Imam-ul-Haq in ODIs is no different to Azhar Ali

[pakistanigoneaussie]

This selection hasn't moved us forward one bit, in fact I reckon Azhar was the better hitter of the ball than Imam.

This is harsh given the good start he has had, but its obvious the kind of player he is. It isn't about being a basher, but as an opener, you should at least be fluent, like Babar is. I don't see anything to suggest he can improve in this regard, rather he should focus on tests.

Imam struggled to keep a constant pace vs Zimbabwe. He did what Misbah and Azhar did, which was smash the ball a bit at the end to take his strike rate to the 80s. On paper, it looks good, but in reality, he has spent most of the innings putting pressure on his partner.

Here against Hong Kong, it looks like Imam is batting on a different pitch to Babar, plus he should have been out twice already with better umpiring.

Sadly we wasted the Zimbabwae series on a player who has no future in this format. It will end in tears

 

[Pete Rose]

cant argue against this.

 

[srh]

This selection hasn't moved us forward one bit, in fact I reckon Azhar was the better hitter of the ball than Imam.

This is harsh given the good start he has had, but its obvious the kind of player he is. It isn't about being a basher, but as an opener, you should at least be fluent, like Babar is. I don't see anything to suggest he can improve in this regard, rather he should focus on tests.

Imam struggled to keep a constant pace vs Zimbabwe. He did what Misbah and Azhar did, which was smash the ball a bit at the end to take his strike rate to the 80s. On paper, it looks good, but in reality, he has spent most of the innings putting pressure on his partner.

Here against Hong Kong, it looks like Imam is batting on a different pitch to Babar, plus he should have been out twice already with better umpiring.

Sadly we wasted the Zimbabwae series on a player who has no future in this format. It will end in tears

still think he was selected in team on merit?

 

[Usman Chadda]

Its clear he struggles to rotate strike. Why would you have someone like this in an ODI team in the modern era?

 

[Markhor]

I said during the Zimbabwe series that Imam's catchup batting after consuming so many dots early on will not go unpunished against better attacks.

 

[moghul]

After a long time Pakistan has found a young , technically correct opener who is a perfect pair with the most adventurous Farrukh Zaman and is doing a great job. The only problem is everyone is an “expert” now a days and every one can open a new thread on everything.

 

[Cric1234]

We are in for the long haul here he will play another 20 matches or more due to the Zimbabwe series and if Inzimam is still here another Farhat in the making.

 

[LegendAli]

After a long time Pakistan has found a young , technically correct opener who is a perfect pair with the most adventurous Farrukh Zaman and is doing a great job. The only problem is everyone is an “expert” now a days and every one can open a new thread on everything.

Even Misbah was a better ODI cricketer than Imam and yet next to no one rate's Misbah ODI career, being a technically correct opener doesn't mean anything when you play like this.

 

[Usman Chadda]

After a long time Pakistan has found a young , technically correct opener who is a perfect pair with the most adventurous Farrukh Zaman and is doing a great job. The only problem is everyone is an “expert” now a days and every one can open a new thread on everything.

Farrukh Zaman kaun hai bhai?

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

After a long time Pakistan has found a young , technically correct opener who is a perfect pair with the most adventurous Farrukh Zaman and is doing a great job. The only problem is everyone is an “expert” now a days and every one can open a new thread on everything.

a technically correct player that cant deal with the ball coming in

It this stupid stereotype we have that any player who plays slowly is technically correct.

Fahkar actually has a more solid base and better feet movement than Imam

Plus every top side have two openers who score fluently, we have to emulate that, especially as we have babar coming in at 3.

If Imam scored at a strike rate of 85 throughout his innings he would be fine, but he spends most of the time in 50s - 60s, that in unacceptable in the modern era

 

[JibranAnsari]

Dont like him at all , he is no better than the dope man.

 

[Hasan123]

Struggling to bat at a strike rate of over 85 plus against Hong Kong is embarssing. If Imam doesn't improve his strike rotation and his ability to accelerate the longer he bats , he should be dropped from LO formats.

 

[Xoib]

Let him play be India,SL and BD before making a call it’s harsh to target him on the basis of a hypothetical scenario

 

[Syed1]

I said during the Zimbabwe series that Imam's catchup batting after consuming so many dots early on will not go unpunished against better attacks.

Hmmmmmm seems like he might have had a little bit of help in the selection department, I wonder if he is related to anyone on the selection panel.

 

[PakLFC]

I hate watching Imam-ul-Haq bat. just a matter of time before he edges it to the keeper or slip. In that regard he is very similar to Azhar.

 

[Justcrazy]

He needs to improve his game , should look to target gaps , that will help him.

 

[moghul]

Have a news for the “experts “ who are not happy from Imam for not finishing the game sooner that 158 balls to spare , mark my words , Imam is a future Pakistan great and captain in tests and ODIs .

 

[saadsahabjee]

This guy cant even strike against HK , dont know what he will do against good sides

 

[Rana]

Give him some time. He will come good in games where Fakhar is out early and you will need a guy to bat through.

You can’t just get rid of the guy considering he is in the process of developing his game. Someone made a very valid point. For the first 100 Odis in Sharma’s career he was averaging 29. This guy will be a good player as long as he keeps getting exposure and the players around him continue to bail him out

 

[Asif321]

He can improve I will see how he performs against Australia and NZ before passing final judgement on him. He looks solid but SR is an issue so we need to be bit patient let’s see after NZ series where he stands

 

[Suleiman]

Lol our batting is finna get exposed. Azhar played his one innings in the CT final where the Almighty blessed our stars and blessed Azhar with a spine and a pair for once in his life.

Malik, Sarfraz, Babar, Imam, not a modern line-up. Yeah I said Babar, put aside all the hype in your mind and see reality for what it is, for the better half of a year this guy takes his sweet time to get going just like anyone else.

I am content with our bowling though.

 

[MMHS]

Excluding Sharjeel & Azhar, there were at least 6 better candidates than Imam for the ODI team. I put it some other thread - he was picked for PCT with a List A stats of 32/72 over 30 games. Compared to that, even if I don't exclude Internationals from their stats, Saud is one I mentioned in that tread.

Sami Aslam 48/86 (will be 50/90, if I take out 4 ODIs)
Umar Amin 36/?? (my hunch is 85+), will be 40+/90 if I take out his ODIs
Shan Masood 58/82 (he had a tremendous season, even if I take out last seasson - still 40+/80+ when Imam was selected)
Khusdil Shah 50/95
Hussain Talat 42/90


And, I kept out the unpopular man Shehzad (43/85 - it should be 50+/90+ without ODI)

And, I am not mentioning Fawad, as he is not opener (still 50/? in List A and 40/77 in ODI) and Manzoor, who is too old now - otherwise his List A Stats are mind blowing : 53/85 for over 6.5K runs.

And, unknown faces who have been piling runs in last few years as openers like Abid Ali, Israrullah, Saad Ali, or Umar Siddiq are not considered, because I haven't seen them much.

People are expecting here for Imam to fade away, I am expecting him to make it in T20I as well.

Peace people - I have no stake here; just putting stats.

 

[kuskash]

Farrukh Zaman kaun hai bhai?

Same as Kholi kaun hai bhai?

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Give him some time. He will come good in games where Fakhar is out early and you will need a guy to bat through.

You can’t just get rid of the guy considering he is in the process of developing his game. Someone made a very valid point. For the first 100 Odis in Sharma’s career he was averaging 29. This guy will be a good player as long as he keeps getting exposure and the players around him continue to bail him out

The Sharma comparison makes no sense. A blind man could tell he was outrageously gifted. He is much like Umar Akmal, the difference being Sharma actually decided to put his head shown after a while. His ability was never in question.

With imam it’s clear he lacks ability

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Give him some time. He will come good in games where Fakhar is out early and you will need a guy to bat through.

You can’t just get rid of the guy considering he is in the process of developing his game. Someone made a very valid point. For the first 100 Odis in Sharma’s career he was averaging 29. This guy will be a good player as long as he keeps getting exposure and the players around him continue to bail him out

If Imam hits a 264 in an ODI, I will build myself a grave and bury myself.

Your comparison with Rohit is apples and oranges.

 

[TeamPak95]

If he struggles against quality teams, then I'll board the hate train. Until then, patience everyone

 

[New Yorker]

Give him some time. He will come good in games where Fakhar is out early and you will need a guy to bat through.

You can’t just get rid of the guy considering he is in the process of developing his game. Someone made a very valid point. For the first 100 Odis in Sharma’s career he was averaging 29. This guy will be a good player as long as he keeps getting exposure and the players around him continue to bail him out

Playing Imam makes it much more likely that Fakhar will be forced to compensate for the slow run rate, and be out early. Talking about averages doesn't help here, whether we are talking about Sharma or someone else; Imam's average is clearly not the problem, his SR is. And he's shown little ability to play a different game.

 

[happydavy]

With just 10-15 ODIs left to world cup, the only options are - Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez, take your pick

As non-pakistani, I feel Kamran can't be a bad choice if played only as a batsman.

 

[Greenstorm]

He will be exposed against better bowling attacks like Aus, NZ and SA. I do not see him playing 2019 WC. Few good performances in T20Is is all Farhan needs to remove Imam from ODIs.

 

[Dios]

The opposition should try and keep him at the crease for as long as possible.

 

[srh]

He will be exposed against better bowling attacks like Aus, NZ and SA. I do not see him playing 2019 WC. Few good performances in T20Is is all Farhan needs to remove Imam from ODIs.

The biggest obstacle in removing Imam from ODI team is his uncle Inzamam. How would you convince Inzamam that his nephew is not good enough for ODIs? Inzamam selected him over many deserving players in ODIs in the first place. Why would Inzamam now changed his thinking?

 

[Nado_]

I somewhat agree with the poster, however the big question is CAN he improve his game , he’s still very young and bearing that in mind he’s done quite well, but does he have the talent and hunger to be more of a dynamic opener ??? If so then I say he’s a good investment for long term

 

[moghul]

His SR will improve once Inzi,s tenures ends, hopefully soon . He is under lots of pressure for being his nephew.

 

[Tabishbeigh]

He gets the job done . Period !

 

[BunnyRabbit]

In UAE, SL, Bangladesh, WI, it will not hurt Pak to have a defensive sort of opener. It will massively hurt us on pitches where 350 will be the par score. But I get the assumption that Imam is a sort of guy who would be pushing himself to improve himself rather than being stubborn on the point that teams still need a guy who can bat through the innings and stuff. Hopefully the coaching staff is working with him on that front.
It's not like we have Saeed Anwar in the domestics racking up 80 ball 100's every game. Our batting riches aren't that vast.

 

[Greenstorm]

The biggest obstacle in removing Imam from ODI team is his uncle Inzamam. How would you convince Inzamam that his nephew is not good enough for ODIs? Inzamam selected him over many deserving players in ODIs in the first place. Why would Inzamam now changed his thinking?

Inzamam is selecting Imam not because of nepotism but because he actually feels that Imam deserves a spot in the team and the reason for this is that both Mickey and Inzi want a conventional stable opener with Fakhar. Imam is the best option among our traditional type of openers(Shan, Sami, Shehzad, Amin, Azhar) and hence his performance.

The real problem is convincing Mickey and Inzi that we need two aggressive openers in LOIs. In my opinion, Imam's failures against top bowling attacks and Farhan's performance in T20Is will do that convincing.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Inzamam is selecting Imam not because of nepotism but because he actually feels that Imam deserves a spot in the team and the reason for this is that both Mickey and Inzi want a conventional stable opener with Fakhar. Imam is the best option among our traditional type of openers(Shan, Sami, Shehzad, Amin, Azhar) and hence his performance.

The real problem is convincing Mickey and Inzi that we need two aggressive openers in LOIs. In my opinion, Imam's failures against top bowling attacks and Farhan's performance in T20Is will do that convincing.

That’s is farhan gets picked for the next t20 series, far from a forgone conclusion

 

[Greenstorm]

That’s is farhan gets picked for the next t20 series, far from a forgone conclusion

Mickey will make sure that Farhan won't get dropped after just one game. There are not many options in T20s. Farhan found a way to get into the squad which had Hafeez and Haris(one of them will get dropped if not both of them) so it shows that Inzi rates him as well.

 

[The_Odd_One]

After a long time Pakistan has openers who score runs consistently. Not interested in what XYZ has done in domestic cricket. Even Shehzad bats at 90+ SR there.

Can’t expect anything else from Pakistani fans who thought Akmals were real talents.

 

[sjahmed23]

Atleast Azhar is clutch, this guy needs to be benched if he does not improve his SR.

 

[TeymurBlake]

Imam has some ways to go to improve in international cricket. He needs to work on his strike rate, he needs to keep the rotation of strike and must be go with the flow of the game. If Fakhar is on the other end piling on runs and scoring quickly and heavly then Imam needs to keep up with him to some extent. He needs to minimize the dot balls he plays.

 

[srh]

Inzamam is selecting Imam not because of nepotism but because he actually feels that Imam deserves a spot in the team and the reason for this is that both Mickey and Inzi want a conventional stable opener with Fakhar. Imam is the best option among our traditional type of openers(Shan, Sami, Shehzad, Amin, Azhar) and hence his performance.

The real problem is convincing Mickey and Inzi that we need two aggressive openers in LOIs. In my opinion, Imam's failures against top bowling attacks and Farhan's performance in T20Is will do that convincing.

The opening pair Pakistan ODI team really need is Sharjeel Khan and Fakhar Zaman.

 

[Rana]

I think the key to improving strike rate is to look for a boundary every 4th/5th ball you face as a batsman. If Imam can learn that art, start batting at 90/100 and provides a solid partner to Fakhar then he will go far as an opener.

What you must also understand is that ODI cricket goes through phases. You never know when ICC will bring back the rule of only one ball throughout the innings, or a change of ball after 33 overs thing. You will need players like him who can bat through but they must be developed.

Cut the guy some slack, he’s done very well since he has burst onto the scene

 

[Rana]

If Imam hits a 264 in an ODI, I will build myself a grave and bury myself.

Your comparison with Rohit is apples and oranges.

He may never hit a meaningless 264 on a flat deck against a sorry West Indies, but he may just end up scoring important 50s-70s in low scoring games against decent opposition as long as his technique is solid. He is young and likes to bat long, always a massive positive

 

[IMMY69]

Didn’t watch any of today’s game but we’ll done Imam!!

Keep going...

 

[Adnan_Ilyas]

4 hundreds and a 50 in 10 matches. Those are some stats

 

[Dr_Bassim]

He may never hit a meaningless 264 on a flat deck against a sorry West Indies, but he may just end up scoring important 50s-70s in low scoring games against decent opposition as long as his technique is solid. He is young and likes to bat long, always a massive positive

That 264 and a couple of other double hundreds vindicated Rohit's talent even if he averaged 29 initially.

They may have no meaning for you but it showed a batsmen who could change gears and take opposition to sword.

I am not against Imam.

I am merely saying that making a comparison with Rohit is false because Rohit has a ceiling that even Kohli doesnt have.

Imam is just a speck of dust compared to both and needs to be compared with someone else.

 

[Cric1234]

4 hundreds and a 50 in 10 matches. Those are some stats

They came against Zimbabwe Hong Kong and Sri Lanka 3 against one of the worst minnow teams in recent times Zimbabwe so far so good the problem is now there's no way he'll be dropped for some time he will keep getting selected as long he averages over 35 40 overall.
If it affects the team results it won't matter because the excuse will always be he did well before he can do it again but we know he scored against easy bowling.

 

[Pete Rose]

While I whole heartedly agree with all analysis pointing out Imam’s deficiencies, I do not agree that his selection is nepotism. He has earned his selection and justified it.
But his game is there for everyone to see. Serious issues with intent, and frankly I don’t think he would make a good test batsman. If fakhar is dismissed early, we are going to be in so much trouble: imam will bat like we are five down rather than one down, and babar Azam has a glass chin. Who is going to carry that momentum forward? Malik?

 

[New Yorker]

While I whole heartedly agree with all analysis pointing out Imam’s deficiencies, I do not agree that his selection is nepotism. He has earned his selection and justified it.
But his game is there for everyone to see. Serious issues with intent, and frankly I don’t think he would make a good test batsman. If fakhar is dismissed early, we are going to be in so much trouble: imam will bat like we are five down rather than one down, and babar Azam has a glass chin. Who is going to carry that momentum forward? Malik?

Agree on all points, particularly Babar's glass chin. Rarely have I had to so little faith in a player who looks so good.

Imam's initial selection was pretty nepotistic, there were more deserving candidates in domestic LA cricket, but he certainly justified that selection. Nepotism will become a problem when it becomes necessary to remove him because of his slow scoring.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

This selection hasn't moved us forward one bit, in fact I reckon Azhar was the better hitter of the ball than Imam.

This is harsh given the good start he has had, but its obvious the kind of player he is. It isn't about being a basher, but as an opener, you should at least be fluent, like Babar is. I don't see anything to suggest he can improve in this regard, rather he should focus on tests.

Imam struggled to keep a constant pace vs Zimbabwe. He did what Misbah and Azhar did, which was smash the ball a bit at the end to take his strike rate to the 80s. On paper, it looks good, but in reality, he has spent most of the innings putting pressure on his partner.

Here against Hong Kong, it looks like Imam is batting on a different pitch to Babar, plus he should have been out twice already with better umpiring.

Sadly we wasted the Zimbabwae series on a player who has no future in this format. It will end in tears

Well done for calling out **. They struck gold with Fakhar but deep down they are wedded to slow and steady mantra. Imam is an inferior version of Azhar Ali.

Here is a scenario, if pakistan is chasing 350, what do you do with Imam. You are better off him being out early.

Everyone else employs explosive batsmen upfront. Look at England, you get one out another of the same mindset walks in!

 

[Bilal7]

You guys are hilarious. Imam is a fantastic, young talent. I actually like that he did not take the Hong Kong attack for granted and got out trying to bat at a SR of 100+ when there was no need. Someone with a good head on his shoulders will serve us well.

4 centuries in his first 10 games, a fantastic average and good SR are all reasons why your opinions are invalid and faulty. Criticize him when he fails, not when he's been your best batsman.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

You guys are hilarious. Imam is a fantastic, young talent. I actually like that he did not take the Hong Kong attack for granted and got out trying to bat at a SR of 100+ when there was no need. Someone with a good head on his shoulders will serve us well.

4 centuries in his first 10 games, a fantastic average and good SR are all reasons why your opinions are invalid and faulty. Criticize him when he fails, not when he's been your best batsman.

It will be back to normal once they start playing the series against the big boys...

Modern day placid wickets, you can't afford to have someone playing at 50 SR. Against the better attacks, he will most probably have 35-45 SR.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Well done for calling out **. They struck gold with Fakhar but deep down they are wedded to slow and steady mantra. Imam is an inferior version of Azhar Ali.

Here is a scenario, if pakistan is chasing 350, what do you do with Imam. You are better off him being out early.

Everyone else employs explosive batsmen upfront. Look at England, you get one out another of the same mindset walks in!

If Pakistan is chasing 350 then besides Fakhar and banned Sharjeel, there is no other batsman in entire Pakistan who can make an impact.

 

[khan991]

Deeply miss ahmad shehzad.. at least we saw some classy strokes

 

[Hawkeye]

Gotta give him more time before making the final call.

He can improve, not many players go all guns blazing from the start. He has some potential and it's ridiculous to say it was a nepotistic selection. Shameful thought.


But, right now the issue indeed is what brother [MENTION=136729]Suleiman[/MENTION] highlighted below.

Malik, Sarfraz, Babar and Imam. The first two are tried and tested nobodies when it comes to modern LOI cricket. Malik like always a sitting duck against half decent sides too.

So, for now, do not hope that this team will win matches or series against the top 3 sides.
[MENTION=107807]Pete Rose[/MENTION] brother why not give Imam some more time.

Lol our batting is finna get exposed. Azhar played his one innings in the CT final where the Almighty blessed our stars and blessed Azhar with a spine and a pair for once in his life.

Malik, Sarfraz, Babar, Imam, not a modern line-up. Yeah I said Babar, put aside all the hype in your mind and see reality for what it is, for the better half of a year this guy takes his sweet time to get going just like anyone else.

I am content with our bowling though.

 

[Pete Rose]

Gotta give him more time before making the final call.

He can improve, not many players go all guns blazing from the start. He has some potential and it's ridiculous to say it was a nepotistic selection. Shameful thought.


But, right now the issue indeed is what brother [MENTION=136729]Suleiman[/MENTION] highlighted below.

Malik, Sarfraz, Babar and Imam. The first two are tried and tested nobodies when it comes to modern LOI cricket. Malik like always a sitting duck against half decent sides too.

So, for now, do not hope that this team will win matches or series against the top 3 sides.
[MENTION=107807]Pete Rose[/MENTION] brother why not give Imam some more time.

I am certainly not advocating that he be dropped. I am just expressing my opinion of what I see. Some times I am right, plenty of times I am wrong (like my constant shrilling for shafiq to be part of the odi squad).
I would reiterate, that we are lucky that we have the Odis vs nz and Australia (I think) and this Asia cup to make a call about imam. My wish is that we get to South Africa with few/no doubts about who is in our test and odi eleven.

 

[giri26]

Even though Pakistan is a good team, I would like them to chase a target of 250+ with Fakhar Zaman gone early. This will give us the right strength of Pakistan batting line up. Right now, Fakhar is doing most of the heavy lifting for the Pakistan LOI side.

 

[shariqnoor]

The fact that a guy who is averaging 70+ in an ODI with a SR of 85+ is being questioned of his place in the team is extremely disappointing and symptomatic of how Pakistanis generally are never happy in life with what they have.

True, most of Imam's runs have come against minnows but that is not Imam's fault. He can only score who he comes up against. Why did previous openers not score against these minnows?

With respect to his strike rate in the buildup of his innings, have we forgotten the torture Ahmed Shehzad used to put us through? He would stall the innings and then get out too. At least Imam if he's stalling the innings (which he's not), he's scoring a lot of runs at the end of the day as well.

Also, Imam is an infant in ODI cricket. He's finding his feet. In all likelihood he's still trying to free himself from all the ridiculous shackles that we as fans have put on him with respect to his selection. For that, if he takes a little more time than necessary, then so what given that he is scoring prolifically?

This argument that his lack of strike rotation is putting pressure on Fakhar and other batters is something that I will never ascribe too. If an international batsman cannot take the pressure to hit consistently without getting out, then he's not fit for international cricket. If you're a batsman, you should be attuned to taking pressure.

When you have a batting lineup of Fakhar, Babar, Shoaib, Sarfraz, Asif, Faheem who can all play at 100+ SR, then there is no issue if one batsman in the lineup takes it upon himself to play out the innings at a SR of 85. And Imam seems to take up that role.

I feel if anyone we should be concerned about with respect to SR, it is Babar Azam. He has played enough international cricket to now be batting at a consistent pace and then upping it at the end. But Babar has shown no progress on this front. His 80-100 run phase is extremely selfish.

The jury on Imam is still out until he gets to play 20 matches against the big teams. That will define his ODI future as to whether he is good enough for us in ODI cricket or not. But until then, Imam is absolved of all criticism at least from me. He's done magnificently in his short stint in international cricket. His 60+ in the 1st Test against Ireland was brilliant. The fact that he counter-attacked at 15-3 showed how he reads the game situation.

I wish Imam all the best. And even if he fails against India, swords should not be out dangling over him. That's a sure shot way to derailing his confidence. He's only 22. If he has his faults, give him time to overcome them. If we can give 100+ ODIs to Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal, then why not Imam-ul-Haq???

 

[PakPremi]

After a long time Pakistan has openers who score runs consistently. Not interested in what XYZ has done in domestic cricket. Even Shehzad bats at 90+ SR there.

Can’t expect anything else from Pakistani fans who thought Akmals were real talents.

Totally Agree. We do not aggressive openers who score dominating 15. I rather have one or two batsmen who play through mostovers and keep scoreboard ticking. We do not have warners or kohlis waiting in the wing. His strike rate is ok for the pitches he is playing on as long as he posts decent score.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Imams slowness at top of the order and Also babar azam being a slow accumulator of runs early on means that if we lose fakhar early in ODI games we will be asking for trouble. Lets see how imam fairs against Kiwis and england in ODI games to see how good or bad he actually is.

 

[ARK Rafay]

I have never seen so much hate and criticism to a young player in my life.

The selection committee, management and coach must have plans for him ahead. Ever since Mickey came, every player that came. Solidified his place and is performing. (E.g Fakhar, Asif, Shadab, Faheem, Hasan, UKS, etc.) He may be similar in technique to Azhar Ali but he's no way Azhar Ali. He's young and learning. What other openers option we do have? We don't have a player like Fakhar currently. Even though his SR wasn't the best and he got to play against weaker sides. But how can he improve without playing top sides?

Give him a little time and try not to bash and hate him like an enemy. Peace

 

[Bilal7]

It will be back to normal once they start playing the series against the big boys...

Modern day placid wickets, you can't afford to have someone playing at 50 SR. Against the better attacks, he will most probably have 35-45 SR.

Then you and all of his other critics should hold your tongues until then, because it is hard to take you guys seriously when you are criticizing someone who has an average of 75, SR of 87 and four centuries in the ODI format.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Then you and all of his other critics should hold your tongues until then, because it is hard to take you guys seriously when you are criticizing someone who has an average of 75, SR of 87 and four centuries in the ODI format.

Mind telling us the teams he's played against for us to be gushing out of platitudes for him?

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

The irony here is that the people are defending imam’s approach are by in large the same ones who would defend Azhar Ali in Odis

Just like with Azhar, a couple of tough series is the only way people will realise the mistake

 

[aukhan]

If Fakhar gets out early expect him to get exposed today.

 

[Usman Chadda]

I don’t expect Imam to do much today.

 

[Hawkeye]

Even though Pakistan is a good team, I would like them to chase a target of 250+ with Fakhar Zaman gone early. This will give us the right strength of Pakistan batting line up. Right now, Fakhar is doing most of the heavy lifting for the Pakistan LOI side.

Without Fakhar, the team is nothing.

Malik, Sarfraz, Imam, Babar.

Accumulator lineup. The first two are particularly horrible.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Without Fakhar, the team is nothing.

Malik, Sarfraz, Imam, Babar.

Accumulator lineup. The first two are particularly horrible.

Unfair of you to club Babar with those guys.

 

[Hawkeye]

Unfair of you to club Babar with those guys.

With Malik and Sarfraz, yes. No comparison in batting quality.

The tempo or strike rate is similar though for the first 40-50 runs. But he can improve on that because of his ability to play pace bowling. Malik and Sarfraz can't.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

azharesque dismissal, poor kid couldnt handle the pressure

 

[hussain.r97]

I'd rather have Azhar back to be honest.

 

[aukhan]

lol

 

[Asif321]

When aggression was needed he doesn’t show when it wasn’t needed he shows and falls lol

 

[Saj]

Something that concerns me so far in his career are his scores in ODIs against the better opposition:

India 2 and 10
New Zealand 2

 

[Markhor]

Something that concerns me so far in his career are his scores in ODIs against the better opposition:

India 2 and 10
New Zealand 2

I know it's Tests but he didn't do much against England either.

He's done very well against lower ranked opposition in his international career so far.

 

[Pete Rose]

Pretty much as predicted

 

[Saj]

I know it's Tests but he didn't do much against England either.

He's done very well against lower ranked opposition in his international career so far.

34
0
18*
4

Yes very average.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

100 (125) v Sri Lanka B team
2 (3) v Sri Lanka B team
45* (64) v Sri Lanka B team
2 (11) v New Zealand
128 (134) v Zimbabwe B team
0 (1) v Zimbabwe B team
113 (122) v Zimbabwe B team
110 (105) v Zimbabwe B team
50* (69) v Hong Kong
2 (7) v India
80 (104) v Afghanistan
10 (20) v India

 

[zeusathon]

Azhar was better. He had a tendency of scoring against better team.

Imam on the other hand is a slow minnow basher who can do nothing against better teams.

I am not even watching the game anymore.