Define the term "impact player" - Do Pakistan have any at the moment?

[MenInG]

This is a bit from Azhar Mahmood's blog with us:

People need to understand the true value of impact players like Sohaib Maqsood, Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah

Sohaib Maqsood was a changed player in this PSL, and he has rightfully been rewarded with a place in the Pakistan white-ball squad for the tours of England and West Indies. He was given a lot of freedom to express himself when he played for Southern Punjab and that has paid dividends now. What a lot of somewhat emotional fans don’t understand when judging impact players like Sohaib Maqsood and Asif Ali or Khushdil Shah is the value such a player provides to the side. The expectation is that such a player will perform 8 times out of 10 in a tournament but in reality, the only thing that is expected from such players is to win you 2-3 games out of 10 by themselves. The remaining 10 players are supposed to help out with good results in the other 7-8 games and that should be enough to take the team to the top. Look at the case of Glen Maxwell in the IPL – he won’t win you every game but he does well in 2-3 games. We need to understand the role such players play when they are asked to bat at the number 5 or 6 positions where it’s not easy to bat. This is where good management comes into play as they are able to get the best out of such talented players at the right times.

==

Is this your understanding as well?

 

[Sher Khan]

This is a bit from Azhar Mahmood's blog with us:

People need to understand the true value of impact players like Sohaib Maqsood, Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah

Sohaib Maqsood was a changed player in this PSL, and he has rightfully been rewarded with a place in the Pakistan white-ball squad for the tours of England and West Indies. He was given a lot of freedom to express himself when he played for Southern Punjab and that has paid dividends now. What a lot of somewhat emotional fans don’t understand when judging impact players like Sohaib Maqsood and Asif Ali or Khushdil Shah is the value such a player provides to the side. The expectation is that such a player will perform 8 times out of 10 in a tournament but in reality, the only thing that is expected from such players is to win you 2-3 games out of 10 by themselves. The remaining 10 players are supposed to help out with good results in the other 7-8 games and that should be enough to take the team to the top. Look at the case of Glen Maxwell in the IPL – he won’t win you every game but he does well in 2-3 games. We need to understand the role such players play when they are asked to bat at the number 5 or 6 positions where it’s not easy to bat. This is where good management comes into play as they are able to get the best out of such talented players at the right times.

==

Is this your understanding as well?

An impact player in my view is someone that can win you 4-5 games out of 10 on their own. For example, a 35 of 15 balls will be crucial for teams like Australia and India as it could turn a 300 score into a 330 plus score, but for a team like Pakistan when the score is usually 20/6 and you come in and score 35 of 15. It won't make much of a difference anyways.

 

[UzmanBeast]

An impact player in my view is someone that can win you 4-5 games out of 10 on their own. For example, a 35 of 15 balls will be crucial for teams like Australia and India as it could turn a 300 score into a 330 plus score, but for a team like Pakistan when the score is usually 20/6 and you come in and score 35 of 15. It won't make much of a difference anyways.

Impact players for Pakistan are different given our history of collapses.

An impact player for us is someone who has the match awareness to see how to extend the flow of runs when there is a collapse.

Someone who handles pressure well and can look for run scoring opportunities.

For some reason, I think those qualities are only seen in Imad.

Plays handy knocks, reliable batsman, good bowler, good fielder.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Hassan Ali is the only impact player we have at the moment.
But the impact player himself is of no use unless other players aren't contributing. If Babar and Imam keep on getting out in the first 10 overs, then we aren't going to score many runs.

 

[Rana]

We have impact players but we don’t trust them or like to select them.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Fakhar, Rizwan and Shaheen. Hasan sometimes as well

 

[MenInG]

When the whole batting line up is crumbling, an impact player who succeeds every 2-3 times in 10 isn't much help is it?

 

[Mamoon]

Stokes, Buttler, Maxwell, Bairstow, Roy, Pant, Pandya, Miller etc.

They are impact players - if they fire they can take the game away from the opposition.

Our brainless hacks who have no talent, no skill and no intelligence to perform against the big teams are not impact players. They are simply terrible players.

Although Maqsood should not be grouped with the other two because he is better than failed hacks like Asif and Khushdil.

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

Fakhar, Hasan, Haris are the impact players from our side

 

[Varun]

We have impact players but we don’t trust them or like to select them.

Don't tell me you consider Sarfraz as an impact player.

 

[Devadwal]

Don't tell me you consider Sarfraz as an impact player.

He consider Unfit Sharjeel khan as an impact player

 

[RyanRyan10]

He consider Unfit Sharjeel khan as an impact player

And Dilbar Hussain as an impact bowler

 

[Manzy2599]

What’s the point of these “impact players” if they aren’t gonna perform and win Pakistan matches. 1 good performance in 10 matches against minnow teams doesn’t make then “impact players”. They are domestic and flat track bullies apart from maqsood at times the rest don’t belong at the international level because they are far too inconsistent. That’s why Pakistan need to fix their domestic cricket first and bridge the gap if they are to become a top side or else their domestic performers are gonna continue being international failures.

 

[Majestic]

Fakhar Zaman is an impact player.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Any player who performs once in 10 matches is an impact player. You will find many players like these in world cricket. Players like Asif Ali, Pandya, Maxwell, Miller etc.

 

[Shafi]

1.5 (1.0 Fakhar +0.5 Rizwan). Others either softie or hit or miss.

 

[Abdurmirr]

Maybe Fakhar on his day but that's a rarity. Besides him no one else comes to mind.

Our players can be better described as impact players for the opposition, letting them come back into the game from positions in which it looks impossible for us to lose.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

We have a lot of impact players, unfortunately they create runs or give wickets to the opposition and negatively impact our own side

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Some teams are strong enough to carry the "impact players" around,(those who will deliver 3-4 times in 10 games). We can not simply afford that as our LOI teams are extremely fragile. For example English team is strong enough to carry guys like Sam Curran and Moeen Ali who when come off in either discipline can singlehandedly change the complexion of the game
I wouldn't say Ben Stokes cause he is just that good that he does well in all 3 departments with extraordinary consistency. A role model player for youngsters.

India used to have Yusuf Pathan, Pakistan had Afridi. David Miller was one during the AB-Faf-JP era but now he is a senior player so flashes aren't going to cut it for him.

NZ have Neesham. Full West Indian side is filled with impact guys barring Hetmyer, Simmons and Darren Bravo.

 

[OMB]

Define the term?

Impact players = contribution will be in winning matches with some memorable performances.
It will be the exact opposite of Sheet Anchor role played by top batsmen or the pace spearhead of lead spinner role in bowling who are preferred for their consistency. Impact players are playing to win and not for the averages.

Pakistan - Impact players - maybe Fakhar Zaman

 

[silentkiller187]

Fakhar is the only one that would come close to resembling a impact player out of the current crop.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali.

 

[MenInG]

Sohaib has the shots in his armoury but could do better with his shot selection for sure.

 

[MenInG]

Lets admit it - we dont have one!

So in which case, lets eliminate this position from our batting line-up, get a proper batsman in and hope for the best.

 

[GreenKhan]

Fakhar zaman, Hassan Ali, Rizwan.

 

[MenInG]

Fakhar zaman, Hassan Ali, Rizwan.

We expect these to succeed in every game they play - failures in 6 out of 10 is not an option for us.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I'm still backing Moqsood to be an impact player for us in the WC. He's made good starts but just needs to start turning these 20s into 30s and 40s, he's on the cusp and i think won't take him long to get going. I still say invest in him at 3, the biggest concern despite his great bowling spell is Hafeez who's been really out of touch for a while.

 

[fight_club]

This is a very important discussion. If one look at Pakistan T20 batting recently only three batsmen stood out, Rizwan , Babar and Hafeez. Out of these three Hafeez has been the most impactful batsmen changing the course of match single handedly. He may not be in best touch but has all round game and is good against both pace and spin.

Fakhar to some extent and Shoiab Maqsood can be effective. It will do not harm to give Maqsood few games as openers to see how it goes. Fakhar should bat at no.3.

 

[Manzy2599]

Since the t20 World Cup is in UAE/Oman I’m guessing a lot of the Pakistani batsman will become “impact players” having played there for the better part of a decade.

 

[Faiz1978]

Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali.

First you should decide Imad wasim is Spinner or Medium fast bowler , He is spinner ho does not turn ball , he is neither spinner or medium fast bowler , remember what Hardik Pandya did with him in Champions Trophy he will get same treatment 10 out of 10 matches , Indian batsmen will show him his real status , any bilateral series with India his career will over .

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

First you should decide Imad wasim is Spinner or Medium fast bowler , He is spinner ho does not turn ball , he is neither spinner or medium fast bowler , remember what Hardik Pandya did with him in Champions Trophy he will get same treatment 10 out of 10 matches , Indian batsmen will show him his real status , any bilateral series with India his career will over .

What difference does it make if he is a spinner or a medium-pacer? Did Kumble turn the ball? And did his lack of turn make him any less of a great bowler than he was?

Imad is a gun player who can handle pressure and win us games the same way he did against Afghanistan in the World Cup. Nevermind the fact that he is the only actual all-rounder we have. But even as just a bowler, he is one of the best in the business in T20s. His economy rate of 6.4 is second only to Ajmal's in the history of Pakistan's T20I cricket. He is also a wicket-taker who starts his spell at what is considered the most difficult time to bowl for any bowler: the powerplay, and still manages to maintain an economy rate under 6.5 which is an absolute rarity in this format.

Randomly picking one instance from 4 years ago when he had a bad day and was tonked for a few sixes means absolutely nothing. You could do the same for any player in the world.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Sohaib has the shots in his armoury but could do better with his shot selection for sure.

What's the point of investing in him if its just the same old problems in a new bottle? 5-6 years ago people were saying the same thing: he is super-talented and has all the shots but lacks shot selection. If he can't rectify something so basic at 34 I don't expect him to ever rectify it.

 

[sam_ahm]

Umar Akmal was an impact player, I don't know how he is doing currently but he had the ability to make an impact, inconsistent but an impact player.

In bowling Aamer was an impact player, had the ability to bowl a match winning spell.

 

[shamaan]

First you should decide Imad wasim is Spinner or Medium fast bowler , He is spinner ho does not turn ball , he is neither spinner or medium fast bowler , remember what Hardik Pandya did with him in Champions Trophy he will get same treatment 10 out of 10 matches , Indian batsmen will show him his real status , any bilateral series with India his career will over .

Generally talking pandya hits spin quite well

 

[Manunited18]

From what I've seen fakhar zaman is the only impact player pakistan has, Sharjeel khan who also could be in that category has had limited opportunities because of Rizwan being used in the opening slot which I think is wrong.

 

[Zaz]

An impact player for me isnt someone whos comes to the party every 4th or 5th game Its usually too late by then ie the series will be lost or if its a world cup the team will be knocked out

Take maqsood hed performed nil out of 3 t20s Pakistan have lost the series

An impact player is one who is more consistent than that and will usually contribute more than usefully in 1 or 2 games in 3

For a struggling team like pakistan they cant afford to wait for a 1 in 4 or 5 guy to turn up

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Lets admit it - we dont have one!

So in which case, lets eliminate this position from our batting line-up, get a proper batsman in and hope for the best.

Proper batsmen are fine for 50 over games and tests. In T20's you do need middle order batsmen who can score fast. Even a quickfire 20 or 30 can win a match.

 

[Faiz1978]

What difference does it make if he is a spinner or a medium-pacer? Did Kumble turn the ball? And did his lack of turn make him any less of a great bowler than he was?

Imad is a gun player who can handle pressure and win us games the same way he did against Afghanistan in the World Cup. Nevermind the fact that he is the only actual all-rounder we have. But even as just a bowler, he is one of the best in the business in T20s. His economy rate of 6.4 is second only to Ajmal's in the history of Pakistan's T20I cricket. He is also a wicket-taker who starts his spell at what is considered the most difficult time to bowl for any bowler: the powerplay, and still manages to maintain an economy rate under 6.5 which is an absolute rarity in this format.

Randomly picking one instance from 4 years ago when he had a bad day and was tonked for a few sixes means absolutely nothing. You could do the same for any player in the world.

He is not close to Kumble, Kumble has more than 600 test wickets and Imad does not qualify for test match, not played single test match .

Mark my words any bilateral series with India if plays his career will be over , problem is he is eating one place of spinner , a good spinner can turn whole match in UAE against any team whereas Imad is not going to do anything against good team in UAE though I agree he is good in batting .

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He is not close to Kumble, Kumble has more than 600 test wickets and Imad does not qualify for test match, not played single test match .

Mark my words any bilateral series with India if plays his career will be over , problem is he is eating one place of spinner , a good spinner can turn whole match in UAE against any team whereas Imad is not going to do anything against good team in UAE though I agree he is good in batting .

Nobody is comparing him to Kumble. The point is simply that you don't have to be a conventional spinner to be successful. And Imad has proven that with his performances and his numbers that you should bother looking up.

Since when do India and Pakistan play bilateral series? The last time they played a bilateral series was nearly a decade ago and the next time they play one Imad might actually have retired. At any rate, Imad is a world-class performer and I fully expect him to as well against India as he does against other teams.

Oh really, and what "good spinners" do Pakistan have? Zahid Mehmood has shown in the PSL that he can pretty much be smashed into oblivion if a particular batsman wants to do so. While Usman Qadir is nowhere near the level he should be on to start for Pakistan regularly. He bowls an incredible amount of bad deliveries in one spell and cannot be relied on in a high-pressure game.

Even those people who donot like Imad admit that he is a proven performer in T20Is, and his numbers are a a testament to how much of a world-class talent he is.

 

[MenInG]

Proper batsmen are fine for 50 over games and tests. In T20's you do need middle order batsmen who can score fast. Even a quickfire 20 or 30 can win a match.

Yes, that is the theory but we are losing to good sides.

When the openers etc do well, these guys dont get a chance to bat

When they dont do well, these guys fail.

Why not just get the best batsmen we can get and help them improve?

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Yes, that is the theory but we are losing to good sides.

When the openers etc do well, these guys dont get a chance to bat

When they dont do well, these guys fail.

Why not just get the best batsmen we can get and help them improve?

I think domestic competitions are the arena for players to learn and improve, international cricket requires the finished product, or at least someone who can handle it. I am a believer in horses for courses, if our best batsmen can score at a decent rate in T20's then by all means pick them. But if teams are scoring 200 plus regularly in international cricket there's no point in picking players who will steadily reach 160.

 

[TabishNator]

Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali.

In what world is Imad an impact player

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

In what world is Imad an impact player

This world. The one we all live in.

 

[TabishNator]

This world. The one we all live in.

The guy is the definition of a mediocre bits and pieces player. We really have low standards as fans now unfortunately.

 

[Oxfordchamp]

From the current team, only fakhar Zaman comes close to being an impact player and that is why Pakistan will struggle in T20s..All the top teams have atleast 4 impact players.

 

[Walawalkar]

Rizwan
Babar
Hasan Ali
Shaheen

 

[Canistani Hero]

Hasan Ali

 

[shamaan]

Shaheen
Hassan Ali
Babar
Rizwan

 

[MenInG]

Supposedly Asif Ali and KS in the Asia Cup squad?

Do we need these types of players?

Who are such players in the Indian side? All I see are proper players.