Good decision to pick Ahmed Shehzad for the Pakistan training camp for Tests vs Sri Lanka?

[MenInG]

In light of PCB's latest announcement, Ahmed Shehzad is now included in the Pakistan Test Squad for Sri Lanka series.

Is that a wise move?

 

[Leo23]

totally unfair decision

no one can objectively justify this decision without exposing his bias and agenda

 

[kingusama92]

Don't like this selection.

BUT his performances in the UAE are solid.

In UAE: 57.45 AVG

 

[badsha001]

2 words:

Fawad Alam

 

[MenInG]

totally unfair decision

no one can objectively justify this decision without exposing his bias and agenda

trying to take advantage of his good form?

 

[shaz619]

In UAE he is solid but moving forward needs to improve his game to find success away, anyhow Sami Aslam is more deserving and I feel he has been hard done by if shehzad makes final XI ahead of him

 

[Red Devil]

In UAE he is solid but moving forward needs to improve his game to find success away, anyhow Sami Aslam is more deserving and I feel he has been hard done by if shehzad makes final XI ahead of him

Have a feeling they might push Azhar down to #3 because of our inexperienced middle order, hence the addition of an extra opener.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Pretty sure Shehzad will open with Sami Aslam with Azhar dropping to 3. Usman will play at 6 it seems. What doesn't make sense is how has Haris Sohail been selected when he hasnt played FC cricket for about 4 years

 

[ego-gambit]

Not a good choice if you have to make a strong test side give chance to technical ly solid players shehzad should concentrate on ODI and T20's

 

[angrypathan]

Never a wise move to select Ahmed Shehzad, in any format

 

[Leo23]

trying to take advantage of his good form?

Sorry i didn't realize that he has been selected now

my comment was for his exclusion

an excellent decision by the selectors. he deserves it.

 

[Mirpur express]

A beast in uae tests But but one name FAWAD ALAM , shame on pcb

 

[Leo23]

it is not possible to justify his exclusion from the test without showcasing your bias and agenda

you do not drop a young opener who averages 40 in tests after 13 matches with 3 hundreds and has a very good first class record as well.

one of those hundreds was against australia and the other was vs nz which could have been a 200+ score had he not had his skull cracked on 170.

i am not saying that he will be a top class player in the future but you do not drop players based on your whims and predictions.

yes he has so far failed outside the uae but the sample size is too small to draw any conclusions. azhar ali is now the flavor of the year but lets not forget he was poor outside asia for the first 5 years of his career.

sami aslam did very well 2016 onwards but early in his career he was flopping badly on flat bangladesh wickets where 500 seemed to be the par score

besides test is clearly shehzad's best format and his record in both domestic and international cricket shows that. he has issues with strike rotation but he puts a price on his wicket and can play long innings and his test record so far proves that.

a hundred every 4 matches at the start of the career is more than good enough regardless of the conditions

i am glad that sense has prevailed and the selectors corrected their mistake

i know some people like [MENTION=138463]Slog[/MENTION] [MENTION=139150]aliasad1998[/MENTION] [MENTION=142670]mak36[/MENTION] etc hate him with a passion and seek great pleasure in his failures but facts are facts. he fully deserves to be in the test side

the funny thing is that if he scores runs against sri lanka they will be like:

but it is against sri lanka on uae pitches. he will fail outside asia and this is bad for the future yaar.

and if he fails they will be like:

hahaha he cannot even score runs against sri lanka on uae pitches.



so basically shehzad cannot win.

 

[Slog]

His record will eventually correct itself in the long term

The guy hasnt played in Eng, Aus, SA or NZ and still averages in 20s outside UAE for a reason

 

[UN talkz]

18 member squad for 2 match Test series is the most ridiculous thing i have ever seen

 

[coy0607]

18 member squad for 2 match Test series is the most ridiculous thing i have ever seen

Yep.. absurd decision

5 fast bowlers, 4 openers... ��

 

[Rana]

In UAE he is solid but moving forward needs to improve his game to find success away, anyhow Sami Aslam is more deserving and I feel he has been hard done by if shehzad makes final XI ahead of him

Dude going by this logic England shouldn't select Jimmy Anderson for Tests outside England. You have to give the guy a shot at cashing in even though he's struggled outside UAE

 

[Slog]

Dude going by this logic England shouldn't select Jimmy Anderson for Tests outside England. You have to give the guy a shot at cashing in even though he's struggled outside UAE

To be fair Jimmy has an overall solid to decent record outside England

He has an ATG record in England which makes his away record seem worse than it is when people compare both

 

[Slog]

I dont think anyone can make a strong case that Shehzad shouldn't play this series.

Ofcourse I am 100% sure (and willingly to bet money on this) that in the long term Shehzad will have a very mediocre Test record if he plays 10 or so extra Test matches. I just don't think he has the game to be successful anywhere when there is some movement or pressure.

But that is inconsequential. He deserves a run in the Test squad based on his prior record and esp considering one spot is open (and maybe 2 if Azhar drops to #3). In ODIs and T20s he has enough of a history of failure (just check his record) for me not to consider him in those formats but in Tests he deserves a few matches

But this SL series is probably the best series for our batsmen to hit big runs. Hopefully guys like Shafiq, Sarfaraz and esp Babar can hit big runs against a mediocre attack and get confidence

 

[Haroon786]

I find it incredibly dubious that after tours to England, Australia, New Zealand and WI - returning back to the UAE, we have Shezhad returning to score runs against the current worst team in international cricket - pure coincidence or perfect timing? I'm not too sure.

 

[Slog]

I find it incredibly dubious that after tours to England, Australia, New Zealand and WI - returning back to the UAE, we have Shezhad returning to score runs against the current worst team in international cricket - pure coincidence or perfect timing? I'm not too sure.

Guy has only ever played in UAE and then the two weakest team SL and WI. And even then he has an average of 26 away

 

[Haroon786]

Guy has only ever played in UAE and then the two weakest team SL and WI. And even then he has an average of 26 away

Even to this day I rate Umar Akmal higher than him in all formats.

 

[Slog]

Even to this day I rate Umar Akmal higher than him in all formats.

I mean its clear Umar Akmal has more talent, ie a better shot range and ability to play attacking cricket.

Shehzad's batting is very very limited. He cannot play all round the park, struggles to find gaps and goes into a shell when under a bit of pressure.

However it is undeniable that over the past year Shehzad's attitude has improved a lot and so has his fitness. So it is more likely that he may work on his game and perhaps improve his flaws somwhat.

So based on that there is no way that at the current moment, Umar Akmal should play over him.

However you are correct that Umar Akmal has/had a higher ceiling whereas Shehzad was always a limited batsman

 

[hadi123]

I voted yes on the basis that we will need a spare opener in case of unforeseen circumstances such as injury. It suggests Azhar Ali will go back to 3 which is good. There aren't any other openers that could open apart from Imam-ul-Haq, but Inzamam is his uncle so I guess Inzamam knows his nephew better than anyone else so if he isn't ready then fair enough. But I really hope Shehzad and Shan Masood don't open. Aslam should have one spot nailed down, the other opening spot should be a shoot out between Shehzad + Masood

 

[Justcrazy]

No .

He was dropped because of certain reason . Decisions should not be changed like that easily.

 

[Rana]

84% disagree with the decision. Credit due to where it should be, 84% of people are unhappy with Shan Masood getting the nod. The grounds upon selecting Masood are equally fitting upon Shahzad. Both are 'young' and fit. The difference is that Shahzad has much more potential than boring, bang average Masood

 

[Saif218]

Test the only format Selfie Shehzad deserve.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Still better than Masood

 

[Haroon786]

I mean its clear Umar Akmal has more talent, ie a better shot range and ability to play attacking cricket.

Shehzad's batting is very very limited. He cannot play all round the park, struggles to find gaps and goes into a shell when under a bit of pressure.

However it is undeniable that over the past year Shehzad's attitude has improved a lot and so has his fitness. So it is more likely that he may work on his game and perhaps improve his flaws somwhat.

So based on that there is no way that at the current moment, Umar Akmal should play over him.

However you are correct that Umar Akmal has/had a higher ceiling whereas Shehzad was always a limited batsman

Well we're not sure where Umar's fitness is atm, but it seems like he's working on it and a fit Umar is always better than any form of Shezhad.

Shezhad's attitude may have improved but if his output remains the same or worse, it won't matter one jot.

 

[Mueez]

In light of PCB's latest announcement, Ahmed Shehzad is now included in the Pakistan Test Squad for Sri Lanka series.

Is that a wise move?

Look atm he can get a try in the lineup as we are in the middle of transition after MisYou

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

One of the worst ever decision. This was a time to build the team and move forward and they are opting for Sami, Shehzad opening with Azhar at 1 down.
Mediocre selfish batsman who is the master of soft runs and will surely disappoint (like he always does) when the team will need him.

 

[Hasan123]

I would have kept him away from the test team. I would rather go with Sami Aslam as I think he seems to have more potential then Shehzad to score outside of Asia. I think Azhar should stay as an opener as his game is perfectly suited for opening in tests. Furthermore I like a left/right hand combination as an opening pair.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

Dude going by this logic England shouldn't select Jimmy Anderson for Tests outside England. You have to give the guy a shot at cashing in even though he's struggled outside UAE

Rana bhai he's a bunny.... I can't get the image of him getting hit and shook and dazed up by 70 mph bouncer from Corey Anderson.....

I bet you any money he would be all at sea against the West Indian quickies of your club from last year....... especially that guy from the British army who was only interested in hitting your head.

 

[Rana]

Rana bhai he's a bunny.... I can't get the image of him getting hit and shook and dazed up by 70 mph bouncer from Corey Anderson.....

I bet you any money he would be all at sea against the West Indian quickies of your club from last year....... especially that guy from the British army who was only interested in hitting your head.

Point...


Who are you mate? Who do you play for?

 

[Rana]

Rana bhai he's a bunny.... I can't get the image of him getting hit and shook and dazed up by 70 mph bouncer from Corey Anderson.....

I bet you any money he would be all at sea against the West Indian quickies of your club from last year....... especially that guy from the British army who was only interested in hitting your head.

On a serious note, he will do well in the UAE. I remember him launching Mitchell Johnson for a straight six in the first over of the second innings. It's flat and straight and it suits him the best. When they say "Talented" they genuinely mean it on flat pancakes. As long as he doesn't try to eat up too many deliveries and plays his shots

 

[mak36]

it is not possible to justify his exclusion from the test without showcasing your bias and agenda

you do not drop a young opener who averages 40 in tests after 13 matches with 3 hundreds and has a very good first class record as well.

one of those hundreds was against australia and the other was vs nz which could have been a 200+ score had he not had his skull cracked on 170.

i am not saying that he will be a top class player in the future but you do not drop players based on your whims and predictions.

yes he has so far failed outside the uae but the sample size is too small to draw any conclusions. azhar ali is now the flavor of the year but lets not forget he was poor outside asia for the first 5 years of his career.

sami aslam did very well 2016 onwards but early in his career he was flopping badly on flat bangladesh wickets where 500 seemed to be the par score

besides test is clearly shehzad's best format and his record in both domestic and international cricket shows that. he has issues with strike rotation but he puts a price on his wicket and can play long innings and his test record so far proves that.

a hundred every 4 matches at the start of the career is more than good enough regardless of the conditions

i am glad that sense has prevailed and the selectors corrected their mistake

i know some people like [MENTION=138463]Slog[/MENTION] [MENTION=139150]aliasad1998[/MENTION] [MENTION=142670]mak36[/MENTION] etc hate him with a passion and seek great pleasure in his failures but facts are facts. he fully deserves to be in the test side

the funny thing is that if he scores runs against sri lanka they will be like:

but it is against sri lanka on uae pitches. he will fail outside asia and this is bad for the future yaar.

and if he fails they will be like:

hahaha he cannot even score runs against sri lanka on uae pitches.



so basically shehzad cannot win.

I didn't realise quoting his stats from his most recent tour amounted to me "hating him with a passion and seeking great pleasure in his failures." Unlike you, I don't hero-worship players. Everything I say is geared towards what I think would be best for Pakistan cricket as a whole. If Shehzad does well in one match/helps Pakistan to victory then I will applaud his efforts. Unfortunately, the truth is that very rarely happens. The only person responsible for that is Shehzad. Sadly, you seem to have forgotten cricket is a team game.

Also, you need to check your tone. I am mature enough to realise people can have diverging opinions on any given topic, but sadly it seems this lesson has passed you by. Once you have finished school I am sure you too will come to appreciate this fact.

 

[Syed1]

Garbage player who missed out on England series last year. Had he gone his career would have been over by now. He will rake up the runs against minnows Sri Lanka on the world's deadest pitches and then book his spot for a couple of series.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

They just don't learn. This guy always manages one fluke innings against a weak attack to fool them for the rest of the year.

 

[another drop catch]

shezzy boy totally desrves it
he and babar are the only batsmen who are fit to play all formats

 

[Abdullah719]

Garbage player who missed out on England series last year. Had he gone his career would have been over by now. He will rake up the runs against minnows Sri Lanka on the world's deadest pitches and then book his spot for a couple of series.

And the New Zealand tour... and the Australia tour. And then called back to face West Indies and now potentially Sri Lanka...

 

[ammar_merry]

On a serious note, he will do well in the UAE. I remember him launching Mitchell Johnson for a straight six in the first over of the second innings. It's flat and straight and it suits him the best. When they say "Talented" they genuinely mean it on flat pancakes. As long as he doesn't try to eat up too many deliveries and plays his shots

you dont remember the yorker next ball

 

[todfod 11]

Has to be the worst player to ay for pakistan. He is a walking wicket against genuine fast bowler. i think even sri lanka bowlers will get him out cheaply. Fawad alam deserved the place more then him.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

No. This sends a wrong message to all those players who work hard but are not selected.

Merit should be the main criteria of selection.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Pretty sure Shehzad will open with Sami Aslam with Azhar dropping to 3. Usman will play at 6 it seems. What doesn't make sense is how has Haris Sohail been selected when he hasnt played FC cricket for about 4 years

I think it's coach and captains call looking at his technique which inzi would have agreed with. He is definitely be part of the middle order in both ODIs as tests in coming years.

 

[Kroll]

Have a feeling they might push Azhar down to #3 because of our inexperienced middle order, hence the addition of an extra opener.

Looks that way, but need to ask the selectors, why fix something that isn't broken? In fact Azhar as opener not only been a pleasant but a huge success. Whereas this new middle order hasn't been tested yet and it would have been good to see how they get on before making a decision like pushing Azhar back down to three. This is kind of showing that even the selectors aren't trusting who they're bringing in.

 

[Rana]

you dont remember the yorker next ball

I do but I still can't forget that straight, desi slap for six. Abdul Razzaq style, proper Lahori passion!!!

 

[msb314]

you dont remember the yorker next ball

Yeah....

After he made 131 runs.

 

[Stallion__]

We are just wasting time and spots on him and Masood

 

[BunnyRabbit]

I think it's coach and captains call looking at his technique which inzi would have agreed with. He is definitely be part of the middle order in both ODIs as tests in coming years.

Has tricky fitness history. I would have preferred Fawad over him. Haris can concentrate on cementing an ODI place in near future.

 

[htariq25]

Fawad alam

 

[shaz619]

Dude going by this logic England shouldn't select Jimmy Anderson for Tests outside England. You have to give the guy a shot at cashing in even though he's struggled outside UAE

All I said is he needs to improve to find success away and be more consistent, did you not read the post...Also, Jimmy is an ATG at home and has been decent away. Comparison with shehzad far fetched as it stands, he has been given a chance now and needs to make the most of it

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Has tricky fitness history. I would have preferred Fawad over him. Haris can concentrate on cementing an ODI place in near future.

Yes history... he was selected to CT based on fitness tests and also now it is Azhar and Yasir facing fitness test failures not haris

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Yes history... he was selected to CT based on fitness tests and also now it is Azhar and Yasir facing fitness test failures not haris

Azhar is injured and Yasir had always been a bit unfit ever since his debut. Taking into account lack of 4 day cricket for Haris, would have been better had he been asked to play a few FC matches in QA trophy and couldve been selected afterwards. Nothing against Haris, love his batting. But honestly speaking, Fawad has been hard done by.