Irfan Pathan, a one dimensional, new ball product - Opinion | bettor ...

Irfan Pathan, a one dimensional, new ball product - Opinion

Ever since Irfan Pathan came onto the international stage, tongue and cheek comparisons were drawn between him and Wasim Akram of Pakistan. It is safe to say that Akram, who was the finest exponent of left-arm swing bowling that the world had ever seen, had a key role in equipping Pathan with certain exploits that he himself had mastered in his days. Yet in times when the initial promise came in the form of destroying top order batsmen, Pathan had sadly witnessed a dramatic decline in his career from 2006 onwards. He was one of the finest bowlers in the world in 2003-04, yet his form had wavered away due to a plethora of reasons.

Pathan has only recently become a regular fixture in the Indian line up, and due to his poor form in 2006, he was excluded from the side in all formats of the game. He was always in contention for becoming a permanent fixture however, as his late order batting prowess as well as impressive performances in the domestic circuit helped him regain his position as the spearhead for the Indian bowling attack in the recent CB series of 2012.

For Indian fans, there is plenty to feel optimistic about as the Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan combination has yielded dividends and come of age against Sri Lanka. Their ability to make early inroads and have the ball swing both ways, was instrumental in ensuring a 4-1 victory in favour of India in the Micromax Cup of 2012. Pathan has always been known to exploit the conditions to his advantage with the new ball, but his one dimensional bowling has often cost him badly and hurt his career figures which had otherwise been flawless.

He averages almost 30 with the ball in ODI cricket, which is expensive for a front line bowler. His weakness obviously lies in his death bowling, which has seen him being plundered for runs at a haemorrhaging rate. Death bowling is an art which he has failed to master, in stark contrast to his contemporary Zaheer Khan. Khan?s reputation as one of India?s best bowlers is reinforced over the fact that he could deploy a toe crushing Yorker with impunity and consistency. Pathan on the other hand is a less than ordinary bowler with the older ball at the death stages of the innings, where deploying the Yorker with good effect does not come naturally to him.

He was manhandled by quite a few batting line ups in the latter stages of their innings with the most obvious example being the Asia Cup encounter against Bangladesh in 2012. India?s mammoth total of 289 became a formality for the Bangladeshis largely due to Pathan?s bowling in the death stages. His waywardness and desire to deploy the Yorker horribly misfired into juicy full tosses which the BPL products exploited. The result was a resounding victory for the home side and agony for Pathan who had once again been exposed.

For a pragmatic and prudent man such as MS. Dhoni, using Irfan Pathan in the best possible manner would be the antidote for success for future tournaments. He bowled really well in the one off T20 encounter with Sri Lanka, where he managed to dislodge the top order and set the tone for a thumping victory. Given that the ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka is just around the corner, Pathan would need to bowl well up front and not be in consideration for the latter part of the innings. Otherwise, tongue and cheek comparisons with Akram would be fallacious to say the least.

Disclaimer: Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Irfan-Pathan,-a-one-dimensional,-new-ball-product-Opinion-a179871

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