Babar Azam "I don't want to be a dummy captain"

[Titan24]

In that case I think Faheem Ashraf is two poor performances away on the eve of the World Cup to be replaced by Hasan Ali

I think as of now both Hasan and Faheem are fixed members of the squad leading upto World T20 and in World T20 unless something extreme happens. Yes playing XI can vary depending upon the conditions and opposition.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

This is also shows that Babar isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

Misbah has been the worst thing for Babar's career for two reasons:

1. During the 2016/17 Australia tour, he made Babar bat at 3 even though he was too raw to be taking that kind of responsibility.

2. Dropped him when he was playing for ISLU

Now, Babar is being Misbah's puppet.

He has never convinced me as leadership material and this only reinforces my view on his captaincy credentials.

Exactly. It's Misbah who wants and also selected tried and tested failures.

That mentality is now being passed on to Babar. Babar and Misbah will fight for Malik, Wahab and Iftikhar to be selected in the World T20.

More power to Muhammad Wasim to tackle this buddies/tajuurba hangout.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

You didn't watch the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy then.

Dhani was the only one getting the ball to consistently bounce on those low, slow Karachi pitches. He was the best U25 pacer of the tournament.

He shouldn't debut yet though, and neither should Rauf for that matter.

Really? So you're telling me he got selected for averaging 33 with the ball?

QeA Trophy finished before the South Africa series, why wasn't he selected against South Africa then?

You can bring Haris Rauf into this if you want. But doing so only strengthens my argument. Because he too was selected on the basis of T20 performances.

Neither Rauf nor Dahani have done anything substantial to earn a test call-up.

 

[topspin]

Exactly. It's Misbah who wants and also selected tried and tested failures.

That mentality is now being passed on to Babar. Babar and Misbah will fight for Malik, Wahab and Iftikhar to be selected in the World T20.

More power to Muhammad Wasim to tackle this buddies/tajuurba hangout.

Also everyone knows Babar is a timid individual. Misbah (and Waqar) are manipulating him because they know he's an obedient yes man like Azhar Ali.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Relax, we will win every game on tour

 

[Titan24]

Talking about which players should have been selected is never difficult, its difficult to point out which players should have been dropped.

As an example, Mohammad Nawaz won man of the match in the T20 series decider vs SA and Usman Qadir has been bowling pretty well as a specialist spinner. So who should Imad Wasim have replaced in the T20 squad? I also believe he deserved a selection but, then the ones selected in the squad over him in similar kind of roles also took their opportunities when Imad wasnt available.

Point is its not as straightforward as some are trying to imply here. Which players should have been dropped for those 5,6 or rumored 11 players? Its pointless to mention names that should have been there when people cant mention the names who shouldnt be there.

 

[Shafi]

Exactly. It's Misbah who wants and also selected tried and tested failures.

That mentality is now being passed on to Babar. Babar and Misbah will fight for Malik, Wahab and Iftikhar to be selected in the World T20.

More power to Muhammad Wasim to tackle this buddies/tajuurba hangout.

Knew that!!!! Misbah and Waqar are too powerful to handle for M Wasim And Wasim K. Had Wasim Khan didn't select those 2 clowns and made Babar captain we could have done better under foreign coach with M Wasim. Now one of Wasim will be sacked after S Africa series.

 

[moghul]

Although I disagree with some of Wasim's selections but over all in this argument , I think Babar is not making any sense.

Dhani was not selected based on PSL performance , he was selected in PSL after showing some promise in Qea trophy. Dhani has passed the performance and fitness test by playing Qea trophy and his is a good selection.

Pakistan is also desperately needs a fast bowling all rounder and Wasim Jr has shown some promise, nothing wrong in trying him , although I think Amad Butt being unlucky here.

Babar lost my support when he asked for Haris Sohail's inclusion, who is a "32 year old" with 42 year old body and has not been performing for long. Babar also wanted Wabab and Shoaib Malik's selection , time to move on from the oldies unless they are performing like Hafeez.

Yes, Mohammad Wasim is guilty here for not communicating with captain and senior players like Yasir about his decisions .

 

[MenInG]

Kamran Akmal speaking on his Youtube about this topic:

“I think the captain has the biggest role. He must insist on the players he wants. All successful teams have a captain deciding the players and creating a team filled with match-winners. Look at England, India and New Zealand. They are great captains and they have made great teams. The responsibility lies with Babar Azam"

“If Babar doesn’t tell them then it could hurt his own focus and performances. That is why I think it is Babar’s responsibility. He is not a kid anymore. He is experienced and is a top-class player. The PCB has given him complete authority. He should utilise that authority. If he relies on these individuals then our cricket might not be headed towards betterment"

“You can’t just pick players for the Test format from those who perform well in T20Is. This is how it is going right now. This is causing damage to Pakistan cricket. The PCB should put more thought into how they select players for the national side. They should think about the process and policy of selection. They can’t just put a laptop in front and show stats. That is how foreign coaches thrive here like Mickey Arthur. They didn’t make cricket better in the country, on the contrary, they damaged it significantly. The same policy is being applied now. It doesn’t work like that"

“What is the vision and policy of the individuals selecting the players? This is what is happening. They are looking at players bowling in the nets. If somebody bowls one good spell in four matches then you say he has done really well. We have to rectify all of these issues"

 

[Usman Chadda]

Babar is the one in the wrong here. Agreed on the fact that he has to have a say in selection matters, but from what I have heard, Babar wanted Khushdil, Wahab and Malik in the T20 squad. I dont blame Wasim for not picking his calls, if Babar is going to do rona dhona for substandard cricketers.

 

[Shafi]

What next!!!! Kamran in our team in all formats.

 

[Varun]

Always gotta wonder how in Pakistan cricket a conversation between two people makes its way to the Chinese whispers game so quickly.

 

[Saj]

Always gotta wonder how in Pakistan cricket a conversation between two people makes its way to the Chinese whispers game so quickly.

I don't rely on Chinese, Indian or Pakistani whispers.

Never have done, never will.

 

[msb314]

Gives me 2006 YK flashbacks

Completely different issue..

 

[MHN1293]

Babar is the one in the wrong here. Agreed on the fact that he has to have a say in selection matters, but from what I have heard, Babar wanted Khushdil, Wahab and Malik in the T20 squad. I dont blame Wasim for not picking his calls, if Babar is going to do rona dhona for substandard cricketers.

If babar did want for kushdil wahab and malik to return then it might be under the influence of misbah and a wrong mindset(He also called out for yasir shah, amir yamin after his thrashings in the psl and haris sohail who remains unfit) however he did raise some good points as to why dahani was seleceted(Naseem at least was selected based on Fc not psl. Rauf is still in the t20 team so it might create difficulties in his and babars already strained relation had he called for his exclusion.) Kamran ghulam was also wrongfully excluded from the squad.

 

[Varun]

I don't rely on Chinese, Indian or Pakistani whispers.

Never have done, never will.

I'm sure you have your good sources but my point of contention is that how do the sources in question have such quick access to a private conversation in the first place.

 

[BigShak]

Babar should focus on getting his form back rather than complaining about selections.

 

[Geil]

Not having any communication with the captain of the team before selecting a team shows that there is no trust or confidence in the captain Babar Azam

No confidence which is what most of Pak players show on Field when they play International Cricket against top teams

 

[Bewal Express]

Kamran Akmal speaking on his Youtube about this topic:

“I think the captain has the biggest role. He must insist on the players he wants. All successful teams have a captain deciding the players and creating a team filled with match-winners. Look at England, India and New Zealand. They are great captains and they have made great teams. The responsibility lies with Babar Azam"

“If Babar doesn’t tell them then it could hurt his own focus and performances. That is why I think it is Babar’s responsibility. He is not a kid anymore. He is experienced and is a top-class player. The PCB has given him complete authority. He should utilise that authority. If he relies on these individuals then our cricket might not be headed towards betterment"

“You can’t just pick players for the Test format from those who perform well in T20Is. This is how it is going right now. This is causing damage to Pakistan cricket. The PCB should put more thought into how they select players for the national side. They should think about the process and policy of selection. They can’t just put a laptop in front and show stats. That is how foreign coaches thrive here like Mickey Arthur. They didn’t make cricket better in the country, on the contrary, they damaged it significantly. The same policy is being applied now. It doesn’t work like that"

“What is the vision and policy of the individuals selecting the players? This is what is happening. They are looking at players bowling in the nets. If somebody bowls one good spell in four matches then you say he has done really well. We have to rectify all of these issues"

What if the Captain wants guys that have failed?

 

[Bewal Express]

I think Babar needs to resign if Malik and Wahab are guys he wants. The stupidity of Wanting 2 guys is that he isn't the brightest. Let Riz takeover and Babar just play as batsman

 

[Saj]

I asked about Shoaib Malik and the response was neutral. Neither definitely for or against his selection.

 

[Majid Khan]

It’s one thing if you have proven match winners available to then debate about the selection of rookies - but if you are quite content to back Wahab Riaz or Mohammed Abbas and appreciate him taking 2 wickets for 60 runs , yet if a rookie bowler like Dhani or Mo Wasim Jr came along and did the same - he’s not good enough.

What concerns me though is in the captain is not in favour of selection of certain players, unless he’s someone broad minded and willing to have some faith in youngsters you might have some hope - but otherwise the typical desi way to handle such situations is to deny that player every opportunity where you can and when you do play him, show no faith in him and almost set him up for failure... just so you can say “see , I told you he’s not good enough” to someone.

 

[Shafi]

It’s one thing if you have proven match winners available to then debate about the selection of rookies - but if you are quite content to back Wahab Riaz or Mohammed Abbas and appreciate him taking 2 wickets for 60 runs , yet if a rookie bowler like Dhani or Mo Wasim Jr came along and did the same - he’s not good enough.

What concerns me though is in the captain is not in favour of selection of certain players, unless he’s someone broad minded and willing to have some faith in youngsters you might have some hope - but otherwise the typical desi way to handle such situations is to deny that player every opportunity where you can and when you do play him, show no faith in him and almost set him up for failure... just so you can say “see , I told you he’s not good enough” to someone.

Looks like Babar has mentality like Misbah. If it’s true he will damage Pakistan cricket more than Misbah did.

 

[Last Monetarist]

It's a problem wholly created by the PCB when they appointed a traditionalist in Babar Azam as captain for all formats while bringing in a token maverick as Chief Selector. Mohammad Wasim doesn't have the standing in the game to get the requisite respect from Babar, Misbah, and Waqar. This can only be solved if one of the two parties is forced out.

Wasim Khan keeps showing that he is not quite as intelligent as his supporters allege. These are basic mistakes that should concern everyone.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

It's a problem wholly created by the PCB when they appointed a traditionalist in Babar Azam as captain for all formats while bringing in a token maverick as Chief Selector. Mohammad Wasim doesn't have the standing in the game to get the requisite respect from Babar, Misbah, and Waqar. This can only be solved if one of the two parties is forced out.

Wasim Khan keeps showing that he is not quite as intelligent as his supporters allege. These are basic mistakes that should concern everyone.

Well said.

Babar Azam or Misbah need a Haroon Rasheed, Iqbal Qasim type selector who serve them instead of actually doing some scouting/selecting.

This is why guys like Haroon Rasheed and Iqbal Qasim are loved in the PCB. They will keep returning for that very reason.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Looks like Babar has mentality like Misbah. If it’s true he will damage Pakistan cricket more than Misbah did.

He is a traditionalist. Many in Pakistan are like that. He feels seniors with their experience are a big asset to this country.

The reason you saw guys like Kashif Bhatti and Iftikhar getting selected instead of Zahid or Saud under Misbah.

Seniority is a big thing in our culture.

 

[Darkrai]

Agree with Babar on some of his points.

How can you drop Haris when he has been your best ODI player for some time now. He averages 54 against top 6 sides with a good Sr, no one else comes close to that. His exclusion would make sense if you were actually a good team but you barely won against Zimbabwe.

 

[Savak]

Regardless of whether you agree or disagree. I am glad Babar is standing up for himself and his players as captain. Even a so called natural leader like Sarfaraz never did this

 

[UzmanBeast]

Is the alternative a nobody like Wasim trying to con deluded fans? Then yes I would take Misbah.

This whole thing is a farce. If Wasim indeed told Babar that he has nothing to do with squad selection, then that alone is a good enough reason to boot him out.

It is ridiculous to suggest that a captain and a coach should have no input/influence when it comes to squad selection. Every single team in the world is selected with the approval of the captain.

You cannot hold the captain and coach accountable by giving him the players he did not want.

The issue here is that M. Wasim is fishing for cheap praise and wants to make himself look good without taking the input of Babar into consideration.

He is taking shots on the dark and taking punts with left-field choices like Shafique, Dhani, Rauf, Wasim Jr. hoping that one of them will fluke a few good performances and everyone will praise M. Wasim for his great vision and genius eye for spotting talent.

It is all about his agenda and his desire to show-off.

Agreed, this was established earlier as well. He is selecting what the public wants, not what is logically correct.

Babar Azam, captain of the Pakistan National Team across all formats, gets no input on the squad selection? Like is this some street cricket captaincy where the team is already decided ahead of time?

Mohammad Wasim needs to acknowledge that some of his "coaching experience" does not give him the right to neglect choices that Babar Azam has set aside.

The whole point of Babar Azam being allowed to discuss with Wasim is that Babar, as a player, and as a captain, has more insights on how the morale/squad balance is compared to Wasim.

You need a certain kind of squad balance to succeed at T20s now, with the right number of all-rounders and batsmen. What we commonly see with teams is that they go with an extra all-rounder over a batsman, and then say that they were a batsman short. Even against SAF, our tail was unnecessarily long given that neither Faheem nor Nawaz is consistent and reliable at finishing games, we got lucky that Nawaz played a good knock otherwise we'd have been beaten by South Africa's C team.

I think Mohammad Wasim's agenda is public image and reputation. You look at the selectors before him, they never selected players who the public really stood behind. Wasim is going to do whatever the public says just to keep criticism away from him and on the Pakistan Team Management. It's a classical move, jahan se nazar utar lo, waha se pressure nikal do. He's trying to get a very stress-free tenure as the Chief Selector is my take on the selections.

His selections haven't been bad, credit to him, but ignoring the captain makes no sense. If it weren't for Kohli at RCB, would India have really tried Washington Sundar in International Cricket? They have a very good prospect now because of Kohli's eye for talent. It hasn't always worked (Shivam Dube), but Sundar is an example of how a captain's insight should be respected.

On a side note, does anyone actually know who Babar Azam wanted on the team? We've talked about who he didn't want, but who exactly did he want. This can help clear up the situation a bit.

 

[BakuGM]

Why does it matter who it is coming from when the person saying it is right?

Pakistan needs Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, Fakhar Zaman and Wahab Riaz if we are to have any cahnce of winning the T20 World Cup.

Are we in 2021 or 2011......

 

[Shazzam]

Babar is turning out to be like any other typical Pakistani cricketer. His selections being similar to Misbah.

 

[UzmanBeast]

He is a traditionalist. Many in Pakistan are like that. He feels seniors with their experience are a big asset to this country.

The reason you saw guys like Kashif Bhatti and Iftikhar getting selected instead of Zahid or Saud under Misbah.

Seniority is a big thing in our culture.

Babar's standpoint isn't really farfetched. You look at the 40-year old Hafeez, he's an example of experience and performance. Now, who else did he have in mind in terms of seniors? Perhaps middle order batsmen where we are weak at the moment. Someone like Shoaib Malik maybe to steer the innings in the later stages.

The point is, he's not wrong with trying to get some seniors in the mix. It wouldn't hinder our performances, especially given how well Malik plays spin.

 

[Shazzam]

Babar's standpoint isn't really farfetched. You look at the 40-year old Hafeez, he's an example of experience and performance. Now, who else did he have in mind in terms of seniors? Perhaps middle order batsmen where we are weak at the moment. Someone like Shoaib Malik maybe to steer the innings in the later stages.

The point is, he's not wrong with trying to get some seniors in the mix. It wouldn't hinder our performances, especially given how well Malik plays spin.

Yeah what exactly has Malik done in the past two years that has warranted him a spot in our twenty20 team? Malik has been part of multiple World Cups his existence in the team hardly made a difference. Picking him on bases of being a senior that has loads of experience is a poor reason imo. I’m ok with Hafeez given a final go especially in the form he is in right now. Malik for all I care can remain a water boy in the stands.

 

[moghul]

PCB always likes to have weak selectors who would stamp the team selected by the board and in this case Waseem probably was assured he won;t have to worry about any protest from Babar or cricketers like Yasir, hence he did not bother to communicate with them, which was wrong.

Babar, has to play with the team he is given and get some overseas wins under his belt before behaving like Imran Khan or Kohli. He just started as captain and lost in NZ badly . He should not be the test captain to begin with, Rizwan is better suited for that job.

A new captain looks towards build his own team and looks for future and asks for some young talented cricketers , not for oldies like Malik and Wahab and the most useless them of all Haris Sohail, who should have been sacked three years ago.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Yeah what exactly has Malik done in the past two years that has warranted him a spot in our twenty20 team? Malik has been part of multiple World Cups his existence in the team hardly made a difference. Picking him on bases of being a senior that has loads of experience is a poor reason imo. I’m ok with Hafeez given a final go especially in the form he is in right now. Malik for all I care can remain a water boy in the stands.

What has Iftikhar Ahmed done in the chances provided? What has the star player and finisher Khushdil Shah done? Where is our prized hitting machine Asif Ali? Where is the young star Hussain Talat?

After you finish reading the list of everyone who has failed at international T20s in the middle order, it would help you understand why Malik is necessary to the Pakistan team.

We saw how poorly our middle order played spin against Shamsi, I don't think we need to talk more about that subject.

Pakistani fans criticize the selection of seniors because they think that these glorified leg side hacks we call T20 batsmen are in the circuit hitting one or two 50+ scores are better than Shoaib Malik, a guy who has 10k T20 runs under his name.

I'll do you one better, where is the supremely talented Abdullah Shafique?

Does that explain it?

 

[Golden arm]

Agreed, this was established earlier as well. He is selecting what the public wants, not what is logically correct.

Babar Azam, captain of the Pakistan National Team across all formats, gets no input on the squad selection? Like is this some street cricket captaincy where the team is already decided ahead of time?

Mohammad Wasim needs to acknowledge that some of his "coaching experience" does not give him the right to neglect choices that Babar Azam has set aside.

The whole point of Babar Azam being allowed to discuss with Wasim is that Babar, as a player, and as a captain, has more insights on how the morale/squad balance is compared to Wasim.

You need a certain kind of squad balance to succeed at T20s now, with the right number of all-rounders and batsmen. What we commonly see with teams is that they go with an extra all-rounder over a batsman, and then say that they were a batsman short. Even against SAF, our tail was unnecessarily long given that neither Faheem nor Nawaz is consistent and reliable at finishing games, we got lucky that Nawaz played a good knock otherwise we'd have been beaten by South Africa's C team.

I think Mohammad Wasim's agenda is public image and reputation. You look at the selectors before him, they never selected players who the public really stood behind. Wasim is going to do whatever the public says just to keep criticism away from him and on the Pakistan Team Management. It's a classical move, jahan se nazar utar lo, waha se pressure nikal do. He's trying to get a very stress-free tenure as the Chief Selector is my take on the selections.

His selections haven't been bad, credit to him, but ignoring the captain makes no sense. If it weren't for Kohli at RCB, would India have really tried Washington Sundar in International Cricket? They have a very good prospect now because of Kohli's eye for talent. It hasn't always worked (Shivam Dube), but Sundar is an example of how a captain's insight should be respected.

On a side note, does anyone actually know who Babar Azam wanted on the team? We've talked about who he didn't want, but who exactly did he want. This can help clear up the situation a bit.

Comparing babar with kohli in terms of captaincy skills is akin to lamb vs lion.

 

[Usman Chadda]

What has Iftikhar Ahmed done in the chances provided? What has the star player and finisher Khushdil Shah done? Where is our prized hitting machine Asif Ali? Where is the young star Hussain Talat?

After you finish reading the list of everyone who has failed at international T20s in the middle order, it would help you understand why Malik is necessary to the Pakistan team.

We saw how poorly our middle order played spin against Shamsi, I don't think we need to talk more about that subject.

Pakistani fans criticize the selection of seniors because they think that these glorified leg side hacks we call T20 batsmen are in the circuit hitting one or two 50+ scores are better than Shoaib Malik, a guy who has 10k T20 runs under his name.

I'll do you one better, where is the supremely talented Abdullah Shafique?

Does that explain it?

Shoaib Malik doesn’t feature in our ideal T20 batting line-up.

Sharjeel
Fakhar
Babar
Hafeez
Rizwan

That’s our top 5 for certain for the World Cup. What do you expect Malik to do at 6?

 

[Babeikh]

Completely agree with Babar.

I'm surprised the selection of squads is not a collaborative process where the captain and coach have their say and inform the selector of the kind of player they need based on the team strategy, weak links etc. That way there won't be such surprises and won't be any need for Mohammad Wasim to ignore Babar's calls or say ridiculous things like the team that is selected is not his concern, when, er, it quite clearly is.

 

[Shafi]

Suddenly Babar acts like someone like Imran, Kohli, Waugh after winning against a weak S Africa team and wants to be all in all in team selection. Wasim will not last long going against Misbah, Babar and their loyal seniors. Looks like Misbah will be returned as Chief selector soon and recycle TTFs will be playing matches after matches.

 

[Babeikh]

Suddenly Babar acts like someone like Imran, Kohli, Waugh after winning against a weak S Africa team and wants to be all in all in team selection. Wasim will not last long going against Misbah, Babar and their loyal seniors. Looks like Misbah will be returned as Chief selector soon and recycle TTFs will be playing matches after matches.

Nobody is saying make him the be all and end all.

He is the captain of the national team. He should have a say in the selection and not just be given a team as a fait accompli. If he is consulted, has his input and knows the squad and the reasons behind the selection before the squads are announced to the public/press (I am baffled that this does not happen and Babar actually finds out the squad from the news like all of us).

If the whole process is a consultative process from the beginning then even if there are some selections which the captain and coach don't agree with, at least they are aware of it before hand and the reasons are explained to them. That way we won't have embarrassing statements in the media.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Babar's standpoint isn't really farfetched. You look at the 40-year old Hafeez, he's an example of experience and performance. Now, who else did he have in mind in terms of seniors? Perhaps middle order batsmen where we are weak at the moment. Someone like Shoaib Malik maybe to steer the innings in the later stages.

The point is, he's not wrong with trying to get some seniors in the mix. It wouldn't hinder our performances, especially given how well Malik plays spin.

Indeed. But Wasim's point of view isn't wrong either. Pak still has many T20's to play (probably the most out of the top 6 sides) and therefore it can afford to try out a few new combinations + Top Pakistan Cup performers who have shown to take on pressure well in the PSL as well.

We can always get back to Malik, Wahab etc. But this is the only time we can try out new guys like Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal etc..

People always asked for more domestic performers to be given a chance and now it is happening yet some fans complain.

 

[Babbar]

Nothing to do with India, but never understood why Pakistan has a tendency to select a captain (except Imran) then don’t give him the freedom to select his team. It really doesn’t matter what fans say. It’s always a captain’s team. If he wants Shoaib than that’s it, unless someone sensible and responsible can convince him otherwise, not by snubbing him though.

If Babar fails with his team then it’s his fault but not when he’s just a dummy captain with half the players on the ground and all selectors off the ground not listening to him.

If you don’t trust Babur as your captain then why make him your captain in all three formats.

Kohli too is making glaring mistakes as a captain and India fans are screaming with memes flying. However, till he’s captain, Kohli will be the main arbiter of who plays and who won’t. That may not be the best system but that’s how it should be, esp in subcontinent teams with too much politics.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

If you don’t want to be a dummy captain then man up and put your resignation on the table, and walk away from the meeting room, instead of sooking in the public.

Fact of the matter is: YOU ARE A DUMMY CAPTAIN!

Babar was made captain based on what? That he could play a few pretty liking drives?

The guy has zero impact and bearing over the field.
All I see is timid hand animations and screaming and yelling when he is fielding as a team leader. lol

I think he was purposely put in place to be exactly what he is: a dummy captain.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Are we in 2021 or 2011......

I don't know if you've been watching cricket in 2021 or not but in case you haven't I'll give you a refresher.

Our side is packed with mental midgets and strokeless wonders who simply can't get the job done. Which is why we need proven performers in the side who have stepped up in pressure situations in the past.

That's the only way we are going to have any chance at the T20 World Cup.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

If you don’t want to be a dummy captain then man up and put your resignation on the table, and walk away from the meeting room, instead of sooking in the public.

Fact of the matter is: YOU ARE A DUMMY CAPTAIN!

Babar was made captain based on what? That he could play a few pretty liking drives?

The guy has zero impact and bearing over the field.
All I see is timid hand animations and screaming and yelling when he is fielding as a team leader. lol

I think he was purposely put in place to be exactly what he is: a dummy captain.

Mohammad Wasim was made chief-selector based on what? What are his credentials as a deep thinker of the game? His appearances on Game On Hai? Or his YouTube channel?

Or maybe it was his storied cricketing career: a grand total of 18 test caps and a Bradman-esque ODI batting average of 23.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

Mohammad Wasim was made chief-selector based on what? What are his credentials as a deep thinker of the game? His appearances on Game On Hai? Or his YouTube channel?

Or maybe it was his storied cricketing career: a grand total of 18 test caps and a Bradman-esque ODI batting average of 23.

Exactly.
Another yes man was placed on the key position.
This is how PCB runs.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Cant wait for Shoaib Jatt's take on all this.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

Nothing to do with India, but never understood why Pakistan has a tendency to select a captain (except Imran) then don’t give him the freedom to select his team. It really doesn’t matter what fans say. It’s always a captain’s team. If he wants Shoaib than that’s it, unless someone sensible and responsible can convince him otherwise, not by snubbing him though.

If Babar fails with his team then it’s his fault but not when he’s just a dummy captain with half the players on the ground and all selectors off the ground not listening to him.

If you don’t trust Babur as your captain then why make him your captain in all three formats.

Kohli too is making glaring mistakes as a captain and India fans are screaming with memes flying. However, till he’s captain, Kohli will be the main arbiter of who plays and who won’t. That may not be the best system but that’s how it should be, esp in subcontinent teams with too much politics.

Imran dealt them with an iron fist.
Simple as that.

He had the sporting skill, ability AND INTELLIGENCE, and he made the most out of it.
He simply walked away and didn't play for 2 years when PCB didn't listen to him, till PCB finally got on it's knees.
This is how it works in our setup. Almost everyone listen and understands the language of a Danda.

The only question is, who is holding the danda? Someone who is honest, or someone who is dishonest, with his responsibilities?

 

[Golden arm]

Kamran Akmal speaking on his Youtube about this topic:

“I think the captain has the biggest role. He must insist on the players he wants. All successful teams have a captain deciding the players and creating a team filled with match-winners. Look at England, India and New Zealand. They are great captains and they have made great teams. The responsibility lies with Babar Azam"

“If Babar doesn’t tell them then it could hurt his own focus and performances. That is why I think it is Babar’s responsibility. He is not a kid anymore. He is experienced and is a top-class player. The PCB has given him complete authority. He should utilise that authority. If he relies on these individuals then our cricket might not be headed towards betterment"

“You can’t just pick players for the Test format from those who perform well in T20Is. This is how it is going right now. This is causing damage to Pakistan cricket. The PCB should put more thought into how they select players for the national side. They should think about the process and policy of selection. They can’t just put a laptop in front and show stats. That is how foreign coaches thrive here like Mickey Arthur. They didn’t make cricket better in the country, on the contrary, they damaged it significantly. The same policy is being applied now. It doesn’t work like that"

“What is the vision and policy of the individuals selecting the players? This is what is happening. They are looking at players bowling in the nets. If somebody bowls one good spell in four matches then you say he has done really well. We have to rectify all of these issues"

Here is the guy who destroyed his brothers career by pampering him and not letting him to bat at one down position.
Now he is poisoning babar Adam's mind!

Babar please stay away from Kamran and umar Akmal. They are your real enemies not friends!

 

[The Viper]

The most concerning thing is that Wasim and Babar are not on the same page. There should be cooperation between captain, coach and CS. When you don't communicate, you have cases like this. I agree with most of what Babar said. Dhani and Wasim jr should not play games until they gain more experience. For me, you should play 2 seasons of FC before selection unless you are exceptionally good. As long as they don't play it is not that big of a deal. Dropping Imad Wssim, Yasir Shah, and Kamran Ghulam were poor choices, though. I don't agree with the picking PSL players for Test point as only Rauf was picked based on PSL. Both of them need to start working together for the team.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Comparing babar with kohli in terms of captaincy skills is akin to lamb vs lion.

There was no comparison present. I was talking about an example that involved Kohli selecting a player he wanted for the team, and that player turning out to be a pretty decent player for the future.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Shoaib Malik doesn’t feature in our ideal T20 batting line-up.

Sharjeel
Fakhar
Babar
Hafeez
Rizwan

That’s our top 5 for certain for the World Cup. What do you expect Malik to do at 6?

Fakhar isn't even in the squad, so how is that our top 5 for certain?

Rizwan has been stellar as an opener, you think they'll drop him down to 5 where he's ineffective?

Babar will drop to 3 and Rizwan + Sharjeel will open. Malik slots in at 5 quite easily. Haider can slog down at 6.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Indeed. But Wasim's point of view isn't wrong either. Pak still has many T20's to play (probably the most out of the top 6 sides) and therefore it can afford to try out a few new combinations + Top Pakistan Cup performers who have shown to take on pressure well in the PSL as well.

We can always get back to Malik, Wahab etc. But this is the only time we can try out new guys like Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal etc..

People always asked for more domestic performers to be given a chance and now it is happening yet some fans complain.

I'm not against experimentation, I'm more against selecting raw players. Mohammad Wasim Jr., Shahnawaz Dhani, and Arshad Iqbal are quite young and haven't had enough game time. When you rush into selection, you carry players who have not been picked apart yet. When a player gets exposed at the international stage, the pressure is different, and they get dropped and have shattered confidence. The point is to let them learn from their mistakes in domestic cricket so that they are a more refined product at the international level.

We can't simply return to Malik and Wahab the night before the T20 World Cup, they won't have had game time and they would be rusty.

Pakistan has tried quite a few middle order options in recent times to fill the gap of Malik. Iftikhar Ahmed, Hussain Talat, Haider Ali, and Asif Ali are just a few names I can think of right now. None have performed, except maybe Haider Ali in that innings against England.

The point is that this is a very important tour for us, if we get a settled team combination and win the tour, it will boost confidence and get us much-needed experience. Some experimentations are acceptable (ie. Babar dropping down to 3 to accommodate Sharjeel), but not a whole lot.

The bottom line is that this is the last tour which Pakistan has to finalize a squad for the World Cup. Whether they return to Malik or not depends on the result of this tour. The same goes with Wahab Riaz and Imad Wasim.

Realistically only two areas must be experimented with, the opening combination (Sharjeel + Rizwan, Babar + Rizwan, or Babar + Sharjeel) and the middle order (Danish Aziz coming in perhaps, Faheem being promoted, etc.)

Personally, I'd assume that our batting lineup is going to be Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Danish Aziz, Haider Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain.

Shaheen, Hasan, and Hasnain looks like a good fast bowling attack from my viewpoint, and Faheem Ashraf along with Shadab would contribute with overs when needed. Danish Aziz can also bowl a few overs, and Hafeez can chime in with an over if required. Enough bowling options, good depth in batting, and perhaps the best squad that we can play with the current players in the squad.

 

[Savak]

Lol Pakistani fans, ex players and sports reporters will never be happy on selection matters. People were yearning for a modern out of the box new selector like Mohd Wasim and now that he is going about selecting the squad, people are complaining about the fact he has not gone for Misbah's guaranteed safety first selections.

If the PCB has entrusted the guy with the job then he needs to be backed to do his job. The PCB initially approached Mohd Akram who refused because he didn't want the system of the provincial team coaches being his fellow selectors and wanted the old system back.

 

[kingusama92]

Mohammad Wasim was made chief-selector based on what? What are his credentials as a deep thinker of the game? His appearances on Game On Hai? Or his YouTube channel?

Or maybe it was his storied cricketing career: a grand total of 18 test caps and a Bradman-esque ODI batting average of 23.

He was a successful coach in domestic cricket and has been present in that level of cricket for years. He knows those prospects better than almost everyone including Misbah.

You can criticize him for other things but not his knowledge.

 

[world cup captain]

And the dark era for Pakistan cricket will continue. It's as if all our luck has completely run out.

PCB invested years in Babar only for him to end up being soft and empty-minded. His obsession with playing over the hill senior players like Riaz, Malik, and Chacha along with being content with mediocrity is very troubling. Now he has come out like an immature child and already starting to demolish the confidence of the younger players. Bravo Babar, your days as a captain will be limited to WC 23'. No wonder he can't get the captaincy over Imad as KK.

 

[BaankeJi]

Wasim( Imad) has a reason to feel aggrieved. Wasim ( Mohammad) not taking Babar into confidence and being adamant about it is not going to go down well with Wasim ( Khan). Maybe Wasim ( Akram) can do something about it.

Well that is lame but couldn't help it.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

In life you can’t have everything and at the end of the day it’s the decision of the chief selector. All I’ll ask is is this Babar’s choices or Misbah’s that got ignored? New faces should always be welcomed and made to feel welcomed. Why get all bothered about Yasir missing one series? Keep your head down and eye on the task.

 

[hitthestump]

In life you can’t have everything and at the end of the day it’s the decision of the chief selector. All I’ll ask is is this Babar’s choices or Misbah’s that got ignored? New faces should always be welcomed and made to feel welcomed. Why get all bothered about Yasir missing one series? Keep your head down and eye on the task.

Lol, this reads like something out of communist Russia

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He was a successful coach in domestic cricket and has been present in that level of cricket for years. He knows those prospects better than almost everyone including Misbah.

You can criticize him for other things but not his knowledge.

LOL. He coached in domestic for a couple of seasons and stopped playing FC cricket in 2011. There are literally hundreds of coaches who have coached in domestic cricket longer than him; and have an abundance of knowledge about the circuit (certainly more than Wasim) and are hence more qualified than him.

And comparing Wasim to Misbah is ludicrous. Not only is Misbah highly knowledgeable about the game and the system (as admitted by people who have worked with him at IU), and was playing FC cricket in that very system until very recently. But he is also one of the greatest captains Pakistan ever had.

His failure as chief-selector doesn't change the fact that he is a towering figure in Pakistan cricket and always will be. His appointment as chief-selector and coach came on the back of his reputation as Pakistan's most successful test captain. What did Wasim accomplish? A couple of good seasons with Northern?

And whatever knowledge he had has clearly dissipated because not too long ago he was singing praises of Iftikhar Ahmed on his YouTube channel as an underrated and consistent performer who does well in all formats and who doesn't get enough chances for the national side. And now he has dropped him like a hot potato based on two failures in a series we won.

This is just one indication for me that he is out with an agenda. Either he knows nothing and is just incredibly incompetent, or he knows alot and is deliberately playing to the galleries. Either way he deserves to be sent packing.

 

[hitthestump]

Mohammad Wasim was made chief-selector based on what? What are his credentials as a deep thinker of the game? His appearances on Game On Hai? Or his YouTube channel?

Or maybe it was his storied cricketing career: a grand total of 18 test caps and a Bradman-esque ODI batting average of 23.

Whatever happens, Waseem's tenure is already on the clock. Fancy pie charts aren't going to save this guy for much longer.

 

[Ami]

Lets start from the beginning...some countries (selectors) select players and then pass them onto the team management to fit, however they wish, into their final line up.

Is this the case with Pakistan cricket team? if so, Babar needs to put up and select the best eleven from the players provided.

End of.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Lol, this reads like something out of communist Russia

I’m asking you why make a song and dance about 1 series?

Yasir is injured
Iftikhar failed
Khushdil failed

Is Wasim wrong in not selecting them? All a captain and others on a panel are there for is giving suggestions if there suggestions go out the window it goes out. Don’t come out crying that oh my mates got dropped.

Babar should be focussing on his form and taking this as a challenge. Fresh faces making it difficult for the opposition as well.

 

[BigShak]

Pakistani captains continue to be gutless and carry on twerking for the seniors. Babar has been given full support by PCB that he’s in the job for the long haul yet he is still reluctant to try and build a team for the future and would prefer having his buddies in the side. Clearly hasn’t learned from Sarfraz.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Whatever happens, Waseem's tenure is already on the clock. Fancy pie charts aren't going to save this guy for much longer.

The question is when? Pakistan have their most crucial FTP program coming up in the next couple of years. If Pakistan are dominant at home and decent away we could very easily qualify for the WTC finals. And on top of that, you have the T20 WC aswell.

But if he keeps selecting the teams he has been selecting and keeps excluding guys who are proven match-winners and deserving of spots I would not fancy our chances.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Already getting palpitations of the team he will select for the T20 WC. If PCB has any iota of sense remaining they will fire him before the WC.

 

[Savak]

LOL. He coached in domestic for a couple of seasons and stopped playing FC cricket in 2011. There are literally hundreds of coaches who have coached in domestic cricket longer than him; and have an abundance of knowledge about the circuit (certainly more than Wasim) and are hence more qualified than him.

And comparing Wasim to Misbah is ludicrous. Not only is Misbah highly knowledgeable about the game and the system (as admitted by people who have worked with him at IU), and was playing FC cricket in that very system until very recently. But he is also one of the greatest captains Pakistan ever had.

His failure as chief-selector doesn't change the fact that he is a towering figure in Pakistan cricket and always will be. His appointment as chief-selector and coach came on the back of his reputation as Pakistan's most successful test captain. What did Wasim accomplish? A couple of good seasons with Northern?

And whatever knowledge he had has clearly dissipated because not too long ago he was singing praises of Iftikhar Ahmed on his YouTube channel as an underrated and consistent performer who does well in all formats and who doesn't get enough chances for the national side. And now he has dropped him like a hot potato based on two failures in a series we won.

This is just one indication for me that he is out with an agenda. Either he knows nothing and is just incredibly incompetent, or he knows alot and is deliberately playing to the galleries. Either way he deserves to be sent packing.

Anyone in a new job needs to be given reasonable amounts of time before being judged. This is like Wasim's second tour in charge. Your arguments remind me off so and so should not be appointed a coach, chief selector because he was an average cricketer. How did Inzi's tenure as CS turn out?

 

[ads101]

It's Wasim's fault, he has thrown out the guys currently performing in international matches like Yasir, Haris, Imad on a hunch that some new guys might perform. You don't go around predicting guys to fail when they aren't, all that happens when the new guy comes in and fails and then we go back to the previous guy. You have to go through the proper process, wait for players to actually fail before culling them. Then you can give these emerging players a proper string of chances without pressure. This is how the whole Fawad saga happened, he was always predicted to fail and dropped even if he performed in the actual matches. Hence we missed years of his career.

Kamran Ghulam should have been picked, the guy is breaking records. You don't wait for him to stop performing to pick him, if a player is in that sort of form he has to be picked no question. Saud doesn't have masses more domestic experience and only 1 more century in 15 more games. I like Saud, but again this was a no brainer, he should have got a call up.

I think Wasim has been impatient. The selectors job is to provide a few additions in terms of players that a coach/captain may choose to replace a failing player. It's not to force a captain/coach to select a team that he doesn't want.

 

[Shafi]

Already getting palpitations of the team he will select for the T20 WC. If PCB has any iota of sense remaining they will fire him before the WC.

Bring back Misbah with his ttf brigade!!!

 

[Sajeel]

Mr. PowerPoint will be sacked soon. He is clueless and trying very hard to make himself look like some visionary genius.

His appointment is yet another example of the sheer incompetence and dumb decision-making of Wasim Khan.

Everything he touches turns into rubbish.

Bhaijaan, I get it . . . We all get it. You are not a fan of Wasim Khan. No matter what the topic is, I always see at least one post from you saying something negative about Wasim Khan. By the way, this is my first comment ever but props to your constant comments against Wasim Khan, I had to make my debut here on pakpassion.net.

 

[Shazzam]

What has Iftikhar Ahmed done in the chances provided? What has the star player and finisher Khushdil Shah done? Where is our prized hitting machine Asif Ali? Where is the young star Hussain Talat?

These comparisons don’t make sense since none of these said players have played as many world cups as Malik. Nor are they near finished officially by age.

After you finish reading the list of everyone who has failed at international T20s in the middle order, it would help you understand why Malik is necessary to the Pakistan team.

Let me ask you have any of the players you mentioned gotten as much chances as Malik in international cricket? Considering you’re doing a comparison with them might as well do it whole.

Pakistani fans criticize the selection of seniors because they think that these glorified leg side hacks we call T20 batsmen are in the circuit hitting one or two 50+ scores are better than Shoaib Malik, a guy who has 10k T20 runs under his name.

I'll do you one better, where is the supremely talented Abdullah Shafique?

Does that explain it?

I mean Malik has what like one World Cup left? After that World Cup Twenty20 we are gonna be struggling with the same stuff you mentioned here. So why not take him out sooner if we are talking about the future?

 

[Golden arm]

Sorry I meant Kohli in terms of intelligence is Miles ahead of babar! Which I guess every one in this forum agrees. Natural Batting ability is another issue. But no one can question kohli's mental toughness and game awareness etc.

Crux of the matter is babar is being misled by his idiot cousins especially Kami!

Kami is the same person who played a key part in preventing development of umar akmal's growth as player. This is apart from the huge fixing scandals and his below average wicket keeping skills. His attitude has been worst enemy. I would also include shahzad in this category. They are their own self enemies. They don't need any one from outside.

Dahani is selected on the basis of strong first class season. He was able to show his potential in PSL but was earlier marked for international venture by Waseem as selector as mentioned by him in the press conference.

Yasir Shah's performance on away tours has been abysmal.

 

[Golden arm]

Spot on!

Haris sohail is clearly fudging his age like other players. He is in late 30s nearing 36 or 37. He is not 32 as his official age.

 

[Golden arm]

It's Wasim's fault, he has thrown out the guys currently performing in international matches like Yasir, Haris, Imad on a hunch that some new guys might perform. You don't go around predicting guys to fail when they aren't, all that happens when the new guy comes in and fails and then we go back to the previous guy. You have to go through the proper process, wait for players to actually fail before culling them. Then you can give these emerging players a proper string of chances without pressure. This is how the whole Fawad saga happened, he was always predicted to fail and dropped even if he performed in the actual matches. Hence we missed years of his career.

Kamran Ghulam should have been picked, the guy is breaking records. You don't wait for him to stop performing to pick him, if a player is in that sort of form he has to be picked no question. Saud doesn't have masses more domestic experience and only 1 more century in 15 more games. I like Saud, but again this was a no brainer, he should have got a call up.

I think Wasim has been impatient. The selectors job is to provide a few additions in terms of players that a coach/captain may choose to replace a failing player. It's not to force a captain/coach to select a team that he doesn't want.

Kamran Ghulam is unlucky to miss out. I guess Waseem recognises that and sooner or later he will be given proper chances.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

With all due respect. Babar watches zero domestic cricket. He probably had no idea who Shahnawaz Dahani was before seeing him play for Multan.

There is a reason that no other international captain has that much of a say in selection. The only one who does to some extent, Kohli, regularly gets insults from Indian fans for not getting his squads right.

And I don’t blame him. His job is to take care of his own game and that of the national team. He, and Babar, cannot be expected to watch every minute of QeA Trophy matches like Mohammad Wasim does and accordingly they are absolutely ill equipped to make the team.

Lastly, it’s a myth that Babar should make the team as he is the one who will be held accountable for defeats. It was Misbah who was held accountable for selection disasters over these last two years, not anyone else, and right now it is Mohammad Wasim under fire by the media for selection.

This is the job he is being paid to do. If Babar has an issue, he needs to resolve it directly with Wasim. He must also understand that Wasim, fortunately or unfortunately, knows much more than he does about domestic cricketers.

From the looks of it, if Babar had his way, he’d bring back Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz, drop Nawaz for Imad, and bring in Haris Sohail instead of Saud Shakeel.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

I like this tussle between Babar and Wasim.

It only means selections will get better with dialogue between two different thinking camps.

With Misbah, it was all one way. There was too much deference.

Good.

 

[Golden arm]

While I agree that Captain’s opinion should have a good weight but, there has to be a balance. Yes, its pretty odd that while Babar has the chance to give his point of view, that is not debated in the meetings rather just accepted or ignored without having having any discussions or reaching to conclusions about them. As per the recent structure Babar has the main say in selecting the playing XI and obviously consultations with head coach is done as well but, final power of squad selection rests with Mohammad Wasim.

We shouldn’t forget Babar is a young captain so the influence in the squad selection will come with time and performances but, his points should be discussed and reached upon conclusions in the meeting.

I am not sure how different structures around work but, if captain is going to select the complete squads himself than its raises a question that what exactly is the role of a chief selector. Is chief selector like a talent scout who when asked about a player in certain role will provide options to the captain?

Maybe they should look into the structures of Eng and NZ around as their selections and performances have been pretty on point in last 5-7 years.

Sure but in desi culture there is nothing like agree to disagree and move on after putting your point forward and trying to understand others perspective

It is all about ego and my way or highway kind of dealing!

Babar does not have the education and exposure and mental calibre and even shrewdness similar to Miandad when he was young

Babar is supremely talented naturally that's it.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Whatever happens, Waseem's tenure is already on the clock. Fancy pie charts aren't going to save this guy for much longer.

Well if he’s on the clock for refusing to select Iftikhar, Khushdil, Wahab and Malik, I really am sad for the state of Pakistan cricket at the moment. The only borderline decent selection Babar has asked for is Haris Sohail, and he has looked in a shocking state in his past few series.

Babar needs to be given a proper phainta and told in no uncertain terms that Pakistan needs a young captain with a fresh approach, not someone who follows Misbah school of thought of being a loser on and off the field.

 

[Shafi]

Sad to see suddenly Misbah's fans' hatred against Babar turned to super love just because Misbah is the ringleader of this saga.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

So spoke with a very reliable source of mine who has communicated the following to me:

Babar Azam is unhappy with the choice of 6 players who have been selected in the Zimbabwe/South Africa squads.

Babar is not happy that Shahnawaz Dhani has been called up to the Test squad based on some decent performances at PSL6. He feels that players performing in one format are being picked for other formats which makes no sense

Babar is not happy that players are being picked for the Test squad based on performances in the Pakistan Super League

Babar is in favour of some experimentation but not at this late stage when it comes to the T20 squad given that it's a T20 World Cup year

Babar was in favour of Yasir Shah's selection in the Test squad for Zimbabwe but was ignored by the selectors

Mohammad Wasim jr has been picked too soon according to Babar Azam and has been picked based on a couple of decent performances in the PSL, Babar feels that he has talent but is too raw and shouldn't have been picked at this stage of his career

Babar wants a mixture of youth and experience in the squads but lessons need to be learnt from the Naseem Shah selection

Babar wanted players to get a proper and consistent chance rather than getting called up, not being given a chance and then dropped without any reason. The examples being Aamer Yamin and Kamran Ghulam

Babar Azam was in favour of Haris Sohail being picked in the ODI squad, but once again this suggestion was ignored

Babar has communicated to the PCB that he doesn't want to be a dummy captain whose opinions are just ignored again and again. If he is to have the responsibility as captain then his suggestions and opinions regarding selection need to be considered

Babar Azam called Mohammad Wasim up many times after the recent squads were announced but Mohammad Wasim wasn't answering his calls

Eventually when Wasim answered Babar's call the skipper was told that the selection of the squads wasn't his concern

Babar confronted Mohammad Wasim and told him that it was his concern as he is the skipper and is held accountable if the team doesn't perform

Babar has taken the matter to Wasim Khan who is looking into the situation with a view to sorting out the differences

Babar is right, a player has too prove itself before it is thrown into the international cricket (example Abdullah Shafique, Mohd Musa, Imran Khan jr 2, Kushdil Shah etc). I hope Babar also insists on bringing Imad Wasim back. And getting rid of useless players like Iftikhar Ahmed and Asif ali.