Abid Ali struggles in fitness test

[wasiqwaqar]

I still dont get the hate on IMAM.

 

[moghul]

I still dont get the hate on IMAM.

View attachment 90569

Please consider the opposition against which they scored these runs. I think Imam is a good batsman and will serve Pakistan for long but his stats are inflated due to Zimbabwe series. His uncle is a smart guy.

 

[cricketerB94]

Please consider the opposition against which they scored these runs. I think Imam is a good batsman and will serve Pakistan for long but his stats are inflated due to Zimbabwe series. His uncle is a smart guy.

Not like only he was allowed to play against Zimbabwe. Other players were also there to play against Zimbabwe. I don't see this much hate for them.

The point is he was our best or second best batsman in Asia Cup, he saved us a test match against Ireland, he has a century on ODI debut, he has played very well in SA.

I don't see people, who call him nephew or p-archi, praise him when he does well which he have done in most of his career yet.

 

[wasiqwaqar]

Please consider the opposition against which they scored these runs. I think Imam is a good batsman and will serve Pakistan for long but his stats are inflated due to Zimbabwe series. His uncle is a smart guy.

Agreed. But he isn't a pathetic player as most of the Umar Akmal lovers are trying to make him look like one. Too bad for him that his uncle is a chief selector. He used to be one of the top batsman in under 19 along with Babar Azam and Sami Aslam.

 

[Bilal7]

I'll say it again: Arthur is taking these fitness tests way too seriously. Abid Ali is a batsman and he's scoring enough runs without being able to run 2 ks. Not taking him to the World Cup simply because he scored poorly on the fitness tests will be a huge mistake.

I wonder if Arthur would have picked Inzamam, Yousuf, Ajmal, Sehwag, Sachin, Muralitharan, Warne, Botham, Kallis, etc in his teams. None of them were elite athletes and most were probably in worse shape than Abid Ali.

Agreed. But he isn't a pathetic player as most of the Umar Akmal lovers are trying to make him look like one. Too bad for him that his uncle is a chief selector. He used to be one of the top batsman in under 19 along with Babar Azam and Sami Aslam.

People are weird and ignorant. Imam ul Haq deserves his place in the team as much as Babar Azam and Hasan Ali. He's been fantastic and one of the opening spots has been locked down for a good seven years (before the inevitable move down the order). I would ask his haters to consider getting used to it but I enjoy seeing them whine.

 

[MMHS]

I still dont get the hate on IMAM.

View attachment 90569

Beautifully explained - there is no bigger truth than stats.

And, look at the prospect of PCT in WC - 5 of the best ever batsmen in this WC for PAK team. Add to that Shinwari & Hasan averaging around 20 with ball, and Sarfraz having the best average among the WCs, this PAK team has actually 8 players in AT PAK XI - may be Zaheer, Wasim and who else (a toss between Misbah or Khan - Sarfraz is already there to lead the side, so Imran might be a decent deputy as well), will complete the All time XI.

 

[hitthestump]

I wonder if Arthur would have picked Inzamam, Yousuf, Ajmal, Sehwag, Sachin, Muralitharan, Warne, Botham, Kallis, etc in his teams.

Cricket has moved on from the 90's. Goes without saying that Pakistan have 0 players of the above caliber anyway.

 

[wasiqwaqar]

I would say a basic endurance test is still required. An international player should easily pass them. Unfortunately it becomes a big thing in pakistan only because most of them are borderline.

Fitness and agility does matter when in the field, running between the wickets. Saving a few runs here and scoring a few extra runs there is how better teams prevail. That being said, pakistan's yo-yo cut off is not that high anyway.

I'll say it again: Arthur is taking these fitness tests way too seriously. Abid Ali is a batsman and he's scoring enough runs without being able to run 2 ks. Not taking him to the World Cup simply because he scored poorly on the fitness tests will be a huge mistake.

I wonder if Arthur would have picked Inzamam, Yousuf, Ajmal, Sehwag, Sachin, Muralitharan, Warne, Botham, Kallis, etc in his teams. None of them were elite athletes and most were probably in worse shape than Abid Ali.

 

[Red Devil]

PPers will cry about our players being unfit and out of shape but also complain when tough measures are taken to ensure that the players maintain a high level of fitness.

 

[Chokli]

PPers will cry about our players being unfit and out of shape but also complain when tough measures are taken to ensure that the players maintain a high level of fitness.

They're typical Pakistanis.

They'll always find something to complain and moan about

 

[MMHS]

They're typical Pakistanis.

They'll always find something to complain and moan about

No, there is a merit (in this moaning).

Fitness Test is being used here to filter out players, not to select them. Don't get me wrong here - fitness is the utmost important aspect in any modern game; but it should be prerequisite, not a filter. The final 15 should be selected based on their core skills and squad combination, FROM AMONG fit list of preliminary 23 or whatever number they pick.

Selecting a player for National team is an investment as well and these 4 players (Abid, Hasnanin, Yasir, Imad) were invested in that 5 game AUS series, just 10 weeks before WC - if fitness score is at such priority, then it should be a regular process before that series as well, not a filter at the 11th hour - I am sure these 4 haven't gone unfit in last 2-3 weeks. My hunch is, Amir & Hafeez are border line as well (& Sarfraz shouldn't be mentioned here - I want this thread to remain clean), and had they failed the mark, what next? Or other way is it like sure shots (players) will not fail the fitness test?

What is done is not right - now he has tarnished his reputation, so they didn't call him after investing 5 ODIs against AUS, but Umar Akmal was blessed child 2 years back .... and that time he did by pass the fitness Test, only to be caught later. PCT took 1/3rd unfit squad to SAF, when Abid wasn't considered for a different reason - now he has scored 3 hundreds & a 95 in last 8 games and suddenly he might miss out (not sure though - might be dropped on core skill as well) for WC on fitness matrix. If it's (fitness score - not sure, Beep test is appropriate for cricket) that high in priority list, than it should be a regular exercise - before every series and a monthly calendar, preferably for A teams & premier domestic tournaments as well.

That's why I believe this fitness test is just to keep a back-up plan - the squad is more or less prefixed, they needed a record before dropping/keeping certain players. A WC squad must be based on skills only - you lead into it by keeping a fitness standard and build only on fit players. Not other way - you pick fit players - selectively, and then add skills to them....................

 

[wasiqwaqar]

I agree that fitness test should'nt be used to filter players last minute.

But at the same time I dont think they needed all this drama to rule players out. They could have just named 15 players squad without all the fuss about fitness test and first selecting the pool of 23. But then again its PCB and they love such antics

No, there is a merit (in this moaning).

Fitness Test is being used here to filter out players, not to select them. Don't get me wrong here - fitness is the utmost important aspect in any modern game; but it should be prerequisite, not a filter. The final 15 should be selected based on their core skills and squad combination, FROM AMONG fit list of preliminary 23 or whatever number they pick.

Selecting a player for National team is an investment as well and these 4 players (Abid, Hasnanin, Yasir, Imad) were invested in that 5 game AUS series, just 10 weeks before WC - if fitness score is at such priority, then it should be a regular process before that series as well, not a filter at the 11th hour - I am sure these 4 haven't gone unfit in last 2-3 weeks. My hunch is, Amir & Hafeez are border line as well (& Sarfraz shouldn't be mentioned here - I want this thread to remain clean), and had they failed the mark, what next? Or other way is it like sure shots (players) will not fail the fitness test?

What is done is not right - now he has tarnished his reputation, so they didn't call him after investing 5 ODIs against AUS, but Umar Akmal was blessed child 2 years back .... and that time he did by pass the fitness Test, only to be caught later. PCT took 1/3rd unfit squad to SAF, when Abid wasn't considered for a different reason - now he has scored 3 hundreds & a 95 in last 8 games and suddenly he might miss out (not sure though - might be dropped on core skill as well) for WC on fitness matrix. If it's (fitness score - not sure, Beep test is appropriate for cricket) that high in priority list, than it should be a regular exercise - before every series and a monthly calendar, preferably for A teams & premier domestic tournaments as well.

That's why I believe this fitness test is just to keep a back-up plan - the squad is more or less prefixed, they needed a record before dropping/keeping certain players. A WC squad must be based on skills only - you lead into it by keeping a fitness standard and build only on fit players. Not other way - you pick fit players - selectively, and then add skills to them....................

 

[Ronaldo7]

The requirement isn't even the highest out of all the test playing nations. Nz has a requirement of like 20 and people are complaining about 17.4

 

[King-Misbah]

Why wasn't Abid tested earlier (before series against Australia). This indeed looks very fishy.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

I have come to the conclusion that fitness tests are a sham in the following way:

Player A with core cricketing skill of 70 and fitness score of 20 will reach a total of 70.
Player B with core skill of 100 and fitness score of 17 will reach a total of 0.

Player A is Shan Masood. He will score 19 or 20 each time on fitness tests. He will get into the squad, will perform at mediocre batting level and will drop catches/misfield as well despite supreme fitness - because his core cricketing skills at international level are 70 and not 100.

Player B could be Abid. Good core cricketing skills, can score 100s and not tire, will take all his catches but is not yet attuned to a test he has never taken in his life.

Shan gets in.

Next series, someone else new will fail fitness test and Shan will get in. So Shan will always get in

 

[Mueez]

I have come to the conclusion that fitness tests are a sham in the following way:

Player A with core cricketing skill of 70 and fitness score of 20 will reach a total of 70.
Player B with core skill of 100 and fitness score of 17 will reach a total of 0.

Player A is Shan Masood. He will score 19 or 20 each time on fitness tests. He will get into the squad, will perform at mediocre batting level and will drop catches/misfield as well despite supreme fitness - because his core cricketing skills at international level are 70 and not 100.

Player B could be Abid. Good core cricketing skills, can score 100s and not tire, will take all his catches but is not yet attuned to a test he has never taken in his life.

Shan gets in.

Next series, someone else new will fail fitness test and Shan will get in. So Shan will always get in

As long as your father or someone else from your family is there, no need to worry.

Such a shame this.

 

[Syed1]

It's not like Inzi is some sort of paragon of honesty when it comes to the fitness test. How are people forgetting that this is the same Inzi who "personally supervised" Umar Akmal's fitness test before the CT and cleared him to be in good fitness, but then he had to be sent back from England because he was TOO FAT.


Inzi is clearly trying to save Imam from having any competition for his spot. If Abid Ali is selected he will out bat Imam 9 times out of 10 and this will put nephew's career in jeopardy.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Abid Ali:

Scored a century in Quaid e Azam trophy final --> Check
Scored a century in Pakistan Cup final --> Check
Scored a century on one day international debut --> Check
Scored heavily against quality oppositions and in A team --> Check
Performed on most difficult pitches of Pakistan like Diamond --> Check

But

Good enough to be part of Micckey Arthur's test and odi team --> NO

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Spin/Slow bowlers who can end up with figures like 1-45 or 0-40 are going to come very handy in WC, can change the dynamics of the bowling unit as it gives others a license to attack. We saw how incompetent Nawaz was in this role in the Asia Cup. Plus Imad is the closest to a finisher we have. Fahim and Shadab aren't good enough for finisher's role yet.

Bro I am not talking about Imad's skills as a player which is another topic.

My point is simple:
If Mickey Arthur is supposedly so strict when it comes to fitness then how on earth Imad Wasim always find a place in his teams be it Karachi Kings or Pakistan. Not only that he is rewarded with captaincy by Mickey. In an interview, after our CT win, Imad said Mickey calls him his blue eyed boy so blue eyed boy k liye special favors?

Imad has failed fitness test 3-5 times in my memory atleast but was dropped only once. People are criticizing Abid that he shouldn't be selected because he couldnt fulfill the fitness criteria (despite Abid is new and hasnt been part of the team before) but Imad after being part of the team for 3 years didnt face the same fate. Why? Rules should be same for all players, No?

 

[Kroll]

This was probably expected given his tired shot after just passing the century mark in the recent ODI's against Australia. I just can't fathom how unfit these players are especially when they're vying to become international level athletes. I mean it's cricket, it's hardly the most physically demanding sport out there!

 

[Abdullah719]

Why wasn't Abid tested earlier (before series against Australia). This indeed looks very fishy.

The series was too short and crammed in for the selectors to do that, as they had to announce squad towards end of PSL. However, there were reports that there were tests during the series and Abid, Imad and Yasir were amongst the names mentioned who failed it.

If Abid isn't picked, he should work hard on his fitness in the next month or so... remember squads can be changed for a bit

 

[iPakistani]

https://youtu.be/2GAZZWAIB-8

I just watched this video where football referees and two retired footballers complete the yo-yo test. They all managed to reach 18 I believe. How can some of our athletes fail to reach the pass mark of 17.4? If two retired footballers can do it how hard can it be to just train?

 

[giri26]

https://youtu.be/2GAZZWAIB-8

I just watched this video where football referees and two retired footballers complete the yo-yo test. They all managed to reach 18 I believe. How can some of our athletes fail to reach the pass mark of 17.4? If two retired footballers can do it how hard can it be to just train?

The problem comes if your domestic set up does not have the same yardstick for fitness. A player like Abid Ali who has been playing 12-14 years in domestic cricket would not have cared about fitness that much. I am surprised that he even made it to the series against UAE. How did he pass the Yo-Yo test then?

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Bro I am not talking about Imad's skills as a player which is another topic.

My point is simple:
If Mickey Arthur is supposedly so strict when it comes to fitness then how on earth Imad Wasim always find a place in his teams be it Karachi Kings or Pakistan. Not only that he is rewarded with captaincy by Mickey. In an interview, after our CT win, Imad said Mickey calls him his blue eyed boy so blue eyed boy k liye special favors?

Imad has failed fitness test 3-5 times in my memory atleast but was dropped only once. People are criticizing Abid that he shouldn't be selected because he couldnt fulfill the fitness criteria (despite Abid is new and hasnt been part of the team before) but Imad after being part of the team for 3 years didnt face the same fate. Why? Rules should be same for all players, No?

Yes rules should be the same for everyone.
Let's discuss some of the things you have pointed out. Mickey didn't appoint Imad the captain of KK, the management of KK did. In franchise leagues, a coach doesn't have that much of an influence as he is employed by big tycoons. Sohail Khan had been a regular in KK team even though Mickey absolutely hates his fitness.
I don't know how many times has he failed the fitness test, but yes, I would be stern on him to maintain his fitness and the yardstick should be comparable for everyone.
And yes, I feel bad for Abid as well, he did well on his debut but has poor fitness levels. But the reason IMO they are not very much inclined on having Abid in the 15 is that there are already, Fakhar, Imam, Shan and Hafeez in the reckoning for the opening berth. And yes I would go with Abid over Shan, but that's how it looks like atm management is going to go. I feel like Abid was never picked so that he may be sent for the WC, he just took it by surprise and did quite well. The so called bench strength testing came at a very poor time, should have been done 6-7 months ago. Abid's discipline and dedication will be seen from now onwards how much work he puts in, say 3-4 months from now on and where he goes with his fitness.

I won't really blame Mickey and Inzi for giving a leeway to Imad because our lower order is just too weak and they are giving him preferential treatment so that he makes it. But I think if he fails, he won't be picked. Lastly, Yes I would expect the seniors to be the role models in terms of their work ethic and discipline, something Imad should be doing.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Abid Ali is the new sensation in town.

And Shan is in hot waters.

My conclusion.

 

[Afhan Ali]

Abid Ali the new Don Bradman wow

Shan Masood the new Shahzad, U Akmal, Imam, Faheem

 

[Afhan Ali]

Shan earns he place on merit----check
Shan list A average better than any Pakistan batsman----- Check
Shan the new test captain--- check
Shan pulls well against Styne, Rabada and co ----- check
Fittest in Pakistan -----Check
Deserve a long run, that 10,15 matches run is required as pp members always want

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

"Fitness doesn't matter" is a lame sentence indeed.

But the context here is different. He's fit to play professional cricket. Has scored 200s in domestics, have played in the middle without any issues for 35 freaking overs. Did exceptionally well in the A team.

All the indicators show he's perfect for pro cricket. And scoring a 17.1 doesn't mean he's not fit. That scoring without a player's context is very wrong.

IF Mickey thinks there's just one cut-off without looking at the whole context or a player's history, then Mickey would be a fool.

Same like others who think scoring a 17.1 for a top performer means he has failed the fitness test. He hasn't. It's just foolish to not look at the whole picture.

Of course if someone is obese, cannot field for 50 overs and cannot bat for a good number of overs, he will be unfit. Won't even thrive at the FC and List A level.

Excellent post, bingo!

 

[JibranAnsari]

Abid ali can field for 50 overs , can run around stopping the ball and has shown that can bat for long periods as well. Its good to have fitness tests and all but you need to at the things required in cricket not for someone who is going to run a marathon.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Abid ali can field for 50 overs , can run around stopping the ball and has shown that can bat for long periods as well. Its good to have fitness tests and all but you need to at the things required in cricket not for someone who is going to run a marathon.

But he can't do that consistently for 9 matches and possibly two more after that.

Why's it so hard for people to hard this??

 

[JibranAnsari]

But he can't do that consistently for 9 matches and possibly two more after that.

Why's it so hard for people to hard this??

He has played all domestic season without a fail and then played two odis before playing 5 domestic one days. There is nothing to suggest that he cant last the world cup.

 

[Ronaldo7]

He has played all domestic season without a fail and then played two odis before playing 5 domestic one days. There is nothing to suggest that he cant last the world cup.

He's highly inconsistent.
What are people gassing about?
The guy averages 39 with a sr of 80

 

[Bilal7]

Cricket has moved on from the 90's. Goes without saying that Pakistan have 0 players of the above caliber anyway.

I would like to see someone expand on this. How has cricket changed in this aspect from the 90s and 00s. Players still have to bat and field for a maximum of 50 overs and spin-bowlers are not bowling from longer run-ups either. Fielding has improved but that is not based on fitness alone. One can be a very fit fast bowler but still be a terrible fielder.

As for your other point, the policy should be the same regardless of your skill-level. Additionally, Babar Azam and Hasan Ali are just as important to the current team as Inzamam and Wasim were to the teams of the past.

PPers will cry about our players being unfit and out of shape but also complain when tough measures are taken to ensure that the players maintain a high level of fitness.

You speak as if "PPers" is some hivemind and not a bunch of cricket fans with unique opinions.

The requirement isn't even the highest out of all the test playing nations. Nz has a requirement of like 20 and people are complaining about 17.4

What New Zealand has been a minor cricketing nation and Pakistan should not be concerned with the policies it implements. If you want to look at what other teams are doing; India has a lower cut-off than Pakistan, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Hasan123]

If you can't pass these fitness tests there must be something wrong with you. They are not strenuous like the top teams fitness tests.

It doesn't look good on Abid Ali for not passing this test.

 

[Bilal7]

It's not like Inzi is some sort of paragon of honesty when it comes to the fitness test. How are people forgetting that this is the same Inzi who "personally supervised" Umar Akmal's fitness test before the CT and cleared him to be in good fitness, but then he had to be sent back from England because he was TOO FAT.


Inzi is clearly trying to save Imam from having any competition for his spot. If Abid Ali is selected he will out bat Imam 9 times out of 10 and this will put nephew's career in jeopardy.

So Inzamam first selects Abid Ali, not just for the series against Australia but also in the WC probables list, and is now trying to justify dropping him.

Also, you seem to misunderstand. Inzamam is not the one holding back promising players because of their being seemingly unfit. Mickey Arthur is.

 

[Ronaldo7]

"The reason why we have come up with 17:4 is, it is not going to make you hit a cover drive or bowl faster. All it does is, it helps with the recovery." - Luden

 

[Ronaldo7]

I would like to see someone expand on this. How has cricket changed in this aspect from the 90s and 00s. Players still have to bat and field for a maximum of 50 overs and spin-bowlers are not bowling from longer run-ups either. Fielding has improved but that is not based on fitness alone. One can be a very fit fast bowler but still be a terrible fielder.

As for your other point, the policy should be the same regardless of your skill-level. Additionally, Babar Azam and Hasan Ali are just as important to the current team as Inzamam and Wasim were to the teams of the past.



You speak as if "PPers" is some hivemind and not a bunch of cricket fans with unique opinions.



What New Zealand has been a minor cricketing nation and Pakistan should not be concerned with the policies it implements. If you want to look at what other teams are doing; India has a lower cut-off than Pakistan, if I'm not mistaken.

India has a cut off of 16.1. Lol.
Yasir shah would pass if it was that.
We're lucky then. To gain something we have to lose something too.

Imagine the thrashing Yasir shah would have gotten if he had passed and got selected. He didn't pass at the sacrifice of Abid.

 

[ads101]

I'd leave him out of the squad if he can't pass the fitness test. Realistically he's not going to play anyway, so might as well leave him out, tell him to focus getting fit and then when he's picked after the WC hopefully he'll be fitter/on his way to sorting out his fitness problems.

With Haris, Hafeez and Malik in the squad (I still think Haris won't play if both Hafeez and Malik are playing, there's no room), there's only one remaining batting place anyway. Might as well give it to Rizwan who's fit enough, serves as back up wicketkeeper and technically outperformed Abid anyway last series.

I wanted a right-left opening combination so wanted Abid to start, but would require reshuffling Imam or Fakhar to 3 which we haven't tried out and it's too late to change things now. We're going with the two left handers opening now, we're committed to that.

 

[JibranAnsari]

He's highly inconsistent.
What are people gassing about?
The guy averages 39 with a sr of 80

He was selected because of his performance in the last three seasons , besides when he was given a chance in international cricket he scored a 100 on debut. At least let him fail in internationals before casting him out.

 

[iPakistani]

Shan earns he place on merit----check
Shan list A average better than any Pakistan batsman----- Check
Shan the new test captain--- check
Shan pulls well against Styne, Rabada and co ----- check
Fittest in Pakistan -----Check
Deserve a long run, that 10,15 matches run is required as pp members always want

Completely agree with this, has everyone forgot Shaan's List A record? It is stupid that's how good it is. Give him a longer run in the team so he can get used to the demands of international cricket.

Remember it took Rohit Sharma a good 100 matches or so to perform for India.

 

[iPakistani]

He was selected because of his performance in the last three seasons , besides when he was given a chance in international cricket he scored a 100 on debut. At least let him fail in internationals before casting him out.

He got a golden duck the next innings? Plus when he got that 100 his fitness showed when we still needed to win the match and he played a lazy/tired shot to get out.

 

[wasiqwaqar]

I will throw in another table of List A records

 

[wasiqwaqar]

If we want Abid Ali because of his run/average and recent form. Then there are many other players with more or equal contention for the slot; including shan masood. Infact why not azhar ali or khurram manzoor too. Though i want none of them to be in the squad. Instead just take rizwan and asif as extras. They are not going to make the playing 11 anyway

 

[Ronaldo7]

I will throw in another table of List A records

View attachment 90599

As i have been saying. People are hyping up Abid Ali too much. Khurram manzoor has a better record than Abid in List a tournaments. MANZOOR has been performing exceptionally in domestic cricket but he doesn't deserve to be in the pak team. Domestic is misleading.

 

[Kroll]

He got a golden duck the next innings? Plus when he got that 100 his fitness showed when we still needed to win the match and he played a lazy/tired shot to get out.

At this point, he was panting like he was running to catch the train. Just contrast this with the Aus players who were not even breaking sweat after passing their centuries.

 

[wasiqwaqar]

At this point, he was panting like he was running to catch the train. Just contrast this with the Aus players who were not even breaking sweat after passing their centuries.

yeah I dont know .... i watched his latest 2 centuries on youtube again just to see if I am missing something... he didnt have even one boundary off side....

 

[classic]

I believe he got injured fielding at the end of Aus 1st innings and was in a lot of pain so need to give him some leeway for his golden duck in the 2nd innings.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

lol at old stats.

Abid has completely transformed himself in last 3-4 years. Check his stats in that time and consider his home ground was one of the toughest pitch of Pakistan.

 

[MMHS]

He got a golden duck the next innings? Plus when he got that 100 his fitness showed when we still needed to win the match and he played a lazy/tired shot to get out.

Interesting view, but trust me golden duck is probably better than a struggling 50.

I tell a story to explain this (Liverpool is 1-3 up ) - Probably Walter Hammond (Or Herbert Sutcliff) had a horror time in the start of a County season - by end of June, he had more ducks than double digit scores and people were questioning his days .... so, one jurno asked him what's the reason for his lack of form....

Hammond was surprised ... "I am not out of form, I didn't bat enough to prove that...." He explained that - in last 4 weeks, I have batted highest is 12 minutes, with highest being 7 and few ducks ..... you can't tell from that I am out of form. I am middling every ball, playing every shot - just got unlucky to get some unplayable balls......You could have said that if I were out after an hour regularly ... Walter Hammond scored over thousand runs in that July with 3 double hundreds ....

Abid is in tremendous touch which can be seen in his confidence in the middle. It takes only one ball to get a batsman out and Abid got one at 1st ball, but it takes 3-4 hours perfection to hit a hundred and guy has hit 3 in last 3 weeks (& a 95 as well). I was more concerned for one of his hundreds, where he hit like 17 of his 18 boundaries through leg side, often dragging from wide off ... that's more concerning than that duck.

 

[hitthestump]

I would like to see someone expand on this. How has cricket changed in this aspect from the 90s and 00s. Players still have to bat and field for a maximum of 50 overs and spin-bowlers are not bowling from longer run-ups either. Fielding has improved but that is not based on fitness alone. One can be a very fit fast bowler but still be a terrible fielder.

Fitness between teams isn't apparent over one game but it adds up over time. It also affects a players general work ethic, discipline and hunger to improve. I see your argument for just throwing in the best players for this WC regardless of fitness, but if we want to close the chasm between Pakistan and the top teams we really have to start firmly implementing these ideals unconditionally as we're already decades behind tbh.

 

[Bilal7]

Fitness between teams isn't apparent over one game but it adds up over time. It also affects a players general work ethic, discipline and hunger to improve. I see your argument for just throwing in the best players for this WC regardless of fitness, but if we want to close the chasm between Pakistan and the top teams we really have to start firmly implementing these ideals unconditionally as we're already decades behind tbh.

We won the CT two years ago and were the number one ranked test team three years ago. In T20s, I believe we are currently #1. I think we're on par with any of the top teams.

 

[criclove34]

Fitness is important criteria but it has to weighed with overall context. Umar Akmal may not fitness test but he is better field for Pakistan.

 

[Chokli]

Completely agree with this, has everyone forgot Shaan's List A record? It is stupid that's how good it is. Give him a longer run in the team so he can get used to the demands of international cricket.

Remember it took Rohit Sharma a good 100 matches or so to perform for India.

Rohit started performing when he became an opener. He was awful in the middle order

 

[Bouncer]

Interesting view, but trust me golden duck is probably better than a struggling 50.

I tell a story to explain this (Liverpool is 1-3 up ) - Probably Walter Hammond (Or Herbert Sutcliff) had a horror time in the start of a County season - by end of June, he had more ducks than double digit scores and people were questioning his days .... so, one jurno asked him what's the reason for his lack of form....

Hammond was surprised ... "I am not out of form, I didn't bat enough to prove that...." He explained that - in last 4 weeks, I have batted highest is 12 minutes, with highest being 7 and few ducks ..... you can't tell from that I am out of form. I am middling every ball, playing every shot - just got unlucky to get some unplayable balls......You could have said that if I were out after an hour regularly ... Walter Hammond scored over thousand runs in that July with 3 double hundreds ....

Abid is in tremendous touch which can be seen in his confidence in the middle. It takes only one ball to get a batsman out and Abid got one at 1st ball, but it takes 3-4 hours perfection to hit a hundred and guy has hit 3 in last 3 weeks (& a 95 as well). I was more concerned for one of his hundreds, where he hit like 17 of his 18 boundaries through leg side, often dragging from wide off ... that's more concerning than that duck.

[MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION]

I remember reading your comment in that video that was posted here where Abid scored in that inning where he had high %age of on side boundaries.

I do not get to watch a lot of cricket but I tend to make an effort to watch when someone new comes on to the scene, against Aus I personally was satisfied (very pleasently) with his off side play against Aus, specially couple of those drives that were on the up, I think he is good on off side (At least not as bad as many others who have played with a green cap in last 15 years or so) so I would think that his high percentage of on side strokes in Pak cup were more due to the fact that bowlers kept feeding him at pads or even when ball was outside off those balls were angled in to the point that an inform batsman who is high on confidence just felt it was easy to pull/hoick those balls to leg side.

 

[MMHS]

[MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION]

I remember reading your comment in that video that was posted here where Abid scored in that inning where he had high %age of on side boundaries.

I do not get to watch a lot of cricket but I tend to make an effort to watch when someone new comes on to the scene, against Aus I personally was satisfied (very pleasently) with his off side play against Aus, specially couple of those drives that were on the up, I think he is good on off side (At least not as bad as many others who have played with a green cap in last 15 years or so) so I would think that his high percentage of on side strokes in Pak cup were more due to the fact that bowlers kept feeding him at pads or even when ball was outside off those balls were angled in to the point that an inform batsman who is high on confidence just felt it was easy to pull/hoick those balls to leg side.

Or may be field was setting was like that - 3 minutes clip isn't the best tool to judge. His first shot in International cricket was a squire punch boundary on a slow wicket, so he might be better through off-side than that innings indeed.

Ideally, an inform Abid should open with Imam for a left-right opening combo and Fakhar should bat at 4 to dominate the spin. But, then don't know where to put Haris - if they are ready to drop one of Hafeez/Malik, then may be Fakhar at 5 & Hafeez/Malik @6 with other one dropped while one of Imad/Shadab carrying drinks. PAK will need 3 pacers for sure, + one spinner & make-shift overs from Haris, Hafeez, Fakhar. That combination eliminates the chances of fast bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf though, and probably Imad as well (for his fitness and Haris being also SLAO).

 

[Officer Barbrady]

Agree, he is very good through the offside. Plays the short stuff well. Essentially has all the shots around the ground.