Importance of picking in-form players rather than selections based upon past performances

[Savak]

Saud Shakeel and Abdullah Shafiq have proven that there is no substitute for recent form and confidence.

Fakhar was given a very long rope i.e. 15 games to find his form and by the end his body language told that even he was perplexed as to why the team management was stubbornly persisting with him.

Shadab too has been given a long time to find his form and even his body language at the moment stinks. The team management similarly will have to take a tough call and look to bring Usama Mir in because you cannot afford any hiccups in this tournament.

The next person on the chopping block has to be Imam ul Haq, not only does he waste balls, bats at less than a run a ball and then gets out looking out of his depth but he puts so much pressure on the team. Pakistan is better of gambling opening with either Agha Salman or asking Nawaz to open and try his luck at pinch hitting, you cannot afford to waste the power play in this WC, in every game your middle order and Rizwan are not going to bail you out of trouble chasing big targets.

 

[hassan918]

They also proved that it is a far better choice to go with technically strong batsmen than the ones who can play big shots. Abdullah was always a better choice than Fakhar at top because he is more reliable and Saud should always play ahead of Agha because Saud looks to be a better technically sound batsman.

 

[ArabKnight]

Imam ul Haq & Shadab Khan are undroppables.

It helps when you got family in the PCB.

 

[FreakCricket]

Abdullah and Saud are not only in a good form but they are so pleasing to watch with Good Techniques, always playing with a straight bat.

 

[daytrader]

Imam ul Haq & Shadab Khan are undroppables.

It helps when you got family in the PCB.

Let's see next game. I think Fakhar will be preferred against India

 

[deltexas]

Should always be the case. Just like David Malan instead of Roy, Ashwin instead of Chahal. Imam needs to up his SR though for SC conditions especially being an opener. I still think Babar should open for Pak in ODIs as well. Also fit players vs semi fit/injured players should be a no brainer.

 

[mon858]

It would be a huge/bold decision to drop Shadab vs India. but something I would strongly consider. especially now that rest of batting is mostly in-form, performing, has good scores under their belt, we don't need to have as much depth in batting order, and even Usama can strike a few blows.

 

[riddu]

1. shafique
2. babar
3. salman
4. rizwan
5. saud
6. ifti
7. nawaz
8. shadab
9. hasan ali
10. shaheen
11. rauf

 

[Rana]

Saud should open with Shafique

Move Chachu 1 up to 5

 

[amvbfm]

Saud Shakeel and Abdullah Shafiq have proven that there is no substitute for recent form and confidence.

Fakhar was given a very long rope i.e. 15 games to find his form and by the end his body language told that even he was perplexed as to why the team management was stubbornly persisting with him.

Shadab too has been given a long time to find his form and even his body language at the moment stinks. The team management similarly will have to take a tough call and look to bring Usama Mir in because you cannot afford any hiccups in this tournament.

The next person on the chopping block has to be Imam ul Haq, not only does he waste balls, bats at less than a run a ball and then gets out looking out of his depth but he puts so much pressure on the team. Pakistan is better of gambling opening with either Agha Salman or asking Nawaz to open and try his luck at pinch hitting, you cannot afford to waste the power play in this WC, in every game your middle order and Rizwan are not going to bail you out of trouble chasing big targets.

This happens when you have defined processes and plans, proper succession planning and player rotation. Australia has been doing it for years, playing in form players, dropping stalwarts for promising youngsters. But if the squad and playing XI are decided totally by the captain then you cannot negate personal preferences and biases. It’s human nature to prefer people we like or know. Even if he wanted to Babar would think twice before dropping Imam or Nawaz given their close friendship. Ideally Fakhar, Nawaz, Shadab shouldn’t have made it to the team at all given Imad and Saim’s form.

 

[Mankaded]

1. shafique
2. babar
3. salman
4. rizwan
5. saud
6. ifti
7. nawaz
8. shadab
9. hasan ali
10. shaheen
11. rauf

Lol, Salman is a bits and pieces cricketer, all his innnings even the one he scored on he didnt look comfortable. If we are to open with Babar might as well go with Usama down the order but then it would be too many bits and pieces players.

 

[amvbfm]

Don’t agree with your Nawaz suggestion though. If you are going with a pinch hitter then might as well play Fakhar giving him the license to play freely. He is struggling but all it takes on these flat tracks is one or two good innings and we all know Fakhar is a big match player. A firing Fakhar will be a huge bonus for Pakistan.

 

[saqib.rai]

Saud Shakeel and Abdullah Shafiq have proven that there is no substitute for recent form and confidence.

Fakhar was given a very long rope i.e. 15 games to find his form and by the end his body language told that even he was perplexed as to why the team management was stubbornly persisting with him.

Shadab too has been given a long time to find his form and even his body language at the moment stinks. The team management similarly will have to take a tough call and look to bring Usama Mir in because you cannot afford any hiccups in this tournament.

The next person on the chopping block has to be Imam ul Haq, not only does he waste balls, bats at less than a run a ball and then gets out looking out of his depth but he puts so much pressure on the team. Pakistan is better of gambling opening with either Agha Salman or asking Nawaz to open and try his luck at pinch hitting, you cannot afford to waste the power play in this WC, in every game your middle order and Rizwan are not going to bail you out of trouble chasing big targets.

Fakhar had 3 consecutive hundreds and now 11 innings without a 50
Do not misquote stats please

Abdullah played a blinder today. Amazing innings MashAllah but we should also appreciate Fakhar's contributions in the past


If it was upto people like you, we would play a completely different side every match. Thank God our management thinks with their brains and doesn't make senseless decisions.

 

[Savak]

Don’t agree with your Nawaz suggestion though. If you are going with a pinch hitter then might as well play Fakhar giving him the license to play freely. He is struggling but all it takes on these flat tracks is one or two good innings and we all know Fakhar is a big match player. A firing Fakhar will be a huge bonus for Pakistan.

Fakhar is not batting like a pinch hitter right now, his body language is totally shot and 15 consecutive matches is a lot to give to someone on past reputation. Better to take him out of the firing line and let him work in the nets on his issues.

Indian pitches will aid spin as the tournament goes on and the pitches get worn, used. It is better to have someone like Nawaz, Agha Salman, Usama Mir who provides extra spin bowling options, the pacers are going to get trashed in this tournament and the captain needs to have additional options at his disposal in case someone has a bad day.

 

[Savak]

Fakhar had 3 consecutive hundreds and now 11 innings without a 50
Do not misquote stats please

Abdullah played a blinder today. Amazing innings MashAllah but we should also appreciate Fakhar's contributions in the past


If it was upto people like you, we would play a completely different side every match. Thank God our management thinks with their brains and doesn't make senseless decisions.

Appreciate his past contributions but keep it exactly where it belongs i.e. in the past. He is totally devoid of confidence and i won't be surprised if he had a mental breakdown behind the scenes, the team management would not have dropped him for no reason.

This is the ODI WC and form, confidence matters big time, Pakistan cannot afford any hiccups. Pick the players in form and be ruthless with your decision making.

 

[pakistani pride]

It would be a huge/bold decision to drop Shadab vs India. but something I would strongly consider. especially now that rest of batting is mostly in-form, performing, has good scores under their belt, we don't need to have as much depth in batting order, and even Usama can strike a few blows.

Bold? It should be the call to drop him. Bold would be to play him and seeing him spanked for a 100 runs. He has become a club level bowler. They should release him. So he can play T20 leauges.

 

[emranabbas]

Saud shakeel, Abdullah shafique and hassan ali were not even part of world cup plans and look how well these 3 are doing

Babars friends xi being exposed

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Saud shakeel, Abdullah shafique and hassan ali were not even part of world cup plans and look how well these 3 are doing

Babars friends xi being exposed

apparently hasan ali and abdullah shafique are a part of his friends xi.

 

[chinaman00]

Saud Shakeel and Abdullah Shafiq have proven that there is no substitute for recent form and confidence.

Fakhar was given a very long rope i.e. 15 games to find his form and by the end his body language told that even he was perplexed as to why the team management was stubbornly persisting with him.

Shadab too has been given a long time to find his form and even his body language at the moment stinks. The team management similarly will have to take a tough call and look to bring Usama Mir in because you cannot afford any hiccups in this tournament.

The next person on the chopping block has to be Imam ul Haq, not only does he waste balls, bats at less than a run a ball and then gets out looking out of his depth but he puts so much pressure on the team. Pakistan is better of gambling opening with either Agha Salman or asking Nawaz to open and try his luck at pinch hitting, you cannot afford to waste the power play in this WC, in every game your middle order and Rizwan are not going to bail you out of trouble chasing big targets.

Your diagnosis is good but your prescription is bad. Nawaz should not be in the team, let alone opening. If anything, today’s performance shows the importance of having specialists in the team, not fake rounders and spinners.

 

[kingusama92]

Not just being in form but also selecting players built for pressure situations.

That's what tournament cricket is all about.

Shafique, Rizwan, and Shakeel all have resilient personalities. You can criticize Rizwan but that man never gets overwhelmed by a situation. Kohli is the ultimate example of this internationally. So much of the game is psychological and that part often gets underrated. All of these guys know how to soak up the pressure and can maintain their level even as the stakes rise.

Doesn't mean they will always perform but you will know pressure won't be the reason they got out or struggled. Inserting these guys when they're in form is a must and it does pay off.

Imam, Nawaz, and at a smaller level even Babar are examples of players who can get overwhelmed at times and it shows because their entire game changes. They start doing uncharacteristic things.

Shadab is an odd one though. I don't think pressure bothers him but he's just woefully out of form and needs to be sat for his sake like Fakhar.

 

[amvbfm]

Fakhar is not batting like a pinch hitter right now, his body language is totally shot and 15 consecutive matches is a lot to give to someone on past reputation. Better to take him out of the firing line and let him work in the nets on his issues.

Indian pitches will aid spin as the tournament goes on and the pitches get worn, used. It is better to have someone like Nawaz, Agha Salman, Usama Mir who provides extra spin bowling options, the pacers are going to get trashed in this tournament and the captain needs to have additional options at his disposal in case someone has a bad day.

Exactly, he isn't batting like a pinch hitter! he is trying to bat like a proper batsman which is putting pressure on him to deliver substantial innings. Free him up, let him play without the weight of expectations and he might surprise you. And tbh Pakistan doesn't have a lot of options. Imam can give you runs but 95% of the time they will be inconsequential or not be impactful enough. And the other options just won't work against quality bowling lineups.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Fakhar's form was poor so he was dropped right. Imam on the other hand is not also not looking any better. Abdullah and Fakhar could be the option for the next game but I don't think it will happen. And we don't have any other opener as a backup so imam and Abdullah will be there in the next game as well.

 

[mominsaigol]

Saud should open with Shafique

Move Chachu 1 up to 5

Saud isn't an opener though?

 

[mominsaigol]

Saud Shakeel and Abdullah Shafiq have proven that there is no substitute for recent form and confidence.

Fakhar was given a very long rope i.e. 15 games to find his form and by the end his body language told that even he was perplexed as to why the team management was stubbornly persisting with him.

Shadab too has been given a long time to find his form and even his body language at the moment stinks. The team management similarly will have to take a tough call and look to bring Usama Mir in because you cannot afford any hiccups in this tournament.

The next person on the chopping block has to be Imam ul Haq, not only does he waste balls, bats at less than a run a ball and then gets out looking out of his depth but he puts so much pressure on the team. Pakistan is better of gambling opening with either Agha Salman or asking Nawaz to open and try his luck at pinch hitting, you cannot afford to waste the power play in this WC, in every game your middle order and Rizwan are not going to bail you out of trouble chasing big targets.

POTW EASILY.

Form > out of form past experience

 

[Hitman]

POTW EASILY.

Form > out of form past experience

That's true, at least in World Cups. Meaningless bilateral are the place to give chances to find form.

 

[shehz]

The debate should not revolve around Fakhar or Shafique; rather, it should focus on Shafique and Mr. "No time for experimentation," Mr "I'm an automatic selection" Mr "I plan to open a brand called Parchi", Imam who happens to open his mouth whenever he score runs.

Fakhar is undoubtedly a match-winner, whereas Imam, despite his average that don't even scare Nepal, may not be as reliable. Our best chance lies in having Shafique and Fakhar open the innings, with Fakhar's proven track record giving us the edge we need.

 

[ExpressPacer]

@Savak, you don't need to go searching for a quality opener or hitter. There is already one with the team. Mohammad Haris. We all know what he is capable of.

Even Hayden was talking about how he changed the complete morale of the team in the T20 WC. He has been wasted lower down the order by Babar and Co. Playing at your natural position immediately turns an average player into a world beater, as witnessed by Ravindra by NZ.

 

[mominsaigol]

Fakhar is probably done now.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

apparently hasan ali and abdullah shafique are a part of his friends xi.

Lol yeah but now both are performing then people forget their past posts.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Hassan has been good so far, gotta give the credit to him. He down get a bot expensive but taking wickets here and there with that spell is good one.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Lol yeah but now both are performing then people forget their past posts.

for a lot of "Pak fans", proving themselves correct or pushing their agenda is more important than Pak winning.

 

[emranabbas]

apparently hasan ali and abdullah shafique are a part of his friends xi.

I don't know where you got that from your information
how many games has hassan ali or Abdullah had under babar

 

[Savak]

I would gamble with the following team for the India Game

1) Abdullah Shafique
2) Mohammad Nawaz
3) Babar Azam
4) Mohd Rizwan
5) Saud Shakeel
6) Iftikhar Ahmed
7) Usama Mir
8) Mohd Wasim Jr
9) Hasan Ali
10) Shaheen Afridi
11) Haris Rauf

Indians love spin therefore playing an out of form Shadab is a bad idea, better to induct an extra pace option in Mohd Wasim Jr and get an in form spinner in Usama Mir who can also hit big shots down the order. Use Nawaz as a pinch hitter at the top

 

[Technics 1210]

Tautological OP.

How do you select an in-form player without looking at past performance?

It's the other way round, deselection must be based on past performance.