How are Pakistan able to produce so many Good Fast Bowlers?

If you ever ask a cricket fan from India what is it about Pakistan cricket that they envy and the answer will almost be instantaneous. India has always had the batting strength but its fast bowling stocks are often bare. On the other hand Pakistan has managed to produce fast bowlers as though they are made on an automatic assembly line. I was not fortunate enough to see the legendary Imran Khan in action but have been lucky enough to witness Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aaqib Javed and Shoaib Akhtar during the late 1990's through to the early 2000's.

They have continued to produce fast bowlers even after the retirements of the above mentioned fast bowling magnates. The answer as to why and how Pakistan is able to produce such Fantastico fast bowlers one after the other is one which we can only contemplate and think upon with our own assumptions thrown in.

The most important factor I guess is that Imran Khan took bowlers like Wasim and Waqar under his wings and mentored them. When a legendary figure guides you and teaches you the nuances of the game and if you are eager to learn yourself and quick to pick up then it forms a potent concoction for success. Imran was a star and he always had a hand wrapped around the shoulder of his young turks, Wasim and Waqar continued the trend by guiding Shoaib through his early years. The young kids growing up, when they have heroes to look up to, someone they can try to emulate makes for a very important factor in Pakistan being so successful at finding raw fast bowlers.

Another factor is the popularity of taped tennis ball cricket culture in Pakistan. In every street and lane, you come across kids playing cricket with a tennis ball which is taped to make it slightly heavier. Now if you decide to bowl fast with a tennis ball you must have a strong upper body and a quick arm action so as to be able to hurry the batsmen. This early lesson certainly has a big impact when the kids go on to play international cricket.

The last factor which I can only guess helps Pakistan produce fast bowlers is the respect and adulation that they get from their fans. The average Pakistani fan adores a fast bowler and a fast bowler is worshipped in Pakistan just like we Indians swear and worship our batsmen. This manic encouragement is such an important ingredient which goes into producing legends we know.

Till the time Pakistan continue to nurture and adore their fast men, till their kids have stirring figures to look up to, Pakistan will continue to produce fast bowlers who are the envy and at the very same time the pride of the entire cricketing world.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Waqar Younis, The Toe Crusher - Pakistani Fast Bowling Greats

As I have written in my previous posts, I am a self-proclaimed fan of the fast bowlers that Pakistan seem to produce on a conveyor belt that seems impossible to stop. In the last post I wrote about the legendary left arm pace bowler, Wasim Akram and in this post I will write about his better half at the bowling crease, Waqar Younis. Lovingly known as the ‘Two W’s’ together they were to rule opposition batsmen right through the 1990’s striking fear in to them.

Waqar Younis

Like Wasim, Waqar too was spotted at a local match and it was the great Imran Khan who was impressed. Waqar made his test debut in 1989, in the same match as Sachin Tendulkar made his debut. He was genuinely quick and made an immediate impression by picking up 4 wickets in that drawn match.

Waqar was lethal with his high speed and the fact that he loved to keep the ball full and on the stumps while swinging it late made him an extremely difficult customer to face. He was also a master proponent of the reverse swing and had the ability to find prodigious reverse with an old ball. Late banana in swinging deliveries delivered at express pace made him unplayable.

Waqar played a total of 87 tests in which he picked up 373 wickets at a stunning average of 43! He claimed 416 wickets in the 262 ODI’s that he played with his high impact pace bowling.

He was embroiled in several controversies during his playing years most relating to accusations which claimed that he tempered the cricket ball so as to make it reverse. He was also banned in the year 2000 for the said offense. He was also the captain of the Pakistan team during their disastrous World Cup campaign in South Africa in 2003 when they failed to even qualify for the super six stage having won games only against the associate nations. He was dumped thereafter along with many senior players including Wasim Akram.

He was a Fantastico character and he has continued to serve Pakistan cricket by imparting his skills as a coach and nurturing the current fast bowling talents in Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Irfan, Rahat Ali and Wahab Riaz.

Waqar’s ability to move the ball colossally in the air and the fact that he targeted the base of the leg stump almost always succeeded in getting the batsman in an ungainly tangle. Delivering toe crushing yorkers at top speed was his speciality and hence he was also nick named ‘The Toe Crusher’. Lasith Malinga, the deadly Sri Lankan fast bowler who is known for his toe crushing yorkers once said that he learnt the art of delivering high speed toe crushers by watching Waqar in action. Waqar could not have got a better tribute than that!