Despite a 3-0 loss to Australia, this series has made Pakistan a better Test side

[Bilal7]

Firstly, let's acknowledge that the current Australian test team is arguably better than the great Australian team of the 2000s.

Pakistan were never going to win this series and they did what we wanted them to do, which is to be competitive. They also came very close to winning the second test match and could potentially turn the dead rubber into a thriller tomorrow.

The emergence of Aamir Jamal and Mir Hamza along with Agha Salman transforming into a genuine all-rounder will also be very important in helping the balance of the team in the future.

Our main batters failing is obviously not ideal and especially concerning when it comes to Babar Azam, but this can be written off as an aberration. Much like Virat Kohli's infamous series in England.

The two big questions relate to one player: Shan Masood. Is he the long-term captain and if so, should be be batting at #3? In my opinion, his captaincy has been encouraging and so has his batting.

However, if he does stay in the side for the near future, he should return to being an opener which frees up the #3 position for a promising talent like Muhammad Huraira or Saim Ayub.

Should the Masood experiment end abruptly however, the PCB have a ready-made replacement in Muhammad Rizwan - a man who has now proven without doubt that he is our #1 keeper-batsman, not just currently but probably of all-time.

Our test team moving forward should look like this:

1) Abdullah Shafique
2) Shan Masood (c)/Imam ul Haq
3) Muhammad Huraira/Saim Ayub
4) Babar Azam
5) Saud Shakeel
6) Muhammad Rizwan (wk) (potential captain)
7) Agha Salman
8) Aamir Jamal
9) Shaheen Afridi
10) Naseem Shah
11) Abrar Ahmed

12) Mir Hamza

 

[Devadwal]

Lol Pakistan is brink of another whitewash in Australia . it very very embarassing moment for Pakistan team. 17 match losing streak in Australia show that they can't win anything other than few session here and there .that it.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Lol Pakistan is brink of another whitewash in Australia . it very very embarassing moment for Pakistan team. 17 match losing streak in Australia show that they can't win anything other than few session here and there .that it.

This was more or less expected. They won more sessions. Thing that they have rectify is home record. They did not win a single test against NZ, England, Australia.

 

[CerebralPatriot]

This series hasn't done anything but reinforce the fact that mediocrity continues to reign supreme within Pakistan cricket

Shan Masood had the opportunity of a lifetime to cleanse our team from the dosti yaari culture bought upon by Babar and his gang of three. He could have made selections based on merit and given Australia a real run for their money, maybe even a series win. Instead he choose to go with the same TTF's and what do you know, another 3-0 loss on the cards

Moving foward if we do want to compete with the big boys than we must bring in true structural change and no that does not mean appointing a new captain over and over but rather appointing a captain with a vision. The only man for that job is Sarfraz Ahmed

Our XI for the next test series should look like:
1. Saim
2. Sharjeel
3. Saud
4. Omair
5. Asad
6. Fawad
7. Sarfraz
8. Jamal
9. Mir Hamza
10. Abrar
11. Hasnain/Shaheen

 

[Devadwal]

Hafeez was made same statement before SCG test .

 

[Mamoon]

This series hasn't done anything but reinforce the fact that mediocrity continues to reign supreme within Pakistan cricket

Shan Masood had the opportunity of a lifetime to cleanse our team from the dosti yaari culture bought upon by Babar and his gang of three. He could have made selections based on merit and given Australia a real run for their money, maybe even a series win. Instead he choose to go with the same TTF's and what do you know, another 3-0 loss on the cards

Moving foward if we do want to compete with the big boys than we must bring in true structural change and no that does not mean appointing a new captain over and over but rather appointing a captain with a vision. The only man for that job is Sarfraz Ahmed

Our XI for the next test series should look like:
1. Saim
2. Sharjeel
3. Saud
4. Omair
5. Asad
6. Fawad
7. Sarfraz
8. Jamal
9. Mir Hamza
10. Abrar
11. Hasnain/Shaheen

How can Masood make selections on merit when he himself was not selected on merit.

We have a captain who is not good enough to play Test cricket.

 

[Savak]

A 3-0 is still a disaster. And please Mir Hamza is not much of a positive, the guy can only bowl on green wickets. His domestic record is misleading, he is useless on placid wickets. There is a reason why selectors never went with him when he was younger knowing full well that the green domestic wickets inflated his domestic stats

 

[Mamoon]

This great team lost for successive Border gawaskar trophy including two at home. They are good but not even close for great Australian team of 2000s. They were very ruthless

A deeply mediocre team like Pakistan led by a clown gave them multiple scares and could have even won a Test if it wasn’t for dropping dollies.

The 2000s Australian team wouldn’t have given this Pakistan team a stuff. It would have been a complete massacre.

2000s Australia will whoop this Australia home and away in every conditions.

This Australian team have some legendary cricketers too like Smith, Cummins and Warner, but Gilchrist and Warne are two players that take that team to a whole new level.

Lyon is very good but not remotely close to Warne and all current keepers in Australia put together still don’t equate to Gilchrist.

 

[Bilal7]

This is what a combined Australian team consisting of players from both eras would look like:

1) Warner/Khawaja
2) Hayden
3) Ponting
4) Smith
5) Waugh (vc)
6) Marsh/Head
7) Gilly
8) Warne
9) Cummins (c)
10) Starc/Hazlewood
11) McGrath

So five players for the current side vs six for the late 90s- early 00s side. Not sure who could have a problem with this. Maybe you don't understand the meaning of "arguably".

 

[zaidihusain]

If PCB really wants to develop better test side they need to get rid of below kind of players:
1. Those who play every game like it's their debut game even after gaining lot of experience
2. Those who play the game just with an intention to save their place in the team by playing tons of overs but doesn't add much to the score
3. Mentally week players who never perform when the team needs them most
4. Those who are stubborn & careless and never tries to improve their game, getting out softly by playing poor shots & or by throwing wicket to part time bowlers
5. Fast bowlers who doesn't want to play test cricket wholeheartedly must be discarded immediately from test team. There is not point in carrying players who pick & choose
6. Useless spinners who don't any variations
7. Players who are obsolete and doesn't have any future

As if now Babar, Imam, Shaheen, Hasan Ali, Sajid, Faheem, Sarfraz comes in this category.
Shan is without a doubt better captain than his predecessors, but if he can't work on his batting then it's a big problem
Abdullah, Saud, Agha are relatively new but they should be reprimanded.

 

[Bilal7]

A 3-0 is still a disaster. And please Mir Hamza is not much of a positive, the guy can only bowl on green wickets. His domestic record is misleading, he is useless on placid wickets. There is a reason why selectors never went with him when he was younger knowing full well that the green domestic wickets inflated his domestic stats

We don't need him on placid wickets, we need him in South Africa and England. Shaheen, Naseem and now Jamal coupled with Abrar and Salman will be good enough to take 20 wickets in Pakistan.

 

[Bilal7]

This great team lost four successive Border gawaskar trophy including two at home. They are good but not even close for great Australian team of 2000s. They were very ruthless

Why are you pretending that everything except for the Australian team has remained the same?

- The Indian test team and specifically the Indian bowling is FAR better now than they were back in those days.
- The Indian pitches are more result-oriented today, some would say excessively so while pitches in the past would allow teams to get easy draws.

Australia were almost always short-staffed when it came to these Border-Gavasker series.

Bring the Australia side of the 90s and 00s to the present, remove Ponting, Hayden and one other key player and then ask them to win tests at Nagpur, Delhi and Chennai.

 

[Bilal7]

This series hasn't done anything but reinforce the fact that mediocrity continues to reign supreme within Pakistan cricket

Shan Masood had the opportunity of a lifetime to cleanse our team from the dosti yaari culture bought upon by Babar and his gang of three. He could have made selections based on merit and given Australia a real run for their money, maybe even a series win. Instead he choose to go with the same TTF's and what do you know, another 3-0 loss on the cards

Moving foward if we do want to compete with the big boys than we must bring in true structural change and no that does not mean appointing a new captain over and over but rather appointing a captain with a vision. The only man for that job is Sarfraz Ahmed

Our XI for the next test series should look like:
1. Saim
2. Sharjeel
3. Saud
4. Omair
5. Asad
6. Fawad
7. Sarfraz
8. Jamal
9. Mir Hamza
10. Abrar
11. Hasnain/Shaheen

Sarfaraz, Shafique and Sharjeel?

Absolute lunacy.

 

[Bilal7]

Lol Pakistan is brink of another whitewash in Australia . it very very embarassing moment for Pakistan team. 17 match losing streak in Australia show that they can't win anything other than few session here and there .that it.

We can win an ICC trophy every decade. How about your team?

 

[Theanonymousone]

This test series is only felt competitive because of one guy, Jamal

As much as I appreciate the guy, he batting technique is of a tailender and not of a proper batsmen.

I hope he can replicate these but still is a one-off performance.

Even Shami-Bumrah stitched a superb partnership in England for us.

While last series of Pak touring Aus was a complete farce, this series was supposed to be the one where, players like Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan picking up the mantle. So, its kind of disappointing overall.

I hope they can persist with Agha Salman. He felt like a decent lower order batter than those Shadab/Nawaz

 

[Marooned]

I concur.

We did much better than expectations. Obviously 3-0 is what will be etched in history but that isn't the complete story.

Ultimately this series just reinforced what we all show. That cricket, test cricket especially is as much a mental game as it is a game of skill.

We made our chances and then squandered it when the chance became too realistic.

Considering our situation, this series was slight net positive for me.

 

[ravisurya]

Pakistan was expected to lose anyway but they definitely did better than expected, they did put up a fight.

 

[Kianig89]

Big question mark when current Australian team is rated better Australia of 2000s, so we are implying that Labuschagne is better than Ponting, or Clarke or Hussey or Steve Waugh. Pathetic analogy

 

[rpant_gabba]

Pakistan was expected to lose anyway but they definitely did better than expected, they did put up a fight.

putting up a fight is taking game to the last session on the last day.

 

[mazkhan]

Only the bowlers have done well

Along with rizwan whose been excellent behind the stumps and decent enough with the bat

Agha has also done reasonably well and been excellent as a fielder.

Standout has been aamer jamal who has surprised everyone

Shans captaincy has been good his batting is still suspect but then again he's done what's to his best of abilities.

But the openers along with the middle order is a massive concern babar and saud have disappointed big time

 

[Devadwal]

We can win an ICC trophy every decade. How about your team?

We already have more ICC trophy than every other team expect Australia .

 

[batandballbattle]

The only test side that can compare to the golden gen Aussies are the golden gen Windies that came before them.

The current crop of aussies is one of the best sides if not the best test side right now but they cannot hold a candle to the former greats. That side would have not given us a sniff, we have had multiple sniffs against this side but we repeatedly trip over whilst following the scent.

Yes it's a huge improvement from the thorough drubbing last time out but in the end the scoreline will read the same, a whitewash and a long pain in Australia continuing. A huge opportunity missed when the situation could have easily been 2-1 to us.

And please don't just brush off Babar's failures as an 'aberration' - his issues in form extended even before the series. In 2023 even on roads at home he failed, and then again in Sri lanka where two inexperienced guys in shafique and shakeel were scoring runs for fun and showing him up. He has quite clearly declined.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

This is what a combined Australian team consisting of players from both eras would look like:

1) Warner/Khawaja
2) Hayden
3) Ponting
4) Smith
5) Waugh (vc)
6) Marsh/Head
7) Gilly
8) Warne
9) Cummins (c)
10) Starc/Hazlewood
11) McGrath

So five players for the current side vs six for the late 90s- early 00s side. Not sure who could have a problem with this. Maybe you don't understand the meaning of "arguably".

Yeah sure. Travis Head/Marsh over Damien Martyn at #6 in a Test lineup.

Cope is real.

Basically, 7 out of the 11 would be from 2000's side . What is even arguable about this?

 

[Swashbuckler]

This Aussie side is yet to win in Ind, Eng, SA, BD, SL despite multiple tries. Pretty good but that Aussie side was different, combined team will have only Smith, Cummins and Hazlewood (not sure) from this side making that team, maybe Head in the future if he becomes consistent. Langer is better than Warner, Khawaja is not even in the picture.

Somewhat agree with OP apart from the opening line. Not so optimistic about Babar's comeback but otherwise ok. Jamal is a star and Hamza will be a matchwinner on greentops of SA, NZ.

 

[Unleashed]

The previous Aussie team wouldn't have let a test match go to the fifth day to a bowling lineup of Thakur, Siraj, Natarajan, Saini and Sundar in Australia, let alone losing it.

This is a deluded thread which is kinda expected from the OP.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

This is what a combined Australian team consisting of players from both eras would look like:

1) Warner/Khawaja
2) Hayden
3) Ponting
4) Smith
5) Waugh (vc)
6) Marsh/Head
7) Gilly
8) Warne
9) Cummins (c)
10) Starc/Hazlewood
11) McGrath

So five players for the current side vs six for the late 90s- early 00s side. Not sure who could have a problem with this. Maybe you don't understand the meaning of "arguably".

Its not far off and most people understand the word arguably as you have stated it.

 

[160KPH]

The expectations for our team coming into the series were zero and we expected to possibly lose a couple of the matches by an innings. We ultimately remained competitive, but we need to dramatically improve our fielding in the slips and also our batting needs work.

The positives we have from this series are that we have a solid couple of all rounders in Aamer Jamal and Agha Salman. Those guys will now be mainstays in the team. Additionally, Khurram Shahzad and Hamza Mir were quite impressive.

What we need going forward is for Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah to rest and regain form as well as for our main bowlers going forward to take time to get fully healthy. We will look much better as a team when Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed are back.

The confusing situation is Shan Masood who does not get into the team on his batting merit but who also legitimately captained the side well.

My bigger structural concerns for Pakistani Test cricket are how few Tests we will be playing as well as how horrible our pitches were for our last home season. On flat pitches like the ones prepared last home season, we will most of the time be out batted by more explosive batting units. Saud and Abdullah Shafique were amazing in the spinning pitches in Sri Lanka but also failed here in Australia.

In the future perhaps we will prepare this 11 for Tests:

Abdullah
Saim Ayub
Shan Masood
Babar
Saud
Rizwan
Salman
Jamal
Shaheen Shah
Naseem Shah
Abrar Ahmed

We may need replacements for Saud and Shan and then our batting lineup will look much much stronger.

 

[Rana]

We don't need him on placid wickets, we need him in South Africa and England. Shaheen, Naseem and now Jamal coupled with Abrar and Salman will be good enough to take 20 wickets in Pakistan.

On what basis do you drop Mir Hamza????

 

[160KPH]

Also, I believe the 2000s Australian team was far better but this team also has some of their all time great players and Cummins is on the path to become the second best pacer Australia has ever produced. The only one who he probably will be unable to catch is McGrath. The difference in this series was Cummins who was able to get wickets at every key moment.

 

[Marooned]

This Aussie side is yet to win in Ind, Eng, SA, BD, SL despite multiple tries. Pretty good but that Aussie side was different, combined team will have only Smith, Cummins and Hazlewood (not sure) from this side making that team, maybe Head in the future if he becomes consistent. Langer is better than Warner, Khawaja is not even in the picture.

Somewhat agree with OP apart from the opening line. Not so optimistic about Babar's comeback but otherwise ok. Jamal is a star and Hamza will be a matchwinner on greentops of SA, NZ.

Agree with this. Cummins and Smith are the only ones who get into that side for sure. Hazlewood debatable.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

70's onwards (previous eras are overhyped), the best Aussie Test side would be

Hayden
Taylor/Warner/Langer
Ponting
Smith
Waugh
Border/Martyn
Gilchrist
McGrath
Warne
Lillee
Cummins

That great Aussie has 6 positions nailed in and, potentially 8, and this side has 2, maybe 3 if we can look past Warner's poor performances in Asia and England

 

[Mamoon]

This is what a combined Australian team consisting of players from both eras would look like:

1) Warner/Khawaja
2) Hayden
3) Ponting
4) Smith
5) Waugh (vc)
6) Marsh/Head
7) Gilly
8) Warne
9) Cummins (c)
10) Starc/Hazlewood
11) McGrath

So five players for the current side vs six for the late 90s- early 00s side. Not sure who could have a problem with this. Maybe you don't understand the meaning of "arguably".

People understand what arguably means, but clearly you don’t understand cricket.

It is not about X number of players. It is not about 6 vs 5.

It is about the quality of the players. Warne and Gilchrist are worth 3-4 players in this Australian team.

The presence of those two players makes that Australian team clearly superior to this Australian team.

If you exclude those two, it is very close. Perhaps slightly in this Australian team’s favor.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

People understand what arguably means, but clearly you don’t understand cricket.

It is not about X number of players. It is not about 6 vs 5.

It is about the quality of the players. Warne and Gilchrist are worth 3-4 players in this Australian team.

The presence of those two players makes that Australian team clearly superior to this Australian team.

If you exclude those two, it is very close. Perhaps slightly in this Australian team’s favor.

I don't think it is. Travis Head and Marsh vs Steve Waugh and Damien Martyn at 5 and 6? This team has the edge in fast bowling for sure . but that OZ side was better at everything else

 

[Swashbuckler]

Those talking about avoiding innings defeat this time, the 1st test defeat was by a margin of 360 runs, and Australia declared with 5 wickets remaining in their 2nd innings. That margin is as bad as an innings defeat especially on that pitch. In fact Aus could have enforced follow on but didn't, 1st innings lead was 220 runs and anyway Pak folded for below 100 in their 4th innings.

 

[Amjid Javed]

All this series has done is reinforced that Pakistan team is a bottle job under pressure.

The bowlers to be fair have done their job for 80% of the series.

The 1st inns in Perth and 2nd inns in 2nd tests when Aussies were on the ropes were only let downs

Fielding entire series has been a shambles.

Imam, babar, saud, Abdullah batting has been a disgrace this season.

The captain getting starts and getting out, another shambles.

Apart from rizwan and Agha to a slight extent no one has applied themselves with the bat.

Jamal is only player who has actually looked like he's good enough for these conditions with bat and ball

I can understand the team struggling in Perth, but the last test and this one Pakistan have bottled when they've had a chance to force an advantage

In particular babar azam on this tour should be hanging his head in shame

 

[Mamoon]

I don't think it is. Travis Head and Marsh vs Steve Waugh and Damien Martyn at 5 and 6? This team has the edge in fast bowling for sure . but that OZ side was better at everything else

Steve Waugh retired in 2003. He is more of a 90’s player. When we talk about the 2000s Australian team, I think most of the people refer to the team led by Ponting from 2004 to 2007.

Steve Waugh’s retirement did leave a bit of hole in the middle-order. Clarke didn’t really come into his own until 2009-10, Watson and Symonds weren’t that consistent.

Head and Marsh are quite comparable but yes if we factor in Steve Waugh, who averaged over 50 even in the last 2-3 years of his career, than the 2000s Australian team is superior even if we take Warne and Gilchrist out of the equation.

 

[riddu]

abrar ahmed unproven yet .. need to find special spin bowler

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Steve Waugh retired in 2003. He is more of a 90’s player. When we talk about the 2000s Australian team, I think most of the people refer to the team led by Ponting from 2004 to 2007.

Steve Waugh’s retirement did leave a bit of hole in the middle-order. Clarke didn’t really come into his own until 2009-10, Watson and Symonds weren’t that consistent.

Head and Marsh are quite comparable but yes if we factor in Steve Waugh, who averaged over 50 even in the last 2-3 years of his career, than the 2000s Australian team is superior even if we take Warne and Gilchrist out of the equation.

I think Symonds and Watson struggled. But Clarke averaged 42 with the bat from his debut till McWarne/Langer retired and he played crucial knocks on his debut tour to India and at Lord's etc.

Also, he was much younger than the likes of Head and Marsh who are still not established Test players despite being on the wrong side of 30.

 

[Unleashed]

Having said that, Pakistan has performed decent in this test. They seem to have found a star in Aamir Jamal and a decent player in Agha.

 

[Asif321]

Celebrating mediocrity . This attitude will make Pakistan slide further

 

[gibsyhesperis]

Pakistan has exceeding expectations on this tour, but my expectations were extremely low, so perhaps that is indeed being damned by faint praise. A couple of players have come to the fore and that is good.

Pakistan is not, and probably never will be again, a frontline Test side. The PCB shows no interest in the format, the first class infrastructure and pitches don’t encourage this and, most importantly, the fans aren't really that interested.

Pakistan will be like the West Indies — talented, swashbuckling cricketers who perform in T20. The players will like this, the fans will like this and the PCB (no doubt in numerous different guises) will be content.

In that context, this series has not been as bad as it could have been.
Babar however, has been a disappointment as he is one of the few technically sound Pakistani players — that said touring Australia is a tough gig; Joe Root (a better player than Babar) has never scored a century there.

 

[Concerned]

It is better for Pakistan to continuously play against the likes of Australia, India, England and SA and get battered than to play teams likes West Indies, Srilanka and Zimbabwe and build fake expectation and over inflate statistics.

 

[MP2011]

On Cummins, yeah he has been great but only at home and England. He has to do lot more before being bracketed with McGrath.

 

[gazza619]

This was the best ever chance to win a test in Australia.

But hey keep picking Hasan Ali & Sajid Khan and you will deserve what you get.

 

[castortroy]

What a deluded thread.

The 2000s aussie team would absolutely destroy this Aussie team.

Also, clutching for more "positives" after another aussie tour is just embarrassing.

17 straight defeats in a row in Australia is an unbelievable stat

 

[Scoop_shot]

This series hasn't done anything but reinforce the fact that mediocrity continues to reign supreme within Pakistan cricket

Shan Masood had the opportunity of a lifetime to cleanse our team from the dosti yaari culture bought upon by Babar and his gang of three. He could have made selections based on merit and given Australia a real run for their money, maybe even a series win. Instead he choose to go with the same TTF's and what do you know, another 3-0 loss on the cards

Moving foward if we do want to compete with the big boys than we must bring in true structural change and no that does not mean appointing a new captain over and over but rather appointing a captain with a vision. The only man for that job is Sarfraz Ahmed

Our XI for the next test series should look like:
1. Saim
2. Sharjeel
3. Saud
4. Omair
5. Asad
6. Fawad
7. Sarfraz
8. Jamal
9. Mir Hamza
10. Abrar
11. Hasnain/Shaheen

You mean a Karachi parchi xi

 

[ravisurya]

putting up a fight is taking game to the last session on the last day.

By Pakistani standard they did put up a fight, can't expect better than this.

 

[ravisurya]

Anyone who thinks this side aussie side is better than the one of 2000s clearly shows his lack of knowledge of cricket.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

What a deluded thread.

The 2000s aussie team would absolutely destroy this Aussie team.

Also, clutching for more "positives" after another aussie tour is just embarrassing.

17 straight defeats in a row in Australia is an unbelievable stat

“17 straight defeats…”

Does this surprise you ?

As given the previous history, and the quality of the Pakistan side, a 3-0 defeat was inevitable — the only debate was whether there would be any positives to cling to, which there were.

To expect anything other than 3-0 was, to be honest, delusional…we are an exceedingly average Test side and have played as such

 

[Sher Khan]

Anyone who thinks this side aussie side is better than the one of 2000s clearly shows his lack of knowledge of cricket.

I agree 100 percent. I grew up watching Pontings Australia. They were pretty much invincible, their are atleast some chinks in the current Australian armour. This current team is very much defeat able.

 

[Mamoon]

Its not far off and most people understand the word arguably as you have stated it.

Gilchrist and Warne make the 2000s Australian team vastly superior to the current one. They have no one comparable to their quality.

But if you take those two out then yes the current team isn’t far off.

 

[FearlessRoar]

In this series, I have noticed that our test cricket is not dead. We have some top quality players in our box. I'm super impressed with Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Rizwan, Mir Hamza, and I have to say, Salman Ali Agha as well.

 

[castortroy]

“17 straight defeats…”

Does this surprise you ?

As given the previous history, and the quality of the Pakistan side, a 3-0 defeat was inevitable — the only debate was whether there would be any positives to cling to, which there were.

To expect anything other than 3-0 was, to be honest, delusional…we are an exceedingly average Test side and have played as such

Yes 17 defeats is a surprise and it should surprise every pak fan.

It's a disgusting stat. Not even 1 draw with the majority of games completed well within 5 days

 

[Tim from Australia]

Hello from Australia.
I agree completely with the title of this thread.

Don’t feel disappointed by the results, you should be very proud of your team, they have very little experience ( Warner has nearly played more tests than the entire Pakistan team combined ), and are playing on some of the fastest and bounciest wickets in the world.

Your fielding needs work, but this can be achieved with practice.

It’s just a shame that we don’t get to play you more often, as your boys will only get better playing a team like Australia.

In addition in the matches and interviews I have seen your players have presented themselves exceptionally well.
The 2 teams seem to get along well without any agro.

4th innings at the SCG are always very challenging, so the game is far from over.
So thank you for coming to Australia and showing us what potential you have, again, be proud of what these boys are doing, this tour will fast track your players.

Come back more often.

 

[kingusama92]

On Cummins, yeah he has been great but only at home and England. He has to do lot more before being bracketed with McGrath.

That's a bit harsh.

His Test averages (AWAY):

In Australia - 19.21
In South Africa - 20.31
In Pakistan - 22.50
In England - 27.43
In Bangladesh - 29.00
In India - 32.81
In Sri Lanka - 60.00

He's been great everywhere except for India and Sri Lanka (only two matches).

He just needs a good tour of India next time to solidify his standing. Regardless, he's one of their greatest fast bowlers when you consider all formats.

 

[sweep_shot]

This is the best they have performed in Australia since that 2010 series.

Aamer was the find of the series.

 

[Major]

First of all, no way is the current australian team better than the 2009 team of Australia. While this Australian side has a great pace attack, its batting and spin attack is fragile. The 2009 team was an allround great team.

Also, no this series has not made a better side. These are silver linings we desperately look for. When we lost last time to Australia we were hugging ourselves that atleast shafiq is back but he did nothing afterwards

The teams batting got exposed. Abdullah shafique has sucked, saud shakeel has been terrible, and we are not sure whether the guys who perform eill be able to continue to perform in future.

Losing 3-0 means we sucked and there is no silver lining

 

[jnaveen1980]

This Australian side is always one bowler short. But they don't mind as their stamina and strength is good enough to bowl out most teams. It is hard work. But they don't mind. 5th bowler is not a genuine wicket taker for them.

 

[Buffet]

Big question mark when current Australian team is rated better Australia of 2000s, so we are implying that Labuschagne is better than Ponting, or Clarke or Hussey or Steve Waugh. Pathetic analogy

This Aus side has not won in Ind, Eng, SA, BD and SL despite playing many times. Some serious lack of understanding of cricket and that's why we see statements like Babar is better than Kohli or this Aus side is better than ATG Aus side. There is no point in discussing so much off the target statements.

 

[Buffet]

Other point made in OP is not poor. Pakistan did play far better than earlier tours in Aus. Pakistan used to simply roll over in Aus. Last test is not done yet.

 

[Rana]

How is the current Australian team better than the one in the 2000s?

Yesterday I read Pakistan’s bowlers from 2003-2009 were a joke. Today this…

In two days, two die hard Misbah fans have produced absolute gems

 

[ahmadharis1]

Our best XIs had never won a test in Australia, the fact that we managed to make it slightly competitive at times with a sub-par team is an achievement

 

[Major]

Our best XIs had never won a test in Australia, the fact that we managed to make it slightly competitive at times with a sub-par team is an achievement

No its not an achievement

 

[Major]

Other point made in OP is not poor. Pakistan did play far better than earlier tours in Aus. Pakistan used to simply roll over in Aus. Last test is not done yet.

2009 test we were better as our bowling had them rolling over, but we failed to win due to our batting and fielding.o

 

[ahmadharis1]

No its not an achievement

Have to take the small wins when we can, improvement doesn't happen overnight. Can't go from getting whitewashed constantly to winning just like that, it takes time.

 

[Major]

Have to take the small wins when we can, improvement doesn't happen overnight. Can't go from getting whitewashed constantly to winning just like that, it takes time.

Its been twenty years.

It doesnt take time if you have payers ready and prepared properly.

All it takes is one season of domestic cricket whre you fix your pitches and develop players.

After every series loss or tournament loss there are people looking for silver linings.

I remember when guys used to see umar akmal as a silver lining after every series loss. Turns out the guy never won an icc tournament

 

[jnaveen1980]

Both teams batted poorly so draw was out of the question in this series.

 

[Mamoon]

First of all, no way is the current australian team better than the 2009 team of Australia. While this Australian side has a great pace attack, its batting and spin attack is fragile. The 2009 team was an allround great team.

This is not true at all. The current Australian team is comfortably better than the 2009 one.

This is the team that played Pakistan in the 2009-10 series.

Katich
Watson
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
North
Haddin
Johnson
Hauritz
Bollinger
Siddle

Warner and Khawaja are better openers than Katich and Watson.

Smith is a better Test batsman than Ponting, and 2009 Ponting was past his prime anyway.

Labuschagne is a better Test batsman than Hussey, at least in home conditions.

Clarke was very good but he reached his peak form in 2012. Head is on par if not better than Clarke of 2009.

Marsh is better than North.

Haddin was somewhat better than Carey but he wasn’t a top player by any means.

Johnson outside his 2013-14 purple patch was not better than Starc.

Lyon is probably 10x better than Hauritz.

Bollinger and Siddle are levels below Cummins and Hazlewood.

Overall, the current Australian team is clearly superior and would beat the 2009 Australian team in any conditions.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

Its been twenty years.

It doesnt take time if you have payers ready and prepared properly.

All it takes is one season of domestic cricket whre you fix your pitches and develop players.

After every series loss or tournament loss there are people looking for silver linings.

I remember when posters used to see umar akmal as a silver lining after every series loss. Turns out the guy never won an icc tournament

But the point is Pakistan aren’t going to win any ICC tournaments regularly — they simply aren’t good enough, and never were, even during the so-called golden age.
Now one could say this is an indictment of a country of 250 million, where cricket is the preeminent sport, but it is what it is.

I support a football team that are unlikely to ever win the Premier League in the foreseeable future.
Does that stop me from supporting them — no, because they are my team (otherwise everyone would support Man City And chase glory).

 

[shamaan]

A 3-0 is still a disaster. And please Mir Hamza is not much of a positive, the guy can only bowl on green wickets. His domestic record is misleading, he is useless on placid wickets. There is a reason why selectors never went with him when he was younger knowing full well that the green domestic wickets inflated his domestic stats

but we can have conditions specfic bowlers.

 

[shamaan]

I think the bowlers did thier jobs however the batting and fielding has been a total flop.

 

[Major]

This is not true at all. The current Australian team is comfortably better than the 2009 one.

This is the team that played Pakistan in the 2009-10 series.

Katich
Watson
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
North
Haddin
Johnson
Hauritz
Bollinger
Siddle

Warner and Khawaja are better openers than Katich and Watson.

Smith is a better Test batsman than Ponting, and 2009 Ponting was past his prime anyway.

Labuschagne is a better Test batsman than Hussey, at least in home conditions.

Clarke was very good but he reached his peak form in 2012. Head is on par if not better than Clarke of 2009.

Marsh is better than North.

Haddin was somewhat better than Carey but he wasn’t a top player by any means.

Johnson outside his 2013-14 purple patch was not better than Starc.

Lyon is probably 10x better than Hauritz.

Bollinger and Siddle are levels below Cummins and Hazlewood.

Overall, the current Australian team is clearly superior and would beat the 2009 Australian team in any conditions.

Smith is better than ponting and labushagne being better than Hussey???

The Australian 2009 side would win on its batting alone. Like i said, while the bowling of the current australia side is good, but overall the team is nowhere near the 2009 side.

 

[Kianig89]

Don't forget Ponting was dropped on 5, in one of the Tests back in 09/10 series by Amir comically and he went on to score 190, also the butter fingers of Akmal wrote history with Sydney one of the most infamous Match in Pakistan cricket history

 

[Bilal7]

People understand what arguably means, but clearly you don’t understand cricket.

It is not about X number of players. It is not about 6 vs 5.

It is about the quality of the players. Warne and Gilchrist are worth 3-4 players in this Australian team.

The presence of those two players makes that Australian team clearly superior to this Australian team.

If you exclude those two, it is very close. Perhaps slightly in this Australian team’s favor.

False. Cummins is a generational talent just like Warne was and Gilly, although exceptional in his time can be countered by Warner, who bats explosively right at the top.

- I would take Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood over McGrath, Pigeon and Lee.

- Warne is obviously many leagues better than Lyon.

- The batting lineups are pretty even but the presence of an all-rounder in Marsh/Green gives the present team an added edge.

- The fielding of the current team is far superior.

Like I said, you can make an argument that the current Australian test side is the best test team Australia has ever had. Every bowler has 250+ wickets; every pure batsman averages over 45; generational players in Cummins and Smith; and with the added edge of an all-rounder or two.

 

[Bilal7]

but we can have conditions specfic bowlers.

This. Guys like Mir Hamza and Mohammad Abbas need to feature in Pakistan's next test tour to England.

 

[Bilal7]

That's a bit harsh.

His Test averages (AWAY):

In Australia - 19.21
In South Africa - 20.31
In Pakistan - 22.50
In England - 27.43
In Bangladesh - 29.00
In India - 32.81
In Sri Lanka - 60.00

He's been great everywhere except for India and Sri Lanka (only two matches).

He just needs a good tour of India next time to solidify his standing. Regardless, he's one of their greatest fast bowlers when you consider all formats.

Cummins is not only an ATG bowler, he's a very decent batsman as well. He's a generational talent and will only further improve his legacy.

 

[Convict]

This is what a combined Australian team consisting of players from both eras would look like:

1) Warner/Khawaja
2) Hayden
3) Ponting
4) Smith
5) Waugh (vc)
6) Marsh/Head
7) Gilly
8) Warne
9) Cummins (c)
10) Starc/Hazlewood
11) McGrath

So five players for the current side vs six for the late 90s- early 00s side. Not sure who could have a problem with this. Maybe you don't understand the meaning of "arguably".

Cummins and Smith are the only players who would have made that side.

 

[Bilal7]

On what basis do you drop Mir Hamza????

When he inevitably proves ineffective on

Cummins and Smith are the only players who would have made that side.

Both Starc and Hazlewood are better than Gillespie and both Warner and Khawaja are better than that team's second opener.

 

[Convict]

When he inevitably proves ineffective on

Both Starc and Hazlewood are better than Gillespie and both Warner and Khawaja are better than that team's second opener.

Langer was a better player than Warner and Khawaja and Gillespie is the most underrated Australian bowler of all time.
Absolutely better than Hazlewood and Starc shouldn't even be getting selected in the test team anymore.

 

[Bilal7]

Langer was a better player than Warner and Khawaja and Gillespie is the most underrated Australian bowler of all time.
Absolutely better than Hazlewood and Starc shouldn't even be getting selected in the test team anymore.

Starc has the second-best strike rate of any Australian bowler in test cricket, IIRC. You're badly mistaken.

Langer being a better player than Warner and Khawaja - who have a SR of 70+ and average of 60+ while opening the batting, respectively - is similarly baseless.