Bilal Asif

Pakistan|Allrounder
Bilal Asif
INTL CAREER: 2015 - 2018
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Full Name

Mohammad Bilal Asif

Born

September 24, 1985, Sialkot, Punjab

Age

38y 177d

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Right arm Offbreak

Playing Role

Allrounder

RELATIONS

(uncle)

Born in Sialkot, Bilal Asif made his first-class debut in 2011 at the age of 26 and only played 11 matches in his first four seasons. He had success only in 2014-15, when he played six matches and scored 310 runs, including a maiden hundred. He had begun his career during Pakistan's isolation as an international venue and was first seen on screen during the Super9 T20 Cup in May 2015, when he scored a 48-ball 114.

Asif caught the eye of the national selectors for not just his batting - he is not the most technically-sound batsman - but also his ability to bowl offspin, at a time when Pakistan had lost Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez to suspect actions. He took nine wickets in the national T20 tournament in Rawalpindi. Asif was selected for Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka in 2015 but made his debut only during the ODI series in Zimbabwe in October. He took a five-for in his second ODI against Zimbabwe but was reported for a suspect action after the game.

That's where his international career may have ended - indeed, it has been the funeral pyre for many Pakistan cricketers over the years. However, his domestic performances had been improving, and extensive rehabilitation work he undertook alongside Mushtaq Ahmed was beginning to pay dividends. Hard work met opportunity in October 2018, when, on the supposed rank turners of the UAE, he was called up for Pakistan's Test series against Australia. As had been the case three years ago against England, the reserves were expected to be as close as he got to the side, but Shadab Khan's injury saw him thrust into the starting lineup.

What followed is likely to be his finest moment in his career, one his grandchildren will tire of hearing one day. He ripped through the Australians in little more than a session, taking six wickets for 36 as the visitors lost all ten for 60 runs. It wasn't as if wickets were being gifted to spinners, though; his teammate Yasir Shah didn't get his first till the fifth afternoon.

His remodelled action is a curios concoction of two offspinners as diverse as they come; the run-up is Arshad Khan - a slow, languid shuffle to the crease - but the wrists are tantalisingly Murali-like. It enables him to impart undiscernible disguise of his doosras, while enjoying excellent purchase for his offspin. He may never enjoy such success again or even play many more Tests, but he has played the game that makes the travails of a career worthwhile already.


Umar Farooq and Danyal Rasool

Bilal Asif Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests58073159.1217641.47006120
ODIs330403813.334981.63006120
FC44676102711116.83212848.262212213230
List A776299405617.73115381.52027929290
T20s5333551311418.32391131.20114227210

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests5101174424166/366/12326.502.1673.3020
ODIs331329655/255/2519.204.3626.4010
FC4471861141541338/11211/14931.232.8964.7762
List A777639033145985/255/2532.094.8339.8420
T20s53519991267543/113/1123.467.6018.5000
Mohammad Bilal Asif

Explore Statsguru Analysis

Test
ODI

Recent Matches of Bilal Asif

MatchBatBowlDateGroundFormat
Sialkot R vs Lahore W21/2508-Dec-2023KarachiT20
Sialkot R vs Lahore B--1/1307-Dec-2023KarachiT20
Sialkot R vs Karachi W220/6306-Dec-2023KarachiT20
Sialkot R vs Peshawar280/1404-Dec-2023KarachiT20
Sialkot R vs Rawalpindi--1/2603-Dec-2023KarachiT20

Photos of Bilal Asif

Bilal Asif picked up a second-innings five-for
Bilal Asif bowls William Somerville
Shaheen Afridi congratulates Bilal Asif on his five-wicket haul
William Somerville was bowled by Bilal Asif
Bilal Asif sends one down
Yasir Shah and Bilal Asif go through bowling drills as Asad Shafiq watches