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"I have always felt that every game for Pakistan was my last" : Sami Aslam

Saj said:
Absolutely.

Atherton, Hussain, Bumble, Holding and others were singing his praises. But before we knew it, he was shown the door.
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It wasn’t before we knew it.

It was after 25 Test innings where he treated my failed and showed no initiative of positive batsmanship.

Only one to blame for his dropping is him.

Many players have looked potential world beaters in their first series but many of them fall off and this is what happened
 
Slog said:
It wasn’t before we knew it.

It was after 25 Test innings where he treated my failed and showed no initiative of positive batsmanship.

Only one to blame for his dropping is him.

Many players have looked potential world beaters in their first series but many of them fall off and this is what happened
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Hameed is from England and even he didn't get as many chances, once dubbed the wonder boy by media after showing so much potential playing some great international knocks early on would soon find himself dropped. Sami had it so much easier, there's an argument to make that perhaps we should have persisted with Haseeb; now he is completely shot
 
shaz619 said:
He was given about 25 chances in Tests, across those innings he only did well in England and looked absolutely horrifying in Australia. At the end of the day no one has it easy in Pakistan apart from a select few, you have to show a bit of spine and cash in on the opportunities that are given, he only got himself to blame for flopping every where apart from England
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2 of his last 3 Test scores were 39 and 51.

12 of his 25 innings have been in Aus, NZ or England.

I think he's worth another go.
 
Saj said:
2 of his last 3 Test scores were 39 and 51.

12 of his 25 innings have been in Aus, NZ or England.

I think he's worth another go.
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Definitely considering the type of openers we currently have
 
probably one of the most ugly styled player that i have seen since BigMan-G.Smith ... but if he can push results like him, we are probably looking at a great of the game ... def deserves another chance ....
 
Sami Aslam was fine in England, Australia and New Zealand: he was actually more consistent than Misbah, Younis, Shafiq and Babar Azam in those Tests.

He needed to develop some release strokes to pick up a single here and there, but was otherwise fine!
 
Imam and the resurgence of Masood have closed the door on him. He doesn’t have anyone to blame. He was given a good crack but didn’t capitalize outside the England tour in 2016.
 
I think posters here forget that players are human beings who have the capacity to improve, both their batting technique AND their mentality. You can see how guys like Ian Bell and Dinesh Karthik revived their careers at different points through hard work and reinventing themselves. With a positive coaching staff behind him, why can't this work for Sami Aslam? I for one would love to see an opening pair for Sami Aslam and Abid Ali for the SL series.
 
Double hundred for Sami - excellent knock in QEA
 
You would think he would be first in line for Fakhar Zaman's spot. I have heard he is one of the best batsmen in Pak's first class.
 
Sami Aslam 243 from a total score of 467 for Southern Punjab!
 
Sami is decent but I always get the feel he would get out every second ball. One thing for sure is that he would never dominate a bowling attack and would struggle on hard and fast wickets.

Having said that he has piled on runs in past and has started terrifically in this edition. We should see how QEA pans out this year but ideally he should make the cut for test before Fakhar for sure.
 
Everyone keeps questioning sami’s intent, like for real this guy was prolific in List A, keeping an average of 49 with an SR of 87 is the epitome of modern cricket. Why does everyone write him off as a test only player??? Everyone says he’s mentally weak and what not, but hasn’t he proven to be at least a little bit mentally strong by staying at the crease and scoring big despite wickets constantly falling around him? Aside from a big partnership with adnan, sami basically single handedly put SP in a good position despite his teammates throwing their wickets away.

How will we improve our cricket when we are so apprehensive about giving young players opportunities? Sami is only 23-24, and even though i believe abid ali also deserves a shot, he’s 31, and not what you would call a young gun. Why is it that posters are saying that players lime shan masood are worthy of constantly getting called back, but then those same people are saying sami has had his fair share of opportunities????

Sami’s initial rise was in the 50 over format, but despite being put in tough conditions in tests he performed, when he struggled he was quickly dropped but seems that he’s improved his game and mentality. It’s clear that there seems to be a clear bias when people are coming to the defense of imam stating he’s young and deserves a long leash, but the same guys are saying that the door for sami has been closed???

No more excuses in the new structure, if he performs he should he selected, the pool for selection has become a lot smaller and a lot more competitive with the best playing the best. If guys like abid ali and sami aslam prove their mettle here over the course of the next few innings they deserve selection for the home series against sri lanka. If guys like imam falter here then they should be dropped. It’s high time that players earn their places in the squad based on merit and not on seniority or favoritism. If imam goes on to score a double century or even a century, if he’s a constant and consistent high scoring threat I’ll be the first to say i was wrong, but until that happens i just hope misbah feels the same way i do and realizes the importance of this revamped domestic competition for our future.
 
100 for Sami Aslam for Southern Punjab vs Northern in Round 5 of QEA
 
He is continuing to pile up the runs. I liked his hunger and grit at the international stage.
 
Sami Aslam 55* - looking good once more and should get a 100
 
SuperMo18 said:
Everyone keeps questioning sami’s intent, like for real this guy was prolific in List A, keeping an average of 49 with an SR of 87 is the epitome of modern cricket. Why does everyone write him off as a test only player??? Everyone says he’s mentally weak and what not, but hasn’t he proven to be at least a little bit mentally strong by staying at the crease and scoring big despite wickets constantly falling around him? Aside from a big partnership with adnan, sami basically single handedly put SP in a good position despite his teammates throwing their wickets away.

How will we improve our cricket when we are so apprehensive about giving young players opportunities? Sami is only 23-24, and even though i believe abid ali also deserves a shot, he’s 31, and not what you would call a young gun. Why is it that posters are saying that players lime shan masood are worthy of constantly getting called back, but then those same people are saying sami has had his fair share of opportunities????

Sami’s initial rise was in the 50 over format, but despite being put in tough conditions in tests he performed, when he struggled he was quickly dropped but seems that he’s improved his game and mentality. It’s clear that there seems to be a clear bias when people are coming to the defense of imam stating he’s young and deserves a long leash, but the same guys are saying that the door for sami has been closed???

No more excuses in the new structure, if he performs he should he selected, the pool for selection has become a lot smaller and a lot more competitive with the best playing the best. If guys like abid ali and sami aslam prove their mettle here over the course of the next few innings they deserve selection for the home series against sri lanka. If guys like imam falter here then they should be dropped. It’s high time that players earn their places in the squad based on merit and not on seniority or favoritism. If imam goes on to score a double century or even a century, if he’s a constant and consistent high scoring threat I’ll be the first to say i was wrong, but until that happens i just hope misbah feels the same way i do and realizes the importance of this revamped domestic competition for our future.
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Pakistan team is only for mediocre players. Azhar,Asad.... Sami to me has always been a prolific player. His record says it all. Again Pakistan has been nvesting in wrong people. Sami fits both in ODIs and test formats. He is left handed version of Babar.
 
Sami Aslam was one of the better U-19 batsmen we had, he should be given another chance before he becomes another wasted investment.
 
It makes my blood boil.

He’s 23 compared with the 32 year old Abid Ali, and he’s now averaging 55 runs more per innings than Abid Ali this season.

So obviously Abid Ali is the one Misbah selects for the Test squad.
 
I reckon he should have been given a longer run in test cricket. Some players take time to find their feet in test cricket. Babar was given a long run in tests and the results are showing now, he averaged 50+ last year in tests. Sami Aslam is still young, he is about to turn 24. If he continues his performances in First class then he should be picked again. I remember he played a couple of good knocks in England and New Zealand.
 
Junaids said:
It makes my blood boil.

He’s 23 compared with the 32 year old Abid Ali, and he’s now averaging 55 runs more per innings than Abid Ali this season.

So obviously Abid Ali is the one Misbah selects for the Test squad.
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You are completely looking at this season's stats and ignoring other factors. First of all, Abid Ali is averaging around 75 in comparison to Sami Aslam's 115 or so, so both have done exceptionally well.

But this bigger picture is:
Abid Ali has worked on his fitness and has been a part of the setup over the past half year or so
Sami Aslam meanwhile is sporting a belly and doesn't seem to have improved his fitness at all

Alongside this, Abid Ali has been the best opener in domestic cricket over the past couple of seasons where openers have generally struggled in more testing conditions. Sami Aslam was one of those who struggled.

QEA 2017/18: Abid Ali 541 runs at 49, Sami Aslam 407 runs at 37. Both hit one hundred.

QEA 2018/19: Abid Ali 472 runs at 47, Sami Aslam 393 runs at 32. Both hit 2 hundreds but Abid played 4 fewer matches.

Then for Pakistan A last year, Abid Ali made 519 runs in 4 games at 74 with 2 hundreds.

Meanwhile, Sami Aslam played 1 match against Kent and two A games and made <100 runs runs at 20.

Sami Aslam will get more opportunities in future but Abid Ali hasn't been wrongfully selected.
 
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Abdullah719 said:
You are completely looking at this season's stats and ignoring other factors. First of all, Abid Ali is averaging around 75 in comparison to Sami Aslam's 115 or so, so both have done exceptionally well.

But this bigger picture is:
Abid Ali has worked on his fitness and has been a part of the setup over the past half year or so
Sami Aslam meanwhile is sporting a belly and doesn't seem to have improved his fitness at all

Alongside this, Abid Ali has been the best opener in domestic cricket over the past couple of seasons where openers have generally struggled in more testing conditions. Sami Aslam was one of those who struggled.

QEA 2017/18: Abid Ali 541 runs at 49, Sami Aslam 407 runs at 37. Both hit one hundred.

QEA 2018/19: Abid Ali 472 runs at 47, Sami Aslam 393 runs at 32. Both hit 2 hundreds but Abid played 4 fewer matches.

Then for Pakistan A last year, Abid Ali made 519 runs in 4 games at 74 with 2 hundreds.

Meanwhile, Sami Aslam played 1 match against Kent and two A games and made <100 runs runs at 20.

Sami Aslam will get more opportunities in future but Abid Ali hasn't been wrongfully selected.
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Old stats prove nothing when a player like Abid Ali is already at the age at which most international batsmen end their careers.

Pakistan, or to be precise Misbah-ul-Haq, has this weird deference for age and “seniority”.

Pakistan already has two thirty-somethings in the Test batting line-up, in the failed Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.

If you want to induct another geriatric, then drop one of the existing ones - don’t obstruct the development of youngsters.

If it were up to me, I would have dropped Azhar Ali this season and told Asad Shafiq that he is getting one more season to make his swan song. That way I’d have already got Imam, Babar, Shan Masood, Haris Sohail, Sami Aslam and Mohammad Rizwan bedded in so when Shafiq loses his place in a year there is only one transition in the batting line up.

You can’t exclude a 23 year old who is averaging 145 in order to combine an uncapped 32 year old with two mentally weak guys in their 30s who have failed since the senior batsmen left.
 
Junaids said:
Old stats prove nothing when a player like Abid Ali is already at the age at which most international batsmen end their careers.

Pakistan, or to be precise Misbah-ul-Haq, has this weird deference for age and “seniority”.

Pakistan already has two thirty-somethings in the Test batting line-up, in the failed Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.

If you want to induct another geriatric, then drop one of the existing ones - don’t obstruct the development of youngsters.

If it were up to me, I would have dropped Azhar Ali this season and told Asad Shafiq that he is getting one more season to make his swan song. That way I’d have already got Imam, Babar, Shan Masood, Haris Sohail, Sami Aslam and Mohammad Rizwan bedded in so when Shafiq loses his place in a year there is only one transition in the batting line up.

You can’t exclude a 23 year old who is averaging 145 in order to combine an uncapped 32 year old with two mentally weak guys in their 30s who have failed since the senior batsmen left.
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When the Test squad was announced, Abid Ali was averaging 150 this season vs Sami Aslam's 123.

I would have gotten rid of at least 1 of the 2 seniors a while back.
 
Might not be pleasant to watch but i believe he is determined, likes to grind it out and will be a key player in the setup.
 
Left-handed Sami was at the crease on 149*, his 13th first-class century in Round 6 of QeA

Sami has so far hit 14 fours and two sixes in a 255-ball innings.
 
Aesthetically he is not that bad as we are saying , More in a Graeme Smith mould rather fawad alam or chanderpaul.
 
Arrogant and mentally weak, the worst combination of qualities to have in an international cricketer
 
muhammad saad said:
Where did you get that info?
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Seen/read numerous of his interviews that reek of entitlement, seems to have every statistic of his memorised to 2 decimals, doesn't appear to take his fitness seriously, and refuses to actually acknowledge that it was his own defensive batting that led to his ousting.

It's sad because I thought he was a wonderful batsman in his U19 days and thought he looked excellent against England at Edgbaston, but he completely failed to kick on and gave off the impression that he couldn't really handle the pressure
 
angrypathan said:
Seen/read numerous of his interviews that reek of entitlement, seems to have every statistic of his memorised to 2 decimals, doesn't appear to take his fitness seriously, and refuses to actually acknowledge that it was his own defensive batting that led to his ousting.

It's sad because I thought he was a wonderful batsman in his U19 days and thought he looked excellent against England at Edgbaston, but he completely failed to kick on and gave off the impression that he couldn't really handle the pressure
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Early days for him , If Shehzad can get countless chances I think he should deserve at least one more?
 
angrypathan said:
Seen/read numerous of his interviews that reek of entitlement, seems to have every statistic of his memorised to 2 decimals, doesn't appear to take his fitness seriously, and refuses to actually acknowledge that it was his own defensive batting that led to his ousting.

It's sad because I thought he was a wonderful batsman in his U19 days and thought he looked excellent against England at Edgbaston, but he completely failed to kick on and gave off the impression that he couldn't really handle the pressure
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Sneaking in Karhai Chicken to your hotel room doesn't exactly give you a great image.He definitely needs to work on fitness. But I disagree about the stats, many coaches get angry when you don't know your own stats.
 
muhammad saad said:
Early days for him , If Shehzad can get countless chances I think he should deserve at least one more?
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Agreed. His performances this season have been too good to ignore. Abid is deservedly in the squad ahead of him due to his performances over the last 2 years combined but if one of Shan, Abid or Imam flops over the next series or two then Sami should be a direct replacement
 
Sami Aslam score 100 in 235 minutes and 174 balls. He hit 11 fours & 2 sixes
 
Still has a possible chance of recall in future with Azhar on his last legs, plus shan/imam arent setting the world alight with the bat.
 
Should have been in the test squad. What a waste of talent. A proper test batsman.
 
Amjid Javed said:
Still has a possible chance of recall in future with Azhar on his last legs, plus shan/imam arent setting the world alight with the bat.
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Yes, Sami Aslam is definitely an option too for the opener slot.
 
May as well give him the series against Sri Lanka in the likely chance that any of the openers flop against Australia. Still not convinced about his attitude and intent at the crease but the season he's having is insane
 
Danyaalr01 said:
Sneaking in Karhai Chicken to your hotel room doesn't exactly give you a great image.He definitely needs to work on fitness. But I disagree about the stats, many coaches get angry when you don't know your own stats.
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This is the most important bit. If this is true, not only does it expose his lack of value team rules but can be deteriorating to the team environment.

Hopefully, someone can talk some sense into him and get him on the right track mentally because, on the field, he doesn't seem to be doing anything wrong.
 
Aslam had low hands and struggled to rotate strike. However, he shouldn't have been dropped for the Caribbean tour of 2017.
 
Outperformed imam all his career and pipped to the post in the end

Another khurram manzoor in the making
 
Bit of a disastrous end to the season for Sami Aslam - Just 31 runs in 5 innings.
 
Its a shame players in current international team that players dont push themselves as though every game is there last game, rather than been complacent.
 
Had a great Test in England in the Misbah tour of 2016 - would he have been a good choice for this tour also? Last played a Test in 2017 for Pakistan and then discarded.
 
It’s a good attitude to have , and treat every game as your last - on the other hand there’s others who treat every game as another ‘day at the office’ in a secure public sector job with all the perks regardless of performance.
 
MenInG said:
Had a great Test in England in the Misbah tour of 2016 - would he have been a good choice for this tour also? Last played a Test in 2017 for Pakistan and then discarded.
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Tbh I would have had him instead of imaam
 
MenInG said:
Had a great Test in England in the Misbah tour of 2016 - would he have been a good choice for this tour also? Last played a Test in 2017 for Pakistan and then discarded.
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Unfortunately the 2016 series is only relevant for selecting a 36 year old unfit fast bowler, not a young opener who showed great promise in difficult conditions.
 
Majid Khan said:
It’s a good attitude to have , and treat every game as your last - on the other hand there’s others who treat every game as another ‘day at the office’ in a secure public sector job with all the perks regardless of performance.
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Like Mohammad Hafeez :))
 
Salman4. said:
No. Imam will find his feet in tests very soon IA.
Remember Babar?
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I just belive he cant play the short bowl or swing he maybe good in asain conditions thou but I wont write him off just get.

The thing with babar is he could play the short ball and he was decent against swing
 
I feel by now he could have been an established opening batsman, if he had been handled properly.

But, once again the like/dislike culture hits Pakistan cricket again.
 
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Saj said:
I feel by now he could have been an established opening batsman, if he had been handled properly.
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I swear down he got hit by a short pitched bowl in asian conditions imagine him facing archer and wood
 
Saj said:
I feel by now he could have been an established opening batsman, if he had been handled properly.

But, once again the like/dislike culture hits Pakistan cricket again.
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Sami got the balance right between attack and defence at the start of his career and the more he played, the more he went into his shell. His problem was low hands and crouching too much, he needs to be more upright at the crease and work on keeping his hands higher.
 
Shan Masood has totally justified his selection ahead of Sami Aslam today!
 
SM1989 said:
Shan Masood has totally justified his selection ahead of Sami Aslam today!
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Shan wasn't his competition tbh, he was there before Sami as well, it's preferring Imam over him in Tests, which is sheer injustice to Sami.
 
Sami has refused to be captain of 2nd 11 for balochistan and left the tournament. He wasn't happy with legend faisal iqbal. Faisal iqbal removed him from whatsapp group according to strong sources
 
ataullah said:
Sami has refused to be captain of 2nd 11 for balochistan and left the tournament. He wasn't happy with legend faisal iqbal. Faisal iqbal removed him from whatsapp group according to strong sources
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Only after Sami pulled out.
 
ataullah said:
Tbh sami deserved 1st 11 spot. Alot of selection problems in Pak. That's why players get disheartened
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He did but his attitude is underwhelming. Just suck it up, and go smash some balls around in the second XI for gods sake. You’ll be promoted after 3 games...
 
Apparently Sami Aslam has a family medical emergency. Nothing to do with second XI. Someone please confirm
 
Lahore: Left-handed batsman Sami Aslam has withdrawn from Second XI National T20 Cup due to personal reasons, scheduled to start from October 1st in Lahore, ARY Sports reported.

The 24-year-old was the captain of Balochistan’s Second XI side and team management has accepted his request of not playing the event.

According to team management, he has withdrawn citing his mother’s illness and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been informed too. Azeem Ghumman is expected to lead the side in his absence.

“Mother’s operation is expected in a few days and due to the bio-secure bubble, it is not easy to come again and again,” Sami said.

He denied rumors that he withdrew from the event after his exclusion from Balochistan’s First XI team. “No rifts with the co…

https://arysports.tv/sami-aslam-withdraws-from-second-xi-national-t20-cup
 
I feel desperately sorry for Sami Aslam.

He was the top domestic scorer last season, having been dropped aged 22 with a Test average of 32, having played almost all his Tests outside Asia.

Misbah's treatment of him is disgraceful. How could the top domestic First Class scorer not even get into a 29 man squad to England, where he averaged 54 last time?
 
Junaids said:
I feel desperately sorry for Sami Aslam.

He was the top domestic scorer last season, having been dropped aged 22 with a Test average of 32, having played almost all his Tests outside Asia.

Misbah's treatment of him is disgraceful. How could the top domestic First Class scorer not even get into a 29 man squad to England, where he averaged 54 last time?
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He should have gone to the england tour defo
 
Deserves to be back in the team. I've seen him bat and he is a really good timer of the ball. Not often we produce a quality batsman so would be a real shame if Sami goes to waste.
 
Loralai said:
Deserves to be back in the team. I've seen him bat and he is a really good timer of the ball. Not often we produce a quality batsman so would be a real shame if Sami goes to waste.
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Not in t20s and odis
 
I have newfound appreciation for him after watching Masood and Abid in England this summer.

The way he batted at Edgbaston in 2016 is well beyond what Shan and Abid are capable of.

Would like to see him partner Imam in the next Test series.

Masood and Abid are clearly no good and will deteriorate further in a couple of years.
 
Mamoon said:
I have newfound appreciation for him after watching Masood and Abid in England this summer.

The way he batted at Edgbaston in 2016 is well beyond what Shan and Abid are capable of.

Would like to see him partner Imam in the next Test series.

Masood and Abid are clearly no good and will deteriorate further in a couple of years.
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Shan masood played well even thou that's based on 1 innings better than both england openers
 
Mamoon said:
I have newfound appreciation for him after watching Masood and Abid in England this summer.

The way he batted at Edgbaston in 2016 is well beyond what Shan and Abid are capable of.

Would like to see him partner Imam in the next Test series.

Masood and Abid are clearly no good and will deteriorate further in a couple of years.
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For once, you and I are quite close together on this.

I think the selection of Abid Ali is stupid: why introduce into Test cricket a man who is the same age at which the likes of Alastair Cook and AB De Villiers retired? He can be a decent stopgap, but will need replacing around the same time as Shan Masood and his selection just causes instability.

Shan Masood is a funny case. He lacks the talent of Sami Aslam, but he is smart and thoughtful and the only real short-term option for the captaincy.

Everybody knows that Shan Masood is hard working and has lifted to "adequate" his performances everywhere except England. But England is his Kryptonite: he will never be able to rebuild his technique to cope with those conditions.

The work that Rohail Nazir is doing with Gary Palmer makes him a genuine prospect to keep wicket and bat at Number 6 in Tests.

That in turn opens up the possibility of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan occupying two of the three middle-order positions, with Haider Ali hopefully taking the other one.

Then you only require two openers. One of whom should already be Sami Aslam.

My 2021-23 World Test Championship team would be:

1. Sami Aslam
2. Shan Masood (c)
3. Mohammad Rizwan
4. Babar Azam
5. Haider Ali
6. Rohail Nazir (wk)
7. Shadab Khan
8. Amad Butt or Faheem Ashraf (SENA) / Zafar Gohar (Asia)
9. Hasan Ali (SENA) / Sajid Khan (Asia)
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi
11. Naseem Shah

I am in two minds between Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood, and I can see the batting argument that Imam has a higher future ceiling.

But I look at that group of players and I don't see an alternative to Shan Masood as a short-term skipper.
 
Junaids said:
For once, you and I are quite close together on this.

I think the selection of Abid Ali is stupid: why introduce into Test cricket a man who is the same age at which the likes of Alastair Cook and AB De Villiers retired? He can be a decent stopgap, but will need replacing around the same time as Shan Masood and his selection just causes instability.

Shan Masood is a funny case. He lacks the talent of Sami Aslam, but he is smart and thoughtful and the only real short-term option for the captaincy.

Everybody knows that Shan Masood is hard working and has lifted to "adequate" his performances everywhere except England. But England is his Kryptonite: he will never be able to rebuild his technique to cope with those conditions.

The work that Rohail Nazir is doing with Gary Palmer makes him a genuine prospect to keep wicket and bat at Number 6 in Tests.

That in turn opens up the possibility of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan occupying two of the three middle-order positions, with Haider Ali hopefully taking the other one.

Then you only require two openers. One of whom should already be Sami Aslam.

My 2021-23 World Test Championship team would be:

1. Sami Aslam
2. Shan Masood (c)
3. Mohammad Rizwan
4. Babar Azam
5. Haider Ali
6. Rohail Nazir (wk)
7. Shadab Khan
8. Amad Butt or Faheem Ashraf (SENA) / Zafar Gohar (Asia)
9. Hasan Ali (SENA) / Sajid Khan (Asia)
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi
11. Naseem Shah

I am in two minds between Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood, and I can see the batting argument that Imam has a higher future ceiling.

But I look at that group of players and I don't see an alternative to Shan Masood as a short-term skipper.
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To be honest I really like this team but there is the danger of collapse from 5 through 11. It also remains to be seen if Hasan Ali can improve himself to the level where he replaces Abbas in SENA (hopefully with a batting option in mind as well).

The thing with the 11 players you have listed is that if they were in the England setup or Australian setup, you could expect them all to live up to potential the way you’re imagining. I just don’t see that happening in the current setup under Misbah the coach and with Shan as captain.
 
Junaids said:
For once, you and I are quite close together on this.

I think the selection of Abid Ali is stupid: why introduce into Test cricket a man who is the same age at which the likes of Alastair Cook and AB De Villiers retired? He can be a decent stopgap, but will need replacing around the same time as Shan Masood and his selection just causes instability.

Shan Masood is a funny case. He lacks the talent of Sami Aslam, but he is smart and thoughtful and the only real short-term option for the captaincy.

Everybody knows that Shan Masood is hard working and has lifted to "adequate" his performances everywhere except England. But England is his Kryptonite: he will never be able to rebuild his technique to cope with those conditions.

The work that Rohail Nazir is doing with Gary Palmer makes him a genuine prospect to keep wicket and bat at Number 6 in Tests.

That in turn opens up the possibility of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan occupying two of the three middle-order positions, with Haider Ali hopefully taking the other one.

Then you only require two openers. One of whom should already be Sami Aslam.

My 2021-23 World Test Championship team would be:

1. Sami Aslam
2. Shan Masood (c)
3. Mohammad Rizwan
4. Babar Azam
5. Haider Ali
6. Rohail Nazir (wk)
7. Shadab Khan
8. Amad Butt or Faheem Ashraf (SENA) / Zafar Gohar (Asia)
9. Hasan Ali (SENA) / Sajid Khan (Asia)
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi
11. Naseem Shah

I am in two minds between Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood, and I can see the batting argument that Imam has a higher future ceiling.

But I look at that group of players and I don't see an alternative to Shan Masood as a short-term skipper.
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Rizwan I's good but he hasnt got the technique to see off the new ball I'd have him at number 6 as a keeper bateman and rohail has back up
 
Compare that with the chap Sami Aslam has replaced as opener on a few occasions , that player must have always felt after every failure that there are only 500 more games left as a Pakistan opener, lack of performances in the next 500 innings might get demoted to middle order batsman, and continued failures after that might reduce him to being selected as a bowler who can bat.. but most importantly he’ll still be selected until and unless he himself decides to call it a day and play his last match.
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
To be honest I really like this team but there is the danger of collapse from 5 through 11. It also remains to be seen if Hasan Ali can improve himself to the level where he replaces Abbas in SENA (hopefully with a batting option in mind as well).

The thing with the 11 players you have listed is that if they were in the England setup or Australian setup, you could expect them all to live up to potential the way you’re imagining. I just don’t see that happening in the current setup under Misbah the coach and with Shan as captain.
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I have been saying for years that for Hasan Ali, his absolute priority now should be to work on his batting, not his bowling.

Hasan Ali has played 9 Tests.

He has 31 wickets at 28.90 and 155 runs at 15.50.

I think he is already as good as a 5 foot 9 inch tall quick bowler can be. He will never be able to shorten his length like Shaheen Shah Afridi to throttle the scoring rate and put pressure on the batsmen.

But I strongly believe that you pick your Number 8 and Number 9 batsmen as much for their batting as for their bowling. You just can't have Number Elevens like Shaheen Shah Afridi or Mohammad Abbas batting as high as Number 9, or Yasir Shah batting at Number 8 (after reaching the dizzy heights of a score of 45 just once in 77 Test innings!)

I already have two Number Elevens in Naseem and Shaheen Shah, for the next decade.

That means that for the next decade, any other bowler selected has to be able to occupy the crease for an average of at least an hour every time that he goes out to bat in a Test match.

That has to be the major benchmark: Number 9 needs to survive 40 balls (an hour) and Number 8 needs to survive 60 balls (three quarters of a session).

Hasan Ali may not be able to bowl currently, but really he and Sami Aslam should join Rohail Nazir in paying Gary Palmer to give him intensive batting coaching.
 
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