Pakistan have included three pacemen in the side – Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema and Wahab Riaz – for the four-nation tournament to be held in Bangladesh from March 11 and Latif felt Sami’s form should not have been overlooked.
The out-of-favour paceman, who has played 35 Tests and 83 One-day Internationals, bagged 39 wickets and scored 579 runs in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class competition, before claiming 17 scalps in the Pentangular Cup in just 2 matches. He also ended as the joint-leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets in the Bangladesh Premier League.
“Sami’s in the form of his life,” Latif told The Express Tribune. “He’s by far the best genuine fast-bowler in Pakistan at the moment.”
Latif’s comments come after Cheema and Riaz’s failure to contribute substantially in the recent series and Latif felt Sami’s inclusion was deserved.
“When a player is performing well, he should be utilised. If Sami doesn’t qualify for selection even after all these performances then I don’t know when he’ll get a chance.”
‘A handy option in Twenty20s’
Meanwhile, outgoing bowling coach Aqib Javed believes that Sami can come in handy in the shorter format of the game.
“I’ve followed his performances recently and he can be a good addition to the T20 squad,” said Aqib. “He’s an attacking bowler, excellent fielder and a handy batsman.”
However, the former Pakistan fast-bowler remained sceptical of Sami’s effectiveness in Test cricket. “He can’t bowl longer spells effectively but he can be really handy in short bursts.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2012.
COMMENTS (22)
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A little correction : tournament will be played in Bangladesh, Not SriLanka
The Time sami was taken Out of the team at that time Pakistan had a great pace attack and he just couldnt make His place In the team,In the current situation only omer gul is a reliable option for pace attack,And sami is far better then wahab ,cheema And Junaid khan!
I have always trusted Rashid Latif's opinion on cricket. One of the finest students of the game. I had always believed Sami has the potential but needless to mention that he disappointed umpteen times. However, if he is bowling well, his potential to turn matches should not be ignored. I don't know how is it now but the guy used to consistently bowl above 90mph (occasionally touched 95mph), could reverse swing the old ball and also bowled lovely outswingers with the new ball. It was something in his head that was not right and his consistency was a big question. With such a complete repertoire, if he is bowling well, he could prove to be very handy for the team. Bring it on. Enough of medium pacers.
I have always respected Latif's view but this suggestion is ridiculous. Sami has been brought back several times on the same grounds, domestic form and failed horribly each time. He has no brain at all; runs in like a headless chicken and hurls the ball in hope. Average domestic batsman may be intimidated by pure pace. Quality international batsman have taken him to the cleaners each time. If we want to experiment, why not try some youngsters who can improve instead of going back to the same failures. Most recently, Shaoib was brought back because of domestic form. We all know what he did in UAE!
@Raos: I have personally rated Sami as a better bowler than shoaib in many aspects......it's just speed fame and Tauqeer Zia's back patting which has made Shoaib look like a star though he was a hooligan and a nuisance of the team....One of the very big controversial players of Pakistani Cricket,Sami has got control and can swing the new and old ball much better than any other present Pakistani bowler
@Mohammad: World Cup is not our target at the moment,Our target is our lost prime and excellence
Sami is 31, Cheema is 32......These guys wont be around for the next World Cup , Try new guys, please.
with due respect ,I do,nt agree with Rashid as Samee never came upto the winning bowler ever.He never showed himself as a great fast bowler even he had played with Shaoib,Waseem and Waqar.I never ever witnessed a single good show from him.He is fast but not a good swing bowler.
@SAK: My dear.....how much knowledge do you have of cricket?......Imran Khan......The pioneer of genuine fast-bowling and reverse-swing in the sub-continent has always expressed his faith and confidence on Sami and has always made efforts to promote him.....Imran is very much famous in the cricketing world for his merit preferences......it's just that he has been and is still being made a victim of bigotry....don't force me to open my mouth....I have been following cricket and especially Pakistani cricket since 1950's....it is just due to lingual/regional bigotry...and nothing else......and this has happened with more than 50 test cricketers in history of Pakistani cricket.....
When PCB act like Punjab Cricket Board by killing merit, you will here such voices. Simple criteria should be recent performance in max 3 matches or recent high achievers in domestic, else talent,future prospect or player testing is just an excuse. With recent example of out of the way inclusion of Shoaib Malik and Imran Farhat, people in PCB are responsible for Punjab dimension to the story.
Definitely agree with Latif and Aqib. Sami was always a great asset especially in ODIs; yes he had a bad patch, but people forget he was always used wrongly. Sami is great for bowling at the death (thats why he's so good for T-20s too), and he's a first change bowler, not a new ball one as he has mostly been used for. Shock and awe, as Imran Khan touted him for.
Why people always talk about Punjab Sindh why not Pakistan
This is big injustice because Wahab Cheema have been ordinary..... Wahab has been named in spot-fixing scandal alongside Kamran Akmal.......
@shadi: Its not punjab cricket board its Pakistan cricket board dont try to prevail "tasub"
I think Differently, Sami has already played the cricket of his life. He is the world worst bowler in international cricket having such a great Pace. People do forget things.
He can perform well in these domestic tournaments but not on international level.
Enough should be Enough.
Again merit is over looked, Wahab and Cheema did not produce result on slow pitches. Asia cup and then T20 world cup will be on slow pitches. Sami will be very useful in both tournaments. Look at his performance when Pak visited India under Inzi captain ship.
what to do, punjab cricket board doesnt allow anyone from other provinces.
Aizaz Cheema seems to be a big "Parchee". Such an ordinary bowler but constantly being played....
Rashid Latif is a great man and great cricketer and i second his thoughts.
I support Rashid Latif's faith in Sami. Rashid's judgment and trust is always right.