Has Umar Akmal blown his chances of World Cup selection?

[Hawkeye]

To be honest, the options we have got for the finishing roles are Asif Ali, Iftikhar or Umar Akmal
EIther 1 has to be picked.

True.

These guys probably want Fawad Alam or Rizwan to play in place of Umar.

Hilarious.

There's nobody else.

Too reliant on Hafeez, Fakhar to give us good totals. Umar is needed.

 

[MenInG]

True.

These guys probably want Fawad Alam or Rizwan to play in place of Umar.

Hilarious.

There's nobody else.

Too reliant on Hafeez, Fakhar to give us good totals. Umar is needed.

Umar is needed for what exactly? He has shown no spark in this series to tell us that he is any better than what we have.

 

[Hawkeye]

Umar is needed for what exactly? He has shown no spark in this series to tell us that he is any better than what we have.

No need to judge Umar on these pitches.

ENG will be totally different conditions.

Point is he has proven ability and can do his job. Alternatives don't even have the ability.

 

[MenInG]

No need to judge Umar on these pitches.

ENG will be totally different conditions.

Point is he has proven ability and can do his job. Alternatives don't even have the ability.

Problem isnt the pitch. Its his shot selection. If he had been clean bowled by a spinning ball or taken out by a vicious bouncer, your argument would hold some water.

He was given a job to see Pakistan through and using all his experience, he failed.

 

[Abdullah]

I'd rather take Asif

 

[ask_analyse_act]

He shouldnt have been selected based on the PSL performance which is also not over the moon.
Next is the fitness levels, he has gone terribly wrong with that.

 

[Major]

True.

These guys probably want Fawad Alam or Rizwan to play in place of Umar.

Hilarious.

There's nobody else.

Too reliant on Hafeez, Fakhar to give us good totals. Umar is needed.

they need Rizwan at the lower order.

I still believe that Rizwan could become a good finisher for Pakistan. He doesnt go for the rash shot.

 

[umerz]

Yes he has unless he plays an amazing, mind blowing innings in the last match

 

[ARK Rafay]

Abdul Bari won't change. I'll say it again right now Hafeez is Pakistan's best player to play at no. 5 and 6 as finisher followed by Imad at no. 7

 

[Boycottisno2]

Bye bye Akmal.... we got what we expected of you being same as before ...... all his supporters who wanted him back have got egg thrown in their face..... i hope we never mention him again as a players to represent Pakistan again

 

[hadi123]

Let's see what he does in the 5th ODI

 

[Mamoon]

Yes he has, and quite comprehensively.

 

[Mamoon]

To add to the above, I believe he will get one final chance post World Cup when Malik and Hafeez retire from ODIs. It is similar to how Fawad Alam sabotaged his chances of playing in the 2015 World Cup by failing badly in the ODI series vs Australia in the UAE in Nov 2014.

He promptly got his chance in the Bangladesh series after the World Cup with Misbah and Younis out of the way, but he once again failed miserably and sealed his fate, allowing Malik to return to the team in the next series against Zimbabwe in Pakistan.

 

[Forum363]

No need to judge Umar on these pitches.

ENG will be totally different conditions.

Point is he has proven ability and can do his job. Alternatives don't even have the ability.

The only thing he has proven is that no amount of ability can make up for a lack of brain and temperament. As for who’s a better alternative - if there isn’t one, no need to take the best of the worst.

A ‘finisher’ role is not so compulsory that you have to take one. If the options are Asif, Umar and Iftikhar and neither has shown that they belong at international level - then don’t pick any. Just because Umar might be better than the alternatives doesn’t mean we should take him.

Also what a sad state that the teenager who was destroying bond and vettori on test debut on a difficult pitch is being compared to other hacks to see who the least worst player is.

 

[Markhor]

they need Rizwan at the lower order.

I still believe that Rizwan could become a good finisher for Pakistan. He doesnt go for the rash shot.

To be a good finisher you need to be able to hit boundaries. Rizwan has hit one six from his last 428 balls.

If the RRR is 7 and above he'll lose more games than he'll win in that role.

 

[Titan24]

they need Rizwan at the lower order.

I still believe that Rizwan could become a good finisher for Pakistan. He doesnt go for the rash shot.

Rizwan doesnt have much shots against pacers to fair well as finisher or in the death overs.

For a good finisher you need game sense as well as some big shots.

The best ones we have are Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed. Iftikhar has 8 first class centuries as well which shows he can grind in as well if required and he gives that bowling option as well.

 

[Major]

To be a good finisher you need to be able to hit boundaries. Rizwan has hit one six from his last 428 balls.

If the RRR is 7 and above he'll lose more games than he'll win in that role.

i think thats a big misconception. To be a finisher you need to know how to rotate strike and steal singles and 2s.

When 70 or 80 runs are needed in the final 10 overs, the field is still at the boundary.

Finishing role has to be done by 3 players. One being the strike rotator(Rizwan), the otehr being the strike(asif Ali) and the third being a bowler who could stike a few(faheem ashraf).

Iftikhar ahmed is also another option we have

This is where Umar akmal fails at. He doesnt have the fitness to steal those singles and double

 

[Major]

Rizwan doesnt have much shots against pacers to fair well as finisher or in the death overs.

For a good finisher you need game sense as well as some big shots.

The best ones we have are Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed. Iftikhar has 8 first class centuries as well which shows he can grind in as well if required and he gives that bowling option as well.

bro, RIzwan has good game sense. I have seen him play the domestic t20s. the guy knows how to chase.

Its just that he hasn't been able to perform in international, or else he is a great finisher with great game sense.

I remember watching him during a peshawar panthers match that he and rifatullah won. Rifatullah was trying to whack every ball as he had come as an opener and RIzwa had to go up to him and tell him to be patient and there wasn't a need to whack every ball. Rifat himself said this in a post match conference that Rizwan kept guiding him when they made the chase

 

[Markhor]

i think thats a big misconception. To be a finisher you need to know how to rotate strike and steal singles and 2s.

When 70 or 80 runs are needed in the final 10 overs, the field is still at the boundary.

Finishing role has to be done by 3 players. One being the strike rotator(Rizwan), the otehr being the strike(asif Ali) and the third being a bowler who could stike a few(faheem ashraf).

Iftikhar ahmed is also another option we have

This is where Umar akmal fails at. He doesnt have the fitness to steal those singles and double

Rotation is important but when RRR is 9, 10 and 11+ an over as it was yesterday at the death then rotation alone isn't sufficient.

If Rizwan is to play then as you mention - we need a couple of boundary hitters below him so that he's not exposed in situations like yesterday where he struggled to clear the ropes.

 

[786warrior]

What s the use of this explosiveness and so.called technique if you do not have a brain.

His brain was the first thing that exploded back in the day!

 

[pak4life]

Sad reality is his still one of our best one day player. That's how poor we are currently. I expect him still to go as there are no other viable options.

 

[asifkhan]

We have seen years in years out that this guy never learns, his assessment of match situation and shot selection is poor to say the least.

 

[The_Odd_One]

No way is he going to make the middle order ahead of Babar, Hafeez, Haris, Rizwan, Malik, and specialist captain.

 

[Hasan123]

I don't think he will make the WC squad now.

 

[Kroll]

No way is he going to make the middle order ahead of Babar, Hafeez, Haris, Rizwan, Malik, and specialist captain.

Ironic thing is that's such a mediocre middle order. Akmal will be kicking himself when realises what a golden opportunity missed.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Ironic thing is that's such a mediocre middle order. Akmal will be kicking himself when realises what a golden opportunity missed.

They may be mediocre but each of them has outperformed Akmal.

 

[MMHS]

I don't think he has done enough.

Started the series great at 4, but obviously he was the guy pushed down to accommodate others, which keeps the excuse still alive, but I do think he won't make it. Life is full of chances, but you have to know to hold on to one - he started as the top favorite, but lost ground to Rizwan and this guy in last game changed the entire equation. Personally, I'll always back him for a WC outside Asia and more so when his replacements (or the guys picked ahead of him) are Rizwan & Malik.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

Umar so far in this series has scored:

7
36
16
48

He's played some wonderful shots but has also thrown his wicket away at times. Has he done enough for World Cup selection or does it all depend on what he does in the 5th ODI?

He always throws his wicket away, that is the real problem with him. Take Abid Ali & Rizwan instead no need for Umar Akmal.

 

[Saj]

It seems that Rizwan has outperformed him in this series and probably done enough to edge Umar out of the World Cup squad.

 

[Sher Khan]

It seems that Rizwan has outperformed him in this series and probably done enough to edge Umar out of the World Cup squad.

They were never fighting for the same spot. It was always between Umar and Asif Ali for the lower middle order gap or the finisher role. It was clear from the SA series that Rizwan is not a hitter. The PSL further made it clearer.

Regardles of his performances, Rizwan will not go with the 15 man squad to the WC. Sarfraz is there as the captain. Should he be injured, then Rizwan will be called as his replacement. But Pakistan will not waste a spot in the 15 man squad for a player that will not play barring injury to the captain.

 

[MenInG]

A huge opportunity to become a hero if he takes Pakistan close to the target... Can he do it?

 

[shaaik]

So that should be it for Umar Akmal as far as his chances in the world cup squad are concerned. As always has got only himself to blame, was looking really good to take Pakistan home tonight until he let his usual self take over.

 

[Markhor]

The top batsmen don't resort to these aerial shots because they've the ability to score boundaries by finding gaps, maneuvering the field and hitting shots along the ground.

UA on the other hand always holes out in the deep with these brainless high risk shots.

 

[Plumb]

Brilliant performances by UA isn’t it??.. made 40+ which is all he can do on a good day. That’s the kind of mindless player he is, door is that way UA and don’t look back. Stay away from pak team.

 

[aloo paratha]

Hopefully we never see him in a Pakistan jersey ever again.

 

[GreenKhan]

He didn’t manage a single 50 in 5 Innings and he had least 25 plus overs to bat in 4 innings .
Which is ample time to rotate strike and score big . Its a shame but he basically has not learnt . I want Umar to do well for the sake of Pakistan cricket but he lacks the basic ingredients of building an innings .

Haris , rizwan have outperformed him by a country mile in this series . They took there chances and with support from other batsman like Umar Akmal we maybe would have won 2 -3 games .

 

[Destroyer88]

It seems that Rizwan has outperformed him in this series and probably done enough to edge Umar out of the World Cup squad.

I think the debate around asif ali...umar akmal and rizwan can be concluded.. rizwan maybe not as brilliant with his SR but has surely stacked up runs..question is doesn he still make it to the team as purely as a batsman when sarfaraz returns??

 

[Zaz]

To be honest, the options we have got for the finishing roles are Asif Ali, Iftikhar or Umar Akmal
EIther 1 has to be picked.

No they dont None know or have the ability to finish games Id rather stick with the steady eddies than the brianless ones

 

[Chokli]

really?? how about trying him as opener as you suggested?? or may be we should ask him where you want to bat my best player?

Might as well give it a go since we're 0-1 anyway.

 

[Forum363]

He didn’t manage a single 50 in 5 Innings and he had least 25 plus overs to bat in 4 innings .
Which is ample time to rotate strike and score big . Its a shame but he basically has not learnt . I want Umar to do well for the sake of Pakistan cricket but he lacks the basic ingredients of building an innings .

Haris , rizwan have outperformed him by a country mile in this series . They took there chances and with support from other batsman like Umar Akmal we maybe would have won 2 -3 games .

This ^!

And it’s not like he was blasting it to all parts. He ended up with a strike rate of 88 in the series. Haris got twice the runs at 86 while Rizwan batted at 94.

This should end all idea of Akmal being an ‘impact’ or ‘dynamic’ batsman, a finisher, our only six hitter etc.

A limited batsman like Rizwan outperformed him completely in the same conditions.

I think this should be the last time he wears a Pakistan shirt.

 

[Bilal7]

I hope he gets selected. He's played two good innings at a good SR and despite his propensity to throw it away at the worst times, he posseses the type of game that our team is clearly lacking. In my opinion, he will do well in England batting at #5 or #6.

 

[Chokli]

I hope he gets selected. He's played two good innings at a good SR and despite his propensity to throw it away at the worst times, he posseses the type of game that our team is clearly lacking. In my opinion, he will do well in England batting at #5 or #6.

Do you think he'll be able to win us high pressure World Cup games?

 

[Stewie]

If Pakistan keeps selecting umer akmal from herein forward, thst would be akin to allowing someone with a severe learning disability into a PhD program.

The dude is a perennial failure.. we have been waiting for his “potential” to result in meaningful performance for a decade now.. he is worse than Graeme Hick at international level.

 

[gazza619]

Umar looked good today. The best thing was the selfless attitude. He could have easily taken a few more singles to his 50 but the required run rate was creeping to 9.

You know what I dont get all this fuss about asif ali. I would Umar Akmal over him any day.

 

[coy0607]

I had high hopes from him in this series. But U Akmal clearly doesn't have the drive to be a quality international cricketer

Hope he isn't selected for Pakistan again. Let him play in T20 leagues around the world, his talents will be best served there

 

[Bilal7]

Do you think he'll be able to win us high pressure World Cup games?

No, I don't expect him to do wonders in England. However, not every player in a team has to be a star. The batting will rely heavily on Babar, but we need players like Akmal to cover Babar's weaknesses.

 

[topspin]

Just like with what I've said about Asif Ali, don't think it's fair to judge Umar Akmal in UAE. Both of these players thrive with pace on the ball and lets also not forget the boundaries in England will be significantly smaller as well.

I said it there and then when Asif Ali was excluded from the ODIs in SA - it was unjust that he wasn't given an opportunity on faster wickets which suit his game. All I see is double standards on here, most of you who want him back were happy to see him dropped.

It's the same scenario here with Umar Akmal and we cannot settle for an accumulator XI which will bring below-par scores and no realistic challenge for 300+ run chases.

Although on current form and confidence they may end up failing more often than succeeding, but it's worth the gamble because if one or both of these players perform on the day then we will have a great start to put up a total that is above par and clinch run chases, provided Pakistan starts well with the top 3.

 

[topspin]

Just like with what I've said about Asif Ali, don't think it's fair to judge Umar Akmal in UAE. Both of these players thrive with pace on the ball and lets also not forget the boundaries in England will be significantly smaller as well.

I said it there and then when Asif Ali was excluded from the ODIs in SA - it was unjust that he wasn't given an opportunity on faster wickets which suit his game. All I see is double standards on here, most of you who want him back were happy to see him dropped.

It's the same scenario here with Umar Akmal and we cannot settle for an accumulator XI which will bring below-par scores and no realistic challenge for 300+ run chases.

Although on current form and confidence they may end up failing more often than succeeding, but it's worth the gamble because if one or both of these players perform on the day then we will have a great start to put up a total that is above par and clinch run chases, provided Pakistan starts well with the top 3.

chance*

 

[Forum363]

Just like with what I've said about Asif Ali, don't think it's fair to judge Umar Akmal in UAE. Both of these players thrive with pace on the ball and lets also not forget the boundaries in England will be significantly smaller as well.

I said it there and then when Asif Ali was excluded from the ODIs in SA - it was unjust that he wasn't given an opportunity on faster wickets which suit his game. All I see is double standards on here, most of you who want him back were happy to see him dropped.

It's the same scenario here with Umar Akmal and we cannot settle for an accumulator XI which will bring below-par scores and no realistic challenge for 300+ run chases.

Although on current form and confidence they may end up failing more often than succeeding, but it's worth the gamble because if one or both of these players perform on the day then we will have a great start to put up a total that is above par and clinch run chases, provided Pakistan starts well with the top 3.

Okay so the pitch was to blame?

I saw others like maxwell, finch etc hitting out on these pitches. Why is Akmal put at a different standard?

Stop making excuses. He was given chances. He not only flopped, the manner in which he got out was exactly the same as he always has done. Leaning on his bat and then random hoick out of nowhere.

 

[Theo_14]

What surprised me the most was his lack of concentration when fielding. 4-5 years ago he was very sharp and quick in the fielding aspect.

I personally don’t see any harm in taking either him or Asif Ali.

 

[Forum363]

What surprised me the most was his lack of concentration when fielding. 4-5 years ago he was very sharp and quick in the fielding aspect.

I personally don’t see any harm in taking either him or Asif Ali.

Waqar called him out on it a couple of times. He missed a simple change in the first over and Waqar rightfully asked why his concentrating was already lapsing, they had been on the field for 5 minutes. Also he pointed out how Umar wasn’t getting his body behind the ball. Seemed a bit apprehensive / scared.

 

[topspin]

Okay so the pitch was to blame?

I saw others like maxwell, finch etc hitting out on these pitches. Why is Akmal put at a different standard?

Stop making excuses. He was given chances. He not only flopped, the manner in which he got out was exactly the same as he always has done. Leaning on his bat and then random hoick out of nowhere.

No I'm saying players like Umar Akmal (and Asif Ali) are significantly weaker against spin and this ends up being magnified on the slowest of wickets you find in the UAE. Finch and Maxwell are far superior players against spin, so it's a lot easier for them to get set.

Therefore, it's unjust to judge Umar Akmal and Asif Ali merely on the basis of performances in the UAE when they thrive on pitches with pace. Both of them are gifted players of pace and their firepower will be needed in England. I'm happy for the former to be discarded if he doesn't prove form and fitness in the next ODI series, however I rather take a run ball 40 than a 40 off 60 from a strokeless wonder in Shoaib Malik (with his slower reflexes as well) against the faster bowlers.

A middle order with no firepower but with just accumulators will ensure Pakistan is 20% below par scores and short of chasing down 300+ run chases. If one (or both) of these batsmen can perform on the day then we may have a chance of actually competing with the bat.