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Joined: 19-Jul-07 15:51
Posts: 2010
Is it just me, a bias fan, or do xxxstan look the team to beat in the limited overs world now?
Number of reasons:
-The bowling attack is the best in the world, simply put. Umer Gul is one of the finest exponents of the yorker of all time, and hes made a return as a top notch opening bowler, Muhammad Aamir is just as good as the great Wasim Akram, his mentor, was at this age, ive made a thread on him already and hes already taken the wickets of Tendulkar, Jayasuria, Dilshan, McCullum, Taylor, Smith etc... Afridi is a classic example of a top notch partnership breaker, his variations in pace, turn and flight are terrific, as shown by his bowling form over the last 3 years, Ajmal is a better bowler than Afridi, he has terrific control over flight, is mentored by the great Abdul Qadir and has a terrific doosra and slider. Add to this the expensive but wicket taking Rana Naved or Abdul Razzaq, and the canny Shoaib Malik, and it is safe to say that xxxstan have the best bowling attack in the world, pippin Sri Lanka and South Africa.
The explosive batting - Yes, the top order fails more often than it succeeds, we have a constant opener problem, but the line up to come after that is terrific - Younis Khan averages 50 in tests, Muhammad Yousuf averages as much as Ponting in both tests and ODIs, Shoaib Malik, very consistent, terrific against subcontinental teams, Umer Akmal, new talent, scored 2 150+ scores in the county game already, as well as bludgeoning a 67 ball recovery 100 against South Africa, and providing terrific late cameos, Shahid Afridi, we all know the beast, now more mature inside him, Abdul Razzaq - has 3 gears - stout defence (made 70 off 250 on the last day of a crumbling pitch against India), support act where he nudges and lets someone else do the damage, and bludgeon - some people may remember him hitting 69 in 4 overs against England.