Imad can be the next Daniel Vettori: Iqbal Qasim

Former Test spinner and chief selector Iqbal Qasim has praised Imad Wasim and feels that he can revive the art of left-arm spin bowling in limited overs format. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Iqbal called Imad a fine talent who has all the qualities to become like New Zealand’s former captain Daniel Vettori.

Imad Wasim has emerged as the best performer for Pakistan in recent times. The left arm spinner looked in a fantastic form a single handedly knocked down the West Indies in the 1st t20I at the DSC Stadium, Dubai. His magical spell of 5/14 effectively crippled the Windies batting and set the platform for an easy for Pakistan.

“Imad can be the next Vettori; his control is excellent while his left-arm spin is wreaking havoc. Batsmen who aren’t familiar with his kind of bowling find him difficult to score runs against. His arm-ball cramps the batsmen for space and fizzes on faster than they expect which gives him a lot of wickets,” said Iqbal.

Iqbal feels the young Swansea-born all-rounder can be Pakistan’s impact player for the years ahead yet wants him to be fully established in white ball formats first, before progressing to the longest format of the game.

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“Imad has time on his hands, he is a canny operator and I think he has the potential to become Pakistan’s trump card in white ball formats,” he said.

“Presently he should work on honing his skills further. I think for Test cricket he would need to learn the art of bowling with patience since one needs to bowl long spells and work on a batsman to gain success,” Iqbal added.