Age does matter - How can PCB reverse Misbah-ul-Haq’s most dangerous precedent?

[Mamoon]

A lot is written and said about Misbah’s legacy and what it means for Pakistan cricket in the long-term. In my opinion, the most dangerous precedence that Misbah has set with his own example is the notion that age does not matter.

Misbah’s career has ruined the perspectives of PCB, the players and a section of Pakistani fans who have lost the capacity to understand the significance of age-related decline in cricket.

Regardless of the era, the vast majority of the players have retired in their mid to late 30’s regardless of how great they have been.

Gary Sobers played his last Test in 1974 at the age of 38, Botham retired at 37 in 1992, Gavaskar retired at 38 in 1987. I could go on forever.

It is very, very rare for players to play international cricket after their 30s, and in fact a greater number of players have retired before 35 compared to the number of players that have played after their 39th birthday.

Pakistan was not much different before the Misbah era. Miandad overstayed in ODIs, but he actually played his last Test at roughly the same age as Azhar is today.

Most other players like Wasim, Zaheer, Majid, Inzamam, Yousuf, Qadir, Saeed Anwar etc. etc. also retired before their 40th birthday.

Unfortunately, Misbah’s miracle of playing his last Test match at the age of 43 has created this false perception that if you are fit enough, you can easily play till your mid 40’s.

As a result, you have the likes of Azhar Ali claiming at the age of 35 that he still has 5-6 years left in the tank and someone like Hafeez refuses to retire even though he is almost 40 now.

Unfortunately, the PCB has been brain-washed into this mentality as well. They have approved Azhar Ali as captain at an age where they need to hold talks with him over his retirement.

Wasim Khan, the much-revered “professional” from ECB was in England when Cook, England’s record scorer, retired in September 2018 at the age of 33, the same age as Shafiq is today.

The problem with Azhar today is not that he is out of form. The problem is that he is at an age where you lose your ability. He has rapidly declined since his 33rd birthday and Shafiq will suffer the same fate.

It appears that PCB is either unaware of his pitiful returns in the last two years or it doesn’t understand the fact that this is an age-related decline or it doesn’t understand that age-related decline is actually a thing.

Pakistani is rapidly descending towards minnow status, but our inability to understand the concept of age-related decline is actually accelerating our decline.

It is not going to happen, but this is what actually needs to happen. Azhar must be sacked as captain and player with the PCB establishing a few rules:

- No player will be appointed as captain in any format after the of 32, and if such a situation arises, the player should be appointed as captain only on short-term series by series basis, similar to what Ijaz Butt did with Afridi although it was for different reasons.

- Asad Shafiq must be told that he is on his last legs at the age of 33 and he should start thinking about retirement before he is forcefully ousted.

- Haris Sohail has to realize that at the age of 30, he only has 2-3 years left as far as his peak is concerned. Stop wasting starts or you will be replaced by someone who is 5-6 years younger.

- Shan Masood is in the same boat. He has improved and is hard working, but he is actually 30 years old already and older than Root, Smith and Williamson, and just a year younger than Kohli. He has to start performing right now.

- Babar is our star, but at 25, he only has 7-8 golden years left. The time has come for him to make hay when the sun is shining. If he think he has 15 years left in him, he is wrong.

- Sarfraz should be told that at 32-33, he has a very slim chance of making an international comeback.

- Yasir at 33 has probably 1-2 home seasons left and that is it.

- Fawad Alam can feel sorry for himself but at 34, he is not worthy of investing in. He needs to be told in clear terms that he will not play for Pakistan again.

- Imran and Abbas need to be told that they have touched the 30 year mark and if they cannot increase their pace between now and 2021-2022, they will have no international future.

In my opinion, a team needs to have 7 players in their 20s, 2 players in their teens and 2 players in their 30s. This is a standard formula that PCB needs to employ in all three formats. The two teenagers should preferably be fast bowlers.

Overrated teenagers like Shadab, Hasnain and Musa should not be fast-tracked if you have alternatives in their early to mid 20’s. Similarly, players should not be picked in their mid 30’s if you have 24-28 year olds who can do the same job.

This strategy will not make Pakistan a top team. Our days as a big team are done and dusted. However, in the state that we are in, we can only hope for marginal improvements and not make things worse than they are, which is exactly what we are doing by appointing someone as captain at retirement age.

 

[Square Drive]

Excellent post. POTW for me.

 

[CricketingMinds]

100% agreed

 

[Savak]

Age should not be a barrier if you are a quality world class operator. Unfortunately our seniors are just like debutants who do not take charge. Cannot establish a high performance professional culture like this

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

As a result, you have the likes of Azhar Ali claiming at the age of 35 that he still has 5-6 years left in the tank and someone like Hafeez refuses to retire even though he is almost 40 now

Fake age should be punished by PCB

Also, Pakistan are already a minnow (in ODIs/Tests) by rankings and performance. T20Is are irrelevant.

Hopeless times ahead for this team.

 

[Saj]

Very good OP.

A couple of things from me on this:

Misbah and YK were freaks of nature who somehow kept on doing well despite their age and whose reflexes didn't really slow down. This is not the norm, it's a rarity, it's freakish.

The other thing is Pakistani cricketers ages have to be taken with a pinch of salt. 33 usually means 36, 29 is normally actually around 33 and so on.

 

[Junaids]

Brilliant, brilliant post.

I know I challenge some of the OP’s more Eeyore-like posts, but this post is just perfect from start to finish.

It is the best post that I have ever read on PakPassion.

It’s that good.

 

[AFM]

It's really surprising how cricket illiterate how much our ex-players and pundits are.

 

[Shazzam]

Weird. If you look at our media they say the opposite. To them youngsters have been preferred over aging cricketers for years.

 

[Bullet Drive]

Weird. If you look at our media they say the opposite. To them youngsters have been preferred over aging cricketers for years.

Media are a big reason we are dying in cricket. They don't understand cricket. And they feed the public lies such as these.

 

[shabas]

Brilliant, sir, brilliant.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Very good OP.

A couple of things from me on this:

Misbah and YK were freaks of nature who somehow kept on doing well despite their age and whose reflexes didn't really slow down. This is not the norm, it's a rarity, it's freakish.

The other thing is Pakistani cricketers ages have to be taken with a pinch of salt. 33 usually means 36, 29 is normally actually around 33 and so on.

YK was doing parachute runs at 42, definetely on a different level than most in pakistan.

 

[big_gamer007]

Good post, [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] has been saying the same for years but no one listened to him.

POTW for me.

 

[hk031992]

agreed

 

[leg-side-flick]

It's a wish, it won't happen, the South Asian culture of being subservient to elders goes against what is being suggested.. ..

We have had so many selfish players continuing to play when they were way past their age, a few examples, Sachin Tendulkar, Shahid Afridi, Dhoni, Mashrafe Mortaza.

Selectors can't drop them as they fear a backlash from crazy fans and media as these over the hill players have a cult following.

So while the OP looks great to see and hear, it's not going to ever happen in India / Pak / BD etc

 

[Junaids]

Media are a big reason we are dying in cricket. They don't understand cricket. And they feed the public lies such as these.

The person close to the team with whom I spoke yesterday told me that the veteran players (I assumed he meant Azhar, Shafiq, Yasir, Iftikhar and Imran, who hang around together constantly) are upset about Sarfraz getting dropped, and think that it’s disrespectful to expect senior players to perform!

I was flabbergasted. Speechless even.

 

[Saj]

YK was doing parachute runs at 42, definetely on a different level than most in pakistan.

Not on a different level just in Pakistan, but around the world.

Grooming players is and has been a problem in Pakistan.

Bring them too early.
Bring them when they are past their best.

Our selectors just can't seem to get it right.

 

[Shazzam]

Media are a big reason we are dying in cricket. They don't understand cricket. And they feed the public lies such as these.

Agreed. This age thing is a problem though. Players faking there ages makes it difficult to determine how long will they really last in international cricket. Something needs to be done to stop this.

 

[Maliq_Mudasir]

A lot is written and said about Misbah’s legacy and what it means for Pakistan cricket in the long-term. In my opinion, the most dangerous precedence that Misbah has set with his own example is the notion that age does not matter.

Misbah’s career has ruined the perspectives of PCB, the players and a section of Pakistani fans who have lost the capacity to understand the significance of age-related decline in cricket.

Regardless of the era, the vast majority of the players have retired in their mid to late 30’s regardless of how great they have been.

Gary Sobers played his last Test in 1974 at the age of 38, Botham retired at 37 in 1992, Gavaskar retired at 38 in 1987. I could go on forever.

It is very, very rare for players to play international cricket after their 30s, and in fact a greater number of players have retired before 35 compared to the number of players that have played after their 39th birthday.

Pakistan was not much different before the Misbah era. Miandad overstayed in ODIs, but he actually played his last Test at roughly the same age as Azhar is today.

Most other players like Wasim, Zaheer, Majid, Inzamam, Yousuf, Qadir, Saeed Anwar etc. etc. also retired before their 40th birthday.

Unfortunately, Misbah’s miracle of playing his last Test match at the age of 43 has created this false perception that if you are fit enough, you can easily play till your mid 40’s.

As a result, you have the likes of Azhar Ali claiming at the age of 35 that he still has 5-6 years left in the tank and someone like Hafeez refuses to retire even though he is almost 40 now.

Unfortunately, the PCB has been brain-washed into this mentality as well. They have approved Azhar Ali as captain at an age where they need to hold talks with him over his retirement.

Wasim Khan, the much-revered “professional” from ECB was in England when Cook, England’s record scorer, retired in September 2018 at the age of 33, the same age as Shafiq is today.

The problem with Azhar today is not that he is out of form. The problem is that he is at an age where you lose your ability. He has rapidly declined since his 33rd birthday and Shafiq will suffer the same fate.

It appears that PCB is either unaware of his pitiful returns in the last two years or it doesn’t understand the fact that this is an age-related decline or it doesn’t understand that age-related decline is actually a thing.

Pakistani is rapidly descending towards minnow status, but our inability to understand the concept of age-related decline is actually accelerating our decline.

It is not going to happen, but this is what actually needs to happen. Azhar must be sacked as captain and player with the PCB establishing a few rules:

- No player will be appointed as captain in any format after the of 32, and if such a situation arises, the player should be appointed as captain only on short-term series by series basis, similar to what Ijaz Butt did with Afridi although it was for different reasons.

- Asad Shafiq must be told that he is on his last legs at the age of 33 and he should start thinking about retirement before he is forcefully ousted.

- Haris Sohail has to realize that at the age of 30, he only has 2-3 years left as far as his peak is concerned. Stop wasting starts or you will be replaced by someone who is 5-6 years younger.

- Shan Masood is in the same boat. He has improved and is hard working, but he is actually 30 years old already and older than Root, Smith and Williamson, and just a year younger than Kohli. He has to start performing right now.

- Babar is our star, but at 25, he only has 7-8 golden years left. The time has come for him to make hay when the sun is shining. If he think he has 15 years left in him, he is wrong.

- Sarfraz should be told that at 32-33, he has a very slim chance of making an international comeback.

- Yasir at 33 has probably 1-2 home seasons left and that is it.

- Fawad Alam can feel sorry for himself but at 34, he is not worthy of investing in. He needs to be told in clear terms that he will not play for Pakistan again.

- Imran and Abbas need to be told that they have touched the 30 year mark and if they cannot increase their pace between now and 2021-2022, they will have no international future.

In my opinion, a team needs to have 7 players in their 20s, 2 players in their teens and 2 players in their 30s. This is a standard formula that PCB needs to employ in all three formats. The two teenagers should preferably be fast bowlers.

Overrated teenagers like Shadab, Hasnain and Musa should not be fast-tracked if you have alternatives in their early to mid 20’s. Similarly, players should not be picked in their mid 30’s if you have 24-28 year olds who can do the same job.

This strategy will not make Pakistan a top team. Our days as a big team are done and dusted. However, in the state that we are in, we can only hope for marginal improvements and not make things worse than they are, which is exactly what we are doing by appointing someone as captain at retirement age.

Did you miss to mention about youngster Iftikhar Ahmad?

 

[MRSN]

The person close to the team with whom I spoke yesterday told me that the veteran players (I assumed he meant Azhar, Shafiq, Yasir, Iftikhar and Imran, who hang around together constantly) are upset about Sarfraz getting dropped, and think that it’s disrespectful to expect senior players to perform!

I was flabbergasted. Speechless even.

lol. excuses. Something Sarfraz himself was champion of.

 

[Varun]

I know I challenge some of the OP’s more Eyesore-like posts, but this post is just perfect from start to finish.

Pot. Kettle. Black.

 

[leg-side-flick]

Agreed. This age thing is a problem though. Players faking there ages makes it difficult to determine how long will they really last in international cricket. Something needs to be done to stop this.

In this regard India has moved ahead but Pakistan still languishing.

This thing hurts Pakistan a lot, even this Naseem Shah 16 year old pacer should be checked. How the heck is he 16 ?

 

[ExpressPacer]

You make some good points however, I disagree with the general gist of your post.

Cricket boards, like human beings, like countries around the world, like anything at all; are different. Just because England, Australia or XYZ have been successful with a particular model or formula doesn't mean Pakistan or ABC will also find success with it.

While it is certainly true that Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq are not great players, you cannot ignore the fact that Pakistan will continue to lose left, right and center even in home conditions without them. Pakistan, or as a matter of fact, ANY Asian side; can field whatever team they want and they will STILL lose more often than not in Australian conditions. That's just a fact. India were remarkable recently and they deserve all the credit however I seriously doubt if they're going to be able to replicate that, ...even in NZ in a few months. Therefore, I think it would be pointless to remove Shafiq and Azhar, our fate would be doomed even in the Sub Continent.

You've made a good point in that most players around the world don't really play past 35. I would argue that you're ignoring the fact that this is because they have quality youngsters knocking on the door for selection. We have amazing FC performers knocking on the door, only problem is that they are again all above their 30's in the Akmal brothers, Fawad Alam, Khurram Manzoor and Co.

Pakistan need to persist with the likes of Azhar and Asad if they want to save some face in Asian conditions. Sure, the odd defeat like the whitewash to Sri Lanka WILL come however, to remove all seniors and insert a certain number of 20 somethings into the team just for the sake of it will lead to similar embarrassments, only this time, they will be in home conditions.

Furthermore, as far as the bowling department is concerned, Pakistan had little option but to select the current bowlers. Hasan Ali is injured, Amir and Wahab retired (understandably). Amir's body could no longer take the toll of playing Test cricket and Wahab deserves the right to do whatever he wants in his late 30's and with that receding hairline. Maybe he just wants to spend time with his family?

The only stupid decision I see with regards to the bowlers has been Musa Khan. Maybe we could have taken Sameen instead of him but I can bet you my kidneys the result would not have been much different.

We've played numerous 20 somethings over the years to little avail. Sami Aslam, Ehsan Adil, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab, Asad Ali, Usman Salahuddin to name a few..

Just give it time, our players in their teens will eventually mature. Shan Masood has a good head on him, Harris is probably one of the most talented and justified players we have and I kid you not, we need Azhar for his daddy hundreds in Asia and Asad for his occasional rescuing. Otherwise we're losing to Bangladesh too, at HOME!

Australia is not an easy place to tour, especially for a new team. Let these players gain experience instead of chopping and changing YET again.

 

[Shazzam]

In this regard India has moved ahead but Pakistan still languishing.

This thing hurts Pakistan a lot, even this Naseem Shah 16 year old pacer should be checked. How the heck is he 16 ?

I don’t know. I dislike this sort of practice which in return has me less hyped for him. It all looks like a cheap publicity stunt to get him on the map of international cricket.

 

[Mamoon]

Pot. Kettle. Black.

I don’t think it was a typo. Eeyore is a character from Winnie the Pooh. A pessimistic, gloomy donkey who loves a good moan.

Or perhaps it was a typo and intended to call me an eyesore. Either way, I would take both.

 

[Mamoon]

Did you miss to mention about youngster Iftikhar Ahmad?

There is a lot of dispute over his real age. Some say he is 35 (I agree), some say he is 30 and there are others who think he is as old as Misbah himself. That is why I deliberately left him out.

 

[Mamoon]

Age should not be a barrier if you are a quality world class operator. Unfortunately our seniors are just like debutants who do not take charge. Cannot establish a high performance professional culture like this

It will always be a barrier. You can delay them aging process but you cannot prevent it. Kohli is arguably the fittest cricketer ever, but he will also retire between 36-38.

 

[sohailmm]

Top post, our cricket slide is evident and Misbah presence will only make it more rapid.
He has such a phattu mentality person that even if all is working fine and team is successful, he will will find ways to make it loose.

Darker times ahead for our team and fans.

 

[Mamoon]

I would compare Azhar to Trott - a vastly superior but similar batsman.

Like Trott, Ashar’s career was built on his unflappable levels of concentration. Every delivery that he faces drains him. After a certain age, you no longer have the energy to concentrate for long.

Three years ago, Azhar could concentrate for 200 balls. Today, he cannot concentrate for 50 balls.

That is why Trott was no longer good enough to play for England after 33-34, same age where Azhar claimed that he has 5-6 years left and PCB awarded him with captaincy.

Pujara is also similar, and BCCI will have the sense to not give him a leadership role at 35.

 

[Hasan123]

This is a fair post. Misbah has set a awful example.

 

[Varun]

I would compare Azhar to Trott - a vastly superior but similar batsman.

Like Trott, Ashar’s career was built on his unflappable levels of concentration. Every delivery that he faces drains him. After a certain age, you no longer have the energy to concentrate for long.

Three years ago, Azhar could concentrate for 200 balls. Today, he cannot concentrate for 50 balls.

That is why Trott was no longer good enough to play for England after 33-34, same age where Azhar claimed that he has 5-6 years left and PCB awarded him with captaincy.

Pujara is also similar, and BCCI will have the sense to not give him a leadership role at 35.

Didn't apply to Dravid, this generalization.

 

[TurkishCricketFan]

Asad has averaged less than 40 in 4 consecutive calendar years.
Azhar's average has plummeted to low 30s for the 3 years after 2016.

How long is the rope they will be given?
You don't need them for home series either. I am sure there are other guys in domestic who will be able to average 50+ at home, who are actually worth investing in.

 

[Mamoon]

Didn't apply to Dravid, this generalization.

It did, although to a lesser extent than Azhar and Trott because he was a superior overall batsman. After his 35th birthday in 2008, he averaged just over 40 compared to his career average of 57 until 2007. He kept failing against teams like Australia and South Africa who had the quickest bowlers, and he kept getting clean bowled in his last tour of Australia in 2012.

This average of around 40 included his super series in England in 2011 and the good series against New Zealand in 2009-2010, which actually showed how inconsistent he had become after his 35th birthday.

 

[Junaids]

Pot. Kettle. Black.

I don’t think it was a typo. Eeyore is a character from Winnie the Pooh. A pessimistic, gloomy donkey who loves a good moan.

Or perhaps it was a typo and intended to call me an eyesore. Either way, I would take both.

Yes, I meant Eeyore. It’s actually a compliment, believe it or not.

I would add another thing.

Misbah and Younis carried on well in Asia, but were often catastrophically bad elsewhere.

Look at Younis:

2012-13: 5 failures out of 6 in SA.
2016: 6 failures out of 7 in England.
2016-17: 8 failures out of 10 in New Zealand and Australia.

Until that 200 at The Oval people were laughing at Younis jumping around at the crease for 6 consecutive embarrassing innings.

This is the problem with top class players in decline. They get out cheaply most of the time like Azhar, especially outside Asia, due to tiny technical errors which they used to have the reflexes to correct.

But then they get an easy wicket and a Kookaburra ball that has gone soft and they make one big score which extends their career all over again.

 

[Last Monetarist]

The only player who was genuinely world class after his 35th birthday and palpably improved as a batsman as he grew older was Graham Gooch. He was very much the exception in this regard.

This age issue has blighted Pakistan cricket for as long as I can remember with senior players usually being dragged kicking and screaming from their cushy positions in the team. Remember the disgrace with Miandad scheming his way into the 96 World Cup team much to the chagrin of the other players, or Salim Malik being selected for the 99 World Cup despite being a walking wicket by that stage. It's been a vicious cycle long before Misbah or Younis started playing cricket.

 

[moghul]

Not only from active sport, people rite from any executive job also before they are too old , mentally and physically. Mr. Sheheryar Khan was in his 80s when running PCB and for him Misbah being half of his age, was still a kid. I wish I had the liberty of using the words of my choice on this forum for Inzimam, who kept on selecting Misbah despite his old age and failures . I agree Misbah started this "disease" of sticking around in the team by coloring their hair and "looking young" but you cannot buy your aged reflexes. Now we have people like Hafeez in their 40s still hoping to play for Pakistan while players like Abid and much younger Sami are still waiting.

 

[samiakh]

Typically great post of naming everybody who cannot play for Pak, how about naming some who can, around whom you could build your team. As usual back seat drivers and monday morning quarterbacks lots of criticism but no actually exexutable ideas.

 

[Mirpur express]

“ Amir's body could no longer take the toll of playing Test cricket”

Ps Shan’s good head is if no use either lol

 

[Relic]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] who would you select as our fast bowlers?

Just checked the Quaid-e-azam trophy stats, the highest wicket taker is a 30 odd years old spinner and most of the fast bowlers are averaging over 30.

Why is this happening?
Are the pitches becoming too easy for the batsmen?

 

[mgtow]

I disagree with the post. Age does matter especially when it comes to composure in Test format. You need bit of both; talent and brain. Batsmen at young age tend to be bit reckless whereas batsmen aging 30 and beyond is where they mature. We saw lots of batsmen where they truly shone and Micheal Hussey is prime example to emergence with consistently after thrown into international at late 30.

The problems have been mismanagement and poor selections. Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali are the worst batsmen to have ever debuted for Pakistan. And they have been persisted for so long despite their being exposed in international levels. While Azhar Ali is known to plan for the long inning once get going, most of times he is struggling just to get started whereas Asad Shafiq with the disposals of technique always falter effortlessly and never plan for the long inning. They were mediocre made Misbah look good.

It reminds me of our days where we chose poor players on our team so we could get more exposure while not caring about the result since we simply wanted more composure of playing cricket. Whereas it was about survival for Misbah as captain who was lucky at that time of spot-fixing controversy hence destined.

PCB chose wrong players to groom, wrong player for captaincy whose selfishness had been duly noted under Inzimam's captaincy long before, mismanagement and persistent with poor players to make Misbah look good while dropped quality batsmen at the earlier stage under the pretext of slogging standard shots.
Also justified for his presence as batsman using stats even though it was deliberate at the expense of team's betterment.

But Misbah is smart and patient so that was his strength which he utilized very well. However, he was misfit for Pakistan cricket back then and he is still misfit for Pakistan especially now that game is fast-paced. It appears we refuse to learn from the lessons while blame on ages since it has nothing to do with the age.

Anyone would look at those players including Yasir Shah and know that they won't last long. Yasir Shah is more of drifter which won't work in the long run whereas Danish Kaneria was genuine leg spinner.

At the same time we chose young players whether in form of batsmen and bowlers, they were caught off-guard because of lack of experience or grooming to be eased into international levels. There is no denying that Pakistan talents are bundled with young age but they badly need grooming and persistence if they are the kind of players built for international level in the long runs. Be smart about the investment while pick players from domestic who are scoring albeit mid 30, then so be it. We need to set the standard for the competitive environment and performance is the must which is why i will accept 30-years old if performance is the criteria since we are pretty back to square one anyways.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

Sir [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] what a gem of a person you are with your analysis. You have nailed it with your post. You have analysed and stated this age issue with perfection.

 

[andy0204]

But it's not gonna happen until someone takes serious action on it.

 

[Kroll]

Nice post but unfortunately with Misbah in charge, this isn't going to happen any time soon. He favours the "old is gold" strategy which has had disastrous results of epic proportions on the Oz tour. We've literally been made a laughing stock with Aussie commentators barely able to contain their guffawing.

In the modern era, a sportsman in mid thirties has shown that he can still compete at the top level even in very physically demanding sports, you just need to take a look at the likes of Federer and the sprinter Justin Gatlin (though he was done for drugs 15 years ago). However, these are the exception not the rule.

Pakistani cricket players generally don't have the fitness, the work ethic or the diet to maintain this level of competitiveness at that kind of age so are more a liability than an asset. Problem now is not only they think they can play on till mid forties but retire when they want as though PCT is their own private members club. This was because Misbah was allowed to take this decision himself. What absolute nonsense that was!

 

[Khan12]

Asad has averaged less than 40 in 4 consecutive calendar years.
Azhar's average has plummeted to low 30s for the 3 years after 2016.

How long is the rope they will be given?
You don't need them for home series either. I am sure there are other guys in domestic who will be able to average 50+ at home, who are actually worth investing in.

We need to get rid of these 2 clowns they have had enough chances. Great to see a turkish cricket follower. You should more often bro.

 

[adil79]

And I hear commentators saying Asad Shafique is a very talented player? Man, wth? He isn't 20 or something.

 

[CricketDon]

Great post.

However I would like to point out, just because you raise taxes to 90% for the rich, does not mean you’d have more capital to invest in social infrastructure. It leads to less capital. America as a example.

Such a hardline rule will spike the epidemic of fake ages through the roof. Not to mention players not wanting to improve when they know they ain’t got long till they hit the age bracket to be thrown away.

 

[mahmed]

Good Job Mamoon, I am not a good fan of your write up but this one you nailed it. I believe Abbas is over, should not be selected. I like this paragraph " In my opinion, a team needs to have 7 players in their 20s, 2 players in their teens and 2 players in their 30s. This is a standard formula that PCB needs to employ in all three formats. The two teenagers should preferably be fast bowlers."

 

[Savak]

Rather than age, current form, fitness and quality should be the sole criteria rather than age

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Not all players have to plan on retiring at 33-34. Players with greater ability can continue batting till 37-38 quite easily. Even though Cook and Clarke retired at the same age, it wasn't for the same reasons. Clarke was actually seeing the ball really well but his back had given up. Whereas Cook, a grafter, had lost his limited hand-eye and was surviving on technique alone.

 

[Slog]

Not all players have to plan on retiring at 33-34. Players with greater ability can continue batting till 37-38 quite easily. Even though Cook and Clarke retired at the same age, it wasn't for the same reasons. Clarke was actually seeing the ball really well but his back had given up. Whereas Cook, a grafter, had lost his limited hand-eye and was surviving on technique alone.

The point is Azhar for example is a lesser player to both yet both him and the team management are under the impression that he has 4-5 years more in him.

When you have a prolonged period of lean returns in mid 30s it’s usually not a slump but a terminal decline

 

[Chief Destroyer]

The point is Azhar for example is a lesser player to both yet both him and the team management are under the impression that he has 4-5 years more in him.

When you have a prolonged period of lean returns in mid 30s it’s usually not a slump but a terminal decline

I'm not making an argument for Azhar. He's in the same boat as Cook, his hand-eye is gone.

 

[Markhor]

The thing is these are all "official" ages. There's so much age fudging going on that you have to add at least 2-3 years on that the selectors must factor in.

It's obvious to anyone that Azhar's reflexes have gone. Basic technical deficiencies are becoming apparent and since Azhar's career has been built on sound technique and solid defense than freeflowing strokeplay, once that goes there's nothing left to be blunt.

 

[Abdullah719]

Bump.

It looks like Azhar and Asad will get a long rope for the foreseeable future.

Hafeez and Malik are still taking up crucial middle-order slots in the T20 team.

 

[Kroll]

Bump.

It looks like Azhar and Asad will get a long rope for the foreseeable future.

Hafeez and Malik are still taking up crucial middle-order slots in the T20 team.

We need to savour these precious moments for as long as we can.

 

[coy0607]

Bump.

It looks like Azhar and Asad will get a long rope for the foreseeable future.

Hafeez and Malik are still taking up crucial middle-order slots in the T20 team.

These 4 get all the attention, but reality is they wouldn't be such a problem if the team around them was young.
But both the Test and T20 teams are majority 30+ age players

The most successful teams in the world zig, Misbah zag's

 

[CommonIndian]

Nice op,But are there replacements for aged Azhar,Shafiq,yassir,Abbas???Are pakistani media and fans patient enough to let new comers to let them settle???

 

[unemployedgm]

Very good OP.

A couple of things from me on this:

Misbah and YK were freaks of nature who somehow kept on doing well despite their age and whose reflexes didn't really slow down. This is not the norm, it's a rarity, it's freakish.

The other thing is Pakistani cricketers ages have to be taken with a pinch of salt. 33 usually means 36, 29 is normally actually around 33 and so on.

Misbah and YK were not freaks of nature. I don't have the statistics in front of me but towards the end of their careers there was a significant spread in their SR against spin and fast bowlers. Essentially both YK and Misbah defended the fast bowlers until they were tired and scored runs against the spinners. Like all human beings there hand-eye coordination did decline. They were smart enough to realize this decline and adjusted their strategy/approach.

 

[unemployedgm]

Nice op,But are there replacements for aged Azhar,Shafiq,yassir,Abbas???Are pakistani media and fans patient enough to let new comers to let them settle???

Pakistani Fans like all fans of bad teams are very patient. The Pakistan National Team has been pretty poor since around 2009. Over the past decade the fans have been pretty patient while chairmans, captains, coaches, and chief selectors sell hope.

 

[unemployedgm]

Rather than age, current form, fitness and quality should be the sole criteria rather than age

When does form begin and when does it end? What does it look like?

Form is recency bias. People should stop using vague terms that don't mean anything.

 

[Slog]

Azhar claims he has 5-6 years in him.

Shehzad said last year he has 12 years.

Umar Gul is still after a comeback at 36 and feels he was dealt with harshly. And the funniest is that if you ever hear Wahab Riaz speak he speaks as if he is midway through his career and is someone just about to hit his peak. The guy is 35 already and a fast bowler on top of that

 

[ElRaja]

firstly deal with the issue of age fudging, lets find out how old these guys really are before buying their claims of being able to play for another x,y or z years.

wasim khan hasnt said didly squat about age fudging afaik, and its super disappointing.

 

[CommonIndian]

Pakistani Fans like all fans of bad teams are very patient. The Pakistan National Team has been pretty poor since around 2009. Over the past decade the fans have been pretty patient while chairmans, captains, coaches, and chief selectors sell hope.

Brother don't you think Mamoon got wrong this time,In white ball cricket teams need to prepare and plan for World cups by giving chances for youngsters. But in test cricket you play your best team regardless of age.Pakistans golden age was 80's to late 90's which they failed to capitilze fully due to big egos.Now pakistan is producing below average cricketers.players Age doesnt make a difference to results atleast in test..Pakistan did produce a ATG material in 2000 in Mohammed Asif but he had other ideas.Currently apart from Babar nobody inspires much.

 

[hitthestump]

Bump.

It looks like Azhar and Asad will get a long rope for the foreseeable future.

Hafeez and Malik are still taking up crucial middle-order slots in the T20 team.

There's two reasons i believe are prominent in such decision making. First is financial, as once a players career is over in Pakistan there's little money to be made outside of talking rubbish on talk shows and youtube.

Secondly it's clear that once you hit 'senior' status in Pakistan you are subject to special treatment and power within the ranks. The likes of Hafeez thrive on such status and it's very difficult to let go of, particularly for those players who actually don't have great records and will be quickly forgotten after retirement.

The financial issue probably isn't one the PCB can do anything about, but the senior culture needs to be done away with so that fading stars don't cling onto their "izzat" status for as long as they possibly can.

 

[cric_4life]

This way England should have got ridden of James Anderson like 3 years ago.. But No one is talking about his retirement. YK when retired was the fittest and most reliable batsmen in yet team. Performance is what it matters. But yes we have cases like Mohammed Hafeez and shoaib Malik but they dont get selected on their performances that's the problem.

 

[Kaddy]

firstly deal with the issue of age fudging, lets find out how old these guys really are before buying their claims of being able to play for another x,y or z years.

wasim khan hasnt said didly squat about age fudging afaik, and its super disappointing.

Unfortunately PCB is not serious about this issue. They should've discouraged the youngsters from age fudging, they rather helped and facilitated Naseem Shah in hiding his real age

 

[Mr Crickekter]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]
Just a few days ago PCB announced squads for our six domestic teams and to my surprise there is no team with average age below 25...
I have a simple question for you brother 1) is PCB really run by people who have some knowledge of cricket.?
2) what good legacy misbah has left for that he has been given dual role in team.?
3) Is Karachi media and our seniors (hafeez, malik, sarfaraz, Azhar, asad) etc some kind of Dons that whatever they like or demand its accepted by PCB.?
4) Does our seniors (mostly retired) cricketers have any knowledge about our domestic cricket and players (particularly younger) . If no then who the idiot is inviting them on their live programs?
3) Do Pakistanis know cricket (modern day cricket)?

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]
Just a few days ago PCB announced squads for our six domestic teams and to my surprise there is no team with average age below 25...
I have a simple question for you brother 1) is PCB really run by people who have some knowledge of cricket.?
2) what good legacy misbah has left for that he has been given dual role in team.?
3) Is Karachi media and our seniors (hafeez, malik, sarfaraz, Azhar, asad) etc some kind of Dons that whatever they like or demand its accepted by PCB.?
4) Does our seniors (mostly retired) cricketers have any knowledge about our domestic cricket and players (particularly younger) . If no then who the idiot is inviting them on their live programs?
3) Do Pakistanis know cricket (modern day cricket)?

Ehsan Mani and Wasim Khan are political appointments. They have no clue what it takes to bring genuine reforms and build a platform for the future.

They are focused on dramabaazi and appointing tried and tested failures who have failed to deliver in the past, just to keep the gullible fans happy.

Two months back, they appoint G. Bradburn as head of high performance coaching. Now this is the same Bradburn who failed big time as Pakistan fielding coach, but now he is expected to perform miracles in this fancy new role.

After failing with flying colors with a group of 15 players for two years, he has been rewarded with a raise and is now expected to excel by working with a far bigger group of players and multiple coaches with added layers of complexity and communication.

Similarly, Saqlain has been appointed as head of international player development. Now what does this role even mean and what does it represent, and what will Saqlain even do?

But people get happy and excited when they hear these fancy job titles and think PCB is being reformed.

Apparently the solution to Pakistan cricket woes is to come up with complicated job names and add ‘High Performance’ to ensure that failed individuals will suddenly start delivering in their newly formed fashionable designations.

As far as restructuring domestic cricket is concerned, we have blindly copy pasted the Australian structure without realizing that we have far too many players to reduce the number of teams to 6.

Our cricket population cannot be compared to Australia’s. We have the largest pool of players after India by a massive margin.

If reducing the number of teams was such a bright idea and ensures greater competition and thus higher standard of cricket, BCCI wouldn’t have 30+ FC teams.

Pakistan needs at least 10-12 FC teams. We need to understand that domestic teams will select players who perform in domestic cricket regardless of their international credentials or future.

So the likes of Salman Butt and Shehzad etc. will keep getting picked because they perform in domestic cricket.

This 6 team drama would have been only effective if domestic sides would only pick players keeping the Pakistan team in mind, so if a player has no future for Pakistan he wouldn’t get in. However, that is unrealistic and it doesn’t happen anywhere.

Thus, the young players who now don’t get a chance because of PCB’s bright idea of having 6 teams will now focus on PSL.

PSL will never prepare player for international cricket including Limited Overs cricket. The foundation of your game is built in FC cricket and that is what big teams have realized.

You will rarely see India picking players purely on IPL exploits without strong performances in Ranji Trophy, but PCB does bhangra when a player does well in PSL and fast-tracks then into the team. This is how you end up with the likes of Shadab, Asif Ali, Naseem, Rauf who then fail in international cricket and then we act surprised.

Shadab has played only 11 FC matches but we think that he is going to be our main spinner in all formats soon. That is the level of understanding we have and that is our cricket IQ.

 

[MenInG]

Happens in the best of systems.

 

[PakPlayer]

Misbah love for oldies

Shadab should have been promoted today and allowed to go beserk. It seems like the 3 oldies will always be given preference by Misbah

 

[BreadPakoda]

This thread hasn’t aged well. Pakistan fans are guilty of ageism. They are unfairly harsh on the likes of Hafeez. He played a knock 10x better than what Babar played.

 

[Abdullah719]

This thread hasn’t aged well. Pakistan fans are guilty of ageism. They are unfairly harsh on the likes of Hafeez. He played a knock 10x better than what Babar played.

The only stat that matters is one fifty in five T20 World Cups… let’s see if he can turn that around next year because he’s booked his place for sure.

 

[Shazzam]

This thread hasn’t aged well. Pakistan fans are guilty of ageism. They are unfairly harsh on the likes of Hafeez. He played a knock 10x better than what Babar played.

If Hafeez scored on this pitch than it means the opposition has a chance. Babar on the other hand can play on any condition.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Very good OP.

A couple of things from me on this:

Misbah and YK were freaks of nature who somehow kept on doing well despite their age and whose reflexes didn't really slow down. This is not the norm, it's a rarity, it's freakish.

The other thing is Pakistani cricketers ages have to be taken with a pinch of salt. 33 usually means 36, 29 is normally actually around 33 and so on.

Cannot agree, the fact that other teams have senior players around is to give the team enough experience and contribute with the bat or ball in unfamiliar conditions or say in foreign /away tours as they have had experience playing in those countries before ... but Misbah and Younis failed to deliver in this aspect and in those conditions as well, so to me they were not serving the full purpose that was duly needed.

For example if we take the likes of Dravid, Laxman, Kallis, Sachin, Ponting, Sangakkara in away tours in their last 3-5 years of test career then you will know the difference.

Younis can be excused as he scores 100s quite often and he has contributed in away conditions in his las three years of his test career. Misbah himself is the biggest elephant in the room with such poor record happened to play so much test cricket. In his 130+ inns with lot of matches played in UAE he could only manage 10 centuries in his entire career and his highest score was only 161* .. in comparison Asad shafiq has got more centuries than Misbah in lesser inns than him.