'Mohammad Sami' (
Urdu: Ù…ØÙ…د سمیع) (born
24 February,
1981 in Karachi) is a Pakistani
cricketer who specialises in
fast bowling. He made his international debut against
New Zealand in 2001 taking 8 wickets for 106 runs in his debut Test match. He was also successful in Test cricket in
Zimbabwe and in his second tour of
New Zealand in 2003. He played his 50th
One-Day International against
India at
Lahore on March 24, 2004. He has taken over 100 wickets in first class cricket and in List A cricket.
On
1 December 2003, he took his ODI career best figures of 5 wickets for 10 runs. It was the first time he took 5 wickets in an ODI. Earlier in April in
Sharjah, UAE, he had taken 4/25 against
Kenya.
Sami is one of the world's quickest bowlers, capable of delivering the ball in excess of 150 km/h. He has been recorded at speeds of 157 km/h, making him after
Brett Lee and
Shaun Tait of Australia and team mate
Shoaib Akhtar the world's quickest bowler. Despite speed and boyish good looks and being able to swing the ball successfully, Sami has disappointed. He has not displayed the control of line and length, and the consistency needed to be successful at the highest level.
After many chances Pakistan replaced Sami (who was once the spearhead of Pakistan attack) for the One Day series against England with
Mohammad Asif, however he was recalled for the series against South Africa in January/February 2007.
Sami was originally omitted from the 15-man Pakistan squad for the
2007 Cricket World Cup, although he was named as one of five reserves.
[1] After team mates Akhtar and Asif were dropped from the World Cup squad due to injury, Sami and
Yasir Arafat were called up as replacements.
[2]
Trivia
★ Sami is one of only two bowlers to have taken a hat-trick in Test cricket and ODIs, the other being fellow Pakistani
Wasim Akram.
[3][4]
★ He holds the record for the most balls bowled in an ODI over. In a game against Bangladesh in 2004 he bowled 17 balls off an over which included seven wides and four no-balls.
[1]
References
1. Pakistan reveal back-up players: 'BBC Sport' Retrieved 01 March 2007.
2. Shoaib and Asif out of the World Cup: 'Cricinfo.com' Retrieved 01 March 2007.
3. Hat Tricks in Test Matches: 'Cricinfo.com' Retrieved 02 March 2007.
4. One Day Internationals - Hat Tricks: 'Cricinfo.com' Retrieved 02 March 2007.
External links
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