Hold Abid Ali accountable for his low average against all teams barring Sri Lanka

[Junaids]

Why is Abid Ali in the Pakistan team?

He is currently 33 years and 3 months old.

He is 4 months younger than Alastair Cook was when he played his last Test. He is 2 months older than Graeme Smith was.

Abid Ali has a Test record very similar to Yasir Hameed's, in that is bloated by 2 centuries against a club level attack.

v Sri Lanka (home): 109*, 38, 174
v Bangladesh (home): 0
v England (away): 16, 20, 60, 1, 42
v New Zealand (away): 25, 0, 25

A Test average of 46.36 looks good, but it's a mirage.

Take away that first series against a Sri Lankan B team and you are left with:

6 Tests
9 innings, 0 x not out
1 fifty, 0 hundreds
189 runs,
Average 21.00

In fact, in Pakistan's last 6 Tests across 3 different series:
ABID ALI - now 33 years old: 189 runs at 21.00
SHAN MASOOD - now 31 years old: 289 runs at 32.11

It's bad enough that Shan Masood is a non-performing 31 year old opener. But Abid Ali has basically just added another non-performing geriatric to the side.

 

[Rana]

He’s still been our best opener. Other than that we only have a tin opener to select from on overseas tours

 

[Markhor]

It's 2021 but the OP continues with the same old script.

Yes sack all the over 30 year olds and put Mohammad Nawaz at 5 and we'll be having tea with the Test mace at Lord's in the summer.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Where’s the post for Shan? Also no analysis of the fact that the 32 average you listed for Shan is inflated by the 150 and otherwise averages 4 in comparison to 21 by Abid?

The same Abid who has looked thrice as comfortable in New Zealand? And who was the best home track bully earlier last year?

Yet Abid gets the callout and not Shan? Azhar gets the callout and again not Shan? What about Haris?

 

[Rana]

Harris Sohail, our most naturally gifted batsman after Babar....The way he plays in the first 30 overs at the crease is for all to see on how terrible we are when it comes to dealing with such conditions that are not favourable like home.

Abid still has the mentality to want to fight and grind. Not sure if it is sensible to get rid of him or scapegoat him whilst there is no other alternative who could show some grit and determination in these conditions. Sami Aslam is his own worst enemy I am afraid.

 

[hitthestump]

Abid does not have the technique to survive in SENA. Sooner rather than later he will get a ball which he doesn't know how to adjust to.

Asia is a different matter and he will do well there.

 

[Ahmed216]

Lots of faults in his technique. Even today was pushing at the ball with bat way in front of his body. Easily replaceable by Imran butt who wont do worse

 

[coy0607]

That average of 21 is somehow better than what I expected.

Mentally I don't even associate run-scoring with Abid and Shan - anything over 0 is a bonus

 

[Saj]

I know he made 20 or so in this innings, but most of the shots were airy fairy with some going through the slips.

It was an unconvincing innings.

 

[mazkhan]

Abid did ok today alongside azhar against the new ball they set a good platform and negotiated the opening bowlers reasonably well. Abid has some good stokeplay

It was jamieson with his awkward bounce that started causing the problems for Pakistan, not really gonna call our batsmen out on a tough pitch with bounce they are not used to and a 6.8ft jamieson bowling a brute spell

 

[shah_1]

How many openers have done well in these conditions(Eng & NZ) against England or NZ attack. Maybe Dean Elgar, and Latham

He will score a lot of of runs in Pakistan, best opener for Pakistan in those condition.

 

[Rana]

How many openers have done well in these conditions(Eng & NZ) against England or NZ attack. Maybe Dean Elgar, and Latham

He will score a lot of of runs in Pakistan, best opener for Pakistan in those condition.

Exactly. You have to let the guy feast when he can especially after toiling so hard for your side and contributing somehow by negotiating the new ball.

 

[Junaids]

How many openers have done well in these conditions(Eng & NZ) against England or NZ attack. Maybe Dean Elgar, and Latham

He will score a lot of of runs in Pakistan, best opener for Pakistan in those condition.

Sami Aslam in 2016 did this:

In England:
82 and 70
3 and 12*

In NZ:
19 and 7
5 and 91

Sami Aslam in England and New Zealand:
289 runs at 41.29

Abid Ali in England and New Zealand:
189 runs at 23.63

 

[Majestic]

Rohit Sharma and Prithvi Shaw also has a test average which looks good but it is a mirage.

 

[Bewal Express]

Mentally weak- he saw one ball spin at OT and panicked, he got hit by one ball by Jamieson in the 1st test and fell to pieces and he was again hit last night and once again it led to his dismissal a few overs later.

 

[Mobashir]

He is not good enough for international cricket. The problem with the batting line up currently is that apart from Babar they are all nearing the exit and you can't change 4 players in your top 5.

But surely, Abid Ali isn't a long term option.

 

[Titan24]

Sami Aslam in 2016 did this:

In England:
82 and 70
3 and 12*

In NZ:
19 and 7
5 and 91

Sami Aslam in England and New Zealand:
289 runs at 41.29

Abid Ali in England and New Zealand:
189 runs at 23.63

To be honest other than Eng Sami didnt do much. Averaged 12 in Aus (2 matches), averaged 15 in BD (2 matches), averaged 30 in NZ (2 matches) while 37 in UAE in 5 matches (4 50s). Potential was there and rather than following up a good QAE season with another one to push for his re selection, he took a drastic step.

While Abid has definitely not done much in overseas conditions so far but, he has done well in Pak till now and has scored couple of 100s. I liked Sami Aslam but when he look at his case in isolation he was rightfully dropped at that time.

However, when we compare his case with Shan Masood there isnt much justification that why one opener got so many chances with almost similar stats while other didnt. Yes Masood had a 100 in his initial few matches and Sami didnt but, I dont think it could be such a huge factor to get more than double the amount of matches in comparison to Sami to prove himself. Yes it can be attitude and overall gelling within the team atmosphere as well but, we dont have any information for that.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Sami Aslam in 2016 did this:

In England:
82 and 70
3 and 12*

In NZ:
19 and 7
5 and 91

Sami Aslam in England and New Zealand:
289 runs at 41.29

Abid Ali in England and New Zealand:
189 runs at 23.63

What was Sami’s performance in the recent QeA. I would’ve picked Sami as well after his 2019/20 run but it wasn’t to be and like we said the selection process has been a questionable as of late.

You should be averaging the 2 tours separately. If we don’t account for the 12* then he averaged +50 in England and 30 in NZ.

I think after yesterday I’m quite disappointed with most of you guys on here. Praise a guy when he does well but then bury him when he scores nothing and then act like as if you could’ve done a better job by providing batting advise to deliveries that were absolute peaches.

Stop with the age brigade nonsense, however all in all I agree Abid may need dropping as he didn’t play well and got out playing loose shots. This is a very tough pitch to bat on and generally it’s low scores, even a +30 score is enough.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Sami Aslam in 2016 did this:

In England:
82 and 70
3 and 12*

In NZ:
19 and 7
5 and 91

Sami Aslam in England and New Zealand:
289 runs at 41.29

Abid Ali in England and New Zealand:
189 runs at 23.63

Had Sami Aslam waited for the new chief selector, he might have been given a few chances in the coming series. He could have easily piled runs in the home series and made the spot his, but he went off to US and has thrown away any chance of making the team.

Looking into domestic cricket at the moment, I think that there are 3 batsmen who need to be brought into the team: Usman Salahuddin, Kamran Ghullam, and Saud Shakeel. These guys have impressed me and offer a lot more flexibility due to their youth, and can serve us for a long time. Hopefully two of them come good.

When we are preparing for the SA series, Imran Butt should be handed a debut to open the innings, with one of the three batsmen I mentioned in the middle order. I think Saud will get the spot, he has the best technique out of all the batsmen.

Abid will still be played against SA, and there are a lot of home series coming up for him to pile runs. Shan will be axed from the team after this innings, he has far too many weaknesses against the moving ball.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

How many threads will you make with the same underlying theme i.e. age?

Abid Ali has gotten here after years of toil in domestic. And you are already making a judgment on him based on 6 tests. If it was up to people like you Babar Azam would never have had a test career at all. Because we all know how much of an abject failure he was in this format in his first 15 tests.

Also, your vision of Pakistan fielding essentially an U-19 team in test matches is neither realistic nor will it ever happen.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Considering the amount of chances Shan and Imam have been getting in tests, Abid Ali can be given just as long a length as them.
He is still blunting the new ball.

Who do we have in domestic? Imran Butt maybe. Rohail Nazir could be a makeshift opener. Fakhar is a walking duck against the short ball.
Everyone who are vouching for Sharjeel, he wouldn't last more than an over on these pitches.

 

[Junaids]

How many threads will you make with the same underlying theme i.e. age?

Abid Ali has gotten here after years of toil in domestic. And you are already making a judgment on him based on 6 tests. If it was up to people like you Babar Azam would never have had a test career at all. Because we all know how much of an abject failure he was in this format in his first 15 tests.

Also, your vision of Pakistan fielding essentially an U-19 team in test matches is neither realistic nor will it ever happen.

Firstly, I have no problem in allowing a youngster like Babar time to develop.

But Abid Ali is 33 and Fawad Alam is 35. And across the last two tours they average 21 and 26 respectively.

Wouldn’t it be better to give those opportunities to Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel?

Secondly, I oppose underage players just as strongly as overage ones. I want 8 places out of 11 occupied by players at their peak - between the ages of 21 and 30.

Naseem Shah is 70% of the bowler he will be at 28.

And Abid Ali is 70% of the batsman that he was at 28.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Firstly, I have no problem in allowing a youngster like Babar time to develop.

But Abid Ali is 33 and Fawad Alam is 35. And across the last two tours they average 21 and 26 respectively.

Wouldn’t it be better to give those opportunities to Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel?

Secondly, I oppose underage players just as strongly as overage ones. I want 8 places out of 11 occupied by players at their peak - between the ages of 21 and 30.

Naseem Shah is 70% of the bowler he will be at 28.

And Abid Ali is 70% of the batsman that he was at 28.

See age brigade at it's finest. How long till you give them, they fail and you drop them? You haven't even mentioned the biggest flop being Shan Masood and Haris Sohail both younger and both did a whole lot worse.

This is the issue with fans you go change happy unnecessarily. Where were you guys when Azhar failed 12 innings in a row and yet nobody called for him to be dropped? All of a sudden he's a hero risen from the ashes with his 93, give me a break seriously.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

How many threads will you make with the same underlying theme i.e. age?

Abid Ali has gotten here after years of toil in domestic. And you are already making a judgment on him based on 6 tests. If it was up to people like you Babar Azam would never have had a test career at all. Because we all know how much of an abject failure he was in this format in his first 15 tests.

Also, your vision of Pakistan fielding essentially an U-19 team in test matches is neither realistic nor will it ever happen.

Somebody sane left. Young guns sometimes make awful mistakes so it's not always a good thing to play an awfully young team. However, if Abid does fail to make an impact in the SA series then his drop is justified.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Firstly, I have no problem in allowing a youngster like Babar time to develop.

But Abid Ali is 33 and Fawad Alam is 35. And across the last two tours they average 21 and 26 respectively.

Wouldn’t it be better to give those opportunities to Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel?

Secondly, I oppose underage players just as strongly as overage ones. I want 8 places out of 11 occupied by players at their peak - between the ages of 21 and 30.

Naseem Shah is 70% of the bowler he will be at 28.

And Abid Ali is 70% of the batsman that he was at 28.

Again with Fawad Alam.

Fawad Alam is a player the likes of which Pakistan has literally never seen in its history. He reached Pakistan's highest ever FC average in 2013 and still holds that record which tells me he can still play.

Abid Ali had many great consistent seasons both in domestic and with Pakistan A before reaching the national team.

And no, giving their opportunities to Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel would not be better. Because they have literally spent their lives earning these opportunities unlike these guys who have had one good season

Nobody is opposing Saud Shakeel and Kamran Ghulam's selection. But there is a way to bring in new players. First they should play some A cricket. And if they do well there then they can get a place in the national squad. But not at the expense of any of these established players.

Also, you obsession with age is incredibly misplaced. Especially when some of the best test cricketers have played test cricket till their late 30s, early 40s. So please stop peddling this myth that being 30 and above is somehow bad for the team. If someone is performing consistently and making runs till they are 50 then they can play till that age.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Sami Aslam in 2016 did this:

In England:
82 and 70
3 and 12*

In NZ:
19 and 7
5 and 91

Sami Aslam in England and New Zealand:
289 runs at 41.29

Abid Ali in England and New Zealand:
189 runs at 23.63

This is an intellectually dishonest use of stats.

Where are Sami Aslam's numbers for the Australia series? Where he would play 80 something balls for 5 runs?

You also forgot to mention that Sami Aslam didn't win us a single game with any of these worthless knocks. The one time he could have saved a test match for Pakistan in New Zealand, when he was set at the crease on 91 on the final day, he gave his wicket away and not long after Pakistan lost 9 wickets in a session.

 

[Junaids]

Again with Fawad Alam.

Fawad Alam is a player the likes of which Pakistan has literally never seen in its history. He reached Pakistan's highest ever FC average in 2013 and still holds that record which tells me he can still play.

Abid Ali had many great consistent seasons both in domestic and with Pakistan A before reaching the national team.

And no, giving their opportunities to Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel would not be better. Because they have literally spent their lives earning these opportunities unlike these guys who have had one good season

Nobody is opposing Saud Shakeel and Kamran Ghulam's selection. But there is a way to bring in new players. First they should play some A cricket. And if they do well there then they can get a place in the national squad. But not at the expense of any of these established players.

Also, you obsession with age is incredibly misplaced. Especially when some of the best test cricketers have played test cricket till their late 30s, early 40s. So please stop peddling this myth that being 30 and above is somehow bad for the team. If someone is performing consistently and making runs till they are 50 then they can play till that age.

Just for the record:

80% of Test cricketers play their last Test by the age of 32. (So on average 9 players per team should be under 32.)

90% play their last Test by the age of 33.

2% still play after the age of 35.

Azhar is about to be 36.
Fawad is 35.
Yasir Shah is 34.
Abid Ali is 33.
Haris Sohail is probably around 34-35.

Pakistan is the odd one out - not me!

 

[GreenKhan]

Just for the record:

80% of Test cricketers play their last Test by the age of 32. (So on average 9 players per team should be under 32.)

90% play their last Test by the age of 33.

2% still play after the age of 35.

Azhar is about to be 36.
Fawad is 35.
Yasir Shah is 34.
Abid Ali is 33.
Haris Sohail is probably around 34-35.

Pakistan is the odd one out - not me!

Where did you get this 80% rubbish from ?
Have you seen the ages of the current Australia team and even the New Zealand team .

If you have any credibility you will back this stat up with some evidence. Put your money where your mouth is.

 

[Majestic]

Just for the record:

80% of Test cricketers play their last Test by the age of 32. (So on average 9 players per team should be under 32.)

90% play their last Test by the age of 33.

2% still play after the age of 35.

Azhar is about to be 36.
Fawad is 35.
Yasir Shah is 34.
Abid Ali is 33.
Haris Sohail is probably around 34-35.

Pakistan is the odd one out - not me!

These things are pointless. What are stats of Younis and Misbah after they turned 32 age? Compare this to Azhar, Asad and Harris performance in the mid-age of 25-32.

 

[Hasan123]

He is average but you don't help yourself when you advocate for players like Nawaz and Ehsan Adil. Also you want to throw in players like Haider Ali and Rohail who aren't ready for test cricket.

 

[aloo paratha]

I'm willing to give Abid some more chances. He'll do really well in Pakistan, and in Asia in general. In the next 2 years we play 6 series in Asia (4 in Pakistan), so it might not be a bad idea to keep him around. We don't play anymore tests in SENA until at least 2023.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Just for the record:

80% of Test cricketers play their last Test by the age of 32. (So on average 9 players per team should be under 32.)

90% play their last Test by the age of 33.

2% still play after the age of 35.

Azhar is about to be 36.
Fawad is 35.
Yasir Shah is 34.
Abid Ali is 33.
Haris Sohail is probably around 34-35.

Pakistan is the odd one out - not me!

I don't know where you found this arbitrary stat from but let me name you some Test cricketers who had the best years of their careers after crossing the age of 30.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Michael Hussey (debut after 30)
Faf du Plessis
Chris Rogers (despite being short-sighted and color blind)
Misbah-ul-Haq
Dave Houghton (debut after 30)
Jacques Kallis
Matthew Hayden
Saeed Ajmal (debut after 30)
Ryan Harris (debut after 30)
Jimmy Anderson
Brad Haddin (debut after 30)

Chanderpaul reached the top of the ICC Test Batting Rankings at the age of 41.
du Plessis who is 36, scored his best ever Test score last week.
Ditto for Kallis who smashed the highest ever score of his storied career (224) at the age of 37 and was averaging 67 in the same year.
Dravid who retired at the age of 38 was averaging 57 in the year before his retirement.

What you are peddling is a pure myth. Age is just a number if you are good enough. Perhaps no one exemplifies that more than Shivnrine Chanderpaul. And if the stat you shared is based on the 143 year long history of test cricket then it cannot be taken seriously at all.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

If Chanderpaul can reach the top of the batting rankings at the age of 41 and Chris Rogers can have pretty good career despite short-sighted, color blind and debuting at the age of 31, then I think our guys can play as long as they are performing.

If someone is truly good enough to replace these guys he will be in the side in soon enough. Till then let's stop building up the Saud Shakeels of domestic cricket as the second coming of Tendulkar

 

[Amjid Javed]

Currently he looks technically shot. Hes not prepared to graft in tough conditions and his expansive shots need to be reigned in when ball is moving around. He also looks scared of the short ball. Technically hes got lots he needs to work on.

 

[Bewal Express]

Currently he looks technically shot. Hes not prepared to graft in tough conditions and his expansive shots need to be reigned in when ball is moving around. He also looks scared of the short ball. Technically hes got lots he needs to work on.

Scared is a mild way of putting it.

 

[Bigboii]

Abid and Azhar should be opening

Azhar innings yesterday proved that if you're dead set to put Azhar in the team than you must open with him he is useless otherwise

 

[Saj]

Frustrating as he had seen off the new ball and should have gone on.

It was a nothing shot he played to get out.

 

[Kroll]

Nope, shouldn't be held accountable, he's only one of many failing amigos in the team. The accountability lies with Misbah for selecting him.

After all, isn't that what Wasim Khan was telling us; Misbah will be held accountable?

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

We would be better off developing a 22 year old because at his age he should be delivering in SENA.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Firstly, I have no problem in allowing a youngster like Babar time to develop.

But Abid Ali is 33 and Fawad Alam is 35. And across the last two tours they average 21 and 26 respectively.

Wouldn’t it be better to give those opportunities to Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel?

Secondly, I oppose underage players just as strongly as overage ones. I want 8 places out of 11 occupied by players at their peak - between the ages of 21 and 30.

Naseem Shah is 70% of the bowler he will be at 28.

And Abid Ali is 70% of the batsman that he was at 28.

Tinfoil hat argument. Saud and Kamran replace Shan Masood and Haris Sohail while Babar comes in instead of Faheem Ashraf since it’s Asia.

1. Abid Ali
2. Azhar Ali
3. Kamran Ghulam
4. Babar Azam
5. Saud Shakeel
6. Fawad Alam
7. Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
8. Zafar Gohar
9. Sajid Khan
10. Hassan Ali
11. Shaheen Afridi

This is the young Junaids XI you’re looking for. You can’t drop the entire top 5 at once.

 

[Savak]

Abid Ali came into the team based on many years of topping the domestic charts.

 

[Junaids]

Tinfoil hat argument. Saud and Kamran replace Shan Masood and Haris Sohail while Babar comes in instead of Faheem Ashraf since it’s Asia.

1. Abid Ali
2. Azhar Ali
3. Kamran Ghulam
4. Babar Azam
5. Saud Shakeel
6. Fawad Alam
7. Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
8. Zafar Gohar
9. Sajid Khan
10. Hassan Ali
11. Shaheen Afridi

This is the young Junaids XI you’re looking for. You can’t drop the entire top 5 at once.

But Abid Ali, Haris Sohail and Fawad Alam have only just been INSERTED into the Top Five!

That's the problem with Misbah's lack of long-term planning - he dismantled a young team and filled it with men in their thirties.

The last Inzamam/Arthur Test team had the following ages:

OPENERS: 29 and 23
MIDDLE-ORDER: 33 (failing), 24, 32 (failing)
WICKETKEEPER: 31
ALL-ROUNDERS: 25 and 20
FAST BOWLERS: 28, 26 and 24

That is a proper age mix for a team. Inzamam clearly had more of a long-term strategy than Misbah does. Now the team is just geriatrics and kids.

 

[Junaids]

Abid Ali came into the team based on many years of topping the domestic charts.

Which is a TERRIBLE way to peak a team.

Don't pick an old player years after he excels in domestic.

Pick players WHILE they are performing!

 

[Thunderbolt14]

But Abid Ali, Haris Sohail and Fawad Alam have only just been INSERTED into the Top Five!

That's the problem with Misbah's lack of long-term planning - he dismantled a young team and filled it with men in their thirties.

The last Inzamam/Arthur Test team had the following ages:

OPENERS: 29 and 23
MIDDLE-ORDER: 33 (failing), 24, 32 (failing)
WICKETKEEPER: 31
ALL-ROUNDERS: 25 and 20
FAST BOWLERS: 28, 26 and 24

That is a proper age mix for a team. Inzamam clearly had more of a long-term strategy than Misbah does. Now the team is just geriatrics and kids.

Haris Sohail isn’t in the team I posted.

Inzamam’s team was indeed a good mix. Misbah has indeed messed it up.

But the combination moving forward including Shan and Haris cannot work (your lineup since you’re really only focusing on Azhar and Abid). Unless you want to drop 3-4 batsmen in one go?

 

[Manunited18]

If he's the best opener in pak domestic then the cupboard is shockingly bear

 

[Rayyman]

Abid Ali with another failure.

 

[GreenKhan]

He’s getting into the 20s occupying the crease and then gets out ! Not sure what to make of it . Frustrating to say the least

 

[Rana]

Abid ko Pakkro!

Usko Jhinjorro!

Uss se Accountability nikalo!!

 

[NoBallZombie]

Our problem is a mix of lack of longsightedness and being reactionary. Yes we have been terrible but you can’t dismantle the full team, rather phase out individuals.

Regardless of what Harris does here, his name along with shan should be the ones dropped immediately. Given we are playing a few series in Pakistan next, moving azhar to open would not be a bad idea to partner abid. Abid may not have done much in sena but he deserves a good go after being picked for the team, can’t have people being picked and dropped after a couple of bad series.

 

[NoBallZombie]

Abid ko Pakkro!

Usko Jhinjorro!

Uss se Accountability nikalo!!

Abid needs to work with Yousuf too. The biggest problem with these players is not knowing their off stump and fishing at balls outside their stumps. Younis was real good at leaving those alone but I am not sure why that skill and knowledge is not being passed on to these guys. Azhar in the last few innings has made that adjustment and leaving the balls well in addition to being more upright and balanced.

 

[mazkhan]

Does the tough work then gets out

You might as well play hacks like sharjeel or fakhar who will make a quickfire 25 30 and get out , and on flat tracks with low bounce in pakistan let rip with a quickfire 50 once in a while.
For all the occupying crease and playing out the new ball abid still makes 20 odd runs

 

[Bilal_103]

Abid Ali looks so uncomfortable playing against bounce someone needs to work with him. The guy is prone to lunge forward on most of the deliveries.

 

[ads101]

I don't know where you found this arbitrary stat from but let me name you some Test cricketers who had the best years of their careers after crossing the age of 30.
.

No problem playing cricketers after 30. The issue is more debuting them. There's a learning period where you adapt to international cricket. You don't have much time at 32/33 until you finally have to retire. Usually older cricketers will use their experience to compensate, which guys debuting/early on in their career won't have. They'll have to hit the ground running, there's very little time they can be given.

Having said that Abid deserves the next series. He still averages 45 in tests and a respectable 39 in ODIs and has been doing well in domestic consistently for last few years. I can see him scoring big on those Asian pitches.

We have hardly any good domestic openers right now. Only one really pressing for selection as an opener is Imam and even then it's not really based on his first class performance, more on his ODI exploits. I think maybe we should just work out who's the best between Masood and Abid, keep that one, and drop the other for Imam. Even if that takes one more series to figure out, I don't think there's a rush to bring in Imam yet, still got time.

 

[ElRaja]

abid has done poorly, but shans position is way less tenable, and there is simply no domestic alternative to put the heat on abid. he will most likely do better in pak, and opening in NZ is not easy.

also hes one of the few batsmen who bat at a decent pace on easy wickets.

 

[Suleiman]

Has been awful. Pre selection he was hyped to the moon as usual

 

[Junaids]

Averaged 19.00 aged 33 in this series.

At his age that should be career-ending.

 

[Bilal_103]

Averaged 19.00 aged 33 in this series.

At his age that should be career-ending.

I agree hes not even a long term option what's the point carrying on with him?

 

[hitthestump]

He doesn't have the technique for SENA, but he will fill his boots at home. The fact he can even get starts on these wickets is something.

When he gets on a low, predictable bouncing surface with little movement you'll see him perform.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Averaged 19.00 aged 33 in this series.

At his age that should be career-ending.

But averaging 3 at 31 isn’t career ending?

 

[Rayyman]

But averaging 3 at 31 isn’t career ending?

Why can’t both Abid and Shan be dropped?

Imam is not a newbie. He has plenty of experience at the international level.

 

[Pakpak]

Averaged 19.00 aged 33 in this series.

At his age that should be career-ending.

I agree hes not even a long term option what's the point carrying on with him?

Yup. I fail to romanticise a 33 year old (let's be honest given the true ages of our players he's likely 35). We should be planning for the next test championship and the future. There is no point investing in people who are at the end of their careers regardless of their domestic exploits. He was hard done by like Fawad but we can't go back in time and change it. What we can do is give the debut to deserving domestic players who are in their 20s NOW instead of the twilight of their careers at 33.

 

[Mamoon]

He is a poor batsman, but he can score quickly and drive the ball well of his front-foot. Pakistan is not going to play outside Asia for a very long time, so I think we can extract 2-3 series out of him.

I would drop hard working Masood and pair Imam with Abid for the South African series.

If Abid fails, he should be dropped from the team. At this stage, he should be picked on series-by-series basis on Asian tracks.

 

[szrana007]

He is a poor batsman, but he can score quickly and drive the ball well of his front-foot. Pakistan is not going to play outside Asia for a very long time, so I think we can extract 2-3 series out of him.

I would drop hard working Masood and pair Imam with Abid for the South African series.

If Abid fails, he should be dropped from the team. At this stage, he should be picked on series-by-series basis on Asian tracks.

We are playing in WI and Zim this year. He will be a walking wicket there.

 

[Mamoon]

We are playing in WI and Zim this year. He will be a walking wicket there.

Zimbabwe pitches are slow and their bowlers are short. He will score runs there.

Might fail in WI though. The pitches are slow but they have got height. Nevertheless, he has a better chance of scoring runs there as compared to other venues outside Asia.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

He still averages 44, so unfortunately we cant drop him. Unless he fails a fitness test. However with a few more fails we can get rid of him.

 

[PerfectionPersonified]

abid is a glourious 20ss player in SENA

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

Retain him. Unless he fails @ home do not drop him + he scores fast.

 

[ShahidDar08]

Both Shan and Abid Ali are nothing players, better to open with Azhar Ali.

 

[BalluBalleBaaz]

Watched some highlights. Ok on the backfoot but ordinary coming forward, will be trapped easily in SENA. Needs to get more side on? Who knows.

 

[Ashmal]

Should be retained, he will do well in Asia.

 

[The Viper]

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[shamaan]

Should be dropped

 

[Cric_lover4487]

Why is Abid Ali in the Pakistan team?

He is currently 33 years and 3 months old.

He is 4 months younger than Alastair Cook was when he played his last Test. He is 2 months older than Graeme Smith was.

Abid Ali has a Test record very similar to Yasir Hameed's, in that is bloated by 2 centuries against a club level attack.

v Sri Lanka (home): 109*, 38, 174
v Bangladesh (home): 0
v England (away): 16, 20, 60, 1, 42
v New Zealand (away): 25, 0, 25

A Test average of 46.36 looks good, but it's a mirage.

Take away that first series against a Sri Lankan B team and you are left with:

6 Tests
9 innings, 0 x not out
1 fifty, 0 hundreds
189 runs,
Average 21.00

In fact, in Pakistan's last 6 Tests across 3 different series:
ABID ALI - now 33 years old: 189 runs at 21.00
SHAN MASOOD - now 31 years old: 289 runs at 32.11

It's bad enough that Shan Masood is a non-performing 31 year old opener. But Abid Ali has basically just added another non-performing geriatric to the side.

Why not try Haider Ali in test cricket? We debuted Shubman Gill. Its not a rule that only 30 year olds can play test cricket. If Pak can play 16 year old bowler and give him space to learn the game then why not groom a batsman?

 

[coy0607]

Averaged 19.00 aged 33 in this series.

At his age that should be career-ending.

Also

Out of shape

Mediocre domestic record

Has been given a consistent run but never looked comfortable other than against Sri Lanka B-team

 

[Saj]

I'm shocked at how unfit and poor he is in the field. This is despite him losing weight and allegedly improving his fitness levels.

 

[Suleiman]

Unfit + Aging fast + not scoring= Kick him out.

Doesn’t matter if he is suited to Asia, Africa or the moon, if you aren’t performing and have additional symptoms of age and poor fitness, it’s time to go.

We should invest in young talent RIGHT NOW in home conditions rather than handing out debuts to batsmen and spinners overseas (especially spinners in NZ.... what are you doing with Zafar, Misbah come on)

Get rid of old goods who are not performing first. I don’t think age alone is a factor, I am okay with Hafeez for eg as long as he is performing. But it will work against your case if you are not performing.

 

[Hasan123]

He will play the South Africa series. He did just enough to keep his place. This is what I think Misbah and co will think.

 

[Junaids]

He will play the South Africa series. He did just enough to keep his place. This is what I think Misbah and co will think.

Averaging 19 as an opening batsman is enough?

 

[YousafTheBeast]

He will play the South Africa series. He did just enough to keep his place. This is what I think Misbah and co will think.

What we think is completely different to what Misbah and co think.

Knowing Pakistan cricket and knowing Misbah, he will drop Abid Ali for the entire series, and keep Shan Masood in the team. Masood is undroppable in Misbah’s eyes. He speaks English, he’s lean, he has good fitness and he has good nutrition which is more important for Misbah.

 

[Hasan123]

Averaging 19 as an opening batsman is enough?

It’s pathetic. But he will be retained.