Asad Shafiq, a failure in pressure situations?

[Hawkeye]

He's one of our mainstay Test bats, has good number of tons at number 6 positions but..

We've often seen him giving up in crunch situations. Specially when trying to chase or save a match. Perhaps he gives up due to his nervousness and timidness?

Obviously he shouldn't and cannot be dropped, but is making the habit of scoring freely only when no pressure is on.

 

[Slog]

Yes scoring a century while being less than 100 with 4/5 wickets down against SL, NZ and SA are easy runs.

 

[fasihulhaq94]

totally. doesnt even score fast enough on phattas and no valuable contribution so far under pressure

 

[theariezman]

Agreed
England is slowly making to unthinkable

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[sehban]

Asad Shafiq seems a very soft player to me. He has some good hundreds in recent times, but he always comes off as soft. Dont rate him that much

 

[Hawkeye]

He made a good ton in SL, but only after Sarfraz went berserk and managed a good enough lead.

Then failed again when there was pressure on.

 

[Bullet Drive]

How is he a failure in pressure situations?

He is absolute quality.

But to everyone, this is the same poster who said Malik has poor fitness after batting for 10 hours )

 

[hussain.r97]

He's scored runs in pressure situations many times before.

2011 World Cup
100* at Pallekele vs Sri Lanka
111 at Cape Town vs South Africa
130 at Dubai vs South Africa (yes we lost, and the pressure was off towards the end, but a large chunk of it was in a high pressure situation)
131 at Galle vs Sri Lanka

Also numerous other smaller, less noteworthy pressure innings. One failure, and all guns are blazing again.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

More than half the team are failures under pressure. This is what goes on in the brain of an ordinary Pakistan cricketer once a wicket falls

 

[Abdullah719]

More than half the team are failures under pressure. This is what goes on in the brain of an ordinary Pakistan cricketer once a wicket falls

That does seem realistic. Misbah and Sarfraz are pretty good in these circumstances though, and Team Man is generally good too, but he has flopped in this match.

 

[aloo paratha]

lol what about the 137 vs NZ last year and Sri Lanka?

 

[MRSN]

He enjoys batting when there is no challenge.

 

[Abdul]

He has saved Pakistan from collapses many times batting at the one of the toughest position in Test cricket.

Don't think that such threads are really needed for any player after a few failures.

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[emranabbas]

bro everyone is a failure except your beloved misbah about time he lifts his bat and take us home

 

[Hawkeye]

More than half the team are failures under pressure. This is what goes on in the brain of an ordinary Pakistan cricketer once a wicket falls

) )

That's true.

Taking nothing away from Shafiq, he has a few good knocks, but of late, he's been giving that impression of being very timid and nervous in crunch situations. Also delivering only once per series, like in SL.
[MENTION=138241]axl100mph[/MENTION] needed opinion!

 

[TheNightWatchman]

That does seem realistic. Misbah and Sarfraz are pretty good in these circumstances though, and Team Man is generally good too, but he has flopped in this match.

Yea...That's one of the things I like about Sarfraz. He doesn't crack under pressure unlike some people...

 

[Abdullah719]

That does seem realistic. Misbah and Sarfraz are pretty good in these circumstances though, and Team Man is generally good too, but he has flopped in this match.

Spoke too soon. What a bad shot. Both Team Man and Misbah needed to be a bit smarter here.

 

[Mamoon]

He has 8 hundreds, let me cite 4 of them (50%):

111 vs. SA in Cape Town when Pakistan were 33/4

130 vs. SA in Dubai in 2013, trying to save the Test - was the last man dismissed, adding 60 runs with the tail.

137 vs. New Zealand in Sharjah in 2014, trying to save the Test - next highest score was only 37.

131 vs. Sri Lanka in the first Test last summer, rescuing the team from 96/5. Yes Sarfraz's counter-attacking 96 put Sri Lanka on the back-foot, but when he departed, we were still trailing by 65 runs.

Shafiq added 182 runs with Wahab, Yasir, Babar and Junaid, which won us the match.

'but only after Sarfraz went berserk and managed a good enough lead.'



Sri Lanka scored 300; Sarfraz departed when the score was 235. What lead?

Half of his hundreds have come in pressure situations, and lets not forget the cameos here and there, such as the one vs. England in the second Test in 2012 along with Azhar Ali, which proved to be vital.

Common Denominator: King Misbah Rescue 911 failed in all of these pressure situations, including a duck in Cape Town. He supported Shafiq well for his 88 in Dubai vs. South Africa, but threw his wicket away in a reckless fashion to a part-timer. Had he stayed with Shafiq, maybe we could have saved the game.

When was the last time Misbah scored a pressure hundred? I recall him scoring a few after the top-order laid great platforms for him vs. Australia and NZ last year, I think the statement of 'scoring freely when no pressure is on applies to him' better.

I think his last pressure hundred was in Sri Lanka in summer of 2014 in the first Test IIRC.

Fail thread of epic proportions.

 

[Slog]

He has 8 hundreds, let me cite 4 of them (50%):

111 vs. SA in Cape Town when Pakistan were 33/4

130 vs. SA in Dubai in 2013, trying to save the Test - was the last man dismissed, adding 60 runs with the tail.

137 vs. New Zealand in Sharjah in 2014, trying to save the Test - next highest score was only 37.

131 vs. Sri Lanka in the first Test last summer, rescuing the team from 96/5. Yes Sarfraz's counter-attacking 96 put Sri Lanka on the back-foot, but when he departed, we were still trailing by 65 runs.

Shafiq added 182 runs with Wahab, Yasir, Babar and Junaid, which won us the match.

'but only after Sarfraz went berserk and managed a good enough lead.'



Sri Lanka scored 300; Sarfraz departed when the score was 235. What lead?

Half of his hundreds have come in pressure situations, and lets not forget the cameos here and there, such as the one vs. England in the second Test in 2012 along with Azhar Ali, which proved to be vital.

Common Denominator: King Misbah Rescue 911 failed in all of these pressure situations, including a duck in Cape Town. He supported Shafiq well for his 88 in Dubai vs. South Africa, but threw his wicket away in a reckless fashion to a part-timer. Had he stayed with Shafiq, maybe we could have saved the game.

When was the last time Misbah scored a pressure hundred? I recall him scoring a few after the top-order laid great platforms for him vs. Australia and NZ last year, I think the statement of 'scoring freely when no pressure is on applies to him' better.

I think his last pressure hundred was in Sri Lanka in summer of 2014 in the first Test IIRC.

Fail thread of epic proportions.

well there goes the premise of the thread

 

[hussain.r97]

He has 8 hundreds, let me cite 4 of them (50%):

111 vs. SA in Cape Town when Pakistan were 33/4

130 vs. SA in Dubai in 2013, trying to save the Test - was the last man dismissed, adding 60 runs with the tail.

137 vs. New Zealand in Sharjah in 2014, trying to save the Test - next highest score was only 37.

131 vs. Sri Lanka in the first Test last summer, rescuing the team from 96/5. Yes Sarfraz's counter-attacking 96 put Sri Lanka on the back-foot, but when he departed, we were still trailing by 65 runs.

Shafiq added 182 runs with Wahab, Yasir, Babar and Junaid, which won us the match.

'but only after Sarfraz went berserk and managed a good enough lead.'



Sri Lanka scored 300; Sarfraz departed when the score was 235. What lead?

Half of his hundreds have come in pressure situations, and lets not forget the cameos here and there, such as the one vs. England in the second Test in 2012 along with Azhar Ali, which proved to be vital.

Common Denominator: King Misbah Rescue 911 failed in all of these pressure situations, including a duck in Cape Town. He supported Shafiq well for his 88 in Dubai vs. South Africa, but threw his wicket away in a reckless fashion to a part-timer. Had he stayed with Shafiq, maybe we could have saved the game.

When was the last time Misbah scored a pressure hundred? I recall him scoring a few after the top-order laid great platforms for him vs. Australia and NZ last year, I think the statement of 'scoring freely when no pressure is on applies to him' better.

I think his last pressure hundred was in Sri Lanka in summer of 2014 in the first Test IIRC.

Fail thread of epic proportions.

/thread

This should seriously be merged into the 'Man of Crisis' thread, it's been discussed too many times.

 

[Mamoon]

OP has deserted the thread.

 

[#GreenRoars]

Asad Shafiq did perform under pressure situations. But, it is not necessary that e.t.c player will perform always in pressure situation

 

[Abhilash93]

Like Dhoni said the other day, some people are waiting with swords for a guy to fail in a few innings.

 

[Hawkeye]

OP has deserted the thread.

I know your connection with Shafiq is quite emotional, but learn to accept someone's faults too and not just hate on one guy, bringing him in every time, insecurity?

Already said above that it's not always that he fails, but of late it has become sort of a regularity.

How?

Last few innings are 6, 107, 15, 27, 2, and he couldn't do much in the SL series barring that one hundred, so that's why the 'scoring only once per series' comment.

Now let me tell you the reality of "of late", will you please turn off the history channel now?

- Scored only once vs series against New Zealand
- No ton against Aus in 2 inns
- Failed against SL in UAE
- Failed against SL in SL (Aug 2014) tour.

These are the series in reverse chronological order. Your hyprocisy is amazing, when you used to call Younis only "one series wonder", but Shafiq, in the last 5 series has managed 1 ton per series in 2 series, no hundred in 3 series.

Does that mean I want him dropped? No, but don't go on a backfoot defense with emotional replies. I just want him to improve, he's too timid and nervous, which is now becoming clear.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

He made a good ton in SL, but only after Sarfraz went berserk and managed a good enough lead.

Then failed again when there was pressure on.

I agree. He needs to be in s partnership with someone who takes the lead eg. Sarfraz/YK etc. But in all honesty this thread is a bit of an overreaction.

 

[ChachaCricket]

Yes, very similar to Misbah.

 

[Hawkeye]

I agree. He needs to be in s partnership with someone who takes the lead eg. Sarfraz/YK etc. But in all honesty this thread is a bit of an overreaction.

Not an overreaction, I'm not against Shafiq, I want him to improve his nervous knocks which are becoming a regularity of late.

He's our "youngster" and the one who is supposed to take-over from Younis/Misbah.

 

[Adil_94]

The only issue i have with Shafiq is that despite being in the team for 5 years now. He doesnt have the authority of a senior batsman and doesnt impose himself when he bats. That doesnt mean slogging everything but even looking confident and positive in defence.

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[Hawkeye]

The only issue i have with Shafiq is that despite being in the team for 5 years now. He doesnt have the authority of a senior batsman and doesnt impose himself when he bats. That doesnt mean slogging everything but even looking confident and positive in defence.

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This is the only issue I have with him as well. He's supposed to have "reflexes" because he's young and is playing since 5 years.

Misbah might even retire, who are we going to rely on then, Asad?

 

[Adil_94]

Shafiq still has that very timid style of batting. Looks like he is a youngster trying to prove himself. When he should be more confident now.

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[ChachaCricket]

Shafiq still has that very timid style of batting. Looks like he is a youngster trying to prove himself. When he should be more confident now.

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Yup, very timid fellow.

 

[DrSchultz]

He is the master of scoring soft runs. Has been doing it for years.

 

[pakistani pride]

He is a very timid player. Still cant forget his horror show in zimbabwe when we played tests there. When ever we need him he fails. Besides he plays very slow even when the score is 350 for 4.

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

Has Shafiq ever been the sole player in the team to score big runs?

I seem to remember quite a few of his tons coming when someone else in the team had scored heavily as well.

Eg., in SA it was YK. In SL recently it was Sarfraz.

 

[The_KING]

He needs to be a bit more confident in himself. He comes across as a very nervous and timid fellow. He needs to impose himself on the bowlers more. All he has to do is BOLIEVE.

 

[Hawkeye]

He is a very timid player. Still cant forget his horror show in zimbabwe when we played tests there. When ever we need him he fails. Besides he plays very slow even when the score is 350 for 4.

Was badly needed there but couldn't deliver in even one innings. Here are the scores:

4
15
10
14

...

I only worry, because YK/Misbah have to go and these "Young" guys with "good reflexes" have to take over.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Not an overreaction, I'm not against Shafiq, I want him to improve his nervous knocks which are becoming a regularity of late.

He's our "youngster" and the one who is supposed to take-over from Younis/Misbah.

Just a thought but Shafiq might be better off opening in my opinion. He has a good technique and there won't be much pressure on him while opening the innings . Also dropping Hafeez down to 3 might be a good thing since he won't have to face the new ball .

 

[Hawkeye]

Just a thought but Shafiq might be better off opening in my opinion. He has a good technique and there won't be much pressure on him while opening the innings . Also dropping Hafeez down to 3 might be a good thing since he won't have to face the new ball .

I'd have Shafiq bat at 3 the next match, opening is not for him and AFAIK he's never done it. More troubles for him at that spot, imagine the butterflies in his stomach.

 

[MRSN]

voww people have forgotten how Asad Shafiq brought Pakistan out of the jaws of defeat on two foreign tours of WI and Zimbabwe. People seem to have short memories.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I'd have Shafiq bat at 3 the next match, opening is not for him and AFAIK he's never done it. More troubles for him at that spot, imagine the butterflies in his stomach.

Perhaps but I always wondered what if Azhar and Shafiq opened considering that Pakistan always have had trouble with openers. Neither of them bat quickly and have good technique/decent temperament. All they have to do is see off he new ball and set up a platform while the rest can go for their strokes against the older ball/spinners .

 

[Eureka]

Has Shafiq ever been the sole player in the team to score big runs?

I seem to remember quite a few of his tons coming when someone else in the team had scored heavily as well.

Eg., in SA it was YK. In SL recently it was Sarfraz.

He bats at 6. Most of the time he bats with the tail. So he needs someone to bat with him to score a ton.

 

[11ShadyBrothers]

Always have maintained; one of the most inconsistent and absolutely awful player under pressure. Showed true colors today. Havent watched how he got out but my bets are on scratchy as hell batting with a sorry end.

 

[11ShadyBrothers]

Not surprised to see shafiq kei dewanay; the trio. Defending him here and calling the OP names.

 

[Hawkeye]

Not surprised to see shafiq kei dewanay; the trio. Defending him here and calling the OP names.

Never thought a day would come where you'd be defending me.

 

[Hawkeye]

Always have maintained; one of the most inconsistent and absolutely awful player under pressure. Showed true colors today. Havent watched how he got out but my bets are on scratchy as hell batting with a sorry end.

He's not that awful to be honest. So far he's been doing decent, but of late has become a little inconsistent, yes.

My intent was not to bash him here, but some have taken it in that way. Just highlighting his timidness and nervousness which is visible from day one, till now. Want it to improve.

 

[Bullet Drive]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] the boss ends the thread with a bombshell. [MENTION=134608]Hawkeye[/MENTION] has no response as usual.

 

[11ShadyBrothers]

Never thought a day would come where you'd be defending me.

I would defend anyone that speaks out regarding the right thing.

 

[Barragan]

Him and Azhar started almost at the same time, but Azhar has got better and better over time, whilst this guy has shown zero improvement.

Plays one good innings, then goes missing for the rest of the series.

 

[11ShadyBrothers]

He's not that awful to be honest. So far he's been doing decent, but of late has become a little inconsistent, yes.

My intent was not to bash him here, but some have taken it in that way. Just highlighting his timidness and nervousness which is visible from day one, till now. Want it to improve.

I would never trust a timid player like Shafiq to save Pakistan whenever we would be in trouble especially during the foreign tours. Historical data supports this opinion.

 

[Hawkeye]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] the boss ends the thread with a bombshell. [MENTION=134608]Hawkeye[/MENTION] has no response as usual.

Seems like your internetion connection failed to load rest of the thread after his post, or you closed your eyes. What is it, BD?

 

[11ShadyBrothers]

Him and Azhar started almost at the same time, but Azhar has got better and better over time, whilst this guy has shown zero improvement.

Plays one good innings, then goes missing for the rest of the series.

This. Defines shafiq. Proper prodigy of YK (actually much worse).

 

[MRSN]

Not surprised to see shafiq kei dewanay; the trio. Defending him here and calling the OP names.

still can't get over his double tons in WI and Zimbabwe.

 

[Barragan]

This. Defines shafiq. Proper prodigy of YK (actually much worse).

Someone should tell him to buckle up and start scoring regularly, plus he doesn't score big like YK does either.

 

[11ShadyBrothers]

still can't get over his double tons in WI and Zimbabwe.

I heard Shafiq has double tons in Australia, southafrica and England as well. Its just that nobody knows.

 

[ChachaCricket]

He has 8 hundreds, let me cite 4 of them (50%):

111 vs. SA in Cape Town when Pakistan were 33/4

130 vs. SA in Dubai in 2013, trying to save the Test - was the last man dismissed, adding 60 runs with the tail.

137 vs. New Zealand in Sharjah in 2014, trying to save the Test - next highest score was only 37.

131 vs. Sri Lanka in the first Test last summer, rescuing the team from 96/5. Yes Sarfraz's counter-attacking 96 put Sri Lanka on the back-foot, but when he departed, we were still trailing by 65 runs.

A couple of innings doesn't change the reality that he fails under pressure most of the time.

The 137 vs NZ was a pointless innings and by no means did he bat under pressure. The game was already lost.

The rest are good knocks but his constant choking outweighs them.

I know you're his fan but it's hard to convince neutrals he plays well under pressure because he doesn't except for a few knocks.

 

[MRSN]

Seems like your internetion connection failed to load rest of the thread after his post, or you closed your eyes. What is it, BD?

Aj suraj kaha se nikla hai? BD supporting Mamoon..

 

[Bullet Drive]

I know your connection with Shafiq is quite emotional, but learn to accept someone's faults too and not just hate on one guy, bringing him in every time, insecurity?

Already said above that it's not always that he fails, but of late it has become sort of a regularity.

How?

Last few innings are 6, 107, 15, 27, 2, and he couldn't do much in the SL series barring that one hundred, so that's why the 'scoring only once per series' comment.

Now let me tell you the reality of "of late", will you please turn off the history channel now?

- Scored only once vs series against New Zealand
- No ton against Aus in 2 inns
- Failed against SL in UAE
- Failed against SL in SL (Aug 2014) tour.

These are the series in reverse chronological order. Your hyprocisy is amazing, when you used to call Younis only "one series wonder", but Shafiq, in the last 5 series has managed 1 ton per series in 2 series, no hundred in 3 series.

Does that mean I want him dropped? No, but don't go on a backfoot defense with emotional replies. I just want him to improve, he's too timid and nervous, which is now becoming clear.

"no ton against AUS in 2 innings"

You are acting as if this is a failure. He scored 89.

 

[Jabo]

He is just incosistant, which is why I don't rate him.

Just keep him in the Test format only, and to be honest he should finally make the move to 3 if Azhar does open up.

He should be playing at 3/4 not 6

 

[AlphaFighter]

Shafiq always fails when the team really needs him to step up. Most of his centuries are in losing efforts

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[Ilan Bluestone]

He is a batsmen in cricket, his job is to perform to save innings at times, and he has done that at times, and he has also failed. Listing out all his accomplishments cannot be done without listing his failures.

It is neither here nor there.

He is not some saviour, nor is he some awful player who never shows up. He is an inconsistent batsmen when it comes to pressure situations in that he performs and has some very good innings, but then he will have a strong of poor ones.

Consistency in pressure situations isn't there yet but to blame him solely here would be a poor assertion.

 

[11ShadyBrothers]

Pathetic thread Asad Sobers is a class act

Its blasphemy. Asad is better than Sobers. #lejund :dalmiya

 

[Mamoon]

I know your connection with Shafiq is quite emotional, but learn to accept someone's faults too and not just hate on one guy, bringing him in every time, insecurity?

Isn't this a bit expensive coming from someone who is a blind follower of Misbah and will defend him to the hilt no matter what? Your obsession with Misbah put every so-called supporter her to shame.

Already said above that it's not always that he fails, but of late it has become sort of a regularity.

How?

Last few innings are 6, 107, 15, 27, 2, and he couldn't do much in the SL series barring that one hundred, so that's why the 'scoring only once per series' comment.

Now let me tell you the reality of "of late", will you please turn off the history channel now?

- Scored only once vs series against New Zealand
- No ton against Aus in 2 inns
- Failed against SL in UAE
- Failed against SL in SL (Aug 2014) tour.

These are the series in reverse chronological order. Your hyprocisy is amazing, when you used to call Younis only "one series wonder", but Shafiq, in the last 5 series has managed 1 ton per series in 2 series, no hundred in 3 series.

Does that mean I want him dropped? No, but don't go on a backfoot defense with emotional replies. I just want him to improve, he's too timid and nervous, which is now becoming clear.

Regarding the rest of your post, I think you are quite clearly confused - are you criticizing his inconsistency, or him scoring soft runs/unable to do well under pressure?

You have titled this thread as 'Asad Shafiq, a failure in pressure situation' and that he 'is making the habit of scoring freely only when no pressure is on.'

Now when I showed you the facts that half of his hundreds have come in in pressure situations, you have changed your stance and now are criticizing his inconsistency. So firstly, you need to ask yourself whether you are criticizing his inability to do well under pressure or you are criticizing his inconsistency?

I agree that he needs to improve his consistency. He gets a lot of single digit, <20 scores which is why his average tends to however around the early 40's. It is decent but he needs to improve on it, especially after the retirement of King Misbah and Younis.

However, inconsistency in general does not mean the he buckles under pressure, in fact more often than not he scores under pressure but that is generally his only good score for the series.

He doesn't fail under pressure anymore than any other batsman, but he is somewhat inconsistent compared to the other middle-order batsmen, which gives the false impression that he can't cope with pressure.

He can and has but needs to increase his overall consistency.

 

[Mamoon]

He is a batsmen in cricket, his job is to perform to save innings at times, and he has done that at times, and he has also failed. Listing out all his accomplishments cannot be done without listing his failures.

It is neither here nor there.

He is not some saviour, nor is he some awful player who never shows up. He is an inconsistent batsmen when it comes to pressure situations in that he performs and has some very good innings, but then he will have a strong of poor ones.

Consistency in pressure situations isn't there yet but to blame him solely here would be a poor assertion.

Good post.

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] the boss ends the thread with a bombshell. [MENTION=134608]Hawkeye[/MENTION] has no response as usual.

Well he certainly has no response to the blatant lie of 'but only after Sarfraz went berserk and managed a good enough lead.'

He should try and fool someone else.

 

[Mamoon]

A couple of innings doesn't change the reality that he fails under pressure most of the time.

The 137 vs NZ was a pointless innings and by no means did he bat under pressure. The game was already lost.

The rest are good knocks but his constant choking outweighs them.

I know you're his fan but it's hard to convince neutrals he plays well under pressure because he doesn't except for a few knocks.

It wasn't a pointless innings. If he had failed people would have cited that as an example of him failing under pressure, I guess he can't win.

You too are confusing his inconsistency with his performance under pressure. Is he inconsistent? Well, no batsmen averaging 42-43 can be considered as inconsistent, but yes he can and should improve on that front - however, the fact that half of his hundreds have come in pressure situations along with a few cameos shows that he can perform under pressure.

He simply needs to score more: both soft and hard runs.

The nature of this thread suggests that he is a bottler who fills his boots otherwise which is not true; he doesn't fill his boots enough at all.

 

[MMHS]

Actually, apart from YK (& probably Sarfraz & Azhar), most PA batsmen bolts under pressure. It's travesty that these are successors of Javed, Inzi, Sadiq, Zaheer, Asif, Mazid, Wasim Raza or Imran - but those were groomed in different set up. I think, Asad is vulnerable to pressure, more than what a player of his caliber should be. But compared to Afridi, MoHa, Misbah, Ahmad or Amin he delivers more often than not, in Test.

Malik is punching above his weight in Test, but he is a quality player under pressure in ODI - apart from that, I don't think Asad is far worse than anyone.

 

[Haroon786]

Always have maintained; one of the most inconsistent and absolutely awful player under pressure. Showed true colors today. Havent watched how he got out but my bets are on scratchy as hell batting with a sorry end.

Totally agree, personally I think Shezhad should be brought in at 6 as he averages more whilst opening so it's only logical that he will have a higher average at 6 and he will also be a better no 6 than Shafiq because his aggressive brand of cricket will lead to Pakistan winning many matches that we would otherwise lose because of Shafiq's timidity.

 

[ChachaCricket]

It wasn't a pointless innings. If he had failed people would have cited that as an example of him failing under pressure, I guess he can't win.

You too are confusing his inconsistency with his performance under pressure. Is he inconsistent? Well, no batsmen averaging 42-43 can be considered as inconsistent, but yes he can and should improve on that front - however, the fact that half of his hundreds have come in pressure situations along with a few cameos shows that he can perform under pressure.

He simply needs to score more: both soft and hard runs.

The nature of this thread suggests that he is a bottler who fills his boots otherwise which is not true; he doesn't fill his boots enough at all.

I wouldn't call him a complete bottler but he does not instill confidence in a pressure situation.

He has scored some pressure knocks but has choked more often in comparison.

 

[Haroon786]

He has 8 hundreds, let me cite 4 of them (50%):

111 vs. SA in Cape Town when Pakistan were 33/4

130 vs. SA in Dubai in 2013, trying to save the Test - was the last man dismissed, adding 60 runs with the tail.

137 vs. New Zealand in Sharjah in 2014, trying to save the Test - next highest score was only 37.

131 vs. Sri Lanka in the first Test last summer, rescuing the team from 96/5. Yes Sarfraz's counter-attacking 96 put Sri Lanka on the back-foot, but when he departed, we were still trailing by 65 runs.

Shafiq added 182 runs with Wahab, Yasir, Babar and Junaid, which won us the match.

'but only after Sarfraz went berserk and managed a good enough lead.'



Sri Lanka scored 300; Sarfraz departed when the score was 235. What lead?

Half of his hundreds have come in pressure situations, and lets not forget the cameos here and there, such as the one vs. England in the second Test in 2012 along with Azhar Ali, which proved to be vital.

Common Denominator: King Misbah Rescue 911 failed in all of these pressure situations, including a duck in Cape Town. He supported Shafiq well for his 88 in Dubai vs. South Africa, but threw his wicket away in a reckless fashion to a part-timer. Had he stayed with Shafiq, maybe we could have saved the game.

When was the last time Misbah scored a pressure hundred? I recall him scoring a few after the top-order laid great platforms for him vs. Australia and NZ last year, I think the statement of 'scoring freely when no pressure is on applies to him' better.

I think his last pressure hundred was in Sri Lanka in summer of 2014 in the first Test IIRC.

Fail thread of epic proportions.

Don't normally praise posts -but you knocked it out of the park there.

 

[_Ace_]

Shafiq bottled it today but has played some clutch innings in test cricket in the past, and therefore definitely does not 'always fail under pressure'. Extremes on either side are purely nonsensical.

 

[ishq2391]

top order played carelessly

 

[Mamoon]

Also, I won't call his hundred in the first innings as soft. 251/4 is not a great position to be in when you have lost your two main batsmen cheaply. That partnership with Malik was they key.

251/5 or 6 can easily become 400 all out, and we would have lost the match. So, how was it soft?

Let me few spew further hate here: If you want to look at the zenith of soft runs and hundreds, see Misbah's last year vs. Aus/NZ, which of course Hawkeye won't highlight. Other than the 69 in the first innings of the first Test vs. Aus, where he as usual threw his wicket away with a stupid slog to Cow Corner, he filled his boots after Younis, Azhar, Shehzad and Hafeez piled up the runs.

Melted like butter every time he was under pressure, such as the second and third Tests vs. NZ.

 

[ChachaCricket]

Also, I won't call his hundred in the first innings as soft. 251/4 is not a great position to be in when you have lost your two main batsmen cheaply. That partnership with Malik was they key.

251/5 or 6 can easily become 400 all out, and we would have lost the match. So, how was it soft?

Let me few spew further hate here: If you want to look at the zenith of soft runs and hundreds, see Misbah's last year vs. Aus/NZ, which of course Hawkeye won't highlight. Other than the 69 in the first innings of the first Test vs. Aus, where he as usual threw his wicket away with a stupid slog to Cow Corner, he filled his boots after Younis, Azhar, Shehzad and Hafeez piled up the runs.

Melted like butter every time he was under pressure, such as the second and third Tests vs. NZ.

Misbah is just as toothless.

 

[Mamoon]

Now he will get upset that I am dragging King Misbah Rescue 911 into this. He is normally a good poster, but he cannot expect people to not call him out on his own irrational behavior, when he spends all day criticizing and making fun of Malik, Shehzad, Umar, Asad etc. fans for their irrational support and fan-boyish behavior, when his own support for Misbah puts everything else to shame.

Misbah can commit murder and he will defend him to the hilt. Today when he threw his wicket away in pathetic fashion, he was defending him in the match thread by claiming that he had saved the match already, but disappeared when England were all over us.

He is the last person on this forum who should be criticizing others for having soft spots for XYZ players.

 

[Barragan]

still can't get over his double tons in WI and Zimbabwe.

I heard Shafiq has double tons in Australia, southafrica and England as well. Its just that nobody knows.

Or his double ton on Mars, that was truly an epic knock.

 

[Hawkeye]

Well he certainly has no response to the blatant lie of 'but only after Sarfraz went berserk and managed a good enough lead.'

He should try and fool someone else.

You keep diverting the argument by bringing in an insecurity: 'Misbah is this, Misbah is that' -- Shafiq has a long way to go to reach him, calm down because I'm not attacking Shafiq like you attack Misbah to defend some of your beloved ones. This is quite immature, and you shouldn't do it. You're having a field day out of this.

I'm actually a neutral when it comes to Shafiq, like most others in this thread. Most here know your connection with him, and have pointed that out, plus deficiences of Shafiq.

You're clearly not ready to accept them. I mentioned his inconsistency, as well as losing the plot when there's no support and he has to deliver. Mentioned 4 of his innings where he was absolutely needed, but he didn't show up against the mighty Zimbabwe.

H failed in SL recently after the match where Sarfraz did the damage. Was needed, but didn't show up.

There was a huge debate on this, and majority agreed it was Sarfraz who saved the previous match, giving a breathing space to Shafiq. Expectedly, he failed in the next match, and continued his tradition of "One performance per series". You hated YK for the same thing, for heaven's sake.


You clearly can't see his timidness, nervousness and we neutrals really can't understand why. Because you're his fan, maybe.

None of the neutrals calls him awful, so stop taking this criticism as an attack on him. We want him to man up and take charge, authority. He's going to be replacing YK/Misbah. I really can't imagine relying on him with the timid approach and inconsistency he's showing of late.

 

[Hawkeye]

I'm not here to mock your boy Shafiq, man, like others are doing. So calm down.

And I don't want him dropped either, he's here to stay. But his deficiencies that are being pointed by other neutrals, you're not ready to accept them, and instead start attacking another player.

You don't see anyone pointing out things in Azhar. It's not because Azhar is loved by everyone. He has one problem, that is playing spin, but nobody comes and start attacking another player for pointing it out.

 

[WC-Passion]

Shafiq is a bit too timid, and has confidence issues.

He needs to believe in-himself and have a more positive mind-set.

 

[axl100mph]

Shafiq papa, along with misbah is one of the luckiest guys on the planet.
Playing on the flattest of phattas, he has created a career out for himself which otherwise would never have been the case had he played on more sporting pitches.
Despite the flat tracks, u will never see the two in control of the bowling.
They will look scratchy as hell, even so when both r set n hv a score behind them.
With shafiq, he always needs somebody else at the other end to create momentum, which he conveniently feeds off.
On his own, he doesnt have the ability to change the flow of the game n will mostly give in n lose his wicket, while trying to do so.
This is why most of his successful rearguard innings hv come where somebody else has fostered a partnership with him.
I'll give the points to him on this one coz atleast he does play that second fiddle role well n goes on, unlike misbah who just seems to get dismissed midway through.

Shafiq tries sometimes to play above his ability, like trying to score quicker after getting to a ton but usually ends up getting dismissed in an embarrassing fashion like in this test. Reason being, he just cant dominate n be the alpha batsman.

This inability will come to haunt him when he tours overseas, especially aus, nz, where attritional cricket isnt so successful like in the uae.
Over there, the new ball does all the damage n u need to score as much as u can before it comes into play.
U will need stroke players there, not scatchy beta batsmen

 

[dashing_man]

What a ridiculous assessment by OP. If anything than he's been the saviour, it's not his fault when others choke around him