A logical critique of the current Pakistan team management!

[DandyFellow]

As zealous Pakistan cricket fans, we often get emotional and that is totally normal. But I will try my best to give some logical critiques for the current Pakistan management.

When Misbah was given the dual role before the Sri Lankan series, majority believed that the first series would be really easy wins for Pakistan. Misbah said that he will try to play aggressive cricket and he dropped both Hafeez and Malik saying we need to blood in youngsters and move on. Dropping seniors was the hard pill which Misbah took which many wanted.It seemed Misbah was giving some direction.

However, the replacements were Ahmed Shahzad and Umar Akmal. Logically, that does not make sense. After dropping two seniors and believing that we need to play youngsters, you would want two new players debuting instead of Malik and Hafeez. That mistake has become the root cause of more mistakes and I will tell you why.

Had we debuted new players and lost, the defeat might have been swallowed but losing the series with core set of players and Umar Akmal and Shahzad meant our first team lost to their D and E teams. Pressure was on Misbah and he decided to change the captaincy due to lack of performance by ex-captain Sarfraz Ahmed.

After all that happened, it seemed Misbah wanted to build a new team with new captain. Atleast that is what happens everywhere.
Misbah knew he had messed up already. He was lucky to get the easiest series in which he could try new players but he had lost this moment on Shahzad and Umar Akmal. What a pity though. Worse, Pakistan had to tour Australia where we have a habit of winning nothing- neither hearts nor matches. Listen to Chappell!

In test cricket , Misbah had no choice but to trust youngsters as Amir and Wahab had taken retirements. Misbah's initial reaction was to drop both from T20s as well. Therefore, bowling was inexperienced and full of youngsters and majority knew the team will struggle alot. We were whitewashed as expected. This lead to further pressure on Misbah. That was the moment the hard decisions were to be tested.
Due to many losses, Misbah became hungry for wins under his belt and he switched to safety-first procedure. That moment the initial direction provided by Misbah was severely questioned. We defeated both weak Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in one test each to register points in the Championship.

Fast forward, the tour to England happened. Misbah, in test cricket, stayed consistent in his selections. In the test championship, the majority of the team has played nearly all the matches. However, Malik and Hafeez made an entry back to the T20 squad.
That sudden U-Turn and the first T20 Playing XI has totally destroyed the initial direction, mindset and plan provided by Misbah. It just seems like a person looking to win to gain short term escapes. Perhaps that is how Pakistan cricket works. But, all the recap and analysis signals the lack of direction, long term planning and the defensive mindset. Seems like it would be too late when Misbah will realize all the mistakes that were so inter-connected.

My prayers and support are with the Pakistan cricket team.

 

[Markhor]

Excellent post. Misbah's short-termism re: selections is the biggest reason why he's receiving so much criticism.

He was absolutely right to drop Malik and Hafeez for the Sri Lanka and Australia series. Problem was he picks the wrong replacements, a few defeats and he hits the panic button.

And it's all been downhill from there.

 

[Zaz]

Excellent post. Misbah's short-termism re: selections is the biggest reason why he's receiving so much criticism.

He was absolutely right to drop Malik and Hafeez for the Sri Lanka and Australia series. Problem was he picks the wrong replacements, a few defeats and he hits the panic button.

And it's all been downhill from there.

Exactly

If he had picked youngsters when dropping hafeez and malik the majority wouldnt have maybe minded losing as much But he didnt do that He was back to square one after them losses and under pressure hence the recalls

He is after short term success now and safety first all due to them initial blunders which he caused

Goes to show the knock on effect of some decisions

 

[nitrous]

Even if we draft in young blood, do you really think the fans and the media will mind loosing a lot of games before the “youngsters” gain some experience and we start winning on a regular basis? This is never going to happen unless we change our mentality.

We are too scared to try change and would rather stick with the TTF in the hopes of the experience they bring and win matches.

The cycle goes like this :

We bring in young blood, they flop, fans /media not happy with PCT loosing , bring in TTF.

Rinse and repeat.

The above is a cycle that has been going on for years now and won’t change anytime soon, unless we start changing our mentality.

 

[SARJ_BD]

Regarding the inclusion of Malik-Hafeez, one must not be ignore that Babar himself showed willingness to include them in t20 squad. Babar was not very happy when they were ignored for Australia tour. Thus Babar must have huge role in their inclusion.

On a different point, I simply cant stand the Asian culture where seniors cant be benched. If you see in football, many many senior players are assigned only to be in the bench, add experience in duck out and play in crucial times.

 

[shamaan]

Even if we draft in young blood, do you really think the fans and the media will mind loosing a lot of games before the “youngsters” gain some experience and we start winning on a regular basis? This is never going to happen unless we change our mentality.

We are too scared to try change and would rather stick with the TTF in the hopes of the experience they bring and win matches.

The cycle goes like this :

We bring in young blood, they flop, fans /media not happy with PCT loosing , bring in TTF.

Rinse and repeat.

The above is a cycle that has been going on for years now and won’t change anytime soon, unless we start changing our mentality.

You have to look at look term exactly like England are

 

[shamaan]

Regarding the inclusion of Malik-Hafeez, one must not be ignore that Babar himself showed willingness to include them in t20 squad. Babar was not very happy when they were ignored for Australia tour. Thus Babar must have huge role in their inclusion.

On a different point, I simply cant stand the Asian culture where seniors cant be benched. If you see in football, many many senior players are assigned only to be in the bench, add experience in duck out and play in crucial times.

Agreed babar had impact in bringing them back

 

[hitthestump]

Regarding the inclusion of Malik-Hafeez, one must not be ignore that Babar himself showed willingness to include them in t20 squad. Babar was not very happy when they were ignored for Australia tour. Thus Babar must have huge role in their inclusion.

On a different point, I simply cant stand the Asian culture where seniors cant be benched. If you see in football, many many senior players are assigned only to be in the bench, add experience in duck out and play in crucial times.

Yes, therein lies the problem. I don't think most people would have a problem with Hafeez and Malik being in the squad, imparting their experience to the youngsters and doing a job for the team where neccesary.

But what we have is that if those two are in the squad, they're also guaranteed selections due to their 'seniority'.

 

[Zaz]

Its the defensive mindset of misbah which is the root cause of the selction issues The issue is hes just not someone who will take risks Its safety first with him and that means falling on experience

Theres no way in the world hed have played the young bowlers in tests if amir and wahab were still available

He didnt want to lose the first game of a series so inducted hafeez and malik with the view win the series then experiment

Maybe all this stems from the fact he didnt secure his place in the pakistan team till he was 35 himself That insecurity has now crept into every decison he makes

Frankly it was a ridiculous decision to give so many roles to one person Surely in any organisation you need different ideas opinions suggestions and points of view to come the best decisions

 

[Nervesofsteel]

One of the reasons I feel Malik & Hafeez are back is because of Babar. I'm sorry but Babar currently is not captaincy material. He will go onto become a legendary batsman but I have my doubts on his captaincy skills.

I feel Babar gets along with Malik very well & Malik was a very shrewd captain who I think should have continued as captain when he was given the reigns years ago.

Even in the first T20...there were many instances I saw Babar having a discussion with Malik before making any bowling changes. I have no issue with Malik being in the team. i feel like he can still deliver for Pakistan in the T20 format but Hafeez is finished.

 

[sweep_shot]

One of the reasons I feel Malik & Hafeez are back is because of Babar. I'm sorry but Babar currently is not captaincy material. He will go onto become a legendary batsman but I have my doubts on his captaincy skills.

I feel Babar gets along with Malik very well & Malik was a very shrewd captain who I think should have continued as captain when he was given the reigns years ago.

Even in the first T20...there were many instances I saw Babar having a discussion with Malik before making any bowling changes. I have no issue with Malik being in the team. i feel like he can still deliver for Pakistan in the T20 format but Hafeez is finished.

I think Hafeez is better than Shoaib if one has to play.

 

[Nervesofsteel]

I think Hafeez is better than Shoaib if one has to play.

I would also pick Hafeez if he was bowling. But after getting reported & banned from bowling so many times, I feel the management & captain only want to use him as a bowler as a last resort. That's where Malik is perhaps more useful & has a knack of picking up a wicket here and there.

As a fielder Malik is miles ahead of Hafeez. Infact, Hafeez has a terrible habit of dropping simple catches.

When it comes to batting...Hafeez can be a handy lower order slogger but for some reason at times he comes into bat & completely kills any momentum whatsoever & just starts blocking aimlessly. What I like about Malik is that he is looking to rotate the strike from ball one.

 

[sshakir411]

Anyone who thinks Babar has any say in the selection is out of their mind. Babar is a “yes man” who will agree with Misbah 11 out of 10 times. Had Misbah pressed hard for Malik and Hafeez to not return Babar would have agreed.

 

[unemployedgm]

Anyone who thinks Babar has any say in the selection is out of their mind. Babar is a “yes man” who will agree with Misbah 11 out of 10 times. Had Misbah pressed hard for Malik and Hafeez to not return Babar would have agreed.

With all due respect, neither Babar nor Misbah are qualified for their positions. They are working together to maintain the status quo.

 

[unemployedgm]

I would also pick Hafeez if he was bowling. But after getting reported & banned from bowling so many times, I feel the management & captain only want to use him as a bowler as a last resort. That's where Malik is perhaps more useful & has a knack of picking up a wicket here and there.

As a fielder Malik is miles ahead of Hafeez. Infact, Hafeez has a terrible habit of dropping simple catches.

When it comes to batting...Hafeez can be a handy lower order slogger but for some reason at times he comes into bat & completely kills any momentum whatsoever & just starts blocking aimlessly. What I like about Malik is that he is looking to rotate the strike from ball one.

1. Neither player bowls.
2. Neither player bowls effectively.
3. Both players have poor strike rates.
4. Both players are not good enough to be selected as pure batsman.

 

[unemployedgm]

Its the defensive mindset of misbah which is the root cause of the selction issues The issue is hes just not someone who will take risks Its safety first with him and that means falling on experience

Theres no way in the world hed have played the young bowlers in tests if amir and wahab were still available

He didnt want to lose the first game of a series so inducted hafeez and malik with the view win the series then experiment

Maybe all this stems from the fact he didnt secure his place in the pakistan team till he was 35 himself That insecurity has now crept into every decison he makes

Frankly it was a ridiculous decision to give so many roles to one person Surely in any organisation you need different ideas opinions suggestions and points of view to come the best decisions

How is picking Hafeez and Shoaib Malik safe? Picking Hafeez and Malik provides safety against minnows on easy batting tracks. Picking them in England or Australia or places where batting can be challenging is unsafe.

 

[Zaz]

How is picking Hafeez and Shoaib Malik safe? Picking Hafeez and Malik provides safety against minnows on easy batting tracks. Picking them in England or Australia or places where batting can be challenging is unsafe.

I know that and so do you but thats not how the media plays it

As soon as they arent picked there is immediate media pressure and if results dont go the teams way there is clamour to bring them back Certain people dont care that they have never really performed All they care about is looking after each other and their own agendas

Also If you dont pick youngsters then there is no alternative because they arent proven The team can lose with the oldies and the coach captain etc can turn around and say this is best available talent etc

 

[Savak]

I had no issues with recalling Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal, what i had a problem with is the manner in which they were discarded after 2 failures. Both these players had performed in domestic cricket, psl and had warranted a recall.

Dropping players and throwing them under the bus is what creates insecurity in the team and makes everyone play for themselves at the expense of the team.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Has any other selector done things differently? Hafeez and Malik have survived in the XI for too long for the blame to go to only 1 selector.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Which means that the system and culture are corrupted and one person would find it very difficult to change it.

 

[coy0607]

Here's Misbah T20 plan:

Start with Shehzad & Umar Akmal -> Asif Ali, Haris Sohail, Safaraz -> Hafeez & Malik

Meanwhile up-and-coming talented players like Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah rot on the bench.

 

[Nervesofsteel]

Here's Misbah T20 plan:

Start with Shehzad & Umar Akmal -> Asif Ali, Haris Sohail, Safaraz -> Hafeez & Malik

Meanwhile up-and-coming talented players like Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah rot on the bench.

Khushdil Shah against English fast bowlers & in English conditions is going to be a complete disaster. Haider Ali definitely deserves a go. Even though I feel he is too raw and needs some time before he will eventually shine at the international level.

 

[Nervesofsteel]

Anyone who thinks Babar has any say in the selection is out of their mind. Babar is a “yes man” who will agree with Misbah 11 out of 10 times. Had Misbah pressed hard for Malik and Hafeez to not return Babar would have agreed.

It's not that simple. The only reason Babar was given the captaincy role is he is literally the only one who is guaranteed in the playing 11.

Now Babar doesn't have a whole lot of captaincy experience even at the domestic level and it was definitely going to be a learning curve for him. In that scenario it makes sense to have a senior player such as Malik around to help him. I don't care what people say about him but I think he has one of sharpest brains in the Pakistani team. There was a reason why he led the Sialkot Stallions to numerous championships at the domestic level.

Now having Hafeez & Malik in the playing 11 is ridiculous. Only one of them should be there and in my humble opinion it should be Malik.

 

[coy0607]

Khushdil Shah against English fast bowlers & in English conditions is going to be a complete disaster. Haider Ali definitely deserves a go. Even though I feel he is too raw and needs some time before he will eventually shine at the international level.

First, this is T20 cricket with mostly flat wickets. Test series is over, don't expect to see the traditional 'english conditions'

Second, Malik has a 20-year history of being a disaster anywhere outside Asia. Hafeez will have his typical 1/3 good innings, not far from a disaster. In the past, players like Asif have been disastrous.
So I don't get the point of staying with the disastrous player who's 40 vs a 24 year old who may be a disaster but has a chance to improve over the next few years, offers upside potential

There's really no basis to advocate for selection of Malik and Hafeez

 

[TeymurBlake]

In T20 cricket, you are allowed to experiment and try new, different players. Its kind of like an audition to see if players are more capable of playing the longer formats.

Hafeez and Malik in particular have NOTHING to offer Pakistan going forward in all formats yet the "experience" they have not helped Pakistan. Especially with the T20 World Cup on the horizon 2021 in Autumn, they both will be year older.

 

[Nervesofsteel]

First, this is T20 cricket with mostly flat wickets. Test series is over, don't expect to see the traditional 'english conditions'

Second, Malik has a 20-year history of being a disaster anywhere outside Asia. Hafeez will have his typical 1/3 good innings, not far from a disaster. In the past, players like Asif have been disastrous.
So I don't get the point of staying with the disastrous player who's 40 vs a 24 year old who may be a disaster but has a chance to improve over the next few years, offers upside potential

There's really no basis to advocate for selection of Malik and Hafeez

English bowlers work out a batsman's weakness pretty quick. Khushdil Shah struggled with bouncers being bowled to him on Pakistani pitches...and he didn't light the world on fire in PSL either when he had decent chances to do so. He was feasting against spinners but struggled to put the ball away against quality fast bowling.

Haider Ali on the other hand, should definitely be in the playing 11 and whoever has decided to keep him on the bench is a complete fool.

 

[Junaids]

In test cricket , Misbah had no choice but to trust youngsters as Amir and Wahab had taken retirements. Misbah's initial reaction was to drop both from T20s as well. Therefore, bowling was inexperienced and full of youngsters and majority knew the team will struggle alot. We were whitewashed as expected. This lead to further pressure on Misbah. That was the moment the hard decisions were to be tested.
.

Sorry, but this is completely untrue.

Misbah CHOSE to only take 5 quick bowlers to Australia, of whom 3 were teenagers and 2 were the wrong side of 30.

At the time of selection, Ehsan Adil was 27 years old and was averaging 26 in the domestic First Class competition.

Imran Khan was 32 years old and averaging 49.13 in the same competition.

Faheem Ashraf was 26 years old and averaged 29, and took a 5-for in the QEA Final.

Amad Butt was 25 and took his wickets at a better average and strike rate than Imran Khan.

Sameen Gul was 21 and averaged just 25.86 in the same QEA.

Haris Rauf was 26 and averaged 10 runs less per wicket than Imran Khan.

Misbah chose to go to Australia with too few quick bowlers - even Bangladesh and Zimbabwe wouldn't go there with only 5 quicks.

And Misbah chose to select only men under 20 and over 30, even though he could have picked:

Ehsan Adil 27
Sameen Gul 21
Faheem Ashraf 26
Haris Rauf 26
Amad Butt 25

Misbah CHOSE to discard the generation of players at their peak. (Wahab was 34, and Amir was probably over 30 too).

 

[DandyFellow]

The idea in Australia always has been about fast bowlers. Imran and Abbas should not be considered fast bowlers. The majority of the bowlers you have provided are not pure fast bowlers. In case of Haris Rauf, he had not played any substantial first class cricket.
But there are many things on which we have agreements too. Selection of Imran was unjustified. Easily, atleast one of the bowlers you have listed should have been taken on performances. But I feel the selection of Naseem and Shaheen was justified. Other pacers in the squad could have been better which I agree.
Misbah discarded Wahab and Amir for T20s which I have written above. My thread is not about what is right or wrong rather it is about lack of direction. You can see both Wahab and Amir are back hence there are loads of U-turns.

 

[DandyFellow]

Sorry, but this is completely untrue.

Misbah CHOSE to only take 5 quick bowlers to Australia, of whom 3 were teenagers and 2 were the wrong side of 30.

At the time of selection, Ehsan Adil was 27 years old and was averaging 26 in the domestic First Class competition.

Imran Khan was 32 years old and averaging 49.13 in the same competition.

Faheem Ashraf was 26 years old and averaged 29, and took a 5-for in the QEA Final.

Amad Butt was 25 and took his wickets at a better average and strike rate than Imran Khan.

Sameen Gul was 21 and averaged just 25.86 in the same QEA.

Haris Rauf was 26 and averaged 10 runs less per wicket than Imran Khan.

Misbah chose to go to Australia with too few quick bowlers - even Bangladesh and Zimbabwe wouldn't go there with only 5 quicks.

And Misbah chose to select only men under 20 and over 30, even though he could have picked:

Ehsan Adil 27
Sameen Gul 21
Faheem Ashraf 26
Haris Rauf 26
Amad Butt 25

Misbah CHOSE to discard the generation of players at their peak. (Wahab was 34, and Amir was probably over 30 too).

Sorry I forgot to quote you in my reply above.

 

[Junaids]

The idea in Australia always has been about fast bowlers. Imran and Abbas should not be considered fast bowlers. The majority of the bowlers you have provided are not pure fast bowlers. In case of Haris Rauf, he had not played any substantial first class cricket.
But there are many things on which we have agreements too. Selection of Imran was unjustified. Easily, atleast one of the bowlers you have listed should have been taken on performances. But I feel the selection of Naseem and Shaheen was justified. Other pacers in the squad could have been better which I agree.
Misbah discarded Wahab and Amir for T20s which I have written above. My thread is not about what is right or wrong rather it is about lack of direction. You can see both Wahab and Amir are back hence there are loads of U-turns.

I actually thought your post was excellent: the issue is this.

Misbah accepted the dual roles as Chief Selector and Head Coach, which Wasim Khan said makes him accountable for everything. EVERYTHING.

But Misbah did what he always does - dumped almost every player aged 21-30 and replaced them with Grandpas and Kids. Tried to use a leg-spinner to bowl most of his overs in Australia and England.

And of course it failed. And he is accountable and responsible.

But, and I choose my words carefully here, Misbah is a man who will always act like a certain orange politician, and will always try to lie his way out of responsibility for his actions.

Wahab Riaz is 34. Mohammad Amir is either 31 or 32 - none of us know his true age.

Misbah had to pick a squad for Australia without two veteran fast-bowlers.

Misbah chose to combine 3 teenagers with 2 grandpas as his pace attack in Australia, and to ignore every better-performing fast bowler in the 21-30 age range.

The ridiculous consequence was having to play Musa Khan in a pink ball Test match. Even though he was averaging 65.29 with the ball at the time in the domestic First Class competition.

Nobody objects to Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Abbas being half of a 6 man pace attack in Australia.

But Misbah chose to combine them with a trundling old man (Imran Khan) who was averaging 49 in the QEA, and with a teenage dwarf (Musa Khan) who was averaging 65.

This was the most monumental incompetence by Misbah as Chief Selector.

And yet he has spun this outrageous lie that he had to select kids and geriatrics because men in their prime had abruptly retired. When actually the two guys who had retired were 34 and almost certainly 32.

That's the thing about Misbah. He always does the same things, which have never worked, and then he lies to avoid having to take responsibility. ESPNCricinfo actually ran a story about him "deadcatting" - using misleading publicity to avoid responsibility for his actual actions.

 

[Gullycricket]

I feel where it all went wrong at start itself was recalling Ahmad Shehzad and Umar Akmal. Then its been all downhill and yesterdays tells it all