18 ODIs which are an actual test of Sarfaraz Ahmed's captaincy

[Kohli The King of Chase]

All are celebrating his 10 series wins in T20Is. No doubt that it's some achievement but, they are not the actual test of his captaincy.

He's captained in 7 ODIs after CT(against non minnows, anything above 8) and lost all 7. Even against Afghanistan he struggled.

After T20I series against NZ, there's no hiding for him. 18 ODIs against Top teams.

3 against NZ (UAE)

5 against SA (Away)

5 against AUS (UAE) (PCB should look to organize in Scotland, as it would be good practice on those pitches before WC and also this AUS team will not surrender this bad. Also look to play 2 ODIs against SCOTLAND as practice )

5 against ENG (Away)

Will Sarfraz prove his authority, or will he just surrender and keep shouting on his team mates.

What are your prediction on these 18 ODIs?

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

I predict

Lose 1-2 against NZ
Lose 1-4 against SA
Win 3-2 against AUS (if in UAE)
Lose 1-4 against ENG

He will captain Pak at the WC at any cost, irrespective of the results.

 

[Abdullah]

2-1
2-3
3-2
2-3

9 wins and 9 losses will be good if we learn the right things from it, and get exposure to right scenarios within games in the lead up to the WC

 

[MMHS]

2-1
2-3
3-2
2-3

9 wins and 9 losses will be good if we learn the right things from it, and get exposure to right scenarios within games in the lead up to the WC

Not good, brilliant, outstanding if it really happens. Theses are all top 6 teams & a 50-50 share makes it certain that PAK will make SF, considering 10 of those 18 are in SAF & UK.

 

[Abdullah]

Not good, brilliant, outstanding if it really happens. Theses are all top 6 teams & a 50-50 share makes it certain that PAK will make SF, considering 10 of those 18 are in SAF & UK.

We do well in England and I don't rate their bowling anyway.
So it is just the SA series really, where batting may fall to such an extent that the bowlers cant cover it

 

[KingKhanWC]

Good competition ahead of the World Cup.

Pakistan should trial out different batsmen in the top 6, hoping to find a batting line up which can regularity score 300+ on good decks.

 

[Hasan123]

This is a true test for Sarfraz . If he is a genius tactican, He should win at least half of these games.

 

[coy0607]

ridiculous premise

wins and losses by the Pakistani team are not a reflection of Sarfraz's captaincy

 

[TeamPak95]

If Sarfraz were to be replaced as captain before WC it would have to be due to something like only winning 1-2 games, or no games at all vs the top teams. Other than that, Sarfraz is captain at least until post-WC.

My predictions:
3-2 to PAK vs NZ
3-2 to SA vs PAK (a bit of a bold prediction but I feel like we'll compete... hopefully )
4-1 to PAK vs AUS
4-1 to ENG vs PAK (let's face it this is Pakistan we're talking about, so a bit of an unexpected result like this would be bound to happen before the WC)

 

[gazza619]

The main problem is the batting really. Sarfaraz did a clever thing in the T20s by pushing himself at no.8 (which is his true place based on his ability).
Now if he does not pretend to be Miandad by playing at no.4/5, then things will be better.
Hafeez and Babar back in form is good news for Pakistan. If Fakhar starts clicking again then we can certainly win more ODIs.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

We’ll win the series against SA. SA is recovering from the loss of AB and they will be trying different combinations before the WC. The rest I’m not too sure. I wouldn’t rule out a series win against Australia and England either. NZ has been our bogey team for a while now so all bets are off.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Agree with the title. It indeed will be a test of his captaincy as now he had enough time to build a team after the number 8 team he was given at the start.

But why posters mention 7 odi loses after CT to devalue him but never mention CT win under him which holds far greater importance?

 

[Hawkeye]

If our win percentage is ~60%, he will not be criticized as much.

Beyond that, will be tough even for his lovers to keep supporting him.

 

[Ahmed216]

With a non-existent lower middle order Pak's chances of winning anything against top teams are very weak.
A captain is as good as his team

 

[ARK Rafay]

Agree. He has below par record in ODIs. This will be his final test if he manages to turn table around it'll be so good for Pakistan to have some confidence at least before going to WC regardless of the result I think he'll be captain till WC>

 

[Justcrazy]

Pakistan would need some big contributions to win any of those series.

 

[Ab Fan]

He doesn't need to win anything. His legacy is established already after the Champions Trophy win. If he wins a WC next year, he will go down as the greatest captain Pakistan had only behind Imran.

At this point, he has already sealed his spot in Alltime Pakistan ODI XI as a wicket-keeper.

 

[DRsohail]

He doesn't need to win anything. His legacy is established already after the Champions Trophy win. If he wins a WC next year, he will go down as the greatest captain Pakistan had only behind Imran.

At this point, he has already sealed his spot in Alltime Pakistan ODI XI as a wicket-keeper.

kuch zyada nahe howa

 

[Mamoon]

We can lose all 18 and Sarfraz bakhts will still manage to find excuses and justifications.

Similar to how they fall over each other when put on the spot to explain our 100% losing record against high ranked teams in the last 12 months.

 

[New Yorker]

We do well in England and I don't rate their bowling anyway.
So it is just the SA series really, where batting may fall to such an extent that the bowlers cant cover it

Pakistani fans always believe that our bowling is better than it is. Fact is we have only 1 bowler in the ICC ODI top 30, the worst by far among all Test playing nations, including Afghanistan. India has 5. Which tells us also that they are rotating their bench far more than we are.

 

[New Yorker]

He doesn't need to win anything. His legacy is established already after the Champions Trophy win. If he wins a WC next year, he will go down as the greatest captain Pakistan had only behind Imran.

At this point, he has already sealed his spot in Alltime Pakistan ODI XI as a wicket-keeper.

If he ALSO wins WC he will arguably be greater than Imran.

 

[New Yorker]

Agree with the title. It indeed will be a test of his captaincy as now he had enough time to build a team after the number 8 team he was given at the start.

But why posters mention 7 odi loses after CT to devalue him but never mention CT win under him which holds far greater importance?

It is starting to even out, the Asia cup was really a debacle. We did not even compete. Hard to see how we will in the WC. The problem went beyond tinkering with the selection roster. But there is too much focus on Sarfraz here, Mickey carries a lot of blame.

 

[Titan24]

Whatever the outcome of these 18 ODIs is, if he captains all of those he is gonna be captain in the world cup as there will not be much time to change anything.

 

[Titan24]

-Out of 15 Aus have won just 2 matches in ODIs post CT 17
- India won against NZ and Aussies at home in ODIs and lost when they toured Eng
- SA was completely outperformed at home by India and won 2-3 against Srl in Srl
- Pak has just played NZ in NZ in ODIs in terms of top teams which is one of the most difficult places to win anything now a days, and when they played in UAE in Asia cup any advantage was nullified as there were Asian teams playing familiar with such kind of pitches especially India

So my point is this NZ series and Aus series in UAE is a real oppurtunity and real test for Sarfaraz at the same time. These two series will tell us where we stand

 

[Titan24]

I have a feeling we might outperform expectations against NZ and Aus in ODIs in UAE. 2014-16 Pak LOI team wasnt good enough considering the way Pak has performed historically in ODIs but this team has the potential to perform at home in ODIs.

 

[MMHS]

More than W/L, the show against tougher sides these days has been quite demoralising- 5 games against Kiwis, 3 in Asia cup; PAK hardly looked to compete. Probably the first 10-12 overs against BD were the closest that team looked to dominate a side.

This needs to change first - next 4 teams are tough cookies and two of them are at home - I don’t mind losing a tight game if players fight till last ball, but that’s competitiveness is missing from PAK game. They are hammering lower ranked teams mercilessly, but at similar reviving end when equation alters.

Management needs to motivate players to be fearless & play as it comes first, then we can look at the results. 9-9 can be a great result (even 6-12 isn’t a disaster considering 0-8 run) if most of those 18 are close games. Result is immaterial just 7 months before WC as long as they find the best combination & keep key players fit/in form, but I didn’t like the body language of PAK players against IND/BD & overall Sarfraz wasn’t impressive in higher ranked games.

 

[Destroyer88]

More than W/L, the show against tougher sides these days has been quite demoralising- 5 games against Kiwis, 3 in Asia cup; PAK hardly looked to compete. Probably the first 10-12 overs against BD were the closest that team looked to dominate a side.

This needs to change first - next 4 teams are tough cookies and two of them are at home - I don’t mind losing a tight game if players fight till last ball, but that’s competitiveness is missing from PAK game. They are hammering lower ranked teams mercilessly, but at similar reviving end when equation alters.

Management needs to motivate players to be fearless & play as it comes first, then we can look at the results. 9-9 can be a great result (even 6-12 isn’t a disaster considering 0-8 run) if most of those 18 are close games. Result is immaterial just 7 months before WC as long as they find the best combination & keep key players fit/in form, but I didn’t like the body language of PAK players against IND/BD & overall Sarfraz wasn’t impressive in higher ranked games.

You probably are right in this assessment. We have been comprehensive in t20s but have seemed to lack the same intensity in 50 overs game. The team seems to go down when the going gets tough and this is wherr.sarfaraz needs to stand up. The fear of losing or having pretty stats is possibly what worries him. They need to play that fearless game.

 

[Destroyer88]

This will also test the fitness of our players. We have a hectic schedule and each game is an opportunity to fine tune their skills. You cant get it any better before the world cup where you play agaisnt the likes of saf..nz..aus and eng.

 

[iPakistani]

Win 2-1 against New Zealand
Win 3-2 against SA
Win 4-1 against AUS (if in UAE)
Lose 3-2 against ENG

It won't be as bad as people think, when our players set into their new roles such as Asif Ali power hitting, Imad Wasim being implemented into the ODI setup we can become a very good side.

 

[rhony]

These are my predictions

1-2 vs NZ in UAE
1-4 Against SA in SA
3-2 Against Aus in UAE
1-4 vs Eng in Eng

 

[Hasan123]

He has lost all the games against teams higher than us in the rankings in ODIs since CT. This is his chance to prove critics wrong. If he is a good tactician , he should be able to win half of these games and ensure we compete in most of them.

 

[hadi123]

Good thread. The 5-0 whitewash by NZ earlier this year was disappointing, and the Asia Cup was even more disappointing as it was in our 'home' and we had a full strength squad, unlike other teams. We need to step up now in ODI's. NZ series will be a good battle, looking forward to that series. I think that will go into a decider.

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

9-9 is the least W-L expected from the captain. Anything less than it should be curtains for him after the WC(as he won't be dropped just before the WC).

 

[TeymurBlake]

If he doesn't perform as a player & captain against these top games then he will be under incredible amount of pressure in which he might even relinquish the captaincy. Which could make it even more difficult for Pakistan in the WC'19. Hafeez will likely be the successor unfortunately. Hopefully Sarfaraz can come through these series decently.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Been waiting for this. We'll be a much improved team by the end, inshaAllah.

 

[Bilal7]

3-0 against New Zealand
3-2 against South Africa
5-0 against Australia
3-2 against England

Followed by a run to the final of the WC, InshAllah.

 

[Bilal7]

Pakistani fans always believe that our bowling is better than it is. Fact is we have only 1 bowler in the ICC ODI top 30, the worst by far among all Test playing nations, including Afghanistan. India has 5. Which tells us also that they are rotating their bench far more than we are.

That means nothing. We all saw the CT, didn't we?

 

[New Yorker]

That means nothing. We all saw the CT, didn't we?

Of course not. Nothing means anything. Performance does not matter. We can be thrashed by everyone all the time but we will win the WC. Because we won the CT.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

3-0 against New Zealand
3-2 against South Africa
5-0 against Australia
3-2 against England

Followed by a run to the final of the WC, InshAllah.

3-2 against England? LOL! Are all the games being played on used pitches?

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

Already questions are being raised on his captaincy.

 

[Mainul]

Pakistan is not a good ODI team anymore .They have been struggling for a long time.

 

[szundercover]

3-0 against New Zealand
3-2 against South Africa
5-0 against Australia
3-2 against England

Followed by a run to the final of the WC, InshAllah.

We should win against south africa cause their batting is even worse then ours at the moment.South africa are slowly getting in to the leagues of minnows like srilanka and west indies.

 

[Chokli]

1-2 to NZ
2-3 to SA (Weak team but we're weak too)
2-3 to Australia
1-4 to England

 

[bujhee kom]

If Pak win 9/18 it would be a major achievement. The ODI side is very bad.

 

[Bilal7]

Of course not. Nothing means anything. Performance does not matter. We can be thrashed by everyone all the time but we will win the WC. Because we won the CT.

If rankings mattered as much as you're making it seem, South Africa would have won a World Cup by now and England should definitely win the next one.

The CT was played in the same country between the same teams a mere two years ago. I don't see why you're making it seem like history cannot repeat itself.

3-2 against England? LOL! Are all the games being played on used pitches?

I hope they are played on seaming pitches so our bowlers can have a fun time.

 

[New Yorker]

If rankings mattered as much as you're making it seem, South Africa would have won a World Cup by now and England should definitely win the next one.

The CT was played in the same country between the same teams a mere two years ago. I don't see why you're making it seem like history cannot repeat itself.

I hope they are played on seaming pitches so our bowlers can have a fun time.

I didn't say history can't repeat itself, to the contrary, that is what I am worried about. I was making a point about how fans believe that our bowling is better than it actually is. Which I stand by. Look at what happened in the Asia Cup. Where was our mighty bowling attack? Why would not that history repeat itself too?

 

[ARK Rafay]

5 ODI match series against England in England will be a good preparation just before WC. It will also give us an idea what will be the WC squad and what we can expect from our team in WC

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

Let's see as to what Sarfraz and his men can do.

Can they replicate their T20I form?

Or, will they just surrender?

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

Doesn't look good for Sarfi and his men.

 

[Mir jibran]

Doesn't look good for Sarfi and his men.

too early to say

 

[mak36]

Doesn't look good for Sarfi and his men.

Looks like you might have spoken too soon...

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

too early to say

Looks like you might have spoken too soon...

You guys jumped on me too early. They've already crossed 254 with 7 balls left.

 

[Mir jibran]

You guys jumped on me too early. They've already crossed 254 with 7 balls left.

dont worry imam ll give us a solid start and then malik and hafeez will finish it off in style

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

dont worry imam ll give us a solid start and then malik and hafeez will finish it off in style

I didn't say imam won't. Pak can even win this.

I just stated the start is not good and, u jumped over me.

 

[Mir jibran]

I didn't say imam won't. Pak can even win this.

I just stated the start is not good and, u jumped over me.

haha sorry bhai sorry

 

[mak36]

I didn't say imam won't. Pak can even win this.

I just stated the start is not good and, u jumped over me.

No, you wrote: "Doesn't look good for Sarfi and his men."

Let the series finish and then we can assess where this team is.

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

No, you wrote: "Doesn't look good for Sarfi and his men."

Let the series finish and then we can assess where this team is.

This thread I didn't make on a series by series basis. I clearly mentioned 18 ODIs. The first one didn't start well. That's what I've mentioned. U should have understood.

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

A good beginning is always good.

Let's see how Sarfraz and his men begin the 1st/18.

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

Pakistan is a poor ODI team.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

too early to say i think

 

[Mamoon]

Looks like you might have spoken too soon...

Awkward.

Well, can’t say you didn’t have it coming.

 

[Syed1]

Awkward.

Well, can’t say you didn’t have it coming.

Congratulations time to celebrate for you.

 

[Mamoon]

Before Sarfraz bakhts rally to do bhangra in this thread, and defend yet another defeat to a quality ODI team to preserve the 100% losing record, let me save their time by describing his captaincy in their language.

Street fighter, quick thinker, brave, courageous, selfless, fights for his team etc. etc.

I hope I did not miss any buzzwords.

 

[mak36]

Awkward.

Well, can’t say you didn’t have it coming.

What exactly is awkward?

 

[mak36]

Before Sarfraz bakhts rally to do bhangra in this thread, and defend yet another defeat to a quality ODI team to preserve the 100% losing record, let me save their time by describing his captaincy in their language.

Street fighter, quick thinker, brave, courageous, selfless, fights for his team etc. etc.

I hope I did not miss any buzzwords.

So please outline why you think Sarfaraz cost Pakistan the match today?

This in spite of the fact he was comfortably Pakistan's highest scorer, he kept well and captained pretty well.

Sounds like you are going after the wrong guy...

 

[Mamoon]

What exactly is awkward?

The irony of you accusing someone else of "speaking too soon". You really thought the tactical genius was going to lead us to a win after the Shadab burst, didn't you? Oh well.

 

[Mamoon]

So please outline why you think Sarfaraz cost Pakistan the match today?

This in spite of the fact he was comfortably Pakistan's highest scorer, he kept well and captained pretty well.

Sounds like you are going after the wrong guy...

Losing 8 out of 8 ODIs against India and New Zealand in the last 12 months is not about "today".

 

[Ahson8]

Today was terrible. Had them at the ropes at 210/6 and let them score 266. Shaheen had 2 overs left at the end of the innings but for some reason he kept bowling Hasan who was terrible today.

Hopefully he leads better in the next 17 games, but his captiancy has been quite poor in ODIs recently

 

[mak36]

The irony of you accusing someone else of "speaking too soon". You really thought the tactical genius was going to lead us to a win after the Shadab burst, didn't you? Oh well.

Are you actually capable of doing anything other than misrepresenting/inventing what someone has said?

You like to think you are this great debater but all you do is squirrel and strawman. It's pretty sad.

You honestly wouldn't know a logical fallacy if it slapped you in the face.

 

[mak36]

Losing 8 out of 8 ODIs against India and New Zealand in the last 12 months is not about "today".

JAMODIs (your logic).

Also, why assume the captaincy is the problem?

 

[Mamoon]

JAMODIs (your logic).

Also, why assume the captaincy is the problem?

No, that is not my logic. My logic is that T20 wins cannot cover up for non-stop defeats against good teams in ODIs.

Yes indeed captaincy is not the problem. Who cares if we have a losing record? It must be everyone else's fault but the untouchable captain. Unfortunately, the problem is that apart from today's game, the captain himself has been the weakest performer in the team. So how you do explain that?

We are losing and the captain is not performing (minus today), but Sarfraz fans find it strange that people are criticising him. Wow.

Out of interest, how many consecutive losses does it take for captaincy to be a problem? 10? 15? 20?

Furthermore, was there a problem with Azhar's captaincy when he lead Pakistan to 12 defeats in 14 games against England and Australia? That record does not sound much different to tactical genius Sarfraz leading Pakistan to 8 defeats in 8 games against New Zealand and India.

Was it wrong to sack Azhar? What does a captain need to do to deserve criticism, if losing matches and not performing as a player are not enough?

 

[Darkrai]

It's understandable that there is a lack of batting talent but at least do the basics correctly, select some deserving players and back them. Asif and Imam did not deserve to be in the ODI side. It took the selectors 2 years to drop Amir. And now, Fakhar and Hassan have been garbage for some times now but they continue to play even though there are options to replace them. If the team is doing fine and 1 or 2 players are not playing well it's fine but when the team is flopping hard and your still not dropping those players then it's a big problem. I wouldn't be surprised if Amir and Akmal make a comeback soon.

When you select players like Imam and Asif how can you expect them to perform? When you select players like Hafeez and Malik, both proven failures against good sides many times, how can you expect them to play match winning innings in pressure situation against half decent sides.

Now there is this Sarfraz situation. You can't drop him because there isn't anyone to replace him with, either as a captain or as a wicket-keeper. The brain dead selectors and the management decided to play full strength team against ZIM c side instead of giving some domestics players a chance.

No one is expecting a world beating team here, just do the basics correctly.

 

[Chokli]

Furthermore, was there a problem with Azhar's captaincy when he lead Pakistan to 12 defeats in 14 games against England and Australia? That record does not sound much different to tactical genius Sarfraz leading Pakistan to 8 defeats in 8 games against New Zealand and India.

Was it wrong to sack Azhar? What does a captain need to do to deserve criticism, if losing matches and not performing as a player are not enough?

Hit the nail right on the head.

At least under Azhars captaincy Sarfraz was somewhat decent with the bat.

 

[aukhan]

I want to see a performing captain. He is a liability. The lack of option means he will remain as our ODI captain until the World cup is over.

Need to try Shadab or Babar.

 

[Prashant]

Not really. Real test is not odi but test. Just coz he has a poor run in odi and you dont have anything else, you have taken odi as his real test of captaincy

 

[Prashant]

Did Azhar won you an ICC tournament? Sarafaraz has. So there goes your logic out of the park

 

[Prashant]

It's understandable that there is a lack of batting talent but at least do the basics correctly, select some deserving players and back them. Asif and Imam did not deserve to be in the ODI side. It took the selectors 2 years to drop Amir. And now, Fakhar and Hassan have been garbage for some times now but they continue to play even though there are options to replace them. If the team is doing fine and 1 or 2 players are not playing well it's fine but when the team is flopping hard and your still not dropping those players then it's a big problem. I wouldn't be surprised if Amir and Akmal make a comeback soon.

When you select players like Imam and Asif how can you expect them to perform? When you select players like Hafeez and Malik, both proven failures against good sides many times, how can you expect them to play match winning innings in pressure situation against half decent sides.

Now there is this Sarfraz situation. You can't drop him because there isn't anyone to replace him with, either as a captain or as a wicket-keeper. The brain dead selectors and the management decided to play full strength team against ZIM c side instead of giving some domestics players a chance.

No one is expecting a world beating team here, just do the basics correctly.

Your logic is incorrect. Imam has played really well in limited time he has played. You are asking players to be pick on merit, if that was the case them pak would have never discovered wasim inzi n waqar

 

[Prashant]

No, that is not my logic. My logic is that T20 wins cannot cover up for non-stop defeats against good teams in ODIs.

Yes indeed captaincy is not the problem. Who cares if we have a losing record? It must be everyone else's fault but the untouchable captain. Unfortunately, the problem is that apart from today's game, the captain himself has been the weakest performer in the team. So how you do explain that?

We are losing and the captain is not performing (minus today), but Sarfraz fans find it strange that people are criticising him. Wow.

Out of interest, how many consecutive losses does it take for captaincy to be a problem? 10? 15? 20?

Furthermore, was there a problem with Azhar's captaincy when he lead Pakistan to 12 defeats in 14 games against England and Australia? That record does not sound much different to tactical genius Sarfraz leading Pakistan to 8 defeats in 8 games against New Zealand and India.

Was it wrong to sack Azhar? What does a captain need to do to deserve criticism, if losing matches and not performing as a player are not enough?

Just coz he has not had a gud run in odi, you base your logic as if odi are the real test. No sir

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Lmao at 9-0 haha How desperate can one get?

Why discount SL series and above all why discount CT?

Sarfraz was given a no 8 team and after that he has a record of 10-10 against teams which were ranked higher and most importantly a global tournament win under his captaincy which matters 10 times more than bilaterals. Let that sink in

 

[PakPremi]

Lmao at 9-0 haha How desperate can one get?

Why discount SL series and above all why discount CT?

Sarfraz was given a no 8 team and after that he has a record of 10-10 against teams which were ranked higher and most importantly a global tournament win under his captaincy which matters 10 times more than bilaterals. Let that sink in

It's hypocritical to moan about Pak performances against top 4 team when we are 5th in ranking but give no credit to us for winning against teams that were higher than Pak when they were ranked 8.
Give this team to Clive Lloyd or I mean Khan or King Kohli and the results would be no better Pak lacks experienced world class batsmen. Bowling is good enough and bowling can be improved with one more full time spinner. Sarfraz is going nowhere even if he loses all his upcoming series.