Flip the Cape Town batting order to get more runs!

[Junaids]

Well, Pakistan's batting is what it is. Weak.

And because Sarfraz Ahmed has not been in good enough form to bat at Number 6, the buffer of Shadab Khan at 7 and Faheem Ashraf at 8 has had to be put aside.

Only Azhar Ali is designed to last long periods at the crease, but as Azhar Mahmood showed in South Africa 20 years ago, we are seeing that after the first 20 overs batting becomes easier and runs can be scored at a rapid pace.

Babar Azam, Shan Masood and even Sarfraz Ahmed and Hasan Ali have scored quick runs after the 25th over in this series already.

But the problem is that too often at 25 overs Pakistan is already 70-4.

I am convinced that Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq have a decent chance of scoring runs AFTER the 25th over, but NEITHER one of them is capable of surviving the new ball.

So I think it's time to turn the batting order around.

I reckon Pakistan has a chance of reaching 300 if it switches to a batting order of:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Shan Masood
3. Asad Shafiq.
4. Babar Azam
5. Imam-ul-Haq
6. Fakhar Zaman

At least Azhar Ali and Shan Masood have a chance of lasting much longer than the current openers.

Azhar Mahmood hit two centuries in South Africa against an even stronger pace attack, simply because when he came in the ball was 20 overs old. I don't think Fakhar Zaman can blunt the new ball, but I do think he can convert 150-4 into 280-5.

 

[Abdullah]

We should always have had
Shadab
Sarfaraz
Faheem

as 6 7 8.
We were only trying to get scores of 275 to make a proper game here and all of the above are as likely as our "main batters" to get a 40-70 score. We only need 3 guys to get such a score and we would be above 220 pushing towards 275.
We would have 8 options of hope rather than 7 and batting does get easier as ball gets older

 

[QuickCrick]

I agree!!!

Shadab and Faheem should have come in, it worked in England so I don’t really understand why we changed it?

We look short both in bowling options and batting. Our batsmen aren’t reliable enough to not have lower order batting and with these two the 180 could have been 250 which would have been enough to win the game. Faheem is a decent 4th option with the ball and Shadab has shown he can stick around under pressure.

I try to keep positive with PCT but repeated mistakes are getting to me, the amount of times we have lost from winning positions it starting to drive me insane.

 

[Junaids]

I agree!!!

Shadab and Faheem should have come in, it worked in England so I don’t really understand why we changed it?

We look short both in bowling options and batting. Our batsmen aren’t reliable enough to not have lower order batting and with these two the 180 could have been 250 which would have been enough to win the game. Faheem is a decent 4th option with the ball and Shadab has shown he can stick around under pressure.

I try to keep positive with PCT but repeated mistakes are getting to me, the amount of times we have lost from winning positions it starting to drive me insane.

There are two reasons why Shadab and Faheem are not batting at 7 and 8.

1. The management recognize that Sarfraz is incapable currently of batting at 6. Fine. So pick Rizwan instead!

2. Sarfraz and Inzamam think that Yasir Shah is better than he really is in the southern hemisphere. They don't understand that a spinner is a part-time proposition in South Africa: this is the only ground of the three Tests where spin sometimes works, and South Africa has dropped their spinner for a fourth quick!

 

[EliteCynical]

Well, Pakistan's batting is what it is. Weak.

And because Sarfraz Ahmed has not been in good enough form to bat at Number 6, the buffer of Shadab Khan at 7 and Faheem Ashraf at 8 has had to be put aside.

Only Azhar Ali is designed to last long periods at the crease, but as Azhar Mahmood showed in South Africa 20 years ago, we are seeing that after the first 20 overs batting becomes easier and runs can be scored at a rapid pace.

Babar Azam, Shan Masood and even Sarfraz Ahmed and Hasan Ali have scored quick runs after the 25th over in this series already.

But the problem is that too often at 25 overs Pakistan is already 70-4.

I am convinced that Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq have a decent chance of scoring runs AFTER the 25th over, but NEITHER one of them is capable of surviving the new ball.

So I think it's time to turn the batting order around.

I reckon Pakistan has a chance of reaching 300 if it switches to a batting order of:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Shan Masood
3. Asad Shafiq.
4. Babar Azam
5. Imam-ul-Haq
6. Fakhar Zaman

At least Azhar Ali and Shan Masood have a chance of lasting much longer than the current openers.

Azhar Mahmood hit two centuries in South Africa against an even stronger pace attack, simply because when he came in the ball was 20 overs old. I don't think Fakhar Zaman can blunt the new ball, but I do think he can convert 150-4 into 280-5.

I'll be honest. It is not a bad idea and I had the exact same thoughts hoping Kohli would do the same in Cape Town second innings! I agree not everyone can be BRadman and score 270 at number 7 but this is surely something which can be tried IMHO

 

[Junaids]

[MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION]
Isn’t this the way to maximise the runs this eleven can score?

 

[MMHS]

[MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION]
Isn’t this the way to maximise the runs this eleven can score?

I'll stick to the playing XI and just before the Test started, I actually wrote that batting order needs to be reshuffled and Sarfraz should bat at 5 (or 6) to allow him batting against old ball after 35 overs, but before it starts to reverse, Asad at 6 & FZ at 7. Also, instead of 3, I'll open with Azhar and keep Shan at 3. FZ from No. 7 definitely can contribute more than his current single digit stay as opener.

 

[jnaveen1980]

What if they get to 10 for 5? lol

 

[Red Devil]

I like the idea but Asad shouldn't be batting in the top order, he's best suited to play at #6 where he's had all his success.

1. Azhar
2. Shan
3. Babar
4. Fakhar
5. Imam
6. Asad