Mohammad Asif

Mohammad Asif

Pakistan

Full name Mohammad Asif
Born December 20, 1982, Sheikhupura, Punjab
Current age 24 years 71 days
Major teams Pakistan, Khan Research Labs, Lahore Division, Leicestershire, Sheikhupura Cricket Association, Sialkot Cricket Association
Playing role Bowler
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	9	13	6	40	12*	5.71	163	24.53	0	0	5	0	2	0
ODIs	22	7	2	20	6	4.00	65	30.76	0	0	1	0	2	0
Twenty20 Int.	1	0	0	0	0	-	0	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
First-class	68	91	37	448	42	8.29			0	0			26	0
List A	53	23	13	155	40	15.50			0	0			14	0
Twenty20	14	3	1	13	12	6.50	24	54.16	0	0			6	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	9	1914	986	49	6/44	11/71	20.12	3.09	39.06	3	4	1
ODIs	22	1024	702	22	3/28	3/28	31.90	4.11	46.54	0	0	0
Twenty20 Int.	1	24	21	2	2/21	2/21	10.50	5.25	12.00	0	0	0
First-class	68	12169	6713	280	7/35		23.97	3.30	43.46		17	5
List A	53	2371	1834	54	4/30	4/30	33.96	4.64	43.90	1	0	0
Twenty20	14	311	323	24	5/11	5/11	13.45	6.23	12.95	2	1	0

Career statistics
Test debut	Australia v Pakistan at Sydney - Jan 2-5, 2005
Last Test	South Africa v Pakistan at Cape Town - Jan 26-28, 2007
ODI debut	Pakistan v England at Rawalpindi - Dec 21, 2005
Last ODI	South Africa v Pakistan at Johannesburg - Feb 14, 2007
Only Twenty20 Int.	England v Pakistan at Bristol - Aug 28, 2006
First-class span	2000/01 - 2006/07
List A span	1999/00 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2004/05 - 2006/07

Profile

When he made his debut against Australia at Sydney in January 2005, little suggested that Pakistan's long tradition of happening upon blitzing fast bowlers would continue. Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, kept faith, calling Asif the most improved player in the country in late 2005. By taking ten wickets in a warm-up game against England, he proved Woolmer right. He made an impressive ODI debut one day after his 23rd birthday, dismissing Marcus Trescothick with his third ball and ending with 2 for 14 off seven incisive overs. Tall, lean and possessed of a little more muscle than on his debut, Asif generates pace a medium-pacer would aspire to and a tearaway would loosen up with, around mid to late 80mph. He has mind-numbing control over his bowling, a terrifically sharp bowling brain, stamina as well as the useful ability to seam the ball both ways on most pitches. His action has modified slightly since his debut, but is repetitive and claimed him seven plumb wickets at Karachi, as Pakistan sealed a famous home series win against India. Since then, he has blossomed magnificently. He was almost single-handedly responsible for Pakistan's Test series win in Sri Lanka, taking 17 wickets in two Tests. England seemed tailor-made for his particular gifts in the summer of 2006, but an elbow injury before the first Test ruled him out until the final Test, by which time Pakistan had lost the series. A promising career was apparently cut short when he tested positive for a banned steroid, but the ban was eventually overturned, allowing him to continue. He did, in some style, and ended the year, tainted but undoubtedly the world's most promising young bowling talent.