"Asad Shafiq has done wonders for Pakistan cricket" : Azhar Mahmood

[MenInG]

Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood spoke to the media today ahead of the 4th ODI

"Azhar Ali's done his rehab and he is now having his final fitness test"

"He himself feels that he is fine to play"

"Asad Shafiq has done wonders for Pakistan cricket and whilst he is settled in Tests, he needs to play more consistently in One Day cricket as well"

"He needs to get his batting position right but he has all the shots that he needs as an international player"

"Adam Zampa is a quality player and I played alongside him with Sydney Thunder; I rate him highly as he has done really well"

"We play spin well but we have to keep on rotating the strike against him"

"This is international cricket and if we miss the opportunities to win games like we did in the Gabba then it is a matter of concern for us"

"We were 30-40 runs short in the last game (Perth) but the players are really confident that we can turn the tables on Australia tomorrow"

 

[ExpressPacer]

If he plays more consistently in ODI's then we can surely welcome Afghanistan to take over our number 9 spot.

 

[MenInG]

Like it or not, Pakistan camp really likes Asad so we will have to live with it for the moment.

 

[Mamoon]

PCB's love affair with Shafiq means that he is destined to play 100 Tests (which he deserves for the lack of better alternatives) and 200 ODIs, could also captain at some point.

 

[Hawkeye]

What wonders??

Even if averaging 40 in Tests despite playing in the UAE is "WONDERS", how on earth can that translate to LOI selection you geniuses?

It's the exact same story like Younis Khan playing out. "He's a legend, done wonders, gets selected in ODIs".

 

[Zohaib Shah]

Yes bring in another batsmen to slow us down.

 

[ExpressPacer]

The lad is 31 in a week and probably 34 in reality.. Nothing to offer in shorter formats.

 

[Hawkeye]

The lad is 31 in a week and probably 34 in reality.. Nothing to offer in shorter formats.

And to say he's done wonders in Tests is going way overboard, too.

 

[Ab Fan]

LOL..What wonder??

He is the fourth best test batsmen in his team and has no shot to be considered in current World XI or any list.

Has mediocre record everywhere and lacks consistency.

That Brisbane knock didnt do any wonder for his team.

 

[Barragan]

He is very much liked in the dressing room and all, but he certainly hasn't done wonders for Pak.

He is pretty much 31 and played 53 Test matches, but still can't be considered reliable and good enough to even bat above number 6, which is a position for debutants and all-rounders.

He has mostly played in Asia, but still averages a paltry 41 in Tests.

No point talking about his ODI record because it is abysmal.

Very disappointing.

 

[zyrus]

What wonders? You know that Pak Cricket sucks when occasional 100s are called wonders.

 

[moghul]

PCB's and coaching staff is living in a different world, Misbah is getting younger, Hafeez is the future, Shafiq the wonderful ODI player, Rizwan is new Dhoni . what else ?

 

[Cricket World]

Asad Shafiq remains a total failure in ODI no whatever position he bats and how many more chances he gets.

It seems we are stuck with him.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

He's already consistent in ODIs - consistently bad.

 

[JibranAnsari]

Asad shafiq struggle rotate strike when the ball hits the good length area , in test matches you can get away with blocking those but in ODIs you gotta be able to rotate strike on such deliveries. Pakistan is wating time on him in ODIs.

 

[The_KING]

Lol what wonders? Pretty inconsistent in tests and the worst ODI player to ever play for Pakistan. It's worrying that the coaching stuff don't see his shortcomings.

 

[Hasan123]

Very good test batsmen but awful LO batsmen

 

[LordJames]

I honestly cannot see what Asad brings to the table in LOI.

Anyone who favours him to be playing in ODI please make me see it.

 

[Black Zero]

Like it or not, Pakistan camp really likes Asad so we will have to live with it for the moment.

During 3rd match's commentary, Mark Taylor mentioned that he spoke to Mickey about Asad, and Mickey told, "we do not have many batting option available"

Which suggests that it's Asad's last series as a odi player under Mickey.

 

[Hawkeye]

Very good test batsmen but awful LO batsmen

Decent to good indeed depending on how much you like him.

But not wonders.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Pakistan cricket is at its lowest point if batsmen like Shafiq are rated that high.

 

[pasha404]

For god sake give chance to a young batsman in LOI instead of him how many more chances he will waste

 

[Hasan123]

Decent to good indeed depending on how much you like him.

But not wonders.

In tests he's done wel for a number 6. In Odis he doesn't seem to have the confidence or belief to succeed.

 

[JibranAnsari]

so looks like we will keep playing the trio of hafeez , azhar and shafiq no matter. Say goodbye to any hope of good future

 

[The_KING]

Azhar should be dismissed as the bowling coach. Our bowlers are getting worse with him in charge.

 

[Shafi]

During 3rd match's commentary, Mark Taylor mentioned that he spoke to Mickey about Asad, and Mickey told, "we do not have many batting option available"

Which suggests that it's Asad's last series as a odi player under Mickey.

In Pakistan or in touring squad?

 

[Rayyman]

In Pakistan or in touring squad?

Mickey is basically angry about the squad that Inzi gave him. He most likely did not want Shafiq in the ODI squad, but Inzi was probably getting bullied by Moyo into selecting him.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Why's the bowling coach speaking for our batsmen? Azhar, you've done a good job with the bowling attack, now stay quiet.

 

[MenInG]

Why's the bowling coach speaking for our batsmen? Azhar, you've done a good job with the bowling attack, now stay quiet.

Normal protocol.

The team sends a person to speak on their behalf. He is asked questions and he replies. No one will ever say anything negative about their team.

 

[Rayyman]

In his 50-odd Test matches, he has only won us one game at Galle vs SL. In his 60-odd ODIs, he has only won us two: vs Zim at Pallekele and vs Aus at Colombo; Both of which were over 5 years ago.

 

[pakistan cricket fan]

I am sorry azhar bhai shafiq is not a oneday player.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Solid Test player but nothing exceptional like the Pakistan camp makes it sound. He is sound technically and aesthetically pleasing but he is not elite as it shows in his 41 average in 88 Test innings (39.70 in 181 FC innings).

That's a solid Test player, but he is only a Test specialist. He has failed time and time again in ODI and I don't get why the camp continues to push this agenda. This isn't the 1980's anymore, the cricket nowadays is extremely high paced which Shafiq is simply not suited for. If the selectors wants to build a team to score 200-250, then sure Shafiq is an ideal fit.

 

[ads101]

He's a good test player, but you never really sense him dominating, he usually has one big score per series, never really rains in the runs to put us in an advantage. Azhar's been far more influential in test match wins/draws than Asad and has done it up the order against the new ball, while Asad's been playing at 6 which is usually the debutant/inexperienced position.

Feel like sooner or later we have to promote him up the order to 3 or 4. Has to take responsibility and see how he impacts a match. Can't keep him at 6 forever and sending in the debutants in front of him. Even if he performs at 6, it doesn't have the same impact as performing up the order. Similar reason to why people bashed Chanderpaul.

 

[vandokkum]

Other than Pakistan, would any other team pick a batsman who in 60 matches averages 24 at strike rate of 67 ?