Did Champions Trophy 2013 have the worst Pakistani squad ever?

[ahmedwaqas92]

Misbah
Abdur Rehman
Asad Ali
Asad Shafiq
Ehsan Adil
Imran 'The Bandana' Farhat
Kamran Akmal
Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Irfan
Nasir Jamshed
Saeed Ajmal
Shoaib Malik (Pre Resurgence so basically tailender version)
Wahab Riaz
Umer 'CLH' Amin.



Basically, we were hoping Ajmal to chuck his way for us throughout the tournament because batting is pracitcally non existent in this lineup. Our tail starts from #1 & #2

 

[Syed1]

We can thank our lovely saviour for that wonderful squad. The amount of oldies in it must have been a dream come true for Misbah.






#Ikhees toppon ki salaami

 

[Suleiman]

For sure. I remember it so well because it was probably our worst tournament showing since 2007 WC which also had a weird squad.

We made up for it 4 years later though. If you told anyone post CT 2013 that we'd win the next edition they'd think you were insane.

 

[The_Odd_One]

That squad is a TTF's dream.

 

[coy0607]

that is an ugly UGLY team

seems crazy that they would send this team anywhere other than an A tour.. but then again, the management had been doing an absolute horrible job of building talents in LOIs at that time

 

[MMHS]

The CS should have been not only sacked, rather publicly humiliated and should have never been allowed to come near in any management roles. Apart from every other issues in batsmen picks, Qasim picked 4 spinners in an ODI tournament in UK, June. Among 4 pacers, he had Wahab for such conditions and didn’t pick any pace bowling all-rounder. This is after they dropped Afridi for a witch hunt, otherwise PAK would have gone with 3 pacers (including Wahab) and 5 spinners.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

We can thank our lovely saviour for that wonderful squad. The amount of oldies in it must have been a dream come true for Misbah.






#Ikhees toppon ki salaami

The only people left I guess is the 40 year old uncle from Peshawar who debuted in a T20 under Afridi, Khurram Manzoor, Bilawal Bhatti and Anwar 'Mein Khelta Rahunga Ali' !!

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

The CS should have been not only sacked, rather publicly humiliated and should have never been allowed to come near in any management roles. Apart from every other issues in batsmen picks, Qasim picked 4 spinners in an ODI tournament in UK, June. Among 4 pacers, he had Wahab for such conditions and didn’t pick any pace bowling all-rounder. This is after they dropped Afridi for a witch hunt, otherwise PAK would have gone with 3 pacers (including Wahab) and 5 spinners. ��

Sorry actually there were five pacers, I missed to write down Junaid Khan in the OP. My bad! but even so he your point stands that there wasn't a single Pace bowling alrounder in that entire squad.

Maybe they were hoping CLH would be the Razzaq replacement we were all longing for the last 3 years or so

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

For sure. I remember it so well because it was probably our worst tournament showing since 2007 WC which also had a weird squad.

We made up for it 4 years later though. If you told anyone post CT 2013 that we'd win the next edition they'd think you were insane.

This squad has Farhat, Akmal, Jamshed and Hafeez as openers, a middle order consisting of Misbah and Shafiq, 5 pacers out of which 2 were basically making a sort of debut plus a wayward pre 2014 Wahab. Shoaib Malik who at that time was so horrible Ajmal was outscoring him in Matches and then for reserves we have Umer Amin

That squad is a TTF's dream.

I would go on a limb and say this Squad was Misbah's brainchild and a lineup in which he might've had a lot of input given the names that have come up in all of this.

that is an ugly UGLY team

seems crazy that they would send this team anywhere other than an A tour.. but then again, the management had been doing an absolute horrible job of building talents in LOIs at that time

This is indeed quite an Ugly team, what I am incredibly surprised about is that there was absolutely no hue and cry when this type of squad was selected as the lineup looks massively dodgy tbh!

 

[CadPakFan]

Nah I say 2016 T20 Asia cup squad was worse.

 

[Suleiman]

lol I still remember our opening match against West Indies in this tourney like it was yesterday.

Everybody was like "YEAH EASY POINTS", and then you see Kemar Roach ripping apart Imran Farhat's off stump, then Hafeez... then the rest follow.

That was the saddest India v Pak clash ever as well. Even Indians weren't cheering but giving us sahara and telling us things will get better.

Well, things did get better.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Misbah
Abdur Rehman
Asad Ali
Asad Shafiq
Ehsan Adil
Imran 'The Bandana' Farhat
Kamran Akmal
Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Irfan
Nasir Jamshed
Saeed Ajmal
Shoaib Malik (Pre Resurgence so basically tailender version)
Wahab Riaz
Umer 'CLH' Amin.



Basically, we were hoping Ajmal to chuck his way for us throughout the tournament because batting is pracitcally non existent in this lineup. Our tail starts from #1 & #2

Still remember Wasim Akram on commentary saying, Pakistan should look to batting around Imran Farhat who should try to stay till the 40th over and then rely on Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal to finish with the bang. Hadn't felt as hopeless as that before.

 

[Slim]

We dont talk about this Champions Trophy.

 

[msb314]

The only people left I guess is the 40 year old uncle from Peshawar who debuted in a T20 under Afridi, Khurram Manzoor, Bilawal Bhatti and Anwar 'Mein Khelta Rahunga Ali' !!

Rafatullah Mohmand?

 

[msb314]

The only people left I guess is the 40 year old uncle from Peshawar who debuted in a T20 under Afridi, Khurram Manzoor, Bilawal Bhatti and Anwar 'Mein Khelta Rahunga Ali' !!

Not to mention the biggest TTF of all - Afridi

 

[Bleedgreen4ever]

Generally Pakistan team of 2007 to 2017 was the worst in our history.



It could give a tough time to Indian team of the 90s.

The team from 2003 to 2007 was mediocre too but was much bette

 

[Bleedgreen4ever]

People underrate Sarfi but he has been an excellent captain for us.

Our current squad is much better than the ones we had post 2000.

 

[Markhor]

A young, dynamic, go getting squad it was.

Thank you Iqbal Qasim.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Worst squad ever in my time of watching cricket.

 

[j_kazmi]

lol I still remember our opening match against West Indies in this tourney like it was yesterday.

Everybody was like "YEAH EASY POINTS", and then you see Kemar Roach ripping apart Imran Farhat's off stump, then Hafeez... then the rest follow.

That was the saddest India v Pak clash ever as well. Even Indians weren't cheering but giving us sahara and telling us things will get better.

Well, things did get better.

That really happened

I was there at the ground and there were a bunch of Indians sitting near us asking us what exactly happened to the Pakistan team and how we had such great cricketers in the past such as Wasim etc.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

The CS should have been not only sacked, rather publicly humiliated and should have never been allowed to come near in any management roles. ��

Hmm what about the captain??
I remember when Mickey was asked who is the Godfather of Pak cricket (in an interview), he replied Misbah ul Haq. Did the Godfather captain had no input in selecting such a squad?

I don't know why Misbah and Younis always got free of criticism for their pathetic odi records. 2 of the worst odi players of all time who played too many matches and only led to Pak crikcet's odi demise. Even if we agree they were great test players (which i dont think especially Misbah) the damage they did to our odi side is far more than the achievements in tests.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Misbah's legacy.

 

[Kazim_Pak86]

It looks a horrible nightmare, till 2016 we were on a downward spiral. Catches being dropped, pathetic batting lineup [with few favorites dominating the XI] weak and awful captain.

Misbah and Akmals have really destroyed batting department of Pakistan. Self-destructive for Pakistan team chances the 2 times Pakistan played a semi-final or final of a tournament. In 2007, he screwed Pakistan chance in WT20 and then his selfish innings in WC 2011 Semi-Final both losses against India. If this was the 90s and strong board he would not have played cricket again but was made captain and artificial support was pushed by that govt. thru a liberal media mafia to decorate and popularize this loser. Misbah's legacy is still visible in games of players like Babar Azam selfish cricket.

Afridi and other seniors were also partly responsible asthis situation help them prolong their careers but Pakistan suffered. Ignoring Abdul Razzaq and bringing in anti-Younis Khan coup players like Shoaib Malik from retirement also ensured Pakistan never is able to recover. But Pakistan somehow rose from that from such an impossible situation.

Kudos to Sarfaraz and Mickey Arthur for not only making the team but bringing back confidence and faith in Pakistani nation for their cricket team.

 

[Xoib]

Hindisght is a wonderful thing but back then Junaid & Jamshed were seen as emerging rookies who had just demolished Indian in the "Aanay do" series. Umer and Kohli were still seen as neck and Neck as the next emerging batting super star from Asia. Amin was seen as a potential star who needed just one good knock to find his feet in international cricket. Rehman was matching Ajmal wicket for wicket in UAE and seen as a threatening bowler. Yes there were some poor selections as you can expect by Iqbal Qasim but really it was not as poor as it looks now.

 

[MMHS]

Hmm what about the captain??
I remember when Mickey was asked who is the Godfather of Pak cricket (in an interview), he replied Misbah ul Haq. Did the Godfather captain had no input in selecting such a squad?

I don't know why Misbah and Younis always got free of criticism for their pathetic odi records. 2 of the worst odi players of all time who played too many matches and only led to Pak crikcet's odi demise. Even if we agree they were great test players (which i dont think especially Misbah) the damage they did to our odi side is far more than the achievements in tests.

For every cricket team, it's the Captain should be at the first firing line. Misbah took that obsolete bunch in UK and I am sure he agreed with the CS/Coach (WY?). He was quite powerful Captain that time into his 4th year in charge - so, it's not a question of forced upon a squad on him. But, I don't blame Misbah alone here, because he is a safe player, almost selfish - he won't challenge any status co if that costs him even a penny. For him, most important was to be in team & be Captain - for that, he'll accept anyone in squad or XI - be it end like the CT 2013 thereafter. Besides, he was too insecure, always wanted "own people" around so that, his chair is safe - more than playing capacity, I felt his first qualifier was "manageable or not"..

Having said that, when there is a functional Selection committee, the responsibility is for the CS to select team (s) and bring Captain/Coach into comfort. It's (selection) a sort of thankless job - you are always at gun point unless team wins something. For example, in 2017 CT PAK ended up winning, hence Ul Haq received 1 crore cash and lots of praise - trust me, his initial squad was as ugly as anything can happen. PAK got thrashed by IND in first game, Wahab got injured and UAkmal drank too much water in between Ul Haq sending him to UK and Arthur had his 1st look - it ended in blessings.

I was disgusted with Qasim - in one word, "clueless". But, the guy was arrogant and too proud, self obsessed for his Test career, hence he never changed, in fact I am not sure if he ever bothered to watch domestic players - at least 3 times he was CS and every time I found him worse than previous stint. I read Qasim's explanation on that squad - "best possible squad is selected within available talent and there is a serious lack of talent in PAK" ....... hence he sent Abdur Rehman!!! This same guy selected a squad which played an ODI in J'burg with 4 spinners and exactly 2 years before next WC, 10 of the 11 players officially over 29.

 

[Khan12]

For every cricket team, it's the Captain should be at the first firing line. Misbah took that obsolete bunch in UK and I am sure he agreed with the CS/Coach (WY?). He was quite powerful Captain that time into his 4th year in charge - so, it's not a question of forced upon a squad on him. But, I don't blame Misbah alone here, because he is a safe player, almost selfish - he won't challenge any status co if that costs him even a penny. For him, most important was to be in team & be Captain - for that, he'll accept anyone in squad or XI - be it end like the CT 2013 thereafter. Besides, he was too insecure, always wanted "own people" around so that, his chair is safe - more than playing capacity, I felt his first qualifier was "manageable or not"..

Having said that, when there is a functional Selection committee, the responsibility is for the CS to select team (s) and bring Captain/Coach into comfort. It's (selection) a sort of thankless job - you are always at gun point unless team wins something. For example, in 2017 CT PAK ended up winning, hence Ul Haq received 1 crore cash and lots of praise - trust me, his initial squad was as ugly as anything can happen. PAK got thrashed by IND in first game, Wahab got injured and UAkmal drank too much water in between Ul Haq sending him to UK and Arthur had his 1st look - it ended in blessings.

I was disgusted with Qasim - in one word, "clueless". But, the guy was arrogant and too proud, self obsessed for his Test career, hence he never changed, in fact I am not sure if he ever bothered to watch domestic players - at least 3 times he was CS and every time I found him worse than previous stint. I read Qasim's explanation on that squad - "best possible squad is selected within available talent and there is a serious lack of talent in PAK" ....... hence he sent Abdur Rehman!!! This same guy selected a squad which played an ODI in J'burg with 4 spinners and exactly 2 years before next WC, 10 of the 11 players officially over 29.

How dare you say something negative about misbah,he's a better captian then imran. The greatest ever.

 

[Hasan123]

One of the worst squads I have ever seen.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

For every cricket team, it's the Captain should be at the first firing line. Misbah took that obsolete bunch in UK and I am sure he agreed with the CS/Coach (WY?). He was quite powerful Captain that time into his 4th year in charge - so, it's not a question of forced upon a squad on him. But, I don't blame Misbah alone here, because he is a safe player, almost selfish - he won't challenge any status co if that costs him even a penny. For him, most important was to be in team & be Captain - for that, he'll accept anyone in squad or XI - be it end like the CT 2013 thereafter. Besides, he was too insecure, always wanted "own people" around so that, his chair is safe - more than playing capacity, I felt his first qualifier was "manageable or not"..

Having said that, when there is a functional Selection committee, the responsibility is for the CS to select team (s) and bring Captain/Coach into comfort. It's (selection) a sort of thankless job - you are always at gun point unless team wins something. For example, in 2017 CT PAK ended up winning, hence Ul Haq received 1 crore cash and lots of praise - trust me, his initial squad was as ugly as anything can happen. PAK got thrashed by IND in first game, Wahab got injured and UAkmal drank too much water in between Ul Haq sending him to UK and Arthur had his 1st look - it ended in blessings.

I was disgusted with Qasim - in one word, "clueless". But, the guy was arrogant and too proud, self obsessed for his Test career, hence he never changed, in fact I am not sure if he ever bothered to watch domestic players - at least 3 times he was CS and every time I found him worse than previous stint. I read Qasim's explanation on that squad - "best possible squad is selected within available talent and there is a serious lack of talent in PAK" ....... hence he sent Abdur Rehman!!! This same guy selected a squad which played an ODI in J'burg with 4 spinners and exactly 2 years before next WC, 10 of the 11 players officially over 29.

He was absolutely desperate to protect his earnings and surrounded himself with like minded TTFs. Both Misbah and Ajmal think it was injustice on them for starting so late so no wonder were best friends. One chucked his way back and the other was who bumbled his way into captaincy, one of the most selfish batters the game has ever seen protecting his average regardless of match situation.

No surprise since Sarfraz has come in our team was totally changed, fresh young faces hungry for glory backed by a captain assured of his ability and selfless desire to see Pakistan win.

2007 to 2015 was a very dark chapter for our cricket and I really don't want to see a repeat of it ever again. We will never let a late 30s player take over the team ever again.

 

[MMHS]

He was absolutely desperate to protect his earnings and surrounded himself with like minded TTFs. Both Misbah and Ajmal think it was injustice on them for starting so late so no wonder were best friends. One chucked his way back and the other was who bumbled his way into captaincy, one of the most selfish batters the game has ever seen protecting his average regardless of match situation.

No surprise since Sarfraz has come in our team was totally changed, fresh young faces hungry for glory backed by a captain assured of his ability and selfless desire to see Pakistan win.

2007 to 2015 was a very dark chapter for our cricket and I really don't want to see a repeat of it ever again. We will never let a late 30s player take over the team ever again.

True, but you can't blame only Misbah.

Sharhiar is a firm believer of discipline, chain of command, establishment, no wonder he liked personality like Misbah as Captain. First mistake was at PCB's end to appoint/continue with a Captain at 38+ - at that age, people (player) becomes selfish and live by every day. On top of that they didn't develop any deputy and went into such a hole that there was no alternative than Misbah, even in his 40s.

This sick culture of grouping started actually from the man now CS - Misbah was too weak to start that, unless there was precedence.

 

[Hedz]

Misbah career is over, but even in retirement people are criticising him
Can we go one day without insulting the man who drove our team from our lowest point

 

[HuzaifaE]

WC15 was the most embarrassing squad in my eyes

 

[Bleedgreen4ever]

Misbah years in cricket were just awful

Not only were we poor but also dull

No intensity
No sledging

Thank God he is gone now

 

[ArsenalFC]

Misbah's legacy.

Precisely - him and Waqar picked a bunch of timid kittens and sub-70 SR type batsmen. Misbah gets credit for the way he batted but being the best out of a torrid bunch is no real achievement.

Their brand of cricket was defensive and took Pakistan backwards.

 

[hitthestump]

The bowling was very good to be fair, if this wasn't an era where bat dominates ball results could have been decent.