Azhar Ali at #4 and Asad Shafiq at #5 - Presenting the new #MisYou

[Subhan999]

Pakistan has been a successful test team this decade with younis at 4 and misbah at 5. Is it an eventuality that azhar and shafiq will take over at 4 and 5? Discuss!

Also heard MA is considering opening with babar in the future in tests. Mouthwatering prospect! These must be the glory days finally we have fakhar Haris babar and Sami in the same team.

On a side note, fawad should have converted to an opener in domestics a decade ago.

Hoping fakhar smashes a double ton at some point during this test series!

 

[Ab Fan]

Azhar is a top order player. He doesn't have the game to maximise the run-flowing at a good scoring rate which is what no.4 or 5 are used to or required of.

Azhar is a good no.3 or an opener. Not made for 4. I think Babar is the only batsmen whom I can think make a cut for no.4 position. However, he has to establish himself in test cricket first of all.

 

[zain7077]

Pakistan has been a successful test team this decade with younis at 4 and misbah at 5. Is it an eventuality that azhar and shafiq will take over at 4 and 5? Discuss!

Also heard MA is considering opening with babar in the future in tests. Mouthwatering prospect! These must be the glory days finally we have fakhar Haris babar and Sami in the same team.

On a side note, fawad should have converted to an opener in domestics a decade ago.

Hoping fakhar smashes a double ton at some point during this test series!

Where did u hear this?

 

[Subhan999]

One of his pressers I think

 

[Amjid Javed]

Moving Azhar away from opening slots would be a stupid move, Also having 3 rookies in a top 3 would be asking for trouble in test cricket against most decent sides.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Opening with Azhar in tests has been the masterstroke of MA for the last 2 years, He was dropped to no.3 and they lost a test series in UAE...

Famous saying " Play your best batsman at the top "... Azhar is the best test batsman in the squad and I will not drop him from being an opener.. As an opener he taste success in Australia scoring a double ton, which not many Asian batsman achieved including the so called ATGs..

I think Haris sohail should take the no.3 with Shafiq next and then babar.

I like the team they put forward for todays match against the Northants..

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Azhar should bat as an opener

 

[Amjid Javed]

Am sure PCB is ultimately pushing for Imam and shan masood to be the longterm batting options in tests going forward once masood recovers from injury.

 

[AssassinatedDevil]

Hopefully Azhar and Asad score a bucketload of runs against England. Both very hard workers and have the potential to have similiar legacies to Misbah and YK

 

[pakistani pride]

Hopefully Azhar and Asad score a bucketload of runs against England. Both very hard workers and have the potential to have similiar legacies to Misbah and YK

Did you see Asad Shafiqs stats? He is a below average bat and well above 30 now.

Most pathetic thing about him he is timid and a chocker.

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

#Flopyou especially if you think Asad will take the responsibility.

 

[Hasan123]

Azhar should open. He is perfectly suited for that role. Can see off the new ball which is vital in test cricket. Shafiq should bat 4 or 5.

 

[Saj]

For so long in the shadow of Misbah and Younis. Now it's time to step out of that shadow.

 

[hur rizvi]

Azhar has performed best as an opener and should stay there and Shafiq at no. 5 and he has to step up big time

 

[Suleiman]

How is this a new missyou. We saw this in action last year and Shafiq is just as much of a little kitten as he was when he started. He'll play a 100 when your team has already pretty much lost and then be back to nothing when series is 0-0.

 

[Junaids]

Why on Earth would anyone want to clone the pathetic Misbah/Younis combination?

How many Tests did these geriatrics lose in Australia, England, New Zealand And South Africa by playing on and on when they were no longer good enough to adapt to the conditions?

Misbah scored one ton against an England missing Anderson and Stokes and some runs against West Indian nobodies, and people treat him as if he was a Test quality batsman. He wasn’t.

Meanwhile the ancient remains of Younis Khan failed in 5 out of every 6 innings outside Asia, then scored big runs on a grassless wicket once per series.

Azhar Ali is at an age when he should be about to retire, like Alastair Cook who is the same age.

And Asad Shafiq is also the wrong side of 30, and unless he can guarantee a 50 in every second innings he needs to be dropped forever too.

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

Poor YK is now linked by ignorant posters with Misbah.

Never mind his partnerships with MoYo or Inzi or his heroics when Misbah was nobody.

Instead we have people linking them and then other people talking about how bad they were together.

As I said, poor YK.

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

As far as Asad and Azhar, Asad has already shown he's unreliable and inconsistent.

He shouldn't even be on the team. Favoritism got him where he is.

Azhar is class.

 

[MenInG]

As far as Asad and Azhar, Asad has already shown he's unreliable and inconsistent.

He shouldn't even be on the team. Favoritism got him where he is.

Azhar is class.

Asad about to hit 100 - there is a reason why he is in the team

 

[MenInG]

101 for Asad Shafiq - so he looks good. Azhar needs to fix his problems.

 

[Lefthanded]

Today's hundred is nice but...

There is no meritocratic reason that Asad Shafiq should've played as many Tests as he has. A middle order Rameez Raja with more not outs, and weaker bowling lineups to inflate the average.

I was blown away by his Brisbane century, but his performances around that have a long stretch of inadequate.

Now he should be in there because we can't have an all-green lineup of many with near-zero experience, and it'll look like and wilt like a player boycotted WI side.

It may still wilt, but with Saad, Salahuddin, and maybe even Fakhar sitting out, there must be an ax hanging over Shafiq's head. Could any of them do worse than Shafiq who averaged 25 & 30 for the last two years?

 

[MenInG]

Today's hundred is nice but...

There is no meritocratic reason that Asad Shafiq should've played as many Tests as he has. A middle order Rameez Raja with more not outs, and weaker bowling lineups to inflate the average.

I was blown away by his Brisbane century, but his performances around that have a long stretch of inadequate.

Now he should be in there because we can't have an all-green lineup of many with near-zero experience, and it'll look like and wilt like a player boycotted WI side.

It may still wilt, but with Saad, Salahuddin, and maybe even Fakhar sitting out, there must be an ax hanging over Shafiq's head. Could any of them do worse than Shafiq who averaged 25 & 30 for the last two years?

I agree that he may have overstayed his welcome but he has a good record in England (as he showed in The Oval in 2016)

 

[Lefthanded]

I agree that he may have overstayed his welcome but he has a good record in England (as he showed in The Oval in 2016)

Good point. Though the issue with his century is,

"They were handed a perfect chance on a golden second day in Northampton and Asad Shafiq took advantage of the conditions - as well as two dropped catches - to make his 20th first-class century and hand his side a sizeable lead by the close." - from match report.