Fawad Alam's success as a batsman is a prime example of substance over style

[MenInG]

The question that was asked was how a person with a batting stance NOT out of any coaching manual could ever succeed.

Yet we have Fawad Alam - 3 hundreds in Tests and looking solid again against South Africa - defying conventional wisdom and logic.

A perfect triumph of substance over style - but will there only be one Fawad Alam or can others also succeed with the same batting style?

 

[Saj]

We all want to see batsmen who are pleasing on the eye and playing text book shots, but at the end of the day it's all about runs scored.

Give me a gutsy fighter who scores runs, over someone who has the perfect technique, plays the odd good shot, but mostly fails.

 

[Rana]

Hope we find a good replacement to him at No.5. We only have 3-4 years of this guy saving us from embarrassment before he has to move on due to age.

 

[MenInG]

We all want to see batsmen who are pleasing on the eye and playing text book shots, but at the end of the day it's all about runs scored.

Give me a gutsy fighter who scores runs, over someone who has the perfect technique, plays the odd good shot, but mostly fails.

Would there be any young batsmen looking at Fawad and saying, hmmm I can do that too?

 

[unemployedgm]

Because Fawad's game isn't predicated on power, so he can play a little longer. Shivnarine Chanderpaul's best years were his last few where he was piling on the runs against some really good opposition. There's no reason why Fawad can't play into his 40s. Let's not forget, that along with Babar and Rizwan, he's probably the fittest guy in the team.

 

[Titan24]

Someone who knows his game and has temperament for international cricket is always going to outperform someone with only textbook technique as his strength and we have seen that time and time again if we look at the history of cricket.

There is a reason that most of the top coaches and captains rate the temperament aspect highly when it comes to international cricket.

Knowing one’s strengths, limitations and temperament to execute the game at international level in my opinion is more important than just a textbook technique.

 

[Markhor]

Asad Shafiq playing for 10 years over Fawad Alam is the perfect example of selectors opting for style over substance.

Your #5 ideally should be the glue holding the innings together, especially with our weak top order, and capable of converting starts to big knocks. That's why Fawad's ideal for that position.

 

[Cric1234]

If you average 55 in FC there are certain conditions where you will be able to score and Fawad is doing that in Asia on slower wickets.

Tests are also played outside Asia he’ll have to be a big scorer in Asian conditions to succeed as he will struggle to average over 30 in SENA.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Because Fawad's game isn't predicated on power, so he can play a little longer. Shivnarine Chanderpaul's best years were his last few where he was piling on the runs against some really good opposition. There's no reason why Fawad can't play into his 40s. Let's not forget, that along with Babar and Rizwan, he's probably the fittest guy in the team.

We can get a good 7-8 years out of him. Look at Misbah he retired just shy of his 43rd birthday, Ross Taylor is still going at 42.

Fawad has a YK like fitness, he's maintained himself for years and never has he looked out of shape.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

If you average 55 in FC there are certain conditions where you will be able to score and Fawad is doing that in Asia on slower wickets.

Tests are also played outside Asia he’ll have to be a big scorer in Asian conditions to succeed as he will struggle to average over 30 in SENA.

Hey most of our players struggle abroad but this is a way for a batsman to get confidence and maybe just maybe this is a turning point in his test career.

Be patient and don't write him off by a handful of failures, my true advise is that he play English county cricket just like Pujara who's game increased i believe from playing in those conditions that to in swinging conditions against the dukes.

 

[Cric1234]

Hey most of our players struggle abroad but this is a way for a batsman to get confidence and maybe just maybe this is a turning point in his test career.

Be patient and don't write him off by a handful of failures, my true advise is that he play English county cricket just like Pujara who's game increased i believe from playing in those conditions that to in swinging conditions against the dukes.

Shafiq did well in Asia and UAE his record is decent there he actually played 45 of his 77 tests in those conditions but struggled outside Asia which is why he averaged 38 a similar thing can be said about other batsmen.

I would rate U Akmal as the best test batsman ahead of Azhar Shafiq Fawad and others as he could score quickly and could’ve been our best test batsman.

 

[Yk313]

Hope we find a good replacement to him at No.5. We only have 3-4 years of this guy saving us from embarrassment before he has to move on due to age.

That is if he upholds his standards of fitness (which he should given his hunger) and reflexes (not in his control as much as the former).

 

[Saj]

At this level it's all about what's in the mind.

Mental toughness is the key to success. Yes ability, skill, technique can all play a part, but those who are fearless and have that confidence and self-belief are the ones who more often than not succeed.

 

[Yk313]

It’s funny people forget that he scored his fateful 168 under the watchful eyes of a captain who was the least gifted amongst the three who formed PAK’s backbone for the better part of 2000s.

Style and pure-play talent/eye are vital to forge a strong career. But lack of application and channeling that can lead to under achievement a la Inzamam/Yousuf. Both should have scored far more runs.

Another name that PP loves is that of Haris Sohail despite his flawed technique. You can throw Akmal (Umar) into the mix too (admittedly I never saw that person as a long term fixture in the side anyway).

PAK needs the same methodical approach in cricket as it does as a State instead of getting carried away with mirages of fleeting brilliance and talent. A ‘head down’ and focussed approach may yield higher dividends in the longer term and may just cultivate kind of processes/systems we have become accustomed to envying across the border.

 

[sshakir411]

The likes of Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal got a free ride for more than a decade for their “flair”

 

[kingusama92]

So many fans have said this for the past 10 years. Fawad deserved a proper run in his prime.

On a brighter note, Fawad's game should age well as it is not heavily reliant on strength and/or reflexes (i.e. someone like Sehwag).

I could see him playing another 4-5 years at a good level but he will never reach his full potential in foreign conditions just due to not getting enough matches/tours. The experience of playing in swinging/seaming conditions in your youth helps as you age in cricket, but he won't have that at his disposal.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Shafiq did well in Asia and UAE his record is decent there he actually played 45 of his 77 tests in those conditions but struggled outside Asia which is why he averaged 38 a similar thing can be said about other batsmen.

I would rate U Akmal as the best test batsman ahead of Azhar Shafiq Fawad and others as he could score quickly and could’ve been our best test batsman.

In NZ and WI Umar Akmal was good but again you can't compare that bowling attack to this one. The current NZ bowling attack is ranked one of the best.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

If you average 55 in FC there are certain conditions where you will be able to score and Fawad is doing that in Asia on slower wickets.

Tests are also played outside Asia he’ll have to be a big scorer in Asian conditions to succeed as he will struggle to average over 30 in SENA.

How many current Pakistani batsmen average above 30 in SENA? You can add Indians/SL/BD here as well.

Fawad is scoring runs and that's what matters.

Warner is biggest htb/ftb there is but you'll hardly see any Aussie complain about him.

Time for Pak cricket fans to show some support to their batsman, at least when they score runs.

 

[Bigboii]

Would there be any young batsmen looking at Fawad and saying, hmmm I can do that too?

That'll be a big mistake...

Fawad is an anamoly but most of the time batsman with good teqniqe are better batsman than thier not so teqnical counterparts

 

[BigShak]

Inzi is a criminal for not selecting him post MisYou.

 

[Justcrazy]

Inzamam and other selectors robbed him of a minimum of 20 - 24 Test Hundreds.

 

[Lahorijat]

If Fawad gets more than 12 hundreds he could still make it to Pakistan top 10 most hundreds list.

 

[Mamoon]

Yet another Fawad tribute thread.

He is averaging 38 post comeback, not 238.

You would think he has moved mountains and uprooted trees, but he has been par at best.

He has done nothing special and has actually done the bare minimum that you would expect from a batsman with 12,000 FC runs at an average of 55+.

We need to calm down with the Fawad rhetoric and agenda.

He averaged 10 in England and 32 in New Zealand, and we are acting as if he has performed miracles.

This rona dhona over what he could have achieved had he played all this time is pointless.

Look ahead and just let him play. There are other 10 players playing for Pakistan as well. This Fawad worshipping is becoming nauseating now.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Yet another Fawad tribute thread.

He is averaging 38 post comeback, not 238.

You would think he has moved mountains and uprooted trees, but he has been par at best.

He has done nothing special and has actually done the bare minimum that you would expect from a batsman with 12,000 FC runs at an average of 55+.

We need to calm down with the Fawad rhetoric and agenda.

He averaged 10 in England and 32 in New Zealand, and we are acting as if he has performed miracles.

This rona dhona over what he could have achieved had he played all this time is pointless.

Look ahead and just let him play. There are other 10 players playing for Pakistan as well. This Fawad worshipping is becoming nauseating now.

The rona dhona seems to be coming from you in this case. The thread is a perfectly valid one about how Fawad's unorthodox stance has been held against him, which considering his domestic record has to be a valid point.

I could understand your constant carping if Pakistan was blessed with top class batsmen which would make Fawad discussions look pointless, but you yourself are the biggest critic of Pakistani cricketers. If I ask you to name 6 batsmen you would choose ahead of Fawad in this team you are going to end up looking silly.

 

[Bigboii]

^
Ok so we have no right to get nauseated over your daily 10-20 posts full of let's just call it what it is backwaas, ghisi, piti rants

But you know Ofcourse that's our fault, guilty as charged we are being judgemental and we have to give your edgy teenager phase some space

But if some guy makes a Fawad Alam thread it's " nauseating"
Some guy mentioning Fawad is nauseating for you
Some guy muttering Fawad under his breath it is nauseating for you

This is sounding like a you problem tbh...

 

[Bigboii]

Visit so many different forums for different sports team (A football, basketball, Ufc)
Never seen someone as special a case as this guy truly gets on your nerves
Criticizim is a good thing but that's not criticism this is sheer stupidity

 

[Square Drive]

Yet another Fawad tribute thread.

He is averaging 38 post comeback, not 238.

You would think he has moved mountains and uprooted trees, but he has been par at best.

He has done nothing special and has actually done the bare minimum that you would expect from a batsman with 12,000 FC runs at an average of 55+.

We need to calm down with the Fawad rhetoric and agenda.

He averaged 10 in England and 32 in New Zealand, and we are acting as if he has performed miracles.

This rona dhona over what he could have achieved had he played all this time is pointless.

Look ahead and just let him play. There are other 10 players playing for Pakistan as well. This Fawad worshipping is becoming nauseating now.

So you actually waited until he got (run) out before you could come to post this?

 

[Mamoon]

The rona dhona seems to be coming from you in this case. The thread is a perfectly valid one about how Fawad's unorthodox stance has been held against him, which considering his domestic record has to be a valid point.

I could understand your constant carping if Pakistan was blessed with top class batsmen which would make Fawad discussions look pointless, but you yourself are the biggest critic of Pakistani cricketers. If I ask you to name 6 batsmen you would choose ahead of Fawad in this team you are going to end up looking silly.

Pakistan is a joke of a cricket team with no talent. I don’t have an issues if someone says that an average player (by international standards) like Fawad makes the team on merit. That is fair enough.

However, we just won’t shut up about him. You would think he has performed like Don Bradman considering the no of tribute threads that have been created in his honor and how much praise he is garnering from all quarters.

Then you look at his performance and you realize he is just another 30 averaging merchant who batted like a number 11 in England and failed in 3 out of 4 innings in New Zealand.

It is truly a reflection of the standards of Pakistan cricket today.

 

[Mamoon]

So you actually waited until he got (run) out before you could come to post this?

If you didn’t notice, I didn’t post yesterday either when Pakistan were 20/3 or whatever. I was traveling.

I am sorry the run out robbed him of a triple-century.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Pakistan is a joke of a cricket team with no talent. I don’t have an issues if someone says that an average player (by international standards) like Fawad makes the team on merit. That is fair enough.

However, we just won’t shut up about him. You would think he has performed like Don Bradman considering the no of tribute threads that have been created in his honor and how much praise he is garnering from all quarters.

Then you look at his performance and you realize he is just another 30 averaging merchant who batted like a number 11 in England and failed in 3 out of 4 innings in New Zealand.

It is truly a reflection of the standards of Pakistan cricket today.

Exactly. It's a reflection of the standards of Pakistan cricket today, which is why it's perfectly understandable for fans to be angry that a player has been ignored for so long when Pakistan's batting talent - as you are quick to remind us - is so sparse.

 

[Mamoon]

Exactly. It's a reflection of the standards of Pakistan cricket today, which is why it's perfectly understandable for fans to be angry that a player has been ignored for so long when Pakistan's batting talent - as you are quick to remind us - is so sparse.

Yeah but for how long will we cry over spilled milk? He is back in the team and an average of 37-38 is like an average of 67-68 for Pakistani standards, so he is not going to get dropped any time soon.

I suggest we move on from the past and look ahead. It might be very difficult but it is not something that cannot be achieved if we try hard enough.

 

[Square Drive]

Pakistan is a joke of a cricket team with no talent. I don’t have an issues if someone says that an average player (by international standards) like Fawad makes the team on merit. That is fair enough.

However, we just won’t shut up about him. You would think he has performed like Don Bradman considering the no of tribute threads that have been created in his honor and how much praise he is garnering from all quarters.

Then you look at his performance and you realize he is just another 30 averaging merchant who batted like a number 11 in England and failed in 3 out of 4 innings in New Zealand.

It is truly a reflection of the standards of Pakistan cricket today.

It's a Pakistan cricket forum. What else do you want posters to talk about?

And no, he's not a "30 averaging merchant". By the end of 2022, I fully expect his average to be in the mid-40s.

 

[Mamoon]

It's a Pakistan cricket forum. What else do you want posters to talk about?

And no, he's not a "30 averaging merchant". By the end of 2022, I fully expect his average to be in the mid-40s.

If he is yet another batsman who needs to play Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to average in the 40s, there is no need to overhype him.

Maybe people can talk about the other 10 players as well? Everyone is doing Fawad Fawad these days because he has produced roughly the same numbers that Shafiq did.

 

[Square Drive]

If he is yet another batsman who needs to play Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to average in the 40s, there is no need to overhype him.

Maybe people can talk about the other 10 players as well? Everyone is doing Fawad Fawad these days because he has produced roughly the same numbers that Shafiq did.

Having a career average in the 40s after playing 20+ Tests is good enough, regardless of which opposition you've bullied more. And he's already scored a ton each vs NZ (in their den) and SA so he's more than held his own there too. I don't know what you're complaining about. We don't have a 45+ averaging batsman right now, not even Babar. His averaging in the mid-40s is as good as Azhar and Babar, our top 2 batsmen, which makes him a top 3 batsmen of our team.

Who's overhyping him? No one's saying he'd walk into other sides, or that he's world-class, or an ATG, or anything of that sort. He is a blessing for us and it's natural to rue the missed years because we have wasted time on the likes of Asad and Haris and also given a chance/recall to every Tom, dick and harry before going back to Fawad.

As for the threads on him:

Abid Ali: "I am Abid Ali, let me be Abid Ali and please don't compare me with legends". Do his performances warrant more threads? I don't think so.

Imran Butt: "[VIDEOS] Imran Butt - Test Performance Watch". Do his performances warrant more threads? I don't think so.

Azhar Ali: "Should Azhar Ali move back to opening the batting?" What other threads should be made on him? He's undroppable for now after recent performances, and for being our most established bat. Nothing to discuss.

Babar Azam: "Babar Azam is quite overrated" What other threads should be made on him? We all know he's world-class, is our best bat and is undroppable. Nothing to discuss.

Mohammad Rizwan: "[VIDEOS] Mohammad Rizwan the batsman" & "Can Mohammad Rizwan open the batting in Tests?" He's clearly out best WK, undisputed, and still has 2 threads. How many more do you want? Go make some more if you feel the need.

Faheem Ashraf: "What does Faheem Ashraf need to do to be considered a good Test all-rounder?" & "Faheem Ashraf vs Risabh Pant" & "Mohammad Yousuf has given me some very good tips regarding my batting" : Faheem Ashraf". Three threads. How many more do you want? Go make some more if you feel the need.


Now, let's look at the threads on Fawad:

Fawad Alam: "Investing in Asad Shafiq instead of Fawad Alam" & "Fawad Alam's success as a batsman is a prime example of substance over style"

TWO WHOLE THREADS!? My gosh, everyone stop overreacting!

Do you see why you're getting called out for your rona dhona? Everyone in our top 7 in the batting order has threads on them on the main page. Every single player. Some have multiple. Rizwan and Faheem have the same/more threads than Fawad on the main page. What exactly is your problem with Fawad? Who's more interested in discussing him? Not those glorifying him, but rather, you.

 

[PakLFC]

The stance at the crease means little. Years back Derek Randall of England was so displeasing on the eye yet more then a useful batsman.

 

[Hyperion66]

I actually do not find his stance ugly at all, it is unconventional and a tad weird but at the same time interesting and perhaps a bit difficult for the bowlers facing him for the first time.

However I don't think it is right to call him a success at International cricket yet but he is a victim of bias and injustice and still has the potential to be a 40+ averaging batsman.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Yeah but for how long will we cry over spilled milk? He is back in the team and an average of 37-38 is like an average of 67-68 for Pakistani standards, so he is not going to get dropped any time soon.

I suggest we move on from the past and look ahead. It might be very difficult but it is not something that cannot be achieved if we try hard enough.

Well you could always take your own advice and move on. Maybe ignore the threads about Fawad instead of writing thousands of words on every thread. If you've ever been a part of a football discussion forum you should know that it's not unusual for fans to discuss topics to death, that's what it's about.

Maybe you could have a few threads consolidated into one, but that is a moderation issue and you should take it up in the referee's match room.