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Is Asif Ali the clean striker we need in the middle overs?

If he is given a specific role of scoring at a quick rate then i am okay with him being in the team. Because thats the team's requirement at the moment.

However, he is too unconsistent to be considered a proper batsman who can average 40+. He wont need it in t20s but in ODIs he will.
 
No hacks, top edges or mishits - every boundary was cleanly struck today.

Let's see how he does against Australia but excellent start to the tournament.
 
Enjoyed watching him bat today.

He was making Shoaib Malik look like a hack at the crease.

Clean hitting, great eye and knows his best hitting areas.

A very good find for Pakistan.
 
Dude needs to hit big against against the Aussies too so that I can stick his poster on the wall and not feel ashamed about it.
 
Today was the perfect chance for him but as always, top order let him down.. he is a hitter before anybody says he should have adjusted etc. , He's there to hit big and that's it. Should been kept untill the 15th over today as there was a collapse. He's a six hitter..
 
Becoming a big fan of this guy - he hits the ball so cleanly. He's been transformed since the PSL.
 
Looks seriously impressive as a hitter down the order, haven't seen that in a long while in a Pak team.

I'd like to see him playing in ODIs too if we can fit him in. A good lower order hitter would do our team wonders.
 
Markhor said:
Becoming a big fan of this guy - he hits the ball so cleanly. He's been transformed since the PSL.
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I think the PSL actually helped him get discovered

I think he was picked by Misbah

Excellent batting towards the end there, clean striking!
 
ads101 said:
Looks seriously impressive as a hitter down the order, haven't seen that in a long while in a Pak team.

I'd like to see him playing in ODIs too if we can fit him in. A good lower order hitter would do our team wonders.
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I think he's in the ODI squad vs. Zimbabwe. Should hopefully be a good addition.

Only if we could add Talat Hussain as well.
 
Still remember how, on this forum, Misbah was lambasted for picking Asif Ali in ISB United and calling Misbah out for selecting his friends.
 
mmkextreme_1 said:
I think he's in the ODI squad vs. Zimbabwe. Should hopefully be a good addition.

Only if we could add Talat Hussain as well.
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I don't think there's space in the ODI side for both of them anyway. And I'd choose Asif over Talat atm on the back of these T20s, so it seems it's worked out. Having said that don't expect Asif Ali will get a game either, we won't drop Fahim, and we wont promote Babar or Haris to open in ODIs I suspect, Hafeez will sadly open.
 
ads101 said:
I don't think there's space in the ODI side for both of them anyway. And I'd choose Asif over Talat atm on the back of these T20s, so it seems it's worked out. Having said that don't expect Asif Ali will get a game either, we won't drop Fahim, and we wont promote Babar or Haris to open in ODIs I suspect, Hafeez will sadly open.
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shehzad is gone and hafeez is as usual garbage with the bat i would say open him with fakhar in odis

against zim

asif
fakhar
babar
haris
malik
sarfraz
shadab
fahim
hasan
amir
usman
 
Seems like Asif is getting better the way Sharjeel got better under Mickey.

Any other Pak coach would have dropped him after a poor show in his first serie. But Mickey kept faith in him. Kuddos to Mickey!
 
Prince of Pakistan said:
Seems like Asif is getting better the way Sharjeel got better under Mickey.

Any other Pak coach would have dropped him after a poor show in his first serie. But Mickey kept faith in him. Kuddos to Mickey!
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No better coach for a youngster to develop under.
 
I only watched him in PSL and wasn't impressed I thought he is a hack. Haven't seen him bat so far but looks like the comments are encouraging.

I am ready to join the bandwagon to support him if he develops to be a ABD/Buttler/QDK type player:ashwin:ashwin
 
Prince of Pakistan said:
Seems like Asif is getting better the way Sharjeel got better under Mickey.

Any other Pak coach would have dropped him after a poor show in his first serie. But Mickey kept faith in him. Kuddos to Mickey!
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No coach would have dropped him. Very few chances, it's T20s. And no replacement in the squad selected. Why would you drop him.

Asif significantly improved at PSL 3. Not at international level. Did well in the recent domestic one day cup too. Hence it would suggest something significantly improved at PSL.

It is more a wonder why his Islamabad team chose to persist with him when his past domestic stats were so bad. If anything they're the ones who deserve credit for identifying that talent and sticking with him. Asif got picked up for the international squad only why he did so well in PSL (was probably the best Pak batsman in it, maybe after Kamran Akmal).

You attribute his success to Mickey, yet it's possible that Grant had more impact being batting coach. Again you mentioned Sharjeel, well it was Islamabad yet again who sort of identified him and sparked his inital improvement. He was again like Asif called up after seriously impressing in the PSL.


Sometimes I feel like Mickey gets too much credit for things, any little thing that happens, people will give him credit over others. Not attacking you here, sorry if I come across rude, but find it a little strange.

What a head coach is responsible for however is tactics for the matches, choosing team selection (not the squad that's the selectors job mainly), motivating the team and creating a good team environment.
 
I had been vying for his selection for a few years now. He is one of only few clean hitters in the team. Must for WC
 
mmkextreme_1 said:
I think the PSL actually helped him get discovered

I think he was picked by Misbah

Excellent batting towards the end there, clean striking!
Click to expand...

shariqnoor said:
Still remember how, on this forum, Misbah was lambasted for picking Asif Ali in ISB United and calling Misbah out for selecting his friends.
Click to expand...

Misbah only selected him in all three additions because Asif was his buddy. He selected others as well like Iftikhar in PSL 3 and Imran Khalid in initial seasons.

Asif was transformed in PSL 3. He had mediocre stats in domestics but after PSL 3 he has started scoring centuries in List A cricket. Credit should be given to Islamabad's coaching staff(Dean Jones and company) more than anyone else who transformed the careers of Sharjeel, Khalid Latif and now Asif Ali.
 
Greenstorm said:
Misbah only selected him in all three additions because Asif was his buddy. He selected others as well like Iftikhar in PSL 3 and Imran Khalid in initial seasons.

Asif was transformed in PSL 3. He had mediocre stats in domestics but after PSL 3 he has started scoring centuries in List A cricket. Credit should be given to Islamabad's coaching staff(Dean Jones and company) more than anyone else who transformed the careers of Sharjeel, Khalid Latif and now Asif Ali.
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IU has given more players to Pak team than anyother franchise. Also must appreciate Qalanders, finishing as the last in the table but gave us Fakhar and now Afridi.
 
Sarfraz doing banghra over his selection should give credit to Misbah and Islamabad. They played him in the PSL when his record wasn't very impressive.
 
Hasan123 said:
Sarfraz doing banghra over his selection should give credit to Misbah and Islamabad. They played him in the PSL when his record wasn't very impressive.
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The only good thing misbah has done in his whole career.
 
He needs to control his aggression and pick right balls to hit. Sometimes he plays Afridi type shots in the air.
 
he is very useful but we have to use him very sensibily. no one apart from few names can come and start hitting sixes from the very first ball. some needs time in the middle so we need to use him accordingly. he can be a beast and i can't see any other batsman hitting as clean as asif do in pakistan.
 
he is a solid hitter down the order that Pakistan have needed for a long time. Hopefully he continues to perform in T20 for long to come. Would be interesting to see how he performs in the ODI but a solid player to have in the team.
 
The clean hitter that we need, but doesn't seem like the fielding we need.

Reflects poorly on domestic cricket fielding standards and an area he needs to work on with the coaches.
 
He's someone we need to push our totals higher so we can defend them more easily, we're not that great of a batting side historically so having players like him are very beneficial.
 
Usman Chadda said:
This lady will go on to special things. He is mentally very strong and a ferocious hitter of the ball
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Fakhir, Asif are two mentally strong batsmen we got, which we missed in entire Misbah’s era. We need one or two more of these type individuals to be strong in batting department in LOIs on regular basis.

I still regret loss of Sharjeel, bowling at Sharjeel and Fakhir on flat decks would have been nightmare for bowlers, they could have tear apart most bowling attacks, oh well 🙃🙃
 
yasir said:
Fakhir, Asif are two mentally strong batsmen we got, which we missed in entire Misbah’s era. We need one or two more of these type individuals to be strong in batting department in LOIs on regular basis.

I still regret loss of Sharjeel, bowling at Sharjeel and Fakhir on flat decks would have been nightmare for bowlers, they could have tear apart most bowling attacks, oh well 🙃🙃
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Sharjeel and Fakhar would have been one of the best opening pairs in the world. Pure carnage
 
He has has proved me very wrong. I still have doubts if he can adapt in Odis but at the very least he isn’t something stale
 
Got a little carried away at the beginning of his innings today.

When he first came in there was no need to blast from ball 1.

Lower order finishing isn't all about hitting six on every ball.

Need to play according to the situation.

Overall he has a good tournament, lets see how he develops.

Very clean hitter when he comes good.
 
yasir said:
Fakhir, Asif are two mentally strong batsmen we got, which we missed in entire Misbah’s era. We need one or two more of these type individuals to be strong in batting department in LOIs on regular basis.

I still regret loss of Sharjeel, bowling at Sharjeel and Fakhir on flat decks would have been nightmare for bowlers, they could have tear apart most bowling attacks, oh well ����
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Rana is another fearless addition, arguably more dangerous than Asif because he's got greater range. However, he's a work in progress because he's really stupid with his shot selection.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
Rana is another fearless addition, arguably more dangerous than Asif because he's got greater range. However, he's a work in progress because he's really stupid with his shot selection.
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Hmm, probably he could feature in PSL4. Problem is WC is less than year away, you need to give 10-15 matches to a player to be ready for WC. Pakistan major problem is one of the top 3 positions, Fakhir and Babar are set but who will be the third guy?? - I cannot think of anybody that satisfy what we need ATM 🤬🤬🤬

For those similar reasons, I think it’s must to play S Afridi in Zim Odi series and beyond, we would need him in the WC, There is too much sameness to our pace attack without him.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
Rana is another fearless addition, arguably more dangerous than Asif because he's got greater range. However, he's a work in progress because he's really stupid with his shot selection.
Click to expand...

Rana needs to bat higher in order for him to develop more and improve his shot selection.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
Rana is another fearless addition, arguably more dangerous than Asif because he's got greater range. However, he's a work in progress because he's really stupid with his shot selection.
Click to expand...

Rana might become better in future but currently he is just a "tullar".
 
Looks a good player but I suspect he is another one who could get dropped at some point to accommodate Hafeez.
 
The best find in LOIs this year, he is a game changer. Expecting bug things from him in WC 19. Hopefully he keeps on improving.

Needs to be given couple of chances slightly up the order against Zimbabwe to just boost his confidence. Though we need him for finishing and down the order hitting.
 
Majid Khan said:
Looks a good player but I suspect he is another one who could get dropped at some point to accommodate Hafeez.
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Mark my words this is one guy who isnt getting dropped from T 20s unless he scores 3 ducks in a row and that also might not get him dropped.

It will never be what he didnt do, it will be what he can do.

Even in ODIs he is a must and should play. It doesnt matter if they drop Haris, Imam or Hafeez, Asif Ali is a vital cog we need in our LOIs side.
 
Last edited:
Good for him to come in with 35 still needed.
Batting first and hitting is easier, hopefully batting second he can do similar things.
Only way he gets in is if we either 1 get Babar to open which I don't agree with, or we drop Harris and out sarfaraz at 4.
I still think it's too early and he needs to push through the t20s for another 6 months
 
improving day by day, such an effortless & clean striker of the cricket ball ... needs to play all 5 ODIs vs Zim
 
I wasn't impressed with his innings today. Yes when he hits it, he hits it big but there were so many ugly swings and misses. But overall, I've liked what I've seen from him in his short international career.
 
Lovely to see him succeed and prove his critics wrong in the process.
 
Where do people get this hack nonsense ? Yes you can't middle every ball but Asif Ali's the cleanest lower order hitter we've had in years.
 
mak36 said:
Great to hear. When is it? I assume he won't be available for all of it given his national team commitments.
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Mzansi Super League is scheduled to start on 16 November and finish on 16 December 2018.
 
Looks good when he comes off, but really this guy plays some lousy and thoughtless shots.

Really needs to look at the field-settings and then play his shots.
 
yes, because he’s very well behaved outside the field and he seems like a nice lad to have in the dressing room. No driving offences to my knowledge and that’s good enough to get you into this squad!
 
Asif hits like nobody does in our team. But he doesn't have the basics covered and is costing Pakistan.
 
not happening for him - even when he took some to get his eye in
 
This batch of PSL graduates have been shambolically disappointing. Farhan, Asif and Faheem (with the bat),
haven't seen much of Talat but even he doesn't look like someone that sets the world alight..
 
If Pakistan is serious about developing Asif and Fahim, they got to send them up the order, 2/3 overs is of no use.

Babar and Co slows down a whole lot in middle overs, after set. UAE wickets are not where one can hit from ball one....
 
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