Tag Archives: Faiz Fazal

Vidarbha skipper Faiz Fazal showing his aggressive side in DY Patil T20

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Vidharba, MAHARASHTRA :

Faiz Fazal's strike rate in the tournament is currently 253.
Faiz Fazal’s strike rate in the tournament is currently 253.

Nagpur :

Faiz Fazal has always been a free-flowing player. He has all the shots in the book.

In fact, during his Under-19 days, he was known to be one of the talented stroke players in the country. His highest score in limited overs cricket at the Under-19 level was 181, which came against Railways. However, with responsibilities in the Vidarbha fold, he had to curb his natural instincts. He became the mainstay of Vidarbha batting right from his first season.

Despite scoring 912 runs in the latest Ranji Trophy, Faiz didn’t get a look in for the IPL. However, that hasn’t stopped him from performing well. The Vidarbha skipper is in blazing form during the ongoing DY Patil Twenty20 tournament in Mumbai, where most of the IPL players are playing.

Faiz, who plays in the Times Shield and DY Patil Twenty20 for Jain Irrigation, is hitting some big sixes. In fact, his power hitting has surprised some of the IPL scouts, who are keeping an eye on their players’ performance. His strike rate in the tournament is currently 253. His brilliant performance has helped Jain Irrigation qualify for the knockouts.

In the qualifier match against Income Tax, Faiz hit 72 in just 27 balls, which had eight sixes and two fours. “He hit some big sixes. Most of the hits were sixes in any ground in the world. It’s just pure bad luck he couldn’t get into any IPL team. Maybe this performance can remind talent scouts about this different aspect of his batting. This is a quality tournament where you get good bowlers,” a talent scout, who doesn’t wish to be named, told TOI on Thursday.

He had watched Faiz’s knock against Income Tax. Incidentally, Faiz got out to Vidarbha allrounder Himanshu Joshi.

The tournament, which is generally prelude to the IPL, was postponed as the BCCI preponed the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy. Now, it’s acting as a preparatory tournament for the IPL. In the first match of the main draw against Reliance 1, Faiz scored 31 in just 13 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes. He took India Under-19 pace sensation Kamlesh Nagarkoti to cleaners pulling him for a six and four. He also smashed Punjab seamer Baltej Singh for a six and four in the first four balls. Reliance 1 also had the Kerala seamer Nidhish MD, India Under-19 spinner Ankul Roy and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar.

Former India stumper Kiran More, who is part of the Reliance support staff, was all praise for Faiz’s aggressive display. “He played extremely well against us. There are a lot more permutations combinations in the IPL. There are many international players who didn’t get to any team. Teams know what and who they want and you need to fit into their requirement,” More told TOI.

“Faiz is good, compact player with a solid technique. He has all the shots in the book. If he performs like this, he will surely get his chances. He has played for the country so he knows what it takes to get there. Sometimes you need a bit of luck going your way. I don’t see age will be an issue for him,” More added.

In the second match against Air India, the 32-year-old scored 34 in just 16 balls with the help of four boundaries and two huge sixes. Jain Irrigation won both the matches by comfortable margins. These knocks are perfect answers to those who only term him a four-day player.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports News> Cricket News / by Ruchir Mishra / TNN / February 25th, 2018

Cricket is my bread and butter: Jaffer

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Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

Guiding light: The seasoned Wasim Jaffer, who notched up valuable runs for the new Ranji champion, wants to continue contributing to the fortunes of Vidarbha. | Photo Credit: PTI
Guiding light: The seasoned Wasim Jaffer, who notched up valuable runs for the new Ranji champion, wants to continue contributing to the fortunes of Vidarbha. | Photo Credit: PTI

Veteran run-machine is convinced Vidarbha has the talent to go places after this momentous triumph

Wasim Jaffer has not lost his appetite to score runs in the Ranji Trophy.

A joy to watch because of the elegant stroke-play he brings to his batting, Jaffer has stacked up impressive numbers. After playing 22 seasons — 19 for Mumbai — Jaffer is on the top of the pile with 10738 runs and some of those helped the team he represented this season to win the Ranji Trophy. And he is ready for another stint.

Injury prevented him from turning out for Vidarbha last season, but he regained fitness and returned to nurture the talented cricketers of the Central India team. He played in nine matches, scored 595 runs, with one century (158 not out against Goa) and three half centuries for an average of 54.09. Two years ago, he played nine matches and scored only 382 runs at 27.42.

The sheer love for the game, which he calls “bread and butter of his life”, enabled him to stretch his First Class career once he was through with his long association with Mumbai with which he won eight Ranji Trophy titles.

After going through the grind of a home First Class season the last two decades, Jaffer kept himself occupied in the Yorkshire, Birmingham and Liverpool leagues for almost 20 years and this season he will be playing in the Lancashire league.

The 39-year-old believes that he took the right decision by opting to play for Vidarbha. “Playing for India is not the be all and end all….I had been there and done it. I just wanted to continue playing. I wanted to stay fit, face fresh challenges and do my bit for other teams. It also helped me to make some money. I don’t do anything other than play cricket.  That’s why I go to UK every year with my family,” said Jaffer.

After being raised in a city rich in cricket culture, Jaffer found the cricketing environment in Vidarbha different.

“There was no quantity, only quality; players were equipped with good skills. There were only 25-30 probables who played across all formats.

“They were happy winning at home and fine with it. When they lost ‘away’ matches, I don’t think they were hurt. It’s here that Chandu (Pandit) played the decisive role. He took them out of the comfort zone and pushed them hard. He did not praise them enough, but criticised them. Two years ago, I found out that when the match was in a 50-50 situation, they did not really go for it and show the killer-instinct. Chandu changed their attitude completely. Vidarbha needed someone like Chandu.”

Jaffer said when Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy in 2003 and 2004, Pandit did not form any committees within the team. “But here we had committees for entertainment, travel, food etc. This helped in team bonding. Chandu also changed room partners to prevent players forming groups. This was one way he took them out of the comfort zone and pushed them really hard.”

The two ex-Mumbai players also impressed upon opener Sanjay Ramaswamy to change his attitude, from being an introvert and not listening to others, to take good suggestions and implement them.

“I also impressed upon Chandu to give opportunities to Aditya Sarwate and what a partnership developed between him and Akshay Wadkar against Delhi. Vidarbha has good players in Lalit Yadav, Rajneesh Gurbani and Akshay Wakhare. Faiz Fazal has years of experience. Someone like Karn Sharma had to sit out.”

Jaffer says that Vidarbha, “having tasted success”, will look for more at all levels. “They have the confidence now. Chandu has instilled that attitude in the team.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com  / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Cricket / by G. Vishwanath / Mumbai – January 03rd, 2018

We believe, this season, the trophy is ours: Fazal

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Vidharba (formerly Berar) , MAHARASHTRA :

Vidharbha captain Faiz Fazal during a practice session on the eve of the Ranji Trophy finals against Delhi in Indore on Thursday. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
Vidharbha captain Faiz Fazal during a practice session on the eve of the Ranji Trophy finals against Delhi in Indore on Thursday. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

On the eve of the final, skipper Faiz Fazal was understandably upbeat and considered Delhi a beatable side.

Precisely 13 months ago, when Delhi and Vidarbha last met in their rain-hit Ranji Trophy match in Chennai, it surprised none when the seven-time champion gained the first-innings lead. A third-day washout clearly saved Vidarbha and left Delhi understandably frustrated.

But a lot has happened since then. On Friday, Vidarbha figures in its most important match of the National championship. On the eve of the final, skipper Faiz Fazal was understandably upbeat and considered Delhi a beatable side.

Fazal, who in last June gain India cap against Zimbabwe and became the first Indian in 16 years to make his One-Day International debut in this 30s, reflected on Vidarbha’s discipline, routines, preparations and match simulations to substantiate his point.

“We all are really happy and enjoying our cricket very much. I don’t know why, we all believe that this season the trophy is ours. I want to have the feel of the trophy in my hands. I want to have that bite of success. So let’s see.”

In contrast, 20-year-old Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant reiterated well-rehearsed lines like, “We are only looking at our game and we want to play at our best. We want to play to our strength.”

Coach K. P. Bhaskar took over and explained, “When everyone contributes, a team clicks. We may not have (scored) too many big hundreds (this season) but everyone has been chipping in a fifty or a seventy or an eighty… we’re working as a unit and that’s what matters.”

Further, Bhaskar came out in support of the young, inexperienced captain.

“Rishabh was named captain last season itself. He led in the one-day games. He is improving. If the last game you had seen, there was a lot of improvement in his field-placing and the approach he has been able to inculcate in others.

“We discuss a lot many things when they (the players) come out in the breaks but otherwise he has been given a lot of free hand. In the end, they have to perform. No matter what you tell them, they have to execute those plans inside.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Cricket / by Rakesh Rao / Indore – December 28th, 2017

Faiz Fazal Makes Smashing ODI Debut as India Flatten Zimbabwe 3-0

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Faiz Fazal justified his selection to the Indian ODI team with an unbeaten fifty against a hapless Zimbabwean side in Harare. On Wednesday, the Vidarbha cricketer earned his first cap from Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Faiz Fazal made his debut for India vs Zimbabwe in Harare on Wednesday. (Image credit: BCCI/Twitter) / © Twitter
Faiz Fazal made his debut for India vs Zimbabwe in Harare on Wednesday. (Image credit: BCCI/Twitter) /
© Twitter

Faiz Fazal on Wednesday became only the third cricketer from Vidarbha to represent India when he replaced Karun Nair for the third and final One-Day International against Zimbabwe in Harare. He justified his selection by scoring an unbeaten 55 as India coasted to a  10-wicket win to sweep the series 3-0 .

Only Prashant Vaidya and Umesh Yadav are the other two from Vidarbha to have played for the Indian cricket team. Both Vaidya and Yadav are pace bowlers.

The 30-year-old Fazal had almost lost hope of getting selected for India but was surprised when he was picked for the tour of Zimbabwe last month. This was purely on the basis of his fine domestic performance.

The Nagpur-born Faiz fazal scored a century playing for Rest of India against Mumbai in the Irani Trophy in March. In January, he scored a century in the Deodhar Trophy final playing for India A vs India B.

On Wednesday, the left-handed opening batsman realised his dream when he was handed the India cap by none other than skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni  .

Though the result of the match in inconsequentioal, Fazal can make an impact with his performance ahead of the three-match Twenty20 International series which starts on Saturday.

Fazal, who has 79 first class matches under his belt, has been through the domestic grind for close to a decade now, and was playing league cricket in England when he got selected. He was part of the Rajasthan Royals squad for four seasons before he was left out in 2012. He scored 183 runs in 11 innings for the Royals.

“This is a massive surprise for me,” Fazal told ESPNcricinfo after he was picked for the Zimbabwe tour.

“For two years before this, I kept looking up to see if I was picked every time a squad was announced. But I was disappointed each time.

“I’ve tried to consciously steer away from thoughts about selection, so to receive this news early morning from India is a big surprise, but I’m happy. It’s funny how when you stop expecting something you have always chased, things start to happen.”

The Nagpur-born has 5341 runs in first class at an average of 40.15 with 11 centuries and a highest score of 200 not out. He can roll his arm over too with some medium pace bowling and also has one four-wicket haul in his domestic career.

source: http://www.sports.ndtv.com / NDTV Sports / Home> Cricket> News / by Sandip Sikdar / June 15th, 2016