Azhar "WALL" Ali
An obdurate batsman who likes to greet the majority of his deliveries he faces by getting behind the line, covering the movement & presenting the full flat straight face of the blade, someone who likes to show the makers name out of the coaching manual. Azhar bats in a traditional mould of spending extended periods of time in the middle to price tag his wicket with utmost pride, hold an end down, play the supporting, waiting, patient, reliable, resilient 2nd fiddle roles when engaging in partnerships to gradually accumulate runs & grind out opposition attacks. Azhar can be considered as a grafter, anchor sheet & blocker in terms of playing style. With consistent performances Azhar has impressively cemented his place as a stalwart at number 3 now that he has scored half centuries or more against all test playing nations barring India who he is yet to face. With his strengths lying in application, grit & a neat defensive technique Azhar has established himself as the glue which holds the Pakistan innings together providing the ingredients of stability, responsibility & dependability allowing the others to flourish around him. These traits are ones that have been lacked by young emerging Pakistan batsmen in the past who have been accused & guilty of excessive flashiness, ill disciplined stroke play & reckless flair.
He is the sort of player who likes to absorb pressure, dig in deep so that he can set out his stall to bat time in order to show one & all his persistence, endurance & self-restraint as he patiently churns away with his sturdy old school style. Also, somewhat of a specialist close in fielder or forward short leg with sharp reflexes & a willing attitude for the task. Given that Pakistan relies heaving on spin nowadays, this is a position of added importance. Also, one of the few survivors from the controversial tour of England in the summer of 2010. The Pakistan number 3 has been labelled as a potential future leader with his maturity, performances under pressure & also ability to communicate fluently with the press. It goes without saying that in the last 2 years the Pakistan side in the premier format of the game has gone up in leaps, Azhar has been the most consistent batsmen during the time period. I initially saw him reminiscent of a classical workmanlike grafter like Atherton of England or Richardson of New Zealand or from Pakistan someone like Mudassar Nazar or Shoaib Mohammad. Azhar has all what it takes to become a permanent & reliable member of the side for the next decade just like he has been doing for the last 2 years. As a principled individual, Azhar epitomises that regardless of how far the game evolves, the significance of being technically well equipped & temperamentally sound cannot be undervalued. There are unique characteristics here given the generation we live in which makes him special & rather enjoyable to watch for me & other test match purists.
He is the sort of player who likes to absorb pressure, dig in deep so that he can set out his stall to bat time in order to show one & all his persistence, endurance & self-restraint as he patiently churns away with his sturdy old school style. Also, somewhat of a specialist close in fielder or forward short leg with sharp reflexes & a willing attitude for the task. Given that Pakistan relies heaving on spin nowadays, this is a position of added importance. Also, one of the few survivors from the controversial tour of England in the summer of 2010. The Pakistan number 3 has been labelled as a potential future leader with his maturity, performances under pressure & also ability to communicate fluently with the press. It goes without saying that in the last 2 years the Pakistan side in the premier format of the game has gone up in leaps, Azhar has been the most consistent batsmen during the time period. I initially saw him reminiscent of a classical workmanlike grafter like Atherton of England or Richardson of New Zealand or from Pakistan someone like Mudassar Nazar or Shoaib Mohammad. Azhar has all what it takes to become a permanent & reliable member of the side for the next decade just like he has been doing for the last 2 years. As a principled individual, Azhar epitomises that regardless of how far the game evolves, the significance of being technically well equipped & temperamentally sound cannot be undervalued. There are unique characteristics here given the generation we live in which makes him special & rather enjoyable to watch for me & other test match purists.
One of the most admirable attributes is that Azhar operates within his limitations. The KRL batsman knows his strengths & weaknesses thoroughly well & thereby plays within him, compensating for the limited talent. Having a firm game plan in place & clear mindset ensures he can get the best out of him on a consistent basis. Azhar minimises risks & chances as much as possible, always trying to play a clean, disciplined, virtually flawless, risk free innings. He knows what is required from him, finds a way that works best for him & finds a method of coming through with noticeable contributions. We barely see him play a shot in anger or do anything remotely uncharacteristic to his character & skills. It’s a study of defiance, denial & self restraint.
Azhar started his career as a leg-spinner. However, after getting more opportunities through batting both in league cricket in Scotland and KRL, he was noticed for having the right kind of technique and temperament to excel as a top order batsmen. Mohammad Wasim, his domestic captain, got the assessment of Azhar’s solid temperament spot on. Azhar has always been a big believer in the virtue of patience which is evident in his approach.
Azhar prides his wicket preciously as if his life depends on it, can bat long periods of time & knows how to wear bowlers down physically and mentally. This enables bowlers to have rest which reduces the burden on them and keeps the opposition in the field and also allows the wicket to deteriorate further which his bowlers can exploit further when they are bowling. His inspiration includes Inzamam, Younis Khan and Kallis. The unflappable nature of his personality is highly significant to his success, remaining unflustered when wickets are falling around him, when the opponents are chirping in his ear or when the tempo of his innings is sluggish. The fact that he can cope and see his way through these situations means he is in a good position to score consistently everywhere. It wouldn’t be a wild thing to say he has been the best batsmen to have come outof Pakistan after Younis Khan.
He has been an integral member of Misbah’s test team which has reformed & rejuvenated the respect & fortunes of Pakistan’s test outfit in challenging circumstances and seems to be learning well under his leadership & guidance. However, he is vulnerable against outswingers in the corridor of uncertainty which is an area he can brush up on and improve his judgement. He doesn’t mind doing the hard yards by standing at short leg and getting stuck under people’s noses and taking a few blows for the team which speaks volumes about his attitude, willingness and bravery.
Once he’s in he’s a tough cookie to dislodge and it usually takes a quality delivery to dismiss him. He can hold the innings together and give himself a firm platform to capitalise from. He is controlled, methodical & with abundance of steadiness. He has been tipped to be groomed as Pakistan’s vice captain as he has cemented his place at the all important number 3 position, but also done it in an admirable fashion.
He has captaincy experience from league cricket in Scotland where he has been representing Huntly CC as the overseas professional.
He is a good fielder with sharp reflexes which adds to the overall package he brings in the team. He is a bowler turned batsmen as he used to be a front line leg spinner in his younger days and for the record has 2 List A 5fors next to his name. This is a reflection of a quick learner on top of everything else.
Technically he looks to get behind the line and cover the movement of the ball, play the ball late, defends comfortably from the back foot against the slower bowlers and typically like many sub continental batsmen uses his wrists to good effect when looking to find the gaps, but ultimately it’s his concentration and sheer determination which gets him through and can frustrate fielders and bowlers to high degrees. He strives/fights hard and works out of his skin.
Achievements include:-
ICC emerging player of the year short listed nominee 2011
Highest average, run scorer, individual score in Pak-Eng series 2012 in UAE
Pakistan’s highest run scorer for Pakistan – South Africa series 2010 in UAE with 3 half centuries & unbeaten 135 ball 28* in a creditable fourth innings drawn effort with the team in trouble
Made the highest individual score on Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010 during a test win at the Oval
Highest average & most 50+ scores in the Pakistan-Sri Lanka test series in the UAE in 2011
Most catches in the 2011 Faysal Bank Twenty20 playing for Lahore Eagles
In the top 10 quickest Pakistan batsmen to score 1000 runs in test cricket
MOTM during the 3rd test between Pakistan – England in Dubai which completed a historical whitewash in February 2012
Highest average by a Pakistan batsmen in the ODIs against England in February 2012 in UAE
Most 50+ scores by a Pakistan batsmen in 2011 with 8 of them
One of two fielders to have taken 11 or more catches by a Pakistan test cricketer in 2011
At one stage in 2011 Azhar had 5 50s, 2 unbeaten scores & 1 century in the space of 10 innings from the St Kitts test in the West Indies till the end of the third test against Sri Lanka
ICC emerging player of the year short listed nominee 2011
Highest average, run scorer, individual score in Pak-Eng series 2012 in UAE
Pakistan’s highest run scorer for Pakistan – South Africa series 2010 in UAE with 3 half centuries & unbeaten 135 ball 28* in a creditable fourth innings drawn effort with the team in trouble
Made the highest individual score on Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010 during a test win at the Oval
Highest average & most 50+ scores in the Pakistan-Sri Lanka test series in the UAE in 2011
Most catches in the 2011 Faysal Bank Twenty20 playing for Lahore Eagles
In the top 10 quickest Pakistan batsmen to score 1000 runs in test cricket
MOTM during the 3rd test between Pakistan – England in Dubai which completed a historical whitewash in February 2012
Highest average by a Pakistan batsmen in the ODIs against England in February 2012 in UAE
Most 50+ scores by a Pakistan batsmen in 2011 with 8 of them
One of two fielders to have taken 11 or more catches by a Pakistan test cricketer in 2011
At one stage in 2011 Azhar had 5 50s, 2 unbeaten scores & 1 century in the space of 10 innings from the St Kitts test in the West Indies till the end of the third test against Sri Lanka
243 runs in 5 ODIs vs Sri Lanka including a 96 & 81* opening the batting in June 2012, the most by any member of the side
Never scored a 50+ in a lost cause after 24 tests with all 17 coming in winning causes or commendable draws
Played 24 consecutive tests since making his debut, the only player to feature in those 24
Only been part of 2 Test series defeat in 10 as a player
Most 50+ score by a Pakistan batmsen during 2010
Most time in the middle by a Pakistan batsmen since 2010, having faced & spent the most deliveries at the wicket by any member of the side
Averaged 91 in the ODI series vs Australia in UAE September 2012 which was the highest by any batsmen at a strike over of over 70
One of two Pakistan batsmen to carry their bat in an ODI
Leading Test run scorer for Team Pakistan in 2012 with 3 centuries in 6 tests, the most number of centuries, balls faced and highest average as well
PCB Test Batsmen of the year 2012 at PCB Awards covered by Ten Sports
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