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Asad Shafiq, a failure in pressure situations?

No need to shield yasir but it doesn't mean giving him the strike first ball against starc or it can be all over in two balls.
Need a parthnership like amir-asad but yasir doesn't get behind the ball like amir even if he has some abilities,high chance of him getting out at slip slashing one and not sure if asad can get us through even if yasir give him support,there is something to lose now.
 
tomorrow will decide if his 100 was for himself or Pakistan. If Pakistan bowled out within an hour then this 100 will be consider selfish and only for himself. If Pakistan still bowled out but survived more than an hour then this 100 will be consider stuff of legend.

what do you think?
 
Asad Shafiq's inability to play under pressure

I absolutely bet my bottom dollar that this guy does not have any temprament at all. The vast majority of runs he scores are when the team has a solid platform, in the first innings when the team has a decent start, in the second innings when the match is already lost and there is no expectation on him from his own team, opposition and there is no expectation of any win.

Whenever the team is in a huge strife, when ever the team has lost early wickets, whenever the team has lost quick wickets in succession, whenever the team needs to play for a draw and the opposition is roaring in all guns blazing, this guy always falters and fails.

Technique or no Technique, this guy has been a failed investment. I rate Azhar Ali as a far better pressure player and full marks to him for opening the batting
 
he's lucky in the sense that Pakistan are already going to be looking for replacements for Younis and Misbah, so his position wont be under the microscope

Otherwise, Shafiq is the weak point in the middle order
 
I absolutely bet my bottom dollar that this guy does not have any temprament at all. The vast majority of runs he scores are when the team has a solid platform, in the first innings when the team has a decent start, in the second innings when the match is already lost and there is no expectation on him from his own team, opposition and there is no expectation of any win.

Whenever the team is in a huge strife, when ever the team has lost early wickets, whenever the team has lost quick wickets in succession, whenever the team needs to play for a draw and the opposition is roaring in all guns blazing, this guy always falters and fails.

Technique or no Technique, this guy has been a failed investment. I rate Azhar Ali as a far better pressure player and full marks to him for opening the batting

Absolutely false. He's stepped up many times when our team was four down for not many and helped us put up a good total. Most recently against England in the first test.

This is a kneejerk reaction and nothing more.
 
This was a decent series for him. Don't understand the point of criticising him. And besides he isn't getting dropped anytime soon especially with Misbah retiring and YK likely retiring soon himself.
 
Absolutely false. He's stepped up many times when our team was four down for not many and helped us put up a good total. Most recently against England in the first test.

This is a kneejerk reaction and nothing more.

I can list many occasions where he failed under pressure and when the team needed him and expected him to step up. Unfortunately those outweigh the numerous times he fails.
 
Now that Misbah is done, Shafiq is our best pressure player. Calm and cool and great temperament.
:shafiq2
 
Now that Misbah is done, Shafiq is our best pressure player. Calm and cool and great temperament.
:shafiq2

Indeed a pair in a test match in England. A pair in a test match in the UAE, a failure in NZ. Wonderful pressure player and a cool, calm temperament.
 
I can list many occasions where he failed under pressure and when the team needed him and expected him to step up. Unfortunately those outweigh the numerous times he fails.

List them and I'll list the times he's stepped up while under pressure. However, since you yourself acknowledge that he has performed in pressure situations before, regardless of how many times exactly, your post is a huge fabrication since you have made it sound like he has never stepped up when under pressure.
 
Indeed a pair in a test match in England. A pair in a test match in the UAE, a failure in NZ. Wonderful pressure player and a cool, calm temperament.

Yeah okay. He failed. Every player fails from time to time. He has done a lot better than guys like Akmal, Fawad, etc. could ever dream of.
 
He is inconsistent not a failure under pressure.

but surely an underachiever. Just a decent batsmen IMO..

will rate him 6/10..

Azhar is 7.5/10...
 
he will never make that step up and become a world class batsman. He will stay hovering around the mid 40 average as a batsman.
 
theres two conclusions i draw from looking at his career.

firstly, stats dont lie. he was a 40 average fc player, and hes become a 40 average test player. he is performing precisely as per expectations and is decent, nothing more nothing less.

secondly, this goes to show the fallacy of using the statistics of centuries. if two batsmen average 40, and one has many more centuries - it means that batsman is far more inconsistent. its why the century count in my mind is a far inferior measure to the average, and in fact i would tend to always favour the batsman with a combination of higher average and lower centuries to focus on reliability - as long as the rest of the batting was competent.
 
theres two conclusions i draw from looking at his career.

firstly, stats dont lie. he was a 40 average fc player, and hes become a 40 average test player. he is performing precisely as per expectations and is decent, nothing more nothing less.

secondly, this goes to show the fallacy of using the statistics of centuries. if two batsmen average 40, and one has many more centuries - it means that batsman is far more inconsistent. its why the century count in my mind is a far inferior measure to the average, and in fact i would tend to always favour the batsman with a combination of higher average and lower centuries to focus on reliability - as long as the rest of the batting was competent.

Nobody will ever average 50 at #6.
 
Nobody will ever average 50 at #6.

Sure? ;-)

[table= class:grid, align:center][tr][td]Player[/td][td]Mat[/td][td]Inns[/td][td]NO[/td][td]Runs[/td][td]HS[/td][td]Ave[/td][td]100[/td][td]50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]S Chanderpaul (WI)[/td][td]40[/td][td]49[/td][td]10[/td][td]2528[/td][td]147*[/td][td]64.82[/td][td]7[/td][td]16[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]IR Bell (ENG)[/td][td]31[/td][td]38[/td][td]11[/td][td]1623[/td][td]140[/td][td]60.11[/td][td]6[/td][td]9[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Saleem Malik (PAK)[/td][td]35[/td][td]36[/td][td]8[/td][td]1591[/td][td]119*[/td][td]56.82[/td][td]4[/td][td]8[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]MS Dhoni (INDIA)[/td][td]18[/td][td]25[/td][td]3[/td][td]1218[/td][td]224[/td][td]55.36[/td][td]2[/td][td]8[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]GS Sobers (WI)[/td][td]42[/td][td]57[/td][td]8[/td][td]2614[/td][td]174[/td][td]53.34[/td][td]8[/td][td]11[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]AR Border (AUS)[/td][td]48[/td][td]63[/td][td]14[/td][td]2556[/td][td]153[/td][td]52.16[/td][td]6[/td][td]17[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]AB de Villiers (SA)[/td][td]40[/td][td]50[/td][td]4[/td][td]2394[/td][td]217*[/td][td]52.04[/td][td]5[/td][td]14[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]MEK Hussey (AUS)[/td][td]18[/td][td]26[/td][td]2[/td][td]1242[/td][td]150*[/td][td]51.75[/td][td]5[/td][td]4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]SR Waugh (AUS)[/td][td]66[/td][td]79[/td][td]17[/td][td]3165[/td][td]177*[/td][td]51.04[/td][td]6[/td][td]16[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]VVS Laxman (INDIA)[/td][td]52[/td][td]67[/td][td]12[/td][td]2760[/td][td]154*[/td][td]50.18[/td][td]5[/td][td]20[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Asad Shafiq (PAK)[/td][td]48[/td][td]69[/td][td]4[/td][td]2823[/td][td]137[/td][td]43.43[/td][td]9[/td][td]14[/td][/tr][/table]
 
theres two conclusions i draw from looking at his career.

firstly, stats dont lie. he was a 40 average fc player, and hes become a 40 average test player. he is performing precisely as per expectations and is decent, nothing more nothing less.

secondly, this goes to show the fallacy of using the statistics of centuries. if two batsmen average 40, and one has many more centuries - it means that batsman is far more inconsistent. its why the century count in my mind is a far inferior measure to the average, and in fact i would tend to always favour the batsman with a combination of higher average and lower centuries to focus on reliability - as long as the rest of the batting was competent.

:facepalm: on bolded part. If batsman is averaging 40 in domestic FC then he should be averaging considerably less in international Test cricket (at least 5+ runs less) since international test cricket is considerably harder than domestic FC. If a batsman is averaging same in domestic FC as in international Test cricket then he is an overachiever.
 
theres two conclusions i draw from looking at his career.

firstly, stats dont lie. he was a 40 average fc player, and hes become a 40 average test player. he is performing precisely as per expectations and is decent, nothing more nothing less.

secondly, this goes to show the fallacy of using the statistics of centuries. if two batsmen average 40, and one has many more centuries - it means that batsman is far more inconsistent. its why the century count in my mind is a far inferior measure to the average, and in fact i would tend to always favour the batsman with a combination of higher average and lower centuries to focus on reliability - as long as the rest of the batting was competent.

The mighty Ahmed Shehzad averages 40+ at First Class level and I think we've all seen how he has faired against the moving the moving ball.

Umar Akmal even with all his temperamental issues averages near 45 at the FC level.

Salman Butt averages 40+ at the FC level, yet averages a measly 30 odd in the test arena. The same goes for Imran Farhat.

I can go on all day listing players whom have lavish statistics at the domestic level but haven't been able to match that in the international arena.

At the end of the day batsman with Bradman-esque domestic statistics, yet fail in the international arena outnumber the amount of players whom have been able to replicate their domestic credentials in the international arena.
 
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He is inconsistent not a failure under pressure.

but surely an underachiever. Just a decent batsmen IMO..

will rate him 6/10..

Azhar is 7.5/10...

He averages 40+ and has played some real gems. Shafiq's a good player and is a 7.
 
:facepalm: on bolded part. If batsman is averaging 40 in domestic FC then he should be averaging considerably less in international Test cricket (at least 5+ runs less) since international test cricket is considerably harder than domestic FC. If a batsman is averaging same in domestic FC as in international Test cricket then he is an overachiever.
face palm all you want. look at the stats. pick any spectrum of international player and look at what the facts show you - one would expect that the international stats would be a bit less than domestic, but in general they are very similar. some average a bit more (eg azhar, sangakara), some average a bit less, some average a lot less.

maybe thats because some players play better with better facilities, domestic stats include early career learning curves, and international stats include more weightings where the batsman is at the peak of his game.

either way the data is there - rather than speculating go and look at it.
 
The mighty Ahmed Shehzad averages 40+ at First Class level and I think we've all seen how he has faired against the moving the moving ball.

Umar Akmal even with all his temperamental issues averages near 45 at the FC level.

Salman Butt averages 40+ at the FC level, yet averages a measly 30 odd in the test arena. The same goes for Imran Farhat.

I can go on all day listing players whom have lavish statistics at the domestic level but haven't been able to match that in the international arena.

At the end of the day batsman with Bradman-esque domestic statistics, yet fail in the international arena outnumber the amount of players whom have been able to replicate their domestic credentials in the international arena.

put up the numbers.

its not difficult to do. in general, as per my last reply, international batters tend to average uptto or just over their domestic stats. the successful ones tend to average close to their fc stats. some players, however, cant transfer their domestic form to the international arena. if you understand anything at all about statistics, they become more reliable with large data points, and less reliable with small data points)

player fc ave(innings=data points) test ave(innings)

shehzad 41 (114) 43 (21)
ukmal 44 (136) 36 (30)
butt 42 (175) 30 (62)

now for some randoms
tendu 58 (490) 54 (329)
cook 48 (449) 46 (253)
sehwag 47 (321) 49 (180)
kohli 52 (138) 50 (90)
abdv 50 (221) 50 (176)
smith 57 (174) 60 (92)
guptil 38 (186) 29 (89)
yk 51 (376) 53 (207)
clarke 47 (327) 49 (198)
inzi 50 (393) 50 (200)
misbah 49 (374) 46 (126)
miandad 53 (632) 53 (189)
saeed anwar 45 (232) 46 (91)

so:

fact 1) the vast majority of successful international players roughly average up to the same as their domestic average.
fact 2) some dont manage to replicate their domestic averages in the international arena
fact 3) its extremely rare for a player to substantially exceed his domestic performance in the international areana.

conclusion

pick the best averaging batters you have (using a large sample set) and give them a long enough chance to see if they can replicate at the international level. if they cant, pick the next best average. some of them wont be able to.

dont expect anyone eg shafiq, to perform substantially better than his domestic average - it hardly ever happens.

theres nothing controversial about any of that.
 
Shafiq is very fortunate to have been blessed by numerous former players as the future of Pak's batting.

Unfortunately for Pak though, he has not done anything particularly noteworthy despite playing more than 50 tests.

That's a lot of tests btw.
 
His average of 41 is also really nothing special. Even Akmal averages 35 after playing all of his tests outside of Asia. I bet you Umar would have been a much better batsman for Pak all-round if he had been given the same chances as Shafiq.
 
when you have played the majority of your games in the UAE a 41 average is mediocre
 
After all these years we are still debating whether he was worth an investment or not . Extremely inconsistent and has not taken the next step yet .Ex cricketers seem to rate him highly. Haris if he was fit would have made a really solid test batsman by now.

Not the worst but i have a feeling pakistan could have chosen better.

Azhar on the other hand has developed into a worldclass batsman.
 
the most technically correct batsman, and the most mentally weak batsman in the lineup

Inconsistency personified:shafiq
 
Good compact technique and looks very classy when on song. For someone with a lot of strokes (IMO more than all save Babar), I do find him passive at times.

I cant remember if he played at 6 in NZ and Oz? Felt it was long overdue when he moved up the order towards the end of the English summer.

I'd like to see him at 4 - he is a very good batsman, unlike Azhar though, doesn't seem to carry the desire to score as big.
 
Give Usman a chance over him in the next two Tests. Asad can come back in the next series when two spots open up. Plus, he needs a kick up the backside aswell.
 
Its not pressure situation as much as struggle against new ball...He gets out so many time against second new ball, every time a different way...Today, he should have left that ball on length, why he had to poke at it?? - Ball was atleast foot above the stump :acp:
 
Lol what he did in Brisbane, people are still doubting his credentials? Oh my, no wonder the likes of Umar Akmal have such inflated egos, in Pakistan to be a fans favourite you just ought to be flashy and elegant, consistency means jack.
 
If Pakistan has invested that much in Harris Sohail, I am sure results would have been much different...He has better temperament. Azhar has evolved but Shafiq is still hit or miss, not maturing from boy to man :sanga:
 
If Pakistan has invested that much in Harris Sohail, I am sure results would have been much different...He has better temperament. Azhar has evolved but Shafiq is still hit or miss, not maturing from boy to man :sanga:

Pak should have included Haris in 2011 after 2 good seasons. His potential was there to see. A ~55 avg batsman as his domestic first class stats also show. And he scored in difficult conditions not in Karachi.
 
the most technically correct batsman, and the most mentally weak batsman in the lineup

Inconsistency personified:shafiq

I like Shafiq as a person but sorry he is not the technically most correct batsman in Pakistan. He struggles against new ball and also against spin.
 
If you are going to play with such a low strike rate and take so long to get your eye in it is travesty to then get out in the 20s.
 
Hard to blame his dismissal today. He got a snorter of a delivery, tbh. Saying that he should've gone early on to the slips.
 
I like Shafiq as a person but sorry he is not the technically most correct batsman in Pakistan. He struggles against new ball and also against spin.

I don't even want him to play regularly for us, those are the words of Mickey Arthur and Yousuf, "most technically correct batsman":danish
 
Lol what he did in Brisbane, people are still doubting his credentials? Oh my, no wonder the likes of Umar Akmal have such inflated egos, in Pakistan to be a fans favourite you just ought to be flashy and elegant, consistency means jack.

people are more annoyed because Shafiq tends to do nothing, then make an amazing ton when he is close to being dropped. He is more man's yk in that sense.

We would have hoped for more after so much investment.

Not say he should be dropped. I want to see him at 4 post yk/misbah. See how he takes charge
 
Lol what he did in Brisbane, people are still doubting his credentials? Oh my, no wonder the likes of Umar Akmal have such inflated egos, in Pakistan to be a fans favourite you just ought to be flashy and elegant, consistency means jack.

You probably don't follow Pakistan very closely, which is understandable.

If you did, you'd know how inconsistent Shafiq is. And btw, no one wants Akmals in Pak test team.
 
He will play one good innings per series. Now and always. It can come under pressure or without pressure, in a forgiving situation or a precarious situation. There is no pattern to his performance.
 
Lol what he did in Brisbane, people are still doubting his credentials? Oh my, no wonder the likes of Umar Akmal have such inflated egos, in Pakistan to be a fans favourite you just ought to be flashy and elegant, consistency means jack.

Misleading innings. He had nothing to lose in that innings and Amir soaked up 90% of the new ball pressure while Shafiq was sprinting to the other end hiding behind tailenders. Not to mention the multiple lives he was given.
 
will always remain a mid 40s averaging player because of his inconsistency.
 
Please do not blame him, blame Mickey who shattered poor Asad's confidence by demoting him from #3. Same Asad was a world beater under great Waqar.
 
average of 40 was cute and exciting when he was coming up and playing behind Younis and co...

now he's going to be a senior batsmen, and with 50+ tests, this average is unacceptable

he is the batting version of Wahab, showed promise to start his career but hasn't improved in the last 3-4 years
 
This guy is not good enough and frankly too inconsistent.

If he has a lean series - i would say drop him.
 
Still not producing the goods. This is the time for him to be showing his mettle and showing he can step up when Misbah and Younis leave. :facepalm:
 
Still not producing the goods. This is the time for him to be showing his mettle and showing he can step up when Misbah and Younis leave. :facepalm:

He's a hopeless case.
[MENTION=141114]Hasan123[/MENTION] - you believe me now?
 
He is a hopeless case

Such a disappointment, that he can't kick start his career after so many years. Azhar has done so well
 
Shafiq is just 6 innings removed from that exceptional century against the Aussies. He has more centuries than just about anybody in the history of the game at 6 and average about 60 between 2014 and 2016.

Give the guy a break and stop trying to tear down your own team all the time.
 
He can't. Babar is batting in his position.

Still getting out in the same manner playing across his pad, still showing lack of confidence even though he was batting with his captain in the middle for most of the time, still takes an hour to settle in and never looks confident at the crease.

These things won't change regardless of where he bats.

It's his demeanour that concerns me the most.
 
Still ten times a better batsman than anyone with the last name of Akmal
 
Still getting out in the same manner playing across his pad, still showing lack of confidence even though he was batting with his captain in the middle for most of the time, still takes an hour to settle in and never looks confident at the crease.

These things won't change regardless of where he bats.

It's his demeanour that concerns me the most.

He's not a natural no.6, but still has the highest number of 100s, average over there.. and has gotten Pakistan more times out of trouble than anyone can imagine...

Was the only one who gave a fight from the bottom in Australia and was very effective in England... deserved a promotion to no.3 but has been demoted to no.6 in play of a debutant who has played one decent knock in 10 innings
 
He's not a natural no.6, but still has the highest number of 100s, average over there.. and has gotten Pakistan more times out of trouble than anyone can imagine...

Was the only one who gave a fight from the bottom in Australia and was very effective in England... deserved a promotion to no.3 but has been demoted to no.6 in play of a debutant who has played one decent knock in 10 innings

I don't want to talk about Babar on this thread so let's leave it at that since I can see where this conversation is headed.
 
He needs to go up the order. He is a talented player but at 6 you want a counter punching strokemaker who will put the opposition on the backfoot. Shafiq gives them confidence with his timid batting and doesnt capitalise on the overs before the 2nd new ball anywhere near enough.

An Umar Akmal with a functioning brain would be a good test no 6 but that ship has sailed now
 
He just doesnt score often enough

Him and azhar started their careers at the same time and look at azhar now You could put ur house on him that he ll do well or die trying

Shafiq even after so many years doesnt instill any confidence

What i dont understand is why he seems undroppable? The bowlers can have 2 -3 off games and they are dropped Shafiq lives on the odd century every 6 games and apart from that offers nothing and seems undroppable
 
We cannot drop him despite his inconsistencies.

Misbah, YK, Shafiq all leaving together? That's 3/6 of your batsmen gone at the same time which is a recipe for disaster.

Yes Asad is inconsistent but he has produced some magnificent knocks over the years.

From this very line-up, I would make two changes for the SL Test series which is our next assignment: YK OUT, Asghar IN; Misbah OUT, Salahuddin IN. Which gives you:

Ahmed Shehzad
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam
Usman Salahuddin
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz Ahmed* (WK)
Shadab Khan
Mohammad Amir
Yasir Shah
Mohammad Asghar
Mohammad Abbas

Now, take out Shafiq from that line-up, and you have a top 6 of:

Ahmed Shehzad
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam
Usman Salahuddin
Haris Sohail/Asif Zakir/Umar Amin/Fawad Alam
Sarfraz Ahmed

That middle-order is very raw and inexperienced, especially for a team that is going in with a 6-4-1 combo (which I believe should be our modus operendi, since 4 bowlers, as we can see, is not working). Who knows how Usman will fare? Heck, people are already saying that Babar, our best batting prospect in years, is not suited towards Test cricket.

Conclusion: Shafiq needs to be given more responsibility and should be pushed up to #5 after Misbah leaves, and he should be persisted with for 1/2 more series after this one at the very least, so that there is some experience atleast alongside Azhar Ali to guide Babar, Salahuddin, and Shehzad. If he fails in 10/12 of his next innings (including this series), then and only then should we consider an option like Haris/Fawad to slot in the middle-order in place of Shafiq. You simply cannot discard a batsmen who has almost 3.5k Test runs at an average of 40+, which includes some great knocks overseas along with a very safe pair of hands.
 
ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!


Get this loser out of our Test team NOW!

What a pathetic cricketer we wasted so many years on!!!!
 
I think it's finally time to drop him. When a wicket keeper batsmen is averaging higher than you then it shows there's something wrong with your batting.

All he does is score a pointless century every now end then and he's extremely inconsistent.
 
I think it's finally time to drop him. When a wicket keeper batsmen is averaging higher than you then it shows there's something wrong with your batting.

All he does is score a pointless century every now end then and he's extremely inconsistent.

He's making us LOSE constantly. Whenever we lose a match, it's because of him contributing with NOTHING, even if others do.

On the other side, others often have to bat out of their skins to win/save Tests, where this loser again does nothing most of the time.

Bring Haris/Usman/Umar IN!! :usman
 
If people are going to criticise Shafiq now, then it'd be hypocritical of them if they don't criticise the golden boy Baby de Villiers, who's gotten a pair.
 
If people are going to criticise Shafiq now, then it'd be hypocritical of them if they don't criticise the golden boy Baby de Villiers, who's gotten a pair.

LOL, that's like saying don't criticize Imran Farhat's ducks because Tendulkar somehow also got 2 ducks at the same time.

Do you even have any sense of the caliber and past history of both Shafiq/AB ?

Who is known to always fail under pressure, never show up when required and never score on a consistent basis ? AB? :kakmal
 
last time he averaged in the single digits on WI tour. this time seems like he will repeat.
 
If people are going to criticise Shafiq now, then it'd be hypocritical of them if they don't criticise the golden boy Baby de Villiers, who's gotten a pair.

Yeah he deserves flack

He also hasn't been a consent fixture for close to 7 years. I think it's fair to expect more from Asad
 
He is hyped to the moon though as if he's some sort of Virat Kohli.

Well relative to Pakistani standards he has been in Odis. What are you gonna tell me Asad wasn't hyped to the moon despite most his tons coming in draws or losses ?

You deflecting blame to Babar is like if George Bush blamed a talented young LT or captain for the Iraq war
 
But how can anyone forget his Brisbane's innings , that was the greatest " technique " innings played by any Pakistani batsman.
 
I fully expect him to score a meaningless 100 next game. It's the been the story of Asad's career.
 
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