How NOT to bat with the Tail - the Asad Shafiq way

[Amjid Javed]

Looking back down the years you had batsmen like Inzi, Steve Waugh who were legends at batting with the tail and scoring runs farming the strike and squeezing as many runs as possible, Their ability to pick gaps according to whether field were all up or back was a master class on how to bat with the Tail,
now we come to Asad shafiq who just seems clueless, cant pick the gaps to the boundary, does not know how to farm the strike, simple things like trying to get a single near end of the over so tailenders
only have a few balls to face, instead Asad is happy to give the strike the lesser batsmen most of the time. Its pathetic watching Asad looking clueless espcially when someone who bats number 6 is likely to
bat with the tail a lot, this is an area he really needs to work on.

 

[Abdullah719]

He should move up the order anyway.

 

[Strike Rate]

I have noticed this weakness of Asad as well. Chanderpaul and Laxman use to expose tail too so they face a whole over.

 

[The_KING]

Sarfraz does the same. He keeps giving the strike to tail enders. They probably have way too much confidence in the batting ability of our tail enders.

 

[The_KING]

He should move up the order anyway.

Yes, if they are going with Azhar as an opener, then Asad should move up to 3.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Extra 20-30 runs here could be vital but Asad seems happy playing for a not out rather then getting team runs!

 

[ahanank]

He wasted so many balls against spin when sarfraz was batting with him and now is keen on rotating the strike every ball.
Pathetic.

 

[Big Mac]

Steve Waugh in the OP is odd given that he often used to take singles from the first ball of an over.

I look forward to reading Bullet Drive's response to this thread, given he's spent the last few weeks obsessing over Misbah's test average.

 

[Hawkeye]

Poor stuff, done repeatedly this series.

Moving up might help, as there's not much pressure at 3/4 helping him calm his nerves. And no tail either.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

He wasted so many balls against spin when sarfraz was batting with him and now is keen on rotating the strike every ball.
Pathetic.

Valid point

 

[waleed88]

Asad Shafiq lacks a power game. So he relies on getting singles
Since runs are valuable at this stage he has to take that option otherwise he knows his own ability to block out an over but knows whenever he tries to hit out he will get out.
30 of 80 balls tell the same story, when quick runs could've made a difference. And his shoulder injury meant he will probably the bat circumspect without being extravagant.

 

[JibranAnsari]

He wasted so many balls against spin when sarfraz was batting with him and now is keen on rotating the strike every ball.
Pathetic.

England are giving him a short and wide delivery with fielders saving boundaries to get off the strike and he is falling for the trap.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Poor stuff, done repeatedly this series.

Moving up might help, as there's not much pressure at 3/4 helping him calm his nerves. And no tail either.

Be prepared. Shafique will only move to number 5 if Misbah retires after this series. Azhar will come back to number 3 position surely and younis won't vacate number 4 position. So Shafique will remain at number 6 with Haris , Fawad or babar coming in at 5 if babar doesn't open . Or Shafique will upgrade to number 5 with new comer slotted at number 6.

 

[ahanank]

England are giving him a short and wide delivery with fielders saving boundaries to get off the strike and he is falling for the trap.

They gave him loopy full tosses after that 'injury' but he kept on blocking.
Sarfraz was 16 from 16 while he was 16 from 58 or so.

 

[Hawkeye]

Be prepared. Shafique will only move to number 5 if Misbah retires after this series. Azhar will come back to number 3 position surely and younis won't vacate number 4 position. So Shafique will remain at number 6 with Haris , Fawad or babar coming in at 5 if babar doesn't open . Or Shafique will upgrade to number 5 with new comer slotted at number 6.

Correct. Number five is also a relatively better position, I guess the new one will be slotted at six.

 

[JibranAnsari]

Be prepared. Shafique will only move to number 5 if Misbah retires after this series. Azhar will come back to number 3 position surely and younis won't vacate number 4 position. So Shafique will remain at number 6 with Haris , Fawad or babar coming in at 5 if babar doesn't open . Or Shafique will upgrade to number 5 with new comer slotted at number 6.

He will probably bat at 5.

Babar/shezad
hafeez
azhar
yk
asad
haris/fawad/rizwan

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Asad has always been better as a support batsman. Whenever he is given the responsibility of being the playmaker he is lost. Even the shot he played in anger was half hearted and he was lucky to be dropped. The biggest indictment of his form in these situations is that he is still there yet we know he will add very little to this score.

 

[srh]

Too many issues with his game

 

[Amjid Javed]

This type of inns shows why hes a failure in ODIs, the in ability to work ball around into gaps and manoever the field when most fielders are front of the wicket, one shudders to think how he would bat if were chasing in a test and he was batting with the tail.

 

[Abdullah719]

Single on the first ball again... Wahab taking charge in this partnership.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Asad will ever be a player to take the initiative

Needs to be moved up the order ASAP.

I still remember how he made a 33 from a 100 balls in that test where taufeeq umar made his double ton. We were pushing for a declaration, misbah had just gotten out making a brisk 40 and asad came out blocking everything. Taufeeq was running every run despite being out there for hours while asad was refusing singles and ultimately he ran taufeeq out.

Asad has become a lot better since but this problem remains

 

[Bullet Drive]

HE is playing wel..

U cant blame for Yasir shot lol.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Why do we blame Asad? he is a top order batsman and batting with the tail isn't his expertise neither does he have the big shots.

Common sense should have prevailed and Malik should have been put at 6 and Asad Shafiq at 3. At the moment we are not getting the most out of Asad as he has the talent and temperament to score massive hundreds. Now he's usually stranded at 80 something with the other batsmen self destructing.

What a pity.

 

[Zaz]

I dont understand the hate, hes played decently and wahab and sarfraz have played well with him Theyve put on valuable runs together and shifted the balance towards pakistan

Youve got to remember he was hit on the shoulder early and was in a lot of pain on Hes fought well all considering

 

[Amjid Javed]

Why do we blame Asad? he is a top order batsman and batting with the tail isn't his expertise neither does he have the big shots.

Common sense should have prevailed and Malik should have been put at 6 and Asad Shafiq at 3. At the moment we are not getting the most out of Asad as he has the talent and temperament to score massive hundreds. Now he's usually stranded at 80 something with the other batsmen self destructing.

What a pity.

Sorry but right now hes batting number 6 and needs to learn to bat in match situations he comes up against and hes failing badly to work with the tail, his in ability to take responsability and work ball around according to match situation is for there for all to see and it needs improvement, hes a decent player dont get me wrong but has alot to improve on also.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mohammad Rizwan "You have to learn to bat with the tail and at this level you cannot make any excuses that you were batting with the tail-enders. Batting with the tail-enders is tough and I watched how Asad Shafiq batted with the tail and learnt a lot from him" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvSA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvSA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1358414732760391681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Oh Rizwan Bhai - what have you done here!

 

[hitthestump]

We have a real systemic issue when it comes to bringing praise towards seniors for everything good that happens.

Those same players are strangely quiet when it comes to bad patches. I don't think we'll be seeing Shaheen publically ruing Waqar bhai for gradually turning him from an exciting prospect into a toothless trundler.

 

[MHN1293]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mohammad Rizwan "You have to learn to bat with the tail and at this level you cannot make any excuses that you were batting with the tail-enders. Batting with the tail-enders is tough and I watched how Asad Shafiq batted with the tail and learnt a lot from him" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvSA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvSA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1358414732760391681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Oh Rizwan Bhai - what have you done here!

Rizwan bhai showing his respect to the pakistani tendulkar. Form is temporary but bhai chara and dosty is permanent here in pakistan.

 

[Suleiman]

Rizwan is playing to the gallery is all. He’s a very intelligent guy. Not as timid as Misbah or Azhar, but know when he can score some brownie points with the uncles

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Rizwan is playing to the gallery is all. He’s a very intelligent guy. Not as timid as Misbah or Azhar, but know when he can score some brownie points with the uncles

Yeah I was thinking the same.

Throw some compliments their way. Will come in handy for the future.

I haven't yet watched him bat live but going by scorecard of his performances, I think I am becoming his fan.

Dude is clutch.

Gotta check him out.

Probably the best wicket keeper bat in the world.

What's your take [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] bhai?

 

[Ab Fan]

Rizwan is like BJ Watling in tests and BJ Watling I think is the best keeper batsman since Gilchrist.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

Yeah I was thinking the same.

Throw some compliments their way. Will come in handy for the future.

I haven't yet watched him bat live but going by scorecard of his performances, I think I am becoming his fan.

Dude is clutch.

Gotta check him out.

Probably the best wicket keeper bat in the world.

What's your take [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] bhai?

Lol..he even places Pooran who is yet to play a first class game, Bairstow; the bowled bunny, and the perennial test failure and 30 averaging Butler as better keeper batsmen than him.

 

[Mamoon]

Yeah I was thinking the same.

Throw some compliments their way. Will come in handy for the future.

I haven't yet watched him bat live but going by scorecard of his performances, I think I am becoming his fan.

Dude is clutch.

Gotta check him out.

Probably the best wicket keeper bat in the world.

What's your take [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] bhai?

Most wicket-keeper batsmen are clutch. It is not that surprising.

Rizwan is a very good player. In fact, he is a brilliant player for a pathetic and embarrassing team like Pakistan.

However, purely as a batsman, QdK, Buttler, Bairstow, Pant and Pooran (although he doesn’t play Tests) are better than him. Rizwan is in the BJW category as far as batting is concerned. Someone who would average in the high 30s and play gritty knocks, but lacks the talent to average 45+.

The likes of QdK, Buttler and Bairstow might not have fulfilled their potential yet but they all have incredible batting talent that is far and beyond what Rizwan is capable of.

The problem with our fans is that they get excited very quickly out of sheer desperation. Then they get carried away and when they get the inevitable reality-check later on, they act surprised and shocked. They set themselves up for disappointment and then they cry later.

Same is happening here. Rizwan is a very good player - an elite WK and a serviceable batsman - but they are not satisfied with this. They must try and prove that Rizwan is the daddy of QdK, Buttler, Bairstow and Pant.

Over the next few months, they will try to coerce me into stating that he is the best WK batsman in the world and a better batsman than all of the names I mentioned, but I will not fall for their dummy and then later on, they will hang their heads in shame and inevitably agree with me, only because they get too excited and lack perspective.

 

[Savak]

Rizwan is very good for Pakistan. Best part is his fitness, wicket keeping, have not seen him drop a catch yet or miss a stumping. His runs with the bat are a massive bonus

 

[Square Drive]

Bairstow > Rizwan? ) Forget keeping for a second. An argument can be made that purely as a Test bat, Rizwan > Bairstow.

Pooran, based off 5 FC games with an average of 31, also better than Rizwan. And 34-averaging Buttler better than Rizwan in Tests too, simply because he's supposedly as talented as ABDV. Nice.

Don't let Mamoon fool you guys. Forget Rizwan, even Mushfiqur Rahim is a better Test WK-batsman than the names mentioned above at this moment in time.

Only Pant, QdK (despite recently been trash), and BJ Watling are as good or better than Rizwan at the moment, with Mushfiqur coming close.

Pant's keeping still needs to improve, Watling is 35 whereas QdK lacked intensity big time this series and played very irresponsibly (though I expect this to be a one-off, only because he was burdened with captaincy).

Rizwan is a top 4 WK-bat in Tests right now, with not much separating QdK/Watling/Rizwan/Pant. Pant's batting has been on another level so far, but his keeping has comfortably been the worst so that balances out. How Pant's batting and keeping develop will determine how the battle of WKs plays out over the next few years.

 

[Kroll]

LOL, bumping this thread in light of recent comments is a masterstroke.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

As a keeper and a complete package, Rizwan is easily the best in the world in my opinion.

As purely a batsman, I think only Pant and Buttler might have a slight edge over him. For now. But he easily outshines all others.

Bairstow averages something like 27 in the last year. Watling is typical scrappy lower order wicket-keeper who can play those gritty innings but has very limited strokeplay. QdK does not have the ability to perform in all conditions. Saha too is similar to Watling and very good behind the stumps but not a good enough batsman.

 

[MesonK]

Bairstow > Rizwan? ) Forget keeping for a second. An argument can be made that purely as a Test bat, Rizwan > Bairstow.

Pooran, based off 5 FC games with an average of 31, also better than Rizwan. And 34-averaging Buttler better than Rizwan in Tests too, simply because he's supposedly as talented as ABDV. Nice.

Don't let Mamoon fool you guys. Forget Rizwan, even Mushfiqur Rahim is a better Test WK-batsman than the names mentioned above at this moment in time.

Only Pant, QdK (despite recently been trash), and BJ Watling are as good or better than Rizwan at the moment, with Mushfiqur coming close.

Pant's keeping still needs to improve, Watling is 35 whereas QdK lacked intensity big time this series and played very irresponsibly (though I expect this to be a one-off, only because he was burdened with captaincy).

Rizwan is a top 4 WK-bat in Tests right now, with not much separating QdK/Watling/Rizwan/Pant. Pant's batting has been on another level so far, but his keeping has comfortably been the worst so that balances out. How Pant's batting and keeping develop will determine how the battle of WKs plays out over the next few years.

Good post.

Only someone with severe mental crisis will think that Pooran and Bairstow are better than Rizwan.

Pant is a terrible WK and his batting is not like on another level compared to Rizwan. He has produced few good innings but Rizwan has done same in comparison. Pant plays in a better team and has been supported from other departments, while Rizwan plays in a far weaker batting lineup and often has to resurrect team from 40-60 for 5 like situations. How many times Pant has to face this situation ? Combine this with the fact that Rizwan is a far far better Keeper. This comparison if goes into details will turn out to be another Azhar Ali vs Pujara like comparison where their away and pressure numbers turned out to be ... guess what ... same !

lol literally

 

[Square Drive]

Good post.

Only someone with severe mental crisis will think that Pooran and Bairstow are better than Rizwan.

Pant is a terrible WK and his batting is not like on another level compared to Rizwan. He has produced few good innings but Rizwan has done same in comparison. Pant plays in a better team and has been supported from other departments, while Rizwan plays in a far weaker batting lineup and often has to resurrect team from 40-60 for 5 like situations. How many times Pant has to face this situation ? Combine this with the fact that Rizwan is a far far better Keeper. This comparison if goes into details will turn out to be another Azhar Ali vs Pujara like comparison where their away and pressure numbers turned out to be ... guess what ... same !

lol literally

I rate Pant slightly higher as a bat mainly because of that legendary Gabba chase, and also because he's more talented and is doing it while being 5 years younger. But yes you're right in that Rizwan has been a man of crisis and has scored some tough runs, and has done it while playing for a weaker batting side which is a very valid point.

I think we'll be able to judge better in around a couple of years. A few things to look out for will be:

- If Watling is still playing after a couple of years

- If Rizwan is able to keep up his impressive batting/keeping

- If QdK is able to get back to his best after a recent blip in form

- If Pant actually improves his keeping and is able to keep playing Tests continuously with his fitness, while keeping his batting up to his current standards.

Also important to observe Buttler in the meantime. He might just have a crazy peak and actually become worthy of being in this convo, which he isn't atm and is just being forced in because of certain people and their love for England.

 

[DRsohail]

Most wicket-keeper batsmen are clutch. It is not that surprising.

Rizwan is a very good player. In fact, he is a brilliant player for a pathetic and embarrassing team like Pakistan.

However, purely as a batsman, QdK, Buttler, Bairstow, Pant and Pooran (although he doesn’t play Tests) are better than him. Rizwan is in the BJW category as far as batting is concerned. Someone who would average in the high 30s and play gritty knocks, but lacks the talent to average 45+.

The likes of QdK, Buttler and Bairstow might not have fulfilled their potential yet but they all have incredible batting talent that is far and beyond what Rizwan is capable of.

The problem with our fans is that they get excited very quickly out of sheer desperation. Then they get carried away and when they get the inevitable reality-check later on, they act surprised and shocked. They set themselves up for disappointment and then they cry later.

Same is happening here. Rizwan is a very good player - an elite WK and a serviceable batsman - but they are not satisfied with this. They must try and prove that Rizwan is the daddy of QdK, Buttler, Bairstow and Pant.

Over the next few months, they will try to coerce me into stating that he is the best WK batsman in the world and a better batsman than all of the names I mentioned, but I will not fall for their dummy and then later on, they will hang their heads in shame and inevitably agree with me, only because they get too excited and lack perspective.

Poraan , yaar maaro mujay!

 

[Hawkeye]

.

The problem with our fans is that they get excited very quickly out of sheer desperation. Then they get carried away and when they get the inevitable reality-check later on, they act surprised and shocked. They set themselves up for disappointment and then they cry later.

Same is happening here. Rizwan is a very good player - an elite WK and a serviceable batsman - but they are not satisfied with this. They must try and prove that Rizwan is the daddy of QdK, Buttler, Bairstow and Pant.

Over the next few months, they will try to coerce me into stating that he is the best WK batsman in the world and a better batsman than all of the names I mentioned, but I will not fall for their dummy and then later on, they will hang their heads in shame and inevitably agree with me, only because they get too excited and lack perspective.

Brutal!!!

But spot on.

) )

Tbh he's highly overrated in T20s here and fans will start hating him there soon.

In tests he's already above mediocre PAK standards.

 

[shamaan]

Rizwan is the best wicket keeper in the world.

As a batter hes right up thier only pant and qdk have a higher cieling.

Overall id take rizwan over all of the names mentioned in this thread