How can Pakistan improve their batting?

[Dr_Bassim]

I guess the title is quite self explanatory but what I would really like to discuss is how can we sort out our batting within the span of lets say 10-12 months.

What I am looking for are short term solutions (specifically) and things that could at least make us a competitive batting unit for the next global event i.e. Champions Trophy and WC 2019.

We all know that improving the batting takes quite a few bunch of years where the domestics provide the base for future batsmen and then those batsmen move up the ranks until they reach the senior team. From there onward we get a good batting culture.

The problem here lies that if we start today then probably the next batch of competitive and mentally capable batsmen might come somewhere around 2023. We seriously can't wait for that long and up until we fix our long term issues Pakistan needs quick short term solutions that helps them keep competitive at least in the LOI scene.

Shoot in your suggestions, whether it be short training camps with Indian Coaches, County contracts, Shield Cricket etc etc - WE SERIOUSLY NEED TO GET THIS FIXED ASAP

P.S. If you want to troll then please refrain from posting on this thread. I am looking for mature, sensible answers that provide a constructive environment for discussion on this matter. The debacle against India last night is just unacceptable, for me at least and we need to seriously figure out a way in which we start posting; not match winning, but at least a competitive score for our bowlers to defend. 83 in a T20 match is just plain unacceptable

Sir, first of all let me congratulate you on a well thought out post, but I would like to highlight just some flaws in your post.

You say that the "results against India are unacceptable if we are bowled out for 83 in a T20 International".

Yet in your opening post you say "you want quick fix and a solution to the problems hounding Pakistan cricket at the moment".

Then you say that you can't wait as long as 2023 (you are not ready to invest in a system that gives you a good batch of players by 2023).

And then you ask for a fix.

Sir, this is like the kid who didn't study medicine for 05 years, and when he has to see patients after his degree, he wants to find ways to see patients without having any knowledge

Allow me Sir, to tell you some gems that would let you understand what is wrong.

Disclaimer: I am pretty sure my post is going to fall on deaf ears and would be treated with disdain with thousands of Pakpassion posters who feel Pakistan is the "best team in the world provided we just change the position of the batsmen or just change the name of the batsmen."



Of Cricket and Sports in General

Pakistan has had far better performances in the sporting world in the 60s 70s and 80s then in the year late 90s and 2000s and if we look closely, now we have no hockey, no athletics, no shooting, no kabaddi, nothing whatsoever, what to talk of cricket. The sports in the country have been in terminal decline. We see this by seeing that the only tennis player in Pakistan is
a the self-made Aisam ul Haq who openly states that PTF did nothing for him.

Or we could take the example of squash when the legendary Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan were ruling and finally it totally petered out with PSF and its honorable Air Force Chief a muppet.

Sir, do you know what sports in the country stand for? They stand for an avenue of entertainment and physical health when "the basic needs of the country are fulfilled like "food , water and bed".

How many people in Pakistan are living below the poverty line. I would venture to say it is more than 60 percent. Do you really think, such people are going to enjoy playing cricket, tennis and hockey for Pakistan when there is a question mark of where their next meal is coming from.

The cricket in general, reflects the performance of country in general. We are falling behind every nation in the world, because of complete lack of leadership and apathy in all segments of the society.

We call ourselves honorable Muslims, and proudly beat our chests, but we don't even do a single thing in our country that is in accord with how "Muslims should carry themselves".

If we are pointed out , we blame the other person for trying to find flaw or the pessimistic attitude in life.

We are not ready to change, we are not ready to implement change.

What's laughable Sir, is then we want batsmen who are going to change their techniques, their stories, and produce world class performances.

Do you see the flaw in that?

Such is the delusion in our country.

Of Desire to Change


To bring about a change, sir, actually requires a great degree of desire and commitment.

Whenever you enter a profession, there are certain qualities in you, what you are really good at, and there are certain qualities which will push you back.

This is not just for cricket, Sir, it's for all facets of life.

What you do is, you get rid of your bad habits and focus on your good habits to get success.

But in order to do that, you need to have desire and willingness to change.

The "Want" in yourself to be better than the "rest".

I am afraid I don't see that anywhere in Pakistan team barring a few exceptions.

"Hafeez' already claims "there is nothing wrong with his technique".

Shehzad claims "He has already achieved everything in life".

Umar Akmal claims "He has been unfairly treated by the PCB."

Afridi claims "There is no other batter who is equal to him in Pakistan"

The fans claim "He is the next future of the country without even seeing one innings of such a person in international game".

Is there a magic wand, Sir, that you shake, and suddenly you become world class ?

Nay.

It takes years of dedication, commitment and devotion to the cause, before you are able to be respected among peers of the society.

And how will you commit yourself when there is no desire.

Why earn your money , when you are going to get it anyway?

Why try to change your technique when you are going to be selected anyway?

What is the incentive?

I'll tell you a secret, sir.

The incentive comes only when you are educated properly. You know that it's not about the money, but it's the ability to consistently improve and be better than what you were last year. And when you know that when you are playing out there, you are trying to be he best among lots of people,

And I mean the proper education that I am going to discuss in the next section.

Not the type , that we get taught in our country.

Of Batting in General and its Correlation to Education.

Sir, do you know that even to bat requires some degree of intelligence?

You need to know your game plan, your strengths and weaknesses, your ability to pick out the position in the game, and then your ability to absorb pressure and manage to produce results.

Batting is not just about knowing how to take a single, or hit a 4 or a 6.

And that sir, requires intelligence. Intelligence you can get by being more educated than your peers.

It requires some degree of high school and some degree of schooling. It cannot happen when half of Pakistani qaum is not even Matric Pass.

And I am not talking about education that we get in our country, where we are asked to repeat whatever Newton, Galileo and other entities said in their curriculum.

I am talking about education in how to carry yourself, how to command yourself, how to understand what is the match situation, match awareness and what is required of you on the cricket field.

Pressure comes with non-performances. They often talk about pressure, sir, as if only Pakistan is the only team that is under pressure.

Sir, every, team in the world is under pressure. It's a cricket match both are trying to win. But we have players who don't cope well under pressure because they have never been taught to see pressure in life.

All in life, they have been told, the system is "fcked up" and "messed up" and one day you will get a chance to play "cricket for Pakistan".

All in life, they do is hit a ball out of the park or ground when the situation requires it and win the match, when there is no expectation.

Expectation requires change in outlook on life. Only when "outlook on life" is changed with education" does someone change the ability to handle and absorb pressure.

Of short term solutions

Sir, and here lies my problem with short term solutions.

When nothing in our country is working, we always seek short-term solutions, to find Band-Aid to the ailment.

Sir, do you know in medicine how we cure a disease?

First, we establish a disease.

Pakistan cricket is in a state of terminal decline and disease. And it's not just cricket. Every facet of life is.

And yet, we go on saying everything is fine and if we reshuffle the order, the best of cricketers will come about.

It's rarely as simple.

Of Answer to our Batting Problems.


In short, we need to identify the problem.

School cricket.

Let's get back to basics.

How many school leagues are held in Pakistan. How many schools are actively participating in school cricket, which serves as a stepping stone into U-17 and U-19 Cricketing tournaments.

I would venture to say none.

Weak school cricket means, no one is really taking the game seriously. They just play for recreational purposes and if someone is really good, he gets lucky and identified.

If not, you have to wait till 19 year olds with faulty techniques , actually go to trials to see if someone has it.

How does someone who has been playing with incorrect technique since he was 10 years old at school manage to change his technique after 9 years of getting success in that?

He doesn't. He makes with the best of what he has.

The longer we have a weak school cricket structure, the weaker we will become.

If we identify a core group of batsmen in school cricket at the age of 13 and 14 and really work with them, by 7-8 years we can have some batsmen who can compete at international level.

And even then it's not a sure shot thing, for as I said, success also depends on other factors.

One of them is desire to be the best.

The other is financial level of support and ability to manage to continue doing something despite being poor.

Thirdly, it's the education.

These 3 factors define how much of a success you reach in life.

There is no short term solution there is no short term fix.

But it all starts with "desire to be the best."

I am sorry, I don't see that in any walk of life in Pakistan.

We are like the "dumb, driven cattle" who will do what is asked of them, instead of actually living our life.

This is the team I would play in the next match, and I am sure it could fail, just as likely as every other team.

But I would give it 10 T20 matches and then sack them all.

Umar Akmal
Sarfraz Ahmed
Shoaib Malik
A number 4 batsmen who I don't know (even Misbah for that matter)
A number 5 batsmen who I don't know (even Fawad Alam for that matter)
Muhammad Nawaz
Shahid Afridi
Wahab
Amir
Sami
Irfan

If they can't get it right in 10 T20 matches , which would include every single game and 5 games in the World Cup, I would sack the entire batting unit and go for a fresh start.

 

[jib13673]

How many good batsmen pakistan have produced, javed miadad, Inzimam, Saeed anwar, Mohammed yusuf, Yunis khan.

Even in their times they have allout below 100 many times.

Now what you are expecting from a captain when there is no proper skills in batting.

just be patient with this team. Whatever the happiness they give take it.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

Sir, first of all let me congratulate you on a well thought out post, but I would like to highlight just some flaws in your post.

You say that the "results against India are unacceptable if we are bowled out for 83 in a T20 International".

Yet in your opening post you say "you want quick fix and a solution to the problems hounding Pakistan cricket at the moment".

Then you say that you can't wait as long as 2023 (you are not ready to invest in a system that gives you a good batch of players by 2023).

And then you ask for a fix.

Sir, this is like the kid who didn't study medicine for 05 years, and when he has to see patients after his degree, he wants to find ways to see patients without having any knowledge

Allow me Sir, to tell you some gems that would let you understand what is wrong.

Disclaimer: I am pretty sure my post is going to fall on deaf ears and would be treated with disdain with thousands of Pakpassion posters who feel Pakistan is the "best team in the world provided we just change the position of the batsmen or just change the name of the batsmen."



Of Cricket and Sports in General

Pakistan has had far better performances in the sporting world in the 60s 70s and 80s then in the year late 90s and 2000s and if we look closely, now we have no hockey, no athletics, no shooting, no kabaddi, nothing whatsoever, what to talk of cricket. The sports in the country have been in terminal decline. We see this by seeing that the only tennis player in Pakistan is
a the self-made Aisam ul Haq who openly states that PTF did nothing for him.

Or we could take the example of squash when the legendary Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan were ruling and finally it totally petered out with PSF and its honorable Air Force Chief a muppet.

Sir, do you know what sports in the country stand for? They stand for an avenue of entertainment and physical health when "the basic needs of the country are fulfilled like "food , water and bed".

How many people in Pakistan are living below the poverty line. I would venture to say it is more than 60 percent. Do you really think, such people are going to enjoy playing cricket, tennis and hockey for Pakistan when there is a question mark of where their next meal is coming from.

The cricket in general, reflects the performance of country in general. We are falling behind every nation in the world, because of complete lack of leadership and apathy in all segments of the society.

We call ourselves honorable Muslims, and proudly beat our chests, but we don't even do a single thing in our country that is in accord with how "Muslims should carry themselves".

If we are pointed out , we blame the other person for trying to find flaw or the pessimistic attitude in life.

We are not ready to change, we are not ready to implement change.

What's laughable Sir, is then we want batsmen who are going to change their techniques, their stories, and produce world class performances.

Do you see the flaw in that?

Such is the delusion in our country.

Of Desire to Change


To bring about a change, sir, actually requires a great degree of desire and commitment.

Whenever you enter a profession, there are certain qualities in you, what you are really good at, and there are certain qualities which will push you back.

This is not just for cricket, Sir, it's for all facets of life.

What you do is, you get rid of your bad habits and focus on your good habits to get success.

But in order to do that, you need to have desire and willingness to change.

The "Want" in yourself to be better than the "rest".

I am afraid I don't see that anywhere in Pakistan team barring a few exceptions.

"Hafeez' already claims "there is nothing wrong with his technique".

Shehzad claims "He has already achieved everything in life".

Umar Akmal claims "He has been unfairly treated by the PCB."

Afridi claims "There is no other batter who is equal to him in Pakistan"

The fans claim "He is the next future of the country without even seeing one innings of such a person in international game".

Is there a magic wand, Sir, that you shake, and suddenly you become world class ?

Nay.

It takes years of dedication, commitment and devotion to the cause, before you are able to be respected among peers of the society.

And how will you commit yourself when there is no desire.

Why earn your money , when you are going to get it anyway?

Why try to change your technique when you are going to be selected anyway?

What is the incentive?

I'll tell you a secret, sir.

The incentive comes only when you are educated properly. You know that it's not about the money, but it's the ability to consistently improve and be better than what you were last year. And when you know that when you are playing out there, you are trying to be he best among lots of people,

And I mean the proper education that I am going to discuss in the next section.

Not the type , that we get taught in our country.

Of Batting in General and its Correlation to Education.

Sir, do you know that even to bat requires some degree of intelligence?

You need to know your game plan, your strengths and weaknesses, your ability to pick out the position in the game, and then your ability to absorb pressure and manage to produce results.

Batting is not just about knowing how to take a single, or hit a 4 or a 6.

And that sir, requires intelligence. Intelligence you can get by being more educated than your peers.

It requires some degree of high school and some degree of schooling. It cannot happen when half of Pakistani qaum is not even Matric Pass.

And I am not talking about education that we get in our country, where we are asked to repeat whatever Newton, Galileo and other entities said in their curriculum.

I am talking about education in how to carry yourself, how to command yourself, how to understand what is the match situation, match awareness and what is required of you on the cricket field.

Pressure comes with non-performances. They often talk about pressure, sir, as if only Pakistan is the only team that is under pressure.

Sir, every, team in the world is under pressure. It's a cricket match both are trying to win. But we have players who don't cope well under pressure because they have never been taught to see pressure in life.

All in life, they have been told, the system is "fcked up" and "messed up" and one day you will get a chance to play "cricket for Pakistan".

All in life, they do is hit a ball out of the park or ground when the situation requires it and win the match, when there is no expectation.

Expectation requires change in outlook on life. Only when "outlook on life" is changed with education" does someone change the ability to handle and absorb pressure.

Of short term solutions

Sir, and here lies my problem with short term solutions.

When nothing in our country is working, we always seek short-term solutions, to find Band-Aid to the ailment.

Sir, do you know in medicine how we cure a disease?

First, we establish a disease.

Pakistan cricket is in a state of terminal decline and disease. And it's not just cricket. Every facet of life is.

And yet, we go on saying everything is fine and if we reshuffle the order, the best of cricketers will come about.

It's rarely as simple.

Of Answer to our Batting Problems.


In short, we need to identify the problem.

School cricket.

Let's get back to basics.

How many school leagues are held in Pakistan. How many schools are actively participating in school cricket, which serves as a stepping stone into U-17 and U-19 Cricketing tournaments.

I would venture to say none.

Weak school cricket means, no one is really taking the game seriously. They just play for recreational purposes and if someone is really good, he gets lucky and identified.

If not, you have to wait till 19 year olds with faulty techniques , actually go to trials to see if someone has it.

How does someone who has been playing with incorrect technique since he was 10 years old at school manage to change his technique after 9 years of getting success in that?

He doesn't. He makes with the best of what he has.

The longer we have a weak school cricket structure, the weaker we will become.

If we identify a core group of batsmen in school cricket at the age of 13 and 14 and really work with them, by 7-8 years we can have some batsmen who can compete at international level.

And even then it's not a sure shot thing, for as I said, success also depends on other factors.

One of them is desire to be the best.

The other is financial level of support and ability to manage to continue doing something despite being poor.

Thirdly, it's the education.

These 3 factors define how much of a success you reach in life.

There is no short term solution there is no short term fix.

But it all starts with "desire to be the best."

I am sorry, I don't see that in any walk of life in Pakistan.

We are like the "dumb, driven cattle" who will do what is asked of them, instead of actually living our life.

This is the team I would play in the next match, and I am sure it could fail, just as likely as every other team.

But I would give it 10 T20 matches and then sack them all.

Umar Akmal
Sarfraz Ahmed
Shoaib Malik
A number 4 batsmen who I don't know (even Misbah for that matter)
A number 5 batsmen who I don't know (even Fawad Alam for that matter)
Muhammad Nawaz
Shahid Afridi
Wahab
Amir
Sami
Irfan

If they can't get it right in 10 T20 matches , which would include every single game and 5 games in the World Cup, I would sack the entire batting unit and go for a fresh start.

I read your entire post, world for word and truth be told people I saw as much a Pakistani in there as I see in any other patriot I have interacted with; we can initially conclude that both of us feel the pain that inflicts with each loss handed to our team; it's just that you express it with crude bluntness while generally people like to sound politically correct and unoffensive towards other peers.

However, I see where you're coming from and given the situation I think that bluntness is the way to go at the moment. You are correct when you say that there is no short term fix on the matter; we need to address the issue from the ground up and that includes educating the masses, taking responsibility of our actions, highlighting our shortcomings and working with a committed attitude for long stretches of time; all things very un-Pakistani like when it comes to our people. Only then can we actually hope to improve and make way for better results. I know it will take time but dedication for almost a decade from today could mark the resurgence of not only cricket but athletic sports in general, in Pakistan (Which I see as impossible given the current state of affairs)


All in all your post was another gem which is something expected from whenever I specifically interact with you over the forum. Keep up the good work brother and [MENTION=4542]MO[/MENTION]ds [MENTION=138379]#GreenRoars[/MENTION] [MENTION=93712]MenInG[/MENTION] this post is my nomination for POTW for cricket section.

Thank you for your insightful contribution Doc Sahab, may this post be read by the right people and we hope to see a change in future matters of Pakistan cricket in specific and Pakistani affairs in general.

 

[kaifeecricket_jununi]

bring u19 player in team and give them proper chance .... zaleel qom aur kitna zaleel hogi , agar thodha sa bhi ghairat bach ra hai to system sudharo

 

[hur rizvi]

For starters, Umar and Sarfraz should bat ahead of Malik atleast on these pitches

 

[rhony]

Sir, first of all let me congratulate you on a well thought out post, but I would like to highlight just some flaws in your post.

You say that the "results against India are unacceptable if we are bowled out for 83 in a T20 International".

Yet in your opening post you say "you want quick fix and a solution to the problems hounding Pakistan cricket at the moment".

Then you say that you can't wait as long as 2023 (you are not ready to invest in a system that gives you a good batch of players by 2023).

And then you ask for a fix.

Sir, this is like the kid who didn't study medicine for 05 years, and when he has to see patients after his degree, he wants to find ways to see patients without having any knowledge

Allow me Sir, to tell you some gems that would let you understand what is wrong.

Disclaimer: I am pretty sure my post is going to fall on deaf ears and would be treated with disdain with thousands of Pakpassion posters who feel Pakistan is the "best team in the world provided we just change the position of the batsmen or just change the name of the batsmen."



Of Cricket and Sports in General

Pakistan has had far better performances in the sporting world in the 60s 70s and 80s then in the year late 90s and 2000s and if we look closely, now we have no hockey, no athletics, no shooting, no kabaddi, nothing whatsoever, what to talk of cricket. The sports in the country have been in terminal decline. We see this by seeing that the only tennis player in Pakistan is
a the self-made Aisam ul Haq who openly states that PTF did nothing for him.

Or we could take the example of squash when the legendary Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan were ruling and finally it totally petered out with PSF and its honorable Air Force Chief a muppet.

Sir, do you know what sports in the country stand for? They stand for an avenue of entertainment and physical health when "the basic needs of the country are fulfilled like "food , water and bed".

How many people in Pakistan are living below the poverty line. I would venture to say it is more than 60 percent. Do you really think, such people are going to enjoy playing cricket, tennis and hockey for Pakistan when there is a question mark of where their next meal is coming from.

The cricket in general, reflects the performance of country in general. We are falling behind every nation in the world, because of complete lack of leadership and apathy in all segments of the society.

We call ourselves honorable Muslims, and proudly beat our chests, but we don't even do a single thing in our country that is in accord with how "Muslims should carry themselves".

If we are pointed out , we blame the other person for trying to find flaw or the pessimistic attitude in life.

We are not ready to change, we are not ready to implement change.

What's laughable Sir, is then we want batsmen who are going to change their techniques, their stories, and produce world class performances.

Do you see the flaw in that?

Such is the delusion in our country.

Of Desire to Change


To bring about a change, sir, actually requires a great degree of desire and commitment.

Whenever you enter a profession, there are certain qualities in you, what you are really good at, and there are certain qualities which will push you back.

This is not just for cricket, Sir, it's for all facets of life.

What you do is, you get rid of your bad habits and focus on your good habits to get success.

But in order to do that, you need to have desire and willingness to change.

The "Want" in yourself to be better than the "rest".

I am afraid I don't see that anywhere in Pakistan team barring a few exceptions.

"Hafeez' already claims "there is nothing wrong with his technique".

Shehzad claims "He has already achieved everything in life".

Umar Akmal claims "He has been unfairly treated by the PCB."

Afridi claims "There is no other batter who is equal to him in Pakistan"

The fans claim "He is the next future of the country without even seeing one innings of such a person in international game".

Is there a magic wand, Sir, that you shake, and suddenly you become world class ?

Nay.

It takes years of dedication, commitment and devotion to the cause, before you are able to be respected among peers of the society.

And how will you commit yourself when there is no desire.

Why earn your money , when you are going to get it anyway?

Why try to change your technique when you are going to be selected anyway?

What is the incentive?

I'll tell you a secret, sir.

The incentive comes only when you are educated properly. You know that it's not about the money, but it's the ability to consistently improve and be better than what you were last year. And when you know that when you are playing out there, you are trying to be he best among lots of people,

And I mean the proper education that I am going to discuss in the next section.

Not the type , that we get taught in our country.

Of Batting in General and its Correlation to Education.

Sir, do you know that even to bat requires some degree of intelligence?

You need to know your game plan, your strengths and weaknesses, your ability to pick out the position in the game, and then your ability to absorb pressure and manage to produce results.

Batting is not just about knowing how to take a single, or hit a 4 or a 6.

And that sir, requires intelligence. Intelligence you can get by being more educated than your peers.

It requires some degree of high school and some degree of schooling. It cannot happen when half of Pakistani qaum is not even Matric Pass.

And I am not talking about education that we get in our country, where we are asked to repeat whatever Newton, Galileo and other entities said in their curriculum.

I am talking about education in how to carry yourself, how to command yourself, how to understand what is the match situation, match awareness and what is required of you on the cricket field.

Pressure comes with non-performances. They often talk about pressure, sir, as if only Pakistan is the only team that is under pressure.

Sir, every, team in the world is under pressure. It's a cricket match both are trying to win. But we have players who don't cope well under pressure because they have never been taught to see pressure in life.

All in life, they have been told, the system is "fcked up" and "messed up" and one day you will get a chance to play "cricket for Pakistan".

All in life, they do is hit a ball out of the park or ground when the situation requires it and win the match, when there is no expectation.

Expectation requires change in outlook on life. Only when "outlook on life" is changed with education" does someone change the ability to handle and absorb pressure.

Of short term solutions

Sir, and here lies my problem with short term solutions.

When nothing in our country is working, we always seek short-term solutions, to find Band-Aid to the ailment.

Sir, do you know in medicine how we cure a disease?

First, we establish a disease.

Pakistan cricket is in a state of terminal decline and disease. And it's not just cricket. Every facet of life is.

And yet, we go on saying everything is fine and if we reshuffle the order, the best of cricketers will come about.

It's rarely as simple.

Of Answer to our Batting Problems.


In short, we need to identify the problem.

School cricket.

Let's get back to basics.

How many school leagues are held in Pakistan. How many schools are actively participating in school cricket, which serves as a stepping stone into U-17 and U-19 Cricketing tournaments.

I would venture to say none.

Weak school cricket means, no one is really taking the game seriously. They just play for recreational purposes and if someone is really good, he gets lucky and identified.

If not, you have to wait till 19 year olds with faulty techniques , actually go to trials to see if someone has it.

How does someone who has been playing with incorrect technique since he was 10 years old at school manage to change his technique after 9 years of getting success in that?

He doesn't. He makes with the best of what he has.

The longer we have a weak school cricket structure, the weaker we will become.

If we identify a core group of batsmen in school cricket at the age of 13 and 14 and really work with them, by 7-8 years we can have some batsmen who can compete at international level.

And even then it's not a sure shot thing, for as I said, success also depends on other factors.

One of them is desire to be the best.

The other is financial level of support and ability to manage to continue doing something despite being poor.

Thirdly, it's the education.

These 3 factors define how much of a success you reach in life.

There is no short term solution there is no short term fix.

But it all starts with "desire to be the best."

I am sorry, I don't see that in any walk of life in Pakistan.

We are like the "dumb, driven cattle" who will do what is asked of them, instead of actually living our life.

This is the team I would play in the next match, and I am sure it could fail, just as likely as every other team.

But I would give it 10 T20 matches and then sack them all.

Umar Akmal
Sarfraz Ahmed
Shoaib Malik
A number 4 batsmen who I don't know (even Misbah for that matter)
A number 5 batsmen who I don't know (even Fawad Alam for that matter)
Muhammad Nawaz
Shahid Afridi
Wahab
Amir
Sami
Irfan

If they can't get it right in 10 T20 matches , which would include every single game and 5 games in the World Cup, I would sack the entire batting unit and go for a fresh start.

Very well said. I would disagree with one point though. If you have a bunch who can't perform under pressure, how is it going to help them if you give an ultimatum?

Cricket is probably the only entertainment for a lot of people in that part of the world. They don't have patience to wait for decades. I've been reading a lot of posts from a lot of patriotic fans like you for the past 2 days. I believe there needs to be a reality check. Pakistan does not have a Kohli. True. The solutions people come up with are either hiring Indian coaches or sending the players to India. If that's the solution, there must have been a dozen Kohlis in India by now.

You are looking for an all weather player but I think what you need is an all weather team. After looking at the wicket yesterday, I thought for a sec that a Shafiq probably could have won the match for Pakistan. He has the capacity to stick around and is absolutely better than the top 6 in your team technically. He is probably not that efficient on flat wickets and in that case, he wont be in the 11. Smart selections are the way to go. As far as your ultimatum goes, that should be given to the TTFs like Malik.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

Even though we won the UAE game there are massive, massive areas where we need to improve as a batting unit. We were staring down the barrel at 17/3 during the PP overs and had it not been for that dropped catch of Malik; Allah us UAE khelari ko hamesha khush Rakhay, we would have even dug a much deeper hole during the chase.

Umer was decent at best while quite certainly we need to address some very concerning issues regarding our batting or things would really get worse in the coming 10-12 months.

 

[Abdullah]

We need to give these batsman time to gel together for next champions trophy:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Hafeez
3. Haris Sohail
4. Babar Azam
5. Umar Akmal
6. Rizwan
7. Sarfaraz

Agreed

I would have

Hafeez
Azhar
Haris
Babar
Malik/Umar
Sarfaraz
Yamin
Imad/Nawaz
Amir
Wahab
Another

I would keep rizwan around the team 2.
Consistentcy of selection and players learning their role is key.
Most recent example was messing about with babar 8 n the order

 

[Syed1]

Even though we won the UAE game there are massive, massive areas where we need to improve as a batting unit. We were staring down the barrel at 17/3 during the PP overs and had it not been for that dropped catch of Malik; Allah us UAE khelari ko hamesha khush Rakhay, we would have even dug a much deeper hole during the chase.

Umer was decent at best while quite certainly we need to address some very concerning issues regarding our batting or things would really get worse in the coming 10-12 months.

When Malik was dropped, 45 were required off 30 with a set and firing Umar Akmal at the crease and Sarfaraz, Nawaz and Afridi to follow. If these people cannot manage this run rate against a minnow then we might as well give up on cricket and start investing in some other sport.

 

[ekpakistani]

Its really about mindset. One can learn technique but if mentally unable to ascertain the situation of the match then we will keep getting the failures..

And seems like there are no consequences for failure...

 

[babajee]

Still stuck with the same problem 2 years on

 

[ads101]

Play more batsman/longer batting line up.

We have a wicketkeeper who can make it into the team bat alone. Which is good, because Kamran couldn't with his 26 average.

We play an allrounder in the 8th/7th spot who doesn't make it into the team solely with the bat (doesn't make it with the ball either). And yet we already have part timers in the team in Haris, Malik (even Fakhar can bowl a bit).

We should play bowlers who can bat if they aren't very good bowlers. Hasan's fine, he makes it in bowling alone. Shadab makes it in bowling alone but is a good bat too. Amir's just about ok. But our third pacer, if we can play someone who is around the same level as our other third pacers, but can bat a bit, we should go for that. No point carry a guy who will average mid 30s with the ball if he can't bat too.

 

[ManFan]

In ODI's, extend the batting as much as you can.
FZ
any aggressive right-handed opener
Bobs
Haris
Sarfraz
Talat Hussain
Fahim
Shadab
Amir
Hasan
UKS
That gives you batting until #10 and 8 genuine batsmen.

In Tests, the problem is that our top order is too slow and middle order untested. I'll reserve my judgements until our next squad is announced.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

This problem I guess will never go away

 

[Mr.Q]

A long batting lineup is never the solution. You can’t create quality with quantity. It should start from the domestic level. Give good encouragement to young batsman and let them know that the easiest way to make it to the Pak XI is by being a good batsman. The law of supply will takeover at some point. Create flat pitches and encourage high scoring matches. Make it a priority to win matches with batting. And most importantly, good coaching. Most/all of the young batsmen I see from Pak seem to be technically deficient. There is possibly some coaching issue at the domestic level. In comparison, even the Sri Lankan batsmen look better. They’re not great players but they seem to have a good base which I don’t see in many Pak batsmen.

 

[HuzaifaE]

Play more batsman/longer batting line up.

We have a wicketkeeper who can make it into the team bat alone. Which is good, because Kamran couldn't with his 26 average.

If he batted at 4, I'd agree, but Sarfraz at 6 is an absolute detriment.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

In what format? Our batting has improved in LOIs and will continue to as long as we add the right young players and avoid TTFs like Shehzad.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Batsmen for ODIs or Tests? I have not seen an international class batsman from Pakistan who can adapt to situation since Inzamam. One of his best trait was taking calculated risks at the right time. Sure he flunked in few world cups In the matches he did well he was really good. Pakistan batsmen don't know how to pace the innings. This is not a new issue. This has been around for a long time. The way they construct the innings is archaic, outdated. This is also not a new problem.

How many Pak batsmen play on drive well. One of the essential shot to be a good batsman.

 

[ads101]

If he batted at 4, I'd agree, but Sarfraz at 6 is an absolute detriment.

I see no reason why Sarfraz can't bat at least at 5.

Kamran took up the valuable opening spot and averaged 26. Which meant we were a wicket down early usually. And he wasn't exactly an aggressive opener either, he batted at a SR 83. No doubt he had the talent and was capable of more, but he didn't achieve that in his time in international cricket.

 

[ads101]

A long batting lineup is never the solution. You can’t create quality with quantity. It should start from the domestic level. Give good encouragement to young batsman and let them know that the easiest way to make it to the Pak XI is by being a good batsman. The law of supply will takeover at some point. Create flat pitches and encourage high scoring matches. Make it a priority to win matches with batting. And most importantly, good coaching. Most/all of the young batsmen I see from Pak seem to be technically deficient. There is possibly some coaching issue at the domestic level. In comparison, even the Sri Lankan batsmen look better. They’re not great players but they seem to have a good base which I don’t see in many Pak batsmen.

You can do these things by all means. But if we have a bad batting line up as you say, what do we do then? Do we just accept our fate that our batting line up sucks? You have to make the best out of the worst situation. What I see often in Pakistan is the thinking all the batsmen are rubbish, so might as well play an extra bowler. Which isn't going to improve our batting line up at all. A lot of the domestic pitches are flat these days in Pakistan tbh.

A long batting line up instills confidence in the batsmen up top, takes off a bit of the pressure. Also gives more bats for the top batsmen to play with, rather than protecting the tail, and allows them to potentially play at a higher strike rate allowing for more risk. It also creates more competition for batting, those picked as batsmen not only have to outperform the other specialist bats, but also the bowlers who can bat too.

I'm not saying that we can't go out and try to find better batsmen, and test out different batsmen to find better batsmen, we should. Quantity over Quality works somewhat. 2 regular batsmen let's say averaging 35 each will average 70 runs in total. A quality bat will only average 50 runs. And it's not exactly that we will be picking worse batsmen if we pick a stronger batting line up.

We need to have faith that our bowlers can bowl 10 overs, and do the job they have to do. No back ups. And similarly we need to have faith that our part timers can do the job and make 10 overs between them.

 

[New Yorker]

In what format? Our batting has improved in LOIs and will continue to as long as we add the right young players and avoid TTFs like Shehzad.

That point opens up another. The selection policy is far too conservative, not only in retaining and re selecting non performing players, but in failing to give chances in dead rubbers etc to top domestic performers who are coming into peak form. I see this conservatism more at work in bowler selection than when it comes to batsmen, but the general point stands. If we can't seem to find permanent class, select more aggressively for form. One Nasir Jamshed every one or two years would do just fine for filling up the opener's slot.

 

[JustNotAFanOfThings]

Quality of the batsmanship has lot to do with the batting culture of a nation. Without one, you can still produce good batsmen once in a while, but there won't be constant supply.

But how would you create great batting culture? That's a billion dollar question.

For starters, guys like Fawad Alam should be selected at least in the Test team. It's important that those types of batsmen are accepted by the fans as well. PCB & Pakistani fans can tolerate ultra aggressive hacks scoring ducks by playing foolish shots, but would roast an accumulator type of batman if he plays a long innings but fails to get the team across. For them, that's a bigger crime than throwing away your wicket like a mor*n.

That mindset has to change as well.

 

[DeadBall]

A long batting lineup is never the solution. You can’t create quality with quantity. It should start from the domestic level. Give good encouragement to young batsman and let them know that the easiest way to make it to the Pak XI is by being a good batsman. The law of supply will takeover at some point. Create flat pitches and encourage high scoring matches. Make it a priority to win matches with batting. And most importantly, good coaching. Most/all of the young batsmen I see from Pak seem to be technically deficient. There is possibly some coaching issue at the domestic level. In comparison, even the Sri Lankan batsmen look better. They’re not great players but they seem to have a good base which I don’t see in many Pak batsmen.

You can somewhat create quality over quantity. England is one such example, as it has a good to mediocre but very long batting line up. If the top order fails, the lower order compensates and if the top order fires sometimes the lower order fails. Also sometimes the whole batting order fails (like in CT) but thats much rarer.

 

[LordJames]

Short Term:

Improve pitches, play in parts of country where weather is most conducive to batting

Mid-Long Term:

Bring in professional coaches at lower level, possibly U16, U19 level.
Promote U23 as some players are late bloomers and we are losing the generation.
Invest and promote A Tours.
Increase money in the domestic cricket.
Increase competition in the domestic cricket.
PSL can be a showcase but the actual players and talents will come from FC, the whole system needs to geared to make it a feeder to all other competitions

 

[Mr.Q]

You can do these things by all means. But if we have a bad batting line up as you say, what do we do then? Do we just accept our fate that our batting line up sucks? You have to make the best out of the worst situation. What I see often in Pakistan is the thinking all the batsmen are rubbish, so might as well play an extra bowler. Which isn't going to improve our batting line up at all. A lot of the domestic pitches are flat these days in Pakistan tbh.

A long batting line up instills confidence in the batsmen up top, takes off a bit of the pressure. Also gives more bats for the top batsmen to play with, rather than protecting the tail, and allows them to potentially play at a higher strike rate allowing for more risk. It also creates more competition for batting, those picked as batsmen not only have to outperform the other specialist bats, but also the bowlers who can bat too.

I'm not saying that we can't go out and try to find better batsmen, and test out different batsmen to find better batsmen, we should. Quantity over Quality works somewhat. 2 regular batsmen let's say averaging 35 each will average 70 runs in total. A quality bat will only average 50 runs. And it's not exactly that we will be picking worse batsmen if we pick a stronger batting line up.

We need to have faith that our bowlers can bowl 10 overs, and do the job they have to do. No back ups. And similarly we need to have faith that our part timers can do the job and make 10 overs between them.

You can somewhat create quality over quantity. England is one such example, as it has a good to mediocre but very long batting line up. If the top order fails, the lower order compensates and if the top order fires sometimes the lower order fails. Also sometimes the whole batting order fails (like in CT) but thats much rarer.

No, I was just saying that it never really is a solution to your problems. It’s more like doing patchwork isn’t it? How many additional batsmen can you push into that XI? And I don’t think average is your problem. The problem is average + strike rate which is basically what I mean by quality. Adding another slow mover or a slogger might not fix the issue.

Also make sure that no batsman gets to cement his place in the team unless he performs well consistently. Not even Babar Azam should be given that luxury. Not many people talk about it, but India adopted such a strategy with its bowling line up for a long time.

English batsmen generally are very fluent strikers of the ball and they (people outside Asia) generally have better temperament than us Asians (at least when it comes to sports ). So I don’t think we should make a team based on how the English make theirs.

 

[iniqbal223]

Bring back Akmal brothers , as simple as that

 

[Mr.Q]

Another point I forgot to add during the comparison with England is the quality of their middle order. Morgan, Buttler, Stokes... Both India and Pakistan don’t have a single batsman of that quality in their middle order for ODIs. They’re not mere finishers. Those three are capable of scoring 200-250 runs between them at a very good rate.