Ahmed Shehzad - the king of dot balls?

[Aman]

He is as much of an opener as Hafeez is, incapable of handling movement and bounce with the new ball. A solitary hundred in SA without Morkel and just 7 deliveries of Steyn doesn't prove much.

Could have a future in the middle order, but then again, he's rubbish against spin. In short, he is the Junaid of batting - playing and enjoying the investment only because there aren't better alternatives making them andho mein kana raja and not the fantastic prospects their respective fan clubs like to think.

It will only take the emergence/reemergence of a genuine talent and player with great ability to show them the door and Amir/Babar Azam could very well be the two.

Even Yusuf Pathan has a hundred in SA (a more impressive one too) yet you don't see Indian fans lining up to bring him back to the international side. Hundreds in SA are over rated in ODI's, SA the ODI side aren't that special and most LO's wickets in the world today are flat.

 

[MenInG]

No need to address posters on personal basis in threads.

Leave the modding to us or contact us via MRR or report abuse.

 

[W63L35]

Of the 60 deliveries he's faced at the Champions League T20 tournament so far, 34 of them have been dot balls.

He seems to lack the awareness of rotating the strike when he can't hit a big shot.

Before today's game - in 3 CL qualifier matches:
34 dot balls in 60 deliveries.... 56.67% dot balls. (65 runs in 60 balls at S/R of 108.33)

Today's game:
20 dot balls in 42 deliveries.... 47.60% dot balls. (59 runs in 42 balls at S/R of 149.47)

Improvement - big, medium, small?

Difference?

opinions? Comments?

 

[Saj]

Before today's game - in 3 CL qualifier matches:
34 dot balls in 60 deliveries.... 56.67% dot balls. (65 runs in 60 balls at S/R of 108.33)

Today's game:
20 dot balls in 42 deliveries.... 47.60% dot balls. (59 runs in 42 balls at S/R of 149.47)

Improvement - big, medium, small?

Difference?

opinions? Comments?

Still too many.

Even if half of those dots are turned into ones or twos it would make such a difference.

 

[Pete Rose]

Needs to play blinders every match to cover for that poor rotation. But he should improve.

 

[Saqs]

Strike rotation is just something that seems to come naturally to batsmen. I don't think you can coach that into someone.

Eg. Look at Yousuf. From day dot when he was Youhana he was a Master at it. Miandad was the same. Kallis and Amla similar. I could go and on.

I've hardly seen a case where a batsman has struggled so hard to rotate strike and show considerable improvement on the international stage.

You either have it or you don't.

Salman Butt had similar issues and everyone used to say he is young give him time, but nothing eventuated. And he was considerably better than Shez at it.

 

[Mamoon]

Strike rotation is just something that seems to come naturally to batsmen. I don't think you can coach that into someone.

Eg. Look at Yousuf. From day dot when he was Youhana he was a Master at it. Miandad was the same. Kallis and Amla similar. I could go and on.

I've hardly seen a case where a batsman has struggled so hard to rotate strike and show considerable improvement on the international stage.

You either have it or you don't.

Salman Butt had similar issues and everyone used to say he is young give him time, but nothing eventuated. And he was considerably better than Shez at it.

Great post. Strike rotation is one of the natural instincts of batting.

 

[Savak]

Strike rotation is just something that seems to come naturally to batsmen. I don't think you can coach that into someone.

Eg. Look at Yousuf. From day dot when he was Youhana he was a Master at it. Miandad was the same. Kallis and Amla similar. I could go and on.

I've hardly seen a case where a batsman has struggled so hard to rotate strike and show considerable improvement on the international stage.

You either have it or you don't.

Salman Butt had similar issues and everyone used to say he is young give him time, but nothing eventuated. And he was considerably better than Shez at it.

This is Rubbish, Strike Rotation is one area of his game which Dravid Improved due to which he became a regular in the ODI team.

 

[W63L35]

Still too many.

Even if half of those dots are turned into ones or twos it would make such a difference.

But if he converted half (10) of those dot balls (20 in all) into 1s or 2s, it would have been a GREAT and EXCEPTIONAL innings.

Let's assume he scored 7 singles and three 2s (13 more runs off of 10 dot balls).
Then he would have scored 72 (59 actual +13 your suggestion) runs in same 42 deliveries.
This means those 72 runs would have beed scored at a S/R of 171.43.

In T20 international only 43 innings of 72 or above have been scored with a S/R of 71.43 or above.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...00;template=results;type=batting;view=innings


But there are 68 innings in T20 internationals of 72 runs or above... with S/R of 171.42 and below.

So the point is ... today's innings was an excellent innings... would have been a great/exceptional innings if he had done what you just said.

Hope you are not expecting Shehzad to play great/exceptional innings on every visit to the crease?


Another point.... rotating strike in T20 is a catch-22! If both batsmen keep rotating strike, they will end up with 6 six runs in an over.... and
6 runs an over will fetch them 120 runs total. Not enough in today's T20s.

 

[Savak]

But if he converted half (10) of those dot balls (20 in all) into 1s or 2s, it would have been a GREAT and EXCEPTIONAL innings.

Let's assume he scored 7 singles and three 2s (13 more runs off of 10 dot balls).
Then he would have scored 72 (59 actual +13 your suggestion) runs in same 42 deliveries.
This means those 72 runs would have beed scored at a S/R of 171.43.

In T20 international only 43 innings of 72 or above have been scored with a S/R of 71.43 or above.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...00;template=results;type=batting;view=innings


But there are 68 innings in T20 internationals of 72 runs or above... with S/R of 171.42 and below.

So the point is ... today's innings was an excellent innings... would have been a great/exceptional innings if he had done what you just said.

Hope you are not expecting Shehzad to play great/exceptional innings on every visit to the crease?


Another point.... rotating strike in T20 is a catch-22! If both batsmen keep rotating strike, they will end up with 6 six runs in an over.... and
6 runs an over will fetch them 120 runs total. Not enough in today's T20s.

It was delightful to watch Uthappa and Gambhir. When they hit the first ball for a 4 or 6, they would take a single of the next delivery. If they received a good ball, they would dab and place it for a single on the off or on side. This is how you bat in the modern ODI and T-20 cricket and i am puzzled that our players are struggling to understand this since the last 7 years.

 

[GreenKnightRises]

Before today's game - in 3 CL qualifier matches:
34 dot balls in 60 deliveries.... 56.67% dot balls. (65 runs in 60 balls at S/R of 108.33)

Today's game:
20 dot balls in 42 deliveries.... 47.60% dot balls. (59 runs in 42 balls at S/R of 149.47)

Improvement - big, medium, small?

Difference?

opinions? Comments?

Isn't he becoming a bit aggressive which can be called recklessness. he should be immediately dropped from the ODI squad

 

[W63L35]

It was delightful to watch Uthappa and Gambhir. When they hit the first ball for a 4 or 6, they would take a single of the next delivery. If they received a good ball, they would dab and place it for a single on the off or on side. This is how you bat in the modern ODI and T-20 cricket and i am puzzled that our players are struggling to understand this since the last 7 years.

Uthapa, Gambhir... and Shehzad.... today's innings compared;

 

[MenInG]

Baal kee Khal.

Shehzad's innings is what gave LL the chance to compete in this game - Umar Akmal polished it further. Hardly any real difference in strike rates.

 

[Saqs]

Uthapa, Gambhir... and Shehzad.... today's innings compared;

Oooooo owned!

 

[Saqs]

This is Rubbish, Strike Rotation is one area of his game which Dravid Improved due to which he became a regular in the ODI team.

Dravid was never a high risk shot maker.

Shehzad is. He either hits boundaries or gets dots. Not much in between.

So it will be naturally tougher for him to adapt.

Also, Dravid just so happens to be one of the ATGs so a bit rough on little Shez to compare the two.

Its a mental approach thing. Dravid mental approach to batting was drastically different to that of Shehzad.

I'm not saying he won't change. I'm just saying don't expect miracles.

 

[Fastandfurious]

Uthapa, Gambhir... and Shehzad.... today's innings compared;

How many chances did Shehzad get compared to Gambhir and Uthapa?

 

[Savak]

Dravid was never a high risk shot maker.

Shehzad is. He either hits boundaries or gets dots. Not much in between.

So it will be naturally tougher for him to adapt.

Also, Dravid just so happens to be one of the ATGs so a bit rough on little Shez to compare the two.

Its a mental approach thing. Dravid mental approach to batting was drastically different to that of Shehzad.

I'm not saying he won't change. I'm just saying don't expect miracles.

I believe Shehzad takes more singles after the fielding restrictions. He is only what 22-23, and has plenty of cricket to play. If he was 37-40, continuing to loss matches singlehandedly for Pakistan by tuk tuking the non regular bowlers and when the field is spread out and still being called the darling role model of the Pakistani batting line up i would go mad.

 

[Savak]

Uthapa, Gambhir... and Shehzad.... today's innings compared;

This still shows that there is room for improvement in Shehzad's batting, if he can convert some of his dot balls to singles, he will be more effective and will reduce the pressure on himself. Out of the numerous international players, i believe Gayle is the only one who can really be backed to make up for so many dot balls wit 4's and 6's, Gayle has had numerous hamstring, groin problems and prefers to hit out rather than run singles.

 

[Haz95]

Shehzad's strike rotation is a major issue which he's not improving on.
People who've usually hit 2 fours and 3 sixes and have scored only 30 odd runs have their strike rates 200+
not shehzad tho.
Shehzad has it like 120 lol. Scores about 35 runs off about 33 balls...He scores like 30 in boundaries(about 8 ballsish-) and then scores then next 5 or 6 via strike rotation in like 25 balls. This is unacceptable stuff.

 

[MMHS]

Did see the match - one of very few T20s. For some .... at BCB, couldn't see Sak.

I think, the problem for Shehzad, for that matter every PAK player is that, they don't consider single as part of strategy. Business normal is you look for singles every ball & hit boundaries in between, against a loose ball or calculative gamble. PAK players take the opposite strategy - go for a bang & if it's middled & in gap, boundary, if straight to fielder run for a single & if it goes wrong the best outcome is a dot ball. Shehazd was careful about a fast start today, but still need to bring soft hands, push in gaps, drop on feet & run into his game. Srastri summed up perfectly - "brilliant player, with all sort of shots at disposal, but chancing too many high risk shots". I think he has long way to go, if he is become a great player, from what he is now - good player lot lots of potential.

Todays' match is a perfect example of what's wrong with PAK cricket - 1. Big hit mentality - resulting big swing & miss, lot of dots & pressure ultimately forcing set players to be hold on at skier, 2. Loosing wicket at wrong time, invariably to a skier, 3. Pathetic new ball bowling - always chase the game from behind, 4. Comical fielding & catching - particularly dropping at crunch moments. 5. Losing wickets in cluster, creating panic.

Today was a perfect day for milking overs from 7 to 16 & reach something like 120/2 & set something like 170. Still made a match out of 150, but as usual bolted with the fielding.

 

[Saqs]

Shehzad's strike rotation is a major issue which he's not improving on.
People who've usually hit 2 fours and 3 sixes and have scored only 30 odd runs have their strike rates 200+
not shehzad tho.
Shehzad has it like 120 lol. Scores about 35 runs off about 33 balls...He scores like 30 in boundaries(about 8 ballsish-) and then scores then next 5 or 6 via strike rotation in like 25 balls. This is unacceptable stuff.

And in the process of jacking up that SR to above 100, it costs us probably 1-2 wickets a game on the other end.

Not to mention the bowlers get to bowl full overs to one batsman. As a bowler, that is a dream. Just ask Warne et al. The thing they hated most was singles being leaked because they couldn't work to a game plan.

Batting is as much as trying to shift the bowling team's strategy than executing your own strategy.

For the record, I like Shehzad and I hope we stick with him for the long run across Tests and LOI. But I don't think he belongs in our T20 side.

 

[Savak]

And in the process of jacking up that SR to above 100, it costs us probably 1-2 wickets a game on the other end.

Not to mention the bowlers get to bowl full overs to one batsman. As a bowler, that is a dream. Just ask Warne et al. The thing they hated most was singles being leaked because they couldn't work to a game plan.

Batting is as much as trying to shift the bowling team's strategy than executing your own strategy.

For the record, I like Shehzad and I hope we stick with him for the long run across Tests and LOI. But I don't think he belongs in our T20 side.

This ridiculous picking on shezad must stop, if Pakistan can tolerate misbah ul haq for 7 long years then we have no business in talking crap about shezad

Sent from my SGH-T999V using Tapatalk

 

[Saqs]

This ridiculous picking on shezad must stop, if Pakistan can tolerate misbah ul haq for 7 long years then we have no business in talking crap about shezad

Sent from my SGH-T999V using Tapatalk

What part of my post is 'talking crap about Shehzad'?

Just stating a fact. It could be the same for any batsman who uses the same method.

 

[JibranAnsari]

He needs to improve big time.

 

[Lords]

Dont forget that all those risks Shez took made him prone to getting out as well. Had he got out on the first chance then the stats wouldnt look as pretty.

Shez is a mix of Misbah and Afridi it seems.

He has confidence on his side so there is a hope that he will improve.

 

[Haz95]

And in the process of jacking up that SR to above 100, it costs us probably 1-2 wickets a game on the other end.

Not to mention the bowlers get to bowl full overs to one batsman. As a bowler, that is a dream. Just ask Warne et al. The thing they hated most was singles being leaked because they couldn't work to a game plan.

Batting is as much as trying to shift the bowling team's strategy than executing your own strategy.

For the record, I like Shehzad and I hope we stick with him for the long run across Tests and LOI. But I don't think he belongs in our T20 side.

exactly. It gives them time to set him up and work him out and take his wicket easily.
He batted beautifully vs Bangladesh- his 111* but his weakness vs Spin was evident once again in the 90s. He can only rotate the strike well vs Minnows

 

[Mamoon]

Mediocrity at the top level is not acceptable and you can play the youngster-will-improve card for a certain period of time.

Needs to be shown the door after the World Cup next year if he doesn't improve his strike rotation. Such negative tactics do nothing for the team and he might be averaging over 40 since his comeback last summer, but you can count on your fingers the number of innings that he has played which have helped the team.

Seems to selfish to the core and worries about his individuals stats only.

 

[ethan hunt]

Pakistan has loads of problems but shehzad aint one of them , yes he needs to improve his strike rotation , but he is one of the better bats we have , lots of good things about him , good back foot player , ability to score in most conditions , just needs to stop condemning people to hell and he should have a long career.

 

[steelo green]

Mediocrity at the top level is not acceptable and you can play the youngster-will-improve card for a certain period of time.

Needs to be shown the door after the World Cup next year if he doesn't improve his strike rotation. Such negative tactics do nothing for the team and he might be averaging over 40 since his comeback last summer, but you can count on your fingers the number of innings that he has played which have helped the team.

Seems to selfish to the core and worries about his individuals stats only.

Let's give him 1-2 years before really stepping on his throat. I dislike his approach but now that his spot is set for a while hopefully he stops worrying about that and focuses on just playing and not losing his wicket for sub 20 runs. You can't say he doesn't have shots or talent but the strike rotation is an issue.

We need one of our two openers to be a builder and the other an attacker. I honestly wouldn't mind switching up the order to include Haris in the middle. I know Maqsood used to open and honestly Umar wouldn't be bad at all either.

We need to be proactive and find the best combination and we keep on the back foot and let the oppositions dictate how we play. Plaguing Pakistan for 10-15 years now.

It's why I miss Amir and Asif (cricketing wise, obviously they sold out). They just kept everyone on their toes.

Not one bowler has excited me like Amir and Asif v England. I thought every over was going to be a wicket and he was turning into a decent bat too.

Back to Shehzad, he needs to keep at least a 4-5 runs per over in the first ten. Can't keep taking those dots and it he can hit it cleanly for a nice stroke to the fielder, he should then attack it harder and go for the boundaries. That's his issue. The fielding restrictions causes him to want to start steadily but he can't take singles when the field is that restrictive. Needs to be a bit brave and instead make the fielding react to him going for big runs and then once they switch it up, he can pick the easy gap for singles. If you show from the start you're not attacking the bowling, they'll just hamper you. Attack the bad balls and go for the boundaries and they'll try and stop that so you can get easy singles through and through. I don't know if coaching has told him this or it's just his mentality. He played pretty freely against KKR because it's a fun tourney so he does have it. Just needs to be tactfully a bit smarter.

 

[Mamoon]

Shehzad's position is now set in stone. Whether anyone likes it or not, for now, he's the undisputed first choice opener in the country and now its up to him to justify this faith and investment. If he continues like this for the next 6-7 months, his role and purpose in the team will have to reevaluated.

Clearly its time for him to stop worrying about his place in the team and show some match awareness. What's the use of having a great average on paper when it brings little value to the team and has a negative impact. This looks like Misbah all over again.

For his first 70-75 balls, he generally strikes at around 60-65 which is simply not acceptable. Not only does it add too much pressure on his batting partners who lose the luxury of playing themselves in, it also sucks out all the momentum from the innings. He finishes well (if he bats long enough) which is why his SR has looked good on paper in the last 15 ODIs, but he paces his innings very poorly.

You are correct about a builder and attacker opening combo, and SA have that spot on. de Kock goes after the bowling while Amla milks them around at an excellent strike rate by picking up singles and doubles. Now if Amla starts to strike at 60-65 for the first 10-15 overs, it won't help SA at all.

As far as his talent is concerned, well most international batsmen can put the bad balls away and he does that emphatically at times, but the real test of a batsman's caliber is how he handles good deliveries and converts a dot into a single/double. This is where Shehzad falls flat, he's extremely easy to tie down and if a ball is not there to be hit for a four or a six, he lacks the ability to play with soft hands and dab it for a single.

Very rarely would you see him open the face of the bat and guide the ball towards the 3rd man for a single, which is the go-to shot for most of the best strike rotators in the game, past and present.

The biggest problem though is his inability to play spin. He fails to judge the length and flight of the ball from the hand and tends to play it off the pitch or charge down the track before the ball is released. This is why he's stuck at the crease and simply tries to kill the spin off the pitch or comes down the track for a six or a four while risking a stumping because he is basically out of the crease before the bowlers bowls. Yesterday against KKR, he did the same. Hit a couple of six and was potentially stumped numerous times but for the bricked hand WK.

These days, its very easy to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a player and if he continues to struggle with spin and strike rotation, it will be very difficult for him to survive in the long runs especially in Test cricket.

 

[Pete Rose]

Let's give him 1-2 years before really stepping on his throat. I dislike his approach but now that his spot is set for a while hopefully he stops worrying about that and focuses on just playing and not losing his wicket for sub 20 runs. You can't say he doesn't have shots or talent but the strike rotation is an issue.

We need one of our two openers to be a builder and the other an attacker. I honestly wouldn't mind switching up the order to include Haris in the middle. I know Maqsood used to open and honestly Umar wouldn't be bad at all either.

We need to be proactive and find the best combination and we keep on the back foot and let the oppositions dictate how we play. Plaguing Pakistan for 10-15 years now.

It's why I miss Amir and Asif (cricketing wise, obviously they sold out). They just kept everyone on their toes.

Not one bowler has excited me like Amir and Asif v England. I thought every over was going to be a wicket and he was turning into a decent bat too.

Back to Shehzad, he needs to keep at least a 4-5 runs per over in the first ten. Can't keep taking those dots and it he can hit it cleanly for a nice stroke to the fielder, he should then attack it harder and go for the boundaries. That's his issue. The fielding restrictions causes him to want to start steadily but he can't take singles when the field is that restrictive. Needs to be a bit brave and instead make the fielding react to him going for big runs and then once they switch it up, he can pick the easy gap for singles. If you show from the start you're not attacking the bowling, they'll just hamper you. Attack the bad balls and go for the boundaries and they'll try and stop that so you can get easy singles through and through. I don't know if coaching has told him this or it's just his mentality. He played pretty freely against KKR because it's a fun tourney so he does have it. Just needs to be tactfully a bit smarter.

I don't think any one is stepping on his neck. In this rebuilding phase that Pakistan is in, it would help the powers that be to understand that none of the new guys are finished products, they are from it and hence need to be weeded off bad habits as possible.
What seems like an overreaction stems from typically poor numbers driven analysis that argues that if you end up with a decent strike rate all manner of crawling during the innings is acceptable.
Shehzad played some breathtaking shots yesterday, but he could have been dismissed twice against any international team during that time. Take a look at mccullums innings of 49 of 26 balls today: just one less boundary than shehzad but at a strike rate of 170.

 

[steelo green]

I don't think any one is stepping on his neck. In this rebuilding phase that Pakistan is in, it would help the powers that be to understand that none of the new guys are finished products, they are from it and hence need to be weeded off bad habits as possible.
What seems like an overreaction stems from typically poor numbers driven analysis that argues that if you end up with a decent strike rate all manner of crawling during the innings is acceptable.
Shehzad played some breathtaking shots yesterday, but he could have been dismissed twice against any international team during that time. Take a look at mccullums innings of 49 of 26 balls today: just one less boundary than shehzad but at a strike rate of 170.

Completely agree. I'm simply saying that you shouldn't say Shehzad needs to be shown the door when we finally have an opener who is difficult for oppositions to get out. I've always said he needs to rotate the strike better, and if he can't he needs to figure out a way to make the fielders adjust so he can. Definitely needs to be advised on how to improve, I thought the premise of my post implied that we need to work on his weaknesses but his strengths are more than enough to work with.

 

[Adil_94]

Shehzads lack of strike rotation is holding him back from becoming a good batsman. He actually looks good when he hits boundaries. But what use is a 4 followed by 5 dots. His style creates unecessary pressure on his batting partner. Also he is mediocre against spin which in the modern game cant be excused for an opener. He is our best opener due to lack of choices. If he improves his strike rotation then he can become a very good player if he carries on like this he will just be another average opener we have produced like Farhat Hameed etc. Someone like Inzi or Moyo needs to coach him 1 on 1.

 

[Pete Rose]

I thought the premise of my post implied that we need to work on his weaknesses but his strengths are more than enough to work with.

We are in agreement. I saw it as a continuing conversation.

 

[steelo green]

Shehzads lack of strike rotation is holding him back from becoming a good batsman. He actually looks good when he hits boundaries. But what use is a 4 followed by 5 dots. His style creates unecessary pressure on his batting partner. Also he is mediocre against spin which in the modern game cant be excused for an opener. He is our best opener due to lack of choices. If he improves his strike rotation then he can become a very good player if he carries on like this he will just be another average opener we have produced like Farhat Hameed etc. Someone like Inzi or Moyo needs to coach him 1 on 1.

Hameed only scored against one team and only scored at home, Farhat was also almost the same. Shehzad scores against almost all good teams (small sample size v Australia, and West Indies hasn't been the best for him), in different conditions all over the world. Still has many improvements to make but he already offers more than they did, they were simply FTB, HTB. Shehzad has never played in Pakistan, a luxury that people forget would be a true advantage.

He has a great deal of issues that he needs to work on, but he is the best opener since Saeed Anwar. Butt was overrated to no bounds. HTB, FTB, only scored against India. He scored a 74 v India and prior had 3 straight ducks against Australia and he was captain.

I don't know why Shehzad is compared to guys who were/are no where near as good as him. Again not a great player, not good yet, but above average and only 22. I think people need to have some perspective.

 

[GreenKnightRises]

Shehzad's position is now set in stone. Whether anyone likes it or not, for now, he's the undisputed first choice opener in the country and now its up to him to justify this faith and investment. If he continues like this for the next 6-7 months, his role and purpose in the team will have to reevaluated.

Clearly its time for him to stop worrying about his place in the team and show some match awareness. What's the use of having a great average on paper when it brings little value to the team and has a negative impact. This looks like Misbah all over again.

For his first 70-75 balls, he generally strikes at around 60-65 which is simply not acceptable. Not only does it add too much pressure on his batting partners who lose the luxury of playing themselves in, it also sucks out all the momentum from the innings. He finishes well (if he bats long enough) which is why his SR has looked good on paper in the last 15 ODIs, but he paces his innings very poorly.

You are correct about a builder and attacker opening combo, and SA have that spot on. de Kock goes after the bowling while Amla milks them around at an excellent strike rate by picking up singles and doubles. Now if Amla starts to strike at 60-65 for the first 10-15 overs, it won't help SA at all.

As far as his talent is concerned, well most international batsmen can put the bad balls away and he does that emphatically at times, but the real test of a batsman's caliber is how he handles good deliveries and converts a dot into a single/double. This is where Shehzad falls flat, he's extremely easy to tie down and if a ball is not there to be hit for a four or a six, he lacks the ability to play with soft hands and dab it for a single.

Very rarely would you see him open the face of the bat and guide the ball towards the 3rd man for a single, which is the go-to shot for most of the best strike rotators in the game, past and present.

The biggest problem though is his inability to play spin. He fails to judge the length and flight of the ball from the hand and tends to play it off the pitch or charge down the track before the ball is released. This is why he's stuck at the crease and simply tries to kill the spin off the pitch or comes down the track for a six or a four while risking a stumping because he is basically out of the crease before the bowlers bowls. Yesterday against KKR, he did the same. Hit a couple of six and was potentially stumped numerous times but for the bricked hand WK.

These days, its very easy to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a player and if he continues to struggle with spin and strike rotation, it will be very difficult for him to survive in the long runs especially in Test cricket.

Write this as a letter to Shehzad

 

[MMHS]

Shehzad's position is now set in stone. Whether anyone likes it or not, for now, he's the undisputed first choice opener in the country and now its up to him to justify this faith and investment. If he continues like this for the next 6-7 months, his role and purpose in the team will have to reevaluated.

Clearly its time for him to stop worrying about his place in the team and show some match awareness. What's the use of having a great average on paper when it brings little value to the team and has a negative impact. This looks like Misbah all over again.

For his first 70-75 balls, he generally strikes at around 60-65 which is simply not acceptable. Not only does it add too much pressure on his batting partners who lose the luxury of playing themselves in, it also sucks out all the momentum from the innings. He finishes well (if he bats long enough) which is why his SR has looked good on paper in the last 15 ODIs, but he paces his innings very poorly.

You are correct about a builder and attacker opening combo, and SA have that spot on. de Kock goes after the bowling while Amla milks them around at an excellent strike rate by picking up singles and doubles. Now if Amla starts to strike at 60-65 for the first 10-15 overs, it won't help SA at all.

As far as his talent is concerned, well most international batsmen can put the bad balls away and he does that emphatically at times, but the real test of a batsman's caliber is how he handles good deliveries and converts a dot into a single/double. This is where Shehzad falls flat, he's extremely easy to tie down and if a ball is not there to be hit for a four or a six, he lacks the ability to play with soft hands and dab it for a single.

Very rarely would you see him open the face of the bat and guide the ball towards the 3rd man for a single, which is the go-to shot for most of the best strike rotators in the game, past and present.

The biggest problem though is his inability to play spin. He fails to judge the length and flight of the ball from the hand and tends to play it off the pitch or charge down the track before the ball is released. This is why he's stuck at the crease and simply tries to kill the spin off the pitch or comes down the track for a six or a four while risking a stumping because he is basically out of the crease before the bowlers bowls. Yesterday against KKR, he did the same. Hit a couple of six and was potentially stumped numerous times but for the bricked hand WK.

These days, its very easy to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a player and if he continues to struggle with spin and strike rotation, it will be very difficult for him to survive in the long runs especially in Test cricket.

Excellent post; it's always nice to see a criticism with a positive frame of mind. He is an integral part of PAK team, it's his responsibility to take his game to next level. Otherwise his fate 'll end up as someone like Nazir or Yasser Hamid.

 

[steelo green]

Excellent post; it's always nice to see a criticism with a positive frame of mind. He is an integral part of PAK team, it's his responsibility to take his game to next level. Otherwise his fate 'll end up as someone like Nazir or Yasser Hamid.

I have no problem wih criticism, but not comparisons that make no sense.

 

[Bullet Drive]

Excellent post by Mamoon. Agree with him 1000% on this.

 

[in_cutter]

Excellent post by Mamoon. Agree with him 1000% on this.

BD agreeing with Mamoon?? A new era! Lol

 

[Saqs]

BD agreeing with Mamoon?? A new era! Lol

Yeh din bi dhekhna tha

 

[b.lesner]

prince of dots

 

[theariezman]

Keeping his legacy on

Sent from my SM-G900FD using Tapatalk

 

[MenInG]

Self inflicted misery.

 

[Pakcricket89]

Undisputed king

 

[Mrhandsome]

Ship is sailing quickly for Ahmad. Needs to get his act together or he'll end up being dropped.

 

[saeedhk]

Need to get rid of this hack!

 

[Mamoon]

It's a shame because I thought he looked really good today, but as soon as the boundaries dried up, he got bogged down.

Few players in the world are worse than him when it comes to finding the gaps and picking singles and doubles.

 

[Pakcricket89]

It's a shame because I thought he looked really good today, but as soon as the boundaries dried up, he got bogged down.

Few players in the world are worse than him when it comes to finding the gaps and picking singles and doubles.

Mamoon bhai, your prediction was right i think Shehzad will lose his place very soon with Harris coming back in ODIs and in tests Shan and Hafeez might open, even Azhar can...

 

[Mamoon]

Mamoon bhai, your prediction was right i think Shehzad will lose his place very soon with Harris coming back in ODIs and in tests Shan and Hafeez might open, even Azhar can...

His position is safe in Tests, but the only reason he played today was because Haris is injured. Otherwise, he would have batted at 3 with Hafeez opening.

He is no longer automatic pick in this format and has only himself to blame. Got a free run for 2 years and did not work on his flaws. Yes he got some hundreds, but his strike rate is simply not good enough for this era.

 

[Pakcricket89]

His position is safe in Tests, but the only reason he played today was because Haris is injured. Otherwise, he would have batted at 3 with Hafeez opening.

He is no longer automatic pick in this format and has only himself to blame. Got a free run for 2 years and did not work on his flaws. Yes he got some hundreds, but his strike rate is simply not good enough for this era.

Wont hafeez play against England if he clears his action

Shehzad is a bakwaas test player too, need to get rid of him

 

[Bullet Drive]

Dean Jones has said this:


' Shehzad should be a bit more selfish, and stay at the wicket '

 

[Haroon786]

Can't be more selfish than an SR of 70 odd.

 

[The_KING]

I thought he played decently today.

 

[cricfan14]

Dean Jones has said this:


' Shehzad should be a bit more selfish, and stay at the wicket '

MORE selfish? It's better for us when he gets bogged down to get him off the crease - he eats up so many deliveries.

He hasn't had a great tour. I know we're playing conservative to win, but we need to try Azhar with Mukhtar up top.

 

[taqi]

they way he got out looked like he was suffering despite having good start. Issue remains with strike rotation Mukhtar sitting on bench puts pressure on him

 

[MenInG]

Ahmed Shehzad doing his thing again - hope he does something different

 

[Slog]

id rather him get out now if he is only going to get to 25 to 40 with a strike rate of 60 odd.

so either he should score a big one and justify the slow start now or not bat for any period at all

 

[11ShadyBrothers]

A SR difference of three points but still getting bashed.

 

[Mamoon]

Shehzad's position is now set in stone. Whether anyone likes it or not, for now, he's the undisputed first choice opener in the country and now its up to him to justify this faith and investment. If he continues like this for the next 6-7 months, his role and purpose in the team will have to reevaluated.

Clearly its time for him to stop worrying about his place in the team and show some match awareness. What's the use of having a great average on paper when it brings little value to the team and has a negative impact. This looks like Misbah all over again.

For his first 70-75 balls, he generally strikes at around 60-65 which is simply not acceptable. Not only does it add too much pressure on his batting partners who lose the luxury of playing themselves in, it also sucks out all the momentum from the innings. He finishes well (if he bats long enough) which is why his SR has looked good on paper in the last 15 ODIs, but he paces his innings very poorly.

You are correct about a builder and attacker opening combo, and SA have that spot on. de Kock goes after the bowling while Amla milks them around at an excellent strike rate by picking up singles and doubles. Now if Amla starts to strike at 60-65 for the first 10-15 overs, it won't help SA at all.

As far as his talent is concerned, well most international batsmen can put the bad balls away and he does that emphatically at times, but the real test of a batsman's caliber is how he handles good deliveries and converts a dot into a single/double. This is where Shehzad falls flat, he's extremely easy to tie down and if a ball is not there to be hit for a four or a six, he lacks the ability to play with soft hands and dab it for a single.

Very rarely would you see him open the face of the bat and guide the ball towards the 3rd man for a single, which is the go-to shot for most of the best strike rotators in the game, past and present.

The biggest problem though is his inability to play spin. He fails to judge the length and flight of the ball from the hand and tends to play it off the pitch or charge down the track before the ball is released. This is why he's stuck at the crease and simply tries to kill the spin off the pitch or comes down the track for a six or a four while risking a stumping because he is basically out of the crease before the bowlers bowls. Yesterday against KKR, he did the same. Hit a couple of six and was potentially stumped numerous times but for the bricked hand WK.

These days, its very easy to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a player and if he continues to struggle with spin and strike rotation, it will be very difficult for him to survive in the long runs especially in Test cricket.

10 months later, nothing has changed. In fact, he has regressed further.

 

[Slog]

A SR difference of three points but still getting bashed.

they have different roles

Shehzad is seen (and has claimed in several interviews) to be an aggressive batsman and hence is expected to be the driving force in the partnership

But whats worse is he threw away the start here which is what is the big worry

 

[11ShadyBrothers]

they have different roles

Shehzad is seen (and has claimed in several interviews) to be an aggressive batsman and hence is expected to be the driving force in the partnership

But whats worse is he threw away the start here which is what is the big worry

It is a big worry and its frustrating. If he doesnt scores big in the next games. He should be dropped.

 

[Madplayer]

they have different roles

Shehzad is seen (and has claimed in several interviews) to be an aggressive batsman and hence is expected to be the driving force in the partnership

But whats worse is he threw away the start here which is what is the big worry

He just looked like his hands were tied behind his back for the first 20 deliveries he faced. And even after that he was visibly struggling. He just compensated by hitting some fours in between.

 

[Slog]

It is a big worry and its frustrating. If he doesnt scores big in the next games. He should be dropped.

He just looked like his hands were tied behind his back for the first 20 deliveries he faced. And even after that he was visibly struggling. He just compensated by hitting some fours in between.

This much we know that the time has come to not see Shehzad as an aggressive opening option (ie 40 avg with SR of 85+).

So we cant afford 2 players with same style and SR (ie Azhar Ali and him.) So with a straight fight between the 2, Azhar comes out on top due to higher average (slightly higher SR since return) and the fact he is captain.

Hafeez's good form may mean that not withstanding his ban from bowling he is a serious contender for the other opener spot. Though Mukhtar needs to be tried ASAP. Guy was in brilliant form but is just sitting on the bench

 

[Rafa]

Needs to keep up with the rate today

 

[in_cutter]

Horrible batsman

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Unfortunately Azhar Ali seems to be joining him as well in this regard.

We have like the worst ODI opening partnership in the world.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HaiderAbbasRizvi]

Azhar will give Shahzad and/or Misbah a run for their collective dot balls

 

[Alamgeer]

He was looking good and all set for a big one today. Unlucky lad.

 

[mosh101]

These poor starts are costing us most games.

Has nobody in the team management watched the Ind/Aus games?

 

[arehaan]

This guy has regressed so badly from his initial promise which has become a norm for our players.

 

[aukhan]

Watching him is a torture.

 

[saeedhk]

He was garbage from day one!

Sent from my Lenovo A6000 using Tapatalk

 

[Usman Chadda]

Seriously what the heck have we done to deserve this pile of crap? Match after match this useless waste of space is guilty of nullifying starts. People go on about Umar Akmal, well atleast Umar performa once in a while. What has this loony toon done in the past year? Send this selfish bozo back to where he belongs and never even look at selecting him again. Absolutely useless.

Enough is enough.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

[theariezman]

Really we dropped him out of the team and we couldn't even hold that even for a year...he would never learn until he knew his place is safe in the team.

Please Please Please for the sake of Pakistan Cricket drop him.

Sent from my SM-G900FD using Tapatalk

 

[cricfan14]

Remember when a year ago this time he was dropped from the squad....for like a hot second, and then he's basically been picked and played regardless of how bad he's been?

Salman Butt is a first rate liar and a cheater and it would still be less torturous to watch him.

 

[Mamoon]

Modern day Wajahatullah Wasti with the attitude of Virat Kohli and antics of Shahid Afridi.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Modern day Wajahatullah Wasti with the attitude of Virat Kohli and antics of Shahid Afridi.

God I remember that guy Wasti. Even back in 1999, when 250 was a good score, bowlers tried nottoget Wasti out . He used to score 30 off 80 lol.

 

[BaaliSoda]

Modern day Wajahatullah Wasti with the attitude of Virat Kohli and antics of Shahid Afridi.

You have hit the bull's eye here. Still remember the master tuktukician (known as Wajahatullah wasti) opening for Pak in late 90's.

 

[PennOne]

What happened to this Ahmed Shehzad

T20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTcu5wrIteY
ODI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flY4honV4ik

from the 2010 tour of NZ

whats missing now

1. High back lift
2. High bat speed
3. Aggression
4. Risk taking