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ICC CT 2017 | 1st semi-final: England vs Pakistan | 14th June, 2017 | Cardiff | Pre-Match Thread

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Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Malik
Sarfaraz
Fahim
Hafeez
Shadab
Amir
Hasan
Junaid

Imad excelled with new ball. Now that JK is performing, Imad has to make way for Shadab.
Professor can go full circle to where it started for him ; a feared striker at Tape Ball Cricket. #7/8 will be good for him and for PCT.
 
mak36 said:
That line up has Shadab coming in at six- surely that is at least one batsman light?

As much as I don't want Hafeez and Azhar to play, given the lack of other batting options within the squad do you not think at least one of them will have to play?
Click to expand...

Shadab, Imad and Fahim can be switched around. That's not a problem.
 
How about bringing back Haris in order to strengthen our batting and one of Hafeez and Imad needs to be dropped.
Shadab is also must against England, let's see how Pakistan Team management adjust him in playing 11.
 
Mamoon said:
Azhar out, Haris in.

I will stick with Hafeez because we will need his bowling. We need all of our economical bowlers against England.
Click to expand...

Agree with this. Azhar did score 30-odd runs and that might keep him in the team, but it shouldn't because his strike rate has been too low throughout the tournament.
 
Pakistan XI vs England in the SF on 14th June

Ideal

- Harris Sohail to replace Hafeez
- Shahdab to replace Azhar Ali

Fakhar
Babar
Haris Sohail
Malik
Sarfaraz
Faheem
Imad
Shahdab
Amir
Hassan
Junaid

But we all know Hafeez is irreplaceable...for reasons known to Mickey and Sarfaraz only.

Shahdab - His 10 overs of attacking spin will be crucial against England who are a bit vulnerable to quality spin. & they haven't played quality spin vs NZ/Aud/BD

Sohail - Hafeez's bowling might be missed against Morgan (left-hander) but we need more from our batting...Thus, it would be wise to replace Hafeez with Sohail. Even if Sohail doesn't score a 100, I am sure he would outscore Hafeez.
Also, Malik & Sohail can combine to bowl 5-6 overs that Hafeez would have bowled.

This is honestly the best squad pakistan can try out in a SF vs the strongest team of the tournament.

With Hafeez and Azhar - Pakistan start out with 9 players with the bat and 35 overs to play since those two combine to play 60-90 dot balls (10-15overs).
 
We are going to win this boys already predicted it the entire scorecard in another thread. No one will be able to stop our ferocious bowling right now not even England. I also have a feeling Fakhar will score a quick fire century this match.

Playing xi should be -

1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Hafeez/Haris
3. Babar Azam
4. Sarfraz Ahmed (C) (WK)
5. Shoaib Malik
6. Imad Wasim
7. Fahim Ashraf
8. Shadab Khan
9. Mohammad Amir
10. Hasan Ali
11. Junaid Khan
 
i would pick Haris for professor and Shadab for Imad, however i expect them to go with the same team if pitch conditions are similar
 
Haris Sohail and Shadab Khan in for semi final:media reports and my sources

Hafeez will open and haris will slot in at 4 while shadab will replace Imad.
 
need to bat first in both games and put a min of 280 down

A MIN
 
sadida97 said:
1-Sarfaraz Ahmed
2-Fakhar Zaman
3-Babar Azam
4-Haris Sohail
5-Shoaib Malik
6-Shadab Khan
7-Imad Wasim
8-Faheem Ashraf
9-Mohammad Amir
10-Hassan Ali
11-Junaid Khan

What do you think ?
Click to expand...

Yep but Faheem ahead of Wasim
 
Chief Destroyer said:
Shadab, Imad and Fahim can be switched around. That's not a problem.
Click to expand...

As I posted earlier though, i'm not sure this will work as there are very few (specialist) batsmen in your suggested line-up. Plus, Imad's recent form has been a worry and given their inexperience, it seems to be expecting too much from Fahim and Shadab- who are primarily bowlers- especially in the context of of a semi-final.

Post CT, we need to drop Hafeez and Azhar ASAP but given the limitations of the squad it seems like at least one of them will have to play on Wednesday unfortunately.
 
Impossible task, Pakistan have little to no chance against this England side. We should have lost today vs Sri Lanka and we beat SA because they always choke when the pressures on. This England side is a very very good team and they will bat us out of the game. We make chasing 200 look insanely tough, if they bat first we'll be chasing close to 350.
 
Here's to my first post on Pakpassion.

Some folks are suggesting:
1. Mohammad hafeez
2. Fakhar Zaman
3. Babar Azam
4. Sarfraz Ahmed
5. Shoaib Malik
6. Imad Wasim
7. Faheem Ashraf
8. Shadab Khan
9. Mohammed Aamer
10. Hasan Ali
11. Junaid Khan

Allow me to just disseminate my two cents worth. Even if Pakistan restrict England to somewhere between 270ish (approx) it would make little to no difference, the lineup above would fetch you around 220-230max (on a good day) the balance is all wrong, thus England will expertly exploit the glaring deficiencies; the match will surely be lost. The difference between winning and losing for Pakistan will NOT lie in the bowling facet, rather the batting.

So here is the remedy...

1) Sarfraz Ahmed (confidence)
2) Fakhar Zaman
3) Haris Sohail (must play)
4) Babar Azam
5) Shoaib Malik
6) Mohammad Hafeez
7) Fahim Ashraf (Finisher role)
8) Shahdab Khan
9) Mohammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Junaid Khan

Pakistan unequivocally CANNOT afford to play Azhar Ali, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Hafeez in the same squad- as it upsets the balance of the team. Imad is merely a bowler, Hafeez is next to useless up the order, but possesses the ability; more utility down the order and to steer the game home. He will definitely score more runs down the order.

It boiled down to Hafeez vs Imad, fighting for the same spot- since the batting will determine the winner, Hafeez is a no brainer out of the two. Haris is an accumulator of runs, he has to play. Thus far, all of the 'new' lads, have shown promise, with that being said, Haris could turn the whole game around with augmenting to the balance of the team. With the aforementioned team, Pakistan has a much greater chance of pulling off an upset.

A penny for your thoughts folks?
 
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Hasan123 said:
Harris and Shadab in for Azhar and Imad
Click to expand...

For sure. The combination I posted will give Pakistan the perfect blend from the current crop of players. In no uncertain terms; playing Imad and Shahdab will mean chasing anything over 220 is out of the question.
 
Mag101 said:
For sure. The combination I posted will give Pakistan the perfect blend from the current crop of players. In no uncertain terms; playing Imad and Shahdab will mean chasing anything over 220 is out of the question.
Click to expand...


England will be aware of Imad so not expecting much from him. Shadab is a potential match winner. Not to mention he's an improvement in the field from Imad. He could save 7-10 runs in the field.

If he can get right he will prove a handful for England's middle order .
 
Hasan123 said:
England will be aware of Imad so not expecting much from him. Shadab is a potential match winner. Not to mention he's an improvement in the field from Imad. He could save 7-10 runs in the field.

If he can get right he will prove a handful for England's middle order .
Click to expand...

Hi. Glad you concur, Imad and Azhar have got to warm the bench if Pakistan is to win the game. Hafeez is perfect down the order.
 
It's a 50 over ICC event so England must/will give up at some point hope Pakistan does it so we can have a Blockbuster Final India vs Pakistan.
 
Mag101 said:
Hi. Glad you concur, Imad and Azhar have got to warm the bench if Pakistan is to win the game. Hafeez is perfect down the order.
Click to expand...


If Azhar is dropped, Hafeez will have to open. He doesn't seem comfertable in the middle order at all.
 
Mir jibran said:
dont u think england would have done their homework on imad ?
i dont think so imad will do any good against them so my preference is shadab
Click to expand...

A defensive option is needed. Amir, hasan, junaid, shadab are all wicket taking aggressive options. Imad will be the defensive option and can chip in with a wicket or two hopefully. England would have done homework against all bowlers not just imad.

Having said that, if by some miracle Pak reach the finals, Imad should be dropped regardless of how well he performed against england. Asian sides render him useless.
 
mak36 said:
Not sure this will work. Imad's recent form has been a worry and given their inexperience, you are expecting too much from Fahim and Shadab- especially given the pressures of a semi-final.
Click to expand...

True but the batting just doesnt have enough firepower. Hafeez has been a sitting duck. The best bet is to bat deep with bowlers who can hold the bat at the very least. When Resources are scarce and of low quality, Try to cover it up with quantity. The squad has been selected in such a way that you cant do much with it.
 
I would take into consideration the nature of the ground and also the battery of fast bowlers from England. They will play Plunkett, Wood, Ball & Stokes so 40 overs of pace bowling with a short of good length line.

We all know the Cardiff ground is big square of the wicket so the England bowlers will adopt that into their game plan and target players such as Zaman, Babar, Haris (if plays) & Sarfaraz who have deficiencies against the short ball.

It would'nt be a bad idea to actually draft in Shehzad and give him license to go after the English bowlers as he is good against pace.
 
Punisher said:
I would take into consideration the nature of the ground and also the battery of fast bowlers from England. They will play Plunkett, Wood, Ball & Stokes so 40 overs of pace bowling with a short of good length line.

We all know the Cardiff ground is big square of the wicket so the England bowlers will adopt that into their game plan and target players such as Zaman, Babar, Haris (if plays) & Sarfaraz who have deficiencies against the short ball.

It would'nt be a bad idea to actually draft in Shehzad and give him license to go after the English bowlers as he is good against pace.
Click to expand...
Shehzad good against pace? :danish

The guy has some serious deficiencies when it comes to the ball rising or when the ball isn't pitched in his zone, i.e on a full length.
 
1. Raman
2. Babar
3. Haris
4. Malik
5. Sarfraz
6. Shadab
7. Fahim
8. Amir
9. Imad ( no higher than 8 but preferably 9)
10. Hassan
11. Junaid
 
What an irony. Now everyone want JK in the team. But these same ppers criticised me for keeping him in my choice.
 
Guys, they will not drop Hafeez, so we need to get over it. He will play.

I think we will go with the same team. Fahim was OK with the ball and looked very good with the bat until that unlucky run out. However, will he be able to perform against an in-form English batting?

I would drop Imad for Shadab but Imad has been performing well against England with the bat.

Tough choices. Either way, we have about 5% chance to pull this one off. We need a special special day from someone.
 
Will be redux of WC15. Pakistan miraculously survives the first round somehow and against all expectations only to crush out on the second round. It's foolhardy to expect this undercooked and confused Pakistani team to beat England at home. Fans need to have realistic expectations, else you will relive the disappointments of the June 4th clash with India.
 
deems said:
Hafeez will open and haris will slot in at 4 while shadab will replace Imad.
Click to expand...
Tremendous news if true. Although would have wanted imad in the team and azhar out but what the heck. This is really great if true.
 
This should be the 11

1.Fakhar
2.Hafeez(England has 4 left handers in top 7, by opening he'll either score or get out to the new ball. He can't tuk tuk.)
3.Babar
4.Haris
5.Malik
6.Sarfraz
7.Imad
8.Shadab/ Fahim (Depending on both the pitch )
9.Amir
10.Hassan
11.Junaid
 
Need Hafeez in the team because England has 3 lefties in top 7. But he should play as bowlimg all-rounder batting at 6 or 7. Only change should be either Haris or Shadab for Imad. Playing Haris is a bit risky because it will require Hafeez/Malik/Faheem to bowl 20 overs. Which could be a bit tricky. My team in batting order

Azhar
Fakhar
Babar
Sarfaraz
Malik
Haris/Shadab
Hafeez
Faheem
Aamir
Hasan
Junaid
 
Madplayer said:
Tremendous news if true. Although would have wanted imad in the team and azhar out but what the heck. This is really great if true.
Click to expand...

no, not tremendous. hafeez and azhar in team still means two run rate drying walking wickets. then, just compare imad's stats against england with hafeez, not with bat but *ball*. he last took 1-33 in 10 overs against them. in cardiff. with them having played him already in 4 games. they never sussed him out.
 
samiakh said:
Need Hafeez in the team because England has 3 lefties in top 7. But he should play as bowlimg all-rounder batting at 6 or 7. Only change should be either Haris or Shadab for Imad. Playing Haris is a bit risky because it will require Hafeez/Malik/Faheem to bowl 20 overs. Which could be a bit tricky. My team in batting order

Azhar
Fakhar
Babar
Sarfaraz
Malik
Haris/Shadab
Hafeez
Faheem
Aamir
Hasan
Junaid
Click to expand...

hafeez's prowess as a bowler, whether against lefties or anyone else, is a complete and utter myth. in his last 10 ODIs against top teams, Eng, Aus, SA, he has a grand total 1 wicket. 0 wickets against england in the uae in 2012. which england team included lefties. a garbage player, no other way around it. and not an allrounder, just a specialist bowler averaging 75 this tourney
 
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Punisher said:
I would take into consideration the nature of the ground and also the battery of fast bowlers from England. They will play Plunkett, Wood, Ball & Stokes so 40 overs of pace bowling with a short of good length line.

We all know the Cardiff ground is big square of the wicket so the England bowlers will adopt that into their game plan and target players such as Zaman, Babar, Haris (if plays) & Sarfaraz who have deficiencies against the short ball.

It would'nt be a bad idea to actually draft in Shehzad and give him license to go after the English bowlers as he is good against pace.
Click to expand...

What is this fantasy that if you 'give license' to a crappy player, be it shehzad or wahab, they will turn into a match winner? don't think shehzad was told he needed to score runs when he was last told to open?
 
Shadab for hafeez and haris for azhar if fit,sarf to open or i wouldn't mind if imad is sent to open
 
england would have seen fakhar's infact all team's weakness against back of length into the body bowling and he surely
won't get anymore freebies outside off. also fahim a medium pacer without any movement is just too easy for english. therefore shadab in for fahim (a real possibility) change at top of order just to surprise english( not a possibility with this management). also no other change is likely with this management hence there is no use debating all the other scenerios
 
1.) Mohammad Hafeez
2.) Fakhar Zaman
3.) Babar Azam
4.) Haris Sohail
5.) Shoaib Malik
6.) Sarfraz Ahmed (C) (WK)
7.) Imad Wasim
8.) Fahim Ashraf
9.) Mohammad Amir
10.) Hasan Ali
11.) Junaid Khan

Not too sure about England's weakness against Legspin but if they're vulnerable to it then replace Imad with Shadab.
 
Madplayer said:
True but the batting just doesnt have enough firepower. Hafeez has been a sitting duck. The best bet is to bat deep with bowlers who can hold the bat at the very least. When Resources are scarce and of low quality, Try to cover it up with quantity. The squad has been selected in such a way that you cant do much with it.
Click to expand...

I agree with most of what you have said. Clearly the squad lacks batting depth, but I am not sure the solution is to stack the team with bowlers who can bat. Then again Hafeez has hardly done much.

Presumably you support the view that whatever the playing XI, if Pak win the toss they should bowl?
 
There has to be one change. Haris Sohail needs to come in for either Hafeez or Azhar Ali. At this point I don't even care which of the two but Haris Sohail must play.
 
I don't think "the professor" is droppable Azhar should be dropped and Haris should come and bat at 4 don't have much hopes from batting lineup though.
 
England will probably replace Jason Roy with Jonny Bairstow. Pakistan will have to watch out for him, he's a pretty solid bat who can accelerate at will.
 
Joginder_Sharma said:
England will probably replace Jason Roy with Jonny Bairstow. Pakistan will have to watch out for him, he's a pretty solid bat who can accelerate at will.
Click to expand...

I'd rather have Bairstow play instead of Roy who can take the game away from you.

We just have to get Hales, Root and Morgan out and we're good.
 
ar2020 said:
I'd rather have Bairstow play instead of Roy who can take the game away from you.

We just have to get Hales, Root and Morgan out and we're good.
Click to expand...

Bairstow has been a pain for Pakistan a lot more than Roy
 
Micky during the press for the semifinal

On Shoaib being shifted up the order

And Malik may be in a little bit earlier but that is something we need to discuss whether it happens now or at the end of the competition
 
I can only see Shadab Khan coming in and if they play him it will be at the expense of Imad or Fahim; don't see Azhar Ali being dropped.
 
New Yorker said:
no, not tremendous. hafeez and azhar in team still means two run rate drying walking wickets. then, just compare imad's stats against england with hafeez, not with bat but *ball*. he last took 1-33 in 10 overs against them. in cardiff. with them having played him already in 4 games. they never sussed him out.
Click to expand...
I thought he said azhar will be dropped.
 
mak36 said:
I agree with most of what you have said. Clearly the squad lacks batting depth, but I am not sure the solution is to stack the team with bowlers who can bat. Then again Hafeez has hardly done much.

Presumably you support the view that whatever the playing XI, if Pak win the toss they should bowl?
Click to expand...

I am confused about it really. Cant seem to decide really. Traditionally i support the view that in pressure games, simply bat first. But england bat deep and it would be difficult to contain them while chasing because they would go about chasing the total in a calculated manner. It might be a good idea to let them bat first with them trying to set a big target, the wheels might come off. i am assuming that if Pak win the toss they will bowl and try to get ENG out quickly like they have in the last too games.
 
The big question here is do Pakistan have the belief that they can beat England tomorrow however ugly it may be and face off AGAINST India in the final.

Do they have the prerequisite skills in either departments to cause the biggest upset of this tournament?

Can they actually beat the home side who are equally hungry to lift the trophy in their home conditions and prove their mettle?

I leave the forum open for discussion.
 
According to cricinfo, match will be played on same wicket, used one. This is advantageous to Pakistan, spin and reverse swing will come into play.

Shadab should be in for Immad. Hafeez is still needed for leftys like Strokes and Morgan. I cannot foresee any other change.

Toss is very important, specially when you are such an underdog. Win toss, bowl first, keep them under 250.

Sarfraz has to bat higher, ideally 3/4, switch with Hafeez, rest of the order is ok, bringing in Harris for Azhar is tempting but won't happen.

Interestingly we beat England last summer on same ground by chasing 303, our highest chase outside Asia.
 
I think Babar should return to batting position#6.. he isn't reliable a #3 against top sides... The #3 spot should be reserved for the consistent captain cool sarfi.. Sarfi is better at rotating strike and hitting boundaries.. Rememeber that Sarfi has only two ODI centuries, one came when he batted at #1 and other came when he batted at #5..
 
Crafty_Indian said:
The big question here is do Pakistan have the belief that they can beat England tomorrow however ugly it may be and face off AGAINST India in the final.

Do they have the prerequisite skills in either departments to cause the biggest upset of this tournament?

Can they actually beat the home side who are equally hungry to lift the trophy in their home conditions and prove their mettle?

I leave the forum open for discussion.
Click to expand...

Pakistan must play without fear. They crumbled against India because of fear and some shocking performances combining. Need to ensure the fielding is good and once again the bowling remains consistent. We beat South Africa #1 ranked side and I know it was via D/L but who was really expecting us to even come close.

England are the favourites in this tournament in my opinion but I'm confident are bowling will be up to scratch however our batting is the main concern. If England post a 275 + score it will be very difficult for us to chase judging how our current batting has gone. We can't see Azhar taking 15 balls to score a run. Someone must aid Fakhar in his opening. Partnerships must be established otherwise the match is only going one way. IMO England will win this but you just can't write Pakistan off hence some optimism.
 
Pakistan going unchanged in Semi Final

Media is reporting that there will be no change in Pakistan lineup for Semi Final against England.
 
Hasan123 said:
If Azhar is dropped, Hafeez will have to open. He doesn't seem comfertable in the middle order at all.
Click to expand...

Mate, he doesnt seem comfortable on the field, let alone batting!

Azhar has to go... no place for him.. This guy, when tries to wack the ball out of the park, looks so unpleasing and ugly to the eyes


My lineup:

Fakhar
Hafeez
Babar
Haris
Malik
Sarfraz
Faheem
Shadab
Amir
Hasan
Junaid

Malik/Hafeez/Haris/Faheem to bowl 20-25 overs between them.
 
Last edited:
This England side still needs to show credentials in an ODI Knock Out match.

60-40 Advantage Pakistan.

Buttler and Bairstow ( if he plays ) are biggest threats.
 
I haven't written off Pakistan.They can pull off a surprise win over England.This will happen only when Pakistan will play fearless aggressive cricket.I have strong suspicion over only 2 players,Hafeez and Azhar.They always play timid old fashioned cricket.If these two play in their usual way,Pakistan has no chance,because they occupy two most important batting positions in Pakistan's batting order.
 
yasir said:
According to cricinfo, match will be played on same wicket, used one. This is advantageous to Pakistan, spin and reverse swing will come into play.

Shadab should be in for Immad. Hafeez is still needed for leftys like Strokes and Morgan. I cannot foresee any other change.

Toss is very important, specially when you are such an underdog. Win toss, bowl first, keep them under 250.

Sarfraz has to bat higher, ideally 3/4, switch with Hafeez, rest of the order is ok, bringing in Harris for Azhar is tempting but won't happen.

Interestingly we beat England last summer on same ground by chasing 303, our highest chase outside Asia.
Click to expand...

It is a myth that lefties are helpless against Hafeez, In his last 10 ODIs against top sides (Aus, Eng, SA) he
has taken only 1 lefty wicket, which is also his only wicket. When he last bowled against England Hafeez didn't take a single wicket in four games. Imad bowled Morgan twice in the last bilateral series, and Stokes once. And was not dismissed by them once. If one has to choose between these two bits and pieces posers for the coming game it would be stupidity to pick the Prof.
 
Last edited:
Hasan123 said:
England will be aware of Imad so not expecting much from him. Shadab is a potential match winner. Not to mention he's an improvement in the field from Imad. He could save 7-10 runs in the field.

If he can get right he will prove a handful for England's middle order .
Click to expand...

They had had 4 games to suss him out in the bilateral series but he still took 1-33 in 10 overs in the
5th. I am all for Shadab but he should come in for Hafeez.
 
Azhar really needs to be dropped for this game and Hafeez needs to play for his bowling. Ideally he should be opening as he has done so plenty of times in the past. Imad offers absolutely nothing with the bat and considering our batting struggles, we should have Fahim and Shadab who are both superior to him. Therefore team should be:

Fakhar
Hafeez
Babar
Haris
Malik
Sarfraz
Fahim
Shadab
Amir
Hassan
Junaid

Play that 11 and I would be very confident of toppling England.
 
Do not drop Fahim.

Must play.

I agree England are under immense pressure if we keep it tight and take it to the last 10 overs we will win.

Mentally They are scarred from the WI final.
 
England win toss, elect to bat first
England: 310
Morgan ( 87* )
Hales ( 53 )
Bairstow ( 48 )
Hasan: 3-51
Amir: 3-49
Pakistan: 312-7
Fakhar ( 81 )
Malik ( 54 )
Fahim ( 48* )
Wood: 2-48
Ali: 2-60
 
19059997_1415008881926647_7194228689650027198_n.jpg

Perfect lineup,
[MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] [MENTION=137148]Rayyman[/MENTION] [MENTION=134608]Hawkeye[/MENTION]
 
ManFan said:
England win toss, elect to bat first
England: 310
Morgan ( 87* )
Hales ( 53 )
Bairstow ( 48 )
Hasan: 3-51
Amir: 3-49
Pakistan: 312-7
Fakhar ( 81 )
Malik ( 54 )
Fahim ( 48* )
Wood: 2-48
Ali: 2-60
Click to expand...

Guys everywhere seem totally deluded or missed 10 years.

NO chance at all of Morgan choosing to bat if they win the toss and hopefully Sarfraz doesn't read PP. Pakistan need to chase.
 
Pakistan Should Go With This LineUp

Fakhar
Azhar
Malik
Babar
Harris
Sarfraz
Fahim
Shahdab
Amir
Hassan
Junaid
 
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