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A not so crazy idea for a Pakistan opening pair - Fakhar Zaman and Faheem Ashraf!

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angeldsoul

Tape Ball Regular
Joined
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So after watching the glacial pace of Pakistan openers, Shezad, Azhar we finally have a dasher again in the form of Fakhar, we also have a new dasher at the bottom of the order with Faheem,
So why not go neo modern in our approach and have them both open, drop Azhar have Haris bat at 3, Babar at 4, Malik, Sarfaraz and have hafeez as a pinch hitter at the bottom, as he can slog pretty good? then we could use one of Imad and Shadab depending on match situation and form plus the bowlers.

Fakhar
Faheem
Haris
Babar
Malik
Sarfaraz
Hafeez
Imad/shadaab
Amir
Ali
Junaid
 
angeldsoul said:
So after watching the glacial pace of Pakistan openers, Shezad, Azhar we finally have a dasher again in the form of Fakhar, we also have a new dasher at the bottom of the order with Faheem,
So why not go neo modern in our approach and have them both open, drop Azhar have Haris bat at 3, Babar at 4, Malik, Sarfaraz and have hafeez as a pinch hitter at the bottom, as he can slog pretty good? then we could use one of Imad and Shadab depending on match situation and form plus the bowlers.

Fakhar
Faheem
Haris
Babar
Malik
Sarfaraz
Hafeez
Imad/shadaab
Amir
Ali
Junaid
Click to expand...

was thinking the same exact idea .we should think out of the box and send Faheem with fakhar to attack

in first 10 overs
 
Don't agree with this. If this was a T20I then this might have some merit, but in ODIs opening is still a specialist position.

Ashraf is in the team as a bowling all-rounder and if he plays against England he will be playing only his second game so it would be unfair to make him open- it could destroy his confidence.

Plus if Ashraf and Zaman open, it would mean there isn't really a power hitter for the later overs.
 
Dios said:
Fakhar and Sharjeel would have been a devastating pair.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure they would run each other out. However, needless to say, they would certainly be very flashy like Tamim and whoever that young lad is.
 
I am not sure of Faheem's technique against the new ball..rather have a dasher down the order as well...

I don't know why so many people believe in Hafeez as a pinch hitter at 6 or 7..

For me professor either has to bat in top 3 or be dropped...he would be useless down the order..
 
I rather risk a 10/2 in hopes of getting a 40/0 in 5 with Sharjeel and Fakhar rather than a garuanteed 30/0 in 10 with Azhar and Shehzad.
 
40/ in 5 overs with Sharjeel and Fakhar lol? Dudes, they would be 40/0 in 2 overs. Probably 110/1 in 10 overs. If you don't take that then please stop watching cricket and watch tapes of 90s cricket.
 
Fakhar and Faheem is a sensible choice considering the squad to open the Batting in LOI.
 
Do not agree with this. I would rather line him up at #6.
Sarfraz MUST promote himself to #5 PLEASE!
 
honestly, I dont know why you call that line up "not so crazy"

because it is hella crazy!

1. Has Faheem ever opened before? because you have him opening the batting in Eng, vs Eng, in the semi-final of huge tournament, against a good bowling attach, in his second game ... this just sounds ludicrous

2. Is Haris match fit? he hasn't played an international game in ~2 years

3. What exactly makes you think Hafeez would "pinch hit" - the guy takes 20+ balls just to get to a SR of 50, and you have him playing as a pinch hitter?? how?

I agree that Hafeez and Azhar have got to go - but your line up lacks logic and has a very high chance of being bowled out for under 150
 
I would not.
I'm still a firm proponent of Sarfraz opening. Here's why:

1. He's opened successfully before.
2. He can rotate strike and play according to the situation (we saw that yesterday).
3. MoHa can still be in the team and slog against the spinners in the late overs (at least for the rest of the CT).
4. It will upset the opponent's bowling plans.
 
Canistani Hero said:
Yes but very risky also
Click to expand...

Yes but this is what you need in modern day LOI cricket. Maybe one of them can remodel their game a little bit and bat a little less riskily while the other maintains their natural aggression. Or have someone like Babar open and have Fakhar in at 3.
 
I wouldnt mind seeing that personally, or if not Faheem than sarfraz to open, in the future they can try Faheem at 3, mainly in t20s i think it would work.
 
Sarfaraz provides more utility at 5/6 than what he can when opening. A resounding NO for the ones advocating Sarfaraz to open.
 
angeldsoul said:
So after watching the glacial pace of Pakistan openers, Shezad, Azhar we finally have a dasher again in the form of Fakhar, we also have a new dasher at the bottom of the order with Faheem,
So why not go neo modern in our approach and have them both open, drop Azhar have Haris bat at 3, Babar at 4, Malik, Sarfaraz and have hafeez as a pinch hitter at the bottom, as he can slog pretty good? then we could use one of Imad and Shadab depending on match situation and form plus the bowlers.

Fakhar
Faheem
Haris
Babar
Malik
Sarfaraz
Hafeez
Imad/shadaab
Amir
Ali
Junaid
Click to expand...

This could be really "out of box" thinking...But why all seniors are sandwich in the middle, they are not playing upto nor down low, they are not handed out any responsibility other than usual Tuk-Tuk?? - Literally they cannot rotate strike...


English are going to bounce Fakhar from ball number 1, rib cage is coming from Wood and Plumkett in very first over. Faheem is better equipped to deal with bounce, but I am not sure if you through him to fire so early. Harris could be because he has played in first 10 overs in last WC, problem with Azhar and Hafeez is that they are momentum killers, play too many dots, no matter what, even after that never really gets going, so all those dot ball investment is good for nothing :acp:

Sarfraz also must play at #4, other than wood English bowling is not that great, He should use his form to maximum...Faheem would be more useful in down order hitting.
 
zn426 said:
I would not.
I'm still a firm proponent of Sarfraz opening. Here's why:

1. He's opened successfully before.
2. He can rotate strike and play according to the situation (we saw that yesterday).
3. MoHa can still be in the team and slog against the spinners in the late overs (at least for the rest of the CT).
4. It will upset the opponent's bowling plans.
Click to expand...

last_knight said:
Sarfaraz provides more utility at 5/6 than what he can when opening. A resounding NO for the ones advocating Sarfaraz to open.
Click to expand...

Sarfaraz is at his best when he is in the top five and so he needs to bat higher than he currently is batting.

I personally would like to see him batting at 4/5. As much as I want him to open, the reason I don't think he should long-term is that he also the captain and the wicket-keeper- making him open might be asking a bit too much from him (at least in ODIs, he could still open in T20Is if he wanted to).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Fahim Ashraf at the top of the order to counter short pitched bowling

We all know that England will target Fakhar zaman and Azhar ali with the short ball. No one is particularly good against the short pitched bowling in our lineup except perhaps Fahim ashraf who looked like he had a lot of time against the sri lankan quicks, can he be used as a makeshift opener for tomorrow's game counteracting England's ploy of short pitched bowling and maybe gain an advantage upfront. Of course if the plan fails and Fahim gets out we could be pressured into mistakes but Pakistan requires something special and out of the box tomorrow considering England is a team that depends on structure and set plans in their matches and this ploy can make them nervous tomorrow.
Plus we should also remember Cardiff has short boundaries in front of the wicket and anything full can be severely dealt by Fahim who looks to meet the ball with the full face of the bat and hit straight.
 
OP meant to type - Faheem Ashraf at the top to offer freebie ceremonial first wicket to England.
 
Syed1 said:
I rather risk a 10/2 in hopes of getting a 40/0 in 5 with Sharjeel and Fakhar rather than a garuanteed 30/0 in 10 with Azhar and Shehzad.
Click to expand...
A 30/0 in 10 overs is not guaranteed when the 2nd opener is Shehzad whose technique is not good enough to survive 10 overs in testing conditions.

To guarantee at least 30/0 in 10 overs in all conditions you will need Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq as openers.
 
Evil thought of opening with fakhar n Fahim crossed my mind too but as usual they will stick with Azhar
 
This is the perfect scenario for today because we all know England's plan is to attack Pakistan with Mark Wood and Plunkett bowling bouncers and cross seamers. If Fahim ashraf plays as a temporary opener at the top and told to exploit the closed fielders in the first ten overs even if he makes around 30(20) he will really irk england and put them in a bit of pressure, Ian Chappell would also agree with this imo.
 
What makes u sure that he can handle the new ball? If his wicket is lost due to the ball beinh new and seaming a bit, a golden opportunity to score quick runs at the end would be lost.
 
Not sure about Fahim but I'd love to see Sarfraz as an opener.

This allows PAK to push Azhar Ali out and bring in Haris Sohail.
 
Fakhar and Faheem are both dashers. One should be down the order with the other opening the innings. We need to save one Faheem for later on in the innings.
 
Bro Faheem has never opened even in his first class career and was in the team as we needed someone who can bowl and hit in the last 10 overs. Yes it could have been an experiment but what about lower order hitting, even if we get like 60 in 6 overs, we need our middle over to bat alteast till 45 overs and than we need someone to hit a few.
 
r u out of ur mindddddddddddddddd.

Swinging Ball and Hafeez. 1st ball duck caught behind.
 
Nope you can't risk a promising youngster's career.If he has to play he should bat at 7 better than that definition of mediocrity imad He would do better job at 7.
 
Bat First? No Problem. Send in the 2 Fs!

You heard of the 2 W's. Well Pakistan should look to blow India into a frenzy by opening with Fahim and Fakhar, the two most explosive batsmen in the team if they are sent in to bat first. Go Big or Go Home. Ha Ya Na?
 
I would try it but not in the final of the CT.

No option but to open with Fakhar and Azhar. The only change I see Pakistan making is Amir for Raees
 
Impressive change from Mickey. If this comes off the guy is a genius.
 
Brilliant prediction. Did anyone from the team management see this thread? lol
 
Perhaps Mickey is a more frequent reader of PP than we thought?
 
that was a stupid idea in NZ

Faheem has a List A average of 15, we would be better off opening with Hassan Ali or Shadab
 
This wasn’t really a good idea considering the pitch conditions and the fact that he hasn’t really scored any runs in his normal position. This could damage his career in the short term future.

I like this type of thinking though, we need more of it.
 
CricFan2012 said:
Lol one innings at the top and fickle fans are already out
Click to expand...

I dunno about others, but I’m not being fickle and saying he should be dropped.

I think he should continue batting in his normal position because he still hasn’t scored any runs there, so I don’t know why the team thought it was a good idea to make him open the batting.

The guy has a list A and t20 average of around 15 so it was a bit reckless and could also be damaging to his confidence.
 
Pakistan: the dumbest country when it comes to make-shift openers. A player is aggressive. Ohhhhh, let's make him open.
 
If Faheem was a proven hitter or if he atleast had a decent average than this idea wouldn’t have been that bad

On top of that considering the bowlers we’re putting him in front of the conditions we’re batting him in it’s really unfair on him. We’re just throwing the new kid in to the deep end without considering whether he is able to swim or not. Absolute shambles.
 
j_kazmi said:
If Faheem was a proven hitter or if he atleast had a decent average than this idea wouldn’t have been that bad

On top of that considering the bowlers we’re putting him in front of the conditions we’re batting him in it’s really unfair on him. We’re just throwing the new kid in to the deep end without considering whether he is able to swim or not. Absolute shambles.
Click to expand...

Its okay! Give him a run of 10 matches and hw will deliver best results then Azhar Ali or Shahzad.
 
That did not last too long,did it? But again Pakistan have to give them an extended run. If they succeed, the team will get a flying start.
 
I think Pakistan think tank are referring to this forum and selecting the batting order. First Faheem as opener and Harris @ 4
 
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