Zaheer Khan

[Fontaine]

Yes' date=' I wish Pathan gets as lethal as he used to be. Also, RP Singh is quickly slipping away into oblivion (ok maybe an exaggeration tat).[/quote'] Pathan will take some more time as he's been bowling with his remodelled action for only a year and a half. He needs plenty of overs to get comfortable with the basics. There are still hints of the great bowler when he was swinging in style against Australia in the test series down under. RP is far from slipping into oblivion. He's just been injured this year and needs to continue to work on his fitness. It was only in the 20/20 WC when he was one of the best bowlers on display devastating with his inswinging deliveries at 85mph. The spell he had against South Africa and then again at the start of the final with the new ball when he wrecked the Pakistan top order is pure gold. I will never forget that delivery he sent down to Pollock to clean him up in his farewell game!! The guy was blasted over right and left handed batsmen with devastation deliveries that were aimed outside the off stump but were swinging into middle!!! He just needs to get healthy and get a lot of overs so that he can get back into his rhythym. He's still probably our best number 3 when touring abroad in swinging conditions. Sreesanth, well, he never had the tempremant or accuracy and control to begin with so his recent foolishness only sets him back further.

[f.b.m]

RP is far from slipping into oblivion. He's just been injured this year and needs to continue to work on his fitness. It was only in the 20/20 WC when he was one of the best bowlers on display devastating with his inswinging deliveries at 85mph. The spell he had against South Africa and then again at the start of the final with the new ball when he wrecked the Pakistan top order is pure gold. I will never forget that delivery he sent down to Pollock to clean him up in his farewell game!! The guy was blasted over right and left handed batsmen with devastation deliveries that were aimed outside the off stump but were swinging into middle!!! He just needs to get healthy and get a lot of overs so that he can get back into his rhythym. He's still probably our best number 3 when touring abroad in swinging conditions. Sreesanth, well, he never had the tempremant or accuracy and control to begin with so his recent foolishness only sets him back further.

I agree and disagree. Agreed with the fact that RP needs to get his rythm right and is a very good 3rd seamer option overseas. At home though, he's never been much of a swinger of the ball nor have I seen too many spells of reverse swing from him when the conditions are dry. Sreesanth on the other hand, swung the ball late in India when he played against South Africa in Chennai (on a seriously flat track) where RP couldnt do anything. He also did the same in Ahmedabad late into days 1 and 2 where the conditions werent made for swing bowling. Watch the highlights of that series and the difference is there to see. I think in terms of potential to move the ball (late and at a decent pace), there's far more to work with for Sreesanth than RP. Edit: Still, its kind of a pity though. If RP had been born in NZ or South Africa, he's be a deadly bowler in those conditions.

[Fontaine]

Sreesanth on the other hand, swung the ball late in India when he played against South Africa in Chennai (on a seriously flat track) where RP couldnt do anything. He also did the same in Ahmedabad late into days 1 and 2 where the conditions werent made for swing bowling. Watch the highlights of that series and the difference is there to see. I think in terms of potential to move the ball (late and at a decent pace), there's far more to work with for Sreesanth than RP.

I don't doubt his skill, he's one of our fastest bowlers. It's his temprament and control that's in question. From changing his run up and delivery during spells, his histrionics, and his lack of control, Sreesanth is awful when he's not in form and that's all too common. In conditions where other bowlers like Zak/RP are doing well, Sreesanth shows up, bowls a lot of pie chuckers, rank short balls that sit up waiting to be destroyed by the batsmen. Out of all the bowlers I think he's the least likely to have a long term international career because he can't even get the basics right most of the times.

[fineleg]

I don't doubt his skill' date=' he's one of our fastest bowlers. It's his temprament and control that's in question. From changing his run up and delivery during spells, his histrionics, and his lack of control, Sreesanth is awful when he's not in form and that's all too common. In conditions where other bowlers like Zak/RP are doing well, Sreesanth shows up, bowls a lot of pie chuckers, rank short balls that sit up waiting to be destroyed by the batsmen. Out of all the bowlers I think he's the least likely to have a long term international career because he can't even get the basics right most of the times.

^ that was crazy sh** SreeSanth used to do!

[Rajan]

I remember a speedgun recording of around 149-150k for sreesanth some time back. he has a good release of ball.good seam position.lovely swing.subtle change of pace.but his brain goes berserk and is not in his control. he does not have self control. he has the urge to try different deliveries at wrong times and gets hit for a four/releases pressure and captains get angry.if only he realises his follies and regains his fitness, he will be an asset for indian team with his combative spirit.is that too much to hope for?only time will tell. but somehow i think Dhoni does not like sreesanth's experiments and indicated quite a few times that he would rather go with Munaf who is more accurate and disciplined, but bowls well with in himself.

[Fontaine]

25 Zaheer Khan Ind 221 26 Shoaib Akhtar Pak 220 With his wicket today Zaheer has over taken Shaoib in the list of most ODI wickets of all time. India 1 - 0 Drugistan Cheats

[Sachinism]

How good was Zaheer Khan today?

[Fontaine]

How good was Zaheer Khan today?

Zaheer bowled like a finely tuned machine today. His mastery over his line/length was immaculate even though he changed angles from over/round the wicket a few times he still was putting the ball exactly where he wanted to. Well set batsmen tried to get aggressive against him because he wasn't giving away any loose deliveries by charging him or shuffling wide to offstump and each time Zaheer adjusted his line accordingly and made McCullum miss badly and bowled Taylor who was looking to launch him for six. Taylor will think twice about doing that any time soon.

[Fontaine]

First ODI NZ/India Two years on and Zaheer still has that amazing ability to swing the ball both ways. On a colder night, on a pitch that doesn't really help swing, Zaheer's first over reminded me of the way he hypnotized the English batsmen on his tour there two years ago. His first over Zaheer got the ball to swing both ways. Beating Jesse Ryder with pace and movement off the deck as well as a hint of inswing. His 2nd over was more about pace and length rather than swing. Then his third over he got the ball to move both ways beating Ryder again who was desperate to get the run rate going which was crawling at 2. At one point Ryder has a full swing of the bat trying to pull a Zaheer delivery on a very good length but got nowhere near it. Both players grinned at each other in the follow up!!! Guptil came on strike and Zaheer adjusted his line for the RH, angling it across him and Guptill just played defensively because there was no width on offer. Very good adjustment by Zaheer during the over when a lot of bowlers get disrupted by the RH/LH combination because it requires different bowling lines but Zaheer switched the line with great accuracy and kept his pace up. Praveen I thought used the wicket like an experienced pro. Bowling close to the wicket, then a little wide, falling away in his delivery action to get the ball to swing both ways also. But where Zaheer stands out is that Praveen swings it at around 130kph and Zaheer will get similar swing at around 138kph! I think where Praveen fails is after 10 overs or so when the new ball doesn't swing at all and then Praveen just hasmedium pace deliveries that even on a good length can be hit around for singles and wider deliveries can be dispatched for boundaries. Munaf was Munaf. When he bowled wicket to wicket on the off stump line batsmen were cramped for room didn't get many runs, but as soon as his length was too full or line to wide he was easily dispatched for runs. Munaf has very little variation and isn't too much of a threat to take wickets. Hopefully Ishant can come back soon because after the new ball our bowlers are useless apart from Bhajji/Khan. The Kiwi batsmen really struggled once again middling the ball. I thought Taylor looked good after he got going but the rest really struggled if they weren't playing with a horizontal bat.

[Lord]

First ODI NZ/India Two years on and Zaheer still has that amazing ability to swing the ball both ways. On a colder night, on a pitch that doesn't really help swing, Zaheer's first over reminded me of the way he hypnotized the English batsmen on his tour there two years ago. His first over Zaheer got the ball to swing both ways. Beating Jesse Ryder with pace and movement off the deck as well as a hint of inswing. His 2nd over was more about pace and length rather than swing. Then his third over he got the ball to move both ways beating Ryder again who was desperate to get the run rate going which was crawling at 2. At one point Ryder has a full swing of the bat trying to pull a Zaheer delivery on a very good length but got nowhere near it. Both players grinned at each other in the follow up!!! Guptil came on strike and Zaheer adjusted his line for the RH, angling it across him and Guptill just played defensively because there was no width on offer. Very good adjustment by Zaheer during the over when a lot of bowlers get disrupted by the RH/LH combination because it requires different bowling lines but Zaheer switched the line with great accuracy and kept his pace up. Praveen I thought used the wicket like an experienced pro. Bowling close to the wicket, then a little wide, falling away in his delivery action to get the ball to swing both ways also. But where Zaheer stands out is that Praveen swings it at around 130kph and Zaheer will get similar swing at around 138kph! I think where Praveen fails is after 10 overs or so when the new ball doesn't swing at all and then Praveen just hasmedium pace deliveries that even on a good length can be hit around for singles and wider deliveries can be dispatched for boundaries. Munaf was Munaf. When he bowled wicket to wicket on the off stump line batsmen were cramped for room didn't get many runs, but as soon as his length was too full or line to wide he was easily dispatched for runs. Munaf has very little variation and isn't too much of a threat to take wickets. Hopefully Ishant can come back soon because after the new ball our bowlers are useless apart from Bhajji/Khan. The Kiwi batsmen really struggled once again middling the ball. I thought Taylor looked good after he got going but the rest really struggled if they weren't playing with a horizontal bat.

i dont think we should rush Ishant.we need him most for tests n he should return ONLY if he is 100% fit. about PK he should be a certainty n should take the new ball for next five games.i cant believe he wasn picked for T20 s munaf as u said isnt much of a wicket taker.i would like Irfan in place of him.he offers a lot more as a package than munaf in these conditions even if Munaf is playing i would still like to see irfan instead of yusuf.the wickets of NZ are nt gonna help spinners,so with irfan we can have five bowlers without sacrificing too much.irfan can also offer a lot of big hits like yusuf

[Holysmoke]

First ODI NZ/India Two years on and Zaheer still has that amazing ability to swing the ball both ways. On a colder night, on a pitch that doesn't really help swing, Zaheer's first over reminded me of the way he hypnotized the English batsmen on his tour there two years ago. His first over Zaheer got the ball to swing both ways. Beating Jesse Ryder with pace and movement off the deck as well as a hint of inswing. His 2nd over was more about pace and length rather than swing. Then his third over he got the ball to move both ways beating Ryder again who was desperate to get the run rate going which was crawling at 2. At one point Ryder has a full swing of the bat trying to pull a Zaheer delivery on a very good length but got nowhere near it. Both players grinned at each other in the follow up!!! Guptil came on strike and Zaheer adjusted his line for the RH, angling it across him and Guptill just played defensively because there was no width on offer. Very good adjustment by Zaheer during the over when a lot of bowlers get disrupted by the RH/LH combination because it requires different bowling lines but Zaheer switched the line with great accuracy and kept his pace up. Praveen I thought used the wicket like an experienced pro. Bowling close to the wicket, then a little wide, falling away in his delivery action to get the ball to swing both ways also. But where Zaheer stands out is that Praveen swings it at around 130kph and Zaheer will get similar swing at around 138kph! I think where Praveen fails is after 10 overs or so when the new ball doesn't swing at all and then Praveen just hasmedium pace deliveries that even on a good length can be hit around for singles and wider deliveries can be dispatched for boundaries. Munaf was Munaf. When he bowled wicket to wicket on the off stump line batsmen were cramped for room didn't get many runs, but as soon as his length was too full or line to wide he was easily dispatched for runs. Munaf has very little variation and isn't too much of a threat to take wickets. Hopefully Ishant can come back soon because after the new ball our bowlers are useless apart from Bhajji/Khan. The Kiwi batsmen really struggled once again middling the ball. I thought Taylor looked good after he got going but the rest really struggled if they weren't playing with a horizontal bat.

Top post. I think Praveen has the potential to be what IKP was with the ball in his prime. He just needs to work on a few more variations like slower ball etc.

[Fontaine]

i dont think we should rush Ishant.we need him most for tests n he should return ONLY if he is 100% fit. about PK he should be a certainty n should take the new ball for next five games.i cant believe he wasn picked for T20 s munaf as u said isnt much of a wicket taker.i would like Irfan in place of him.he offers a lot more as a package than munaf in these conditions even if Munaf is playing i would still like to see irfan instead of yusuf.the wickets of NZ are nt gonna help spinners,so with irfan we can have five bowlers without sacrificing too much.irfan can also offer a lot of big hits like yusuf

Honestly, at this point I don't care who bowls as long as they make full use of the new ball because at some stage Zaheer will be rested along with Ishant. So whoever's got the new ball they have to bowl on a good length and also pitch it up occasionally to try and get swing in the air as well as off the deck from the good length. Because after the new ball there's nothing much our fast bowlers can do apart from Zaheer and probably Ishant.

[Lord]

Honestly' date=' at this point I don't care who bowls as long as they make full use of the new ball because at some stage Zaheer will be rested along with Ishant. So whoever's got the new ball they have to bowl on a good length and also pitch it up occasionally to try and get swing in the air as well as off the deck from the good length. Because after the new ball there's nothing much our fast bowlers can do apart from Zaheer and probably Ishant.[/quote'] i dont think thats fully correct.with windy conditions even the old ball seems to swing around.obviously not as much as the new one.but enuf to cause trouble to batsmen.

[fineleg]

You beauty :heart: Whatay bowling in power play (odi 3 vs NZ)

[Holysmoke]

man, what is it with women and Zak!??!!:mad:

[flamy]

O man, ZAK looked iffy today. :((

[King]

O man' date=' ZAK looked iffy today. :(([/quote'] I'd spare all the bowlers criticism just for the 3rd ODI. Pretty much every bowler went for runs and it was even worse than a Twenty20. Small ground, flat and slow wicket, there was not much in it for the bowlers. I guess they all tried their best but few things are out of control like today, you just can't help it. I don't reckon the bowlers would be too worried about their figures tonight.

[flamy]

I'd spare all the bowlers criticism just for the 3rd ODI. Pretty much every bowler went for runs and it was even worse than a Twenty20. Small ground' date= flat and slow wicket, there was not much in it for the bowlers. I guess they all tried their best but few things are out of control like today, you just can't help it. I don't reckon the bowlers would be too worried about their figures tonight.

except Dadaji...

[msb1991]

I thought Zaheer bowled okay, got in those quick yorkers and was comparitively economical.

[Dhondy]

man' date=' what is it with women and Zak!??!!:mad:[/quote'] "Women?" You sure?