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Imad Wasim as vice-captain of Pakistan

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Rathore1

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Best ICC I20T bowler and given a chance could be an excellent batting all rounder! Excellent attitude, good fielder "aur ungrazee bhi aachee baulta hai!!!!
 
Maddy doesn't look like someone who'll inspire others and get the best out of them. He's in the mould of Mohammad Hafeez, which neither is a bad thing nor is something that could be a game changer for Pakistan.

Like Hafeez he'll forever be the definition of bits and pieces and would blow hot and cold as per his form. The good thing is that unlike Hafeez he doesn't bat in the top order so that's a plus.

Currently if there is anyone who I would make Sarfraz's deputy is Shadab. Yes I know he's just 18 but that boy is meant for greatness and will go and become the biggest legend from the current lot !!!
 
Have you seen Imad's tummy? Not sure how he can be classified as a good fielder

I would have thought the only potential candidate for VC would be Babar as he plays all formats but i am scared that he might force his cousins back into the squad .... somehow.
 
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Rathore1 said:
Best ICC I20T bowler and given a chance could be an excellent batting all rounder! Excellent attitude, good fielder "aur ungrazee bhi aachee baulta hai!!!!
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I don't think rankings mean too much and the t20 rankings are the worse of the lot.
 
He shouldn't even be in the team, let alone being bestowed vice captain.
 
Very good player but shouldn't be anywhere near the captaincy. He's not the first man in the XI and should be replacable.
 
ExpressPacer said:
Very good player but shouldn't be anywhere near the captaincy. He's not the first man in the XI and should be replacable.
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Anything from the big guy"s!!!!! SAJ???? What do you think?? So far QuotE " He's got a tummy" Dude's got money !! he probably eats Pratha's at will!!! Mickey can fix that, Imad is bits & piece's (he get's some good wickets and can play straight down the wicket hit's the bowling on it's merit" but his attitude is what impresses me!!!! and I want someone be able to answer Rambo "Ramiz Raja" when being interviewed.
 
He has shown nothing to suggest he can be a good leader

Given him any sort of leadership role would be absurd
 
Imad not the right candidate for VC and also it is not necessary to appoint someone as Sarfraz' deputy right now .. Let Sarfraz grow in his new role of captaincy first before he take someone young under his wing...

In future, especially after the 2019 CWC there will be more good options to choose from for VC..

So right now it is completely unnecessary to have a VC...

Having said that the PAK choice of VC never really worked as a proper successor to take over when the captain retires or sacked, VC is more like a jinxing position for not be appointed as captain in the future...
 
coy0607 said:
He has shown nothing to suggest he can be a good leader

Given him any sort of leadership role would be absurd
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Imad has played some really good cricket in last year or so???!!! You put your talented but young cricketers like Hassan Ali/Fakhar Zaman under leadership pressure you will destroy there carrier's look what happened to Azhar Ali Even Shoaib Malik??? I'm saying make Imad a VC like someone suggested just a IT20 captain just to try him out???
 
This is very premature. He needs to start performing regularly before he is even considered for the VC.
 
May be for T20, but not further. He makes T20 team on merit, but that not the case for other formats. Also, appointment of ODI/T20 Captain/VC should be done considering next ICC event (s) - I don't think Imad should make the squad, let alone the starting XI of 2019 WC in U.K. It hast to be either Babar or one of the 2 pacers. Shadab might be the deputy of next Captain, probably around 2020.
 
I feel it's kind of obvious to go with Babar Azam as vice captain, young enough to take over eventually for Sarfraz. Plays all three formats (hasn't excelled in tests, nonetheless will be played as he's got good enough potential to succeed there too). And no players with substantial captaincy experience (who aren't too old/captained before and unlikely to captain again).

It's not a big problem if we decide to go with a different captain when the time comes if a better choice arises, I expect Sarfraz to captain for a good number of years still. And I don't think vice captain will be too much responsibility, I imagine Hafeez and Malik as long as they're in the team will be the main advisors to sarfraz with their captaincy experience, Babar's just expected to pick up anything if he can, and perhaps captain the odd game in domestic to start learning the trade.

If indeed Imad becomes an automatic selection in all formats, or at least both ODI and T20 and when Sarfraz retires, he can be made captain instead of Babar. But at the moment, wouldn't make sense, his ODI future is very shaky atm and doesn't play tests.
 
Yes I agree.

It should be either: Imad, Fakhar or Hasan in LOIs.

In Test matches, it should be Amir.
 
Rathore1 said:
Imad has played some really good cricket in last year or so???!!! You put your talented but young cricketers like Hassan Ali/Fakhar Zaman under leadership pressure you will destroy there carrier's look what happened to Azhar Ali Even Shoaib Malik??? I'm saying make Imad a VC like someone suggested just a IT20 captain just to try him out???
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this isn't gali mohalla cricket where you can "just try out" random players as captain/ vice captain who have none or very little qualifications

if Imad Wasim is someone who is targeted as someone with captain potential, he should be made a domestic captain or a PSL captain first
 
Noway, Immad Wasim has no primary skill. You cannot make such a guy Captain of the team. We already have Sarfraz as VC, who is weak on primary skills. If we want to become world beater, players like Immad and Hafeez should be on the way out...Only players with strong primary skills right now are Amir, Hasan, Babar, Shadab for all three formats. I would add Sharjeel to that list, if he is available. We need to build team around such players, not the likes of Hafeez, Immad, Malik types... Azhar is strong in test, that's about it. He is not diverse enough to be part of LOI setup.
 
Rayyman said:
Babar can be VC in LOIs, but not in Tests.

But Imad has been a better captain than Babar in the past.
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Probably but Imad doesn't merit his selection,Babar has does more then enough to cement his place in the team
 
[MENTION=48734]Rathore1[/MENTION]

His bowling isn't penetrative enough to break into batsmen's defense - or other-way, he won't get many wickets between over No. 11 to 40, when batsmen are not forced to go after; rather they'll milk him for 4/5 singles & then give Pandeya treatment, by picking selective overs : 8-0-48-0 is probably not the figure one should look from their spinner, who happens to be the VC of the side. Then, the CT final should give a good idea that he isn't someone who can give 29 (12) sort of finish - even coming at 267/4, against an attack on their knees that day. And, he isn't the batsman to bat at 5/6, though his average might be misleading, because of insignificant sample size.

In T20, from ball 1, batsmen are forced into a mad rush, hence his darting is quite effective & he is intelligent enough to bowl in PP - in short, a trustworthy bowler for 4 overs. Besides, in T20, no one plans to win the match from the blasting of No. 7/8 - the game is head heavy; Imad is quite good to salvage a 86/6 situation into a total of 134 (which should be decent enough for a fight - business usual, if PAK team is caught at 86/6, most likely, it's not a 170 par match/wicket) - overall, he is quite a decent package for T20, and born/schooled in UK, hence I do believe that he is genuine 29 - hence can be trusted as Sarfi's deputy for T20s only.

He should never be considered even for a 18 men PAK Test squad to face Ireland, if applicable.
 
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In T20Is, yes, appointing him as VC would be a good move. He's a world-class bowler and one of our best players in that format. Plus, he has experience of captaning at the U19 level, and has more captaincy experience than both Amir & Babar. There are no other options really.

In fact, wouldn't mind Imad being appointed T20I captain next year, to take some load off of Sarfraz's shoulders. Test captaincy, ODI captaincy, and being a WK as well as a vital batsman in both main formats is enough burden already, and I think Sarfraz should be phased out of T20Is within a year's time.
 
MMHS said:
[MENTION=48734]Rathore1[/MENTION]

His bowling isn't penetrative enough to break into batsmen's defense - or other-way, he won't get many wickets between over No. 11 to 40, when batsmen are not forced to go after; rather they'll milk him for 4/5 singles & then give Pandeya treatment, by picking selective overs : 8-0-48-0 is probably not the figure one should look from their spinner, who happens to be the VC of the side. Then, the CT final should give a good idea that he isn't someone who can give 29 (12) sort of finish - even coming at 267/4, against an attack on their knees that day. And, he isn't the batsman to bat at 5/6, though his average might be misleading, because of insignificant sample size.

In T20, from ball 1, batsmen are forced into a mad rush, hence his darting is quite effective & he is intelligent enough to bowl in PP - in short, a trustworthy bowler for 4 overs. Besides, in T20, no one plans to win the match from the blasting of No. 7/8 - the game is head heavy; Imad is quite good to salvage a 86/6 situation into a total of 134 (which should be decent enough for a fight - business usual, if PAK team is caught at 86/6, most likely, it's not a 170 par match/wicket) - overall, he is quite a decent package for T20, and born/schooled in UK, hence I do believe that he is genuine 29 - hence can be trusted as Sarfi's deputy for T20s only.

He should never be considered even for a 18 men PAK Test squad to face Ireland, if applicable.
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Well said...
 
Sarfraz and Imad have played a lot of cricket together and are considered very close friends!!!! I believe all of us are going to be quite surprised and see Imad given a chance of being VC in ODI/T20 and may be! may be Test's to.
 
First he needs to prove his worth. So far he is below average, needs LOTS of improvement. Having a fearless attitude is not enough to win matches. He needs to develop skills first before giving the crown or else fame 'll get into his head, which I think already started happening..
 
I would first like to see potential vice captains first given the captaincy in PSL and watch their captaincy.
Atleast we will see how these captains are and from there choose a vice captain in t20s and odis.
 
MMHS said:
[MENTION=48734]Rathore1[/MENTION]

His bowling isn't penetrative enough to break into batsmen's defense - or other-way, he won't get many wickets between over No. 11 to 40, when batsmen are not forced to go after; rather they'll milk him for 4/5 singles & then give Pandeya treatment, by picking selective overs : 8-0-48-0 is probably not the figure one should look from their spinner, who happens to be the VC of the side. Then, the CT final should give a good idea that he isn't someone who can give 29 (12) sort of finish - even coming at 267/4, against an attack on their knees that day. And, he isn't the batsman to bat at 5/6, though his average might be misleading, because of insignificant sample size.

In T20, from ball 1, batsmen are forced into a mad rush, hence his darting is quite effective & he is intelligent enough to bowl in PP - in short, a trustworthy bowler for 4 overs. Besides, in T20, no one plans to win the match from the blasting of No. 7/8 - the game is head heavy; Imad is quite good to salvage a 86/6 situation into a total of 134 (which should be decent enough for a fight - business usual, if PAK team is caught at 86/6, most likely, it's not a 170 par match/wicket) - overall, he is quite a decent package for T20, and born/schooled in UK, hence I do believe that he is genuine 29 - hence can be trusted as Sarfi's deputy for T20s only.

He should never be considered even for a 18 men PAK Test squad to face Ireland, if applicable.
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I dont think he should be made VC yet, but I wonder if there really are that many better allrounder alternatives in ODIs. Bowling wise he is about as economical as Hafeez but far more penetrative; Hafeez Ave 45 since 2013, Imad 34 since his debut. Got the crucial wickets of Amla and ABDV in the South Africa match. Can't quite strike out like Hafeez but I dont put it beyond him to get better, whereas with Hafeez we know what we aren't getting. If it were a matter of choosing between him and Senior A List National Treasure Professor for ODIs I would probably go with Imad. Overall, Shadab > Imad > Hafeez, but Shadab doesn't necessarily keep it tight.
 
Since his debut, other than middle performances (which I am hopeful he will improve), atrocious haircut, furious gum chewing.... he has been warned for bringing an unauthorized female to his room at the BPL and has put some serious lard around the waist.
not deserving of vc at the moment.
 
SarfiBabarHaris said:
I would first like to see potential vice captains first given the captaincy in PSL and watch their captaincy.
Atleast we will see how these captains are and from there choose a vice captain in t20s and odis.
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Shadab and Fakhar should captain 2 PSL teams. May be Babar/Hasan too.
 
Highly overrated and average cricketer . All you need to impress Pakistan fans is good English, looks and 'aggression'.

Looked the most ordinary cricketer of Pak's CT campaign. Sad to see how much his fitness, fielding and batting has regressed.

The next generation TTF - should be nowhere near the starting ODI XI let alone vice captaincy.
 
Shadab is an exponentially better bowler, fielder and arguably a better lower order batsman than
Imad - not to mention one of the fittest players in the Pak team.
 
New Yorker said:
I dont think he should be made VC yet, but I wonder if there really are that many better allrounder alternatives in ODIs. Bowling wise he is about as economical as Hafeez but far more penetrative; Hafeez Ave 45 since 2013, Imad 34 since his debut. Got the crucial wickets of Amla and ABDV in the South Africa match. Can't quite strike out like Hafeez but I dont put it beyond him to get better, whereas with Hafeez we know what we aren't getting. If it were a matter of choosing between him and Senior A List National Treasure Professor for ODIs I would probably go with Imad. Overall, Shadab > Imad > Hafeez, but Shadab doesn't necessarily keep it tight.
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There are several better bowling all rounders, in PAK - if you can pick the right horse for the course.

The key for batting all-rounder is that, if he doesn't bowl, still makes the team on batting merit & can win a match - best ever I had seen : Viv Richards. Similarly, bowling all rounders are opposite - best ever I had seen : Wasim Akram, my 1st name in any ODI sheet, even if he is to bat at 11, with one leg, hand & eye.

In between, you have 2 extremes - one was Imran Khan, Ian Botham or Kapil Dev, good enough to make the team either as opening bowler or specialist No. 5 batsman; other extreme is the likes of this gentleman Imad Wasim - ultimate bits & pieces cricketer, who might struggle to make a decent FC side either with bat or ball; but with his multiple contribution, if the combination is right, he is effective in the ultimate bits & pieces game - T20.

Coming to the bowling all-rounder part - there are several available better options. I can name at least 5/6 instantly - Amir, Hasan, Yasir, Shadab, Gohar, Raha Hasan. Even had they not bunked 7-8 years, Sohail Khan & Sohail Tanvir as well; or that guy Gul, if he tried to improve batting almost 20 years back, when he was 18-19 - same is true for Wahab.

Simple reason is, most natural skill in cricket is bowling - each of those in my above list are far, far, far better bowler (even Wahab) than Imad, but they do had batting potential - could have easily become a 20/100 stat player - that's exactly the batting you need from your No. 8 to 11, if they can make the team on bowling. Think about this 2 propositions - try to improve Anwar Ali's bowling average to 35 from 58 (?); keeping his potential batting average of 25 intact OR, try to improve Amir, Hasan or Yasir's batting average to 25, from 15, keeping their bowling average of 30 intact. You should understand what's Imad's potential as an All-rounder in ODI. That MoHa example doesn't prove anything, because at his pomp, MoHa was a world class batting all-rounder; while AB's wicket is a cherry picking stat - doesn't prove any thing. Even Marcus North has a Test 6for innings & Bevan has a Test 10for match.
 
Beside Sarfraz, only other guy who is an automatic selection in all formats is Amir. Give him VC.
 
He was the captain of the Federal team which won the Pakistan Cup. I believe, it would be good to have a bowler (Or at least all rounder) as vice captain.

Matches: 26, Bat Avg: 37 SR: 101, Bwl Avg: 34, Eco: 4.63.

If we show these ODI stats to anybody I guess that person will be reasonably impressed. He is still new to the game and it isn't a bad start by any means.

People sometimes start criticizing young players like Babar, Imad, Hassan (was once considered mediocre by few), Fakhar was thrashed all around for his technique when he played down the order against Westindies.

You have to see the talent and than stick with him even if his performance is above average. Good players need to be given time and players develop eventually if they have the will and right work ethics. Nobody has been a world beater from the word go and remained the same till his retirement.

Look and Stokes, ABD! They looked mediocre or even below that when the first appeared on the international stage (Look at their averages in initial stages to confirm), their management knew they had talent and they stuck with them and kept working on their game. Even look at Rohit Sharma, I cant even remember for how long he averaged just around 30 and than making him open changed his fortunes.

Yes one thing which cant be compromised is discipline and fitness (Big example Umar Akmal).
 
Titan24 said:
He was the captain of the Federal team which won the Pakistan Cup. I believe, it would be good to have a bowler (Or at least all rounder) as vice captain.

Matches: 26, Bat Avg: 37 SR: 101, Bwl Avg: 34, Eco: 4.63.

If we show these ODI stats to anybody I guess that person will be reasonably impressed. He is still new to the game and it isn't a bad start by any means.

People sometimes start criticizing young players like Babar, Imad, Hassan (was once considered mediocre by few), Fakhar was thrashed all around for his technique when he played down the order against Westindies.

You have to see the talent and than stick with him even if his performance is above average. Good players need to be given time and players develop eventually if they have the will and right work ethics. Nobody has been a world beater from the word go and remained the same till his retirement.

Look and Stokes, ABD! They looked mediocre or even below that when the first appeared on the international stage (Look at their averages in initial stages to confirm), their management knew they had talent and they stuck with them and kept working on their game. Even look at Rohit Sharma, I cant even remember for how long he averaged just around 30 and than making him open changed his fortunes.

Yes one thing which cant be compromised is discipline and fitness (Big example Umar Akmal).
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Top post!
 
Imad Wasim is definitely the perfect candidate to take over from Sarfraz, whenever it happens. For one, the fact that he is educated and an aggressive player, batting, bowling or fielding makes him the perfect heir to Sarfraz Ahmed. I don't think posters understand the fact that just because a particular player is a good batsman or bowler does not mean he will turn out to be a good captain.

Look at the example of Mathews, KW, Sachin and even Dravid; brilliant players but turned out to be pathetic captains. The same goes for Babar Azam, while he may end up becoming a great batsman who can play aggressively in all situations against all types of attacks, he is just not the man for captaincy. You can see he lacks confidence. His personality screams out fear and nervousness and we certainly don't need that again. We all know how it turned out with Azhar Ali. Also, I'm seriously concerned about how the responsibility is going to affect his own batting form.

With Imad, you get a potential World Class batting talent. Now, I know I may get ridiculed for this and understandably so considering he doesn't have much to show for it as of yet but I am absolutely adamant about the fact that he's probably one of the best batsmen in the team. There's a god damn reason the man averages over 40 in First Class cricket in Pakistan where they play on demonic pitches, to say the least. He needs to start batting higher up the order, preferably replace Hafeez or Malik. Give him the captaincy for KK in PSL and have him bat higher up the order and you'll see how brilliantly it'll work out.

His bowling is also very good and rated by a lot of teams around the world, especially teams outside Asia. I think there's a reason he gets picked in most major leagues around the world. BPL, CPL, NatWest, PSL and hopefully will burst into the BBL too. That is another experience!

However, as of now, I don't think he should be anywhere near captaincy. Sarfraz is the best captain to have in Pakistan and Imad needs to solidafy his place in the team and get his fitness on track. You don't want to set a bad example for the youngsters by appointing an unfit vice captain.
 
MMHS said:
In between, you have 2 extremes - one was Imran Khan, Ian Botham or Kapil Dev, good enough to make the team either as opening bowler or specialist No. 5 batsman; other extreme is the likes of this gentleman Imad Wasim - ultimate bits & pieces cricketer, who might struggle to make a decent FC side either with bat or ball; but with his multiple contribution, if the combination is right, he is effective in the ultimate bits & pieces game - T20.
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He averages 40+ in First Class cricket in Pakistan and you know more than most people on this forum about how conducive to fast bowling those pitches are in domestic cricket. I suppose there's a reason he averages 40+.
 
Imad is dangerous against sides that haven't faced him. However teams will eventually work out he's a wicket to wicket bowler who bowls non-turning darts.

Majority of wickets he'll get are LBWs and bowleds. Cut out the across the line shots and play him like a medium pacer.

He's regressed with the bat since the England series and some of the manner of his dismissals are lazy. He can't tee off from ball 1 and needs a bit of time to settle at the crease hence why he may be batting too low at 7.

I'd look to upgrade on him as soon as the opportunity presents but he's the golden boy of team management.
 
ExpressPacer said:
He averages 40+ in First Class cricket in Pakistan and you know more than most people on this forum about how conducive to fast bowling those pitches are in domestic cricket. I suppose there's a reason he averages 40+.
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His FC bowling average is also very good around 30 - that's a cool 10+ positive gap between batting & bowling average; which should be outstanding at FC level - a stat that should be at least around 5+ in Test equivalent. In contemporary world, only Shakib has 7+ gap in Test & Ashwin probably around 7.

That's stats, made in PAK domestic cricket, which lacks standard & consistency. I said for a good FC team - if you look carefully, he is in his 10th year, but he hasn't played for any Departmental side yet. His entire FC career is for Islamabad team, which probably played almost entire period in Div 2. Also, till few years back, there was another joke - regional FC tournament, which had 18 teams & many Corporate players missing.

Wickets are indeed poor, but you have to have a minimum standard of bowling to exploit that.
 
Markhor said:
Imad is dangerous against sides that haven't faced him. However teams will eventually work out he's a wicket to wicket bowler who bowls non-turning darts.

Majority of wickets he'll get are LBWs and bowleds. Cut out the across the line shots and play him like a medium pacer.

He's regressed with the bat since the England series and some of the manner of his dismissals are lazy. He can't tee off from ball 1 and needs a bit of time to settle at the crease hence why he may be batting too low at 7.

I'd look to upgrade on him as soon as the opportunity presents but he's the golden boy of team management.
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He was averaging 70+ during the England series and wasn't even dismissed in 5 matches. Now that would be insanity to expect somebody to maintain those types of performances. Every player has fluctuations in their form and that was good series for Imad. Unfortunately he was in bad form during CT, but so were Babar and Malik.

As for bowling, yes I agree he is not great, but good enough for 5th bowler. Also, Imad is one of few guys in international cricket who will give you 10 overs for less than 50 runs. He will do this from time to time.

You say that teams will work him out. Look at all the other successful orthodox spinners in the world. None of them spin the ball much. Santner, Hafeez, Shakib, etc. are all wicket to wicket bowlers. If batsman can adjust their shot making, then can the bowler not adjust his line, flight, pace and field setting?

As for replacing him, there is no need. He has made his place in the team. And it's clear from central contract list that management believes in him.
 
Rayyman said:
He was averaging 70+ during the England series and wasn't even dismissed in 5 matches. Now that would be insanity to expect somebody to maintain those types of performances. Every player has fluctuations in their form and that was good series for Imad. Unfortunately he was in bad form during CT, but so were Babar and Malik.

As for bowling, yes I agree he is not great, but good enough for 5th bowler. Also, Imad is one of few guys in international cricket who will give you 10 overs for less than 50 runs. He will do this from time to time.

You say that teams will work him out. Look at all the other successful orthodox spinners in the world. None of them spin the ball much. Santner, Hafeez, Shakib, etc. are all wicket to wicket bowlers. If batsman can adjust their shot making, then can the bowler not adjust his line, flight, pace and field setting?

As for replacing him, there is no need. He has made his place in the team. And it's clear from central contract list that management believes in him.
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Top post and just to make things clear, Imad didn't have an amazing tournament but his performances were vital to our success and only a fool would deny that. Go and look at what AB averages vs Pakistan. Has to be around 100, I'm sure. And he dismissed him for a duck, AB's first duck in over a year! That was a crucial moment. Same goes for Amla who was in good form and has been prolific against Pakistan.
 
ExpressPacer said:
Top post and just to make things clear, Imad didn't have an amazing tournament but his performances were vital to our success and only a fool would deny that. Go and look at what AB averages vs Pakistan. Has to be around 100, I'm sure. And he dismissed him for a duck, AB's first duck in over a year! That was a crucial moment. Same goes for Amla who was in good form and has been prolific against Pakistan.
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Yes he gave good performances as most players who will play will do. Heck, even Shehzad had a good moment in that run-out vs England.

Imad is a good player, but he can still improve. His strike rate is over 100. Which is what is required at #7. That's awesome, but why not improve further? Go for the fastest fifty record. Try to hit six sixes in an over. Work on a variations with the ball. Get your fitness levels higher. Lose fat and maintain, even gain muscle.

It's important for players like Imad who just won CT and are performing, to remain ambitious and continue to get better. They have two months off. I want to see improvements next time I see our 24-29 year old players play. Otherwise, as [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] said, teams will work you out unless you make adjustments and work hard because this is international cricket.
 
MMHS said:
There are several better bowling all rounders, in PAK - if you can pick the right horse for the course.

The key for batting all-rounder is that, if he doesn't bowl, still makes the team on batting merit & can win a match - best ever I had seen : Viv Richards. Similarly, bowling all rounders are opposite - best ever I had seen : Wasim Akram, my 1st name in any ODI sheet, even if he is to bat at 11, with one leg, hand & eye.

In between, you have 2 extremes - one was Imran Khan, Ian Botham or Kapil Dev, good enough to make the team either as opening bowler or specialist No. 5 batsman; other extreme is the likes of this gentleman Imad Wasim - ultimate bits & pieces cricketer, who might struggle to make a decent FC side either with bat or ball; but with his multiple contribution, if the combination is right, he is effective in the ultimate bits & pieces game - T20.

Coming to the bowling all-rounder part - there are several available better options. I can name at least 5/6 instantly - Amir, Hasan, Yasir, Shadab, Gohar, Raha Hasan. Even had they not bunked 7-8 years, Sohail Khan & Sohail Tanvir as well; or that guy Gul, if he tried to improve batting almost 20 years back, when he was 18-19 - same is true for Wahab.

Simple reason is, most natural skill in cricket is bowling - each of those in my above list are far, far, far better bowler (even Wahab) than Imad, but they do had batting potential - could have easily become a 20/100 stat player - that's exactly the batting you need from your No. 8 to 11, if they can make the team on bowling. Think about this 2 propositions - try to improve Anwar Ali's bowling average to 35 from 58 (?); keeping his potential batting average of 25 intact OR, try to improve Amir, Hasan or Yasir's batting average to 25, from 15, keeping their bowling average of 30 intact. You should understand what's Imad's potential as an All-rounder in ODI. That MoHa example doesn't prove anything, because at his pomp, MoHa was a world class batting all-rounder; while AB's wicket is a cherry picking stat - doesn't prove any thing. Even Marcus North has a Test 6for innings & Bevan has a Test 10for match.
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I agree entirely. But Shadab Amir and Hasan are already in the team. I can see domestic players with more potential than Imad, like Gohar, but so far they have not been capped. And I wasnt comparing Imad with peak MoHa, but MoHa these days. Wouldn't bet on him getting better by 2019. Fact is Imad is a better bowler than MoHa these days.
 
Rayyman said:
He was averaging 70+ during the England series and wasn't even dismissed in 5 matches. Now that would be insanity to expect somebody to maintain those types of performances. Every player has fluctuations in their form and that was good series for Imad. Unfortunately he was in bad form during CT, but so were Babar and Malik.

As for bowling, yes I agree he is not great, but good enough for 5th bowler. Also, Imad is one of few guys in international cricket who will give you 10 overs for less than 50 runs. He will do this from time to time.

You say that teams will work him out. Look at all the other successful orthodox spinners in the world. None of them spin the ball much. Santner, Hafeez, Shakib, etc. are all wicket to wicket bowlers. If batsman can adjust their shot making, then can the bowler not adjust his line, flight, pace and field setting?

As for replacing him, there is no need. He has made his place in the team. And it's clear from central contract list that management believes in him.
Click to expand...

Better yet, he will regularly give you 10 overs for 35 runs. It wasn't just the wickets against SA, but that he went for only 20 runs off 8 overs. 16 runs off 5 overs against England. I dont think we have a better strangulator.
 
New Yorker said:
I agree entirely. But Shadab Amir and Hasan are already in the team. I can see domestic players with more potential than Imad, like Gohar, but so far they have not been capped. And I wasnt comparing Imad with peak MoHa, but MoHa these days. Wouldn't bet on him getting better by 2019. Fact is Imad is a better bowler than MoHa these days.
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He indeed makes the ODI squad now & for next 3/4 years he should make the starting XI for most conditions - particularly in Asia. Considering WC 2023 in India, when he'll be 34 & I believe genuine 34, he should be in that squad as well, depending on form & fitness.

But, the question here is regarding making him deputy, which almost certainly makes him automatic starter for every match, every where - which I don't think is the right call. There are few examples where vice Captain (or even Captain) was rested for a dead rubber, but team's Deputy should be part of every meaningful match & every on-field strategic discussion.

Ideally, he should compete with the floating all-rounders' quota; that's 5th bowler & No. 7 batsman - depending on wicket, condition & opponent, it's a contest between Imad, Fahim, Yamin, may be Nawaz, Hammad, Nasim or some new kid like Talat or Hasan Khan or Aga Salman. Also, another big issue is the emergence of Fakhar, who is quite a decent SLAO spinner, probably turns more than Imad, but at lesser control. You don't need 2 average, capability wise almost similar SLAO spinner in your starting XI in most cases - in this regard, the guy with much better batting capability should always play.

T20 is totally different ball game, where he makes the starting XI on only bowling merit everywhere. Therefore, easily can be made Deputy or even Captain to release pressure on Sarfraz.
 
MMHS said:
He indeed makes the ODI squad now & for next 3/4 years he should make the starting XI for most conditions - particularly in Asia. Considering WC 2023 in India, when he'll be 34 & I believe genuine 34, he should be in that squad as well, depending on form & fitness.

But, the question here is regarding making him deputy, which almost certainly makes him automatic starter for every match, every where - which I don't think is the right call. There are few examples where vice Captain (or even Captain) was rested for a dead rubber, but team's Deputy should be part of every meaningful match & every on-field strategic discussion.

Ideally, he should compete with the floating all-rounders' quota; that's 5th bowler & No. 7 batsman - depending on wicket, condition & opponent, it's a contest between Imad, Fahim, Yamin, may be Nawaz, Hammad, Nasim or some new kid like Talat or Hasan Khan or Aga Salman. Also, another big issue is the emergence of Fakhar, who is quite a decent SLAO spinner, probably turns more than Imad, but at lesser control. You don't need 2 average, capability wise almost similar SLAO spinner in your starting XI in most cases - in this regard, the guy with much better batting capability should always play.

T20 is totally different ball game, where he makes the starting XI on only bowling merit everywhere. Therefore, easily can be made Deputy or even Captain to release pressure on Sarfraz.
Click to expand...

Agree completely. Was arguing his merits as player in ODIs, not captain. Of note, however, it seems that for now management seems him as more of a core player than Shadab, who they swapped for Fahim in the CT.

Of what I have seen of both, they are really exciting prospects, with more upside than Imad.

But what he brings like few others, including Hafeez, is the ability to strangle the run scoring, invaluable in an ODI game that many now treat as an extended T20.
 
MeanAndGreen said:
Highly overrated and average cricketer . All you need to impress Pakistan fans is good English, looks and 'aggression'.

Looked the most ordinary cricketer of Pak's CT campaign. Sad to see how much his fitness, fielding and batting has regressed.

The next generation TTF - should be nowhere near the starting ODI XI let alone vice captaincy.
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Or to concede only 16 runs in 5 overs against against Root and Bairstow, 33 runs in 8 overs against ABDV, Amla, De Kock et al. Everyone loves a Shadab, but in the hands of a captain like Sarfraz Imad is uniquely useful
 
Did any of you watch his reaction and comments in the Eid show regarding Fakhar becoming a regular bowler in the team (made as a joke by that mimicry artist) Imad kept saying phir meri jaga chali jayegi team mein..came across as slightly insecure
 
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