Ageing players : Are Pakistan preparing their replacements?

[JibranAnsari]

Asad will be 34 soon and azhar ali will be 35 soon.

Asad is averaging only 32 in last 2 and a half years , from 30 to 35 batsmen usually are at the prime of their game but asad shafiqs form has been disappointing. Azhar ali is averaging 31 in last 2 and a half years and mere 25 in his last 11 test matches and yet he is the sure starter in the next test series.

in the last 5 years and 9 months only 4 middle order batsmen made their debut for pakistan and two of them are babar azam and haris sohail who replaced younis and misbah in the side. Other two are iftikhar ahmed and usman salahuddin , both of them only got to play one test match each. Even after poor performance of these two o new batsmen were given a run.

 

[MenInG]

There is no hurry for Tests! We have people playing in mid 40s so cant see this as a huge concern for us.

 

[Afhan Ali]

Shahzad, Usman Salahudin, Saud Shakeel are good enough to replace Asad nd Azhar

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

We need 3 years of this new domestic structure to take affect. Remember what happened after PSL 1? We just need to give it some time. In 5 years we should be in a much better place in Tests and ODI.

 

[pratiktc]

I think age wise Asad is fine, it is more of is he still better than younger options.

Azhar Ali I think his real age is closer to 37-38 which is why this decline seems permanent now

 

[Hasan123]

Lol we never prepare for such scenarios.

 

[Junaids]

There is no hurry for Tests! We have people playing in mid 40s so cant see this as a huge concern for us.

Hardly.

Misbah and Younis were exceptions to the rule, but both failed in over 80% of their overseas innings in the last decade of their careers.

The OP is wrong: 32-34 is not usually when Test batsmen peak, it is when they enter irreversible decline just like Azhar and Shafiq.

That’s why Ross Taylor is the only other Test batsman of Azhar Ali’s age who has yet to retire.

All their other contemporaries, from AB de Villiers to Alastair Cook, are long retired.

 

[Danyaalr01]

Abid Ali should replace Azhar. Rizwan replaces Sarfaraz. Saad Ali or Usman Salahuddin replace Asad Shafiq.
Naseem Shah should replace Wahab/Amir. Ehsan Adil is doing much better than Abbas atm and has the advantage of height and more pace.

 

[barah_admi]

The test side is one that definitely needs revamping when it comes to batsmen. No idea why salahuddin is still kept away from the side. Any reasons ??

 

[Danyaalr01]

The test side is one that definitely needs revamping when it comes to batsmen. No idea why salahuddin is still kept away from the side. Any reasons ??

Because Asad Shafiq is winning us match after match.

 

[moghul]

Chief selector himself stuck with Pakistan cricket and refused to retire till he was in mid-40s and was making single digit scores for years before he retired----finally. For him guys in mid-30s are "youngsters" and he does not care whether Pakistan loses or wins as long as his favorite players are in the team.

 

[GreenKhan]

Chief selector himself stuck with Pakistan cricket and refused to retire till he was in mid-40s and was making single digit scores for years before he retired----finally. For him guys in mid-30s are "youngsters" and he does not care whether Pakistan loses or wins as long as his favorite players are in the team.

I suggest you look at his test record before he retired before making such absurd comments .

His last 4 series

England 2016- 40 average and man of the series
West Indies - UAE series - Average 50
Nz/Australia tour. Average 20 (failure)

Final series - averages 60!

Seriously you could not be far from the truth *

 

[Bewal Express]

The problem is that guys need 3/4 years to gain the experience needed to be effective. These guys will go to Aus and as happens they will fail, its then a good time to rejig with bringing in the next lot of players, some of whom will be OK and others will be waste of time.

 

[barah_admi]

Because Asad Shafiq is winning us match after match.

haha but seriously, what is happening in the domestic structure over there? Was/is he getting enough matches? Salahuddin that is. It is surprising that he hasnt even made test squads let alone the teams.

 

[Abdullah719]

haha but seriously, what is happening in the domestic structure over there? Was/is he getting enough matches? Salahuddin that is. It is surprising that he hasnt even made test squads let alone the teams.

He is playing for Central Punjab in the QEA Trophy. Sustained a concussion injury in the first match and was substituted so didn't get a chance to bat, presumably rested in the 2nd match as a precautionary measure. In the third match, Central Punjab played just one innings and made 521/6, but he only made 3. Now he's batting in the fourth game with CP 45/2 in response to 484/5. After this round, there's a break in the FC season for the National T20 Cup.

Unfortunately, I think he won't be on the radar for the Australia tour. He has a reputation of scoring a lot of runs against the (weaker) regional sides in the past which doesn't help. From what I've seen his technique is reasonably good and he can deal with lateral movement, but he does keep his hands pretty low in his batting stance so may struggle against bounce.

Needs to make better use of his chances in the 2nd half of the QEA Trophy to come back into contention for selection, maybe for the SL and BD Tests as those are the next assignments.

 

[Saj]

We have their replacements - the legends that are Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad.

 

[Bewal Express]

We have their replacements - the legends that are Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad.

As I said yesterday they will become the experienced players at the next WC in 4 years time , that PK cricket coaches, media and establishment love so much.

 

[barah_admi]

He is playing for Central Punjab in the QEA Trophy. Sustained a concussion injury in the first match and was substituted so didn't get a chance to bat, presumably rested in the 2nd match as a precautionary measure. In the third match, Central Punjab played just one innings and made 521/6, but he only made 3. Now he's batting in the fourth game with CP 45/2 in response to 484/5. After this round, there's a break in the FC season for the National T20 Cup.

Unfortunately, I think he won't be on the radar for the Australia tour. He has a reputation of scoring a lot of runs against the (weaker) regional sides in the past which doesn't help. From what I've seen his technique is reasonably good and he can deal with lateral movement, but he does keep his hands pretty low in his batting stance so may struggle against bounce.

Needs to make better use of his chances in the 2nd half of the QEA Trophy to come back into contention for selection, maybe for the SL and BD Tests as those are the next assignments.

Thanks for the summary. His FC numbers have always looked impressive but sad to see him up and down this season. His technique has looked decent, every batsman has his own way of playing and this has found him success, sadly he was given a single chance in tests and then dropped again. I think he is approaching the peak age for batsmen and needs to be made use of as soon as possible.

Btw, are the BD and SL tests before the England tests?

 

[Abdullah719]

Thanks for the summary. His FC numbers have always looked impressive but sad to see him up and down this season. His technique has looked decent, every batsman has his own way of playing and this has found him success, sadly he was given a single chance in tests and then dropped again. I think he is approaching the peak age for batsmen and needs to be made use of as soon as possible.

Btw, are the BD and SL tests before the England tests?

2 Tests against SL in December, 2 against BD sometime in Jan/Feb. Both are home series.

 

[hadi123]

I saw an article on a site that shall not be named stating that Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq are two of the most UNDER RATED players in Test Cricket. What are our good friends smoking?? Two players who are towards the end of their careers

 

[Justcrazy]

PCB does not care about Tests , they will hardly play 25 Tests in next 4 years , why they need to prepare.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

PCB does not care about Tests , they will hardly play 25 Tests in next 4 years , why they need to prepare.

They absolutely do. Wasim Khan said that one the main focus is World test championship and he was disappointed on how we are no. 7 in tests. That's the main reason they hire Misbah, so that test form improves.

Also the schedule was arranged by Sethi who didn't care as much about tests, but ehsan Mani and Wasim Khan have stated several times they are focused on tests.

 

[moghul]

I suggest you look at his test record before he retired before making such absurd comments .

His last 4 series

England 2016- 40 average and man of the series
West Indies - UAE series - Average 50
Nz/Australia tour. Average 20 (failure)

Final series - averages 60!

Seriously you could not be far from the truth ��*

He miserably failed in NZL and Australia and scored some runs against club level bowing of West Indies.

 

[barah_admi]

2 Tests against SL in December, 2 against BD sometime in Jan/Feb. Both are home series.

Ahh, I think cricinfo did not update when I checked the fixtures list. These are must win series!