I started a thread earlier about over rated cricketers, but some names came up who have not performed to their potential. So I guess they are not over rated but have under performed. So let this thread be to the under achievers. Cricketers who showed a lot of potential did justice to their talent and potential….
I would say…
Basit Ali
Azhar Mehmood : When he came in he scored two back to back test hundreds against the SA. One of them is in the wisden top 100. He could have been our Kallis.
Shoaib Akhtar
Inzamam Ul Huq : He could have done more…
Shahid Afridi : yes i actually belived he could …
Mohd Zahid
Vinod Kambli
I think it would be quite normal to have a lot of Pakistanis, because they are the most talented bunch in the world but lacking discipline, and mental strength, with the exception of few..
here is a guy that i dont think anybody is going to mention.
How about Wasim Akram, he achieved alot but I think he is short by quite a bit, i mean the guy had the talent that could not be compared with any boby. But due to the fitness, and MORE THAN ANY THING the politics, Jalousy with certain players and all the match fixing stuff, i personally think even with what he has achieved he is the biggest Under Achiever the game has ever seen.
I dont think Basit Ali was an under achiever. He simply did not play enough cricket. He was a good batsman but right from the start he was being compared to Miandad just because of his batting style. If you dont compare him to Miandad, he really wasnt an under achiever.
I agree with Nikema on the Wasim Akram issue. He was a much more capable batsman then his average suggests.
I think all the names mentioned are underachievers but two names that do stand out are Wasim and Inzimam.
Inzimam did not do justice to his talent. He was capable of being an all-time great but he will go down only as a Pakistani great and even then he'll be next to Miandad not that there is any shame in that.
At times, Akram's devotion to Pak cricket was very suspect especially when he wasn't captain and desired to be captain. Fixing matches was also a tiny problem, sabotaging other players' careers also wasn't nice either. This man could have easily had well over a thousand international wickets. He was so ahead of his peers that it isn't even funny.
At times, even to a super fan like me it seemed like he was not playing for the win. Sad...
[QUOTE] Originally posted by Nikema: *
**here is a guy that i dont think anybody is going to mention.*
How about Wasim Akram, he achieved alot but I think he is short by quite a bit, i mean the guy had the talent that could not be compared with any boby. But due to the fitness, and MORE THAN ANY THING the politics, Jalousy with certain players and all the match fixing stuff, i personally think even with what he has achieved he is the biggest Under Achiever the game has ever seen.
[/QUOTE]
never thought this day would come, but I agree wholeheartedly.
Like you said, this guy was capable of so much that he did fall fairly short especially in his test career.
Imagine Wasim akram through out his career supported by the fielders as good as the Aussies or S.africans.I'm sure that would have made a huge difference but then again Wasim himself wasnt great in fielding.
Under achiever: Mohd Zahid
I feel so bad about Mohammad Zahid...he was extremely quick before he got injured..Bad luck!!...Zahid, Shoaib and Sami>>reincarnation Holding. Andy Roberts and Garner Trio
Paindo Bhai: Tum yaar kessay kessay topic talash kaar ke latay ho Kasam se..sometime i feel u r Bal Thakrey in disguise...aab phir PHADA ho ga..Umair316, sambrialian, Asif_k ka...
I will agree with Wasim Akram bit. He could have done more (specially with the bat).
I will add Waqar Younis here too. He could have ended with atleast 450 wickets in both forms of the game. :(
Aamir Sohail --is another cricketer who didnt make his mark as he should have. With his occassional brilliance, he often showed the world that he is capable of destroying any bowling attack but he was so inconsistent. :(
Aaqib Javed-- This guy was an excellent bowler, specially in oneday cricket. His slower ball to Mark Greatbatch in 92 semi final was undoutedly a great highlight of pakistan's WC campaign. Too bad he mostly stayed under the shadow of two W's.
A guy who got over 500 wickets in ODI and over 400 in tests is an under achiever. If he is an under achiever then who has performed? Let’s keep things in perspective. He might have set even more records, but he is by no means an under achiever.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Bilal_Tarar: *
it makes me sick to see the name 'wasim akram' on this thread!!!
[/QUOTE]
Wasim akram , Wasim akram , Wasim akram .. are you dead yet? aray bhai it doesn't harm to respect ppl's opinions.
HOwver I do agree with Ehsan bhai. Wasim is akram is by no means an underachiever. He could have set a much better record had things went for for him. He himself is to blame for all the politics and rifts.
Bilal_Tarar whats ur problem really?Wasim Akram is the best thing happened to cricket.I strongly say this.Yes Sherrybaba he could have done much better!!
Wasim in my view is not an under achiever. Maybe he under achieved in the batting a bit, but then you have to remember his contributions with the ball. Just the fact that he played so much cricket, being a fast bowler [prone to injury]with out burning out is an achievement. The hunger was still there even at the end, even when he was way above the rest of the pack in terms of OD wickets. He never seemed lonely or lost. He was always looking and getting wickets.
I think through out Pakistan looked at him as the main strike weapon and so he focused more towards that. I think he was not an under achiever. In fact I think the problem was he failed to under achieve in match fixing. And that I think to some degree [in my opinion] affected his test wickets. I saw the last Caribbean tour of his. He just bowled so well but could not get a wicket. Batsmen could not even get a nick. People said he was so unlucky. Was he?
Another aspect, controversial for some was his ability to stay in the team. Even when removed from captaincy he did not walk out or do something like Hoper did… He stayed in the team and so I guess in the end Pakistan benefited. [Of course you could argue the damage was more than the benefit… ].
So looking at the bigger Pict... Not an underachiever...
perhaps ppl dont really understand what 'under achiever' means....
if u really want to know, see saqlain's bolwing test statistics....
or afridi's batting averages....
these r under achievers....
u dont count wasim in with these....
just like u wont say bradman cud have had an average of above 100, but he did not really so he is an under achiever....
Let’s keep things in perspective. He might have set even more records, but he is by no means an under achiever.