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Azhar Ali needs to be more positive batting at number three

Amjid Javed

Amjid Javed

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After watching both of Azhar Alis inns at lords in the 1st test one thing that clearly needs to change is his attitude and intent at the crease. In both Inns Azhar just seemed intent on block, block, block or just leaving the ball and occupying the crease with no actual real intent on scoring runs or even looking to rotate the strike. All this type of batting does is add addition pressure to himself and the batsmen at the other end, add to that the fact hes batting number 3 and is likely to come in after our openers have failed as usual. Azhar just seems intent on allowing opposition bowlers to settle into good bowling rhythm and settle into good bowling lines, no for one second am i asking Azhar to play in an on over aggressive manner, but the snail like block-athon means his inns and team inns practically goes nowhere and eventually he will get out to a half decent ball, i have lost count now how many times the momentum of an inns has been killed by Azhars over negativity. This is a big series for Azhar to prove himself in foreign conditions and in such a vital batting position he needs to start using a lot more game intelligence with the bat. I have no faith in the two walking wickets at top of the order so Azhar needs to start showing a bit more ability to work the ball into gaps and work the ball around, with YK in at number 4 a batsmen who when playing well likes to rotate the strike and keep buys he needs some else at other end who give him the strike back regularly rather then going through an unnecessary block-athon.
 
If Azhar wants to do all this blocking then he should go open and blunt the new ball.

Also Azhar played the yorker like he's never seen the delivery before in his life at Lord's. English bowlers had a strategy to bowl full and into him to get him LBW due to his shuffling across and it worked, albeit were two marginal decisions.
 
I doubt he is likely to change his batting style in his first English tour. We need players who can occupy the crease for longer periods of time albeit at the expense of poor strike rates. Five days is a long time and going with an RR of 2.5 can still win you the game.

Key for Pakistan is that they do not lose too many wickets in the first 20 overs. Once that is accomplished, their next task should be score as many runs until the new ball is due. If they score 300+, they stand a chance of beating England.

Azhar is playing to his strengths and that is what he should keep doing rather than try something different.
 
What a reckless shot :facepalm

What he was thinking

And this guy is our ODI captain

Above posts ll b followed if he change his approach and got out early
 
I agree

He should just open, coming in at 3 is more pressure as in most situations we've lost a wicket in the first few overs
 
Yes he should slightly. So far he's looked good but just too much blocking. We do need someone who will bat for long periods but he should rotate the strike more. If he moved up to opening I wouldn't complain. But I'm not too worried about Azhar
 
fawad_wellwisher said:
I doubt he is likely to change his batting style in his first English tour. We need players who can occupy the crease for longer periods of time albeit at the expense of poor strike rates. Five days is a long time and going with an RR of 2.5 can still win you the game.

Key for Pakistan is that they do not lose too many wickets in the first 20 overs. Once that is accomplished, their next task should be score as many runs until the new ball is due. If they score 300+, they stand a chance of beating England.

Azhar is playing to his strengths and that is what he should keep doing rather than try something different.
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Second*
 
He should just open. He can play the same way that he is right now. He is better than any Test opener we have tried.
 
fawad_wellwisher said:
I doubt he is likely to change his batting style in his first English tour. We need players who can occupy the crease for longer periods of time albeit at the expense of poor strike rates. Five days is a long time and going with an RR of 2.5 can still win you the game.

Key for Pakistan is that they do not lose too many wickets in the first 20 overs. Once that is accomplished, their next task should be score as many runs until the new ball is due. If they score 300+, they stand a chance of beating England.

Azhar is playing to his strengths and that is what he should keep doing rather than try something different.
Click to expand...

I doubt he will change his style fulls top and thats the problem, hes just showing himself as a very limited batsmen.
 
He is a Bowler who converted into a Batsman at the Age of 20. Batting does't come to him naturally so he cannot be a fluent test batsman.

He does not have all the shots in his armoury and neither he looks classical while playing his shots.


He should play the way he plays and the way he has averaged 43 in test cricket. No need to tonker with his approach.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 
Amjid Javed said:
I doubt he will change his style fulls top and thats the problem, hes just showing himself as a very limited batsmen.
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Yes he is limited but give him credit for playing to his strengths and making the most out of it.

That's what we need. Players need to understand their limitations and play accordingly. One of the reasons we won game 1 was we let the game come to us as opposed to England who were trying to be too aggressive or even reckless with their batting approach.
 
Azhar isn't suited to number 3. Number 3 requires someone far more dynamic who still retains good technique, in short your best batsman plays at 3. Asad Shafiq is currently the best suited batsman in the team.

It's wrong to expect Azhar to change his style in test cricket at this stage, he should instead be sent out to open. His game is perfect for an opener in the Pakistani team, get out there and just play heaps of balls at a 30-40 SR, score runs too if you're having a good day.
 
He has played this way since his debut in 2010. We would all love for him to up his strike rate but I think he just doesn't have the confidence and especially in England he is ultra cautious as he's often batting within the first 10 overs.

That said he's got a good average in England and I seem to remember him going in and making consecutive 50's in 2010. He will open up I'm sure if somebody lower down can show they are able to get a really big score.
 
Azhar will score runs however, his method of over blocking especially in English conditions is just asking for trouble for him and batsmen at the other end. There is nothing more frustrating when you batting well and you want to face the bowlers when guy at other end is just eating up dot balls and not rotating the strike.
 
I thought odi cricket would have helped his test game in this regard

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I agree. I think the biggest problem is that he does not have a go to shot. A shot at which he is particularly good at. As far as Azhar goes I can't think of anything. Is he a strong cutter? A good puller? A great driver? In fact I have often seen him let half volleys go by unpunished.

I think with this method he can succeed in the comfort of the subcontinent but in testing conditions he will struggle. Contrary to what people may believe Azhar doesn't have such a good defence. He is quite fidgety, his foot goes across which is why he can get trapped by deliveries aimed at his pads. Which is exactly what England did to him and he didn't have a reply. He didn't counter attack nor did he get off strike. He continuously allowed the bowlers to bowl six consecutive deliveries at him which is by far the worst thing when you are finding it difficult to bat.

I feel what Azhar can do is take a leaf out of Sarfraz's book and get busy. Move around the crease and manufacture an opportunity to get off strike or maybe even a boundary. When things are tough the best Idea is to play from the other end.
 
Fahdi said:
I agree. I think the biggest problem is that he does not have a go to shot. A shot at which he is particularly good at. As far as Azhar goes I can't think of anything. Is he a strong cutter? A good puller? A great driver? In fact I have often seen him let half volleys go by unpunished.

I think with this method he can succeed in the comfort of the subcontinent but in testing conditions he will struggle. Contrary to what people may believe Azhar doesn't have such a good defence. He is quite fidgety, his foot goes across which is why he can get trapped by deliveries aimed at his pads. Which is exactly what England did to him and he didn't have a reply. He didn't counter attack nor did he get off strike. He continuously allowed the bowlers to bowl six consecutive deliveries at him which is by far the worst thing when you are finding it difficult to bat.

I feel what Azhar can do is take a leaf out of Sarfraz's book and get busy. Move around the crease and manufacture an opportunity to get off strike or maybe even a boundary. When things are tough the best Idea is to play from the other end.
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Excellent post and some valid points made about a lack of a go to shot, he really does need to work on his game and stroke play.
 
The problem with blocking so many deliveries is that you end up getting out on a low score even if you have played a large number of deliveries.

Consider Younis Khan's inning of 25 runs on around 90 balls. Had he played a bit faster, he could have easily doubled his score before getting out to the delivery that had his name written on it.

Warner does not have to bat for 200 deliveries. If he can score a century in let's say 125 balls, he has done his job.

No team can win by blocking. You need runs. England lost at Lords for the same reason. Bairstow and Woakes played so many balls but did not score enough runs.
 
Unlucky, as both Decisions were marginal. I personally think the ball was angling away from Stumps on both occasions. As for scoring faster, this is test cricket staying at the wicket is the first priority runs will come. He can Open but then Who will be #3, YK can't do that. M Rizwan, or Hafeez
 
cricketAXEpert said:
Unlucky, as both Decisions were marginal. I personally think the ball was angling away from Stumps on both occasions. As for scoring faster, this is test cricket staying at the wicket is the first priority runs will come. He can Open but then Who will be #3, YK can't do that. M Rizwan, or Hafeez
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Asad could be sent up at no.3
 
Abid Z said:
He has played this way since his debut in 2010. We would all love for him to up his strike rate but I think he just doesn't have the confidence and especially in England he is ultra cautious as he's often batting within the first 10 overs.

That said he's got a good average in England and I seem to remember him going in and making consecutive 50's in 2010. He will open up I'm sure if somebody lower down can show they are able to get a really big score.
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Played an innings vs australia in 2010 when we played them in England that helped win us the game in difficult and typical English conditions. But we have experts on here telling him how to bat in England :)
 
Fahdi said:
I agree. I think the biggest problem is that he does not have a go to shot. A shot at which he is particularly good at. As far as Azhar goes I can't think of anything. Is he a strong cutter? A good puller? A great driver? In fact I have often seen him let half volleys go by unpunished.

I think with this method he can succeed in the comfort of the subcontinent but in testing conditions he will struggle. Contrary to what people may believe Azhar doesn't have such a good defence. He is quite fidgety, his foot goes across which is why he can get trapped by deliveries aimed at his pads. Which is exactly what England did to him and he didn't have a reply. He didn't counter attack nor did he get off strike. He continuously allowed the bowlers to bowl six consecutive deliveries at him which is by far the worst thing when you are finding it difficult to bat.

I feel what Azhar can do is take a leaf out of Sarfraz's book and get busy. Move around the crease and manufacture an opportunity to get off strike or maybe even a boundary. When things are tough the best Idea is to play from the other end.
Click to expand...

He was looking fine till he got out. You want him to move around, that's what cost him in his 2 dismissals moving across the crease. If he doesn't go too far across and can find a way to just rotate the strike a bit more he will be fine.
 
Azhar should really open... then debut Haris at 3. Once Misbah retires then Asad comes down to 5 which I think is his position. Then debut a pace all rounder, preferable Aamer Yamin at 7.

Hafeez
Azhar
Haris
Younis
Shafiq
Sarfraz
Yamin

That could be our top order by next year.

For now I wouldn't tinker with the batting too much in the middle of the series. I agree that he needs to bat with intent to score a little rather than just bat at a 330 SR.
 
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Azhar has been very successful with his current style. He should stick to what he's been doing.
 
Hasan123 said:
He was looking fine till he got out. You want him to move around, that's what cost him in his 2 dismissals moving across the crease. If he doesn't go too far across and can find a way to just rotate the strike a bit more he will be fine.
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No he wasn't. He was struggling. He looked as if he was falling over against the balls aimed at his pads. The only reason he may have looked fine was because Younis on the other end looked absolutely atrocious with his weird dance batting style.

Well moving across was something he should not have done perhaps. They were trying to get him out lbw, going across you will get trapped right across the stumps. He already has a problem where his foot goes across and he gets trapped lbw which is what the English bowlers were targeting.

Moving around doesn't mean move around the crease senselessly. I clearly stated that he should move around to try and rotate strike. But he should do it sensibly.
 
Great post by OP.

This is exactly what happened to Pujara earlier today against WI (who seems to be another Azhar Ali for India)...

Time drop Masood and open with Azhar Ali instead, bring shafiq in at 3 and Rizwan who is one of the best players against pace in Pak to go at number 6.
 
Fahdi said:
No he wasn't. He was struggling. He looked as if he was falling over against the balls aimed at his pads. The only reason he may have looked fine was because Younis on the other end looked absolutely atrocious with his weird dance batting style.

Well moving across was something he should not have done perhaps. They were trying to get him out lbw, going across you will get trapped right across the stumps. He already has a problem where his foot goes across and he gets trapped lbw which is what the English bowlers were targeting.

Moving around doesn't mean move around the crease senselessly. I clearly stated that he should move around to try and rotate strike. But he should do it sensibly.
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No he looked fine he was dancing and hoping around like younis. He looked much more organised.

Yes I agree he shouldn't move across but the reason he was doing that is protect himself from any movement and cover it up. Also he was trying to score, he moves across when he is looking to release pressure.

Yes I agree if he doesn't move around as much he will be fine. The reason for his dismissals was because he moved too far across.
 
That's not his core strength - he is not a dynamic player to bat at 3. If he is forced to increase his SR, he might lose his own game & struggle to maintain his average.

A player should be facilitated & encouraged to perform at the spot where his strengths meet the demand of the role - for Azhar, it's opening. Fear of failure & thereafter backlash is resisting Azhar to open, but I do believe he'll be fantastic Test opener, his game is perfectly suited for that. Tragedy of PAK cricket is that, he bats at 3 in Test & opens in ODI.
 
how about having him bat at 6 with the lower order? That way he can block all he wants and not worry about putting runs on the board. Younis back at 3, Shafiq at 4, Misbah 5, Azhar 6, and Sarf 7
 
Don't mess with Azhar Ali!

Perfect position for him - fix the openers instead of changing Azhar’s position
 
sshakir411 said:
how about having him bat at 6 with the lower order? That way he can block all he wants and not worry about putting runs on the board. Younis back at 3, Shafiq at 4, Misbah 5, Azhar 6, and Sarf 7
Click to expand...

No thanks, do not want a Pakistani Hashan Tilikaratne.
 
MMHS said:
That's not his core strength - he is not a dynamic player to bat at 3. If he is forced to increase his SR, he might lose his own game & struggle to maintain his average.

A player should be facilitated & encouraged to perform at the spot where his strengths meet the demand of the role - for Azhar, it's opening. Fear of failure & thereafter backlash is resisting Azhar to open, but I do believe he'll be fantastic Test opener, his game is perfectly suited for that. <b>Tragedy of PAK cricket is that, he bats at 3 in Test & opens in ODI.</b>
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Very well said!
 
Going to repeat what a lot of people have said already: he SHOULD open, but will stay at #3. He has all the qualities to be a fine opener but he's been playing #3 for over 6 years and you can't just throw that away because we've had failures in Shan, and to an extent Hafeez. Again though, this burden doesn't lie on Azhar but on poor management to not look at the strengths of players and using them accordingly to fit the team. Obviously its never too late to switch to an opener but this is Pakistan where there's no room for dynamism.

If you do look around (except India) all #3's are positive, dynamic and counter-attacking. This has been seen by the 118-1 in the first innings for England, to which they played our bowling beautifully. It was just too much positivity from Root that got him out. In his second innings he was unluckily out - maybe a twist of the bat while pulling it - and he found the man. The #3 should be your best batsman who can take the game away from the opposition and not get bogged down. It's a shame that our #3 is playing at #6.
 
I don't mind if he moves up it could benefit us. But these same people who are being critical of azhars approach batting at 3 will also criticism him for batting defensively as an opener.
 
He knows how to play, he actually started quite fluently in both innings: clear defense and a few drives. Not to mention he has the confidence of a couple of centuries in the tour games. But for whatever reason after starting the innings fluently he resorts to premeditated blocking.
 
Its definitely an issue I've had with him for a looooooonnnnnngggggg time. He's even slower than Rahul Dravid and they use to call him the wall. He needs improve his strike rate. Most test batsman today tend to score there runs in boundaries but he doesn't do that..... okay fine but rotate the strike yaar. In ODI cricket he seems to find boundaries and most of the time tries to rotate the strike. Its like test cricket is his version of a vacation where he just relaxes and takes him time. Bro you have the potential to be a great.
 
But to protect the middle order we have, who can be dynamic when they want to especially the lower middle order its good to have someone like Azhar up top to tire out the fast bowlers and make sure the new balls gets softer.


Though will agree its criminal that 6 years into the international arena no one can name Azhar's favourite/go to shot. Most fours i have seen him hit are glances off his pads on the leg side.
 
The Last Of The Stars said:
No, it doesn't, timidity cost us many runs in the first Test.
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"Timidity" also protects against cheap wickets. Rahul Dravid is famous for his "timidity." And failures like Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad are infamous for their lack of "timidity."
 
Last edited:
Mahbub said:
"Timidity" also protects against cheap wickets. Rahul Dravid is famous for his "timidity." And failures like Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad are infamous for their lack of "timidity."
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Rahul Dravid wasn't timid, and the others weren't famous for their lack of timidity, not sure what are you reading.
 
MMHS said:
That's not his core strength - he is not a dynamic player to bat at 3. If he is forced to increase his SR, he might lose his own game & struggle to maintain his average.

A player should be facilitated & encouraged to perform at the spot where his strengths meet the demand of the role - for Azhar, it's opening. Fear of failure & thereafter backlash is resisting Azhar to open, but I do believe he'll be fantastic Test opener, his game is perfectly suited for that. Tragedy of PAK cricket is that, he bats at 3 in Test & opens in ODI.
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It makes sense as the LOI thinking has changed today. ODIs have limited number of overs, so you want to expose your best batsmen sooner. Look at where Amla and AB bat in ODIs vs tests. Where Tendy batted.

I wouldn't change a thing about his position. Pakistan will need his anchor in the middle once YK and Misbah are gone. Tests need long innings from your best temperament players. You can't risk their wicket in opening slots.
 
MenInG said:
Don't mess with Azhar Ali!

Perfect position for him - fix the openers instead of changing Azhar’s position
Click to expand...

Yes - except our best opener is sitting at home in Pakistan due to "disciplinary" issues... :facepalm:
 
And, no, he shouldn't play "more positively". There is absolutely no evidence that "more positive" (= sugar coating for risk-taking) batting in test cricket = better outcome. England lost the first test precisely because of the unnecessary shots they played.

He does need to rotate strike and work on his balance.
 
Azhar ali is a poor mans ijaz "the axeman" ahmed (if you take away all of ijaz"s skill and talent).
 
Azhar as a kid was not only a great cricketer but also a great footballer.
He played as a goalkeeper and BLOCKED EVERY SHOT.
Lucky for us azhar choose to be a professional cricketer when he grew up!
 
zoro said:
Azhar as a kid was not only a great cricketer but also a great footballer.
He played as a goalkeeper and BLOCKED EVERY SHOT.
Lucky for us azhar choose to be a professional cricketer when he grew up!
Click to expand...

*chosed
 
MenInG said:
Don't mess with Azhar Ali!

Perfect position for him - fix the openers instead of changing Azhar’s position
Click to expand...

Fixed position or not he needs to show more game intelligence depending on match situations and also help batsmen at other end hes playing with, you cant just play test cricket with the intention of blocking all the time, even half volleys were been blocked in last test match inns :facepalm:
 
I remember hearing Azhar talk about his playing style in Tests and he said that his main aim of scoring runs is to wear down the bowlers and to take the shine off the ball. We've been successful as a team in scoring a truck-load of runs in Tests and I remember either Misbah or Younis (can't remember but I think it was Misbah) who said that having Azhar at 3 is a luxury since it makes it easier for Younis to score runs at number 4 and be prolific. Azhar has always scored a lot of runs but I think we shouldn't tinker with him at all. There's no need for him to be an opener since he's done a brilliant job at number 3 for around 6 years.
 
ExplicitAI said:
I remember hearing Azhar talk about his playing style in Tests and he said that his main aim of scoring runs is to wear down the bowlers and to take the shine off the ball. We've been successful as a team in scoring a truck-load of runs in Tests and I remember either Misbah or Younis (can't remember but I think it was Misbah) who said that having Azhar at 3 is a luxury since it makes it easier for Younis to score runs at number 4 and be prolific. Azhar has always scored a lot of runs but I think we shouldn't tinker with him at all. There's no need for him to be an opener since he's done a brilliant job at number 3 for around 6 years.
Click to expand...

Yep, England's best #3 in decades was Trott and nobody ever accused him of batting in a positive fashion. I'm happy with Azhar tuk tukking if it means he's going to bat for hours.
 
ExplicitAI said:
I remember hearing Azhar talk about his playing style in Tests and he said that his main aim of scoring runs is to wear down the bowlers and to take the shine off the ball. We've been successful as a team in scoring a truck-load of runs in Tests and I remember either Misbah or Younis (can't remember but I think it was Misbah) who said that having Azhar at 3 is a luxury since it makes it easier for Younis to score runs at number 4 and be prolific. Azhar has always scored a lot of runs but I think we shouldn't tinker with him at all. There's no need for him to be an opener since he's done a brilliant job at number 3 for around 6 years.
Click to expand...

If its his job to take the ahibe off the he should be an opener. It can give Pakistan a lot of advantage. Hafeez can be sent down to number 6 where he can be more useful than he is at number 1/2. He bats like an opener and that's what his rile should be.
 
As I feared. Azhar's weakness has been worked out and he is responding in the worst way imaginable. When you continuously allow bowlers to bowl 5-6 continuous deliveries at you, you allow them to work their plans on you. The best thing to do is to get to other end or come up with a counter.
This approach of defending and defending has worked in Asia because he isn't tested continuously. He is comfortable on those pitches but in testing conditions you can't just allow the bowlers to bowl ball after ball at you and exploit your weakness.
We all knew woakes and co were attack his pads eventually, sooner or later that ball was coming. And what did Azhar do? He didn't rotate the strike and allowed them to set him up.

Azhar Ali needs to bat smarter. If he can't out bat the bowlers he needs to out think them.
 
After already having played close to 50 test matches, i think we have seen Azhar Ali achieve the best of his abilities. He is not going to exceed his threshold beyond this. Had we played more frequently outside UAE and the Sub Continent, his career might have looked very differently.
 
I don't think he is capable of being more positive

He is an extremely limited cricketer, what you see is what you get
 
All his hundreds are in Asia and he has played 18 test matches outside Asia. Averages 27 outside Asia and 24 if we delete against zim and windies.
 
Fahdi said:
As I feared. Azhar's weakness has been worked out and he is responding in the worst way imaginable. When you continuously allow bowlers to bowl 5-6 continuous deliveries at you, you allow them to work their plans on you. The best thing to do is to get to other end or come up with a counter.
This approach of defending and defending has worked in Asia because he isn't tested continuously. He is comfortable on those pitches but in testing conditions you can't just allow the bowlers to bowl ball after ball at you and exploit your weakness.
We all knew woakes and co were attack his pads eventually, sooner or later that ball was coming. And what did Azhar do? He didn't rotate the strike and allowed them to set him up.

Azhar Ali needs to bat smarter. If he can't out bat the bowlers he needs to out think them.
Click to expand...

The failure to groom the likes of Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood and many others in test matches and to give them a chance in test match cricket was going to cost us one day.
 
coy0607 said:
I don't think he is capable of being more positive

He is an extremely limited cricketer, what you see is what you get
Click to expand...

This was not a very complicated conclusion. Have no idea why everyone is harping on and on about this. The tour of SA in 2013 was eye opening enough. The guy has played close to 50 test matches now, he is incapable of doing anything more.

We are paying very dearly for not grooming the likes of Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood and other batsmen in test match cricket in the last 5-6 years.
 
AlphaFighter said:
This was not a very complicated conclusion. Have no idea why everyone is harping on and on about this. The tour of SA in 2013 was eye opening enough. The guy has played close to 50 test matches now, he is incapable of doing anything more.

We are paying very dearly for not grooming the likes of Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood and other batsmen in test match cricket in the last 5-6 years.
Click to expand...

This

Azhar Ali is a limited batsman so don't expect miracles from him in overseas.
 
That's how he will always play. Just open with him and have someone else (Babar Azam) bat at 3.
 
He got out to a very bad shot but I don't think anything will change. Like it or hate it, but this is how he's batted and its always been his temperment that got him his runs. I am sure he will bounce back from this.
 
I cannot fathom that how can some suggest that he opens when cannot handle the swinging ball at number 3. Absolutely absurd, this.
 
Asher is a player of flat batting track. He will fail on SA, Australia, England and Newzeland pitches at any position of batting order.He is a mediocre batsman with very limited range of shots-the sooner one realize it the better.He failed miserably in SA and he will in those 4 countries.Better to play him only in UAE.
 
The way this guy bats he only has a future as an opener. I am sure Mickey will realise this soon. We all know Misbah is too stubborn to change things.
 
LowKiiSavage said:
I cannot fathom that how can some suggest that he opens when cannot handle the swinging ball at number 3. Absolutely absurd, this.
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Neither can Hafeez, Masood, Younus, Misbah. But Azhar still has the best batting temperament to survive these bowlers. It's a logical decision if he wants to stay in the team.
 
AlphaFighter said:
The failure to groom the likes of Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood and many others in test matches and to give them a chance in test match cricket was going to cost us one day.
Click to expand...

Umar Akmal was treated harshly in tests but he didn't help his case by being a reckless idiot of a batsman in other formats. His immaturity and failure to learn is part of the reason why he is not here.

Sohaib Maqsood should have established himself in the LOI format but he did the same thing as Umar Akmal. Became reckless and kept getting out by playing ugly slogs. Besides he had terrible technique, wouldn't have done much better overseas.

Babar Azam and Haris Sohail have been the only players about whom I can say they should go a long way for Pakistan and have the technique and capabilities to perform in tough conditions. Saud Shakeel is another one but I will reserve judgement till a later date.
 
LowKiiSavage said:
Dont you know? Discipline wins you matches. Not performance or talent. ;)
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Shh you are not allowed to talk sense lol

In Pakistan - being a yes man makes you captain and indespensable to the team and being the captains best friend's ensures you get to open and never get dropped despite averaging 24 overseas.
 
aliasad1998 said:
He should just open. He can play the same way that he is right now. He is better than any Test opener we have tried.
Click to expand...

LOL the only thing opening would do for Azhar is ensuring he will return back to the pavilion faster than he currently is...
 
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BouncerGuy
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