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Decisions by Pakistan think tank that boggled your mind?

Chokli

Chokli

First Class Captain
Joined
Aug 6, 2018
Runs
5,468
Over the years there have been many, many decisions that made us question how could this even happen?

Is there no sane person in the PCT set-up?

What're some decisions made by the people in charge that you still can't get over?


For me it has to be the 5th and deciding ODI against New Zealand in 2014.

We went into the match with 2 main bowlers 2 all rounders.

We had no significant option as the fifth bowler.

We strengthened our batting but still couldn't chase 276.

Score card for that match.

one.JPG

two.JPG
 
Ofcourse Haris was the highest scorer that match with 65 for Pak, and that comes to my point Haris not playing in this NZ series!!!!!
 
Playing the 2nd test against SL in UAE without a 2nd spinner.

The second worst decision was playing the 1st test without a 2nd spinner. 2nd test edges it though as you'd think we'd have learnt after losing the first one lol.
 
Playing four pacers on a turner in Kolkata in the WT20 v India. Thank you Afridi and Waqar.
 
Not having a specialist spinner for the Asia Cup. Shadab and Nawaz are not frontline spinners in Asia. Can even remember posters defending the decision. :facepalm:
 
The entire 2015 WC squad for you guys was dreck no offence.

Jamshed, about 4 stone overweight, Misbah, Younis, Maqsood, Umar Akmal, Anwar Ali, Bhatti.

Probably the worst batting line up or hell even team Pakistan have ever had at a tournament
 
The question is too general in nature and there are too many situations to discuss. So I would stick to the scenario mentioned in the post. It is clear that Harris Sohail Was the Fifth Bowler. Many unlikely Players have done the role of 5th bowler in the past. like Saleem Malik used to be the 5th bowler in the 90s (and he was a fairly handy 5th bowler). It was more common in the 90s to use complete part timers as 5th and 6th bowlers in Odi cricket than it is now. I think Harris Sohail has the Ability to bowl as a 5th bowler However Ahmed Shehzad was glaring choice (even he only bowled 2 overs). Asad Shafiq or Younis Khan have more ability with the Ball than Ahmed Shehzad.
 
How on earth do people still say things haven't improved, when you compare the bowling attack we have now with the one in the OP. It was a torture to watch Pakistan cricket in those days, but atleast now we have a bunch of young players who are electric and really makes you excited about the potential some of them have.
 
Donal Cozzie said:
The entire 2015 WC squad for you guys was dreck no offence.

Jamshed, about 4 stone overweight, Misbah, Younis, Maqsood, Umar Akmal, Anwar Ali, Bhatti.

Probably the worst batting line up or hell even team Pakistan have ever had at a tournament
Click to expand...

Batting was probably the best we could muster up at that point.

Bowling, we probably could have got better though.

Why I'm perhaps more positive about our current team/squads. In 2015 just felt a culmination of all the talent which failed to develop e.g. Shehzad, Maqsood, Umar Akmal, Riaz etc. Literally everyone who we invested years in failed, and the two players we relied on, Ajmal and Hafeez banned for bowling. There was nothing in that squad, bowling, batting or fielding that was worth anything.
 
Chokli said:
Over the years there have been many, many decisions that made us question how could this even happen?

Is there no sane person in the PCT set-up?

What're some decisions made by the people in charge that you still can't get over?


For me it has to be the 5th and deciding ODI against New Zealand in 2014.

We went into the match with 2 main bowlers 2 all rounders.

We had no significant option as the fifth bowler.

We strengthened our batting but still couldn't chase 276.

Score card for that match.

View attachment 85397

View attachment 85398
Click to expand...

Your complaint is about not picking enough bowlers in that match? Strengthened the batting order? Shehzad, Younis, Shafiq are 2, 3, 4 batsmen in that ODI game. with SR of 67, 48, 54. Process that.
 
Hasan123 said:
Not having a specialist spinner for the Asia Cup. Shadab and Nawaz are not frontline spinners in Asia. Can even remember posters defending the decision. :facepalm:
Click to expand...

This was indeed one big screw up. I would like to have seen Muhammad Asghar playing in that tournament instead of a bits and pieces players like Faheem who although is economical doesn't have the ability to penetrate top order batsmen.
 
It is obvious when Afridi is a captain you can expect some stupid decisions from him
 
Was a very strange team i must say.

You dont see such crazy things under Mickey Arthur though.

Thankfully we have some better bowling alrounders options in Shadab, Faheem & Imad who balance the side nicely. Just need our top order to fire and the lower order can support nicely.

The only problem is that the top order doesnt consistenly perform against better teams.
 
Markhor said:
Playing four pacers on a turner in Kolkata in the WT20 v India. Thank you Afridi and Waqar.
Click to expand...

That was the best one lmao. Even the most staunch Waqar supporters decided to bail. A tactical blunder that guy. Afridi's tactics, less said the bettah.
 
Younis Khan comeback as no 3 batsman in ODIs never showed capability to be good at the position similar to Imam as opener recently but at least he's young and never played international cricket.
Also Shafiq being given a long rope in the top order without any performance these things can only lead to losses rather than wins.
 
ads101 said:
Playing the 2nd test against SL in UAE without a 2nd spinner.

The second worst decision was playing the 1st test without a 2nd spinner. 2nd test edges it though as you'd think we'd have learnt after losing the first one lol.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was shocked at that as well.
 
I think dropping Saeed Anwar after the 2003 World Cup was a major blunder and the final nail in the coffin of a player/career who retired 3-4 years early.

He definitely wanted to and should have played more than what he did. But dropping all big guns for youngsters in that Sharjah/UAE tour of jobber teams definetly struck a bad chord with Anwar.
 
bringing in an idiot like Mohsin Khan back in 2018 seems pretty moronic to me
 
topspin said:
This was indeed one big screw up. I would like to have seen Muhammad Asghar playing in that tournament instead of a bits and pieces players like Faheem who although is economical doesn't have the ability to penetrate top order batsmen.
Click to expand...

I would rather have seen Irfan the leg spinner instead of Asghar.
 
Playing against Srl in UAE tests with just 1 spinner while they were playing 3.

Also surprising that we haven’t tried Zafr Gohar or Mohammad Irfan jnr (Leggie) in the ODI team to just have one other combination which we can use

Faheem
Shadab
Zafar/Irfan jnr
Hassan
Shaheen
 
Having 1 spinner only in UAE against SL. The constant ignoring of Sadaf and Fawad
 
Time and time again we have bet on the wrong horses, or not taken care of the players who were potentially star-quality material, or played players in formats that didn't suit their style, or played them in wrong positions.

From the top of my mind

1. Naming Azhar Ali the ODI captain. Like seriously.
2. Continuously playing Sami in test cricket
3. Not dropping K. Akmal and now not having a backup keeper for Sarfaraz (the logic is it decreases pressure on him - ok sure why not I mean who doesn't mind job security in a highly volatile sports industry)
4. UAE team combination. We've no clue what our best team in UAE is. Last year it was Yasir, this year it's Abbas, like our plan is to give him the ball and hope he just does it for us.
5. ODI team selection is like a total puzzle. The leader of the attack is playing domestic cricket, a teenager is now the leader of the attack, rumman who, etc. etc.

I mean aur bhi itnay hain k bus.
 
There are many. However, mostly recently, I would go for Khurram Manzoor’s selection for the T20 squad in 2016 (Asia Cup).
 
To not consider Harris Sohail as a part of playing eleven in the ODI's with very few games left before World Cup next year... Seems the most bonkers decision to me considering pakistan recent batting debacles in ODI's...
 
This list will be endless!
I just keep it to the most recent one.

The 3rd T20 vs NZ the mother of all DEAD RUBBERS. During that match we had malik and hafeez batting together. I mean what...
 
Winning the toss and batting first v India twice in the most recent asia cup, even though we got taken apart in the first game and the statistics showed this was a chasing ground.
 
The fact that guy like iftikahr Ahmed got to represent Pakistan on international level still makes me lose sleep at night
 
Another one that bothered me I mean theirs a few but this one made no sense to me was Pakistan match vs India in 2015 World Cup why in the world would you open with Younis Khan that was no time to experiment such a thing
 
The selection of 4 pacers against India on a turning Eden Gardens track in 2016 WT20 takes the cake for me. :afridi:96:
 
Playing unfit Nasir Jamshed with a fat belly in WC 15.Waqar was the most stupid coach for us
 
ManFan said:
Waqar was never what you would call, “astute”.

Just a brute with the ball. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah his decisions were horrendous.Nasir dropped many crucial catches especially against Windies.Similarly playing K.Manzoor and persisting with him till we got knocked out of Asia cup,Dropping Sarfaraz in WC and making U. Akmal WK,playing Iftikhar against Eng and not maintaining consistency in team selection.

Arthur has been consistent with team selection and it shows
 
Bilal Asif opening the innings. I cannot believe no one has brought that up.
 
Persistning with Misbah for too long, particularly after his horrific performance in New Zealand and Australia as a player and as captain.
 
Picking Mohammed Hafeez to open, again, in this ODI, with the same result as always.

Not playing Haris Sohail regularly since he showed he was a class above the rest in NZ.

Not giving Saud Shakeel a run instead of either one of Malik and Hafeez.

Picking Rahat Ali over and over again.

Never giving Sadaf Hussain a chance to play in ODIs after selecting him.
 
Last edited:
Selecting M. Hafeez as opener for upcoming test series for New Zealand when immediately after the series pak is touring S. Africa and he will be a real bunny for steyn... I guess sami was a better option the way he courageously faced England... That guy deserves a chance on these dead pitches.
 
Taking the batting powerplay really late in WC 2011 SF .It was weird
 
Benching harris in the first and 2nd odis and playing the legends malik and hafeez instead
 
coy0607 said:
I don't get it...
After Fakhar and Hafeez, Malik is Pakistan's best hitter, he was a good fit in the situation. Unfortunate to not get going
Click to expand...

He might be but we need to give Asif and faheem more time in the middle, and this was a prime opportunity
 
coy0607 said:
I don't get it...
After Fakhar and Hafeez, Malik is Pakistan's best hitter, he was a good fit in the situation. Unfortunate to not get going
Click to expand...

No he is not and neither is Hafeez. They might hit big against spinners or military medium bowlers but against any fast bowler with decent pace, they will always struggle.
 
One of the most recent ones are

Choosing Wahab for Aus test series in UAE.

Choosing Hafeez for opening batsman in tests against Aus and NZ.

Choosing Nawaz to bat at three in the 1st T20I against NZ in Wellington (this year) where Pakistan were 39/6.

Choosing Haris Sohail and Hafeez to open the bat in the Zimbabwe T20I tri-series (both failed).
 
Greenstorm said:
No he is not and neither is Hafeez. They might hit big against spinners or military medium bowlers but against any fast bowler with decent pace, they will always struggle.
Click to expand...

I didn't say Hafeez and Malik were great hitters. I just said they were the best in the current Pakistani team.

Is there anyone better???

Faheem, Asid, Imad are flop hitters no where near expectations.
Babar, Sarfraz, Imam are clearly not hitters. Haris is unproven.
 
Yesterday :))

You select Asif Ali instead of Imad Wasim.

There's 10 overs remaining and you send Shoaib Malik instead of a guy tailor made for the position. :))
 
coy0607 said:
I didn't say Hafeez and Malik were great hitters. I just said they were the best in the current Pakistani team.

Is there anyone better???

Faheem, Asid, Imad are flop hitters no where near expectations.
Babar, Sarfraz, Imam are clearly not hitters. Haris is unproven.
Click to expand...

Faheem, Asif and even Hassan can hit against pace better than Malik and Hafeez. They have not been given enough chances to be labelled as flop hitters. Platform was set for them to come and play quick cameos in last 10 overs but instead we had to endure Malik's 18(18).
 
Donal Cozzie said:
The entire 2015 WC squad for you guys was dreck no offence.

Jamshed, about 4 stone overweight, Misbah, Younis, Maqsood, Umar Akmal, Anwar Ali, Bhatti.

Probably the worst batting line up or hell even team Pakistan have ever had at a tournament
Click to expand...

Without a doubt. Although team could have been marginally better if Junaid Khan and Hafeez were not injured.
 
Appointing a guy as captain for 2 whole years despite him not even finding a spot in the side before that. Then sticking with him despite loss after loss.
 
Worst decision was to play 4 fast bowlers in UAE Asia cup in recent times and Not playing two spinners in that UAE series against Sri Lanka
 
silentkiller187 said:
Awais Zia, the epitome of an "attacking" pakistani batsmen from the 90's. He was swinging so hard he almost knocked himself over against England, career highlights = a couple of top edge 4,6's.
Click to expand...

His career highlight was I think around the time of [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION]s post , against NZ IIRC.

Got a short ball at pace, went to pull it square, went over the bowlers head for four. I have never and never again will see anything more hilarious
 
Mamoon said:
Bilal Asif opening the innings. I cannot believe no one has brought that up.
Click to expand...

He did ok. Scored a quick fire 30 odd I remember.


On a serious note, I think the guy needs to be drafted in the ODI side, could be a useful bench player
 
Not introducing Zafar Gohar, Mohd. Asghar, in the NZ Test series.


I don't think Bilal Asif is good enough
 
Not considering Sadaf Hussain for international level after his number of consecutive successful domestic seasons.
 
The Misbah/Waqar era for ODIs was the most painful thing to have to endure.

Thank God that nightmare is over.

Two of the worst people (for that format anyway) leading our team for so long.
 
Hasan123 said:
Not having a specialist spinner for the Asia Cup. Shadab and Nawaz are not frontline spinners in Asia. Can even remember posters defending the decision. :facepalm:
Click to expand...

:))

Shadab is one of the best spinners in the world. You're deluded if you think he's not a frontline spinner. Imad Wasim was the #1 ranked T20 bowler not too long ago and although, its not the same format, he's definitely more than capable of making the national team.
 
Not saying it would have made Pakistan favourites for the 2015 WC, but Fawad Alam's exclusion from the squad.
 
Bilal7 said:
:))

Shadab is one of the best spinners in the world. You're deluded if you think he's not a frontline spinner. Imad Wasim was the #1 ranked T20 bowler not too long ago and although, its not the same format, he's definitely more than capable of making the national team.
Click to expand...


Rashid Khan ,Adil Rashid ,Imran Tahir,Kuldeep ,Chahal,and Ish Sohdi are all better spinners so he isn't one of the best batsmen in the world.

One of the best spinners in the world should be able to impact a series in favourable conditions. Shadab was taken to the cleaners.

Why are you talking about Imad when I am talking about the Asia Cup? I have always backed Imad selection in T20a. But everyone on this forum other than you (for non cricketing reasons) can see Inzi made a mistake by not selecting a specialist spinner in the Asia Cup.

Hillairious how you haven't commented on the performance of Nawaz in the Asia Cup and instead mentioned Imad performance in T20s. :))
 
Banning younis Khan in 2010.
Banning Yousuf too late.
Not banning Shohaib early enough.
Removing half the team in 2009.
 
not playing faheem and shadab in the sa series until the last match

surely they should have been played in overseas matches after the ireland/england series?
 
Expecting Yasir to win the games for us in SA:sarf2

Playing 1 spinner in UAE repeatedly :ma
 
Playing Yasir in the first two tests- completely forgetting how poor his bowling is outside Asia.
 
Making Azhar Ali ODI captain after his two year hiatus from the format.

No act of relative stupidity will suffice to trump that revolting decision.
 
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