Blue Print for Pakistan for the 2023 World Cup

[Babar_Azam_fan]

Let me start by few points

1)WCs are WON by the teams with good bowling. You Need 50 overs of genuine bowling (unless you’ve a team like England where you try to out bat the opponents with your explosive batting)

2) World Cup is in India and you do need at least 25 overs of genuine spin (no darters)

3) No pseudo ARs will help you win crucial matches. If you’ve someone like Stokes, Pandya, Shakib it’s different. These Stoinis, Faheems, will do no help

4) Reduce the average age of the Squad

5) Make sure it’s experience in it, don’t add youngsters just for the sake of it. If you see the potential in the youngster and feel he can be your match winner in 3 years then go for it



Squad build up

Out of 15, the break down of most(good) squads is

7 batsmen
1 wk
7 bowlers

Given the WC is in India, more emphasis should be on Spin, rather than Pace

Openers
H Ali
I ul Haq

M order
A Shafiq
B Azam
H Sohail
H Talat

Wk
R Nazir

Spinners
I Wasim
S Khan
U Qadir

Pacers
M Hasnain
S Afridi
W Riaz
H Ali / H Rauf / N Shah (not sure who’ll be ready by then)


Points in the squad

BATTING
-2 Openers and your back up openers will be A Shafiq, B Azam and R Nazir
- R Nazir will play the role of back up keeper and even back up opener if needed
- Most batsmen make the playing 11 on batting merit but can role their arms, especially Saud and Haris can bowl decent spin in India, may be even Babar if he’s interested. H Talat will just be your 7th or 8th bowler
- 3 Stroke makers in H Ali, A Shafiq and H Talat
- 3 Accumulators (88+ sr) in Babar, Haris, Saud and Rohail
- Imam ul Haq just above 80
- Imad, Shadab and Wahab make the squad on bowling merit but can give that support as batsmen. To win a World Cup don’t expect your bowlers to win. Make sure they’re genuine match winners with the bowl. And can add with the bat if needed

- Bowilng
-4 pacers + 3 spinners
-Batsmen who can bowl a bit, H Talat, H Sohail, S Shakeel, not sure but Babar might start rolling his arm given he’s the captain now)



Playing 11

You start specifying roles from now. Three years is a good time to let the players understand their roles

H Ali
I ul Haq +
B Azam *
A Shafiq
H Sohail
H Talat
S Khan
W Riaz
U Qadir (H Ali or N Shah or Haris Rauf if 4 pacers required)
S Afridi
M Hasnain


Batting
- Haider Ali to make use of the power play
- Imam ul Haq is a player who averages 50+. He can play long but his sr is just above 80. He is not so bad(for Pak standards) to be dropped, nor is he so good to have him in the team as a genuine bat. Hence, tried to maximise his output to the team. He HAS TO be groomed as a wk, given how bad the available options for wks are
- Babar is Babar (He has to improve his powe game and learn to captain)
- A Shafiq, he looks a genuine talent apart from Haider. Also he’s not as one dimensional as Haider nor does he lack power hitting like Babar. He’s a kind of a player who can accumulate and hit when required. A perfect #4
-Haris is Haris. He makes the playing 11 on merit. But really confused about his fitness. Can’t have such a fragile player. If he plays all the games till the WC and gets injured just before the WC, it’ll be chaos. Management has to decide his future. Either he’s fit to play wc, if he isn’t then drop him even if he’s fit to play now. If he can’t play WC then Saud Shakeel makes it to the playing 11. Similar kind of players
- H Talat, he’s more suited to ODIs than T20Is. He can’t hit from the word go. He’s had a brilliant domestic season (T20 and FC). Give him a role to play. He’s a player who has the capability to hit and also can accumulate
- Shadab, tbh I am not sure of Shadab the batsman. I am sure Shadab himself is more confused about himself. In Tests he looks a batsman who can bowl. In LOIs he looks a bowler who can hold bat. He’s all over the place. Moreover he’s made the VC of the team. So he’d play every game for sure. Having him in the playing 11 over Imad, just coz he’s much better bowler and fielder. Also the WCs especially in India you do need spinners who can spin
- Wahab- Tbh I feel like I don’t need to give any explanation here. He can bowl at the death. Bad decent. Decent fielder. Adds experience to the bowling line up. Adds left arm option. Gives his 100% especially in WCs. Shoud just play important games till the WC so that he’s fit
-Qadir (Hasan or Naseem or Haris), let’s be honest here. Qadir is the only genuine spinner around Pak squad apart from Zafar. He’s variety and also Babar’s friend(unintentional/ hidden bias). He can bat a bit and a decent fielder. Pak does a lot of minnow bashing so I am sure he’ll be on the plane to India unless he’s exposed against good teams. Also if he can be groomed I don’t think he’d be that bad. He doesn’t have to do well every game. Look, cricket is a teams game. If he can do well against SENA teams (with pacers doing well against Asian teams) and win a game or two, even if he does bad against Asian teams, he’s more than welcome in the playing 11. Also he might swap with 4th pacer(Hasan or Naseem or Rauf) if the opponent is Asian or the pitch has support for pacers
- Shaheen is Shaheen
- Hasnain (he started to do well. Has good height and pace. Can share new ball. Young and fit)


Bowling
50 overs of genuine wicket bowling
- Shaheen and Hasnain new ball
- Wahab
- Qadir (Naseem or Rauf) and Shadab


Haris Sohail (6th option)
Babar (7th if he starts bowling)
Talat (8th option)


Points to discuss
- Imam ul Haq as wk to maximise his output for the team
Tried to make as less changes as possible
-Squad which is realistic than adding random names
-Has experienced players in Wahab, Haris, Babar, Imad, Shadab and Imam
- Added youngsters only who has genuine potential like Abdullah, Haider, Saud Naseem and Talat
- Included Rohail only becoz you do need a like for like back up keeper with the concussion rules in place
- No pseudo all rounders. Made sure bowlers make squad on bowling merit and batsmen on batting merit
- Squad based on the conditions in the hosting country
- Notable skips
Khushdil Shah - was confused between him and Talat as Khusdil is much better hitter and his spin will be much useful in India than Talats pace. Had to go to Talat coz talat is more experienced and can accumulate apart from hitting. From little I’ve seen of Khushdil he looks more of a T20 player
- Amir. Doesn’t merit a place in the squad let alone playing 11. It depends if he’s interested to grab his place back. If he can gain form then good for him and Pak team
-Back ups
Opener- Z Malik
M order- Khushdil / Agha Salman
Spinner - Z Gohar
Pacer - 3 out of (Hassan Ali / M Amir / H Rauf and N Shah) as one will already be in the squad



That’s my thoughts, I know no squad is perfect. At the end of the day, it comes down to how mentally prepared you’re apart from your skills. You can have Wasim / Waqar / Shoaib / Saqlain / Razzaq and Afridi as your bowling unit and you might still lose to defend scores

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

[MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] [MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] [MENTION=93712]MenInG[/MENTION] [MENTION=141114]Hasan123[/MENTION] [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION]
[MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION]

Your views

 

[aloo paratha]

Man you wrote A Shafiq, I thought you meant Asad Shafiq. Was about to roast the hell out of you

 

[Hitman]

Silly question here, but will the World Cup be held in the subcontinent or only in India?

 

[aloo paratha]

Need to be past Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim and Wahab Riaz by 2023. Can't make the same mistake we made in 2019, we have 3 years still to develop the team, get rid of them now.

 

[Arsal_AK]

Silly question here, but will the World Cup be held in the subcontinent or only in India?

Only in India.

 

[aloo paratha]

Silly question here, but will the World Cup be held in the subcontinent or only in India?

Just India.

 

[Hitman]

Only in India.

Just India.

Thanks for letting know. I personally would have preferred it to be held in the entire subcontinent.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

Need to be past Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim and Wahab Riaz by 2023. Can't make the same mistake we made in 2019, we have 3 years still to develop the team, get rid of them now.

One question to you

Do you think it’ll happen?

When it’s practically not possible no point discussing it. None of these 3 are going anywhere, may be Haris if he isn’t fit


And what mistake are you talking about. All 3 won you matches at 2019 wc

 

[sweep_shot]

Pakistan have to get at least one more genuine spinner. I don't think Imad's style of bowling would be suitable for Indian pitches.

Shadab can be good but he has been inconsistent.

Batting is looking promising. Pace attack is alright also.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

Man you wrote A Shafiq, I thought you meant Asad Shafiq. Was about to roast the hell out of you

That isn’t bad idea either He’s young and learning

 

[ahmadharis1]

Very well written post, great ideas here. Just some of my thoughts...

-Don't think Wahab Riaz should be included. If the WC were today I'd definitely pick him, but by 2023 he'll be pushing 40 years old. Now's the time to groom a fast bowler

-Same with Haris Sohail. He'll also be 34 at the time of the World Cup. If we start grooming a few middle order options now, we're bound to have a decent option by then.

-Zafar Gohar in place of Imad Wasim. Gohar is a genuine spinner unlike Imad and he desperately deserved a run in the ODI team.

-Imam as WK will never happen, our best bet is likely Mohammad Rizwan for now unless Rohail Nazir really tears it up soon.

-I think Abdullah Shafique has some talent but he definitely needs some more 50-over experience. Currently hasn't played any so far. For now, I'd have Khushdil Shah in his place.

 

[aloo paratha]

Thanks for letting know. I personally would have preferred it to be held in the entire subcontinent.

Same. Honestly think every other world cup should be a split event between the 4 main subcontinent countries. We represent the bulk of the cricket world. T20 world cups could be given to smaller countries like SA, WI, NZ more often in return.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Excellent points [MENTION=151013]Babar_Azam_fan[/MENTION].

My only gripe is with your middle order which feels a lot less dynamic than it could be. Haider Ali is a fantastic six hitter against spin and I feel would be very valuable in India in the middle rather than at the top, where someone who is more technically correct like Abdullah Shafique can withstand the new ball spell. Abdullah also knows how to play at a good strike rate plus is a natural opener, so could be a good replacement to Fakhar opposite Imam. Haider is a little weaker against top class swing (especially seen against Amir and Shaheen in the PSL and even a little against that tall Zimbabwe guy).

I also like the idea of making Imam the wk, but will have to see how he develops as I don’t want missed stumpings for our spinners or dropped catches for our pacers. He’s a great fielder too, and his arm will be more valuable inside the inner ring rather than as keeper. However, due to lack of options, if he can become a decent keeper, it would be fantastic for the balance of the team.

I don’t think Haris Sohail will make it due to fitness issues, and Hussain Talat might as well be replaced with a specialist batsman since the medium pace won’t be that valuable in India. I would like to see Wahab Riaz there, but it would be a miracle if he’s still got his pace by then as well as improves his accuracy. Wahab is always dangerous when accurate, and he’s been decently accurate this last year, but then he seemed to go wayward again. Let’s see.

I also think Shadab is pretty good at rotating the strike against spin, so might be better suited to 5 than to the death overs.

1. Abdullah Shafique
2. Imam ul Haq (wk)
3. Babar Azam (c)
4. Haider Ali
5. Shadab Khan (vc)
6. Khushdil Shah
7. Usman Qadir
8. Zafar Gohar
9. Shaheen Afridi
10. [Best third pacer] (Hassan / Naseem / Wahab)
11. [Best new ball bowler] (Rauf / Hasnain / Akif / Amir)

6 genuine bowling options in Shadab Khan, Zafar Gohar, Usman Qadir, Shaheen Afridi, [Hassan Ali], and [Haris Rauf].

All three spinners can pick up a bat so batting goes through to number 8, while Shaheen can hit a boundary or two at 9. Khushdil can chip in as 7th bowler if need be.

12th man is Imad Wasim, can replace Gohar as the left arm option if we want to strengthen the batting (which is currently a little weak at the death after Haider, Shadab, Khushdil) and bring Khushdil’s spin more into play.

I know that’s two leggies — ideally I’d replace one of them with a good offie, but we don’t have any options so a left armer third spinner should do.

The bowling workload would look like this:

Shaheen and [Rauf]: new ball and death, 10 overs each.
Gohar and Qadir: middle overs, 8 overs each.
Shadab and [Hassan Ali]: middle overs, 7 overs each

Note how it’s important for the third pacer to bat a bit, which is why I listed Hassan Ali, but that also obviously depends on his bowling form. Otherwise, the tail would be way too long. If Wahab is still decent with bat and ball by then, he’d also be a good candidate.

Other options are Amad Butt and Hussain Talat as third pacer, though it remains to be seen if they’re good enough with the ball to justify the place. Otherwise they’d both be good options to bat at numbers 7 and 8. In fact, Amad is quite decent with the new ball and at the death, so he can even partner Shaheen if need be.

A predicted lineup, though, is more likely to include Sarfaraz/Rizwan instead of Imam. Which messes the entire combination up. Even if not those two, they’ll probably go for Rohail over Imam as keeper.

This is the most likely lineup to be honest:

1. Abdullah Shafique
2. Imam ul Haq
3. Babar Azam
4. Haider Ali
5. Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
6. Khushdil Shah
7. Shadab Khan
8. Imad Wasim
9. Shaheen Afridi
10. Mohammad Hasnain
11. Haris Rauf

 

[Mesozoic]

Wait....Is Bhanja ul haq a wicket keeper?

Or are they trying to do a KL Rahul with him?

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Wait....Is Bhanja ul haq a wicket keeper?

Or are they trying to do a KL Rahul with him?

KL Rahul

 

[Shafi]

There are 2 major obstacles to participate to 2023 World Cup.

1. Modi's BJP will be major threat for Pakistan team to participate.

2. If Misbah gets extension for another year it will make Modi's job easier because we may not be able to qualify for the main event.

3. Suppose we pass those 2 obstacles and manage to get a good qualified foreign coach then with limited talents, favoritism in selection we will not go past semi. If the format is like round robin league we will be able to be around 5-6 which will be respectable for team no. 7 (present status, it will go worse like 9 under Misbah).

 

[zain7077]

Abdullah Shafique
Haider Ali
Babar Azam
Saud Shakeel
Muhammad Rizwan
Khushdil Shah/ Danish Aziz
Zafar Gohar / Shadab Khan
Imad Wasim
Shaheen Afridi
Naseem Shah
Hasan/ Rauf/ Hasnanin

 

[Majid Khan]

There are 2 major obstacles to participate to 2023 World Cup.

1. Modi's BJP will be major threat for Pakistan team to participate.

2. If Misbah gets extension for another year it will make Modi's job easier because we may not be able to qualify for the main event.

3. Suppose we pass those 2 obstacles and manage to get a good qualified foreign coach then with limited talents, favoritism in selection we will not go past semi. If the format is like round robin league we will be able to be around 5-6 which will be respectable for team no. 7 (present status, it will go worse like 9 under Misbah).

Favouritism and nepotism on selection is always at peak when a World Cup squad is announced by Pakistan - many a player have made comebacks and last minute entry into the squad on the eve of the WC.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Azhar Ali and Sohail Tanvir somehow make their way into Pakistan’s squad for 2023 World Cup at the last minute to provide some much needed “experience”.

 

[Ahmed216]

Abdullah Shafique
Haider Ali
Babar Azam
Saud Shakeel
Muhammad Rizwan
Khushdil Shah/ Danish Aziz
Zafar Gohar / Shadab Khan
Imad Wasim
Shaheen Afridi
Naseem Shah
Hasan/ Rauf/ Hasnanin

Why Saud over Imam ? A shafique can bat in middle order

 

[zain7077]

Why Saud over Imam ? A shafique can bat in middle order

Abdullah is an opener and much better than Imam. Saud Shakeel is a class act.

 

[Mesozoic]

1. Modi's BJP will be major threat for Pakistan team to participate.

Why? And how did "Modi's BJP" threaten Pakistan team when they played the world T20 in 2016 that too without any Presidential security?

 

[JibranAnsari]

Haider Ali and Abdullah shafiq are very new , we can not say that they will be there even after 6 months let alone 3 years. International cricket is levels above our domestic cricket , first let them perform for 2 3 series before keeping them in your distant future squads.

Hussain talat has scored some but I have a lot of doubt over his batting and he is especially not suited for lower order batting. So the question is how many top 4 batsmen can we carry. Apparently rizwan isnt equipped as a finisher either.

The sure starters are

Imam ul haq
Babar azam
haris sohail(if he keeps fit)
shadab khan
imad wasim
shaheen afridi
rizwan (if plays in top 4 or max 5).


Other players PCB should be testing in the next one year

Haider ali
Abdullah shafique
rohail nazir
saud shakil
Hussain Talat
Muhammad Umar
salman agha
usman Qadir
Hammad azam
hassan ali
sameen gul
naseem shah
dilber hussain
Sharjeel (if he gets a bit fit)
husnain
haris rauf
khushdil shah.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

Pak is struggling with its Wk. If Babar is smart he’s to find one right now.


Sarfraz (Failed already)
Rizwan (Not good enough for lois)
Azam (Just a league player for now)
Zeeshan Ashraf ( not good enough)
Rohail Nazeer (He might work)

 

[JibranAnsari]

in the next ODI i would play

abid ali
imam
babar
haris
rizwan
khushdil
imad wasim
shadab khan
Shaheen
Naseem
Husnain

All three quicks can bowl 90 mph

both usman and shadab can bat a bit.

khushdil can bowl some useful overs.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

in the next ODI i would play

abid ali
imam
babar
haris
rizwan
khushdil
imad wasim
shadab khan
Shaheen
Naseem
Husnain

All three quicks can bowl 90 mph

both usman and shadab can bat a bit.

khushdil can bowl some useful overs.

Abid Ali won’t be in your next test squad and you’re thinking of having him in Odi.

Rizwan will lose matches for you in LOIs especially if he bats anywhere below 4. There’s a high chance of you winning with 10 players(without Rizwan) than winning with Playing Rizwan below 4

 

[JibranAnsari]

Abid Ali won’t be in your next test squad and you’re thinking of having him in Odi.

Rizwan will lose matches for you in LOIs especially if he bats anywhere below 4. There’s a high chance of you winning with 10 players(without Rizwan) than winning with Playing Rizwan below 4

why wont abid ali in our next test squad? He is probably the best opener pakistan has had in the last 7 8 years. He plays risk free cricket , technically isnt too bad either. He has all the experience of domestic cricket behind him.

I understand that we like our youngsters but it doesnt mean we can kick out somebody without giving them a chance fail.
I too dont like rizwan much but rohail and others dont have much experience either , hopefully the A tour of shaheen can tell us what the young guns are made of.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

why wont abid ali in our next test squad? He is probably the best opener pakistan has had in the last 7 8 years. He plays risk free cricket , technically isnt too bad either. He has all the experience of domestic cricket behind him.

I understand that we like our youngsters but it doesnt mean we can kick out somebody without giving them a chance fail.
I too dont like rizwan much but rohail and others dont have much experience either , hopefully the A tour of shaheen can tell us what the young guns are made of.

There are few things in Pak cricket which gets leaked.

It was leaked that Misbah would be sacked, and he was
It was leaked Azhar would be sacked, he was
It was leaked Asad would be dropped, he is

If reports are to go by, Abid would lose his place from the next squad and even Azhar if some youngster puts his hand up

 

[JibranAnsari]

There are few things in Pak cricket which gets leaked.

It was leaked that Misbah would be sacked, and he was
It was leaked Azhar would be sacked, he was
It was leaked Asad would be dropped, he is

If reports are to go by, Abid would lose his place from the next squad and even Azhar if some youngster puts his hand up

It wont be fair to assume though that abid ali will fail. He is a fighter we have seen that.
and which reports are you talking about?

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

It wont be fair to assume though that abid ali will fail. He is a fighter we have seen that.
and which reports are you talking about?

He’s a fighter? Based on what? Scoring against SL and BAN pacers who average 45+ and 60+ on those flat pitches won’t make you a fighter or legend

And to be brutally honest, he’ll fail just like he did in England

 

[UzmanBeast]

Let me start by few points

1)WCs are WON by the teams with good bowling. You Need 50 overs of genuine bowling (unless you’ve a team like England where you try to out bat the opponents with your explosive batting)

2) World Cup is in India and you do need at least 25 overs of genuine spin (no darters)

3) No pseudo ARs will help you win crucial matches. If you’ve someone like Stokes, Pandya, Shakib it’s different. These Stoinis, Faheems, will do no help

4) Reduce the average age of the Squad

5) Make sure it’s experience in it, don’t add youngsters just for the sake of it. If you see the potential in the youngster and feel he can be your match winner in 3 years then go for it



Squad build up

Out of 15, the break down of most(good) squads is

7 batsmen
1 wk
7 bowlers

Given the WC is in India, more emphasis should be on Spin, rather than Pace

Openers
H Ali
I ul Haq

M order
A Shafiq
B Azam
H Sohail
H Talat

Wk
R Nazir

Spinners
I Wasim
S Khan
U Qadir

Pacers
M Hasnain
S Afridi
W Riaz
H Ali / H Rauf / N Shah (not sure who’ll be ready by then)


Points in the squad

BATTING
-2 Openers and your back up openers will be A Shafiq, B Azam and R Nazir
- R Nazir will play the role of back up keeper and even back up opener if needed
- Most batsmen make the playing 11 on batting merit but can role their arms, especially Saud and Haris can bowl decent spin in India, may be even Babar if he’s interested. H Talat will just be your 7th or 8th bowler
- 3 Stroke makers in H Ali, A Shafiq and H Talat
- 3 Accumulators (88+ sr) in Babar, Haris, Saud and Rohail
- Imam ul Haq just above 80
- Imad, Shadab and Wahab make the squad on bowling merit but can give that support as batsmen. To win a World Cup don’t expect your bowlers to win. Make sure they’re genuine match winners with the bowl. And can add with the bat if needed

- Bowilng
-4 pacers + 3 spinners
-Batsmen who can bowl a bit, H Talat, H Sohail, S Shakeel, not sure but Babar might start rolling his arm given he’s the captain now)



Playing 11

You start specifying roles from now. Three years is a good time to let the players understand their roles

H Ali
I ul Haq +
B Azam *
A Shafiq
H Sohail
H Talat
S Khan
W Riaz
U Qadir (H Ali or N Shah or Haris Rauf if 4 pacers required)
S Afridi
M Hasnain


Batting
- Haider Ali to make use of the power play
- Imam ul Haq is a player who averages 50+. He can play long but his sr is just above 80. He is not so bad(for Pak standards) to be dropped, nor is he so good to have him in the team as a genuine bat. Hence, tried to maximise his output to the team. He HAS TO be groomed as a wk, given how bad the available options for wks are
- Babar is Babar (He has to improve his powe game and learn to captain)
- A Shafiq, he looks a genuine talent apart from Haider. Also he’s not as one dimensional as Haider nor does he lack power hitting like Babar. He’s a kind of a player who can accumulate and hit when required. A perfect #4
-Haris is Haris. He makes the playing 11 on merit. But really confused about his fitness. Can’t have such a fragile player. If he plays all the games till the WC and gets injured just before the WC, it’ll be chaos. Management has to decide his future. Either he’s fit to play wc, if he isn’t then drop him even if he’s fit to play now. If he can’t play WC then Saud Shakeel makes it to the playing 11. Similar kind of players
- H Talat, he’s more suited to ODIs than T20Is. He can’t hit from the word go. He’s had a brilliant domestic season (T20 and FC). Give him a role to play. He’s a player who has the capability to hit and also can accumulate
- Shadab, tbh I am not sure of Shadab the batsman. I am sure Shadab himself is more confused about himself. In Tests he looks a batsman who can bowl. In LOIs he looks a bowler who can hold bat. He’s all over the place. Moreover he’s made the VC of the team. So he’d play every game for sure. Having him in the playing 11 over Imad, just coz he’s much better bowler and fielder. Also the WCs especially in India you do need spinners who can spin
- Wahab- Tbh I feel like I don’t need to give any explanation here. He can bowl at the death. Bad decent. Decent fielder. Adds experience to the bowling line up. Adds left arm option. Gives his 100% especially in WCs. Shoud just play important games till the WC so that he’s fit
-Qadir (Hasan or Naseem or Haris), let’s be honest here. Qadir is the only genuine spinner around Pak squad apart from Zafar. He’s variety and also Babar’s friend(unintentional/ hidden bias). He can bat a bit and a decent fielder. Pak does a lot of minnow bashing so I am sure he’ll be on the plane to India unless he’s exposed against good teams. Also if he can be groomed I don’t think he’d be that bad. He doesn’t have to do well every game. Look, cricket is a teams game. If he can do well against SENA teams (with pacers doing well against Asian teams) and win a game or two, even if he does bad against Asian teams, he’s more than welcome in the playing 11. Also he might swap with 4th pacer(Hasan or Naseem or Rauf) if the opponent is Asian or the pitch has support for pacers
- Shaheen is Shaheen
- Hasnain (he started to do well. Has good height and pace. Can share new ball. Young and fit)


Bowling
50 overs of genuine wicket bowling
- Shaheen and Hasnain new ball
- Wahab
- Qadir (Naseem or Rauf) and Shadab


Haris Sohail (6th option)
Babar (7th if he starts bowling)
Talat (8th option)


Points to discuss
- Imam ul Haq as wk to maximise his output for the team
Tried to make as less changes as possible
-Squad which is realistic than adding random names
-Has experienced players in Wahab, Haris, Babar, Imad, Shadab and Imam
- Added youngsters only who has genuine potential like Abdullah, Haider, Saud Naseem and Talat
- Included Rohail only becoz you do need a like for like back up keeper with the concussion rules in place
- No pseudo all rounders. Made sure bowlers make squad on bowling merit and batsmen on batting merit
- Squad based on the conditions in the hosting country
- Notable skips
Khushdil Shah - was confused between him and Talat as Khusdil is much better hitter and his spin will be much useful in India than Talats pace. Had to go to Talat coz talat is more experienced and can accumulate apart from hitting. From little I’ve seen of Khushdil he looks more of a T20 player
- Amir. Doesn’t merit a place in the squad let alone playing 11. It depends if he’s interested to grab his place back. If he can gain form then good for him and Pak team
-Back ups
Opener- Z Malik
M order- Khushdil / Agha Salman
Spinner - Z Gohar
Pacer - 3 out of (Hassan Ali / M Amir / H Rauf and N Shah) as one will already be in the squad



That’s my thoughts, I know no squad is perfect. At the end of the day, it comes down to how mentally prepared you’re apart from your skills. You can have Wasim / Waqar / Shoaib / Saqlain / Razzaq and Afridi as your bowling unit and you might still lose to defend scores

I like your viewpoints on a lot of topics, but the middle order seems a bit weak in my opinion. Firstly, I can see that you were a bit confused with Talat and Khushdil. Talat, though he may be able to accumulate, won't be useful when you're 250/3 after 39 overs. That's when you need raw aggression and powerful striking of the ball.

Secondly, I really like the decision to open with Haider. He's young, can hit, and will utilize the power play well. Imam-ul-Haq and Haider would be an ideal opening combination. One plays the long innings, the other has the ability to rotate strike fluently and hit the long ball occasionally.

However, I would make a few more changes as well. This all depends on how Shadab Khan develops as a bowler and a batsman.

By comparison, Shadab is the superior bowler when compared with Imad.

But a batting comparison shows that Shadab is nowhere near where Imad is at the moment.

Imad averages approximately 43 with a strike rate of 110.3, and he makes vital runs at the bottom of the order. You simply cannot leave him out of the squad with those statistics, he's by far one of the best all-rounders Pakistan has produced in recent times.

Shadab Khan needs to improve his batting by a long shot, needs to give at least a minimum of 30 runs at a strike rate of near 100 to form a very good all-rounder that can replace Imad Wasim when his time comes. Looking at our squad depth, whilst I like the idea of including Usman Qadir, he probably won't be played a lot given that most of our tail-enders cannot hold bats for their lives.

My squad for 2023 WC would look something like:

Imam-ul-Haq (brilliant by you to suggest that he takes up the gloves, adds a lot of value.)
Haider Ali
Babar Azam (c)
Abdullah Shafiq
Haris Sohail
Khushdil Shah
Imad Wasim
Shadab Khan (vc)
Wahab Riaz
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Haris Rauf

Bench: Usman Qadir, Rohail Nazir (backup WK), etc.

This squad has 7 bowling options presented to Babar Azam, each of which can be used during specific phases in the game. Additionally, there is a very balanced top 5 with a capable lower order in the form of Khushdil, Shadab, Imad, who can contribute vital runs when needed. The tail starts at 10, which is a rarity in Pakistan cricket. There is a very little compromise made, only in the form of keeping a genuine spinner such as Usman Qadir on the bench. On the basis of merit, I think that if there was a need for a player to be dropped between Shadab and Imad, I'd go with the former because Imad is the ideal finisher that Pakistan has. I'd back this squad to put up totals of around 300+ and with a structured plan, we could finally see Pakistan chase down large targets. Almost everyone on this team can switch gears, giving a lot of versatility in various situations. However, this squad is for the 2023 World Cup and perhaps games in the subcontinent. Overseas, we would definitely have to change the squad, but a blueprint is set, and it will be interesting to see how PCB utilizes the players at it's disposal.

 

[KoyoAli]

Abdullah is an opener and much better than Imam. Saud Shakeel is a class act.

Wait, What? When did that happen. What is Abdullah's record? How can people so blatantly undermine Imam for their own likes and dislikes is beyond funny to me.

 

[Arsal_AK]

why wont abid ali in our next test squad? He is probably the best opener pakistan has had in the last 7 8 years. He plays risk free cricket , technically isnt too bad either. He has all the experience of domestic cricket behind him.

I understand that we like our youngsters but it doesnt mean we can kick out somebody without giving them a chance fail.
I too dont like rizwan much but rohail and others dont have much experience either , hopefully the A tour of shaheen can tell us what the young guns are made of.

Azhar is the best opener we have had, despite his followed by Shan and then Shehzad. Abid will do well to match Shehzad (includes tons against Aus and NZ).

Abid has done nothing apart from his bashing of BD and SL.

In England he looked at sea with a high score of 60 which included 3 lives and about half a dozen fours of the edge. Even in the practice games Naseem was seemingly toying with him.

Technically he is up there with the worst. He hasn't come up against quality spin but against swing, pace or against short stuff he is a sitting duck.

As for why he shouldn't play LOIs, I suggest watching how he was batting in the NT20. If he can't make the central Punjab lineup, he certainly shouldn't play for Pakistan.

And he will be 36/37 in 2023. Averages 39 in both FC and List A cricket. Its a no brainier as to why he should be nowhere near the ODI team.

 

[JibranAnsari]

He’s a fighter? Based on what? Scoring against SL and BAN pacers who average 45+ and 60+ on those flat pitches won’t make you a fighter or legend

And to be brutally honest, he’ll fail just like he did in England

he had two scores of 40 plus in 5 innings , he has a proven domestic record.

You want to get rid of him after what 9 test innings and 6 odi innings? Wow , In those he has 3 hundreds and two 50s already. If babar azam was discarded after 5 test matches where would he be?

 

[JibranAnsari]

Azhar is the best opener we have had, despite his followed by Shan and then Shehzad. Abid will do well to match Shehzad (includes tons against Aus and NZ).

Abid has done nothing apart from his bashing of BD and SL.

In England he looked at sea with a high score of 60 which included 3 lives and about half a dozen fours of the edge. Even in the practice games Naseem was seemingly toying with him.

Technically he is up there with the worst. He hasn't come up against quality spin but against swing, pace or against short stuff he is a sitting duck.

As for why he shouldn't play LOIs, I suggest watching how he was batting in the NT20. If he can't make the central Punjab lineup, he certainly shouldn't play for Pakistan.

And he will be 36/37 in 2023. Averages 39 in both FC and List A cricket. Its a no brainier as to why he should be nowhere near the ODI team.

for openers in dometic 39 40 isnt a bad number. 36 37 isnt toi bad , but more importantly he deserves a longer run after 3 hundreds in both formats. The guy currently has a strike rate of 93 in odis and a hundred against australia who i last checked are not srilanka and bangladesh

 

[KoyoAli]

he had two scores of 40 plus in 5 innings , he has a proven domestic record.

You want to get rid of him after what 9 test innings and 6 odi innings? Wow , In those he has 3 hundreds and two 50s already. If babar azam was discarded after 5 test matches where would he be?

I don't think he is comparable with Babar. And there is no way he adds anything to the current ODI team. We have amazing talents like Haidar and Abdullah sitting on the bench. Why should be keep going with Abid.

 

[Arsal_AK]

for openers in dometic 39 40 isnt a bad number. 36 37 isnt toi bad , but more importantly he deserves a longer run after 3 hundreds in both formats. The guy currently has a strike rate of 93 in odis and a hundred against australia who i last checked are not srilanka and bangladesh

You said he is the best opener we have had in 7 years. I assume you were talking about test cricket. I just showed you why that isn't the case.

You haven't addressed any of the other points. He is currently not even making the CP batting lineup, why should he be playing ODIs? And more importantly why should he be in the plans for 2023 when he will be 36/37 officially?

Scoring a ton against Aus (Zampa, Maxwell, Lyon, Coulter-Nile) about 2 years ago shouldn't influence his selection now.

And 39 in domestic after a hundred games is definitely not good. And this is before the current system of just 6 teams, so he wasn't facing top quality bowling either.

In tests if he does well in NZ, for sure we can look at a longer run. Going by how he has batted in England, I don't see it happening.

 

[aloo paratha]

One question to you

Do you think it’ll happen?

When it’s practically not possible no point discussing it. None of these 3 are going anywhere, may be Haris if he isn’t fit


And what mistake are you talking about. All 3 won you matches at 2019 wc

they won us matches in 2019, will they be able to win us matches in 2023? That's the question.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

[MENTION=151013]Babar_Azam_fan[/MENTION] Just for your efforts and thoughts I would like to nominate your post for POTW.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

they won us matches in 2019, will they be able to win us matches in 2023? That's the question.

Why can’t they that’s the question?

Imad and Wahab are still wining you the matches. Haris I am not sure of his fitness. If he’s fit he still can.

Imad wouldn’t be in playing 11. Haris wouldn’t be in the squad if he isn’t fit. Wahab is really needed as he’s the only bowler who can bat, given there’s no Amir or Hassan

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

[MENTION=151013]Babar_Azam_fan[/MENTION] Just for your efforts and thoughts I would like to nominate your post for POTW.

I appreciate

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Why can’t they that’s the question?

Imad and Wahab are still wining you the matches. Haris I am not sure of his fitness. If he’s fit he still can.

Imad wouldn’t be in playing 11. Haris wouldn’t be in the squad if he isn’t fit. Wahab is really needed as he’s the only bowler who can bat, given there’s no Amir or Hassan

Imad Babar and Haris are the only batters we have right now that can stand up to pressure and in India the crowd is going to be wild. Not sure if discarding two of them would be a good idea especially when we don't play in India or in high pressure matches often.

 

[Markhor]

We need a hard hitting opener (sorry but Imam's consumption of dot balls in the PP is a major issue), a quality spinner (Imad-Shadab combo is painfully mediocre) and to sort out the finisher role (not convinced by Iftikhar and Khushdil).

Our new ball bowling has also been shocking for a while. Shaheen is the only one I trust to get us early breakthroughs. The others are unproven. Haris Rauf should still be playing domestic cricket, Hasnain is improving but is still expensive, Musa is awful and Naseem's fitness means it's unlikely he can play all formats.

Frankly, despite being held in Asian conditions I don't see Pakistan in the semi finals unless major changes are made to personnel, coaching and planning.

 

[shamaan]

Man you wrote A Shafiq, I thought you meant Asad Shafiq. Was about to roast the hell out of you

Exactly what i said in another post

 

[Titan24]

As world cup is happening in India, two aspects are really important:

1) Batsmen which are good players of spin
2) Couple of quality spinners

At the moment I dont think anyone can confidently say Pak has both aspects covered.

We havent seen much of Haider and Abdullah against international spinners yet so cant comment much. However, overall I dont think Babar, Imam, Rizwan, Haris Sohail have their spin game upto the level of last generation yet. Obviously they are decent against spin, otherwise you cant score runs but I think their power game and footwork against spinners can be further improved. They have 2, 2.5 years or so, I hope they can develop. Babar has already improved in last 2-3 years against spin so hopefully others can also follow the similar route along with improving the power game against spinners.

Coming to spinners, Pak has been relying on all rounders in the form of main spinners as no pace bowling all rounder has been able to reach that level yet. None of the all round spinners are good enough yet to run through batting lineups. Imad is one of our better lower order hitters but not sure with his fitness and age how much further roam is there in his bowling. He definitely has started to flight and spin the older ball more now than before but, again he is not someone who can run through a lineup on a spin friendly wicket or to provide that attacking spin option. Though overall he provides a good package with his hitting and economical bowling, so if he is fit these would be few factors management will have to think about and decide their combination.

Similar is the situation with Shadab as of now but he has more time and roam to improve, so hopefully he can fine tune his game further by then. At the same time we can hope Zafar Gohar, Usman Qadir etc. can really put their hands up as well.

Pak has some decent young players but, these two aspects need to be improved upon and thought about to increase the chance of a good show.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Rizwan sorts out some problems for us. I would retain Imam ul Haq as well as he is immensely reliable. I don’t care if he’s slow, he’s showed in T20 cricket that he can increase his scoring rate and is still learning.

1. Imam ul Haq
2. Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
3. Babar Azam
4. Haider Ali

Pretty decent top 4. We very badly need some middle order options though. Iftikhar and Khushdil are very lackluster. Shadab takes a guaranteed spot as spin bowling all-rounder, in a Yuvraj kind of role in 2011 - he can fit anywhere between 5-8.

What are the other middle order options? Haris Sohail? Hussain Talat? Can Abdullah Shafique be transformed into a number 5? What about promoting Imad Wasim to a middle order role and bringing in a third spinner, which will be useful in India?

5. Iftikhar Ahmed
6. Shadab Khan
7. Imad Wasim
8. Zafar Gohar / Usman Qadir

That leaves three pacers. Shaheen is a guaranteed pick. I think Hassan Ali might be an inspired selection since he can bat too, and we don’t want a tailender at number 9, and he is looking like he’s back in form these days too.
But it depends on how he readjusts to internationals when he comes back. He offers excellent control in the middle overs and can seam the ball which is useful in India. Last pick would be one of Hasnain or Rauf, I suppose, depending on how they develop.

9. Hassan Ali
10. Shaheen Afridi
11. Mohammad Hasnain

I’ll also list 4 backups to fill out the 15 man squad. This gives us a little bit of ease of mind in terms of people we can rotate (and promote to the main team if they perform better than the 11 I’ve listed above).

Backup opener: Abdullah Shafique
Backup wicket keeper/middle order batsman: Rohail Nazir
Backup spinner: Zafar Gohar / Usman Qadir
Backup pacer: Haris Rauf

That’s how I would personally go about building the team. The only notable names I’ve dropped are Haris Sohail who I think will be way too unfit and out of form by then, Fakhar Zaman who is struggling with not just form but technique too when he’s cramped for room, and Khushdil Shah who cannot play on the offside for the life of him. I’ve preferred to stick to proper players, i.e Imad and Shadab are better middle order batsmen than Khushdil can hope to be.

Final XI:

1. Imam ul Haq
2. Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
3. Babar Azam
4. Haider Ali
5. Iftikhar Ahmed
6. Shadab Khan
7. Imad Wasim
8. Usman Qadir
9. Hassan Ali
10. Shaheen Afridi
11. Mohammad Hasnain

Bench: Abdullah Shafique, Rohail Nazir, Zafar Gohar, Haris Rauf

Tell me why this team will not go toe to toe with other teams in the world. Every single batsman is dynamic, can play the long game as well as score quickly, and there is batting depth all the way until number 9 with Shaheen able to hit a boundary or two at number 10. There’s 3 proper spinners in this lineup which we need for India, plus a fourth part-time option available in Iftikhar Ahmed.

Our top order is one of the most consistent in the world between Imam and Babar, while Rizwan is quickly developing as a reliable batsman in the two longer formats. Haider is a perfect option for number 4, can play a long innings but also hits big almost at will, and plays spin really well. Very good impact player, assuming he develops properly.

Our middle order of Iftikhar, Shadab, and Imad is quite strong considering they all know how to finish games and play in pressure situations. Iftikhar in his innings against Australia when our batting collapsed, or hitting a boundary when we needed 3 from 3 against New Zealand, in addition to similar knocks in PSL and National T20.

Shadab as a batsman for Islamabad United, batting through the innings, or recovering some self-respect for Pakistan to take us from 39/5 to 153 in the first T20 against New Zealand, or during our Test match against England to help Shan take us to a big total.

Imad multiple times for Karachi Kings, as well as in that World Cup game against Afghanistan - he’s being underutilized right now and can easily take responsibility in the middle order. I’ve kept him at 7, but he can play at 6 too.

I honestly don’t think we can put up a better team than this. And it’s quite a fantastic team.

 

[Ahson8]

Not gonna lie, I genuinely fear we may not qualify for WC 2023 with Misbah at the helm

 

[Bewal Express]

No PK team will uproot any trees at the next WC. Poor selection of untalented players for decades has created a culture of fear and failure. Can players like Imam do anything, no is the simple answer. So what should we do, pick players that have the ability to play bowling over 85mph. Then give them opportunities to play and hope they develop.

 

[Technics 1210]

So much can happen in 3 years.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

Line up would look something like this

Imam
Fakhar/ Sharjeel
Babar *
Rizwan +
Saud
Shadab
Danish
Faheem
Nawaz
Hasan
Shaheen

7 Bowlers (4 spin ARs and 1 seam AR)
Batting till #10.

 

[rhony]

Thanks for letting know. I personally would have preferred it to be held in the entire subcontinent.

Agree. BD and SL could have been giant slayers if they played their home games. Not sure if they anticipated Pak will be able to host when they declared India as a host

 

[cricketerB94]

Too premature at this stage. My squad composition would be:

6 Batsmen
4 Bowlers
4 All-rounders
1 Wicket Keeper

If the World Cup starts from tomorrow, then I would select the following squad:

Batsmen

1- Imam ul Haq
2- Fakhar Zaman
3- Babar Azam
4- Saud Shakeel
5- Haider Ali
6- Abdullah Shafiq

Bowlers:

1- Shaheen Afridi
2- Hasan Ali
3- Hasnain
4- Usman Qadir

All-rounders:

1- Faheem
2- Shadab
3- Imad
4- Hafeez

Wicket Keeper:

1- Rizwan

This squad provides balance and a lot of combinations, specially if Hafeez can provide 5,6 overs with his off-spin bowling because we do not have any other off-spin bowling option.

The team composition can be:

Imam
Fakhar / Abdullah
Babar
Rizwan
Hafeez / Saud
Haider
Faheem
Imad
Shadab / Usman
Hasan / Hasnain
Shaheen

 

[shamaan]

I have gone with a 17 man squad.

Abdullah
Imaam,
Haider ali (can play in middle to)


Babar
Saud
Azam khan
Qasim akram

Rohail nazir
Rizwan

Qadir
Shadab
Fasial akram

Shaheen
Husnain
Hassan ali
Akif javed
Fahim ashraf

Other players who may feature
Muhammed haris,husnain talat,dahani,wasim jnr,danish aziz,fakhar

 

[shamaan]

My final xi

Abdullah shafique
Rizwan
Babar
Haider ali
Saud shakeel
Azam khan
Shadab /qadir
Hassan ali
Fasial akram
Akif javed/husnain
Shaheen

Solid oppening pair.the class of babar and saud in the middle and then the power of haider ali and azam khan to finish of the innings.

Two excellent new ball bowlers in akif and shaheen.a chinaman in akram.shadab and qadir should be fighting for the spinning option.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

F zaman
i ul haq
b azam *
m rizwan +
h sohail/ s shakeel (d aziz)
h ali (a ali)
m nawaz (s khan)
f ashraf
h ali (h rauf)
u qadir (m hasnain)
s afridi

 

[Greenstorm]

Today's innings has showed that Fakhar and Babar are only two players capable of playing modern day LOI cricket. Its imperative that we build a team around Babar meaning every one with Babar in top 5 should be able to bat at a higher strike rate than him.

 

[Markhor]

Two hard hitting openers at the top of the order please. Let's not keep trotting out this "we don't have Roy or Bairstow" excuse, that doesn't mean you don't try. Today shows why you need batsmen who'll exploit the PP overs. This ain't the 1980s where blunting the new ball is enough for an opener.

Babar and Rizwan as our most consistent batsmen can play at 3 and 4, with Haider at 5 who can bat without pressure and have four senior guys ahead of him.

The #6 position is a problem where we need to keep looking, but Faheem and Hasan are more than decent for 7 and 8.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Today’s innings shows us that Fakhar Zaman and Sharjeel Khan opening combo could end up being the most lethal opening combo in cricketing history. We’re blessed with 2 openers who can clear the boundaries, and who can build an innings.

If Mohammad Wasim doesn’t select Sharjeel Khan for the next ODI series, I will jump off a cliff.

 

[salahuddin10]

Today’s innings shows us that Fakhar Zaman and Sharjeel Khan opening combo could end up being the most lethal opening combo in cricketing history. We’re blessed with 2 openers who can clear the boundaries, and who can build an innings.

If Mohammad Wasim doesn’t select Sharjeel Khan for the next ODI series, I will jump off a cliff.

In Odis i beleive babar should open.He bats very swiftly in powerplays

 

[Majid Khan]

It doesn’t matter who you select and who the captain and coach is - the real problem is this hidden oath that the batsmen have taken (or at least it seems that way) that if one of them succeeds on a given day then the rest of them can take a day off and fail miserably - it’s almost like it’s a sin for three Pakistani batsmen to all contribute 50s on the same day and one they commit very rarely ... and it’s been like this for years.

You only needed one other batsman willing to work hard to score a 50 today and the game was won.

 

[shamaan]

Today’s innings shows us that Fakhar Zaman and Sharjeel Khan opening combo could end up being the most lethal opening combo in cricketing history. We’re blessed with 2 openers who can clear the boundaries, and who can build an innings.

If Mohammad Wasim doesn’t select Sharjeel Khan for the next ODI series, I will jump off a cliff.

Wasim is just waiting for sharjeel to improve his fitness once he does he will make the squad

 

[moghul]

Let me start by few points

1)WCs are WON by the teams with good bowling. You Need 50 overs of genuine bowling (unless you’ve a team like England where you try to out bat the opponents with your explosive batting)

2) World Cup is in India and you do need at least 25 overs of genuine spin (no darters)

3) No pseudo ARs will help you win crucial matches. If you’ve someone like Stokes, Pandya, Shakib it’s different. These Stoinis, Faheems, will do no help

4) Reduce the average age of the Squad

5) Make sure it’s experience in it, don’t add youngsters just for the sake of it. If you see the potential in the youngster and feel he can be your match winner in 3 years then go for it



Squad build up

Out of 15, the break down of most(good) squads is

7 batsmen
1 wk
7 bowlers

Given the WC is in India, more emphasis should be on Spin, rather than Pace

Openers
H Ali
I ul Haq

M order
A Shafiq
B Azam
H Sohail
H Talat

Wk
R Nazir

Spinners
I Wasim
S Khan
U Qadir

Pacers
M Hasnain
S Afridi
W Riaz
H Ali / H Rauf / N Shah (not sure who’ll be ready by then)


Points in the squad

BATTING
-2 Openers and your back up openers will be A Shafiq, B Azam and R Nazir
- R Nazir will play the role of back up keeper and even back up opener if needed
- Most batsmen make the playing 11 on batting merit but can role their arms, especially Saud and Haris can bowl decent spin in India, may be even Babar if he’s interested. H Talat will just be your 7th or 8th bowler
- 3 Stroke makers in H Ali, A Shafiq and H Talat
- 3 Accumulators (88+ sr) in Babar, Haris, Saud and Rohail
- Imam ul Haq just above 80
- Imad, Shadab and Wahab make the squad on bowling merit but can give that support as batsmen. To win a World Cup don’t expect your bowlers to win. Make sure they’re genuine match winners with the bowl. And can add with the bat if needed

- Bowilng
-4 pacers + 3 spinners
-Batsmen who can bowl a bit, H Talat, H Sohail, S Shakeel, not sure but Babar might start rolling his arm given he’s the captain now)



Playing 11

You start specifying roles from now. Three years is a good time to let the players understand their roles

H Ali
I ul Haq +
B Azam *
A Shafiq
H Sohail
H Talat
S Khan
W Riaz
U Qadir (H Ali or N Shah or Haris Rauf if 4 pacers required)
S Afridi
M Hasnain


Batting
- Haider Ali to make use of the power play
- Imam ul Haq is a player who averages 50+. He can play long but his sr is just above 80. He is not so bad(for Pak standards) to be dropped, nor is he so good to have him in the team as a genuine bat. Hence, tried to maximise his output to the team. He HAS TO be groomed as a wk, given how bad the available options for wks are
- Babar is Babar (He has to improve his powe game and learn to captain)
- A Shafiq, he looks a genuine talent apart from Haider. Also he’s not as one dimensional as Haider nor does he lack power hitting like Babar. He’s a kind of a player who can accumulate and hit when required. A perfect #4
-Haris is Haris. He makes the playing 11 on merit. But really confused about his fitness. Can’t have such a fragile player. If he plays all the games till the WC and gets injured just before the WC, it’ll be chaos. Management has to decide his future. Either he’s fit to play wc, if he isn’t then drop him even if he’s fit to play now. If he can’t play WC then Saud Shakeel makes it to the playing 11. Similar kind of players
- H Talat, he’s more suited to ODIs than T20Is. He can’t hit from the word go. He’s had a brilliant domestic season (T20 and FC). Give him a role to play. He’s a player who has the capability to hit and also can accumulate
- Shadab, tbh I am not sure of Shadab the batsman. I am sure Shadab himself is more confused about himself. In Tests he looks a batsman who can bowl. In LOIs he looks a bowler who can hold bat. He’s all over the place. Moreover he’s made the VC of the team. So he’d play every game for sure. Having him in the playing 11 over Imad, just coz he’s much better bowler and fielder. Also the WCs especially in India you do need spinners who can spin
- Wahab- Tbh I feel like I don’t need to give any explanation here. He can bowl at the death. Bad decent. Decent fielder. Adds experience to the bowling line up. Adds left arm option. Gives his 100% especially in WCs. Shoud just play important games till the WC so that he’s fit
-Qadir (Hasan or Naseem or Haris), let’s be honest here. Qadir is the only genuine spinner around Pak squad apart from Zafar. He’s variety and also Babar’s friend(unintentional/ hidden bias). He can bat a bit and a decent fielder. Pak does a lot of minnow bashing so I am sure he’ll be on the plane to India unless he’s exposed against good teams. Also if he can be groomed I don’t think he’d be that bad. He doesn’t have to do well every game. Look, cricket is a teams game. If he can do well against SENA teams (with pacers doing well against Asian teams) and win a game or two, even if he does bad against Asian teams, he’s more than welcome in the playing 11. Also he might swap with 4th pacer(Hasan or Naseem or Rauf) if the opponent is Asian or the pitch has support for pacers
- Shaheen is Shaheen
- Hasnain (he started to do well. Has good height and pace. Can share new ball. Young and fit)


Bowling
50 overs of genuine wicket bowling
- Shaheen and Hasnain new ball
- Wahab
- Qadir (Naseem or Rauf) and Shadab


Haris Sohail (6th option)
Babar (7th if he starts bowling)
Talat (8th option)


Points to discuss
- Imam ul Haq as wk to maximise his output for the team
Tried to make as less changes as possible
-Squad which is realistic than adding random names
-Has experienced players in Wahab, Haris, Babar, Imad, Shadab and Imam
- Added youngsters only who has genuine potential like Abdullah, Haider, Saud Naseem and Talat
- Included Rohail only becoz you do need a like for like back up keeper with the concussion rules in place
- No pseudo all rounders. Made sure bowlers make squad on bowling merit and batsmen on batting merit
- Squad based on the conditions in the hosting country
- Notable skips
Khushdil Shah - was confused between him and Talat as Khusdil is much better hitter and his spin will be much useful in India than Talats pace. Had to go to Talat coz talat is more experienced and can accumulate apart from hitting. From little I’ve seen of Khushdil he looks more of a T20 player
- Amir. Doesn’t merit a place in the squad let alone playing 11. It depends if he’s interested to grab his place back. If he can gain form then good for him and Pak team
-Back ups
Opener- Z Malik
M order- Khushdil / Agha Salman
Spinner - Z Gohar
Pacer - 3 out of (Hassan Ali / M Amir / H Rauf and N Shah) as one will already be in the squad



That’s my thoughts, I know no squad is perfect. At the end of the day, it comes down to how mentally prepared you’re apart from your skills. You can have Wasim / Waqar / Shoaib / Saqlain / Razzaq and Afridi as your bowling unit and you might still lose to defend scores

Haris Sohail, seriously ? Guy was not fit 2 years ago and you want to play him 2 years from now .

I did not read the whole post when I saw Harris in your plans .

Oh and Wahab also in your plans ?

 

[MenInG]

Keeping their best fast bowlers fit and firing will be a key focus for Pakistan ahead of next year's ICC Cricket World Cup in India, according to captain Babar Azam.

Pakistan all but fell out of contention of reaching next year's ICC World Test Championship final when they fell to a disappointing 3-0 series sweep to England in the red-ball series that finished in Karachi on Tuesday.

World Test Championship Standings
Babar's side played some good cricket at times during the home series, but failed to perform with the consistency required and couldn’t cover the host of key players they missed through injury.

Pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi (knee) sat out the entire series, while young gun Naseem Shah (shoulder) and white-ball specialist Haris Rauf (quad) failed to feature in the final two Tests after playing the series opener in Rawalpindi.

The injuries saw Pakistan blood six debutants against England and Babar admitted it was a difficult task taking on England with such an inexperienced line-up.

"We were unfortunate that our fast bowlers weren't fit," Babar said.

"When new fast bowlers come in, it's difficult, especially when England play the way they do because they don't let Pakistan settle.

"You need the kind of bowlers who get you 20 wickets. If you don't, you won't win.

"There's so much back-to-back cricket, you have to be ready all the time.

"Fitness becomes ultra-important, because if you aren't perfectly fit you won't be able to play all three (matches).

"These days you only get two or three days to switch formats and you have to be mentally ready too. A lot of things happened together at the same time."

Pakistan host New Zealand for a two-match Test series commencing later this month and still could sneak into the World Test Championship final with victories during those contests and with other results falling their way.

But it's likely the next big stage Pakistan will have to showcase their talented playing outfit will come in India next year when the 50-over Cricket World Cup takes place in October and November.

Pakistan host New Zealand and the West Indies for white-ball series early in the New Year and will also play in the 2023 Asia Cup before embarking on the 50-over showcase in India towards the end of the year.

With plenty of white-ball cricket on the horizon for Pakistan over the next 12 months, Babar said it will be vital to keep his powerful group of fast bowlers fresh.

"There have been difficult times this series," Babar said.

"With new players, it's different because when the opposition attacks them, it places a sharper kind of pressure on them. It takes time to get used to that.

"We'll try and look after our quicks better because there are back-to-back series and the World Cup is coming up, so we'll have to plan with a view to that."

ICC

 

[MenInG]

Ramiz Raja on his YouTube Channel:

“Pakistan team is heavily reliant on Babar Azam, be it Test cricket, ODIs or T20Is. He makes the headlines even when he is dismissed for a duck,”

“Pakistan is facing issues against spin bowling and this is something they need to fix ahead of the Asia Cup and World Cup because they will be played in similar conditions"

“If we don’t resolve this issue, we will find it really hard to progress in a tournament. It seemed as if the Pakistan batters were like a rabbit that freezes when in front of a car’s headlights"

 

[Bewal Express]

Ramiz Raja on his YouTube Channel:

“Pakistan team is heavily reliant on Babar Azam, be it Test cricket, ODIs or T20Is. He makes the headlines even when he is dismissed for a duck,”

“Pakistan is facing issues against spin bowling and this is something they need to fix ahead of the Asia Cup and World Cup because they will be played in similar conditions"

“If we don’t resolve this issue, we will find it really hard to progress in a tournament. It seemed as if the Pakistan batters were like a rabbit that freezes when in front of a car’s headlights"

Issues against spin can't be fixed quickly. You can change your mindset but the technical problems like Babars and the front pad, aren't easy fixes because players have used those techniques for probably a decade.

 

[shamaan]

Issues against spin can't be fixed quickly. You can change your mindset but the technical problems like Babars and the front pad, aren't easy fixes because players have used those techniques for probably a decade.

That's because he played it on the front foot whilst Imaam played most of it on the backfoot.

 

[Bewal Express]

That's because he played it on the front foot whilst Imaam played most of it on the backfoot.

Quite possibly.
If Babar is not comfortable on the back foot then that is fine as any fundamental change at this stage could end badly. A small technical change like just opening up stance may work but that might not work in technique as Babars technique is very finely honed over many years

 

[MenInG]

Imam-ul-Haq in an interview

“I try to live in the present. I'm not thinking about that (World Cup) right now. Yes, in the back of my mind, I'm preparing for the World Cup. I know that people are well and truly scared of our one-day team, because we have achieved some great wins. We have a pattern that we follow. I believe our one-day team is particularly good,”

“Our strength is our fast bowling and batting. I've played 60 games, Fakhar played 70, Babar played 100-odd games. Naseem, Shaheen, Haris, and Wasim Jr are there. Then we have Shadab and Nawaz, and Osama Mir has also come. Iftikhar Ahmed and Salman Ali Agha are there, Rizzi (Rizwan) is there. I'm not saying that this is a team good because I'm a part of it. I would say this is a balanced team even if I wasn't playing for them. But I believe there cannot be a better team than this. The players are confident, they know their roles. That's why I'm emphasizing that the ODI team is better than the T20I team"

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Imam-ul-Haq in an interview

“I try to live in the present. I'm not thinking about that (World Cup) right now. Yes, in the back of my mind, I'm preparing for the World Cup. I know that people are well and truly scared of our one-day team, because we have achieved some great wins. We have a pattern that we follow. I believe our one-day team is particularly good,”

“Our strength is our fast bowling and batting. I've played 60 games, Fakhar played 70, Babar played 100-odd games. Naseem, Shaheen, Haris, and Wasim Jr are there. Then we have Shadab and Nawaz, and Osama Mir has also come. Iftikhar Ahmed and Salman Ali Agha are there, Rizzi (Rizwan) is there. I'm not saying that this is a team good because I'm a part of it. I would say this is a balanced team even if I wasn't playing for them. But I believe there cannot be a better team than this. The players are confident, they know their roles. That's why I'm emphasizing that the ODI team is better than the T20I team"

Well, it's good for them to move forward series by series.. absolutely no need to take some extra pressure of mega event or crunch matches on this stage.

 

[shamaan]

Quite possibly.
If Babar is not comfortable on the back foot then that is fine as any fundamental change at this stage could end badly. A small technical change like just opening up stance may work but that might not work in technique as Babars technique is very finely honed over many years

That's true it could end badly.