Are Abid Ali and Imran Butt the future of Pakistan's opening in Test cricket?

[Amjid Javed]

imam like any other dropped player should be playing donestic cricket or county cricket and earning a recall.

imran butt, shan masood, Abid ali should not be in the test side.

for me Azhar should be opening with a new player or a middle order batsmen being used as an opener ( Usman S)

we then should try saud shakeel or someone else at 3.

rotating our 4 rubbish openers and hoping for best aint going to help team longterm.

 

[Amjid Javed]

if a player domestically is struggling to average 30 runs a season for quite a few years and then has 1 good season does that mean hes ready for tests cricket?

in imran butt and imams case both players were selected in same circumstances.

imran butt 4 season in a row averaged pretty much less than 25 runs.

imam 4 out of his 5 domestic seasons he average around 30 or less.

sums up why are test team is so pathetic.

 

[Mamoon]

imam was given a go against club level bowlers called ireland. then was exposed against england, NZ and SA afterwards.

but according to you hes pakistans hayden or langer.

stick to watching indian cricket as you have no clue about pakistan.

supposidly we should pamper imam so he becomes a so called world beater.

And it was Imam who saved Pakistan from embarrassment on his Test debut in Ireland with a masterful knock in the fourth innings on a green pitch with thick, black clouds above. He showed the temperament and the resilience that he clearly has and which is why he should be backed as a Test opener in the long run.

He is not the next Alaistair Cook or the next Hayden or Langer in the making but he is young and gritty. He should be backed because Pakistan does not have better prospects.

Pakistan has no batting talent and Pakistanis fans think that 11 Test matches for a 24-25 year old opener is enough sample to conclude that he is not good enough in Test cricket to be better than Masood, Abid and Butt.

Especially when this 24-25 year has already shown excellent temperament in ODI cricket and the concentration levels to occupy the crease. He is already only 3 ODI hundreds behind his uncle and averages 92 against England and 50 against South Africa. For a country with no talent at all, Imam is a wonderful prospect.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Imran Butt has done nothing to show he can cut it at this level. Even in the one innings where he scored big he struggled immensely at the start of his innings against a toothless Zimbabwean bowling attack.

The guy never did enough in domestic to get selected in the first place. Basically had one good season. And his numbers are evident of that fact. But we will continue wasting time on him even when the writing is on the wall. Focus should be on looking to Imam establish in that opening slot.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

imam was given a go against club level bowlers called ireland. then was exposed against england, NZ and SA afterwards.

but according to you hes pakistans hayden or langer.

stick to watching indian cricket as you have no clue about pakistan.

supposidly we should pamper imam so he becomes a so called world beater.

If Imam had the same number of chances Shan Masood had he would have outperformed him. Shan Masood is the definition of pampered.

Imam has one of the best averages in LOI cricket today. If his ODI exploits have shown anything, it's that he has the temperament to make it in test cricket

 

[gazza619]

As I said earlier I would be willing to accept a 30 odd average from him considering he can win us matches just by his catching ability, it is slight concerning though that he couldnt make a half decent score in the 2nd test against the Zim attack.

 

[silentkiller187]

since being dropped what development has imam shown?

has he gone back to domestic cricket and scored loads of runs?

has he improved against shortball?

all our openers are rubbish but doesnt mean we then go oh lets pick the youngest one when they have done nothing to earn a recall.

really shows how stupid some pakistan fans are.

look at hasan Ali as a bowler. struggled and got dropped. played domestic and improved and now you see results.

has imam done that no he hasnt.

imam saved pakistan against ireland incase you forgot on his test debut, shows he has the temperament, he also has 3 odi hundreds and although two different formats, the gap has never been smaller. if others get multiple chances at the big stage why cant he, with all due respect pakistanis domestic circuit is no barometer for success, as we have seen with Abid Ali minnow bashing.

In my opinion its an even more stupid call to call for azhar ali to open again, and this magic wand to find a new opener out of thin air its worked wonders so far.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

imam saved pakistan against ireland incase you forgot on his test debut, shows he has the temperament, he also has 3 odi hundreds and although two different formats, the gap has never been smaller. if others get multiple chances at the big stage why cant he, with all due respect pakistanis domestic circuit is no barometer for success, as we have seen with Abid Ali minnow bashing.

In my opinion its an even more stupid call to call for azhar ali to open again, and this magic wand to find a new opener out of thin air its worked wonders so far.

Mate Imam averages 27 in tests he's had 21 innings (11 matches) and that doesn't exactly say persist with me. This is the worst thing we do with saying that a player will replicate ODI performances in tests, no that's not true.

He's a great ODI player but needs a few seasons in domestic before being picked, you should be picked off of your domestic FC performances in tests and not what you've done in ODI/t20s.

 

[Amjid Javed]

imam saved pakistan against ireland incase you forgot on his test debut, shows he has the temperament, he also has 3 odi hundreds and although two different formats, the gap has never been smaller. if others get multiple chances at the big stage why cant he, with all due respect pakistanis domestic circuit is no barometer for success, as we have seen with Abid Ali minnow bashing.

In my opinion its an even more stupid call to call for azhar ali to open again, and this magic wand to find a new opener out of thin air its worked wonders so far.

wow well done imam he minnow bashed on debut and then got exposed.

this is a guy who has failed in 4 out of his 5 full seasons domestically. failing to score 100s in 3 of those seasons. The guy has scored 5 100s in 87 FC inns thats a very poor return. add to that hes mediocre average in 30s donestically and you can see why mo wasim asked him to improve his record.

ODIs have nothing to do with tests. yet another clueless fan that cant tell difference in formats.

the gap between ODIs and tests these days is huge, most teams use completely different openers in formats as white ball cricketers with rubbish technics are getting more and more exposed in tests.

 

[Amjid Javed]

If Imam had the same number of chances Shan Masood had he would have outperformed him. Shan Masood is the definition of pampered.

Imam has one of the best averages in LOI cricket today. If his ODI exploits have shown anything, it's that he has the temperament to make it in test cricket

blocking and batting like a snail on roads will stand him in good stead for tests will it?

what about his inability to play moving ball or the fact he cant play the short ball.

but we should persist with the pakistani hayden. comedy at its best.

 

[Amjid Javed]

If Imam had the same number of chances Shan Masood had he would have outperformed him. Shan Masood is the definition of pampered.

Imam has one of the best averages in LOI cricket today. If his ODI exploits have shown anything, it's that he has the temperament to make it in test cricket

yet another stupid pakistan fan raving on about LOI stats.

imam fan really are the most stupid fans on here.

why dont you share domestic 4 day stats and the fact hes had 1 good season. add to that just 5 100s in 87 inns in longer fornat at an average in mid 30s is pathetic.

Do england openers bairstow or Roy open in tests cricket? they are best ODi opening pair in world cricket.

no they dont because in test cricket you get exposed if you cant play the moving ball or short ball.

 

[Amjid Javed]

And it was Imam who saved Pakistan from embarrassment on his Test debut in Ireland with a masterful knock in the fourth innings on a green pitch with thick, black clouds above. He showed the temperament and the resilience that he clearly has and which is why he should be backed as a Test opener in the long run.

The same guy who on dead wickets in the UAE was making degrandhomme look like prime shane bond.

you call imran butt a one season wonder which is correct. yet imam is exactly the same domestically. yet your worshipping like hes the pakistani graeme smith or matt hayden.

 

[silentkiller187]

Mate Imam averages 27 in tests he's had 21 innings (11 matches) and that doesn't exactly say persist with me. This is the worst thing we do with saying that a player will replicate ODI performances in tests, no that's not true.

He's a great ODI player but needs a few seasons in domestic before being picked, you should be picked off of your domestic FC performances in tests and not what you've done in ODI/t20s.

wow well done imam he minnow bashed on debut and then got exposed.

this is a guy who has failed in 4 out of his 5 full seasons domestically. failing to score 100s in 3 of those seasons. The guy has scored 5 100s in 87 FC inns thats a very poor return. add to that hes mediocre average in 30s donestically and you can see why mo wasim asked him to improve his record.

ODIs have nothing to do with tests. yet another clueless fan that cant tell difference in formats.

the gap between ODIs and tests these days is huge, most teams use completely different openers in formats as white ball cricketers with rubbish technics are getting more and more exposed in tests.

thats understandable however shan masood was given an extended life, and this imran butt abid ali combo striking at 49/50 crawling to 100s against an attack that would be 2nd 3rd xi county standard at best does not fill you for confidence against SENA teams because we all know they are walking wickets as soon as the ball starts talking.

Im not saying imam is the definitive answer but if we are persisting with this rubbish currently then it can't get any worse, give others the same go, i used the same example i used for fakhar zamans inclusion aswell. This is why we are we are where we are in tests and you want to suggest azhar ali move back up to expose an already fragile middle order even more? in my opinion that is a more stupid suggestion than anyone calling for imams inclusion.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

thats understandable however shan masood was given an extended life, and this imran butt abid ali combo striking at 49/50 crawling to 100s against an attack that would be 2nd 3rd xi county standard at best does not fill you for confidence against SENA teams because we all know they are walking wickets as soon as the ball starts talking.

Im not saying imam is the definitive answer but if we are persisting with this rubbish currently then it can't get any worse, give others the same go, i used the same example i used for fakhar zamans inclusion aswell. This is why we are we are where we are in tests and you want to suggest azhar ali move back up to expose an already fragile middle order even more? in my opinion that is a more stupid suggestion than anyone calling for imams inclusion.

I mean certainly Imran needs more time (still not willing to lose this guy, his fielding is next level) and perhaps i would trial Abdullah Shafique who is getting rave reviews and his technique does look fairly solid so wouldn't mind trying him before we go back to Imam.

The middle would be strengthened even more if we have Azhar open and bring in Saud or Kamran Ghulam.

 

[silentkiller187]

I mean certainly Imran needs more time (still not willing to lose this guy, his fielding is next level) and perhaps i would trial Abdullah Shafique who is getting rave reviews and his technique does look fairly solid so wouldn't mind trying him before we go back to Imam.

The middle would be strengthened even more if we have Azhar open and bring in Saud or Kamran Ghulam.

so your willing to give imran time, a guy who averages 35.6 after 75 first class games, but someone who averages the same in 40 games is not good enough? very similar test averages aswell, im sure if imam had the chance against zimbabwe or sa c his test average would have been higher. One is being told by selectors he needs to do more to be selected, where's the consistency? Times must really be bad when we are selecting openers based on their fielding abilities.

its all good throwing names like abdullah shafique or kamran ghulam or saud shakeel but in reality are they good enough for test cricket, what have they done that screams out pick me? similar to the hussain talats and the asif alis who were continiously mentioned t take our odi team to the next level, they came and went in a whimper.

imam may not be the solution long term but neither is azhar ali who needs phasing out of this team. i would even risk fakhar zaman as an out of the box inclusion, cant do much worse than the two minnow bashers we have opening at the moment.

 

[Saj]

It looks very much like Abid has bought himself some more time with the 200, but Imran's days look like they are numbered. Imran might get one more series to save his international career and if he fails, then it's probably back to Shan Masood.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

so your willing to give imran time, a guy who averages 35.6 after 75 first class games, but someone who averages the same in 40 games is not good enough? very similar test averages aswell, im sure if imam had the chance against zimbabwe or sa c his test average would have been higher. One is being told by selectors he needs to do more to be selected, where's the consistency? Times must really be bad when we are selecting openers based on their fielding abilities.

its all good throwing names like abdullah shafique or kamran ghulam or saud shakeel but in reality are they good enough for test cricket, what have they done that screams out pick me? similar to the hussain talats and the asif alis who were continiously mentioned t take our odi team to the next level, they came and went in a whimper.

imam may not be the solution long term but neither is azhar ali who needs phasing out of this team. i would even risk fakhar zaman as an out of the box inclusion, cant do much worse than the two minnow bashers we have opening at the moment.

First of all that was a full strength South Africa test team we played and not our fault we made them look like nobodies. They had some serious bowlers in there who had serious pace i.e. KG, Nortje and Ngidi as well as accomplished batsmen in Elgar, Markram, QDK, RVD etc.

In terms of fielding we need a competent slips fielder and really the likes of Babar and Yasir shell catches, dropped catches will always result in losses for us. It's a slippery slope to persist with a poor batsman like Imran but as a fieldsman he is gold dust.

Imam needs to have one good QeA season for me to say ok let's select him. The cupboard for openers is so bare at the moment.

 

[PakLFC]

Ali and Butt are both rubbish. They only scored runs coz the opposition was worse then a B side.

 

[Yasir_ch]

Imran butt is a wonderful slip fielder and that's very important in test cricket but his batting is mediocre.If he could average 35 I would definitely retain him.It's not like other openers in domestic cricket are gonna be world beaters at international level.Better to stick with Imran than going to back to that mediocre imam ul haq.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Abid Ali and Imran Butt opening partnership:<br><br>Innings 7<br>Runs 196 (115 of which came in one innings)<br>Average 28.00<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WIvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WIvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1425859496618954752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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[Shoaibbtt]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Abid Ali and Imran Butt opening partnership:<br><br>Innings 7<br>Runs 196 (115 of which came in one innings)<br>Average 28.00<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WIvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WIvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1425859496618954752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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13.5 average if you take that Zimbabwe one out.

Really poor. The middle order can't be blamed if they fail, top order needs to start delivering.

 

[gazza619]

These two have really disappointed.

Perhaps we need to look at other options.

 

[bilawal666]

Two guys who can fix our opening woes are Shan Masood and Usman Sallahudin both of whom we're dropped unfairly.

 

[MRSN]

Future looks bleak if they are our future.

 

[Mamoon]

Sums up the complete lack of talent in Pakistan. A bankrupt cricket nation.

 

[MRSN]

To be honest there should not be a different ODI and test batting line up. There is no point.

 

[MRSN]

13.5 average if you take that Zimbabwe one out.

Really poor. The middle order can't be blamed if they fail, top order needs to start delivering.

What are you talking about? How else Abid is to raise his bat after scoring a 50 if you don't count that series. Lol

 

[Shoaibbtt]

What are you talking about? How else Abid is to raise his bat after scoring a 50 if you don't count that series. Lol

hahaha well you gotta take out the 1 innings the 2 had in 115 which is against poor opposition and so their average against good opposition is 13.5, which is poor.

I can't tell you how much that helmet removal after scoring a 50 annoyed me.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

How long are we going to keep persisting with this failed experiment?

Shan Masood and Azhar Ali should be opening the batting. Usman Salahuddin is another option. But for the sake of the team, this failed experiment needs to end. Not only Abid Ali and Imran Butt are both the weakest link of the team but their inability to stay at the crease or blunt the new-ball exposes the middle order far too early.

I know Mohammad Wasim is deluded enough to think that Imran Butt is somehow a good test opener and Abid Ali needs to be persisted with eventhough he has done nothing but fail consistently in the last year, but please Mr. Wasim. If you somehow stumbled onto this post while browsing through PP, please put your ego aside and drop both players. Do what's right for the team. Saud Shakeel, Usman Slahuddin and Shan Masood are all vastly better options.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Two guys who can fix our opening woes are Shan Masood and Usman Sallahudin both of whom we're dropped unfairly.

Funny how Shan's performances at home and his innings of note in South Africa, Australia and England were completely ignored when he was dropped and the only thing that was looked at was his performance in one of the most difficult countries to tour in the world. A country in which Kohli averaged 9.50 in the same amount of test matches last year.

Meanwhile, Abid Ali and Imran Butt have done nothing but fail consistently, but somehow their failures don't seem to count.

That's the genius of Mohammad Wasim for you.

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

Just goes on to show how detrimental Zim series was for Pakistan.

 

[hitthestump]

Two guys who can fix our opening woes are Shan Masood and Usman Sallahudin both of whom we're dropped unfairly.

Nope.

Mamoon's post is the only one which reflects matters in Pakistan right now.

 

[ahmedzee]

Time for Imam and/or Shan to come into the fold. I knew Imran Butt was a failure. Abid Ali is looking weaker day by day as he gets more experience.

 

[bilawal666]

Nope.

Mamoon's post is the only one which reflects matters in Pakistan right now.

Mamoon has a pretty negative outlook in general. I'd probably disagree with anything he has to say. Apart from our openers and maybe Azhar Ali, our batting line up has potential.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Both of them are awful. Imran Butt has a garbage domestic record as well and it shows when you watch him bat

I’ll say it again

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I’ll say it again

I think i would've liked Abid but his stupid antic with taking the helmet off after the 50 vs Zimbabwe was embarrassing.

 

[Rana]

I think i would've liked Abid but his stupid antic with taking the helmet off after the 50 vs Zimbabwe was embarrassing.

Easy to criticise him but this is a guy who probably is going through a lot of mental stress knowing that his dream to play for Pakistan could soon be ending. These types of players are discarded and forgotten very easily, and they are back to their poor and tough lives with no way out.

Cut the guy some slack, small guy from a small town

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Easy to criticise him but this is a guy who probably is going through a lot of mental stress knowing that his dream to play for Pakistan could soon be ending. These types of players are discarded and forgotten very easily, and they are back to their poor and tough lives with no way out.

Cut the guy some slack, small guy from a small town

Cut the guy some slack? You are one to talk when it comes to Rizwan lol. I’m sorry but it was silly, I feel bad for him but that’s life.

People go through rough patches but it’s up to him to go back work on himself and see where his flaws lie.

He needs more time in domestic bro, with that said be nice I say may Allah grant him success but right now he needs to do some homework cause the 20/2 partnership is not acceptable.

 

[Rana]

Cut the guy some slack? You are one to talk when it comes to Rizwan lol. I’m sorry but it was silly, I feel bad for him but that’s life.

People go through rough patches but it’s up to him to go back work on himself and see where his flaws lie.

He needs more time in domestic bro, with that said be nice I say may Allah grant him success but right now he needs to do some homework cause the 20/2 partnership is not acceptable.

Yeah well Rizwan probably doesn’t deserve it too but oh well...

 

[sam_ahm]

Imam should be definitely in for Abid Ali, I'll say stick with Imran and give him a slightly longer run, more so because he Issuch a brilliant slip catcher, one of the best.

 

[MenInG]

Think the answer to this question is a resounding no.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pakistan's last 18 opening partnerships in Test cricket:<br><br>Only 1 partnership over 50<br>10 times the partnership has been between 0 and 6 runs<br>Average of 18.72<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1426580132983148546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
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[MRSN]

14.6 Mayers to Abid Ali, no run, has a swipe at this outswinger and is beaten all ends up. Not sure what Abid Ali was trying to do there, the ball wasn't short enough and he just decided to go hard sans any feet, no dice...

Whoever picks these players must not have actually seen them play. Static feet and chasing wild deliveries.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Even if Abid Ali somehow manages to hold onto his position, surely this should be the end for Imran Butt. This guy is shockingly bad and looks completely out of his depth at this level. He has played one innings of note, and even that was a laborious knock against Zimbabwe.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

14.6 Mayers to Abid Ali, no run, has a swipe at this outswinger and is beaten all ends up. Not sure what Abid Ali was trying to do there, the ball wasn't short enough and he just decided to go hard sans any feet, no dice...

Whoever picks these players must not have actually seen them play. Static feet and chasing wild deliveries.

Actually Abid Ali was one of the most consistent domestic performers for years. If anything, his selection was well-deserved and earned, unlike Imran Butt. That said, after seeing the way his career has fallen off a cliff after his debut series, its patently obvious that he does not have what it takes to make it at this level.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Imran Butt is without question one of the worst Pakistani test openers I have ever seen. And that's saying something considering some of the guys that have walked in through this revolving door.

 

[MRSN]

Actually Abid Ali was one of the most consistent domestic performers for years. If anything, his selection was well-deserved and earned, unlike Imran Butt. That said, after seeing the way his career has fallen off a cliff after his debut series, its patently obvious that he does not have what it takes to make it at this level.

But how has he scored those runs with these static feet is beyond me. He doesn't move his feet at all. You got to question the quality of domestic cricket when guys like him are leading the tables.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

But how has he scored those runs with these static feet is beyond me. He doesn't move his feet at all. You got to question the quality of domestic cricket when guys like him are leading the tables.

Well pitches in Pakistan don't exactly require you to have the same level of footwork against pace that pitches in SENA or even WI do. But in my opinion, he's just not a very good player. Fawad topped the domestic charts too, he has a technique so ugly that it was reportedly one of factors that kept him out of the team...but look at the way he done so far.

 

[Extra_Cover]

There is no future if these two are opening.

 

[gazza619]

Abid did do OK in the 2nd innings scoring 30 odd.

Imran Butt’s test days are over.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

They are not even the present. With these two, we are playing with only 4 batters plus Fahim.

 

[Line and Length]

I’m all for moving Azhar to opening and putting Saud at #3. But with the way Azhar looked these two innings, he’ll probably do even worse as an opener.

 

[Amjid Javed]

niether player contributed anything in this test match. playing with just 9 players cost pakistan here. cant keep having number 3 and 4 in team practically opening. both abid and butt have to go.

 

[Zaz]

Honestly these two are shockingly poor esp butt

Weve had some awful openers over the years but these two tread new depths

High time the likes of saud, sallahuddin, ghulam come in.

Whats necessary isnt openers that are terrible but players who have good technique and will put a price on their wicket

If batters want to play they need to put their hand up and start to open for pakistan Spots are their for the taking

 

[Chikkeh]

Time to get Kamran Ghulam in at the top. I believe Imam will compliment him well.

Also need to bed in Usman Saluhuddin in the team. Azhar unfortunately is not as good as he once was.

 

[shamaan]

I think usman Salahuddin deserves his chance hopefully he can open the batting in the domestic season

 

[MenInG]

The way they are being tried out forever, I feel that its now enshrined in PCB's constitution.

 

[sam_ahm]

Lol, first over of the match and Abid Ali is on his bike

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Oh dear - yet another failed opening partnership for Pakistan.<br><br>Abid Ali nicks off in the 1st over of this 2nd Test.<br><br>PAK 2/1 (1.0)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WIvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WIvPAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/c8eP637Y2d">pic.twitter.com/c8eP637Y2d</a></p>— PakPassion.net (@PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/PakPassion/status/1428735213383860229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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[sabre1486]

Nauman ali would have been a better opener than either of these two tailenders.

 

[in_cutter]

Hahah what a thread title.

Change it to ‘worst openers to ever represent Pakistan’

 

[sam_ahm]

Not even 4 overs bowled in the match and top 3 are in the hut. ***

 

[Amjid Javed]

Hahah what a thread title.

Change it to ‘worst openers to ever represent Pakistan’

worst openers in history of the game would be a more fitting title.

 

[Muhammad]

We need to cut the openers some slack. It’s not easy opening the batting against a new ball and fresh bowlers.

 

[in_cutter]

We need to cut the openers some slack. It’s not easy opening the batting against a new ball and fresh bowlers.

Oh please

 

[Kroll]

We need to cut the openers some slack. It’s not easy opening the batting against a new ball and fresh bowlers.

This! I think they batted superbly for their 1 run each. Masterclass of opening batsmanship.

 

[sam_ahm]

Imran Butt is such a good slip catcher that even if he puts on 30s and 40s, you would give him a long rope. Unfortunately though he cannot even score that much.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Abid Ali and Imran Butt opening partnership:<br><br>Innings 9<br>Runs 199 (115 of which came in one innings)<br>Average 22.11<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WIvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WIvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1428751161310461959?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Line and Length]

Gotta give credit where it’s due. Excellent proactive and attacking batting from these two today. Came in with a plan and executed it perfectly. Yes, they got lucky as well, but have given us a very good start. Shows how far you can go even with limited players when you plan well and be proactive.

 

[MenInG]

Lack of pressure I suppose but yes credit where due - well done to both.

 

[Rana]

Might as well try and play like this every time they bat. They are going to get out anyways

 

[Rana]

Abid Ali will be around for 4-5 years I recon. He’s closing in on 1000 Test runs at an average of 45. Yes he’s scored some soft runs but the man will improve with confidence

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Don’t care what Imran Butt does here he’s awful

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Both are openers are terrible but at least Abid Ali scores fluently against bad bowling.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Are we seriously celebrating that Imran Butt got to 37? Is this really how far things have fallen?

Don't see why he should get any credit for fluking his way to 37, in an innings where he probably got half the boundaries off lucky edges.

It would be a great injustice to nearly every opener in the domestic circuit, if Imran Butt somehow continues opening after this tour.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Are we seriously celebrating that Imran Butt got to 37? Is this really how far things have fallen?

Don't see why he should get any credit for fluking his way to 37, in an innings where he probably got half the boundaries off lucky edges.

It would be a great injustice to nearly every opener in the domestic circuit, if Imran Butt somehow continues opening after this tour.

You can't help but laugh which is what i did during that opening stand.

I will give credit where credit is due, they attacked and helped Pak go from a par score to an impossible score for WI to chase. They didn't mess about from ball 1 and just swung.

However, yes his 37 does not warrant his selection for the Bangladesh tour and neither does Abid.

M. Waseem has to start looking elsewhere come the QeA season in October.

 

[gazza619]

Well like it or not, these two have done just about enough to book a place for the next test series.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Well like it or not, these two have done just about enough to book a place for the next test series.

They really don’t deserve it as WI just gifted runs today and a small partnership does not merit forgiveness in my eyes.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

You can't help but laugh which is what i did during that opening stand.

I will give credit where credit is due, they attacked and helped Pak go from a par score to an impossible score for WI to chase. They didn't mess about from ball 1 and just swung.

However, yes his 37 does not warrant his selection for the Bangladesh tour and neither does Abid.

M. Waseem has to start looking elsewhere come the QeA season in October.

Both innings were complete flukes. On any other day half those edges could have smashed into off-stump. I don't think I can give them much credit because there was no pressure and Pakistan were always going to end up with 150+

 

[Shafi]

Well like it or not, these two have done just about enough to book a place for the next test series.

Its more likely a year!!!!!