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Originally Posted by Rachael OK.. I've long been sceptical of Sami... happy to go along with a popular characterisation of him as a classic instance of what Boycott calls a "show pony": I know the kid is young... and still learning his trade.. and I'm not sure the term is warranted in his case... but I have rarely heard anyone say much to convince me otherwise.
Would you care to put the case FOR Sami? To suggest why he's in your long-term dream Test outfit?
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Ok that's a fair question as Sami's form has fluctuated recently, but he generally follows a poor performance with a pretty good one so it becomes difficult to drop him! He has a lot of attributes, a good away swinger with the new ball, and he can get them to come back in quite sharply as well. Allied to his aggression and speed he's got plenty going for him. I don't know if you recall he took 15 0r 16 wickets in one game playing for Kent this season. He can be really destructive when everything clicks. the problem remains lack of consistency but I don't think we are getting that from any of our bowlers, Gul apart, so who do we drop and who do we play?
One other thing I should mention is you always get 100% from Sami although i accept it's not always channeled very effectively. In the scorching heat against India when Shoaib was wilting against the Indian batsmen, Sami kept at them and eventually earned his reward even after having a couple of catches put down.