Changes to the Pakistan Test squad

[Chip32]

A year to forget. The pace bowling and the batting have been nothing short of mediocre. In terms of the pace bowling you can’t expect much when you have two new comers, one of which who is completely innocuous on flat pitches due to the lack of pace and your most experienced campaigner seems disinterested and simply looks to protect his ER. The induction of someone like Ahmed Bashir or Waqas Maqsood (Lahore Whites) will do a world of good, both are tall and athletic, generate good pace and bounce (the likes of IK and Sohail were exposed for their lack of it in Aus) and are skilled with the ball.

The batting department will see immediate improvement if Azhar is back opening and Shafiq is given the boot from the XI with Salahuddin as his replacement.

Yasir’s lack of impact outside of Asian conditions is also a worry, with tours to England and South Africa coming you’d want a spinner who is not as over-reliant on pitch conditions. Asghar isn’t the answer as he too heavily relies on the pitch, due to the lack of revs- my shout is Zafar Gohar, one of the biggest turners of the ball in Pakistan, gets good drift and isn’t a mug with the bat.

Essentially we should be looking at something like:
1. Azhar Ali
2. Sami
3. Babar
4. Haris
5. Salahuddin
6. Saad Ali (Didn’t impress me personally no timing or fluency, gets himself into awkward positions, but seems to have found a way to score runs and his FC stats are hard to ignore)
7. Sarfaraz
8. Zafar
9. Hasan
10. Amir
11. Bashir

12. Waqas Maqsood/Mohammad Abbas (I’d go with Abbas in England due to the nature of the pitches and the dukes ball.)
13. Yasir Shah
14. Mir Hamza
15. Asad Shafiq (whether we like it or not he’s not leaving the squad)
16. Replacement keeper?

 

[Mamoon]

I think we should prepare ourselves for a few dark years in Test cricket. Our two so-called best Test players (Azhar and Yasir) are both pretty mediocre in their own ways, and there is a lot of rubbish elsewhere.

In addition, I don't think Sarfraz has the temperament to be a successful Test captain. He is an average cricketer in Limited Overs as well, but he has a good feel for the shorter formats as far as tactics are concerned.

Unless we can unearth a couple of Test specialists who can produce the impact the likes of Hasan and Shadab have in Limited Overs, our slide in Tests should continue.

Since the 90's, Pakistan have mostly been better at Limited Overs than Tests. The trend was bucked during Misbah's reign where we were mediocre in Tests but horrifically rubbish in Limited Overs, but the roles have reversed now.

The Champions Trophy was a fluke, but we are relatively better in ODIs and T20s now. Make no mistake about it though - we are still mediocre in the shorter formats, but horrendously rubbish in Tests.

 

[msb314]

I think we should prepare ourselves for a few dark years in Test cricket. Our two so-called best Test players (Azhar and Yasir) are both pretty mediocre in their own ways, and there is a lot of rubbish elsewhere.

In addition, I don't think Sarfraz has the temperament to be a successful Test captain. He is an average cricketer in Limited Overs as well, but he has a good feel for the shorter formats as far as tactics are concerned.

Unless we can unearth a couple of Test specialists who can produce the impact the likes of Hasan and Shadab have in Limited Overs, our slide in Tests should continue.

Since the 90's, Pakistan have mostly been better at Limited Overs than Tests. The trend was bucked during Misbah's reign where we were mediocre in Tests but horrifically rubbish in Limited Overs, but the roles have reversed now.

The Champions Trophy was a fluke, but we are relatively better in ODIs and T20s now. Make no mistake about it though - we are still mediocre in the shorter formats, but horrendously rubbish in Tests.

Do you think Babar, Haris and Usman will soon hit their strides in Test cricket and become world class batsman who can win us matches?

 

[Mamoon]

Do you think Babar, Haris and Usman will soon hit their strides in Test cricket and become world class batsman who can win us matches?

I don't have high hopes from Usman. He seems to be an insignificant player like Azhar and Shafiq.

Babar and Haris can form a formidable pair, but I don't see them competing with the best in the world.

 

[Justcrazy]

Pakistan need to find 2 - 3 specialist test batsmen , and two specialist fast bowlers with test.

 

[msb314]

I don't have high hopes from Usman. He seems to be an insignificant player like Azhar and Shafiq.

Babar and Haris can form a formidable pair, but I don't see them competing with the best in the world.

How can you tell when he hasn't even made his debut yet?

 

[babajee]

Batting:

Azhar needs to open with either Sami or Imam.

Babar, Haris and Usman need to be our middle order going forward.

Shafiq needs to go. He’s had enough chances.

Bowling:

Raza Hasan needs to be brought in the UAE, Ahmed Bashir when we go overseas.

Also need to groom Faheem Ashraf as a test quality all rounder for overseas tests.

 

[babajee]

I don't have high hopes from Usman. He seems to be an insignificant player like Azhar and Shafiq.

Babar and Haris can form a formidable pair, but I don't see them competing with the best in the world.

And that is because?

 

[Square Drive]

Playing XI:

Sami Aslam
Azhar Ali
Haris Sohail
Usman Salahuddin
Asad Shafiq
Shadab Khan/Aamer Yamin
Sarfraz Ahmed* (WK)
Mohammad Amir/Mohammad Asghar
Yasir Shah
Hasan Ali
Mohammad Abbas

Bench: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Aamer Yamin/Shadab Khan, Mohammad Asghar/Mohammad Amir, Mir Hamza


Standby: Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Rizwan, Saad Ali, Saud Shakeel, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Raza Hasan, Zafar Gohar

We'll be fine.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Said this last year that Pakistan will initially struggle in Asia after departure of Younis, Misbah but will do well overseas. Primary reason because it takes a new test team time to settle and secondly because we have much better players of fast bowling now but lacking a world class player against spin like Younis. Azhar, Haris, Usman, Babar are technically quite good against fast bowling and know their off stump. Sami isnt bad either.

One of Younis or Misbah should have retired a few series earlier and let Usman or Haris develop. Wouldnt have made a difference in results of WI, Aus and NZ series but might have helped us in SL series. But Pakistani players hanging onto their spots for long is nothing new.

Still hold the same opinion that we are going to win one of our next series in Aus/SA/Eng and will do pretty well in these countries as compare to past. Need to find 1 wc player against spin like Younis , Pujara, or Smith to do well in Asia too.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

On topic, dont know if changes is the right word but we need specifically 1 world class player of spin in the test batting line up. From world class I mean at the level of Younis , Pujara against spin. These guys win you matches on difficult spin conditions. Halki phulki conditions ma ito koi bhi decent batsman chal skta hai.

Honestly I dont know anyone in our domestic who fills this hole of world class batsman against. This is the only worrying point in Pakistani talent pool right now. Other than that we have all bases covered and you will see in future we will do quite good. Just need to find this 1 gem!

 

[HuzaifaE]

We need a lot of work to go back to competing with the best in tests

1) We need a great second spinner option because Shah can't bowl till his shoulder drops and he needs a good, preferably offspin, partner at the other end to work in tandem with.

2) We need to take a couple of dynamic youngsters in the middle overs and invest in them with an extended run. We did so in a way with Azhar and Shafiq, that worked to a somewhat okay level since one of them is now our best test batsman. Babar, Haris, Usman is a good trio, pick all three in the squad and try to cement two of them into the middle order.

3) Azhar needs to take responsibility of opening the innings. We lack a good opener, and his skillset suits the job well, he is a good number 3 but far behind the number 3s of other nations due to his very harmless accumulatory style. This opens the spots for more dynamic and hopefully impactful batsman like Haris.

4) We need an all-conditions pace trio. Well done to Abbas for smashing the Windies, but I shudder to think what Warner would do to him on a flat deck. Give Amir a kick up the backside and wait for Hasan to come good in tests but we need to get a third seamer who has a workable skillset with enough pace to not hurt to watch.

5) The strategy of four bowlers on dead decks has to stop, trust the batting order and get an allrounder in, it's not sustainable to have your fast bowlers steaming in on phattas and Shah bowling all day with no respite, we need a good allrounder, be it Shadab or Fahim, to spread the load so the bowlers can take each spell with more venom.

Get that sorted and we might start to see some improvements but I'm afraid we need to be patient as we were with the ODI squad post WC 2011 and hope they eventually come good. As it stands, I don't think the rankings are too misleading as to where we stand.

 

[Mamoon]

How can you tell when he hasn't even made his debut yet?

And that is because?

He is a very average Limited Overs batsman, which shows that he has serious limitations. At the age of 27, he is not going to become a dynamic batsman and expand his range of shots.

In summary: he is another one dimensional Pakistani batsman who doesn’t have the ability to impose himself on the bowling. Not the type of batsman who is going to transform the fortunes of our team.

 

[babajee]

He is a very average Limited Overs batsman, which shows that he has serious limitations. At the age of 27, he is not going to become a dynamic batsman and expand his range of shots.

In summary: he is another one dimensional Pakistani batsman who doesn’t have the ability to impose himself on the bowling. Not the type of batsman who is going to transform the fortunes of our team.

Ok.

Why can’t Babar-Haris challenge the world’s best?

 

[Mamoon]

Ok.

Why can’t Babar-Haris challenge the world’s best?

I don’t think they are capable of that level, and plus Pakistan is probably the worst cricketing nation as far as development of batsmen are concerned.

There is no batting culture, no elite batsmen in the setup to learn from, the domestic pitches are poor and the UAE pitches inhibit free-flowing batting. It’s a terrible ecosystem for young batsmen.

A lot of things have to change for us to produce batsmen who can match the best other teams have to offer.

 

[Abdullah719]

I don't have high hopes from Usman. He seems to be an insignificant player like Azhar and Shafiq.

Babar and Haris can form a formidable pair, but I don't see them competing with the best in the world.

He is a very average Limited Overs batsman, which shows that he has serious limitations. At the age of 27, he is not going to become a dynamic batsman and expand his range of shots.

In summary: he is another one dimensional Pakistani batsman who doesn’t have the ability to impose himself on the bowling. Not the type of batsman who is going to transform the fortunes of our team.

Do you also believe that other Test specialists who are average batsmen in limited-over games such as Alastair Cook, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Chandimal, Dean Elgar, etc. are all 'insignificant' batsmen?

 

[Zeshan547]

1_Azhar Ali
2_Umar Amin
could have been Sami but can't afford two snails, one solid snail in Azhar is enough,
3_Harris
4_Babar
Sawaped position of both Harris is twice the test batsman than babar will ever be, and babar needs more protection from new ball,
5_Usman
6_Shafiq
7_Sarfraz
8_Amir
9_Yasir
10_Hassan Ali
11_3rd seamer with good pace, no one is ideal from known pool for this role for one reason or another, need someone new from domestic, (and a specialist off spinner to compliment yasir for Asian Tests)
And for overseas tests in Australia, South Africa, England or New Zeland Fahim in place of Shafiq but at 7th position Sarfraz should bat at 6 in that scenario,
So We have 9 players for good test side in all conditions just need to find a good, tall, pacy 3rd seamer and a decent enough offie, [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] agree?

 

[Mamoon]

Do you also believe that other Test specialists who are average batsmen in limited-over games such as Alastair Cook, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Chandimal, Dean Elgar, etc. are all 'insignificant' batsmen?

It depends on the team composition as well. These players have mostly played support roles throughout their careers.

Cook was a great opener in his prime, but he would have been less successful if he wouldn’t have had the likes of Pietersen and Root to complement him.

Similarly, India have the likes of Kohli, Dhawan, Rahul who can carry Pujara, while SL have had Sangakkara for most of Chandimal’s career.

SA have de Villiers, Amla, de Kock, Faf etc.

Shafiq is awful, but even Azhar is not as good as most of those names, even though he plays a similar role.

PPers consider him a gold standard Test batsman but I don’t think he is as good as Pujara, Vijay, Rahane and Cook (not the ‘over the hill’ version). Somewhat better than Chandimal though.

He is to the current Test team what Misbah was to the ODI side from 2011 to 2015. A serviceable player who stood out because of the surrounding rubbish.

A strong batting lineup can carry him, but if he is your star batsman, then I think you are in deep trouble and are going nowhere as a Test team.

Usman should replace Shafiq though, he cannot do worse. Nonetheless, we should not expect a shift in our batting ideology with his inclusion. It will be a continuation of what we have been doing for years, with a slight improvement on Shafiq in terms of consistency hopefully.

 

[mak36]

He is a very average Limited Overs batsman, which shows that he has serious limitations. At the age of 27, he is not going to become a dynamic batsman and expand his range of shots.

In summary: he is another one dimensional Pakistani batsman who doesn’t have the ability to impose himself on the bowling. Not the type of batsman who is going to transform the fortunes of our team.

By your own admission you don't watch domestic cricket so I'd be interested to hear how you have come to that conclusion.

 

[aloo paratha]

It depends on the team composition as well. These players have mostly played support roles throughout their careers.

Cook was a great opener in his prime, but he would have been less successful if he wouldn’t have had the likes of Pietersen and Root to complement him.

Similarly, India have the likes of Kohli, Dhawan, Rahul who can carry Pujara, while SL have had Sangakkara for most of Chandimal’s career.

SA have de Villiers, Amla, de Kock, Faf etc.

Shafiq is awful, but even Azhar is not as good as most of those names, even though he plays a similar role.

PPers consider him a gold standard Test batsman but I don’t think he is as good as Pujara, Vijay, Rahane and Cook (not the ‘over the hill’ version). Somewhat better than Chandimal though.

He is to the current Test team what Misbah was to the ODI side from 2011 to 2015. A serviceable player who stood out because of the surrounding rubbish.

A strong batting lineup can carry him, but if he is your star batsman, then I think you are in deep trouble and are going nowhere as a Test team.

Usman should replace Shafiq though, he cannot do worse. Nonetheless, we should not expect a shift in our batting ideology with his inclusion. It will be a continuation of what we have been doing for years, with a slight improvement on Shafiq in terms of consistency hopefully.

I agree azhar is a limited batsmen, but he performs his role brilliantly, just because others can't do their roles doesn't mean you should underrate azhar, he's scored loads of runs in the last year.

 

[MMHS]

1_Azhar Ali
2_Umar Amin
could have been Sami but can't afford two snails, one solid snail in Azhar is enough,
3_Harris
4_Babar
Sawaped position of both Harris is twice the test batsman than babar will ever be, and babar needs more protection from new ball,
5_Usman
6_Shafiq
7_Sarfraz
8_Amir
9_Yasir
10_Hassan Ali
11_3rd seamer with good pace, no one is ideal from known pool for this role for one reason or another, need someone new from domestic, (and a specialist off spinner to compliment yasir for Asian Tests)
And for overseas tests in Australia, South Africa, England or New Zeland Fahim in place of Shafiq but at 7th position Sarfraz should bat at 6 in that scenario,
So We have 9 players for good test side in all conditions just need to find a good, tall, pacy 3rd seamer and a decent enough offie, [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] agree?

Only spot I m not sure in Usman Sallauddin. One reason is that with this fitness level, PAK shoukd never play with 4 bowlers. Another reason is that, I am not sure about Usman - what else he bring beyind Azhar, Asad & Sarfraz?

I probably'll make 2 changes -

Azhar, Amin
Babar (must at 3), Hari, Asad, *Sarfraz+
Talat/Aga Salman (In Asia, Aga, outside Talat)
Amir, Hasan, Yasir
4th bowler (In UK, I'll take Asif, once for the last time, after that in UAE it's the best SLAO spinner of the country.

If Hari can take the load of 20-25 overs/Test; may be then one more batsman can come over the all-rounders - in that case my choice is actually Saad Ali or Saud Shakeel.

Mickey has to understand that in Asia, PAK has to play with 2.5 spinners, even if he doesn't understand how, so it be, Sarfraz knows.

 

[msb314]

He is a very average Limited Overs batsman, which shows that he has serious limitations. At the age of 27, he is not going to become a dynamic batsman and expand his range of shots.

In summary: he is another one dimensional Pakistani batsman who doesn’t have the ability to impose himself on the bowling. Not the type of batsman who is going to transform the fortunes of our team.

Again how can you tell based on a solitary ODi appearance back in 2011?

 

[Hermoine Green]

I don't have high hopes from Usman. He seems to be an insignificant player like Azhar and Shafiq.

Babar and Haris can form a formidable pair, but I don't see them competing with the best in the world.

Rock solid statement. Yes, he is very limited batsman he cant succeed on international level.
Though some of the ppers might find it rude but it looks like that he won't be able to make a name.

 

[Hermoine Green]

Ok.

Why can’t Babar-Haris challenge the world’s best?

Well, surely they can challenge the world and they have the ability to do so. But playing 6 Test matches in an year won't help them.

 

[Zeshan547]

Only spot I m not sure in Usman Sallauddin. One reason is that with this fitness level, PAK shoukd never play with 4 bowlers. Another reason is that, I am not sure about Usman - what else he bring beyind Azhar, Asad & Sarfraz?

I probably'll make 2 changes -

Azhar, Amin
Babar (must at 3), Hari, Asad, *Sarfraz+
Talat/Aga Salman (In Asia, Aga, outside Talat)
Amir, Hasan, Yasir
4th bowler (In UK, I'll take Asif, once for the last time, after that in UAE it's the best SLAO spinner of the country.

If Hari can take the load of 20-25 overs/Test; may be then one more batsman can come over the all-rounders - in that case my choice is actually Saad Ali or Saud Shakeel.

Mickey has to understand that in Asia, PAK has to play with 2.5 spinners, even if he doesn't understand how, so it be, Sarfraz knows.

Why you rate Talat ahead of Fahim? And I also rate Saad Ali and Saud Shakil ahead of Usman, but Usman earned his chance based on his FC performance, actually we need someone dynamic to make up for other accumulators,

 

[Abdullah719]

It depends on the team composition as well. These players have mostly played support roles throughout their careers.

Cook was a great opener in his prime, but he would have been less successful if he wouldn’t have had the likes of Pietersen and Root to complement him.

Similarly, India have the likes of Kohli, Dhawan, Rahul who can carry Pujara, while SL have had Sangakkara for most of Chandimal’s career.

SA have de Villiers, Amla, de Kock, Faf etc.

Shafiq is awful, but even Azhar is not as good as most of those names, even though he plays a similar role.

PPers consider him a gold standard Test batsman but I don’t think he is as good as Pujara, Vijay, Rahane and Cook (not the ‘over the hill’ version). Somewhat better than Chandimal though.

He is to the current Test team what Misbah was to the ODI side from 2011 to 2015. A serviceable player who stood out because of the surrounding rubbish.

A strong batting lineup can carry him, but if he is your star batsman, then I think you are in deep trouble and are going nowhere as a Test team.

Usman should replace Shafiq though, he cannot do worse. Nonetheless, we should not expect a shift in our batting ideology with his inclusion. It will be a continuation of what we have been doing for years, with a slight improvement on Shafiq in terms of consistency hopefully.

You make some good points although I don't agree with all of them; however, my query was specifically about the 'insignificant' batsmen bit which you didn't elaborate on.

 

[MenInG]

Do you also believe that other Test specialists who are average batsmen in limited-over games such as Alastair Cook, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Chandimal, Dean Elgar, etc. are all 'insignificant' batsmen?

Think you didnt mention any Pak names in there for the 'insignificant filter' to kick in...

 

[Madplayer]

Need tall fast bowlers. 6'3 , 6,4.

 

[MMHS]

Why you rate Talat ahead of Fahim? And I also rate Saad Ali and Saud Shakil ahead of Usman, but Usman earned his chance based on his FC performance, actually we need someone dynamic to make up for other accumulators,

5th bowler should be batsman first - Talat is better bat. Fahim actually doesn’t offer much in longer format - not likely to average below 40 with ball, neither over 30 with bat. Talat can average 35+ with bat.

Regarding Usman, I am just tiered of watching absolute boring PAK batting - may be because of last couple of years that Azhar has spent so much time in middle.... PAK batting should be more eye catching. It’s true that I might make lots of fun, but in full flow MoHa was the only PAK batsman worth watching when in song.

Those horrible wickets back at home (& uae) has taken the manhood out of PAK batting - no back lift, scared, safety first approach, confused bat swing, no lifting shot on footwork against spinners, no inside out drive against spin, no horizontal bat shot squire of the wicket, no vertical bat shot in back foot, no drive on the rise ......... it’s just absolute stereotype dead bat blocking, nudges on leg side & wait for absolute loose ones for off side shots - result is 2.3 runt rate. This must have to change first - against SRL, PAK actually spent more time with bat in middle .......

 

[Markhor]

Let's start with the premise that Azhar Ali HAS to open for us. Azhar's game is most suited to opening as he's best equipped to blunt the new ball and has the most solid technique against pace. He was excellent in our round of overseas Test series in 2016-17 yet we demoted him back to 3. Aslam's recent form is worrying but given his performance on the England tour in 2016, he has to be on the plane for the 2018 tour. He's one of the few Pakistani openers who knows where his off-stump is. His recent QEA form is worrying but I'd give him more time with Imam-ul-Haq as a reserve opener.

Babar still hasn't worked out his game in Test cricket, and had an abysmal Test series against Sri Lanka where his manner of dismissals showed a confused mindset. He needs to pile up some runs in domestic FC cricket and regain his confidence, or just stay in the squad and keep working on his technique with Mickey Arthur and Grant Flower. Haris Sohail's game is suited to 3 and I'd give him that position for 2018.

The middle-order is a mess. Asad Shafiq scored a century at 5 in the last Test so keep him there but he needs to step up as an experienced batsman. At 4, you need an experienced, calm and consistent batsman, and is where I'd give Fawad his long overdue run. He has scored two tons in the current domestic season and from Sarfraz's recent statement it looks like he'll return.

Usman Salahuddin has been another consistent domestic performer who knows his off-stump, so play him at 6 to face the second new ball. Regarding the criticism that would be too many "accumulators" - against Anderson, Broad, Rabada, Morkel and Philander next year, you need to prioritise solidity in tough conditions. Haris and Sarfraz can provide the dynamism. You have 3 lefties and 3 righties so a good balance.

I definitely agree on the need for a tall, accurate fast bowler who can hit the deck hard if we're to ever win a series in Australia and South Africa. Ahmed Bashir is one candidate and I'd take him to South Africa. However, Mohammad Abbas, despite his potential limitations on flatter, truer pitches, was born to bowl in English conditions with the Dukes ball. We lacked the control with the new ball in 2016 that Abbas can bring so he must start in England and Ireland. The others pick themselves - Hasan Ali with the old ball, Yasir Shah as the primary spinner and Mohammad Amir with the new ball.

I agree on the calls for Zafar Gohar and Raza Hasan - either one should be our backup spinner as management clearly don't rate Mohammad Asghar or Bilal Asif. If Yasir struggles overseas again, you have a competent replacement. Haris can be the fifth bowler, while four specialist bowlers aren't ideal, our batting is so weak that we have to compromise. Plus we don't have a heavy Test workload anyway.

Overall the 16 man squad would be: Azhar, Aslam, Haris, Fawad, Shafiq, Salahuddin, Sarfraz, Yasir, Ali, Amir, Abbas, Imam, Babar, Rizwan, Gohar/Raza and Sohail Khan (for Eng/Ire) or Bashir (for the UAE series vs AUS/NZ and the SAF tour).

 

[ShahidDar08]

Best possible test squad outside Asia. In Asian conditions replace one fast bowler with a left arm spinner.

1. Azhar Ali
2. Ahmad Shahzad
3. Babar azam
4. Haris Sohail
5. Usman Salauddin
6. Asad Shafiq
7. Sarfraz ahmed
8. Yasir Shah
9. Sohail Khan/ Sadaf Hussain
10. Mohammed Abas
11. Mohammed Asif


12. Mohammed Aamer
13. Saad Ali
14. Mir Hamza
15. Mohammed Asgar/ Zafar Gowhar/ Raza Hasan
16. Sami Aslam

 

[Mamoon]

Again how can you tell based on a solitary ODi appearance back in 2011?

By your own admission you don't watch domestic cricket so I'd be interested to hear how you have come to that conclusion.

You are right that I don't watch domestic cricket, but I have seen a bit of Usman. To be honest, he doesn't look like a dynamic batsman to me. Also, his awful L-A and T20 strike rates are telling.

Obviously, domestic stats are not everything, but if your strike rate is low over a large sample then the chances are that you do not have many shots in your arsenal, and are not able to get on top of the bowling. In addition, he is spring chicken either, so he is unlikely to make strides on this front.

I would prefer someone like Saad Ali over him, and perhaps even Amin provided that he is able to develop the mentality for international cricket.

 

[Rayyman]

Azhar
Sami
Usman
Haris
Shafiq
Sarfraz*+
Yamin
Wahab
Amir
Yasir
Abbas
-------------
Shehzad
Hasan
Saad
Raza

 

[Darkrai]

My XI for NZ are
Azhar
Sami
Babar
Haris
Usman/fawad (whichever is giving better domestic performance should start ahead of the other)
Azad
Sarfi
Hasan
Amir
Yasir
Abbas

Can't believe people are suggesting Shehzad. Last time i saw him play he only embarrassed himself.

 

[Square Drive]

Wahab can't even bowl with his foot behind the line. Until he fixes that, not willing to give him any chances in spite of the fact that he is an impact bowler, and if there is one format where he could be of use, it is Test cricket.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Honestly I was not impressed by Saad Ali's strokeplay when I saw him few times, but he has booked his place in Pakistan's next test series.

He is a fighter and effective within his limitations. I think he is someone difficult to get out.

He is head and shoulders above everyone this year in QeA trophy on these pathetic pitches.

I just hope that he is a quality player of spin too.

 

[maxamax]

I think we should prepare ourselves for a few dark years in Test cricket. Our two so-called best Test players (Azhar and Yasir) are both pretty mediocre in their own ways, and there is a lot of rubbish elsewhere.

In addition, I don't think Sarfraz has the temperament to be a successful Test captain. He is an average cricketer in Limited Overs as well, but he has a good feel for the shorter formats as far as tactics are concerned.

Unless we can unearth a couple of Test specialists who can produce the impact the likes of Hasan and Shadab have in Limited Overs, our slide in Tests should continue.

Since the 90's, Pakistan have mostly been better at Limited Overs than Tests. The trend was bucked during Misbah's reign where we were mediocre in Tests but horrifically rubbish in Limited Overs, but the roles have reversed now.

The Champions Trophy was a fluke, but we are relatively better in ODIs and T20s now. Make no mistake about it though - we are still mediocre in the shorter formats, but horrendously rubbish in Tests.

We got enough test players for now atleast. Usman, Fawad, Azhar, Sami, Shehzad they all can pay tuk tuk for ages. Problem is not having proper hack batsmen for t20s/ODIs.

 

[babajee]

Honestly I was not impressed by Saad Ali's strokeplay when I saw him few times, but he has booked his place in Pakistan's next test series.

He is a fighter and effective within his limitations. I think he is someone difficult to get out.

He is head and shoulders above everyone this year in QeA trophy on these pathetic pitches.

I just hope that he is a quality player of spin too.

What batting order would you like to see Bhai?

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Azhar
Sami
Haris
Babar
Usman

are a lock as I have always said, no 6 position should go to Saad now or a pace bowling allrounder like Aamer Yamin.
[MENTION=143344]babajee[/MENTION]

 

[Bewal Express]

If the stats are anything to go by Saad Ali has to be brought in to the squad. On wickets that have been poor the guy has been amazing. If he is as half as good as his stats, he will be some player.

 

[Chip32]

If the stats are anything to go by Saad Ali has to be brought in to the squad. On wickets that have been poor the guy has been amazing. If he is as half as good as his stats, he will be some player.

Nothing special really, lacks timing and gets himself into awkward positions. To be fair to him he’s found a way to score despite his limitations as a player and deserves a go in the test team. However, regardless of what his List-A stats are he is too limited a player for our OD squad.

 

[Bewal Express]

Nothing special really, lacks timing and gets himself into awkward positions. To be fair to him he’s found a way to score despite his limitations as a player and deserves a go in the test team. However, regardless of what his List-A stats are he is too limited a player for our OD squad.

You dont get statistics like his, on those wickets unless you can play.

 

[MMHS]

Nothing special really, lacks timing and gets himself into awkward positions. To be fair to him he’s found a way to score despite his limitations as a player and deserves a go in the test team. However, regardless of what his List-A stats are he is too limited a player for our OD squad.

He knows how to survive and score at decent rate. After group stages of QEA, I wrote a post on his season like this -

Very rare that a batsman leads both total run (685) and average (97.85) table - and this guy is doing that with a SR of 77 in a season average scores are like 170/10 at a RR of 2.7!!!!! Guy has scored at almost twice the pace of his team members, he has one 232 and 175 and a 90+ which was probably 60% of team his total.

2nd guy in both table are 481 and 68.00 (from 1 innings). Highest average by batsman scoring over 250 runs is 60.00 and next 2 guys in total runs table (481 & 480), batted at SR of 43 & 47 respectively.

Combined those stats, this guy is batting in this season's QeA, like a hybrid of Bradman and Viv ................. And, after 36 List A matches, his stats stands at 55.60/84.53; which has fallen down from 60/90 level because of one last tournament. And he is a lefti.

Still, people are not sure if this guy should make the NZ trip or not? May be, they'll notice him after 2023 WC at 29!!!!!!!!!

His stats are truly remarkable, considering that it's made mostly on 170 par score matches.

 

[Square Drive]

Honestly I was not impressed by Saad Ali's strokeplay when I saw him few times, but he has booked his place in Pakistan's next test series.

He is a fighter and effective within his limitations. I think he is someone difficult to get out.

He is head and shoulders above everyone this year in QeA trophy on these pathetic pitches.

I just hope that he is a quality player of spin too.

Will Saad make it, or will it be Fawad?

 

[AsadRaza1]

Believe me we need to get rid of Sardraz in Tests as he is taking slot of a player and mostly never performs.Can shafiq or Yasir do captaincy?But we dont have a single good WK.So we have to get sarfraz in each match and let him do captaincy.He is becoming an AFRIDI kinda player getting out in single figures everywhere
This would be my squad
1.Azhar
2.Imam
3.Haris
4.Fawad
5.Shafiq
6. M.Amir
7.Sarfraz
8.Yasir
9.Abbas
10.Hassan
11.Shaheen Shah/Shadab

Imam has got all the shots and he deserves to be in our squad.Haris proved himself in SL series.Fawad is best player in our first class domestic after azhar.Shafiq performs in nearly every pressure game.The reason why I said to bring Mohammad Amir up the order ahead of SARFRAZ is that he is a proper batsman and has the potential to be a great batsman and does play fast.He has 50 against England 73 against NZ and around 50 against AUS.Abbas showed his potential in WI Series.Hassan needs a long run in Tests.Shaheen Afridi is very tall and has got swing like Asif old Asif I mean.Shadab also needs to play more FC and he will become better if he is playing he should be sent as night watchman

 

[HuzaifaE]

The reason why I said to bring Mohammad Amir up the order ahead of SARFRAZ is that he is a proper batsman and has the potential to be a great batsman and does play fast.

Amir at 6 is as good and wise of a shout as Afridi coming back from retirement,

 

[Nasty Naz]

In NZ this is the lineup I'd prefer to see:

Azhar
Sami
Shafiq
Haris
Usman
Ashraf
Sarfraz
Hasan
Amir
Yasir
Abbas

In favourable conditions for fast bowlers, I think it would make sense to go with 4 quicks and give yourselves plenty of options. And frankly, Babar has simply struggled too much for me at this point and doesn't have a strong domestic record of dominating in FC so for me, he is out at this point even though he clearly has upside to be great.

Without Ashraf:

Azhar
Sami
Haris
Usman
Saad Ali
Shafiq
Sarfraz
Hasan
Amir
Yasir
Abbas

Plenty of L-R combos in the lineup and it could do well batting wise but it would have to depend on how well rookies like Usman and Saad do

 

[Brilliance]

Azhar.
Sami.
Saad.
Haris.
Shafiq.
Sarfaraz.
Faheem.
Yasir.
Hassan.
Amir.
Abbas

 

[ExpressPacer]

Drop Abbas. An absolutely useless bowler. No guts at all and no ability.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Will Saad make it, or will it be Fawad?

Saad should make it. He is the standout performer in this year's QeA trophy where many fast bowlers are averaging less than 20. Would select him for Eng series.

Fawad anyways wont be successful in swinging and seaming English conditions. Fawad should have been selected for the last tour against SL in UAE. One of our best player of spin in tests right now.

 

[prop558]

16 MEMBER TEST SQUAD FOR ENGLAND TOUR IN 2018 :

01 - Azhar Ali
02 - Ahmed Shehzad
03 - Fawad Alam
04 - Saad Ali
05 - Asad Shafiq
06 - Haris Sohail
07 - Sarfraz Ahmed
08 - Muhammad Amir
09 - Yasir Shah
10 - Hasan Ali
11 - Muhammad Abbas

-----------------------------------------------------------
12 - Bakcup Spinner - Shadab Khan
13 - Backup Bowler 1 - Junaid Khan / Mir Hamza (if Junaid or Amir is unfit then Hamza)
14 - Backup Bowler 2 - Sadaf Hussain / Tabish Khan (any one)
15 - Backup Batsman - Usman Salahuddin / Saad Nasim (any one)
16 - Bakcup Opener - Khuram Manzoor