"Presently he should work on honing his skills further. I think for Test cricket he would need to learn the art of bowling with patience since one needs to bowl long spells and work on a batsman to gain success," Iqbal added.