Fawad Alam's 3911 day wait to play a Test match has come to an end

[Firebat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fawad Alam's 3911 day wait to play a Test match for Pakistan has come to an end. He is playing his first Test match since Nov 28, 2009.<br><br>He last represented Pakistan in a Test match 10 years, 8 months, and 16 days ago <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1293845635104464896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[liam26]

Is this the longest any batsman had to wait between any two tests ?

I remember he played a series against SL in SL during 2009, if I am not wrong. Its been a long long time he is still playing..

 

[MenInG]

The pressure will be HUGE on him - if he comes through this...

 

[fawad_wellwisher]

Playing him after 11 years as replacement for a young talented all rounder who actually performed in the 1st test. Sums up Pakistan cricket!

 

[MenInG]

Seems the world waiting for Fawad

 

[Ucdkee]

Playing him after 11 years as replacement for a young talented all rounder who actually performed in the 1st test. Sums up Pakistan cricket!

Obviously we cannot drop our Asian Bradman out of the squad!

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan have brought in an extra batsman in the shape of Fawad Alam, who replaces Shadab Khan, and WASIM AKRAM says that's definitely the right call...

"The extra batsman is much-needed and that means that Shafiq will need to come in a number five with Fawad probably at number six.

"Fawad hasn't played Test cricket since 2009; he's averaging just under 42 in Test cricket. This is a big break for him - the whole country wanted him to play.

"It's a good toss for Pakistan to win and a positive decision to bat first."

 

[AdamM97]

Let’s see if he can live up to the hype.

 

[Barragan]

I fear it may be too late.

Should have been in the team 5 years ago and he would have sorted out the current mess in the middle order.

shafiq should have been chucked out.

 

[Zaz]

Let’s see if he can live up to the hype.

Your expecting too much Hes not played for 10 years n ur expecting him to turn up and put in england and score big against broad and anderson?

He shouldve been played at home against sri lanka and bangladesh but misbah in his great wisdom didnt pick him n now he gets thrown fresh into the lions den

If you can play shafiq for 70 odd tests in a row then fawad deserves at least 2-3 series whatever happens over the next 2 weeks in england

 

[Abdullah719]

Your expecting too much Hes not played for 10 years n ur expecting him to turn up and put in england and score big against broad and anderson?

He shouldve been played at home against sri lanka and bangladesh but misbah in his great wisdom didnt pick him n now he gets thrown fresh into the lions den

If you can play shafiq for 70 odd tests in a row then fawad deserves at least 2-3 series whatever happens over the next 2 weeks in england

Pakistan’s next series is against NZ in NZ, then SA at home.

Will be interesting if he stays in the team till then…

 

[AdamM97]

Your expecting too much Hes not played for 10 years n ur expecting him to turn up and put in england and score big against broad and anderson?

He shouldve been played at home against sri lanka and bangladesh but misbah in his great wisdom didnt pick him n now he gets thrown fresh into the lions den

If you can play shafiq for 70 odd tests in a row then fawad deserves at least 2-3 series whatever happens over the next 2 weeks in england

Agree with you there. Should’ve played against weaker opponents like SL and BAN before playing against England.

Shouldn’t be dropped if he fails here. Should be given a few more chances after this series.

 

[Shaka81]

Hopefully takes advantage of this opportunity and is able to become the main senior batsman in the team so we can finally drop Asad Shafiq. Seniority is the only reason Pakistan have been able to keep Shafiq in the team since his performances don't merit a place.

 

[Slog]

He is already well past it. Even In Domestics his output has been lower for the past two seasons compared to the prior 7-8 seasons.

He should have been made a part of the test squad in 2011/12 when we had all those long series’ in UAE.

And if not then it really baffles me why he didn’t get a chance after the double retirements of Misbah and Younis. Azhar Ali had been performing well as an opener but we made him part of the middlle order while trying opener after opener. Azhar Ali’s own output since that has been low too.

 

[Grunge101]

what i fear the most is that this is the only chance hell get. If he fails to score on a fast seaming pitch, that would be the end of it. Nobody will question as to why Shafiq has been tried for 70 matches despite still having a lower average than FA and the later was just given a single chance.

 

[Firebat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The last time Fawad Alam played a Test match Naseem Shah was 6 years old.<br><br>There have been 8 different PCB Chairman and 4 different Prime-Minister's of Pakistan since Fawad Alam's last Test match<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1293884209493348354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Titan24]

His exile of 11 years from test cricket despite a decent start will go down in the history as one of the biggest mysteries in cricket.

Not sure what he can deliver now when he doesnt look to be at his peak but, lets hope a test call can motivate him enough to bring out his peak self.

 

[Indiafan]

In before pakistan declare on 550 for 3 and only bat once in the test. With poor Fawad is dropped the next match

 

[Slog]

what i fear the most is that this is the only chance hell get. If he fails to score on a fast seaming pitch, that would be the end of it. Nobody will question as to why Shafiq has been tried for 70 matches despite still having a lower average than FA and the later was just given a single chance.

This!

Why wasn’t he given a chance post Misbah Younis retirements is beyond me.

 

[King_Kohli]

Last time Fawad Alam played a test, Kohli, Smith, and Williamson weren't even Test cricketers. Now they all are in Fab 4!!

 

[King_Kohli]

Pakistan's playing XI in Fawad Alam's last Test - vs NZ in Dunedin, 2009

Khurram Manzoor
Imran Farhat
Mohd Yousuf
Umar Akmal
Shoaib Malik
Kamran Akmal
Mohd Amir
Umar Gul
Saeed Ajmal
Mohd Asif

It was the first time DRS was used in Tests its present-day form.

 

[Nervesofsteel]

It's a tough pitch for him to be literally making his debut again.

 

[Omer2002]

i really feel sorry for him as he deserves a go in Asia for sure...despite his technique if he scores then so be it but i do think anderson and broad will eat him alive

 

[Invincible Gujjar]

He is a joke of a batsman and he is not a batsman at all. He is a tailender and a hack.He is a very ugly batsman.He will fail badly.

 

[Grunge101]

Come on Fawad!... Need to show Misbah and co. what theyve been missing out on.

 

[adzzy786]

Prayers are with him! Good luck Fawad you’ve been fighting for this opportunity for over a decade! Hope he does well.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Brings tears to the eyes, Justice has finally been served.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Looks like he’ll have to wait a little longer

 

[Salman4.]

So has his stay at the wicket.

 

[Grunge101]

Strange dismissal...kind of unlucky, that ball had almost pitched outside legstump.

 

[adzzy786]

Well that’s that. Dropped forever now

 

[Alamgeer]

Most pathetic batsman Pakistan ever produced. Even Naseem Shah is a better bat than em. Our domestic cricket stats are totally misleading.

 

[Hasan123]

Pathetic dismissal. He is not good enough at this age. He has been picked too late!!!!

 

[in_cutter]

Nothing but hype. Said this for years: all hype

Disgusting technique

 

[Alamgeer]

Pathetic dismissal. He is not good enough at this age. He has been picked too late!!!!

He was never good enough at international level.

 

[SM1989]

Strange dismissal...kind of unlucky, that ball had almost pitched outside legstump.

Look at how he missed a straight ball... thats pathetic

 

[MenInG]

 

[Energy]

Still remember his comic dismissals when we were white-washed by Bangladesh in an ODI series some years back.

 

[AdamM97]

Deserves a few more opportunities imo. Wasn’t that convincing today though, I’ll admit.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

3911 day wait ends, but the tragedy of Fawad Alam continues.

 

[Invincible Gujjar]

Most pathetic batsman Pakistan ever produced. Even Naseem Shah is a better bat than em. Our domestic cricket stats are totally misleading.

Yeah that's true. I have never seen anyone so bad.He is pathetic.

 

[Invincible Gujjar]

He has been this pathetic since he started playing cricket.He shouldn't be called a batsman he is no batsman. It's an insult to batting that this ugly hack is called as a batsman.

 

[Slog]

He has been this pathetic since he started playing cricket.He shouldn't be called a batsman he is no batsman. It's an insult to batting that this ugly hack is called as a batsman.

Why has he embarrassed every other batsman we have had in the last 15 years in domestic cricket?

 

[watson367]

He should wait another 3911 days.

 

[Abdullah]

Said it on another thread. Shadab has more upside

 

[Dr_Bassim]

That technique is good for domestics only.

Every international fast bowler worth his penny will make him look like a tailender every time he bats.

 

[Invincible Gujjar]

Why has he embarrassed every other batsman we have had in the last 15 years in domestic cricket?

LOL that's why he scored a wonderful hundred today.Keep em coming ugly hack fawad alam.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

I almost cried when he got out for 0.
Felt so bad.
Give him at least 5 tests. Let him have a chance.

 

[Slog]

LOL that's why he scored a wonderful hundred today.Keep em coming ugly hack fawad alam.

The other batsmen should also hang their heads in shame when he averages 10+ more than them every season

 

[Slog]

I almost cried when he got out for 0.
Felt so bad.
Give him at least 5 tests. Let him have a chance.

1) he should’ve gotten chance several years ago (or at minimum post MisYou retirements) and not at age of 35 when his hand eye technique is declining which is what his batting relies on.

2) he should’ve not gotten chance on the most seam friendly conditions we have seen after years

 

[Grunge101]

Look at how he missed a straight ball... thats pathetic

Those playing around him have been missing straight balls for the last 10 years and still continue to be picked.

He needs to be given a good chance, atleast half as good as the others were given. Give him a couple of series atleast.

 

[Kingpin786]

Still remember his comic dismissals when we were white-washed by Bangladesh in an ODI series some years back.

Did he play that series?

 

[Savak]

This is a clear example of what media pressure can do. There are loads of domestic legends like Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash who were not good enough on the international circuit. Fawad Alam belongs to the same category, there is a reason why he never developed a consistent spot in the team. Yes, he has been hard done by the selectors but he is not what the team needs right now when he is 35 years old.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Why are people surprised?

Im starting to think 80% of this forum hasn't seen Fawad bat before. He is not going to do much in these conditions, against quality bowlers no less.

 

[Energy]

Did he play that series?

Absolutely. Checked it now, 3 matches for an average of 6 runs.

 

[Invincible Gujjar]

The other batsmen should also hang their heads in shame when he averages 10+ more than them every season

What's he doing now?? He averaged 72 in recently concluded domestic season.i expect him to score a century in next innings.

 

[King_Kohli]

This stat is hilarious

Fawad Alam Playing Test Cricket after 11yrs

Top 10 Test Rankings, When Fawad Alam Played his Last Test

1) Jayawardene
2) Sangakkara
3) Gambhir
4) Chanderpaul
5) Yousuf
6) Clarke
7) Younus
8) G Smith
9) Ponting
10) Kallis

 

[Titan24]

I feel for Fawad but not sure at 34 years of age what is that Pak is expecting from him in the long run. He doesnt have a lot of time left in him and I dont think you can develop a 34 year old at the test level. Best case scenario for him is to start delivering straight away and continue that for a couple of years before calling it a day.

You cant afford to have a failing 34 years old veteran of just 4 tests in the 11 so he needs to turn it around fast.

 

[ahmed16]

1) he should’ve gotten chance several years ago (or at minimum post MisYou retirements) and not at age of 35 when his hand eye technique is declining which is what his batting relies on.

2) he should’ve not gotten chance on the most seam friendly conditions we have seen after years

Agree with your first point, if he has been prolific over the past 3 years in FC cricket than he should have gotten an opportunity earlier.

your second point: hang on, a batsmen averaging 50+ in domestic cricket with oodles of experience shouldn't be asked to play in seaming conditions in a batting line up that is average at best? Are you for real?

 

[Slog]

What's he doing now?? He averaged 72 in recently concluded domestic season.i expect him to score a century in next innings.

You either have stupid expectations or don’t understand cricket very much. I think it’s the latter.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Those playing around him have been missing straight balls for the last 10 years and still continue to be picked.

He needs to be given a good chance, atleast half as good as the others were given. Give him a couple of series atleast.

Yes he should.

But with that technique dont you think we are wasting time especially since he is on wrong end of 30s soon.

He will not be facing Ehsan Adils and Mir Hamzas in international cricket and intl bowlers will make him miserable.

 

[in_cutter]

There are many domestic toilers, Fawad is one of them. That is he’s level.

 

[Invincible Gujjar]

You either have stupid expectations or don’t understand cricket very much. I think it’s the latter.

Okay Mr. Expert.whatever you say.LOL not a century then what should I expect from him atleast a fifty?LOL!

 

[bala977]

I hope he there is no knee jerk reaction and he plays the next test. Heart goes out to him.

 

[Greenstorm]

Take that Karachi media/fans. Misbah the dictator has the last laugh.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Really hope this witch-hunt against every coach/chief selector/captain ends now, with respect to Fawad Alam. Individuals have been literally harrassed, whether by journalists or on social media, only for them to now realize hopefully that this lad was never international material.

 

[Abdullah]

Said it on another thread. Shadab has more upside

 

[Grunge101]

Yes he should.

But with that technique dont you think we are wasting time especially since he is on wrong end of 30s soon.

He will not be facing Ehsan Adils and Mir Hamzas in international cricket and intl bowlers will make him miserable.

Well the technique becomes irrelevant if hes scoring runs. and he needs to be given a decent chance to show that.

Shafiq is 34 as well and even after 10 years of experience, averaging below 40 still finds a place every time in the starting lineup. If his age and past record isnt stopping him from getting a chance, then its pretty clear age isnt relevant to Misbah and co.

With respect to the Mir Hamzas and Ehsan Adils, well Azhar and Shafiq average 38 and 40 batting against the same bowlers in first class cricket.

 

[ahmed16]

I hope he there is no knee jerk reaction and he plays the next test. Heart goes out to him.

Unfortunately I can see that happening, knives werre already out against him based on his (very) poor run at the end of his last set of international games.

Imo he's worked hard and should get at least 5 games, but it's hard to make a case for a player who is technically poor, on the wrong side of 30, was found out as a batsmen during his previous appearances and has just been dismissed to a tame delivery. The only thing in his favour is a superior FC record.

 

[Asif321]

If bad luck had a face

 

[The Viper]

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[MenInG]

Fawad was ignored when he was in red hot form - now dumped in England - feel very bad for him.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Disgraceful reaction.

Even Bradman, Tendulkar, can get out on duck. Stop making a big deal off it.

He must be given a full series to showcase his talent.

Pakistani fans should never talk about batting.

 

[Slog]

Okay Mr. Expert.whatever you say.LOL not a century then what should I expect from him atleast a fifty?LOL!

Did you expect that from Haris, Shehzad type players who got chances after chances and most in UAE and Pakistan?

 

[Bhaijaan]

Fawad was ignored when he was in red hot form - now dumped in England - feel very bad for him.

Same feeling

This is exactly how Yuvraj was never allowed to settle in test cricket by the Fab 5.

I said in a post previously, this was already kind of a poor way to induct a guy after 10 years by first shattering his confidence that he wasn't good enough to start in 1st test. Then you lose a test and drop him in to save it for Pakistan, waiting for an unlucky dismissal.early on to drop him again forever. Nice plot.

Pathetic stuff by team management and even more so by the fans who are reacting like 10 minutes of a bad outing ruins 15 years if hard work.are these people even true fans of cricket

 

[Down2Earth]

In the decade between him waiting, nothings changed and he'll always be a cheap wicket internationally

 

[El Generico]

The problem with Fawad Alam is that when he struggles, it ends up looking really ugly which fuels the criticism even more.

But majority of the people here are being too harsh, this is his first test innings after 10 years and he came out in pretty tough conditions. Even guys like Azhar/Asad who have played regularly for Pakistan, fell cheaply. Did you guys expect Fawad to score a 100? He should at least be getting the next test, can't drop people after one bad outing.

 

[Zaz]

The problem with Fawad Alam is that when he struggles, it ends up looking really ugly which fuels the criticism even more.

But majority of the people here are being too harsh, this is his first test innings after 10 years and he came out in pretty tough conditions. Even guys like Azhar/Asad who have played regularly for Pakistan, fell cheaply. Did you guys expect Fawad to score a 100? He should at least be getting the next test, can't drop people after one bad outing.

This His technique makes his dismissals look worse than they are but he really needs a run of a series or two now

You cant give someone a game here n there over several years then write him off

He shouldve been playing a decade bsck Look he may not be the real deal but at least we wouldve known one way or the other

What harm would an extended run of matches do now?
If he makes runs keep him if he doesnt drop him

Apply the same standards you do with other batsmen Why treat him any different?

 

[Major]

Gonna wait till 2nd innings to give a conclusion on him.

Currently, the guy has sucked

 

[Grunge101]

Fawad was ignored when he was in red hot form - now dumped in England - feel very bad for him.

he might still be good enough, needs to be given a series of chances instead of a single match.If he doesnt capitalise in 12 odd innings then its fair to say hes not good enough.