That may be true, but you cannot blame me for my reservations, which have only been strengthened by his recent performances and glaringly obvious shortcomings.
It's hypocritical though.
I don't necessarily point this to you necessarily but those who support X or Y player and then have a different standard for Z and A player.
Fawad doesn't score in two series, he has proven my point that he is not cut for good competition or international material.
Shafiq doesn't score, well ever, but he has flawless technique, that clearly isn't flawless if he continuously gets out for mediocre totals.
It's the hypocrisy I'm not a fan of. Have the same standard for all players.
Fawad has a weird stance, doesn't have great power, and doesn't deserve to make the ODI squad, I get that, but then don't turn it around and say Shafiq will eventually come good because he has a pretty stance and scores in tests (not saying you said that, just statements that have been thrown around willy nilly).
What about what Fawad say does do better than Shafiq, and at the end of the day matters most, which is score runs on a fairly consistent basis, and doesn't get out all the time for meager totals.
It's as though people think it is something personal with Shafiq or Malik or anyone else. If you score runs, I will support you, at the end of the day, I want Pakistan to win just as you or anyone else does. This personal reservations against players and using them as a means of argument holds to weight.
You either score runs or don't score runs, and Shafiq doesn't score runs (in LOIs) and Fawad does but probably will be found wanting against better attacks and international pitches, and furthermore simply has better guys in front of him in the pecking order.
These are facts.
Do not make Shafiq a better LOI player than Fawad based on truly nothing, he simply is not.
Statements such as Shafiq is a big time player also irk me a bit when it was 3 matches in the WC, one of which was against Zimbabwe, a mediocre one against Australia (yes he scored a 40, however he struggled mightely in that innings), and a 30 against India. The 70 against Zimbabwe bolstered his average as well.
It also twists my eyes when a player will score against a mediocre team and no one puts weight into it, however another player will score against that same team and all of a sudden it is the coming of age of said player.
Shafiq scored against Ireland, actually a solid knock, and chest thumpers come in and talk of how they were right, Fawad scores against Bangladesh and SL and it is that he will be found out by better attacks, just wait. What about when Shafiq failed consistently in ODI's right after Ireland? No one came forward to claim their victory for that.
Sarfraz is thrown up and down the order and still performs relatively speaking, and Shafiq for some reason gets the defence of he has been thrown up and down the order, he has been in and out of the team. His ideal position of #3 and shafiq averages 32 in 23 matches with a sub 70 SR. I don't care whether there are gaps in between, this is a dog eat dog world, you either perform, or don't perform, pressure is a part of your job, and if you don't someone will come in take your spot.
I do not attack you for this Mamoon, it is a general statement, it can be said of Shehzad, Misbah, Afridi, and all the fans of them who support them and lean away from objectivity and live in the subjective.
I like X player, therefore I will have a set of standards of said X player which I will not apply to Y player say because I remember 4-5 innings of class and it overshadows the 40 innings of poor cricketer.
Umar Akmal fanboys are the same. He came onto the scene bursting with talent, and then people still keep that image of him and have not seen the transition of a player who had talent, to simply a leg side hoiker who premeditates and has lost the ability to use his brain, simply thinking talent will get it done.
This same notion occurred with Sarfraz not too long ago, where every success was waiting for a failure to point the finger to prove the narrative, whereas for Malik with consistent failures of 4 years, were supported with he will come good. It is great, he has come good, hell he looks our best player out there and I couldn't be happier, but the discrepancy between attitudes bothers me.
Have the same standards for all and be objective.
As I said, Fawad won't be on the team, I can't see it, Harris, Babar, Malik, Shafiq, Sarfraz, probably will be the middle order for quite a bit of time once Misbah and YK leave (in tests), and in ODIs there are up and comers left and right who simply are better and have more potential. That is a fair assessment.
You say your reservations are strengthened on such a small sample size, and yet on the 4 years of Malik it wasn't a sample size enough? Malik in truth really shouldn't have been given an opportunity, as he had nothing really to bank on, performance wise, except for T20 leagues, but he took his chance and ran with it which is true kudos to him, now we have to see if there is any real substance to Malik against a real test in England and not these teams we have been facing. I am again a fan and hope for the best, but history pulls at me.
Everyone needs to stop being painted with different brushes and then maybe we can have some objective discussions instead of fighting about who likes who simply because they have some personal allegiance to them.
.png "Kumar Sangakkara :sanga")
#good luck getting rid of him
