England v Pakistan | 1st Test | Lord's | Jul 14-18, 2016 | Pre-Match discussion

[#GreenRoars]

Exciting times coming ahead.

May playing XI would be

Mohammad Hafeez (no other choice)
Shan Masood
Azhar Ali
Younis Khan
Misbah-ul-Haq
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz Ahmed
Mohammad Amir
Yasir Shah
Rahat Ali
Imran Khan

 

[#GreenRoars]

It seems Ballance and Buttler both are injured.

 

[tauseef_mahmood]

Pakistan Playing XI for 1st Test - Pak vs Eng 2016

1. Muhammad Hafeez
2. Shan Masood
3. Azhar Ali
4. Younis Khan
5. Misbah-ul-Haq
6. Asad Shafiq
7. Sarfraz Ahmed
8. Wahab Riaz
9. Muhammad Amir
10. Imran Khan
11. Yasir Shah

Though, I would prefer Sami Aslam as an opener. Looking at his dismissal against Somerset, he hasn't learned much.

 

[shebimalik]

Good Luck Boys.

 

[shebimalik]

Sami aslam played against somerset?

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[Zain Zaidi]

Buttler is injured so what
Johnny Barstow is in the form of his life so England wont be worried about that

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[shebimalik]

Sami Aslam
Shan Masood
Azhar Ali
Younus Khan
Misbah-ul-haq
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz Ahmed
Yasir Shah
Mohammad Amir
Rahat Ali
Imran Khan

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[majiz]

1. Muhammad Hafeez
2. Shan Masood
3. Azhar Ali
4. Younis Khan
5. Misbah-ul-Haq
6. Asad Shafiq
7. Sarfraz Ahmed
8. Wahab Riaz
9. Muhammad Amir
10. Imran Khan
11. Yasir Shah

.

This

 

[imshally81]

1 - M Hafeez
2 - Shan Masood
3 - Azhar Ali
4 - Younis Khan
5 - Misbah ul Haq
6 - Asad Shafiq
7 - Sarfaraz Ahmed
8 - Yasir Shah
9 - M Amir
10 - Rahat Ali
11 - Imran Khan

 

[imshally81]

Exciting times coming ahead.

May playing XI would be

Mohammad Hafeez (no other choice)
Shan Masood
Azhar Ali
Younis Khan
Misbah-ul-Haq
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz Ahmed
Mohammad Amir
Yasir Shah
Rahat Ali
Imran Khan

Perfect Team ...

 

[tauseef_mahmood]

If Hafeez doesn't perform then he won't get many chances, says Waqar

 

[Amjid Javed]

The wicket at lords should be good for batting, it will be interesting to see what over head weather conditions are likely as that may assist the bowlers, pakistan need to start series well and should be targeting taking a 1-0 series here at lords

 

[hussain.r97]

Team selects itself apart from the third seamer. I think I'd go with Sohail Khan though, he's most likely to take wickets out of Wahab, Imran, and himself.

Hafeez
Masood
Azhar
YK
Misbah*
Asad
Sarfraz+
Yasir
Amir
Sohail
Rahat

 

[hussain.r97]

We should try bat first. From what I've seen, only the first session on the Lords track is challenging for batsmen, after that is the best time to cash in. We've got Yasir to destroy them in the 4th innings.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

Exciting times coming ahead.

May playing XI would be

Mohammad Hafeez (no other choice)
Shan Masood
Azhar Ali
Younis Khan
Misbah-ul-Haq
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz Ahmed
Mohammad Amir
Yasir Shah
Rahat Ali
Imran Khan

I'd start with this lineup and devise accordingly as the test progresses towards the fifth day. The only cannon fodder I see in the above line up is essentially Rahat Rest of them look pretty much locked and ready to go.

Someone loan Rahat a bowling brain FFs

 

[Amirforpresident]

I wanted Imran to select Imran in the playing 11, but after seeing his performance against Sussex I would rather go with Sohail.

8.Yasir
9.Amir
10.Sohail
11.Rahat

 

[Hasan123]

Not long to go now, only question mark is who will be the other 2 seamers.

 

[street cricketer]

Ballance
Buttler
Stokes
Anderson injured.

Congratulations Pakistan for the series victory.

But remember, it's not a win unless you win a test on a cold, wet and rainy morning at Lord's on a green seamer with the opposition strike bowler sledging the hell out of Zulfiqar Babar.

 

[Hasan123]

Hafeez
Shan
Azhar
Younis
Misbah
Shafiq
Sarfaraz
Yasir
Imran/sohail
Rahat
Amir

 

[street cricketer]

Damn that's a solid test team.

 

[Hasan123]

Damn that's a solid test team.

Imagine with Asif and a solid opener how good it is.

When misbah and younis go, babar Harris fawad Saud ahsan Ali all in line to take there place.

 

[imshally81]

Damn that's a solid test team.

Jinx Alert !!!

 

[Abdullah]

I am torn between imran sohail and wahab.

In terms of batting ability Wahab Sohail are on par but way ahead of Imran. ( IE could get a 40 if sun shines- imran is no more than 1 edged 4 through slips)

Sohail is probably best new ball bowler but will not give much else through the day. Maybe 13 useful overs.
Wahab is best if pitch is flat and we need to make something happen or blast out the last 3-4 wickets, Ali Broad Finn and Ball.
Imran is the best in terms of being a workhorse- and seeing as we only got a 4 man attack....

I think if Rahat is in rythym he can do the workhorse role. I am not sure that I want 2 certified number elevens in the team either.

If it is really overcast on the first morning and we want to bowl first- I think I would go with Sohail.
If weather looks nice and and we want to bat first I would go with Wahab. (That way Ali doesnt get last use of the pitch with footholes)

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

Ballance
Buttler
Stokes
Anderson injured.

Congratulations Pakistan for the series victory.

But remember, it's not a win unless you win a test on a cold, wet and rainy morning at Lord's on a green seamer with the opposition strike bowler sledging the hell out of Zulfiqar Babar.

Chalo the excuses have already begin

Streety I always thought you were a good sport, itni jaldi surrender kyun kar raha hay mere jaan

 

[Boi]

Shan
Azhar
Asad
YK
Misbah
Sami
Sarfraz
Yasir
Amir
Rahat
Imran

That would've been my ideal team for the first test if we experimented abit in the warmups. If you want to ease Sami in to test cricket in these conditions then number 6 is the best spot for him with Asad moving up to take more responsibility at 3. However we'll probably see the same batting lineup that we saw in the warmups with the only doubt being over selection of 3rd seamer.

 

[Markhor]

Counting down the days. Can't remember the last time I was this excited for a Test series.

Lord's and The Oval will suit us more than most English venues. Since 2006 when the new drainage system was introduced its been a flat, dry pitch that's good for batting.

England will have a decent seam attack even minus Anderson but Finn is out of form and Jake Ball or Roland-Jones will be debutants. So they'll be reliant on Broad and Woakes. This is a good opportunity for Pakistan's batting to get runs under their belt and gain confidence.

A lot will depend on our openers to at least bat 10-15 overs to blunt the new ball, and then allow the middle order to construct the innings.

 

[Bilal7]

Pretty disappointed that I won't be able to watch this match live.

I am torn between imran sohail and wahab.

In terms of batting ability Wahab Sohail are on par but way ahead of Imran. ( IE could get a 40 if sun shines- imran is no more than 1 edged 4 through slips)

Sohail is probably best new ball bowler but will not give much else through the day. Maybe 13 useful overs.
Wahab is best if pitch is flat and we need to make something happen or blast out the last 3-4 wickets, Ali Broad Finn and Ball.
Imran is the best in terms of being a workhorse- and seeing as we only got a 4 man attack....

I think if Rahat is in rythym he can do the workhorse role. I am not sure that I want 2 certified number elevens in the team either.

If it is really overcast on the first morning and we want to bowl first- I think I would go with Sohail.
If weather looks nice and and we want to bat first I would go with Wahab. (That way Ali doesnt get last use of the pitch with footholes)

I would go with Riaz because he offers something that none of the other bowlers do. Amir and Rahat will be good enough with the new ball, Riaz can come on first change.

He's also been in England longer than the other guys and like you said, is capable of scoring some runs for us. His fielding is also far better than either of the Khans.

 

[street cricketer]

Jinx Alert !!!

Not really. I said the same thing a few days back as well. Pakistan have really good middle order. Very good one.

We have a good middle order too (maybe not as experienced as yours). But if I were to take 2 players from your team (a batsman and a bowler), it would be Amir (obviously) and Sarfaraz. We are in dire need of a good keeper batsman and Sarfaraz would really be a good addition to our team.

The weakness I see in your team is your opening batsmen. And I have my doubts over Misbah. YK to some extent as well because firstly Misbah hasn't played a test match in England. And both are above 38, so while I don't expect them to fail, I wouldn't be surprised if they end up not performing to the expectations. I think Shafiq will be your best batsman.

 

[street cricketer]

Chalo the excuses have already begin

Streety I always thought you were a good sport, itni jaldi surrender kyun kar raha hay mere jaan

I thought it will be 3-1 in favour of England before the start of the series but a variety of factors (Pak warm up match performance - Amir, Yasir, Azhar, Shafiq and YK all in good form, Anderson getting ruled out, Root in scratchy form) makes me think the series will be very close.

 

[Waqarkhan]

What about M Sami?

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

What about M Sami?

Are you asking about Mohammad Sami ???? Dude he's not in squad - not even remotely.

 

[classic]

Weather looks good I would go with Wahab Riaz.

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[Deewana]

We are playing this match with 10 men since our management will play hafeez


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[Uzi]

I'll be at Lords for the test match and looking forward to it. It looks like it is going to be fairly warm and sunny for the duration of the test. Although our weather is known for its unpredictability.

Lords is a surface that is good for batting and with the weather set fair, it is important for us to put a decent score on the board to give ourselves a chance. I'm hoping that we don't see the usual 10-2 at the start of our innings.

 

[Mamoon]

Lord's and Oval represent Pakistan's best chances of sneaking with a draw. They will get hammered at Edgbaston and Old Trafford.

2-0 England will be a very respectable result for Pakistan, but I'm sticking with 3-0 England.

Can't say if we will draw at Lord's or Oval. Probably one of them, but certainly not both.

 

[lahoriyah1234]

Management should try Mohamed Hafeez at no.6. In my opinion he is very valuable player for the team. Good slip fielder, when gets in score big and definitely has alot experience and he has worked v hard to get here.

Misbah must realise that he wont survive 15 overs in English conditions.

Shan
azhar
Asad shafiq
younis
Misbah
Hafeez
Sarfraz
Amir
Wabab because he can turn the match with his one good spell.
Sohail
Yasir

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Lord's and Oval represent Pakistan's best chances of sneaking with a draw. They will get hammered at Edgbaston and Old Trafford.

2-0 England will be a very respectable result for Pakistan, but I'm sticking with 3-0 England.

Can't say if we will draw at Lord's or Oval. Probably one of them, but certainly not both.

Funny.

I have got a strange feeling, we will win against England.

2-1 Pakistan is my call.

 

[Abdullah]

Pretty disappointed that I won't be able to watch this match live.



I would go with Riaz because he offers something that none of the other bowlers do. Amir and Rahat will be good enough with the new ball, Riaz can come on first change.

He's also been in England longer than the other guys and like you said, is capable of scoring some runs for us. His fielding is also far better than either of the Khans.

I'm there first day of series inshaAllah!
Can't wait now

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

Hafeez
Masood
Azhar
Younus
Misbah
Asad
Sarfraz
Yasir
Wahab
Amir
Imran

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

England bowlers will toil hard for wickets, easy win for us.

Pakistan 1-0 England.

 

[mz123]

Hafeez
Masood
Azhar
Younis
Misbah
Asad
Sarfaraz
Wahab
Yasir
Amir
Rahat

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

I want to revisit my playing XI;

Hafeez
Shan
Azhar
Younus
Misbah
Asad
Sarfraz
Yasir
Wahab
Rahat/Amir
Imran

Hard to leave out Rahat and Amir, so let the management take a decision, select one among them.

 

[mz123]

I want to revisit my playing XI;

Hafeez
Shan
Azhar
Younus
Misbah
Asad
Sarfraz
Yasir
Wahab
Rahat/Amir
Imran

Hard to leave out Rahat and Amir, so let the management take a decision, select one among them.

why not replace imran with rahat ?

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

why not replace imran with rahat ?

One right handed fast bowler is a must, plus Imran is our best Test fast bowler.

 

[sully3]

For me Wahab is an automatic starter in the team, he was at times our only threat before Amir and has done well in Tests enough especially against England in the winter for him to keep his place. Also he he has previous experience on playing in Tests in england and was pretty successful.

So for the third seamer spot its between Sohail and IK jr and not Rahat as we need a right arm fast. Sohail is a better new bowl bowler and IK is a better work horse kind of bowler. I personally think Misbah will go with IK as he knows he can get IK to keep things tight if England batsman get in, on the other hand Rahat and Sohail will leak alot of runs if its a flat track.

Amir
Wahab
Imran Khan Jr
Yasir Shah
would be my bowling line up for the first test, you have 3 attacking options and one discipline bowler who's going to get in the wickets anyway if the conditions are swinging because its in England.

 

[Pete Rose]

It should be an unsurprising final eleven considering most spots are earned. Hafeez shouldn't be there but we are five years late on that. The only real contention is whether Wahab should play (assuming Imran is selected)

 

[JibranAnsari]

We should rest amir for the first match , will make for such an anticlimax.

Professor
Shan
Ajju
UK
King
Shafiq
Sarfi
Messi
Primo
Unlucky
Ghar ka kohli daal barabar

 

[StreetSmart]

Ballance
Buttler
Stokes
Anderson injured.

Congratulations Pakistan for the series victory.

But remember, it's not a win unless you win a test on a cold, wet and rainy morning at Lord's on a green seamer with the opposition strike bowler sledging the hell out of Zulfiqar Babar.

Finn and Woakes are still there and our team is more than capable of making anyone an overnight hero if you remember Nathan Hauritz

 

[#GreenRoars]

Chalo the excuses have already begin

Streety I always thought you were a good sport, itni jaldi surrender kyun kar raha hay mere jaan

Her koi meri or apki tarah dheet nahe hota )

 

[Sadevdesai]

On the paper the Team looks great ..... on the Pitch .... well, we will see !!!!!

 

[FreePalestine]

on cricinfo, they seem to be claiming the 1st test will have a slow wicket. I think this is baloney, Eng will try to bring on a pacey wicket and test Pak against swing.

 

[Mamoon]

on cricinfo, they seem to be claiming the 1st test will have a slow wicket. I think this is baloney, Eng will try to bring on a pacey wicket and test Pak against swing.

Lord's have been a flat wicket for years other than when India toured in 2014.

I think it will be a flat wicket and if Pakistan manage a draw, England will produce three green wickets to roll us over 3-0.

 

[mezzy123]

Hafeez
Shan
Azhar
Younis
Misbah
Asad
Safraz
Wahab
Yasir
Amir
Imran.

Lords is a dead pitch. Wahab will rattle the England batsmen. I think he has already been selected going by his interviews ect.

 

[Ahson8]

99.9% chance this'll be the Playing XI:

Shan
Hafeez
Azhar
Younis
Misbah
Shafiq
Sarfraz
Wahab
Yasir
Amir
Rahat

 

[PakFan2010]

What time is everyone heading to the ground, It's going to be my first time heading to Lords so is it worth arriving at around 9:30?

I wonder how many Pak fans will be in attendance; hopefully a few thousand?

 

[HitWicket]

Buttler is injured so what
Johnny Barstow is in the form of his life so England wont be worried about that

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He would be high on the list for potentially replacing Ballance.

 

[LegendAli]

What time is everyone heading to the ground, It's going to be my first time heading to Lords so is it worth arriving at around 9:30?

I wonder how many Pak fans will be in attendance; hopefully a few thousand?

Few thousand?

at least 50% of the stadium is going to be Pakistanis.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

I want to revisit my playing XI;

Hafeez
Shan
Azhar
Younus
Misbah
Asad
Sarfraz
Yasir
Wahab
Rahat/Amir
Imran

Hard to leave out Rahat and Amir, so let the management take a decision, select one among them.

Lmao.

I am no Amir fan, but you really would consider leaving Amir out of the test?

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Hafeez
Shan
Azhar
Younis
Misbah
Shafiq
Sarfraz
Amir
Rahat
Imran
Yasir.

Replace Rahat with Wahab if Rahat doesn't perform in the first test.

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

Lmao.

I am no Amir fan, but you really would consider leaving Amir out of the test?

Tough to leave out Rahat and Amir both.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Tough to leave out Rahat and Amir both.

Amir is first choice brother.

It is a battle between Imran Khan, Wahab and Rahat.

No matter how much in your heart you think otherwise, that's the brutal truth.

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

Amir is first choice brother.

It is a battle between Imran Khan, Wahab and Rahat.

No matter how much in your heart you think otherwise, that's the brutal truth.

I won't follow the status quo, Imran Khan is our best Test fast bowler, his record speaks for himself, so he is my first choice, followed by Wahab, as he won us some games recently, in a way, with his crucial contributions. Then down to Amir vs Rahat for the third spot.

 

[Jabo]

What's the weather going to be like?

Hopefully rain doesn't ruin the series, though it actually might save us from embarrassment.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

I won't follow the status quo, Imran Khan is our best Test fast bowler, his record speaks for himself, so he is my first choice, followed by Wahab, as he won us some games recently, in a way, with his crucial contributions. Then down to Amir vs Rahat for the third spot.

Which is why you are not a selector.

Had those two been first choices with Amir missing the cut, you would find Pakistan plundered into submission.

Not that it might not happen anyways still.

But no one in their right mind, would make Wahab Riaz ahead of Amir at least, while Imran might have a case for being good bowler.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

What's the weather going to be like?

Hopefully rain doesn't ruin the series, though it actually might save us from embarrassment.

I call the series 2-1 in Pakistan's favor.

I am sticking to my assessment.

We won't win in Australia though. No matter if we have 5 Amirs.

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

I call the series 2-1 in Pakistan's favor.

I am sticking to my assessment.

We won't win in Australia though. No matter if we have 5 Amirs.

We will beat Australia as well, more chance in Australia compared to England. The pitches there are mostly flat nowadays, will be easy for our batsmen, and Australia's bowling is not great.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

We will beat Australia as well, more chance in Australia compared to England. The pitches there are mostly flat nowadays, will be easy for our batsmen, and Australia's bowling is not great.

Its not about ability.

Its about the mental bloc, and it will stick in Australia.

You can call me on it when we tour Australia.

Plus, we don't even know if Misbah and Younis will survive till Australia.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Proposal: Pakistan should play to win and not expect a draw.


Here are my reasons:

1. Pitch

3rd Test
Sri Lanka vs England
Lord's

England 416 and 233 for 7
Sri Lanka 288 and 78 for 1

Clearly there is something in the pitch + both teams are not great batting sides (Cook and Root apart.)

Best not to let batsmen off the hook with Azher Ali's dibbly dobbly's when its time to go for the kill.

2. Draw? When did you last see one?

Pakistan doesn't do draws - even in UAE. In fact most teams in world cricket do not do draws. Rain permitting. So thinking it will be a run fest is absolutely faulty thinking.

3. Attritional cricket vs 10 good balls
None of Pakistani batsmen have proven themselves to defend for hours in English conditions. It is not easy and possibly outside our skill set. One good ball is enough to undo a batsman defending for hours with an SR of 20 and 30 runs against his name.

I hate Hafeez for not working hard on his new action so we could have an all rounder option post Jul 8 test. As things stand, we have half a batsman, probably injured, leading our batting against Broad and Woakes down Lord's slope.

 

[Amjid Javed]

I think final bowling spot will be between sohail khan and imran khan, wahab will probably be picked as hes an ideal bowler to do damage in short bursts if the wicket is batting friendly. Rahat needs to be kept well away from test side.

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

Lord's have been a flat wicket for years other than when India toured in 2014.

I think it will be a flat wicket and if Pakistan manage a draw, England will produce three green wickets to roll us over 3-0.

As if our bowlers will spectate only, and as if their batsmen are the best technically, huh. Our batting unit is settled enough to tackle any conditions.

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

Proposal: Pakistan should play to win and not expect a draw.


Here are my reasons:

1. Pitch

3rd Test
Sri Lanka vs England
Lord's

England 416 and 233 for 7
Sri Lanka 288 and 78 for 1

Clearly there is something in the pitch + both teams are not great batting sides (Cook and Root apart.)

Best not to let batsmen off the hook with Azher Ali's dibbly dobbly's when its time to go for the kill.

2. Draw? When did you last see one?

Pakistan doesn't do draws - even in UAE. In fact most teams in world cricket do not do draws. Rain permitting. So thinking it will be a run fest is absolutely faulty thinking.

3. Attritional cricket vs 10 good balls
None of Pakistani batsmen have proven themselves to defend for hours in English conditions. It is not easy and possibly outside our skill set. One good ball is enough to undo a batsman defending for hours with an SR of 20 and 30 runs against his name.

I hate Hafeez for not working hard on his new action so we could have an all rounder option post Jul 8 test. As things stand, we have half a batsman, probably injured, leading our batting against Broad and Woakes down Lord's slope.

Excellent analysis, POTW. This should be the tactics/mindset.

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

Its not about ability.

Its about the mental bloc, and it will stick in Australia.

You can call me on it when we tour Australia.

Plus, we don't even know if Misbah and Younis will survive till Australia.

Our batting unit has settled enough to overcome the mental blocks, we saw some glimpses in the warm up games.

 

[Zain Zaidi]

What's the weather going to be like?

Hopefully rain doesn't ruin the series, though it actually might save us from embarrassment.

I see so you're from England.

 

[ace4rmspace]

Lords, 1st Test, 1st Day! Doesn't get much better than that! Feeling all warm and fuzzy in anticipation. The weather at the moment is atrocious and tomorrow isn't looking to good either. But match day is promised to be clear and warm. I bloody well hope so coz I'll be sitting in the stands!

On that note, is anyone else going? Is there a thread for this sort of stuff where one can co-ordinate with fellow fans to make sure our shirts don't clash and whatnot?

 

[Syed1]

I want to wake tomorrow and find England at 100 for 6. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[Syed1]

We will beat Australia as well, more chance in Australia compared to England. The pitches there are mostly flat nowadays, will be easy for our batsmen, and Australia's bowling is not great.

Dada beating Australia in Australia is not a walk in the park

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

Dada beating Australia in Australia is not a walk in the park

We will beat them, even if it's not a walk in the a park.

 

[Markhor]

TWO more sleeps !

 

[JibranAnsari]

I want to see a green mamba , our batsmen will falter even on flattest of the tracks. At least on green mamba our bowlers would be able to do something good.

 

[Hasan123]

I want to see a green mamba , our batsmen will falter even on flattest of the tracks. At least on green mamba our bowlers would be able to do something good.

Even on a green mamba England will be ab,e to get a competitive score in one innings at least. Flat or dry wicket is our best hope.