Did Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz deserve central contracts?

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Misbah-ul-Haq "The selectors have made the tough decisions to leave out Amir, Hasan and Wahab but considering Hasan missed most of the season due to an injury and Amir and Wahab decided to focus on white-ball cricket, this was the right move" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1260509942605373445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
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[MenInG]

Hope that was not a shock for both players as this was pretty much the writing on the wall.

 

[Square Drive]

Good.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Common sense prevails which is extremely rare in Pakistani society.

 

[angrypathan]

Not too fussed about it but do think it is harsh.

 

[Markhor]

If the criteria was a player's performance over the last 12 months, then our best bowler at the 2019 World Cup in Mohammed Amir should've picked at least for Cat C. This kinda comes across as rather petty and vindictive especially when the likes of Shadab, who's been rubbish this past 12 months, Imad, Fakhar and Imam have been given central contracts despite being largely white ball cricketers.

 

[Savak]

Will this affect their earnings significantly?

 

[Junaids]

Doesn’t Amir represent his country in more formats than Azhar Ali, who has a Category 1 contract after averaging 12.12 away for the last two years?

 

[Sunny_majoka]

Doesn’t Amir represent his country in more formats than Azhar Ali, who has a Category 1 contract after averaging 12.12 away for the last two years?

They have only punished him for leaving test cricket. Which I reckon is right move and lesson for youngsters like ssa and naseem

 

[TeymurBlake]

I think there's a feel from the Misbah to faze them out of the side all together.

 

[Rana]

I think it’s high time that Amir retires from International cricket as a whole.

People feel that he owes his life to Pakistan cricket hence he should be grateful. I don’t think it’s as simple as that. Amir would have served a 5 year ban and it was PCB who did whatever they could to rush him back knowing that he was gun! The desire to have him back was more on the PCB whilst they knew very well that he had disgraced them before this.

My view is that Amir could have simply continued to play and earn decent money as a mercenary cricketer after his 5 year ban, maybe also with the help of his opportunity to apply for British nationality.

 

[silentkiller187]

Good move, why does he deserve a contract if he is going to -I know and choose what formats to play in. Hopefully this is a lesson for anyone with a similar mindset to think twice.

 

[MenInG]

Dean Jones' reaction on Twitter:

With 2 x T20 World Cups in a short time? Bizarre!

 

[coy0607]

Even the Misbah says white-ball, in reality this decision has less to do with white-ball focus and more to do with overall performance.

Hassan, Amir, Wahab simply haven't been the best performing fast bowlers. Shaheen, Naseem, Husnain, Shinwari, Abbas have done better, they're more promising and more available is definitely helpful. But you can't have 8 fast bowlers in the central contract

 

[Last Monetarist]

It sends the right message to players wishing to become T20 mercenaries. We don't know what discussions were had behind the scenes between Misbah and these two, but it did seem as if Amir especially felt entitled to pick and choose what he could do.

I have no problem with being petty and vindictive in this case. Posters complaining about the PCB's reaction have no understanding of the real world. If players aren't loyal, don't expect the board to reciprocate either.

 

[Savak]

Right move by the PCB, hopefully a deterrent for future pacers from following this route

 

[BoomBoomCricket]

Doesn’t Amir represent his country in more formats than Azhar Ali, who has a Category 1 contract after averaging 12.12 away for the last two years?

Still been scoring Test runs at home and in UAE.
Those runs aren't meaningless.
Mention them too.

 

[AAli98]

Now Amir will retire from internationals then PCB will beg him to reverse his decision give him cat A (theyv got previous)

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Seems like PCB is just going overboard and trying to punish them. Imad Wasim, Shinwari and Iftikhar are also limited-over players but they got contracts too. Expected PCB to show some maturity and respect the players's choices but seems they are more interested in punishing them.

 

[Snowflake]

This is very petty by the PCB. No one is saying that they should be put in the top category, but to be axed from the list entirely purely because they quite one format is very unjust. Amir is still one of your top LOI bowlers and Wahab can still be utilized when need be. This is PCB just getting back at those too which is very childish!

 

[Snowflake]

Why does Azhar get a category A contract when he has retired from 2 formats?! If that is the criteria the PCB is going by.

 

[ahmedzee]

Misbah at it again. Can someone kick out this person. Aamir and Wahab are both prime for T20 & ODI cricket and not given contracts. Azhar, Asad, Yasir play test only and are given contract.

 

[shamaan]

Seems like PCB is just going overboard and trying to punish them. Imad Wasim, Shinwari and Iftikhar are also limited-over players but they got contracts too. Expected PCB to show some maturity and respect the players's choices but seems they are more interested in punishing them.

They are limited over players but they havent said we wont play test cricket or quitting test cricket for example imad wouldnt get in test team were amir and wahab proberly would that's the difference

 

[shamaan]

Misbah at it again. Can someone kick out this person. Aamir and Wahab are both prime for T20 & ODI cricket and not given contracts. Azhar, Asad, Yasir play test only and are given contract.

That's becouse test cricket is hard and long pluss yasir wouldnt get in odi team same with asad they both havent quit or anyfink like that am sure

 

[shamaan]

Why does Azhar get a category A contract when he has retired from 2 formats?! If that is the criteria the PCB is going by.

It's hard to get players playing test cricket than odi and pluss hes captain

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

They are limited over players but they havent said we wont play test cricket or quitting test cricket for example imad wouldnt get in test team were amir and wahab proberly would that's the difference

Surely you can do better than this strange explanation. At the end of the day neither are playing test cricket but all four can be important players in limited-overs cricket. Instead of holding petty grudges and 'sending a message', the board and management needs to move on and do what's best for the team.

 

[coy0607]

Why does Azhar get a category A contract when he has retired from 2 formats?! If that is the criteria the PCB is going by.

Even though he only plays 1 format, Azhar has been so good recently in tests that PCB had no choice but promote him.
Haven't you noticed his average of 25 in the last 3 years?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

This is very petty by the PCB. No one is saying that they should be put in the top category, but to be axed from the list entirely purely because they quite one format is very unjust. Amir is still one of your top LOI bowlers and Wahab can still be utilized when need be. This is PCB just getting back at those too which is very childish!

I think Misbah is still angry that he had to pick rookies and Imran Khan for Australia and then got chastised for their performances. But tbh it would be better for everyone involved if he just moved on.

 

[coy0607]

Seems like PCB is just going overboard and trying to punish them. Imad Wasim, Shinwari and Iftikhar are also limited-over players but they got contracts too. Expected PCB to show some maturity and respect the players's choices but seems they are more interested in punishing them.

Imad is easily the best all-rounder in ODI/T20. Amir isn't the best bowler in either format. Shaheen is clearly better, and recently Naseem and Husnain have shown more promise.

Even Shinwari has out performed Amir recently - he has more wicket and better average than Amir in the last 2 years.

I can't explain Ifthikar though. I think he's just close with Misbah

 

[shamaan]

Surely you can do better than this strange explanation. At the end of the day neither are playing test cricket but all four can be important players in limited-overs cricket. Instead of holding petty grudges and 'sending a message', the board and management needs to move on and do what's best for the team.

Like I said none of players said we wont play test cricket were amir and wahab clearly stated that. It's good because then the rest will now think twice before quitting

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Like I said none of players said we wont play test cricket were amir and wahab clearly stated that. It's good because then the rest will now think twice before quitting

This is the Pakistan cricket team, not the Soviet Union ice-hockey team. The team management is not there to instill fear in the players.

And this won't change anything because the majority of players most likely to prioritize white-ball cricket don't have central contracts anyway.

 

[Nasty Naz]

I still don't quite get the hate on Amir for retiring from Tests. He was playing non-stop cricket in every format due to PCB and even requested rest only to be denied. They were even playing him vs Zimbabwe for no reason. And wasted him in Tests in UAE where neither parties benefited from that.

He was started to suffer serious injuries lately and his pace had declined significantly and suddenly. If you look back, Amir still had his pace in England test matches in 2018 and not long after that it was completely gone.

He decided to preserve his body to prolong his career to make some extra earnings. Hard to blame him for that, a fast bowler shelf life is fairly short.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Imad is easily the best all-rounder in ODI/T20. Amir isn't the best bowler in either format. Shaheen is clearly better, and recently Naseem and Husnain have shown more promise.

Even Shinwari has out performed Amir recently - he has more wicket and better average than Amir in the last 2 years.

I can't explain Ifthikar though. I think he's just close with Misbah

No need to just make things up just because you don't like him. Amir was our leading wicket-taker at the World Cup. He proved with his performances at that tournament that he had adapted well to the format. To drop him now after the World Cup he had is nonsensical. Wahab, despite being inconsistent at times delivered at the death repeatedly. And nowhere did both Amir and Wahab show their class more than in the game against England. A more inexperienced bowler like Hasnain or a spray-gun like Shinwari would have lost us that game easily, but they held their cool and tamed the most destructive batting line-up in the world on a pitch where they have scored multiple 400+ totals.

Shaheen is the future of Pakistani fast-bowling but he is too young to carry the attack on his own.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

Dean Jones' reaction on Twitter:

With 2 x T20 World Cups in a short time? Bizarre!

Any sane person would give that reaction.

PCB is all sorts of stupid.

You drop central contract for a guy who was your best bowler in the World Cup and for the guy who bowled his heart out on dead UAE pitches for 3 years.

Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic and disheartening for Wahab and Amir.

How do we, the fans, get to decide if their bodies can keep up with the demands of test cricket?
They left it to prolong their careers for the nation.
What is the PCB's issue if they wanna earn extra cash in T20 leagues?
When was the last time a PAK player ignored intl series for a T20 league stint?

Extremely disappointed and angry right now.

 

[Rana]

Misbah and Waqar have probably asked for these two to be axed. Very sad tbh

 

[zacattakk]

Seems a bit harsh. Given that Amir is a regular player in the limited overs teams it would probably have been fair to keep him in the C category (but not A or B if the goal was to discourage future players from going down his route). We obviously dont know what went on behind the scenes between Amir, Misbah and the PCB, but completely excluding him from a contract altogether seems to be purely a punishment given that whenever the next ODI or T20 is, he is likely to be selected. But if Misbah really doesnt plan on playing him much in the coming future, then it is a fair decision.

Its time to move on from Wahab Riaz anyway so he shouldnt be in our future plans and hence isn't worthy of a central contract.

 

[Savak]

I still don't quite get the hate on Amir for retiring from Tests. He was playing non-stop cricket in every format due to PCB and even requested rest only to be denied. They were even playing him vs Zimbabwe for no reason. And wasted him in Tests in UAE where neither parties benefited from that.

He was started to suffer serious injuries lately and his pace had declined significantly and suddenly. If you look back, Amir still had his pace in England test matches in 2018 and not long after that it was completely gone.

He decided to preserve his body to prolong his career to make some extra earnings. Hard to blame him for that, a fast bowler shelf life is fairly short.

The PCB offered him a workload management plan that he would only play selective overseas tests but he refused. Amir's workload pales in comparison to other fast bowlers from other countries and the W's. He was just not good enough. Mark my words, he is not going to set the ODI and T-20 formats to light either now that he is not playing test matches.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

The PCB offered him a workload management plan that he would only play selective overseas tests but he refused. Amir's workload pales in comparison to other fast bowlers from other countries and the W's. He was just not good enough. Mark my words, he is not going to set the ODI and T-20 formats to light either now that he is not playing test matches.

Every bowler's body and physique is different. Just a workload comparison will do nothing to justify whether a player should play all formats or not. Pretty sure Amir knows best whether his body can handle all 3 formats or not. Besides, he wasn't performing too well in Tests either so why waste a spot.

PCB's decision is cruel and illogical.

 

[Zaz]

Every bowler's body and physique is different. Just a workload comparison will do nothing to justify whether a player should play all formats or not. Pretty sure Amir knows best whether his body can handle all 3 formats or not. Besides, he wasn't performing too well in Tests either so why waste a spot.

PCB's decision is cruel and illogical.

Why is it cruel? If you have the right to make a decision on which format you are going to play and which not then the pcb also has the right to offer you a contract or not You cant blame them Its at their discretion

Unfortunately amir has burnt all the goodwill pcb had for him

 

[Nasty Naz]

The PCB offered him a workload management plan that he would only play selective overseas tests but he refused. Amir's workload pales in comparison to other fast bowlers from other countries and the W's. He was just not good enough. Mark my words, he is not going to set the ODI and T-20 formats to light either now that he is not playing test matches.

If that was the case, why did PCB not offer this sooner? Or you know, had logical foresight that playing a bowler coming off 5 years of non-bowling that bowling him non-stop for years at every format is an extremely poor idea? These are obvious things and to me, it shows a lack of understanding or caring of a player's career and just using him for their benefit until the player breaks down.

I think if Amir never committed his crime and never got banned, I think he would still be bowling in Tests and would be an excellent bowler. But coming back after such a long layoff and for someone that was still in his developing phase rather than fully developed is very difficult to come back. He did manage to and was great for a while until he just lost his pace as a result of being overplayed.

Frankly, I think Amir retiring from Tests is a benefit for PCB too since he is not the same bowler without his pace and there are many upcoming bowlers who deserve a chance. I think Amir will be back in both ODI and T20 squads and if anything, this will give him extra motivation to come back better and stronger, which is certainly not a bad thing.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

Why is it cruel? If you have the right to make a decision on which format you are going to play and which not then the pcb also has the right to offer you a contract or not You cant blame them Its at their discretion

Unfortunately amir has burnt all the goodwill pcb had for him

They have used this same discretion to destroy many promising careers.

Can't believe people are actually backing the PCB on this.

Also what the hell is Azhar doing in Cat A and what have Asad Shafiq, Yasir and Iftikhar done to keep their contracts? Pure passengers.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I think what certain people are failing to understand is that the message that PCB sent to Amir and Wahab will have very little effect in deterring players from perusing white-ball only careers. Amir and Wahab retired from tests because they wanted to prolong their international careers. Most of the players who peruse white-ball only careers do it because they don't see themselves in contention for Test cricket or international cricket in general.

In PCB's central contacts list I don't see anyone who would go down this route. Maybe someone like Asif Ali or Kamran Akmal could. But no one from the list of central contracts seems like they would.

 

[Savak]

If that was the case, why did PCB not offer this sooner? Or you know, had logical foresight that playing a bowler coming off 5 years of non-bowling that bowling him non-stop for years at every format is an extremely poor idea? These are obvious things and to me, it shows a lack of understanding or caring of a player's career and just using him for their benefit until the player breaks down.

I think if Amir never committed his crime and never got banned, I think he would still be bowling in Tests and would be an excellent bowler. But coming back after such a long layoff and for someone that was still in his developing phase rather than fully developed is very difficult to come back. He did manage to and was great for a while until he just lost his pace as a result of being overplayed.

Frankly, I think Amir retiring from Tests is a benefit for PCB too since he is not the same bowler without his pace and there are many upcoming bowlers who deserve a chance. I think Amir will be back in both ODI and T20 squads and if anything, this will give him extra motivation to come back better and stronger, which is certainly not a bad thing.

Amir came back with 5 years of rest and inactivity. There is no guarantee just because he was playing in those 5 years he would have been a great bowler today. His ineffectiveness in flat UAE conditions would have caught up with him sooner, a brutal workload is part and parcel of international cricket. The likes of Wahab, Junaid, Rahat, Imran Khan toiled away for Pakistan from 2010 to 2015 without complaints. Heck Amir might even have picked up a career threatening injury.

Amir's ineffectiveness as he has played more and more cricket is only reflective of the fact that he is a good bowler but over rated as well and international teams have adapted to his bowling. Sure his workload could have been managed better but then the PCB should have done the same for the other bowlers as well.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I think what certain people are failing to understand is that the message that PCB sent to Amir and Wahab will have very little effect in deterring players from perusing white-ball only careers. Amir and Wahab retired from tests because they wanted to prolong their international careers. Most of the players who peruse white-ball only careers do it because they don't see themselves in contention for Test cricket or international cricket in general.

In PCB's central contacts list I don't see anyone who would go down this route. Maybe someone like Asif Ali or Kamran Akmal could. But no one from the list of central contracts seems like they would.

All it will do is alienate Amir and Wahab who still have a few good years left in them.

 

[Abdul]

Thought the poll was asking who deserved to get the boot.

 

[Savak]

Every bowler's body and physique is different. Just a workload comparison will do nothing to justify whether a player should play all formats or not. Pretty sure Amir knows best whether his body can handle all 3 formats or not. Besides, he wasn't performing too well in Tests either so why waste a spot.

PCB's decision is cruel and illogical.

Amir is very lucky to be rated the way he is in Pakistan. Any other board would have benched a player who picked up only 2-3 wickets in 13 odi's going into the 2019 ODI WC.

 

[Savak]

I am just happy Amir is being treated just like the PCB has treated other players. The PCB has woken up to the fact that Amir is not that good as he is hyped up to be and he needs to be treated like any other member of the cricket team.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

Amir is very lucky to be rated the way he is in Pakistan. Any other board would have benched a player who picked up only 2-3 wickets in 13 odi's going into the 2019 ODI WC.

Regardless, he was our best bowler at the WC.

And this is how you reward your best bowlers?

 

[Savak]

Regardless, he was our best bowler at the WC.

And this is how you reward your best bowlers?

He hadn't retired from test cricket at the time. I would actually say Shaheen eventually turned out to be our best bowler at the WC. Amir since them has looked average especially on the tour to Australia where he went wicket less in the 3 T-20's. If you are retiring from test cricket to play in the ODI and T-20's, then you better be consistent in those formats.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

The PCB offered him a workload management plan that he would only play selective overseas tests but he refused. Amir's workload pales in comparison to other fast bowlers from other countries and the W's. He was just not good enough. Mark my words, he is not going to set the ODI and T-20 formats to light either now that he is not playing test matches.

Why wasn't this done earlier? When he was playing in a 5 match ODI series against Zimbabwe? Every team with a half-decent attack manages the workload of their fast-bowlers. Look at how Starc and Hazelwood's workloads are managed. Bumrah is rested. Boult is rested. Archer was not rested and look what happened to him. Rabada was not rested, look at the WC he had.

If Amir wasn't good enough he wouldn't have picked up wickets in England and South Africa. He wouldn't have been our leading wicket-taker at the WC. Unfortunately, the reality that people fail to accept is that PCB does not know how to manage fast-bowlers. It never has. Look at how many fast-bowlers they have wasted since Waqar & Wasim. Are you really going to tell me they all went off the rails or destroyed their own careers? It's a miracle that Shoaib played as long as he did. But that was down to his own character more than anything else.

 

[Savak]

Why wasn't this done earlier? When he was playing in a 5 match ODI series against Zimbabwe? Every team with a half-decent attack manages the workload of their fast-bowlers. Look at how Starc and Hazelwood's workloads are managed. Bumrah is rested. Boult is rested. Archer was not rested and look what happened to him. Rabada was not rested, look at the WC he had.

If Amir wasn't good enough he wouldn't have picked up wickets in England and South Africa. He wouldn't have been our leading wicket-taker at the WC. Unfortunately, the reality that people fail to accept is that PCB does not know how to manage fast-bowlers. It never has. Look at how many fast-bowlers they have wasted since Waqar & Wasim. Are you really going to tell me they all went off the rails or destroyed their own careers? It's a miracle that Shoaib played as long as he did. But that was down to his own character more than anything else.

I am not disagreeing with you. Unfortunately we lack in managing fast bowlers. Like i said Amir is a good bowler but he is not world class. He can't run through a team on his own and he is nuetralized on flat pitches. This idea of workload management should also be applied to the likes of Junaid, Irfan, Shinwari, Wahab who played every possible game for Pakistan when Amir was out for 5 years without complaining. If these bowlers had received the backing and pampering Amir has received from the PCB in the last 5 years, their careers could have been different

 

[Savak]

Lol at Rashid Latif on Game On Hai, "Kissi Ko istara humiliate nah karo". Amir is very lucky to be playing for Pakistan, look at what the PCB has done to Salman Butt and Mohd Asif. Any other country he may have not made it back to the team. Look at how India looked past Sreesanth.

 

[shamaan]

This is the Pakistan cricket team, not the Soviet Union ice-hockey team. The team management is not there to instill fear in the players.

And this won't change anything because the majority of players most likely to prioritize white-ball cricket don't have central contracts anyway.

It's not instilling fair its setting standards about time to now they will think twice

 

[shamaan]

I still don't quite get the hate on Amir for retiring from Tests. He was playing non-stop cricket in every format due to PCB and even requested rest only to be denied. They were even playing him vs Zimbabwe for no reason. And wasted him in Tests in UAE where neither parties benefited from that.

He was started to suffer serious injuries lately and his pace had declined significantly and suddenly. If you look back, Amir still had his pace in England test matches in 2018 and not long after that it was completely gone.

He decided to preserve his body to prolong his career to make some extra earnings. Hard to blame him for that, a fast bowler shelf life is fairly short.

Am sure pcb said we will only pick certain away tours and he declined ?

 

[shamaan]

No need to just make things up just because you don't like him. Amir was our leading wicket-taker at the World Cup. He proved with his performances at that tournament that he had adapted well to the format. To drop him now after the World Cup he had is nonsensical. Wahab, despite being inconsistent at times delivered at the death repeatedly. And nowhere did both Amir and Wahab show their class more than in the game against England. A more inexperienced bowler like Hasnain or a spray-gun like Shinwari would have lost us that game easily, but they held their cool and tamed the most destructive batting line-up in the world on a pitch where they have scored multiple 400+ totals.

Shaheen is the future of Pakistani fast-bowling but he is too young to carry the attack on his own.

Shaheen was pakistan bowler in that tournament average was 14

 

[Bigboii]

No, they deserved demotion but not putting than out entirely and especially not wahab he was getting old

 

[Titan24]

It was high time some strong messages were conveyed. Committing to Pakistan national team in a 100% way should be the priority. We have some exciting young pacers in Shaheen, Naseem, Hasnain etc and this will let them understand that they will have to put Pakistan first under any circumstance and they will have to be available for all 3 formats. Of course, its the responsibility of the management to manage their workloads throughout their careers and should convey to them that they should without any fear let the management know if they need rest.

PCB has clearly conveyed it to the young and upcoming bowlers that picking and choosing formats as per will and without any medical reasoning no official contracts from PCB.

 

[aloo paratha]

Both deserved to be dropped from the list. Wahab is like 34, Amir is average, likely to be replaced in ODIs soon anyways. They can enjoy match fees from the few T20I's they play and overseas leagues.

 

[Titan24]

Why wasn't this done earlier? When he was playing in a 5 match ODI series against Zimbabwe? Every team with a half-decent attack manages the workload of their fast-bowlers. Look at how Starc and Hazelwood's workloads are managed. Bumrah is rested. Boult is rested. Archer was not rested and look what happened to him. Rabada was not rested, look at the WC he had

I am pretty sure the bowlers you have mentioned had better comunication with their respective boards. If Amir would have asked for a rest in any of the series he would have been given that, he could have asked for it even before he decided to retire and management and board clearly said that they were open to such things.

Even if we look at the no of tests, T20s or ODIs, its not like Amir played much more than the names you have mentioned.

Its pretty clear that Amir had this in mind to play more leagues and maybe earn bit more money as otherwise it wasnt that difficult to have better communication with the new management in my opinion. If Mickey mishandled him he could have approached the board with his concerns and after Mickey there could have been better communication established with the new management.

 

[Tabishbeigh]

Since when did reserve a wicket keeper deserve a central contract ? To be fair to wahab Riaz , he is 34 officially , many players at this stage of their career chose to concentrate on limited overs format. Its not that he was going to do anything special in test matches anyways , he has been around for over a decade. So i wouldn't hold it against him that he chose to prolong his career. PCB isn't the highest paying board and if a player seeks financial stability , its not something to punish him for . As for Amir well , he may well be a good bowler but honestly i don't think he is an innocent fellow. since he isn't willing to play test cricket at 27 , the board has every right to ignore paying him extra bucks. You can request a break but you can't altogether retire from a format.

 

[Rana]

Wahab being 33/34 and retiring from Test cricket would be an appreciated move if he were from Australia, England, New Zealand. Why are PCB persecuting an ageing fast bowler who wants to retire at 33?

Then we cry about people like Malik, Misbah and Hafeez clinging on until they are 45

 

[Saj]

Well we are giving contracts to non-performers in any format and to players who are doing very little in their only format Test cricket.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I am pretty sure the bowlers you have mentioned had better comunication with their respective boards. If Amir would have asked for a rest in any of the series he would have been given that, he could have asked for it even before he decided to retire and management and board clearly said that they were open to such things.

Even if we look at the no of tests, T20s or ODIs, its not like Amir played much more than the names you have mentioned.

Its pretty clear that Amir had this in mind to play more leagues and maybe earn bit more money as otherwise it wasnt that difficult to have better communication with the new management in my opinion. If Mickey mishandled him he could have approached the board with his concerns and after Mickey there could have been better communication established with the new management.

It's easy to blame everything on Amir, as is insinuating that he wanted to make more money by playing T20 leagues. But you are completely missing the point. It is the board's onus to manage a player's workload. Most players want to play every game. It is the board/management's job to be aware enough, and have the common sense to know that playing your gun fast-bowlers in dead-rubbers and five match series against lowly ranked sides doesn't help anyone.

Amir had been complaining about his work-load for a period of time but was convinced by Arthur to tour South Africa. Arthur once even said, along time back (publicly) that we will be resting Amir more so he can play the high-profile series. So a) why wasn't this actually done and b) it is highly improbable that Arthur knew about these issues, the public knew of these issues but the board did not. Had they offered him the very same thing they offered when he decided to retire things could have been different. The problem is not lack of two-way communication but total incompetence and lack of awareness from the board.

One can only pray that they don't destroy Shaheen's career.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

It's not instilling fair its setting standards about time to now they will think twice

You say its about setting standards but your tone makes it sound like they are prisoners trying to escape from a gulag. It's thinking like this that sets the other teams apart from ours.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I am not disagreeing with you. Unfortunately we lack in managing fast bowlers. Like i said Amir is a good bowler but he is not world class. He can't run through a team on his own and he is nuetralized on flat pitches. This idea of workload management should also be applied to the likes of Junaid, Irfan, Shinwari, Wahab who played every possible game for Pakistan when Amir was out for 5 years without complaining. If these bowlers had received the backing and pampering Amir has received from the PCB in the last 5 years, their careers could have been different

Amir may not be world-class but he is one of the best we have. And when he's on fire he blows everyone out of the water. As for Junaid, Irfan, Shinwari; they have received a fair amount of backing in their careers but have not achieved one tenth of what Amir has achieved in just a handful of games. Junaid has absolutely no bite or venom left in his bowling. He put the final nail in his own coffin with his woeful performance in the England ODI series. Irfan can barely bowl 4 overs, let alone ever think about playing one-day cricket again. And Shinwari is just mediocre. He can have a good day and get get smashed all over the place in the next. Also can't handle pressure, evident by the time he got smashed for 29 in the final over, in a T20 against South Africa.

The reason PCB kept backing Amir and why they brought back Wahab for the WC is because their bowling can actually win us matches. They can reverse-swing the ball, they can bowl yorkers. Wahab has pace, Amir has practically mastered the line-and-length game at this point. Not to mention, they can hold their own in tough situations. And they showed that in the World Cup, more times than one.

You say Amir can't bowl on flat pitches yet he was our best bowler in the games against Australia and India, both games that were played on incredibly flat wickets. Against England, both Amir and Wahab bowled incredibly well on another flat pitch to close out the game. Even when he is not picking up wickets batsmen have trouble scoring against Amir. I don't think I can say the same for Junaid or Shinwari.

More than anything, the World Cup showed how much Pakistan needed both bowlers in their limited-overs side.

 

[Hawkeye]

Don't care.

All I care about is Amir playing the World T20 - unless his performance continues to be really bad in the series leading up to it.

 

[shamaan]

You say its about setting standards but your tone makes it sound like they are prisoners trying to escape from a gulag. It's thinking like this that sets the other teams apart from ours.

Astagfirullah I never make it out like that sorry if you fought I sounded like that.can you please further what u mean by its thinking like this what do u mean plz.

 

[Savak]

Waqar battled stress fractures to have a long career. Wasim battled groin problems and later Diabetes but didn't compromise on test cricket. Akhtar battled horrible knees but kept playing test cricket for a good 10 years for Pakistan.

I refuse to believe Amir has the kind of problems these bowlers had. It is blatantly clear he took the easy route out.

 

[shamaan]

Waqar battled stress fractures to have a long career. Wasim battled groin problems and later Diabetes but didn't compromise on test cricket. Akhtar battled horrible knees but kept playing test cricket for a good 10 years for Pakistan.

I refuse to believe Amir has the kind of problems these bowlers had. It is blatantly clear he took the easy route out.

Correct

 

[Energy]

If Asad can get a B contract for being mediocre in the only format he plays, then both Amir and Wahab deserve a central contract.

Both are assets in the shorter formats and the board needs to move away from being rigid and rhetoric.

 

[Usman]

I may be in the minority, but let me say loud and clear that it's an absolute travesty that Amir has not been given a contract.

I had the pleasure of watching him live in the World Cup and he was our absolute star.

Don't get me wrong, I'm one of those people who loves test cricket. But I think the decision to discard Amir just because he doesn't want to play test cricket is shambolic.

What makes this worse is that absolute pedestrian cricketers like Shaan Masood and Iftikar Ahmed have not just been given contracts, but B contracts at that. I'm sorry but if you are seriously telling me that either of these two village cricketers have played a more influential role for Pakistan over the last few years than Amir, well I'm afraid you need your head checking.

I also think it's such a poor decision not to give Wahab a contract. Although his impact is not as great as Amir, Wahab has once again been a pivotal player in the limited over side.

Several players given contracts are one-format only cricketers because they aren't even good enough to secure a place in other formats. Why then are Amir and Wahab penalised for wanting to focus on particular formats?

Sorry but this stinks of Misbah. I absolutely applaud Misbah for the heights he took out tests team to, but this man was an abject failure for our ODI team and took us back decades with his approach. He's doing the same now by treating limited overs cricket as some joke format.

Not happy one bit.

 

[shamaan]

I may be in the minority, but let me say loud and clear that it's an absolute travesty that Amir has not been given a contract.

I had the pleasure of watching him live in the World Cup and he was our absolute star.

Don't get me wrong, I'm one of those people who loves test cricket. But I think the decision to discard Amir just because he doesn't want to play test cricket is shambolic.

What makes this worse is that absolute pedestrian cricketers like Shaan Masood and Iftikar Ahmed have not just been given contracts, but B contracts at that. I'm sorry but if you are seriously telling me that either of these two village cricketers have played a more influential role for Pakistan over the last few years than Amir, well I'm afraid you need your head checking.

I also think it's such a poor decision not to give Wahab a contract. Although his impact is not as great as Amir, Wahab has once again been a pivotal player in the limited over side.

Several players given contracts are one-format only cricketers because they aren't even good enough to secure a place in other formats. Why then are Amir and Wahab penalised for wanting to focus on particular formats?

Sorry but this stinks of Misbah. I absolutely applaud Misbah for the heights he took out tests team to, but this man was an abject failure for our ODI team and took us back decades with his approach. He's doing the same now by treating limited overs cricket as some joke format.

Not happy one bit.

Bro they just setting standards if they dont then many other cricketers will follow suit and just play odi cricket anywaiz he will make enough money in leagues and stil can be part of odi team even thou he hasnt got a contract I think. If amir was given a contract and wahab wasnt then it would be different story

 

[Savak]

Well we are giving contracts to non-performers in any format and to players who are doing very little in their only format Test cricket.

who is the current coach and chief selector right now responsible for the decisions made?

 

[Savak]

Not a fan of Misbah but he deserves a huge Talli here. This will now warn and deter other players like Hasan Ali, Shadab and co about quitting test cricket for becoming Limited overs cricketers and T-20 mercenaries.

 

[Usman]

Bro they just setting standards if they dont then many other cricketers will follow suit and just play odi cricket anywaiz he will make enough money in leagues and stil can be part of odi team even thou he hasnt got a contract I think. If amir was given a contract and wahab wasnt then it would be different story

Yes wonderful standards being set here where mediocrity is rewarded above talent. As I say, there are many cricketers on that list who notionally are available for all formats yet don't have a hope in hell of playing in more than their one specialist format. Why not also refuse to give those players contracts?

So you are telling me that just because Shan Masood chooses not to explicitly rule himself out of limited overs cricket, even though his chances of playing limited overs is slim, means that he deserves to be richly rewarded with a B contract? I'm sorry but this is NOT awarding contracts based on contributions to Pakistani cricket. The basis for awarding contracts is who massages the PCB's ego the most. Pathetic.

If the PCB turned around and said look, we are only awarding contracts to those who are likely to play all 3 formats, I'd say ok great, understood. But that's not what they are saying. Effectively they are saying that if Amir wasn't good enough to get into the test team, then that's fine we would give him a contract. But because he IS good enough and simply chooses not to play test cricket, we won't give him a contact. What kind of messed up logic is that?

 

[Indiafan]

Surely you can do better than this strange explanation. At the end of the day neither are playing test cricket but all four can be important players in limited-overs cricket. Instead of holding petty grudges and 'sending a message', the board and management needs to move on and do what's best for the team.

How is setting an example for future generations of players that test cricket is important, holding a grudge? Its the difference between short term thinking and thinking of the growth and betterment of Pakistan cricket in the long run

 

[Indiafan]

Yes wonderful standards being set here where mediocrity is rewarded above talent. As I say, there are many cricketers on that list who notionally are available for all formats yet don't have a hope in hell of playing in more than their one specialist format. Why not also refuse to give those players contracts?

So you are telling me that just because Shan Masood chooses not to explicitly rule himself out of limited overs cricket, even though his chances of playing limited overs is slim, means that he deserves to be richly rewarded with a B contract? I'm sorry but this is NOT awarding contracts based on contributions to Pakistani cricket. The basis for awarding contracts is who massages the PCB's ego the most. Pathetic.

If the PCB turned around and said look, we are only awarding contracts to those who are likely to play all 3 formats, I'd say ok great, understood. But that's not what they are saying. Effectively they are saying that if Amir wasn't good enough to get into the test team, then that's fine we would give him a contract. But because he IS good enough and simply chooses not to play test cricket, we won't give him a contact. What kind of messed up logic is that?

What people like you STILL dont understand is because of short term thinking and pampering Pakistan has lost a lot of potential super stars. From Asif to Akhtar to Amir to Umar no one fulfiled their potential

Yet fans like you insist on short term thinking when all of these could have been some of the greatest legend of the game

Now when PCB is ensuring future legends dont lose focus and can fulfill their potential and achieve greatness you have a problem

What PCB is doing is trying to set up a culture where future young players can achieve greatness and stay focus while what you are doing is hero worshipping some players you love. Long term vs short term thinking

 

[ahmedzee]

So Misbah said the contracts is as per performance and plan for next 12 months of cricket.
May I remind that we have two T20 world cups, and countless ODI and T20 cricket. So Wahab and Aamir should fit right in.

Also, he mentioned about performed and both Aamir and wahab performed well. Much better than some of the centrally contracted players like Shinwari.

Waqar and Misbah are proving to reward suck ups and ensure favouritism prevails. Let me remind everyone that both Misbah and Waqar specially have a mediocre coaching record. What contract should they be given? Waqar is now working as a coach for the 5th time with the Pakistan cricket team. He has failed every single time before. Why is he even in the set up?

Unfortunately I only see dark days ahead for Pakistan cricket. Misbah and Waqar have taken pakistan cricket back 5-8 more years. I still pray we succeed but with this due in the helm, it is going to be a disaster, mark my words. Just wait until we play more cricket and I will be proven right.

 

[Watsupdoc]

Nope they don't after they left the country high and dry with their premature retirements in the test arena.

 

[Titan24]

It's easy to blame everything on Amir, as is insinuating that he wanted to make more money by playing T20 leagues. But you are completely missing the point. It is the board's onus to manage a player's workload. Most players want to play every game. It is the board/management's job to be aware enough, and have the common sense to know that playing your gun fast-bowlers in dead-rubbers and five match series against lowly ranked sides doesn't help anyone.

Amir had been complaining about his work-load for a period of time but was convinced by Arthur to tour South Africa. Arthur once even said, along time back (publicly) that we will be resting Amir more so he can play the high-profile series. So a) why wasn't this actually done and b) it is highly improbable that Arthur knew about these issues, the public knew of these issues but the board did not. Had they offered him the very same thing they offered when he decided to retire things could have been different. The problem is not lack of two-way communication but total incompetence and lack of awareness from the board.

One can only pray that they don't destroy Shaheen's career.

There is no doubt Mickey mismanaged some of the pacers’ workload however, I am pretty sure some other doors could have been knocked. They are professional cricketers and were not slaves of Mickey Arther. After that when he announced his retirement he knew management was being changed and management was completely open to discuss anything related to workload management.

Also Amir’s workload was more than his liking ans he definitely was used in some useless series but it wasnt like he was bowling the most number of overs in cricket by a pacer and when he felt like resting better communication could have been a way to go.

Look at how Archer was managed by Root in Ashes, guy was bowling 10 odd overs consecutively and he was bowling high 80s and early 90’s. He earns million dollars or so from leagues and is in high demand in leagues as well why is he risking his body in test cricket. Pat Cummins had multiple stress fractures in his back when he debuted and only somewhat recovered at 23, 24 years of age and has bowled the most number of overs in test cricket I think after Rabada or maybe more than him as well in last couple of years. Again he is a top bowler and can earn big amount of money by playing leagues here and their.

These were just few examples, I am not sure if Amir lost his passion for test cricket or he calculated how he can maximize his earnings in his career. Workload is a decent enough excuse to convince others and maybe his own self that I am not doing it for money which obviously in leagues is more and when you consider the number of overs you want to ball it becomes more attractive. Workload can be am issue but not communicating it to higher authorities is no excuse at all.

Anyways I am not sure whats the issue here, Amir will still be selected for LOIs probably and will be paid match fees, allowances and tournament fees. When he is not available while other pacers will be bowling long spells in tests and he will be playing in a league, why should PCB be paying him monthly salary as well? Because, he is playing in an overseas league and is not available for Pakistan when he is required there is no reason for him to be getting monthly pay checks like others.

I think it was a much needed message to young pacers. Bowling 4 overs in few matches of league which finishes in a month in comparison to 100s of over in a test series was always gonna be no brainer with more passion for finance than cricket and if Archer and Cummins would have done this I am pretty sure the wouldnt be getting full contracts from their boards.