Asia Cup 2022: Pakistan v Hong Kong | 6th Match | Group A | Sharjah | 2 Sep | Pre-Match Discussion

[MenInG]

So who goes out and who comes in?

Fitness issues for Naseem and Rauf

Does Hassan or Hasnain warrant a place vs Hong Kong?

 

[shamaan]

If its Cramp then both should be fit for the match.

Haider Ali in for Asif Ali

 

[NeVerMind]

Anybody bar Khushdil and Asif Ali.. They don't deserve to have it easy against Hong Kong and cement their their positions...

 

[Rana]

Rizwan will score a 50 off 37 balls and his fans will tell us how he is the Chris Gayle of Pakistan

 

[Anis Shivani]

Bring in Haider Ali and Hasnain for sure, and maybe even Usman Qadir, although I think with Shadab and Nawaz there is no room really for Usman Qadir in the big games.
Can't believe we're still stuck with Iftikhar, Khushdil, and Asif Ali. They were the ones who ultimately cost us the game today, because Pakistan slowed down in the middle overs.

 

[Rana]

Bring in Haider Ali and Hasnain for sure, and maybe even Usman Qadir, although I think with Shadab and Nawaz there is no room really for Usman Qadir in the big games.
Can't believe we're still stuck with Iftikhar, Khushdil, and Asif Ali. They were the ones who ultimately cost us the game today, because Pakistan slowed down in the middle overs.

Lol

Pakistan and Babar will go unchanged

 

[Fenrir]

Don’t understand why Kamran Ghulam was not selected.He miles better than Khushdil

 

[Ashmal]

Should try Haider Ali in the middle order

 

[Major]

Rizwan will score a 50 off 37 balls and his fans will tell us how he is the Chris Gayle of Pakistan

if you want Rizwan to fail than just say it

 

[Rana]

if you want Rizwan to fail than just say it

PCB/Babar/Team management fails by not recognising the issue with our team

Rizwan does his best

His best isn’t good enough to match the world standards, requirements

 

[Major]

PCB/Babar/Team management fails by not recognising the issue with our team

Rizwan does his best

His best isn’t good enough to match the world standards, requirements

there is no issue.

 

[Rana]

there is no issue.

You are so wrong

And you will see it soon. Or you will stay in denial. It’s fine, you can choose to be in denial for all I care

 

[Nasty Naz]

Haider Ali for Khushdil should be the only change. Let Iftikhar continue to bat at #4 since he needs a few balls to get going but Haider represents an X factor that can smash anyone. Yes, his shot selection needs work but it's always a better bet to bet on talented players like Haider than a limited one dimensional hack like Khushdil.

My guess is that's the only change they make.

 

[Justcrazy]

Pakistan need to promote Asif Ali up the order , he is a specialist hitter and should get resonable balls to get himself in.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Knowing Babar there will be no change for this match.

 

[Asif321]

Haider needs to play

 

[Marooned]

So I have 2 ideas:

1. Most fundamental: Haider in, Khushdil out.

2. Experimental: Khushdil and Asif are volatile anyway. It's safe to say their consistency can't be missed.
So both out, Haider and Nawaz as their batting replacements. Hasnain comes as 4th seamer.

It's Hong Kong, tournaments require quick changes. About time Nawaz shows if he has something to offer as bat. 4 seamers will give us considerable breathing space.

 

[Xoib]

PCB/Babar/Team management fails by not recognising the issue with our team

Rizwan does his best

His best isn’t good enough to match the world standards, requirements

You might be right that Rizwan is not second coming of Roy, Gayle Rohit etc but if in a side that is carrying dead wood like Asif and khushdil etc you find Rizwan as the main problem then you seriously lack knowledge of the game or just a blind hater.

 

[Titan24]

Wishful thinking from my side is that we will see some changes. Naseem is our spearhead in the absence of Shaheen currently, he has been playing all 3 formats in last couple of months so I would give him a rest. Hasnain can come in. For either Khushdil or Iftikhar, Haider should come in, would be fine with no other changes.

 

[shamaan]

1 change Haider Ali in for Khushdil/Asif Ali

 

[fight_club]

Pakistan is paying the price of not experimenting at all and have been following a fixed template for long.
Bring in Haider ali and also open with Fakhar and Babar.

I understand Khushdil brings a left hander angle but his game is seriously limited plus he eats too many deliveries initially

 

[iRfaN_LA]

Can someone please explain to me who put that ugly TCL logo on Pakistan jersey? I mean, they couldn’t have found a worst spot, it looks like choking the throat.

Now for the game, Hasnain and Haider Ali must play!!

 

[Nasty Naz]

Wishful thinking from my side is that we will see some changes. Naseem is our spearhead in the absence of Shaheen currently, he has been playing all 3 formats in last couple of months so I would give him a rest. Hasnain can come in. For either Khushdil or Iftikhar, Haider should come in, would be fine with no other changes.

This is a must win game for Pakistan so I don't see how they can afford to sit Naseem. At the end of the day, Naseem hasn't bowled all that much in the past 6 months. Pakistan also get quite a bit break and have until Friday to Hong Kong.

Haider definitely needs to come in for Khushdil or Asif. Should be Khushdil based on how poor he has looked in T20's in his career so far.

 

[Omer2002]

It will be a pressure match i expect a close contest..

 

[sweep_shot]

Should be an easy win for Pakistan but Hong Kong shouldn't be taken lightly. They almost beat India in 2018 Asia Cup.

 

[MenInG]

Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani and Haris Rauf allowed to rest in today's practice ahead of Friday's Asia Cup game against Hong Kong

 

[nextover666666]

Haider needs to play

Agree with this 100 percent no point holding him back, he will do much better than Asif Ali of Khushdil.

 

[PakLFC]

Are we through to the next stage if we defeat HK?. Our run rate should be okay to considering the nail biting loss to India.

 

[MenInG]

Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani and Haris Rauf allowed to rest in today's practice ahead of Friday's Asia Cup game against Hong Kong

Pictures (courtesy of the PCB) of the Pakistan squad practicing ahead of their next game in the Asia Cup against Hong Kong

 

[Markhor]

Haider Ali should play. What are we going to learn by continuing with Khushdil and Asif who'll fire once in a blue moon ?

At least make an investment in the future.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

So who goes out and who comes in?

Fitness issues for Naseem and Rauf

Does Hassan or Hasnain warrant a place vs Hong Kong?

Hasnain should get a go, however Middle order needs to be fixed. So give Haider Ali a chance, try him at 1 down, so he gets to bat. Out of Khusdil and Asif, give Khushdil another chance over Asif Ali (Asif is not good enough for National team, he is a club player)

 

[Justcrazy]

Fakhar and Rizwan should open
Babar , Haider , Asif Ali to follow.

 

[anakwalajinn]

Are we through to the next stage if we defeat HK?. Our run rate should be okay to considering the nail biting loss to India.

If India beat Hong Kong tomorrow, then yes. A win on Friday would suffice insha Allah

 

[Waleed93]

Rizwan will score a 50 off 37 balls and his fans will tell us how he is the Chris Gayle of Pakistan

You seem to have a personal issue with Rizwan.

This much hatred can lead to mental problems.

 

[shamaan]

Are we through to the next stage if we defeat HK?. Our run rate should be okay to considering the nail biting loss to India.

Yes aslong as India beat Hong Kong and we beat Hong Kong.

 

[ChTab]

Haider is must in place of Asif/Khusdil
Rest of the team picks itself Naseem & Rauf to play if they're fit.

 

[Rana]

Imagine the Kong beat India! You never know as Indian’s say…ThErE iS nO GaP BeTwEeN tEaMs in 20-20

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Imagine the Kong beat India! You never know as Indian’s say…ThErE iS nO GaP BeTwEeN tEaMs in 20-20

You never know. They nearly pulled it off in last Asia Cup.
Aage aage dekthe dekthe kya ho jaye
Who knows?

 

[MenInG]

From a news report, following changes could happen:

Naseem Shah is likely to be rested for the game

Although, he is fit to play in the game, however, the team management is keen on resting the young pacer and test the bench strength.

Mohammad Hasnain or Hasan Ali could take his place

Haider Ali in place of Ifthikar Ahmed in the middle-order.

Fakhar Zaman could open alongside captain Babar Azam, while Mohammad Rizwan would bat at number three.

 

[Marooned]

From a news report, following changes could happen:

Naseem Shah is likely to be rested for the game

Although, he is fit to play in the game, however, the team management is keen on resting the young pacer and test the bench strength.

Mohammad Hasnain or Hasan Ali could take his place

Haider Ali in place of Ifthikar Ahmed in the middle-order.

Fakhar Zaman could open alongside captain Babar Azam, while Mohammad Rizwan would bat at number three.

Ifti Shouldn't be dropped. Him anyday over Khushdil.

 

[PakPremi]

I'm not a fan of Ifti but his performance was much better than the other two fluke players, Khushdil and Asif.

 

[MenInG]

Naseem has been declared fit but may still be rested

 

[Shafi]

PCB/Babar/Team management fails by not recognising the issue with our team

Rizwan does his best

His best isn’t good enough to match the world standards, requirements

Whom you want to replace with Rizwan?

 

[Shafi]

From a news report, following changes could happen:

Naseem Shah is likely to be rested for the game

Although, he is fit to play in the game, however, the team management is keen on resting the young pacer and test the bench strength.

Mohammad Hasnain or Hasan Ali could take his place

Haider Ali in place of Ifthikar Ahmed in the middle-order.

Fakhar Zaman could open alongside captain Babar Azam, while Mohammad Rizwan would bat at number three.

Haider & Hasnain should replace Khusdil and Nasim. Fakhar should open with Rizwan and Babar at 3.

 

[Rana]

Whom you want to replace with Rizwan?

First of all let’s establish, Rizwan trumps Sarfaraz because he is a keeper. If Rizwan plays as a batsman alone, it opens up a whole new dimension and question marks about his position in the team.

Rizwan bats as an opener….I don’t consider him a T20 opener. I understand the argument could be that Pakistan doesn’t have a Gayle, Watson, Warner, Roy, Guptil, Sharma waiting in the domestic set up. Ok, but it shouldn’t stop Pakistan in doing the right thing and picking the right type of player who will become a player or that caliber instead of picking the wrong sort just so that one player can be useful in the side and the critics can keep off his back.

You can put Shan Masood and Imam ul Haq at number 5 and 6, and they will produce better numbers than Khushdil Shah or Asif Ali when it comes to averages. The point is, let’s not pick the wrong types of players for the wrong positions in a desperate attempt to get a better performance. Also, let’s not completely unbalance the side in the first place.

Who would I rather have open instead of Rizwan? You can also add Babar alongside him of openers who shouldn’t be there. Babar needs to give up his lust for personal milestones and pointless 50s and bat at number 3, he needs to anchor the innings and others need to bat around him once his openers give him a proper start. So the openers ahead of Babar/Rizwan for me are:

1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Sharjeel Khan
3. Muhammad Harris

These 3 are proper opening batting choices who will go hard and look to maximise the powerplay

I will not name Abdullah Shafique as an option because that will be no different to having Babar/Rizwan. However I do think Shafique understands modern requirements far more than these two and is willing to adapt unlike Babar who will not change his approach no matter what. Rizwan on the other hand is handicapped when it comes to batting ability. He is a one trick pony/leg side hack and he will not be able to counter plans made against him by sensible teams.

The other thing I would love to have is Pakistan taking an outside of the box approach and looking to utilise either one of Asif Ali or Khushdil Shah as their openers alongside Fakhar in an attempt to have these boys who have real ‘big daddy power’ and try to maximise the score with the amount of time they spend at the crease. If we are playing the game of ‘letting guys settle in during the pp overs’, I would much rather prefer Ather it be guys who can settle in and cause severe damage rather than a run a ball/standard batting in the middle overs

 

[Rana]

From a news report, following changes could happen:

Naseem Shah is likely to be rested for the game

Although, he is fit to play in the game, however, the team management is keen on resting the young pacer and test the bench strength.

Mohammad Hasnain or Hasan Ali could take his place

Haider Ali in place of Ifthikar Ahmed in the middle-order.

Fakhar Zaman could open alongside captain Babar Azam, while Mohammad Rizwan would bat at number three.

Pakistan had successfully qualified for the semi finals in the last World Cup and didn’t change the team or test the bench strength against Scotland and Namibia…what has made them change this approach now that the game against Hong Kong is a must win?

 

[Shafi]

Pakistan had successfully qualified for the semi finals in the last World Cup and didn’t change the team or test the bench strength against Scotland and Namibia…what has made them change this approach now that the game against Hong Kong is a must win?

Loosing this match can be blessing in disguise. Saved humiliation of more defeats of India and Afghanistan and parchis like Asif, Khusdil Ifti uncle along with pretender head coach Saqlain & good for nothing Yousuf can be discarded along with fake fielding coach.

 

[Rana]

Loosing this match can be blessing in disguise. Saved humiliation of more defeats of India and Afghanistan and parchis like Asif, Khusdil Ifti uncle along with pretender head coach Saqlain & good for nothing Yousuf can be discarded along with fake fielding coach.

But nothing will change though with the World Cup around the corner. Pakistan will most likely beat England 4-3 at home and everything will seem to be fine.

We might as well play the next round and get exposed

 

[Shafi]

First of all let’s establish, Rizwan trumps Sarfaraz because he is a keeper. If Rizwan plays as a batsman alone, it opens up a whole new dimension and question marks about his position in the team.

Rizwan bats as an opener….I don’t consider him a T20 opener. I understand the argument could be that Pakistan doesn’t have a Gayle, Watson, Warner, Roy, Guptil, Sharma waiting in the domestic set up. Ok, but it shouldn’t stop Pakistan in doing the right thing and picking the right type of player who will become a player or that caliber instead of picking the wrong sort just so that one player can be useful in the side and the critics can keep off his back.

You can put Shan Masood and Imam ul Haq at number 5 and 6, and they will produce better numbers than Khushdil Shah or Asif Ali when it comes to averages. The point is, let’s not pick the wrong types of players for the wrong positions in a desperate attempt to get a better performance. Also, let’s not completely unbalance the side in the first place.

Who would I rather have open instead of Rizwan? You can also add Babar alongside him of openers who shouldn’t be there. Babar needs to give up his lust for personal milestones and pointless 50s and bat at number 3, he needs to anchor the innings and others need to bat around him once his openers give him a proper start. So the openers ahead of Babar/Rizwan for me are:

1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Sharjeel Khan
3. Muhammad Harris

These 3 are proper opening batting choices who will go hard and look to maximise the powerplay

I will not name Abdullah Shafique as an option because that will be no different to having Babar/Rizwan. However I do think Shafique understands modern requirements far more than these two and is willing to adapt unlike Babar who will not change his approach no matter what. Rizwan on the other hand is handicapped when it comes to batting ability. He is a one trick pony/leg side hack and he will not be able to counter plans made against him by sensible teams.

The other thing I would love to have is Pakistan taking an outside of the box approach and looking to utilise either one of Asif Ali or Khushdil Shah as their openers alongside Fakhar in an attempt to have these boys who have real ‘big daddy power’ and try to maximise the score with the amount of time they spend at the crease. If we are playing the game of ‘letting guys settle in during the pp overs’, I would much rather prefer Ather it be guys who can settle in and cause severe damage rather than a run a ball/standard batting in the middle overs

Khusdil will not survive not even 6 balls as a opener. Haris still has long way to o (he is even failing in local T20s). Sharjeel is overweight and can't play spin just like Fakhar.

 

[Shafi]

But nothing will change though with the World Cup around the corner. Pakistan will most likely beat England 4-3 at home and everything will seem to be fine.

We might as well play the next round and get exposed

England 6 Pakistan 1. We don't have any chance against England.

 

[Rana]

Khusdil will not survive not even 6 balls as a opener. Haris still has long way to o (he is even failing in local T20s). Sharjeel is overweight and can't play spin just like Fakhar.

Everyone has their weaknesses. Zazai isn’t the most appealing against spin, nor is Gurbaz but you will not see Afghanistan changing naturally aggressive players to accommodate timid cricketers. Hafeez is a mediocre off spinner regardless of when he was banned but he has tormented some of the biggest left handed openers the T20 or white ball game has seen in the powerplay overs and provided Pakistan with great starts.

Attacking openers are not designed to be good in every facet of batting, otherwise they would all have Test match averages of 47+

 

[Rana]

England 6 Pakistan 1. We don't have any chance against England.

It still won’t prompt Ramiz to sack his coaching staff and captain on the eve of a World Cup.

All you will see is inspirational speeches about ‘cornered tigers spirit’ that needs to be reignited on our campaign down under like the 1992 World Cup

 

[Marooned]

Naseem has been declared fit but may still be rested

Good decision.

No need to worry about HK now. Hasnain Dahani Rouf will be too hot for them anyway.

 

[m.awais]

First of all let’s establish, Rizwan trumps Sarfaraz because he is a keeper. If Rizwan plays as a batsman alone, it opens up a whole new dimension and question marks about his position in the team.

Rizwan bats as an opener….I don’t consider him a T20 opener. I understand the argument could be that Pakistan doesn’t have a Gayle, Watson, Warner, Roy, Guptil, Sharma waiting in the domestic set up. Ok, but it shouldn’t stop Pakistan in doing the right thing and picking the right type of player who will become a player or that caliber instead of picking the wrong sort just so that one player can be useful in the side and the critics can keep off his back.

You can put Shan Masood and Imam ul Haq at number 5 and 6, and they will produce better numbers than Khushdil Shah or Asif Ali when it comes to averages. The point is, let’s not pick the wrong types of players for the wrong positions in a desperate attempt to get a better performance. Also, let’s not completely unbalance the side in the first place.

Who would I rather have open instead of Rizwan? You can also add Babar alongside him of openers who shouldn’t be there. Babar needs to give up his lust for personal milestones and pointless 50s and bat at number 3, he needs to anchor the innings and others need to bat around him once his openers give him a proper start. So the openers ahead of Babar/Rizwan for me are:

1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Sharjeel Khan
3. Muhammad Harris

These 3 are proper opening batting choices who will go hard and look to maximise the powerplay

I will not name Abdullah Shafique as an option because that will be no different to having Babar/Rizwan. However I do think Shafique understands modern requirements far more than these two and is willing to adapt unlike Babar who will not change his approach no matter what. Rizwan on the other hand is handicapped when it comes to batting ability. He is a one trick pony/leg side hack and he will not be able to counter plans made against him by sensible teams.

The other thing I would love to have is Pakistan taking an outside of the box approach and looking to utilise either one of Asif Ali or Khushdil Shah as their openers alongside Fakhar in an attempt to have these boys who have real ‘big daddy power’ and try to maximise the score with the amount of time they spend at the crease. If we are playing the game of ‘letting guys settle in during the pp overs’, I would much rather prefer Ather it be guys who can settle in and cause severe damage rather than a run a ball/standard batting in the middle overs

Your alternatives options for opening slot are laughable.

1. Fakhar Zaman
Can‘t score a run against offspinners. Teams have already found his weakness against offspin, so whenever he opens, opposition more often than not bring offspinners and he fails to even rotate the strike and ends up loosing his wicket. There is a reason why his strike rate as an opener is more or less similar to rizwan and averages only half of rizwan. I am sure against offspinners, it is even lesser.

2. Sharjeel Khan
If you call rizwan a one trick Pony than sharjeel is also a leg side hack. He also doesn’t possess any offside game. Moreover, he fires only once in while and fails more often than not against quality opposition. Plus his fitness is a joke compared to international standards and don’t forget that he is spotfixer as well.

3. M Haris
The less said about him, the better it is. One fluke innings in PSL (which also had a drop catch in it) and people think that he is an opener for pakistan. His batting in 4 ODIs is club level uptil now.


Reality is that there is no better opener in pakistan than babar n rizwan.

 

[Marooned]

From a news report, following changes could happen:

Naseem Shah is likely to be rested for the game

Although, he is fit to play in the game, however, the team management is keen on resting the young pacer and test the bench strength.

Mohammad Hasnain or Hasan Ali could take his place

Haider Ali in place of Ifthikar Ahmed in the middle-order.

Fakhar Zaman could open alongside captain Babar Azam, while Mohammad Rizwan would bat at number three.

We gain nothing by "testing" Hasan at this point. He's tested enough. It will be just a pathetic excuse for Babar for giving this 'fighter' another chance.

Give Hasnain a go. This is a perfect game for that.

 

[Rana]

Your alternatives options for opening slot are laughable.

1. Fakhar Zaman
Can‘t score a run against offspinners. Teams have already found his weakness against offspin, so whenever he opens, opposition more often than not bring offspinners and he fails to even rotate the strike and ends up loosing his wicket. There is a reason why his strike rate as an opener is more or less similar to rizwan and averages only half of rizwan. I am sure against offspinners, it is even lesser.

2. Sharjeel Khan
If you call rizwan a one trick Pony than sharjeel is also a leg side hack. He also doesn’t possess any offside game. Moreover, he fires only once in while and fails more often than not against quality opposition. Plus his fitness is a joke compared to international standards and don’t forget that he is spotfixer as well.

3. M Haris
The less said about him, the better it is. One fluke innings in PSL (which also had a drop catch in it) and people think that he is an opener for pakistan. His batting in 4 ODIs is club level uptil now.


Reality is that there is no better opener in pakistan than babar n rizwan.

You clearly don’t watch enough cricket. I know that. I can challenge this. I know this because of your one statement about Sharjeel having no off-side game. That for me is clear proof that you are either purposely being biased towards Rizwan, or you simply do not watch cricket. It’s one or the other.

Which T20 opener is perfect against Spin??? Hafeez has practically run circles around Chris Gayle during his career with the ball. Yet Gayle is easily the most destructive T20 opener in cricket history. Prove me wrong if you can!

 

[Marooned]

You clearly don’t watch enough cricket. I know that. I can challenge this. I know this because of your one statement about Sharjeel having no off-side game. That for me is clear proof that you are either purposely being biased towards Rizwan, or you simply do not watch cricket. It’s one or the other.

Which T20 opener is perfect against Spin??? Hafeez has practically run circles around Chris Gayle during his career with the ball. Yet Gayle is easily the most destructive T20 opener in cricket history. Prove me wrong if you can!

Sharjeel belongs in the squad atleast especially for Australia imo. He's a fine opener no two ways about it.

 

[ARK Rafay]

From a news report, following changes could happen:

Naseem Shah is likely to be rested for the game

Although, he is fit to play in the game, however, the team management is keen on resting the young pacer and test the bench strength.

Mohammad Hasnain or Hasan Ali could take his place

Haider Ali in place of Ifthikar Ahmed in the middle-order.

Fakhar Zaman could open alongside captain Babar Azam, while Mohammad Rizwan would bat at number three.

Guess someone trust Asif and Khushdil with their lives.

Ifti is the better one of the three

 

[Marooned]

Guess someone trust Asif and Khushdil with their lives.

Ifti is the better one of the three

Kinda sad people club ifti with these 2. He's a proper batsmen not a hack.

 

[mazkhan]

Rizwan struggles on the offside he simply has no hand eye coordination and balance when the bowlers bowls that line, he also struggles to have a release shot which doesn't come natural to him sameway his power hitting ability is limited.

Top bowlers will suss him out.

 

[m.awais]

You clearly don’t watch enough cricket. I know that. I can challenge this. I know this because of your one statement about Sharjeel having no off-side game. That for me is clear proof that you are either purposely being biased towards Rizwan, or you simply do not watch cricket. It’s one or the other.

Which T20 opener is perfect against Spin??? Hafeez has practically run circles around Chris Gayle during his career with the ball. Yet Gayle is easily the most destructive T20 opener in cricket history. Prove me wrong if you can!

There is a difference in having a weakness against one particular bowler and having a general weakness against particular type of bowlers. Hafeez was a rarity when it came to left handers as he bowled well to all left handers. Unfortunately Fakhar has a weakness against all offspinners irrespective of bowlers quality. Be it nabi or mehdi or anyone else.

Sharjeel has more or less similar offside game as rizwan. Sharjeel‘s release shots are also leg side hacks similar to rizwan. You can go on challenging as much as you want but stats don’t lie. The guy strikes at merely 133 with average of 22. Rizwan also strikes at 128 with average touching 50.

P.S: I am not biased towards rizwan as he is not my cousin or anything else. It’s the results that matter at the end of day and rizwan/babar have given results. I hope that Management doesn’t show knee jerk reaction and change the openers only because of one poor game.

 

[Rana]

There is a difference in having a weakness against one particular bowler and having a general weakness against particular type of bowlers. Hafeez was a rarity when it came to left handers as he bowled well to all left handers. Unfortunately Fakhar has a weakness against all offspinners irrespective of bowlers quality. Be it nabi or mehdi or anyone else.

Sharjeel has more or less similar offside game as rizwan. Sharjeel‘s release shots are also leg side hacks similar to rizwan. You can go on challenging as much as you want but stats don’t lie. The guy strikes at merely 133 with average of 22. Rizwan also strikes at 128 with average touching 50.

P.S: I am not biased towards rizwan as he is not my cousin or anything else. It’s the results that matter at the end of day and rizwan/babar have given results. I hope that Management doesn’t show knee jerk reaction and change the openers only because of one poor game.

This is a clear example of twisting facts to suit your agenda.

Sharjeel has played a total of 22 T20is and was discarded from Pakistan at a time when he was becoming the best T20i opener in Asia at least. He was well on his way to becoming a gun T20 opener for Pakistan around the time of his ban. He was probably the biggest draw in the side considering how boring Pakistan were to watch overall. He averages 22 then with a sr of 133….

However, his overalls T20 sr paints a different picture and proves his actual worth in their format as he has established a strike rate close to 140 after scoring over 3000 runs in this format as an opener, whilst Rizwan has a sr of 125 lol

 

[Usman Chadda]

The ship has sailed on Sharjeel’s career, he is too old now to make a comeback and we don’t get much out of him for the foreseeable future. We should focus on finding dynamic middle-order batters, rather focus on disrupting one of the best T20 opening partnerships in world cricket right now.

The top order will ALWAYS be under pressure to preserve their wickets unless we have a competent middle-order.

 

[Rana]

The ship has sailed on Sharjeel’s career, he is too old now to make a comeback and we don’t get much out of him for the foreseeable future. We should focus on finding dynamic middle-order batters, rather focus on disrupting one of the best T20 opening partnerships in world cricket right now.

The top order will ALWAYS be under pressure to preserve their wickets unless we have a competent middle-order.

The ship never sails on Pakistani players lol. People still want Malik back in the side even though he is 40+

The ship only sails on players who fans dislike in order to preserve the players they like. Cold truth.

 

[Usman Chadda]

The ship never sails on Pakistani players lol. People still want Malik back in the side even though he is 40+

The ship only sails on players who fans dislike in order to preserve the players they like. Cold truth.

It should be about what’s good for the team, there is no compulsion on playing Sharjeel. We have had this top order for quite a while, and it has produced results. The focus should be on finding better players than Khushdil and Asif Ali

 

[m.awais]

This is a clear example of twisting facts to suit your agenda.

Sharjeel has played a total of 22 T20is and was discarded from Pakistan at a time when he was becoming the best T20i opener in Asia at least. He was well on his way to becoming a gun T20 opener for Pakistan around the time of his ban. He was probably the biggest draw in the side considering how boring Pakistan were to watch overall. He averages 22 then with a sr of 133….

However, his overalls T20 sr paints a different picture and proves his actual worth in their format as he has established a strike rate close to 140 after scoring over 3000 runs in this format as an opener, whilst Rizwan has a sr of 125 lol

Rizwan was given mere 3 chances as opener in NewZealand, as babar was injured and we all knew once babar comes back rizwan will be dropped for good. However, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands and never looked back. Sharjeel on the other hand has been given more than 20 chances as opener uptill now and has nothing to show on his cv.

Even in T20s he averages around 25, so still it means that he is more hit and miss. Moreover we all know that he has nothing else to offer to the team. He is a liability in the field and doesn’t bowl. Rizwan on the other hand is also a wicketkeeper so he brings an extra dimension.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Wishful thinking from my side is that we will see some changes. Naseem is our spearhead in the absence of Shaheen currently, he has been playing all 3 formats in last couple of months so I would give him a rest. Hasnain can come in. For either Khushdil or Iftikhar, Haider should come in, would be fine with no other changes.

Seriously, people here still believe Asif ali is a better option compared to Ifthikar and Khusdil lol

 

[Nasty Naz]

From a news report, following changes could happen:

Naseem Shah is likely to be rested for the game

Although, he is fit to play in the game, however, the team management is keen on resting the young pacer and test the bench strength.

Mohammad Hasnain or Hasan Ali could take his place

Haider Ali in place of Ifthikar Ahmed in the middle-order.

Fakhar Zaman could open alongside captain Babar Azam, while Mohammad Rizwan would bat at number three.

A bunch of weird news in all honesty.

Iftikhar was the best out of the top 6 batters and he's the one to get dropped? I am not sure why they have so much faith in Khushdil.

Weird to also change the opening batters after one poor match from them. It seems like such a panic decision and that too to have Rizwan at #3? I don't think they have ever even tried that. Situation reminds me of 2019 WC with WI bouncing them out of the game and them completely panicking and dropping Haris Sohail for it. They messed up their best batting order & brought in Asif and Malik instead which was a disaster. Eventually brought back Haris Sohail and they went on a winning streak for rest of the tournament.

I hope they stick with Rizwan-Babar as the opening pair because its the best one they have and drop Khushdil for Haider.

 

[Rana]

Rizwan was given mere 3 chances as opener in NewZealand, as babar was injured and we all knew once babar comes back rizwan will be dropped for good. However, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands and never looked back. Sharjeel on the other hand has been given more than 20 chances as opener uptill now and has nothing to show on his cv.

Even in T20s he averages around 25, so still it means that he is more hit and miss. Moreover we all know that he has nothing else to offer to the team. He is a liability in the field and doesn’t bowl. Rizwan on the other hand is also a wicketkeeper so he brings an extra dimension.

Another twisting of what actually happened

Rizwan was given a gazillion chances to prove himself under the new Misbah regime. Misbah was desperate to find a role for Rizwan to somehow stay in the side and keep out Sarfaraz

Rizwan was going to be given as much time as he needed to find the one score that would keep him in the side. Never in the history of cricket have I seen a player being given such a long rope the way Rizwan was given due to Misbah bias. There was no way that Rizwan would have been dropped for good even if Babar returned. He was never going anywhere under Misbah!

Sharjeel did cement himself in the side as the T20/ODI opener before his ban

 

[Firebat]

Pre-match preparation:

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[m.awais]

Another twisting of what actually happened

Rizwan was given a gazillion chances to prove himself under the new Misbah regime. Misbah was desperate to find a role for Rizwan to somehow stay in the side and keep out Sarfaraz

Rizwan was going to be given as much time as he needed to find the one score that would keep him in the side. Never in the history of cricket have I seen a player being given such a long rope the way Rizwan was given due to Misbah bias. There was no way that Rizwan would have been dropped for good even if Babar returned. He was never going anywhere under Misbah!

Sharjeel did cement himself in the side as the T20/ODI opener before his ban

Are we talking about the Rizwan as an opener or as a player????
If only as a player than i am sorry to disappoint you that he was only keeping sarfra out of team,not sharjeel as you mentioned because Sharjeel doesn’t keep wickets.

If we talk about Rizwan the opener than I am absolutely right that he grabbed his chance as early as in his 3rd T20I as opener and scored match winning 89 which sharjeel has done in his whole t20i career.

 

[Alter_Ego]

Your alternatives options for opening slot are laughable.

1. Fakhar Zaman
Can‘t score a run against offspinners. Teams have already found his weakness against offspin, so whenever he opens, opposition more often than not bring offspinners and he fails to even rotate the strike and ends up loosing his wicket. There is a reason why his strike rate as an opener is more or less similar to rizwan and averages only half of rizwan. I am sure against offspinners, it is even lesser.

2. Sharjeel Khan
If you call rizwan a one trick Pony than sharjeel is also a leg side hack. He also doesn’t possess any offside game. Moreover, he fires only once in while and fails more often than not against quality opposition. Plus his fitness is a joke compared to international standards and don’t forget that he is spotfixer as well.

3. M Haris
The less said about him, the better it is. One fluke innings in PSL (which also had a drop catch in it) and people think that he is an opener for pakistan. His batting in 4 ODIs is club level uptil now.


Reality is that there is no better opener in pakistan than babar n rizwan.

Not sure which game you watch. Sharjeel has a better offside game than the entire current lot except Babar. Fakhar absolutely murders spinners watch his game against Ashwin. Haris has a aggressive mindset and he will eventually come off. So these options are far better.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Rizwan since NZ: 66.08 AVG & 133.33 SR in 31 innings since. It's been nearly 2 years since that NZ series and he has been absolutely incredible. He's put up runs in NZ, SA & England too.

Hilarious if people think there's an opener in Pakistan who can put up better numbers than that or any wicketkeeper that can replace him.

 

[shariqnoor]

First of all let’s establish, Rizwan trumps Sarfaraz because he is a keeper. If Rizwan plays as a batsman alone, it opens up a whole new dimension and question marks about his position in the team.

Rizwan bats as an opener….I don’t consider him a T20 opener. I understand the argument could be that Pakistan doesn’t have a Gayle, Watson, Warner, Roy, Guptil, Sharma waiting in the domestic set up. Ok, but it shouldn’t stop Pakistan in doing the right thing and picking the right type of player who will become a player or that caliber instead of picking the wrong sort just so that one player can be useful in the side and the critics can keep off his back.

You can put Shan Masood and Imam ul Haq at number 5 and 6, and they will produce better numbers than Khushdil Shah or Asif Ali when it comes to averages. The point is, let’s not pick the wrong types of players for the wrong positions in a desperate attempt to get a better performance. Also, let’s not completely unbalance the side in the first place.

Who would I rather have open instead of Rizwan? You can also add Babar alongside him of openers who shouldn’t be there. Babar needs to give up his lust for personal milestones and pointless 50s and bat at number 3, he needs to anchor the innings and others need to bat around him once his openers give him a proper start. So the openers ahead of Babar/Rizwan for me are:

1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Sharjeel Khan
3. Muhammad Harris

These 3 are proper opening batting choices who will go hard and look to maximise the powerplay

I will not name Abdullah Shafique as an option because that will be no different to having Babar/Rizwan. However I do think Shafique understands modern requirements far more than these two and is willing to adapt unlike Babar who will not change his approach no matter what. Rizwan on the other hand is handicapped when it comes to batting ability. He is a one trick pony/leg side hack and he will not be able to counter plans made against him by sensible teams.

The other thing I would love to have is Pakistan taking an outside of the box approach and looking to utilise either one of Asif Ali or Khushdil Shah as their openers alongside Fakhar in an attempt to have these boys who have real ‘big daddy power’ and try to maximise the score with the amount of time they spend at the crease. If we are playing the game of ‘letting guys settle in during the pp overs’, I would much rather prefer Ather it be guys who can settle in and cause severe damage rather than a run a ball/standard batting in the middle overs

Please have some honor and never mention Sharjeel Khan ever again. The guy is a certified fixer of the game. We cannot allow fixers back in to the team. Why is it that we as a society normalize corruption and are willing to overlook it? Sharjeel should've been ostracized from cricket at the very least, if not from society itself.

 

[shariqnoor]

Rizwan since NZ: 66.08 AVG & 133.33 SR in 31 innings since. It's been nearly 2 years since that NZ series and he has been absolutely incredible. He's put up runs in NZ, SA & England too.

Hilarious if people think there's an opener in Pakistan who can put up better numbers than that or any wicketkeeper that can replace him.

There's literally no one better than Rizwan at the moment in Pakistan. And that's the cold hard truth. His numbers are incredible. He would make into most teams as an opener.

Since the NZ series,

Finch SR 126
Roy SR 130
QdK SR 127
Zazai SR 124
KL Rahul SR 125

Rizwan with a SR of 133 is doing much better than these openers.

 

[jattafridi]

Pakistan should score atleast 170 runs if bat first

 

[TeymurBlake]

So, Ifti dropped but Asif Ali and Khushdil tried again. Ifti should be retained over these two strugglers.

 

[PakEngFan]

There's literally no one better than Rizwan at the moment in Pakistan. And that's the cold hard truth. His numbers are incredible. He would make into most teams as an opener.

Since the NZ series,

Finch SR 126
Roy SR 130
QdK SR 127
Zazai SR 124
KL Rahul SR 125

Rizwan with a SR of 133 is doing much better than these openers.

But but but you are twisting it. That poster does a runner when presented with stats. What stopped the other players. Truly pathetic tbh.

 

[Rana]

But but but you are twisting it. That poster does a runner when presented with stats. What stopped the other players. Truly pathetic tbh.

Maybe because they were not playing Zimbabwe, West Indies and all the B teams of big nations?

 

[Rana]

Hong Kong look like they fancy pace more than facing spin

I recon Pakistan can drop a seamer and pick Qadir.