Azhar Ali's record around the world - Is this not the mark of a good batsman?

[MenInG]

I read a lot of criticism about Azhar Ali. Some of it is justified because of the defeats he has been involved in which many of us feel he could have played a role to save Pakistan. But then we look at his records apart from his 18 Test hundreds and we must, in all fairness, ask ourselves. Is this not the mark of a good batsman?

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Azhar Ali has Test centuries:<br><br>v West Indies<br>v Bangladesh<br>v Australia<br>v England <br>v Sri Lanka<br>v New Zealand<br>v Zimbabwe<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1390731363796537347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">An excellent servant and ambassador for Pakistan cricket, Azhar Ali has Test centuries in:<br><br>Australia<br>UAE<br>Bangladesh<br>Sri Lanka<br>England<br>West Indies<br>Zimbabwe<br>Pakistan<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/Db46KCPzYE">pic.twitter.com/Db46KCPzYE</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1390733609615638528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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[Rana]

Underrated player who our fans take for granted tbh. He has Better stats than some senior analysts and ex England captains of the past.

 

[Bullet Drive]

Lol.

Averages 33 in England.

Averages 34 in NZ

Averages 16 in SA.

Not good numbers.

Australia avg is good. But flat tracks there.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Unfortunately, Azhar Ali will never get the respect he deserves from Pakistani fans because their standards are too high eventhough we have produced a handful of world-class batsmen in the last decade. Many of whom are currently playing in the side.

Many of these fans view Azhar as a successor to Misbah and his style of batting, which shows you what they know about cricket since Misbah was the lynchpin of Pakistan's middle-order post 2010 with Younis and an excellent test batsman.

At any rate, it doesn't really matter what many of these people think since they are the same people who still think Sharjeel can be an international-level star.

Azhar is already the fifth leading run-scorer for Pakistan ever. He has scored a triple century, played a big part in Pakistan's dominance in UAE under Misbah and an important role in Pakistan's brief rise to No.1. Even played a crucial innings in the CT final.

Was he the most naturally gifted and talented batsman around? Hardly. But he worked very hard and still has the ability to grit it out in tough conditions. As far as I am concerned he has all the love and respect in the world from a fan like me.

 

[ElRaja]

hes a good batsmen, but thats it, he had a purple period when he was opening scoring 300 against wi, 200 in aus, etc.

its not bad for someone who was basically a leg spinner for the first few seasons of his first class career. he deserves respect as the best test batsmen pak has produced after misbah and yk.

but the truth is he never had the potential to be a world class batsmen, which is why pak fans didnt take to him, but he did his job well, and will continue to do so till he hits 100 tests, after which hell pbly retire.

 

[Mamoon]

He is one of the most impact-less players I have ever seen. His runs rarely prove to be the difference between winning or losing and he never looks settled at the crease even after facing 200 deliveries.

He has not played enough match-defining knocks against quality attacks to be considered a top player.

Azhar is a huge beneficiary of the fact that Pakistan is the least talented team in the world with no proper batsmen.

A player like him did not deserve to play more than 25-30 Tests in a top team. However, in Pakistan, he is well on his way to achieving 100 Test caps.

 

[Buffet]

Only Moyo, Inzzi, and YK have more away tons.

 

[Zaz]

A good batsman Not a great one However pakistan doesnt have such quality in depth that they can have too high standards and they can be choosy

Yes hes no inzy younis miandad or yousuf But hes still more than decent for this team which lacks the superstars of yday

 

[hitthestump]

A good batsman Not a great one However pakistan doesnt have such quality in depth that they can have too high standards and they can be choosy

Yes hes no inzy younis miandad or yousuf But hes still more than decent for this team which lacks the superstars of yday

I agree. There's aeons between him and the biggest batting names that Pakistan have produced, but Azhar slots in as a 'best of the rest' with the likes of Misbah, Ijaz and Salim Malik at his level.

 

[Civil]

He's a good batsman, not iconic. Did his best, and has had some memorable innings. All time definitely fits into our second tier of Salim malik, ijaz etc.

First tier being Javed, inzi, Moyo, yk

Hopefully he gets his 100 test caps.

 

[Hasan123]

He is a solid test match player. His style of play and some of the shots he play aren't the most exciting and certainly aren't textbook. But he knows how to score runs in test cricket.

For our standards, he is a good test player. Obviously in a team with a strong batting line up he would not get many chances. But we should appreciate him a bit more. Don't see many youngster beauties outperforming his career.

 

[mazkhan]

He's average and technically limited as a batsmen nonetheless has been a great servant and punched way above where his technical limitations, limitations in natural talent and flair that have handicapped him, so for being a honest hard worker and gutsy Trier he is up there and to eventually probably get 7000 -8000 test runs is a commendable achievement. One of the nicest guy in cricket.

 

[Jazx]

He is one of the most impact-less players I have ever seen. His runs rarely prove to be the difference between winning or losing and he never looks settled at the crease even after facing 200 deliveries.

He has not played enough match-defining knocks against quality attacks to be considered a top player.

Azhar is a huge beneficiary of the fact that Pakistan is the least talented team in the world with no proper batsmen.

A player like him did not deserve to play more than 25-30 Tests in a top team. However, in Pakistan, he is well on his way to achieving 100 Test caps.

Completely agrees with you about your views on this mediocre batsman. I would say in other top countries he could not have even gone beyond domestics forget about 25-30 tests. Sometimes stats does not reflect the actual caliber of a player.

 

[hitthestump]

Completely agrees with you about your views on this mediocre batsman. I would say in other top countries he could not have even gone beyond domestics forget about 25-30 tests. Sometimes stats does not reflect the actual caliber of a player.

Azhar Ali in his prime walks into the middle order of every test side except India. Even India would have taken him until a couple of years ago.

 

[Jazx]

Azhar Ali in his prime walks into the middle order of every test side except India. Even India would have taken him until a couple of years ago.

Sorry to say in India such kind of batsman are not even considered as a specialist batsman. India have a culture of natural strokemakers instead of just hanging around the crease type of players. A proper batsman should have a complete range of strokes in him. Just to clarify I am not talking about strike rates here, I am talking about the quality and variety of strokes a batsman can play. The theory is same like in Pakistan a bowler is not considered good if he clocks less than 140 kms same way in India or even in other countries a batsman is not considered good if he does not have full range of strokes.

 

[PakPremi]

Sorry to say in India such kind of batsman are not even considered as a specialist batsman. India have a culture of natural strokemakers instead of just hanging around the crease type of players. A proper batsman should have a complete range of strokes in him. Just to clarify I am not talking about strike rates here, I am talking about the quality and variety of strokes a batsman can play. The theory is same like in Pakistan a bowler is not (considered good if he clocks less than 140 kms same way in India or even in other countries a batsman is not considered good if he does not have full range of strokes.

Likes of Pujara, Rahane and even Dravid hardly displayed their variety of strikes in tests.

 

[GreenKhan]

Anybody who says he won’t have played more than 25 tests in any other country is just clueless.

He has had success and scored 100’s in most countries he has toured . Like others he has his favourite hunting grounds , and places where he struggles but that’s the same with most players .

I am not calling him a great player , but he has been a “good” batsman for Pakistan.

His record is similar to the likes of Ross Taylor , faf, Rahane, , and all them have played way more than 30 tests for there respective countries .

 

[MesonK]

Lol.

Averages 33 in England.

Averages 34 in NZ

Averages 16 in SA.

Not good numbers.

Australia avg is good. But flat tracks there.

Lol on you actually.

He averages higher than Pujara in Entire SENA+WI (except for SA). If Pujara is second best Indian bastman in tests after Kohli in last decade then mind you Azahar Ali has superior record than Pujara in most of the aspects of game.

 

[MesonK]

Anybody who says he won’t have played more than 25 tests in any other country is just clueless.

He has had success and scored 100’s in most countries he has toured . Like others he has his favourite hunting grounds , and places where he struggles but that’s the same with most players .

I am not calling him a great player , but he has been a “good” batsman for Pakistan.

His record is similar to the likes of Ross Taylor , faf, Rahane, , and all them have played way more than 30 tests for there respective countries .

Azhar Ali has similar (mostly better stats) compared to Indian Pujara and FAF yes but Taylor has much better stats while Rahane is league below Azhar Ali and Pujara in terms of deep stats.

Its like Batsmen from South Asia in last 7-8 years or so ...

League 1: Kohli

League 2: Mathews, Azhar Ali, Pujara, (Babar Azam currently stands in this league but his sample is too small)

League 2: Karunaratne, Rahane, Shafiq, Shakib, Chandimal, Mushfiq (Requires deep stat analysis)

This can actually be a very good stats thread. I would have to spare time. If Pakistani selector would not have destroyed Fawads career he might today be standing with 7K test runs with ~50 average in League 2 for sure or may be 1. Its just sad.

 

[Manzy2599]

Lol.

Averages 33 in England.

Averages 34 in NZ

Averages 16 in SA.

Not good numbers.

Australia avg is good. But flat tracks there.

Yeah and that 205 not out at Melbourne inflated his average significantly or he would’ve averaged less than 40 there. He’s good by Pakistani standards but not great. Babar has the potential if he can maintain consistency in all conditions.

 

[Jazx]

Likes of Pujara, Rahane and even Dravid hardly displayed their variety of strikes in tests.

What do you mean by strikes here? I already clarified that I am not talking about strike rates here. I meant about the range of strokes he possess and as per that criteria dravid, rahane and pujara are miles ahead of him. Azhar is more like ravi shastri who himself was a very limited player, but still he was more valuable than him as he was a bowler too.

 

[Jazx]

Likes of Pujara, Rahane and even Dravid hardly displayed their variety of strikes in tests.

I think you took it as ability of playing big shots but actually I was referring to proper cricketing strokes that are indeed played in test cricket also. And pujara, dravid and rahane are complete batsmen by any means.

 

[Rana]

If Azhar can reach 100 Tests and an average close to 45 by the end of it...I would say bloody brilliant!

However there is more chance of his average dropping just below 40 by then. At the moment, he has been a very good batsman for Pakistan

 

[Mamoon]

Azhar must have mistimed around 90% of the deliveries that he has faced in his Test career. I have never seen a more scratchy player.

 

[PakPremi]

What do you mean by strikes here? I already clarified that I am not talking about strike rates here. I meant about the range of strokes he possess and as per that criteria dravid, rahane and pujara are miles ahead of him. Azhar is more like ravi shastri who himself was a very limited player, but still he was more valuable than him as he was a bowler too.

Strikes was a typo it's strokes. Lol at comparison with Shastri.

 

[Titan24]

He has been a really good test player for Pakistan and there are no two ways about. Obviously not in the league of Pak legends but, than averaging close to 50 or 50+ is not an easy task and has been an uncommon occurrence in the last decade even around the world.

In SENA countries other than Aus where his record is good, would have liked him to create a bit more impact but then its not only him most Pak players over the last decade have struggled in those conditions.

 

[Titan24]

I think you took it as ability of playing big shots but actually I was referring to proper cricketing strokes that are indeed played in test cricket also. And pujara, dravid and rahane are complete batsmen by any means.

Pujara is a really good test player but, one of the most limited one you will see in terms of strokeplay so I personally dont agree with Pujara being a complete batsmen with variety of strokes. Other teams also have and have had fair share of players who were generally considered test specialist due to their compact gameplay but, probably limited strokeplay.

Also in test cricket you cant make these many runs without playing proper cricket shots. So not really sure what you mean by the word “proper”.

 

[Jazx]

Pujara is a really good test player but, one of the most limited one you will see in terms of strokeplay so I personally dont agree with Pujara being a complete batsmen with variety of strokes. Other teams also have and have had fair share of players who were generally considered test specialist due to their compact gameplay but, probably limited strokeplay.

Also in test cricket you cant make these many runs without playing proper cricket shots. So not really sure what you mean by the word “proper”.

So according to you a compact gameplay and limited strokeplay makes you a test specialist. But as per my thinking this is a misconception about test cricket which most of the people have.
And by proper cricketing shots I meant the drives, cuts, pull, proper defence and follow through which a makes a complete batsman and azhar ali lacks all these. In fact he has a wierd technique for all these. The Lara's and tendulkars were not a compact and limited batsmen but they were great test players. And pujara also from any angle is not a limited player. I think you come to that conclusion by looking at his strike rate.

 

[Titan24]

So according to you a compact gameplay and limited strokeplay makes you a test specialist. But as per my thinking this is a misconception about test cricket which most of the people have.
And by proper cricketing shots I meant the drives, cuts, pull, proper defence and follow through which a makes a complete batsman and azhar ali lacks all these. In fact he has a wierd technique for all these. The Lara's and tendulkars were not a compact and limited batsmen but they were great test players. And pujara also from any angle is not a limited player. I think you come to that conclusion by looking at his strike rate.

Lol! Where did I say that only players with limited strokes become test players? I said players with compact technique, who know how to survive at the crease and limited stroke/ range play can become test specialists. Specialist here means they dont play much of other formats as they dont have the range of strokes and gameplay for that. Thats why guys like Pujara never played much white ball cricket and guys like Azhar and Rahane also couldnt play for much.

The kind of strokes you are saying Azhar lacks, how did he make 6000+ test runs without almost every stroke in book and also without proper defence?

Maybe see his 200 in Aus or 300 vs WI, to see quite a few strokes.

Everyone who makes his national team has the basic strokes, the range to execute them sometimes is limited which restricts them to only longer format. Pujara also falls into that category and you have not shared any facts and stats to prove otherwise. Just repeatedly saying Azhar cant play any shot and cant defend is not good enough argument when any of his innings will prove otherwise.

 

[Jazx]

Lol! Where did I say that only players with limited strokes become test players? I said players with compact technique, who know how to survive at the crease and limited stroke/ range play can become test specialists. Specialist here means they dont play much of other formats as they dont have the range of strokes and gameplay for that. Thats why guys like Pujara never played much white ball cricket and guys like Azhar and Rahane also couldnt play for much.

The kind of strokes you are saying Azhar lacks, how did he make 6000+ test runs without almost every stroke in book and also without proper defence?

Maybe see his 200 in Aus or 300 vs WI, to see quite a few strokes.

Everyone who makes his national team has the basic strokes, the range to execute them sometimes is limited which restricts them to only longer format. Pujara also falls into that category and you have not shared any facts and stats to prove otherwise. Just repeatedly saying Azhar cant play any shot and cant defend is not good enough argument when any of his innings will prove otherwise.

I agree you didn't say that only players with limited strokes are test players and there are players in other countries too like this but they are also not rated highly. And the same applies to azhar ali also, he is also an average player like them. The players which falls under azhar's category are like Jimmy Adams, ravi shastri, samarveera etc who made lot of runs but no one rates them highly. And again I would say the same thing pujara, dravid and rahane are class apart and miles ahead of azhar.

 

[Markhor]

Solid batsman. Not in the first tier of greats or someone you'd depend on to score many match defining knocks, just a solid pro.

My biggest issue is he's hanging on way past his prime.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Pujara is definitely one of the most limited batsman in terms of strokeplay, but this tells us more about his persistence and grit. Same goes for Azhar.
Dravid was way better than both of them in terma of strokeplay and as a result he carved out a great odi career too.

 

[Adil_94]

Azhar has been a solid bat for us if lacking in quality but he needs to be phased out ideally.

But we lack a settled Test opening pair

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Many people must take into account number of useless openers Pakistan have played since Azhar Ali's debut.

He is a solid batsman, not a walking wicket. That's precisely Pakistan need after a typical start of 10/1.

 

[Maher96]

These stats are Amazing for any Batsmen.

Let’s look closely at Azhars last 10 odd years since his debut- As he rightly said playing 7-8 test matches a yea only ( in his case). It’s a tough task to come in and perform especially if this is the only format you are selected in.

I think very early in his career he wanted some LOI success and I am overjoyed at the point this fellow was part of the our CT19 success not did he grow and play out of his skin in the final - it’s the last stamp he wanted on his career and got.

In our t20 age we will fergot or not appreciate his talent of determination and hunger to become our most reliable batsmen is just remarkable. Although as many have suggested not entirely the pure match-winner you associate with Pakistani star player but Azhar has deserved it all.

He came into the team when there was 0 batsmen around him. If he today scores a easy hundred I am more than happy because post 2010 fiasco a few cricketers put the country first and Azhar has surely been one of them.

Echo what Saj said wonderful ambassador or Pakistan.

 

[The Viper]

He has been a pretty good servant for Pakistan and he once possessed an average of 47 during his peak. His decline has been a shame, though. I wish Pakistan deployed him as an opener permanently because he has good numbers there.

 

[TabishNator]

Azhar is probably one of the most underrated Pakistani cricketers ever just because he's not fancy and doesn't play at a quick rate lol

 

[TabishNator]

I would say he's the best modern day Pakistani test batsman after Younis Khan.

 

[Amjid Javed]

pakistan should have moved on from Azhar after the NZ series defeat in UAE or SA away series. yes Azhar might be getting some cheap runs now but long term is offering nothing to pakistan test side. his refusal to open now means we have to keep playing to mediocre openers and once azhar does retire we will need to find a number 3 batsmen.

we should be using saud shakeel at 3 now with azhar plus one opener. it then means when he does go team shud be stable. but pakistan think tank dont use their brains.

 

[Farabi]

pakistan should have moved on from Azhar after the NZ series defeat in UAE or SA away series. yes Azhar might be getting some cheap runs now but long term is offering nothing to pakistan test side. his refusal to open now means we have to keep playing to mediocre openers and once azhar does retire we will need to find a number 3 batsmen.

we should be using saud shakeel at 3 now with azhar plus one opener. it then means when he does go team shud be stable. but pakistan think tank dont use their brains.

Dropping Azhar would make the entire top order inexperienced.

Saud Shakeel’s suited to 4/5 slot and does better against spin and in second innings. He should be groomed to replace Fawad.
For no 3 slot, the better options are Kamran Ghulam and Usman S who have stronger defense against pace.

 

[Farabi]

Based on my understanding of skills, Strengths and weaknesses, and performances in FC:

Usman S should be groomed behind Azhar Ali
Kamran should be groomed behind Babar
Saud should be groomed behind Fawad
Rohail behind Rizwan

 

[TabishNator]

Based on my understanding of skills, Strengths and weaknesses, and performances in FC:

Usman S should be groomed behind Azhar Ali
Kamran should be groomed behind Babar
Saud should be groomed behind Fawad
Rohail behind Rizwan

Babar and Kamran are around the same age and both should play together.

 

[Farabi]

Babar and Kamran are around the same age and both should play together.

That’s a good observation. I think Kamran and Usman should be the back-up for Babar and Azhar Ali.

 

[Amjid Javed]

[MENTION=150126]Farabi[/MENTION]

i didnt say drop Azhar straight away. i said he should open while we groom a number 3 as we have plenty of middle order batsmen we can groom in that position.

we dont 1 good test opener, let alone 2 yet we keep persisting trying to find 2 in one go. plus Azhar at 3 right now is no benefit to team when hes practically opening like he was in NZ or SA series when are useless openers were getting out early.

 

[Farabi]

[MENTION=150126]Farabi[/MENTION]

i didnt say drop Azhar straight away. i said he should open while we groom a number 3 as we have plenty of middle order batsmen we can groom in that position.

we dont 1 good test opener, let alone 2 yet we keep persisting trying to find 2 in one go. plus Azhar at 3 right now is no benefit to team when hes practically opening like he was in NZ or SA series when are useless openers were getting out early.

Any top-order batsman averaging 43 in test cricket over 80 test matches is worth gold.
“The plenty of middle order batsmen” you’re referring to haven’t scored a run in Aus, Eng and NZ yet. Many talented boys have come and gone. It makes no sense to change what ain’t broken.
It’s true that Azhar did well as an opener INITIALLY but unfortunately, he couldn’t sustain those performances and he was averaging 20ish in his last 10 innings and he was really close to being dropped before moving to 3 saved his career.
Frankly, Azhar is the last of the problems Pak has right now because #3 slot is very hard to nail down, specially for Asian batsmen who are not great at playing pace and seam in SENa

 

[moghul]

Most of the his career he was an average player, at his peak which lasted 1-2 years he was a bit above average and never a true match winner. Now with age, he has been a below average, unable to score against good teams and making runs only against minnows .

Should have retired or dropped 3 years ago. He is just blocking the spot of a young batsman .

 

[MenInG]

And takes a brilliant catch today also

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[Nasty Naz]

He's had a really good career and was one of the best openers this team has ever had. It's quite incredible what he has been able to achieve despite being very limited in his shots.

Struggled in swinging conditions though as it shows with his average in England, NZ & SA but it's not like he was downright awful in England & NZ. The only thing that's disappointing is that he doesn't open anymore. He is occupying a crucial #3 position for someone that can play it better. Him not opening also results in two mediocre openers instead of one. It is one of the biggest reasons why Pakistan has been so bad in Tests the last few years.

 

[Markhor]

He's had a really good career and was one of the best openers this team has ever had. It's quite incredible what he has been able to achieve despite being very limited in his shots.

Struggled in swinging conditions though as it shows with his average in England, NZ & SA but it's not like he was downright awful in England & NZ. The only thing that's disappointing is that he doesn't open anymore. He is occupying a crucial #3 position for someone that can play it better. Him not opening also results in two mediocre openers instead of one. It is one of the biggest reasons why Pakistan has been so bad in Tests the last few years.

Agreed, Azhar's game is ideally suited to blunting the new ball and should've remained an opener especially after his golden run as one in 2016/17.

 

[Amjid Javed]

He's had a really good career and was one of the best openers this team has ever had. It's quite incredible what he has been able to achieve despite being very limited in his shots.

Struggled in swinging conditions though as it shows with his average in England, NZ & SA but it's not like he was downright awful in England & NZ. The only thing that's disappointing is that he doesn't open anymore. He is occupying a crucial #3 position for someone that can play it better. Him not opening also results in two mediocre openers instead of one. It is one of the biggest reasons why Pakistan has been so bad in Tests the last few years.

glad someone has written and agreed with pretty much everything ive said on Azhar aswell.

 

[shamaan]

What do you mean by strikes here? I already clarified that I am not talking about strike rates here. I meant about the range of strokes he possess and as per that criteria dravid, rahane and pujara are miles ahead of him. Azhar is more like ravi shastri who himself was a very limited player, but still he was more valuable than him as he was a bowler too.

If you think pujara has more strokes than azhar then no comment.

 

[shamaan]

Azhar has had a good career he obviously isn't in the same league as younis,miadad,inzy,yousuf but he's done reasonably well.I would also have him opening for Pakistan.

 

[Abid Z]

Not a great player but a very good player for Pakistan who gets a lot of respect from English commentators. I love his slow but solid style of batting. He’s as fidgety and scratchy as younis on a bad day but I honestly think somebody who can be bothered should do an analysis of younis in his first ten years and azhar. You will find very similar stats ie filling their boots on slower tracks but struggling against fast bouncy tracks. Only caveat being that New Zealand ten years ago were not very good now they look unbeatable at home.

Like many other Pakistan greats I think he will improve as he goes on and make some solid scores soon. Wish him the best he’s my favourite Pakistan player. Very unassuming and humble.

 

[Concerned]

I read a lot of criticism about Azhar Ali. Some of it is justified because of the defeats he has been involved in which many of us feel he could have played a role to save Pakistan. But then we look at his records apart from his 18 Test hundreds and we must, in all fairness, ask ourselves. Is this not the mark of a good batsman?


View attachment 109077

This actually makes poor readings. By international standards this is below par given then number of opportunities he’s had.

He has failed in every country with the only exception being UAE. He has been able to make one substantial score is most countries which has over inflated both his average and runs. Take his top score out and his average dramatically drops.

 

[Saj]

Test average as of today - 42.98

Test average back in May 2017 - 46.86

Dropped by nearly 4 runs which is worrying.

 

[Ab Fan]

If you think pujara has more strokes than azhar then no comment.

Against spin, Pujara has more strokes than Azhar.

Against pace, neither have enough strokes.

 

[Arsal_AK]

He is the best batsman we have had after YK in the last decade.

But now his time is up, its should be evident for a while to everyone. The only way he can extend his career for a bit is to play as opener, given the absolutely dire situation we have there.

Otherwise it's time to look for a new top three. The BD tests should be a perfect opportunity to do this, given they are right after the QeA trophy.

 

[sshakir411]

He is one of the most impact-less players I have ever seen. His runs rarely prove to be the difference between winning or losing and he never looks settled at the crease even after facing 200 deliveries.

He has not played enough match-defining knocks against quality attacks to be considered a top player.

Azhar is a huge beneficiary of the fact that Pakistan is the least talented team in the world with no proper batsmen.

A player like him did not deserve to play more than 25-30 Tests in a top team. However, in Pakistan, he is well on his way to achieving 100 Test caps.

Couldn’t have said it better. Sucks the life out of an innings just to score a few runs. Team ends up losing but his numbers look good.

 

[MRSN]

As Mamoon well said, Azhar is impactless and most negative player I have ever seen. His runs are just his personal milestones that doesn't help team at all. Just like his hero Misbah Azhar too is an impactless player.

His approach is outdated. For example today he consumed 40 odd balls for 10 runs and he was blocking some bad deliveries as well but once he thought he was way behind even as per his own standards then he started taking risk and lost his leg stump. Players like hime have zero impact on the match.

 

[MRSN]

Couldn’t have said it better. Sucks the life out of an innings just to score a few runs. Team ends up losing but his numbers look good.

Misbah ki rooh abhi bhi hai is team me Azhar ki surat me. This is why a positive minded coach is a must at this level.

 

[Ilan Bluestone]

Azhar Ali is one of the most disappointing players in the history of test cricket bar none.

A player who was a very formidable batsmen when he was groomed perfectly by two great Pakistani test batsmen in Misbah and Younis - who then post their retirement probably had the weakest mentality I have ever seen except for his good friend Asad Shafiq.

His odd big score after a bunch of mediocre ones means little. It’s about the consistency.

To have gone from a 50 average batsmen to falling into the mid-40s as a one down batsmen means he’s scoring in the 30s. He had the table perfectly set, all the backing in the world, and then completely fallen flat on his face.

He should have continued that form but clearly needed to feel comfortable with two of the legends of Pakistan cricket there to guide him.

He will fall off having scored a triple century at one point to being an after thought in test lore.

 

[MenInG]

Kemar Roach speaking at end of Day 3

Felt good today (with the ball) and I just got the ball to track it in as we all know that he (Azhar Ali) is a lbw candidate, so it really worked

 

[MenInG]

Azhar Ali - first ball duck against Bangladesh.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

Time to groom a new number 3.
Azhar's time is up. Unfortunately he did not carry on the Yousuf, Younis legacy despite the attempts to make him as such. He was supposed to step up. Like YK did after Inzi. But he failed.

 

[MenInG]

The Pakistan batting disaster this morning

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[shah_1]

What a flop

It is time for Ramiz Raja to act tough and interfere . Stop this dosti baazi of Babar Azam. Axe Azhar tailender Ali from the next match.

 

[in_cutter]

Leading the way with the most ducks. ‘Mark of a good batsman’ lol. Overall avg 42.

Mediocre

 

[Finisher]

 

[sweep_shot]

He seems finished. Not the same old Azhar Ali anymore.

He was a top batsman a few years ago but I think it is time for him to hang up the boots.

 

[mazkhan]

Imam ul haq and fakhar zaman needs to come into the team

Fakhar can bat at 3

And imam can open with abid ali


Fawad alam also needs to be monitored he's getting on a bit so saud shakeel is the likely replacement or Abdullah shafique .

 

[hitthestump]

Time to groom a new number 3.
Azhar's time is up. Unfortunately he did not carry on the Yousuf, Younis legacy despite the attempts to make him as such. He was supposed to step up. Like YK did after Inzi. But he failed.

No need to groom, it's clearly time for Babar to step up. Saud Shakeel should come in at 4.

 

[ChTab]

Imam ul haq and fakhar zaman needs to come into the team

Fakhar can bat at 3

And imam can open with abid ali


Fawad alam also needs to be monitored he's getting on a bit so saud shakeel is the likely replacement or Abdullah shafique .

Fakhar Zaman at 3 in test cricket?? Either you're joking or you haven't watched Fakhar play. He's not suitable for tesr cricket. Imam can be a decent opener but he has to work on his game.

 

[saabir]

Azhar has passed his good days. He is an average player these days who can perform once here and there but he won't be consistent. Time to give chance to Suad Shakeel and Kamran Ghulam.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

No need to groom, it's clearly time for Babar to step up. Saud Shakeel should come in at 4.

Babar can barely hold his own at number 4. If there needs to be a number 3 replacement there needs to be some reassurance in the middle order incase the replacement fails . When Azhar debuted there was YK/Yousuf/Misbah lower down incase he failed.

 

[shamaan]

Imam ul haq and fakhar zaman needs to come into the team

Fakhar can bat at 3

And imam can open with abid ali


Fawad alam also needs to be monitored he's getting on a bit so saud shakeel is the likely replacement or Abdullah shafique .

Saud should be at 3 not fakhar.

 

[shamaan]

Azhar Ali needs to retire he's been poor in Qaid E Azam and got a golden duck.

Saud Shakeel must replace him come the next test/series.

 

[Energy]

Ajju bhai is going to rescue us in the 2nd innings. Have faith.

 

[hitthestump]

Ajju bhai is going to rescue us in the 2nd innings. Have faith.

This would be terrible. He's done this heroic innings before but long term it's been a net negative for Pakistan.

Saud and Kamran Ghulam are waiting in the wings. It's time for us to let go if Azhar is unwilling to go himself.

 

[gazza619]

No need to panic. Bangladesh bowled well.