Babar Azam "Plan was to utilise the powerplay a little better with Haider opening & myself at 3"

[Saj]

Babar Azam "Plan was to utilise the powerplay a little better with Haider opening & myself at 3"

Quotes from Babar Azam following close of play in the 3rd T20I against South Africa:

The bowlers bowled really well at the start and took wickets but I must give credit to David Miller for the way he batted, it was an outstanding innings.

When it came to our batting the plan was to build partnerships and take the match as deep as we could. Nawaz and Hassan Ali were outstanding at the end for us.

We are giving chances to players who are performing in domestic cricket. Today we played a different combination and the players responded. Hassan Ali was outstanding with the bat and ball on his comeback. The boys are giving 100% and we are just telling them to believe in themselves and show confidence. We have told the boys to play fearless and cricket and they will perform.

The plan was to utilise the powerplay a little better with Haider Ali opening and myself at number 3. We were lacking against their spinners and the plan was for me to come at number 3 and that plan worked.

I’d like to thank everyone who supported us on social media and backed us and I hope that you will continue to support us.

Thank you South Africa for coming to Pakistan and playing matches here

 

[hashimafzal]

Plan was there, but Haider is not the player.

I feel Sharjeel Khan is the only player in the country who should be opening along side either Rizwan or Babar, as the styles compliment each other well. Sharjeel is a much better timer of the ball than Haider who has been very very ordinary lately.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

I am really afraid that in the end Misbah/Babar will opt to bring back experience to this batting line up and add the following players:

Hafeez is already there and rightly so, but they will also add;
Sharjeel Khan;
Haris Sohail;
Shoaib Malik.

 

[Saj]

Did the plan work?

I don't think so.

Haider struggled at the top of the order.

Was it a case of the skipper felt out of form and wanted to go in at number 3 so the young pup is pushed up the order.

 

[Firebat]

No one can doubt it was the right mindset and idea. We've all been crying out for more impetus in the powerplay. Haider just couldn't pull it off

 

[UzmanBeast]

Did the plan work?

I don't think so.

Haider struggled at the top of the order.

Was it a case of the skipper felt out of form and wanted to go in at number 3 so the young pup is pushed up the order.

I doubt.

I don't think Babar is like that at all.

I think it might have been a move by the management hoping that Haider could play with minimal field restrictions and play his natural game.

You look at his last two dismissals, he spooned the ball straight to that fielder on the leg-side. It wouldn't happen in the powerplay, so that's why they went for him there.

Media will obviously have their own opinions, but it seems very uncharacteristic of Babar Azam to do something like that.

 

[UzmanBeast]

I am really afraid that in the end Misbah/Babar will opt to bring back experience to this batting line up and add the following players:

Hafeez is already there and rightly so, but they will also add;
Sharjeel Khan;
Haris Sohail;
Shoaib Malik.

Haris Sohail won't make the team, you can take my word on it. The guy is a joke of a T20 player.

Malika and Hafeez will be back for sure.

The rest will be open to anyone who performs in the PSL.

 

[pakistani pride]

Did the plan work?

I don't think so.

Haider struggled at the top of the order.

Was it a case of the skipper felt out of form and wanted to go in at number 3 so the young pup is pushed up the order.

Dont think so. It would have been easier for babar during the PP. It was worth trying.

 

[ElRaja]

haider alis regression is alarming, i remember watching his under 19 vids, and his early first class highlights and he seemed a strong player off front foot and back

he seems to have become very static in his footwork. it continues a worrying trend of players making it to the national set up and either stalling in their development or regressing

there seems to be a huge player development issue at the highest level

 

[Shams123]

Saj you missed to quote the part in which he said that he came down the order to tackle Shamsi as the players down the order were having trouble playing him. Add this part!

 

[Shams123]

I think Babar will go back up in the next series.

 

[AAli98]

Can you imagine the scenario which batsman will tackle mighty shamzy theyr having a look around in the dressing room not 1 competent batsman in sight.

 

[Saj]

Saj you missed to quote the part in which he said that he came down the order to tackle Shamsi as the players down the order were having trouble playing him. Add this part!

It's there already. We were lacking against their spinners and the plan was for me to come at number 3 and that plan worked.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Long term, Babar & Rizwan as your two openers doesn't make much sense in modern cricket as neither are explosive enough.

I think Babar at 3 down is fine and Sharjeel/Rizwan should be given a look as the two openers. With Babar/Hafeez at 3/4, the middle order probably won't be as prone to collapsing as it did when Babar got out early as an opener.

 

[Omer2002]

I agree despite rizwans success babz and rizwan dont make sense.Maybe in one days as i prefer a keeper in top 4. I dnt think Haider was bad today shamsi was too.good all series

 

[shamaan]

I think it was the right decision if babar failed in the powerplay the game would have been done and dusted.

 

[Saj]

The whole batting unit and batting order looks messed up.

It basically relies on Rizwan and Babar carrying the others. If both of these fail then a decent score is out of the window.

 

[Maher96]

Haider working for us at the top is a long term fix, unfortunately Sharjeel blew his chance. He will just be another Amir therefore can carry on in leagues for all I care.

Azam Khan is likely to be filling the big hitter role long term also in this team. We played a fantastic bowling line up today and most likely in India for the WT20 will see this formation.

Add Wahab,Malik, Hafeez, Shadab, Amir and Imad to this squad and you can clearly see strategy by Wasim.

Before the PSL starts it is the best way to motivate all players to perform.

I hoping to soon see

Rizwan
Haider
Babar
Hafeez
Shadab
Azam/Malik
Imad/Nawaz
Faheem/Wahab
Hassan
Qadir
Shaheen

 

[Pakhs]

Did the plan work?

I don't think so.

Haider struggled at the top of the order.

Was it a case of the skipper felt out of form and wanted to go in at number 3 so the young pup is pushed up the order.

No one can doubt it was the right mindset and idea. We've all been crying out for more impetus in the powerplay. Haider just couldn't pull it off

In T20 cricket openings is the easiest place to bat.

 

[Mamoon]

I didn’t see any plan.

I saw a mentally weak and timid captain bottling a simply catch on the boundary in the last over and then not having the self-belief to open the innings and take charge of the run chase.

He never looked in control at the crease and at no point looked like someone who was going to see Pakistan home.

He hit the usual crispy boundaries on a few loose deliveries and then threw his wicket away in a completely tame fashion to a nothing delivery.

Babar might be very gifted but he clearly lacks the guts to be a great player. He doesn’t have the crease presence of great batsmen.

About time Pakistani fans stop hyping him and give up on the comparisons with the likes of Kohli, Smith, Root, Williamson, Rohit etc.

He is clearly a rung below them.

 

[Pakhs]

I didn’t see any plan.

I saw a mentally weak and timid captain bottling a simply catch on the boundary in the last over and then not having the self-belief to open the innings and take charge of the run chase.

He never looked in control at the crease and at no point looked like someone who was going to see Pakistan home.

He hit the usual crispy boundaries on a few loose deliveries and then threw his wicket away in a completely tame fashion to a nothing delivery.

Babar might be very gifted but he clearly lacks the guts to be a great player. He doesn’t have the crease presence of great batsmen.

About time Pakistani fans stop hyping him and give up on the comparisons with the likes of Kohli, Smith, Root, Williamson, Rohit etc.

He is clearly a rung below them.

He was the one who broke the back of run chase? or sombody else scored the runs in his body?

 

[Maher96]

I didn’t see any plan.


I saw a mentally weak and timid captain bottling a simply catch on the boundary in the last over and then not having the self-belief to open the innings and take charge of the run chase.

He never looked in control at the crease and at no point looked like someone who was going to see Pakistan home.

He hit the usual crispy boundaries on a few loose deliveries and then threw his wicket away in a completely tame fashion to a nothing delivery.

Babar might be very gifted but he clearly lacks the guts to be a great player. He doesn’t have the crease presence of great batsmen.

About time Pakistani fans stop hyping him and give up on the comparisons with the likes of Kohli, Smith, Root, Williamson, Rohit etc.

He is clearly a rung below them.

In case you missed, the game was fixed in fact the whole series was fixed.

Easypaisa is our sponsor. Adile Pelekhuwayo bowled chest high full tosses for Hassan Ali to become the nations beloved six hitting hero.

Babar is just used as a poster boy of the underworld mafia run by the Akmal’s and Qadir’s.

That is Our cricket culture

 

[Maher96]

He was the one who broke the back of run chase? or sombody else scored the runs in his body?

:rofl:

Kia baat hai

 

[Pakhs]

:rofl:

Kia baat hai

not sure what you mean but its clear Babar and Rizwan broke the back of these run chase all that was required after that to someone to play a quick cameo which eventually came.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

haider alis regression is alarming, i remember watching his under 19 vids, and his early first class highlights and he seemed a strong player off front foot and back

he seems to have become very static in his footwork. it continues a worrying trend of players making it to the national set up and either stalling in their development or regressing

there seems to be a huge player development issue at the highest level

Absolutely. We produce players with raw ability, but they never develop.

Haider has definitely regressed since last year and for me the reason is because he has been blooded into the t20 format far before he has developed reliable scoring zones.

He gets under pressure and impulsively tries to hoick everything to cow corner which shows that he isnt comfortable in this format yet

 

[Mamoon]

He was the one who broke the back of run chase? or sombody else scored the runs in his body?

The chase was set-up by Rizwan and finished by Hassan/Nawaz.

Babar did not break South Africa’s back; he merely scratched it with a fingernail.

First, he chickened out from the opening slot, even though it was the series decider and he has opened in the format for years.

Second, he played second-fiddle to Rizwan during their partnership.

Third, after Rizwan was dismissed, he tried to stamp his authority on the run chase, hit a few boundaries on freebies and then got clean bowled by a nothing delivery.

He left Pakistan hanging and they could have easily bottled it, but Nawaz held his nerve and Phehlukwayo served full toss pies to Hassan Ali on the leg-side.

The fact that people think Babar played well today shows how little the expectations are these days.

It was a completely average innings by a captain lacking confidence and who was a mere spectator when Miller got going and didn’t even finish the quotas of his spinners.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

The chase was set-up by Rizwan and finished by Hassan/Nawaz.

Babar did not break South Africa’s back; he merely scratched it with a fingernail.

First, he chickened out from the opening slot, even though it was the series decider and he has opened in the format for years.

Second, he played second-fiddle to Rizwan during their partnership.

Third, after Rizwan was dismissed, he tried to stamp his authority on the run chase, hit a few boundaries on freebies and then got clean bowled by a nothing delivery.

He left Pakistan hanging and they could have easily bottled it, but Nawaz held his nerve and Phehlukwayo served full toss pies to Hassan Ali on the leg-side.

The fact that people think Babar played well today shows how little the expectations are these days.

It was a completely average innings by a captain lacking confidence and who was a mere spectator when Miller got going and didn’t even finish the quotas of his spinners.

That ball hit the seam and jagged a mile. It was not a "nothing" delivery.

 

[Pakhs]

The chase was set-up by Rizwan and finished by Hassan/Nawaz.

Babar did not break South Africa’s back; he merely scratched it with a fingernail.

First, he chickened out from the opening slot, even though it was the series decider and he has opened in the format for years.

Second, he played second-fiddle to Rizwan during their partnership.

Third, after Rizwan was dismissed, he tried to stamp his authority on the run chase, hit a few boundaries on freebies and then got clean bowled by a nothing delivery.

He left Pakistan hanging and they could have easily bottled it, but Nawaz held his nerve and Phehlukwayo served full toss pies to Hassan Ali on the leg-side.

The fact that people think Babar played well today shows how little the expectations are these days.

It was a completely average innings by a captain lacking confidence and who was a mere spectator when Miller got going and didn’t even finish the quotas of his spinners.

lol It was his innings which made sure Pakistan still won despite batsmen failing after him.. Rizwan and Babar were too players who broke the back of run chase. Babar strike rate was higher than Rizwans.

 

[Mamoon]

Captain fantastic made Haider the sacrificial lamb today to protect himself from Fortuin since he gets nightmares of SLAs these days.

As a result of the way he threw his wickets in the first two matches, Haider went into his shell today and was over-defensive.

He is mentally shot at the moment and has no clue about his game. Pakistan needs to get him out of the firing-line and make him play FC cricket so that he can get going again and gets some big runs under his belt.

He can play but he is not ready for international cricket. The longer Pakistan persist with him at this point, the harder it will be for him to recover from this.

 

[Hasan123]

I have said Babar will be a good captain but a massive red flag for me today was the fact he chose not to open. Haider is not even in good form, Babar is the captain and best player. He should have taken the responsibility and opened.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

I have said Babar will be a good captain but a massive red flag for me today was the fact he chose not to open. Haider is not even in good form, Babar is the captain and best player. He should have taken the responsibility and opened.

Are you paying attention? He moved himself down one position down the order to hold the fort against Tabraiz Shamsi while also giving Haider the chance to develop as a batsman (using the powerplay).

 

[Shams123]

Some people here lack basic congnitive skills here. Lets look at the facts.

Shamsi has been the most threatening of all the Sa bowlers. Babar, who himself is not at his peak and struggling against spin alot, demotes himself to counter him. And still people here are calling him a coward and selfish.

He is more brave and confident than you guys will ever be in your life.

 

[Mamoon]

Some people here lack basic congnitive skills here. Lets look at the facts.

Shamsi has been the most threatening of all the Sa bowlers. Babar, who himself is not at his peak and struggling against spin alot, demotes himself to counter him. And still people here are calling him a coward and selfish.

He is more brave and confident than you guys will ever be in your life.

Or he could open as usual, back himself to take charge of the run chase and also deal with Shamsi when he comes to bowl.

After all, we like to pretend he is a top 3 batsman in the world, and better than Kohli was at his age, so surely he should have been able to survive against bowlers of the caliber of Fortuin, Sipamla, Pretorius, Phehlukwayo before dealing with Shamsi.

Did he really need to hide at number 3 and save his wicket from these bowlers so that he would have the opportunity to face Shamsi?

With Babar at the crease and going strong, SA could have been forced to bring Shamsi into the attack earlier than usual because they would want the prize scalp of Babar, and that could have actually protected Haider from facing him.

Babar apologists are not fooling anyone with the “he went down to 3 to protect other batsmen from Shamsi” high fantasy baloney.

Babar lost the plot yesterday when Miller was on the charge, he bottled his bowling changes and he bottled a straight-forward catch, you could see the tension on his face.

He then ran away from opening because he did not want to face another SLA up-front and not because of the “fictional he went down to 3 to protect other batsmen from Shamsi” narrative.

He was not in command when he was at the crease and at no point did he look like he was going to see Pakistan home. First, he played second fiddle to Rizwan and then he threw it away with a soft dismissal with the match still far from over.

Let’s face it - Babar is soft and mentally weak. He doesn’t have the competitiveness and fighting spirit of Kohli and other great batsmen, and as a result, he will never be that good.

He is not going to chase big totals and he is not someone who can do what Kohli did vs Sri Lanka in 2012, vs Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup, vs Australia in the 2016 WT20, vs England in 2017 when he chased 350 after India were 60/4.

He cannot do that even if there is support from the other end.

He cannot shape run chases and grab the game by the balls like Kohli does, neither can he captain the side and score 200s in India against the likes of Ashwin and co. which Root has, neither can he get those massive 200s at home like Williamson, and neither can he do what Smith regularly does in Test cricket.

He is a run below those batsmen including the likes of Rohit Sharma, and the sooner his fans accept the reality the easier it will be.

He is still an excellent batsman, but he is not the champion player way have made him look to be, and that is because our fans got carried away since he is the only proper quality batsman in the country who has the game for multiple formats.

His fans have consistently shoved the narrative down everyone’s throats over the last year or so that he is in the same league as the Fab Four, better than Kohli was at 26, among the top 3 batsmen in the world and also the best batsman in the world on current form.

All a pack of lies. It is a case of repeating lies over and over again until it becomes accepted truth.

Babar is a solid B+ player, and everyone else in Pakistan are Cs and Ds, and that is why he stands out so much.

He is a deaf king among blind men, and it is a result of the fledging status of Pakistan cricket. Our best player by a country like is nothing more than “very good” by international standards.

 

[Hasan123]

Are you paying attention? He moved himself down one position down the order to hold the fort against Tabraiz Shamsi while also giving Haider the chance to develop as a batsman (using the powerplay).

Well I don't agree with that decision. I think he should have controlled things from the top rather than putting a kid who is struggling a bit in that position. Haider didn't take advantage of the PP, so that strategy didn't work.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Well I don't agree with that decision. I think he should have controlled things from the top rather than putting a kid who is struggling a bit in that position. Haider didn't take advantage of the PP, so that strategy didn't work.

Then say you don’t agree with the decision. I don’t either. Don’t call “red flags” on his “not taking responsibility”.

 

[Markhor]

Babar should stay at 3. If he goes early to the new ball then the whole team is under pressure.

Rizwan should continue opening with an aggressive partner.

 

[Hasan123]

Then say you don’t agree with the decision. I don’t either. Don’t call “red flags” on his “not taking responsibility”.

It's a red flag for me because a captain should he willing to take responsibility, not throw an unproven kid into that situation.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Its fairly obvious that the plan was to not lose both the most important batsmen in the powerplay. And to be honest it was the right plan. Babar and Rizwan have similar styles. Both are crisp timers of the ball. Rizwan has developed his power-hitting which is great but he is first and foremost, a proper, technically sound batsman.

By comparison, Haider Ali is someone who likes to go hard. Doesn't have the best technique and getting him to open the batting and go hard at the bowlers was the right decision. It didn't come off, but it was the right decision.

 

[Pakhs]

Its fairly obvious that the plan was to not lose both the most important batsmen in the powerplay. And to be honest it was the right plan. Babar and Rizwan have similar styles. Both are crisp timers of the ball. Rizwan has developed his power-hitting which is great but he is first and foremost, a proper, technically sound batsman.

By comparison, Haider Ali is someone who likes to go hard. Doesn't have the best technique and getting him to open the batting and go hard at the bowlers was the right decision. It didn't come off, but it was the right decision.

In my opinion in T20s the easier time to bat and get best value for your shots is when you are opening the innings. Pakistan definitely should play only one of Babar or Rizwan at the top as the other should be a hitter.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Also find it hilarious that Babar is being accused of being a timid player because he chose to come at No.3 instead of Number 1. LOL.

Timid captaincy is when your captain who is supposed to bat at No.5 comes at No.8, not once but repeatedly. Which is what Sarfraz used to do.

Look at the batting line-up. Its a pathetic looking line-up. If there was Hafeez, it would have been a different story. But without Hafeez, it was the right decision to put Babar in at 3 because he had been getting out early in the powerplay and losing him again in the first six overs would have been detrimental for Pakistan. Based on the innings he played, the plan worked for the most part eventho Haider did not play the kind of innings he was expected to play.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

In my opinion in T20s the easier time to bat and get best value for your shots is when you are opening the innings. Pakistan definitely should play only one of Babar or Rizwan at the top as the other should be a hitter.

You're missing the point. Had Pakistan lost Babar or Rizwan in the powerplay it would have added pressure on the mentally weak players ahead in a run chase that wasn't exactly easy. This way Haider Ali was allowed to go out and play freely because clearly the management did not see him as someone who could play a measured knock.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

It's a red flag for me because a captain should he willing to take responsibility, not throw an unproven kid into that situation.

The captain took responsibility, just in a different way to what you wanted. In his head, he was taking responsibility. Therefore, it can be a decision you disagree with, but it was not some “red flag of him shirking responsibility”.

Since when is allowing Haider to maximize the powerplay overs to help groom him against SA C “throwing an unproven kid into a situation”? Usually, it’s the best time to bat, especially if you’re not facing Rabada or Bumrah but some C grade left arm spinner and a couple of mediocre pacers?

Versus Tabraiz Shamsi who was the only bowler in the entire lineup who posed any threat in the match lol. Babar made a pretty strategic decision. And Tabraiz ended up running amok in our middle order anyways, imagine if Babar wasn’t there to hold things together.

Why are you conjecturing some kind of scenario where Babar was afraid and hiding down the order? That’s so far off from reality it’s not even funny

 

[Pakhs]

You're missing the point. Had Pakistan lost Babar or Rizwan in the powerplay it would have added pressure on the mentally weak players ahead in a run chase that wasn't exactly easy. This way Haider Ali was allowed to go out and play freely because clearly the management did not see him as someone who could play a measured knock.

Maybe not but I am more thinking what we can take away from the last series which is only one of Rizwan or Babar should open the innings as both take their time and at the top you need a hitter atleast at one end.

 

[Hasan123]

The captain took responsibility, just in a different way to what you wanted. In his head, he was taking responsibility. Therefore, it can be a decision you disagree with, but it was not some “red flag of him shirking responsibility”.

Since when is allowing Haider to maximize the powerplay overs to help groom him against SA C “throwing an unproven kid into a situation”? Usually, it’s the best time to bat, especially if you’re not facing Rabada or Bumrah but some C grade left arm spinner and a couple of mediocre pacers?

Versus Tabraiz Shamsi who was the only bowler in the entire lineup who posed any threat in the match lol. Babar made a pretty strategic decision. And Tabraiz ended up running amok in our middle order anyways, imagine if Babar wasn’t there to hold things together.

Why are you conjecturing some kind of scenario where Babar was afraid and hiding down the order? That’s so far off from reality it’s not even funny

So if is some sort of strategy why did it take 3 games to happen? And why did it happen after Babar has consistently been dismissed by left arm spinners? South Africa could have used Shamsi earlier even if Babar was opening.

It's my opinion. If we lost the game, this so called strategy would be questioned much more.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

The captain took responsibility, just in a different way to what you wanted. In his head, he was taking responsibility. Therefore, it can be a decision you disagree with, but it was not some “red flag of him shirking responsibility”.

Since when is allowing Haider to maximize the powerplay overs to help groom him against SA C “throwing an unproven kid into a situation”? Usually, it’s the best time to bat, especially if you’re not facing Rabada or Bumrah but some C grade left arm spinner and a couple of mediocre pacers?

Versus Tabraiz Shamsi who was the only bowler in the entire lineup who posed any threat in the match lol. Babar made a pretty strategic decision. And Tabraiz ended up running amok in our middle order anyways, imagine if Babar wasn’t there to hold things together.

Why are you conjecturing some kind of scenario where Babar was afraid and hiding down the order? That’s so far off from reality it’s not even funny

First time I've heard someone accuse a player of being timid because he came in at No. 3 instead of as opener. Its absolutely hilarious.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Maybe not but I am more thinking what we can take away from the last series which is only one of Rizwan or Babar should open the innings as both take their time and at the top you need a hitter atleast at one end.

IMO Babar should drop down to 3 with Fakhar opening. Hafeez at 4. Malik at 5 or 6 and then based on the combination they go with: Imad, Iftikhar, Shadab, Faheem. That is the best side they can hope to field.

 

[Pakhs]

IMO Babar should drop down to 3 with Fakhar opening. Hafeez at 4. Malik at 5 or 6 and then based on the combination they go with: Imad, Iftikhar, Shadab, Faheem. That is the best side they can hope to field.

I am against fakhar who has been found wanting too often apart from his early heroics at no point in his career he has shown the ability to score in two inning straight. I see the point of Malik in India.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

So if is some sort of strategy why did it take 3 games to happen? And why did it happen after Babar has consistently been dismissed by left arm spinners? South Africa could have used Shamsi earlier even if Babar was opening.

It's my opinion. If we lost the game, this so called strategy would be questioned much more.

LOL you're talking in absolute hypotheticals here.

...Because Pakistan were chasing 165 in a series decider. They wanted to nullify the risk of losing their two most important batsmen in the powerplay with a mentally weak and paper thin middle-order to follow.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I am against fakhar who has been found wanting too often apart from his early heroics at no point in his career he has shown the ability to score in two inning straight. I see the point of Malik in India.

Why? Because Malik is one of the best players of spin?

These are our best players, the sooner you come to terms with it the better. Young lot has proven themselves to be mentally weak and incapable of handling pressure. And the WC is the last place to be experimenting with mediocre players that are clearly not ready for international cricket.

 

[PakPremi]

That ball hit the seam and jagged a mile. It was not a "nothing" delivery.

Mamoon likes to bring his own narrative to discredit anyone Pakistanis other than him rate.
Fact is despite Rizwan providing good start Pakistan were in a bad state with Haider failing again, and it was Babar inning that kept Pakistan in the game, shame he got a good ball and got dismissed but job was almost done, with Fahim, Nawaz, Usman Q, and Hasan Ali available to bat.
As far Babar chickening out one can laugh at that suggestion he has never done that before why would he do now, he was not going to face top bowlers if the world in hot form. Infact he wanted to come down so he rather than Haider gets to face Shamshi, the most threatening SA bowler in the series, who bowls after the opening overs. So it was actually very brave of him despite his own problems with spin.
It does not matter if he is not in fab4 every great batsmen cannot be in that.
Babar made few mistakes as a captain in not bowling his spinners full quota.

 

[PakPremi]

Babar should stay at 3. If he goes early to the new ball then the whole team is under pressure.

Rizwan should continue opening with an aggressive partner.

I agree without Hafeez Pak are two batsmen team currently. We need Babar or Rizwan to bat at 3.

 

[Sir-fraz]

Or he could open as usual, back himself to take charge of the run chase and also deal with Shamsi when he comes to bowl.

After all, we like to pretend he is a top 3 batsman in the world, and better than Kohli was at his age, so surely he should have been able to survive against bowlers of the caliber of Fortuin, Sipamla, Pretorius, Phehlukwayo before dealing with Shamsi.

Did he really need to hide at number 3 and save his wicket from these bowlers so that he would have the opportunity to face Shamsi?

With Babar at the crease and going strong, SA could have been forced to bring Shamsi into the attack earlier than usual because they would want the prize scalp of Babar, and that could have actually protected Haider from facing him.

Babar apologists are not fooling anyone with the “he went down to 3 to protect other batsmen from Shamsi” high fantasy baloney.

Babar lost the plot yesterday when Miller was on the charge, he bottled his bowling changes and he bottled a straight-forward catch, you could see the tension on his face.

He then ran away from opening because he did not want to face another SLA up-front and not because of the “fictional he went down to 3 to protect other batsmen from Shamsi” narrative.

He was not in command when he was at the crease and at no point did he look like he was going to see Pakistan home. First, he played second fiddle to Rizwan and then he threw it away with a soft dismissal with the match still far from over.

Let’s face it - Babar is soft and mentally weak. He doesn’t have the competitiveness and fighting spirit of Kohli and other great batsmen, and as a result, he will never be that good.

He is not going to chase big totals and he is not someone who can do what Kohli did vs Sri Lanka in 2012, vs Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup, vs Australia in the 2016 WT20, vs England in 2017 when he chased 350 after India were 60/4.

He cannot do that even if there is support from the other end.

He cannot shape run chases and grab the game by the balls like Kohli does, neither can he captain the side and score 200s in India against the likes of Ashwin and co. which Root has, neither can he get those massive 200s at home like Williamson, and neither can he do what Smith regularly does in Test cricket.

He is a run below those batsmen including the likes of Rohit Sharma, and the sooner his fans accept the reality the easier it will be.

He is still an excellent batsman, but he is not the champion player way have made him look to be, and that is because our fans got carried away since he is the only proper quality batsman in the country who has the game for multiple formats.

His fans have consistently shoved the narrative down everyone’s throats over the last year or so that he is in the same league as the Fab Four, better than Kohli was at 26, among the top 3 batsmen in the world and also the best batsman in the world on current form.

All a pack of lies. It is a case of repeating lies over and over again until it becomes accepted truth.

Babar is a solid B+ player, and everyone else in Pakistan are Cs and Ds, and that is why he stands out so much.

He is a deaf king among blind men, and it is a result of the fledging status of Pakistan cricket. Our best player by a country like is nothing more than “very good” by international standards.

He will end up in the amla tier if all goes well. He does nit have the mamba mentality. If he was a mamba i agree he wouldve opened but hes not.

I dont see him becoming a match winner, a match winner/mamba doesnt play his friends just because they are his friends.

He is not ruthless enough to end up being a great captain and great player.

 

[Saj]

51/0 after 6 overs was hardly earth-shattering.

Haider in the power-play made 15 off 12 balls - was that some major tactical success?

 

[PakPremi]

51/0 after 6 overs was hardly earth-shattering.

Haider in the power-play made 15 off 12 balls - was that some major tactical success?

It obviously did not work as Haider was rubbish but you cannot shoot down the strategy for a player's unachievement. Infact Pak should keep this strategy with a Sharjeel or another dynamic opener added.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

It obviously did not work as Haider was rubbish but you cannot shoot down the strategy for a player's unachievement. Infact Pak should keep this strategy with a Sharjeel or another dynamic opener added.

I agree. Hopefully someone in PSL will step up, and they should open with Rizwan, and Babar comes at #3.

 

[Bilal7]

Like I said, Pakistan is better off with Babar and Rizwan at the top of the order. There is no big hitter in Pakistan that can bat at the top successfully against the likes of Starc, Boult, Bumrah and Archer.

Put them in the middle-order where they'll be batting against the opposition's spinners and lesser bowlers and where their quick 15, 20 runs will be beneficial to the team cause.

 

[Saj]

It obviously did not work as Haider was rubbish but you cannot shoot down the strategy for a player's unachievement. Infact Pak should keep this strategy with a Sharjeel or another dynamic opener added.

Babar Azam "The plan was to utilise the powerplay a little better with Haider Ali opening and myself at number 3. We were lacking against their spinners and the plan was for me to come at number 3 and that plan worked"

 

[imran1976]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]
The usual broken record -- Pakistan wins or loses, this village woman is always crying.

 

[PakPremi]

Babar Azam "The plan was to utilise the powerplay a little better with Haider Ali opening and myself at number 3. We were lacking against their spinners and the plan was for me to come at number 3 and that plan worked"

There are two parts to plan Haider Ali given an opportunity to score freely, at which he failed. Babar coming to face Shamshi later and carry on the inning and being there long enough to chase down the score, and that was successful. If you read out his full statement he did said it was to face Shamsi himself, so he did and survived longer than Haider would have done. So plan worked in part.

 

[PakPremi]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]
The usual broken record -- Pakistan wins or loses, this village woman is always crying.

Old habits die hard. Pakistan win find faults to discredit. Pakistan lose do bhangra with deserved humiliation slogans.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Babar trys something different, no harm in experimenting. Did it come off? Maybe not coz haider failed thats not babars fault. Babar played decent inns and got out to a good ball.

Instead we get the usual indian fan trying to ridcule pakistan. Usual copy and paste garbage every day, trying to provoke a reaction. Please go join indian cricket fever and do your bhangra over kohli there. No one is intrested in daily nonsense you post.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Babar Azam "The plan was to utilise the powerplay a little better with Haider Ali opening and myself at number 3. We were lacking against their spinners and the plan was for me to come at number 3 and that plan worked"

He held the fort against Shamsi, who took out every other batsman not named Babar. Stayed longer than Haider probably would have. Did the plan not work?

 

[DeadBall]

He held the fort against Shamsi, who took out every other batsman not named Babar. Stayed longer than Haider probably would have. Did the plan not work?

It did indeed work. Babar should come at 3 indefinitely, need to have a semi reliable hack like Haider(or someone else if they perform in the PSL) to score us 20-40 quickfire runs every now and then to open along side Rizwan.

 

[Mamoon]

“Held the forte against Shamsi”

Pakistani fans and their dramatic statements. It was a T20I, not day 5 of a Test match in Asia.

He was going to bowl 4 overs only, and Babar could have “held the forte” against the South African hybrid of Muralitharan and Warne even if he would have opened.

 

[Savak]

SA were planning to play Shamsi in the second test match but he pulled out citing a back problem at the last minute. Given our horrible record against spinners, i dread what he would have done to us. We have struggled against Imran Tahir as well in the past.

 

[shamaan]

Babar trys something different, no harm in experimenting. Did it come off? Maybe not coz haider failed thats not babars fault. Babar played decent inns and got out to a good ball.

Instead we get the usual indian fan trying to ridcule pakistan. Usual copy and paste garbage every day, trying to provoke a reaction. Please go join indian cricket fever and do your bhangra over kohli there. No one is intrested in daily nonsense you post.

It did come off as babar stated he wanted to see off shamsi which he did.

 

[LeedsGreen]

51/0 after 6 overs was hardly earth-shattering.

Haider in the power-play made 15 off 12 balls - was that some major tactical success?

as opposed to our usual powerplay scores of 100/0 from 6 overs? 51/0 is probably one of the best powerplays we have had for sometime... thinking in the context of the team and recent/average performance is something that seems to be lacking in members of this forum...