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Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq's disturbingly poor Test averages outside Asia

Muhammad10

T20I Debutant
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Jul 7, 2013
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Azhar Ali outside Asia:

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Asad Shafiq outside Asia:

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As you can see, Azhar averages 32.18 outside Asia, while Asad averages 27.46 outside Asia! Our two most experienced and senior batsmen are a massive burden on our team, yet Mickey is still peddling myths about them being "the best batsmen in Pakistan"!

What will it take for Pakistan's clueless think tank to wake up and smell the coffee? This culture of shielding non-performing seniors from criticism and accountability is of severe detriment to our cricket.
 
You shouldn't really be surprised.

We still have people who defend these guys, like [MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] is still a Shafiq backer.


Asad is the worst of them all.
 
The above is nothing new and is common knowledge. What is your point? Can you name a player who has done better with 27 games away cut off point? You will have to go back to maybe Yousuf.
 
Azhar and Shafiq are support acts at best. You cannot build a Test batting unit around them.

The question is why are our selectors and team management so reluctant to try new batsmen out ? They're happy to fast-track Shaheen Afridi with little FC experience, but even proven domestic performers can't get a run in the team.
 
The above is nothing new and is common knowledge. What is your point? Can you name a player who has done better with 27 games away cut off point? You will have to go back to maybe Yousuf.

Obviously no one else will have done better because no one from the current side has played that many games outside Asia... doesn't mean we should settle for mediocrity.

bRHPKFq.png
 
Azhar has really regressed. It's because of both his knee injury and his age.

Shafiq has been mediocre from the start.

Both need to be dropped, although I don't see Shafiq getting the axe.
 
The above is nothing new and is common knowledge. What is your point? Can you name a player who has done better with 27 games away cut off point? You will have to go back to maybe Yousuf.

The point is why no one has gotten chance to play despite their mediocre performances , why no middle order has gotten chance in the last 5 years despite their failures. Simple idea is , if someone is failing try a substitute
 
Obviously no one else will have done better because no one from the current side has played that many games outside Asia... doesn't mean we should settle for mediocrity.

bRHPKFq.png

So there you go, Nobody else can do better... We have tried a few players since then but they have not done enough to even suggest they can do better. Only Umar Akmal and Babar has given hope and we all know what happened to Umar Akmal.
 
The point is why no one has gotten chance to play despite their mediocre performances , why no middle order has gotten chance in the last 5 years despite their failures. Simple idea is , if someone is failing try a substitute

Who has not got a chance? Who are the top performers who has not got a chance? If you know of any can you post their 5 years domestic average here?
 
Azhar and Shafiq are support acts at best. You cannot build a Test batting unit around them.

The question is why are our selectors and team management so reluctant to try new batsmen out ? They're happy to fast-track Shaheen Afridi with little FC experience, but even proven domestic performers can't get a run in the team.

Yes they are support acts thats all they were when Misbah and Younis were around. Fans and probably they themselves thought they can fill Misbah and Younis gap but they were never good enough for that. Lets not kid ourselves though with the experience they have now Pakistan batting line up will be worst without them.
 
Yes they are support acts thats all they were when Misbah and Younis were around. Fans and probably they themselves thought they can fill Misbah and Younis gap but they were never good enough for that. Lets not kid ourselves though with the experience they have now Pakistan batting line up will be worst without them.

How could any replacement have fared worse than Azhar's single digit average in our latest South Africa tour? It was almost as bad as Hafeez's 2013 debacle. He is clearly past it and needs to be dropped. If he regains his form in FC cricket, he can return.

Asad can always be counted on to make one or two 50s or a 100 in a lost cause in every series, after failing when it matters, to prevent his stats from looking too horrendous. Surely replacements will either fail or perform, instead of failing when the team is in the game and then performing when the team is out of the game, to secure one's spot in the side.
 
How could any replacement have fared worse than Azhar's single digit average in our latest South Africa tour? It was almost as bad as Hafeez's 2013 debacle. He is clearly past it and needs to be dropped. If he regains his form in FC cricket, he can return.

Asad can always be counted on to make one or two 50s or a 100 in a lost cause in every series, after failing when it matters, to prevent his stats from looking too horrendous. Surely replacements will either fail or perform, instead of failing when the team is in the game and then performing when the team is out of the game, to secure one's spot in the side.

Thats not how it works my friend. If something can happen to Azhar who has played international cricket for close to 10 years now then for sure it can happen to a newbie. Also Asad at-least performs every now and then and he actually got some 100s in SENA and if the players waiting are so good that they can score even more 100s then him they would be in the team simple just like Babar who has not got a 100 in SENA yet.
 
Thats not how it works my friend. If something can happen to Azhar who has played international cricket for close to 10 years now then for sure it can happen to a newbie. Also Asad at-least performs every now and then and he actually got some 100s in SENA and if the players waiting are so good that they can score even more 100s then him they would be in the team simple just like Babar who has not got a 100 in SENA yet.

Azhar has been out of form for quite a while now, so it's not as if his no-show in South Africa is the only reason he should be dropped. Asad has played close to 70 Tests on the trot, whereas Babar has only played 21 and is almost 9 years younger than Asad. Still, he outperformed Asad in South Africa despite being far more inexperienced than him. Mediocre, unimproving players like Shafiq shouldn't be compared to Babar, who averages over 50 in the last 12 months since he found his feet in Tests.
 
Azhar has been out of form for quite a while now, so it's not as if his no-show in South Africa is the only reason he should be dropped. Asad has played close to 70 Tests on the trot, whereas Babar has only played 21 and is almost 9 years younger than Asad. Still, he outperformed Asad in South Africa despite being far more inexperienced than him. Mediocre, unimproving players like Shafiq shouldn't be compared to Babar, who averages over 50 in the last 12 months since he found his feet in Tests.

For me true test of a Batmen is 100s babar in this regard has not got any in SENA yet. Anyway discussing is if babar can make his way into the team those other so called great batsmen in Pakistan domestic scene should be able to aswell. But they are not as good.
 
For me true test of a Batmen is 100s babar in this regard has not got any in SENA yet. Anyway discussing is if babar can make his way into the team those other so called great batsmen in Pakistan domestic scene should be able to aswell. But they are not as good.

There is no factual basis for this claim. There are several batsmen with superior domestic records who have not been given the chances they deserve, let alone 70 odd Tests on the trot like Asad, who is yet to mature as a batsman and work on his various shortcomings despite being almost 33 years old.
 
People clamoring for umar akmal comebacks should have a close look at afridi's wasteful career
 
There is no factual basis for this claim. There are several batsmen with superior domestic records who have not been given the chances they deserve, let alone 70 odd Tests on the trot like Asad, who is yet to mature as a batsman and work on his various shortcomings despite being almost 33 years old.

He is fully matured as a batsman, Its just that he is no better than what we have seen. I am not saying he is some great batsmen but he is among the best in Pakistan where we have stopped producing good batsmen for a while.
 
He is fully matured as a batsman, Its just that he is no better than what we have seen. I am not saying he is some great batsmen but he is among the best in Pakistan where we have stopped producing good batsmen for a while.

How many of the top performing batsmen in FC cricket have been given a decent run in the Test team's middle order? Asad has been hogging a spot for years without any accountability. Haris has been the only player to get a run in the middle order post MisYou, and he had a promising start to his Test career prior to his injury setback.

You can't say there are no decent alternatives for Asad when our best performing FC batsmen aren't given a proper run in the Test side.
 
The really worrying thing is they are the best two we have for these positions.
 
The really worrying thing is they are the best two we have for these positions.

says who?

there are so many other domestic performers that deserve a chance

they may or may not fail, we can never know until they are given a chance
 
How many of the top performing batsmen in FC cricket have been given a decent run in the Test team's middle order? Asad has been hogging a spot for years without any accountability. Haris has been the only player to get a run in the middle order post MisYou, and he had a promising start to his Test career prior to his injury setback.

You can't say there are no decent alternatives for Asad when our best performing FC batsmen aren't given a proper run in the Test side.

it was azhar, younis, misbah, shafiq as our 3, 4, 5, 6 respectively.

younis and misbah gone, one spot was for haris and other for babar

but now azhar and shafiqs spot should go to someone else
 
says who?

there are so many other domestic performers that deserve a chance

they may or may not fail, we can never know until they are given a chance

Those domestic performers you are on about never perform at the highest level. We have given enough "talented players" a chance.
 
Those domestic performers you are on about never perform at the highest level. We have given enough "talented players" a chance.

that doesn't mean they shouldn't be given a chance

abolish pakistan cricket if you're not going to be giving domestic performers a chance

whats the point then?

the goal should be to learn and analyse why our top performers aren't doing good at the international level.

you can only do that after they have been given a consistent and fair chance

crying about "oo hur dur mur no more talent" isn't going to do anything
 
that doesn't mean they shouldn't be given a chance

abolish pakistan cricket if you're not going to be giving domestic performers a chance

whats the point then?

the goal should be to learn and analyse why our top performers aren't doing good at the international level.

you can only do that after they have been given a consistent and fair chance

crying about "oo hur dur mur no more talent" isn't going to do anything

These great players you are talking about should play some domestic matches outside the subcontinent. With the WC coming up this is no time to experiment with new players. Perhaps we can try a few in the England series.
 
These great players you are talking about should play some domestic matches outside the subcontinent. With the WC coming up this is no time to experiment with new players. Perhaps we can try a few in the England series.

yes as if they have unlimited funds and the proper connections to do that.

this thread is about tests btw not odi
 
To be frank it has been disappointing the way Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq have turned out after the retirement of Younis and Misbah. These were two senior players who were supposed to guide this team during the transition phase but they have failed to do so, so far. Also not selection players who are averaging in 50's in a FC tournament where a bowler like Cheema is ripping teams apart is criminal. Fawad Alam has 11000 FC runs at 56 with 30 hundreds, how do you keep such a player from playing international cricket?

He may fail but needs to be given a go for 5-10 Tests to gauge if he is good enough. I don't think any country would keep a player like him from playing Tests in the current generation where batting stocks for many teams have been thin.
 
yes as if they have unlimited funds and the proper connections to do that.

this thread is about tests btw not odi

Then in Tests we can only make changes if better players are available. With no Tests coming up in the near future you dreams will remain unfulfilled. They will rot away like Umar Akmal, Umar Amin and many great "talented" players who didn't make it.
 
Then in Tests we can only make changes if better players are available. With no Tests coming up in the near future you dreams will remain unfulfilled. They will rot away like Umar Akmal, Umar Amin and many great "talented" players who didn't make it.

no where did i say select "talented" players like umar akmal, umar amin.

i am talking about the ones who have been maintaining a healthy average like salahuddin, fawad etc.
 
When our two most senior batsmen have these averages, of course we are going to get whitewashed in NZ and SA.
 
Massive failed investment depending on these two TTFs to be the backbone of the teams batting. Time to move on from walking wickets and rebuild the batting.
 
Azhar never scored soft runs like Shafiq. He has been poor recently but he is still miles better than shafiq.
 
Time to move on from them because newcomers wont do any worse, Pak are losing anyway both home and away.
 
The point is why no one has gotten chance to play despite their mediocre performances , why no middle order has gotten chance in the last 5 years despite their failures. Simple idea is , if someone is failing try a substitute

Because they succeeded at home in between these foreign tours. How can you drop a guy that just scored a hundred a test ago in UAE
 
Because they succeeded at home in between these foreign tours. How can you drop a guy that just scored a hundred a test ago in UAE

He averaged 25 in 2017 , didnt get dropped?

He averaged 33 in 2018 , didnt get dropped?


His contributions are neither match winning , no match saving. Infact most of the times his presence makes the middle order weaker , which team allows a batsman who has played for 9 years for the team and yet so inconsistent? He is always fighting for his place and more often than not his runs come when the match is already gone? How low are our standards?
 
no where did i say select "talented" players like umar akmal, umar amin.

i am talking about the ones who have been maintaining a healthy average like salahuddin, fawad etc.

Well I am saying they are seen as so called talented. Did not accuse you of using that word. These healthy averages you are on about only applies to cheap Pak domestic matches. They never turn it on at international Cricket.
 
I'd be surprised if even one of them gets the axe before the next test series. Seniors zindabad.
 
Well I am saying they are seen as so called talented. Did not accuse you of using that word. These healthy averages you are on about only applies to cheap Pak domestic matches. They never turn it on at international Cricket.

but how can you say that when they haven't even been given a chance?

fakhar averaged close to 50 in list a and won us the champions trophy
 
but how can you say that when they haven't even been given a chance?

fakhar averaged close to 50 in list a and won us the champions trophy

Coz they past potentially great players have always let us down. I have lost complete faith in our batsmen.
 
Those domestic performers you are on about never perform at the highest level. We have given enough "talented players" a chance.

Well I am saying they are seen as so called talented. Did not accuse you of using that word. These healthy averages you are on about only applies to cheap Pak domestic matches. They never turn it on at international Cricket.

Do well at domestic level. We have had to many false starts.

lol make up your mind... on one hand you don't want any domestic performers because they always fail... and then when someone asks you how to replace shafiq/azhar/sarfraz you reply saying "do well in domestic".

:))
 
All please stick to the topic. Absolutely no personal attacks will be allowed.
 
lol make up your mind... on one hand you don't want any domestic performers because they always fail... and then when someone asks you how to replace shafiq/azhar/sarfraz you reply saying "do well in domestic".

:))

What have the players you have recommended done in domestic Cricket? Nothing:vk2 There is no contradiction in what I am saying. If they are not doing well anywhere then leave the current ones playing instead of making changes for the sake off like you want.
 
What have the players you have recommended done in domestic Cricket? Nothing:vk2 There is no contradiction in what I am saying. If they are not doing well anywhere then leave the current ones playing instead of making changes for the sake off like you want.

is maintaining an average of 56 over so many years count as nothing? :))

all your posts in this thread are one big contradiction
 
is maintaining an average of 56 over so many years count as nothing? :))

all your posts in this thread are one big contradiction

You know nothing about Cricket. It is so easily impressed fans like you who make average players in to world class ones. Pak needs to dismantle the whole batting structure and start again. We have produced great batsmen from the 1970's to the Inzi, Yousar and Younis days. 56 average against nothing sides is not an achievement.
 
Those domestic performers you are on about never perform at the highest level. We have given enough "talented players" a chance.

so here you say domestic performers never perform at the highest level.

Then in Tests we can only make changes if better players are available. With no Tests coming up in the near future you dreams will remain unfulfilled. They will rot away like Umar Akmal, Umar Amin and many great "talented" players who didn't make it.

just because umar akmal, umar amin and some others failed doesn't mean every player will fail.

Well I am saying they are seen as so called talented. Did not accuse you of using that word. These healthy averages you are on about only applies to cheap Pak domestic matches. They never turn it on at international Cricket.

so here you say domestic matches are cheap and healthy averages should not be counted.... and that they never turn it on in international cricket

but below you said "do well at domestic level" but you call the same domestic level matches cheap?

Coz they past potentially great players have always let us down. I have lost complete faith in our batsmen.

so just because you lost faith means we shouldn't keep trying? wth?

Keep the current ones playing until others do something to merit a place.

Do well at domestic level. We have had to many false starts.

but when there are players who are doing well at domestic level you call them cheap domestic matches

What have the players you have recommended done in domestic Cricket? Nothing:vk2 There is no contradiction in what I am saying. If they are not doing well anywhere then leave the current ones playing instead of making changes for the sake off like you want.

you said it yourself "do well at domestic level" to merit a place in the side.

if maintaining an average of 56 over 10 years isn't doing well then what is?

You know nothing about Cricket. It is so easily impressed fans like you who make average players in to world class ones. Pak needs to dismantle the whole batting structure and start again. We have produced great batsmen from the 1970's to the Inzi, Yousar and Younis days. 56 average against nothing sides is not an achievement.

lol you need to get your thoughts together mate.

you don't even know what the hell you're talking about :))

lol so on one hand you say do well at domestic level and then you saying averaging 56 against nothing sides is not an achievement..... which is a part of the same domestic level that you said players should do well in to merit a spot in the team

:)))
 
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[MENTION=147429]Chokli[/MENTION]

There is nothing laughable about the state of Pak Cricket or you misunderstanding my comments. I think I am obviously to intellectual and wise for someone like you. I am saying that for now players doing well at domestic level may be given a chance even though they won't do any better then the likes of what we already have. Taking the long term situation in to account we need to restructure our batting system in particular, where is the contradiction? Everyone knows that our domestic system is flawed and rotten to the core with bank clerks playing plumbers or what not. Take a look at the English and Aussie domestic Cricket if you want to see a successful format. Doing well at domestic level will have to do for now but can not be seen as a long term solution to our batting woes like you keep repeating!:rp Yes I do believe that those coming from the current domestic system will all fail like they have done. We have not produced a classy batsman since the days of Inzi, Yousaf and Younis. Don't tell me that Babar is class, I am not having it.
 
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[MENTION=147429]Chokli[/MENTION]

There is nothing laughable about the state of Pak Cricket or you misunderstanding my comments. I think I am obviously to intellectual and wise for someone like you. I am saying that for now players doing well at domestic level may be given a chance even though they won't do any better then the likes of what we already have. Taking the long term situation in to account we need to restructure our batting system in particular, where is the contradiction? Everyone knows that our domestic system is flawed and rotten to the core with bank clerks playing plumbers or what not. Take a look at the English and Aussie domestic Cricket if you want to see a successful format. Doing well at domestic level will have to do for now but can not be seen as a long term solution to our batting woes like you keep repeating!:rp Yes I do believe that those coming from the current domestic system will all fail like they have done. We have not produced a classy batsman since the days of Inzi, Yousaf and Younis. Don't tell me that Babar is class, I am not having it.

you simply have communication issues

maybe if you weren't too focused on wanting to star in a james bond movie or thinking about blonde women all the time, you'd realise in your posts you were contradicting yourself.

if you had the proper intellect you wouldn't have posted material that clearly say two opposite things
 
Obviously no one else will have done better because no one from the current side has played that many games outside Asia... doesn't mean we should settle for mediocrity.

bRHPKFq.png

Can you please put Umar Akmal’s numbers here? He didn’t play enough games to reach 1K mark, but played 14 Tests I’m AUS, UK, NZ & WIN .... first one at 19 and last one at 21 - almost 8 years back. Since then, he has scored over 4K QeA FC runs at 48/75 sort of stats.
 
you simply have communication issues

maybe if you weren't too focused on wanting to star in a james bond movie or thinking about blonde women all the time, you'd realise in your posts you were contradicting yourself.

if you had the proper intellect you wouldn't have posted material that clearly say two opposite things

You have no skills nor any understanding of Cricket other then the childish mindset of keep making changes. You think covering cracks with wallpaper will solve the problem! I can't be bothered reading your profile like you have obviously done mines:wahab2

Now back to the thread that the long term solution is a complete revamp of our batting from the very root where it all starts. Short term we have no choice other then to pick your under achieving and overrated players who always let us down. You can continue believing in your fantasy that they will make serious runs for us, shows how gullible you are.
 
We have good players Ike Fawad, Shaan masood , Rizwan , Saud and Saad rotting away In domestic.
 
Can you please put Umar Akmal’s numbers here? He didn’t play enough games to reach 1K mark, but played 14 Tests I’m AUS, UK, NZ & WIN .... first one at 19 and last one at 21 - almost 8 years back. Since then, he has scored over 4K QeA FC runs at 48/75 sort of stats.


Screenshot (2).jpg

Actually the result is not what people would expect.

He averages nearly 42 which is surprising as I would have expected something in 30s.
 
Can you please put Umar Akmal’s numbers here? He didn’t play enough games to reach 1K mark, but played 14 Tests I’m AUS, UK, NZ & WIN .... first one at 19 and last one at 21 - almost 8 years back. Since then, he has scored over 4K QeA FC runs at 48/75 sort of stats.

View attachment 87253

Actually the result is not what people would expect.

He averages nearly 42 which is surprising as I would have expected something in 30s.
Exactly.

The continuing omission of Umar Akmal made some sense when Younis, Misbah, Azhar and Shafiq were all averaging 40+.

But now Azhar and Shafiq are in their thirties and they are averaging 29 and 37 respectively over the two years since MisYou departed.

The continued exclusion of Umar Akmal, Man of the Match in the QEA Final, has descended into a case of cutting off your own nose to spite your face.
 
Can you please put Umar Akmal’s numbers here? He didn’t play enough games to reach 1K mark, but played 14 Tests I’m AUS, UK, NZ & WIN .... first one at 19 and last one at 21 - almost 8 years back. Since then, he has scored over 4K QeA FC runs at 48/75 sort of stats.

I lowered the bar to 15 Tests outside Asia :hafeez

UEsH33R.png
 
You have no skills nor any understanding of Cricket other then the childish mindset of keep making changes. You think covering cracks with wallpaper will solve the problem! I can't be bothered reading your profile like you have obviously done mines:wahab2

Now back to the thread that the long term solution is a complete revamp of our batting from the very root where it all starts. Short term we have no choice other then to pick your under achieving and overrated players who always let us down. You can continue believing in your fantasy that they will make serious runs for us, shows how gullible you are.

i know a lot more about cricket than you'll ever do, stop repeating the same things i said about you.

go read your posts and tell me you weren't contradicting yourself....

i agree that the long term solution should be a complete overhaul.

but until that happens, whoever is scoring runs in domestic cricket deserves a run in the side.. they can't do worse than the ones that are already there but there is a chance of them doing better.

how the hell can they let us down if they've never been given a chance? why can't you get that through your thick skull?

you're just a disgruntled old pakistani fan that has no idea what they're talking about.

stick to wanting to star in james bond movies

go learn something about cricket and how it works
 
i know a lot more about cricket than you'll ever do, stop repeating the same things i said about you.

go read your posts and tell me you weren't contradicting yourself....

i agree that the long term solution should be a complete overhaul.

but until that happens, whoever is scoring runs in domestic cricket deserves a run in the side.. they can't do worse than the ones that are already there but there is a chance of them doing better.

how the hell can they let us down if they've never been given a chance? why can't you get that through your thick skull?

you're just a disgruntled old pakistani fan that has no idea what they're talking about.

stick to wanting to star in james bond movies

go learn something about cricket and how it works

You know nothing about Cricket at all. I know more about it in my little finger then you do altogether! Only you are seeing the contradictions no one else. All I am seeing from you are immature views of keeping on trying new players, grow up! This is a tried and failed policy that will only bring misery in the long run. Of course I am disgruntled seeing our team performing so poorly unlike a kid like you who thinks we are full of world class players! You offer no names other then randomly select whoever is doing well at domestic Cricket only to be repeatedly humiliated. Einstein was talking about you when saying the sign of madness is keep repeating the same formula. Yes they can do worse then what we currently are, of course they can when they will be even more inexperienced. I will now watch a movie, you go and watch your super hero cartoons!
 
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Only you are seeing the contradictions no one else.

No, I can also see them clearly.

Einstein was talking about you when saying the sign of madness is keep repeating the same formula.

Actually, he was talking about playing Asad Shafiq for 70 Tests in a row without ever dropping him for his perpetual mediocrity and waiting endlessly for him to turn a corner, even at his current age, which is almost 33.
 
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No, I can also see them clearly.



Actually, he was talking about playing Asad Shafiq for 70 Tests in a row without ever dropping him for his perpetual mediocrity and waiting endlessly for him to turn a corner, even at his current age, which is almost 33.

Read all the mails. He is accusing me of contradictions when there is no such thing said. I did not say Asad is great but he's the best we have at the moment. All our batsmen are off similar quality so don't be fooled by today's win.
 
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