Is Fakhar Zaman being hidden away down the order by the Team management?

[MenInG]

Is this the ultimate vote of confidence or simply a realization of reality!

Fakhar Zaman sitting in the dressing room without pads with Shan Masood taking his place.

What exactly is the plan now for Fakhar?

 

[Asher]

Bat 6??

 

[DonJee]

He was struggling while chasing a ball to the boundary, maybe he is injured?

 

[shah_1]

He shouldn't be a test opener with that technique

 

[Bhaijaan]

Disgraceful.

You shoukd always back talent.

Dropping and tinkering much with batting positions in the middle of a series or match is stuff of extremely weak leaders.

Indja showed this earlier with Lokey Rahul and now Pakistan with Fakky Zaman.

Pathetic.

 

[emranabbas]

He should have never ever been in the test squad in the first place.

 

[Cuts_and_cuts_hard]

He was never good enough to open in tests. Shockingly poor technique.

 

[NauV]

Not hiding! They finally have it right . . Fakhar should never have been an opener . . I genuinely think he can be an asset at number 6.

 

[Abdullah]

A good reaction. Should never have opened on these wickets. Hopefully will come in after a few long partnerships and the bowlers are coming back for 3rd 4th spells and take on the old ball.
Wise move

 

[Sher Khan]

I doubt he will come out to bat. He injured himself fielding.

 

[Junaids]

Is this the ultimate vote of confidence or simply a realization of reality!

Fakhar Zaman sitting in the dressing room without pads with Shan Masood taking his place.

What exactly is the plan now for Fakhar?

I wrote two days ago that the Top Three need to blunt the new ball so that Four, Five and Six can score fast against the old ball.

Fakhar Zaman is clearly better suited to Number 6 in South Africa than opening.

 

[Hedz]

He should have never ever been in the test squad in the first place.

Does have a FC average of 42 tbf

 

[Abdullah719]

He was struggling while chasing a ball to the boundary, maybe he is injured?

I doubt he will come out to bat. He injured himself fielding.

He is not injured.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

I would have kept him opening. In Asia he will do well for us

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Right decision.

 

[MenInG]

So if Fakhar comes on later and second new ball comes in- what will happen? Guess ok for now this decision

 

[Saj]

How embarrassing for Fakhar and shows how tactically inept Pakistan have been on this tour.

 

[BreadPakoda]

How embarrassing for Fakhar and shows how tactically inept Pakistan have been on this tour.

Disagree @Saj. To me it looks like a good bold decision. Fakhar was clearly struggling at the top. He could play the role that QdK is playing for SA.

India brought in Agarwal and promoted Vihari mid series and reaped benefits. Sometimes its better not to be rigid.

 

[shortbread]

He was never good enough to open in tests. Shockingly poor technique.

He shouldn't be playing tests!

Management is ruining a good limited overs batsman by making him struggle in the test squad.

 

[hadi123]

How embarrassing for Fakhar and shows how tactically inept Pakistan have been on this tour.

Tbf, a lot of people have suggested him batting at 6 could be beneficial, he could play a role that QDK does for South Africa. But I agree it is embarassing as this wouldn't have been the plan if he hadn't looked so pathetic in this series up till now

 

[Barragan]

This is an excellent move and should have been done from the start.

He was never going to survive at the top against the new ball, however he has a chance down the order against the older ball and his natural game will help him.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Excellent move from team management! Wouldn't surprise me if he bludgeons the bowlers now against the older ball.

 

[Saj]

Disagree @Saj. To me it looks like a good bold decision. Fakhar was clearly struggling at the top. He could play the role that QdK is playing for SA.

India brought in Agarwal and promoted Vihari mid series and reaped benefits. Sometimes its better not to be rigid.

If it's such a great decision then why wasn't he batting down the order previously.

 

[Bewal Express]

If PK is to succeed then in the long term we need a guy like Fakhar or for Fakhar to succeed. We saw in Dubai how we our batsman struggled to get on top of very average bowlers and Fakhar that he could.

 

[PakSarZameen]

Sensible decision. He can be a handful at 6 against the old ball and tired South African bowlers.

Rohit Sharma also bats at 6 for India, so why can't Fakhar?

 

[MenInG]

Sensible decision. He can be a handful at 6 against the old ball and tired South African bowlers.

Rohit Sharma also bats at 6 for India, so why can't Fakhar?

Unfortunately, he made nothing of that chance too and this must be the end of his stint

 

[shah_1]

Out of the team

 

[Rana]

Amir and Sarfaraz should have batted before him

 

[ads101]

Was the right decision, unfortunately didn't pay off. Fakhar had a golden chance today to make some runs but gave it away.

Realistically he's only in the side for this test because Haris is injured. So we can't really blame management for their tactics here, you do what you can to give the best chance of winning.

I see him dropping down the order in ODIs too eventually.

 

[hadi123]

Unfortunately, he made nothing of that chance too and this must be the end of his stint

Yep, I thought this chance would rejuvenate him but he still flopped.

 

[Pete Rose]

Right decision, but again look at the sequence of how we got here. We wasted 5 tests playing hafeez which could have been used to cement fakhars spot

 

[Shandarchowka]

Sensible decision. He can be a handful at 6 against the old ball and tired South African bowlers.

Rohit Sharma also bats at 6 for India, so why can't Fakhar?

Rohit Sharma is also similarly useless for India. Fakhar is following his counterpart's footsteps well. Double in ODI and useless in tests.

 

[rhony]

Good and bold move. He belongs at no.6. The way he was handling short ball was painful to watch.

 

[fitCricFan]

The bloke does not have the technique or the temperament as a test batsman. He is more suited for the shorter format of the game.

 

[Savak]

Disastrous selection in hindsight, his lack of a back foot game was going to hurt him on these wickets at some point

 

[MSaad1237]

He needs to be Dropped.

 

[Saj]

The basics of batting in Tests are the same whether you bat at number 1 or 11.

It's impossible to hide a batsman with obvious problems with his technique.

 

[Josh]

The basics of batting in Tests are the same whether you bat at number 1 or 11.

It's impossible to hide a batsman with obvious problems with his technique.

This! Neither he is very young. It will be difficult to change his natural game at this stage. Not a good investment. Should not play test cricket.

 

[Hasan123]

He's not a test match opener.

 

[shortbread]

The basics of batting in Tests are the same whether you bat at number 1 or 11.

It's impossible to hide a batsman with obvious problems with his technique.

He's not a test batsman. Trying to make him one is ruining his confidence.

Let him do what he does best, belt bowlers in limited overs cricket. Allow him to play to his strengths.

Instead he's trying to defend with fielders standing close, on a green top.

If management insists on him wearing whites, Perhaps play him in Asian tests or against the likes of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe etc.

 

[Khwaja78]

IT was a good decision to bat him down the order. When Babar Azam can be treated this way to shield him from the new bowl than Fakhar or any other also deserves this.

He is still low on confidence and Flower has messed up his game.

 

[Saj]

The think-tank is damaging a player who is a pretty decent Limited-overs batsman.

4 innings in the Test series have probably shattered Fakhar's confidence.

 

[Amjid Javed]

The think-tank is damaging a player who is a pretty decent Limited-overs batsman.

4 innings in the Test series have probably shattered Fakhar's confidence.

No point using phrase "think-tank" have our captain, coach and cheif selector done any "thinking" or planing with players?

None at all, yes they are ruining the player.

 

[Snowflake]

The think-tank is damaging a player who is a pretty decent Limited-overs batsman.

4 innings in the Test series have probably shattered Fakhar's confidence.

While I think including Fakhar in the test squad to SA was a bad decision precisely because it could affect his limited overs game, this decision had to be taken as Fakhar was looking hopeless at the top.

 

[Savak]

The team management took a gamble with Fakhar and it failed, it should be common sense though that if someone is struggling with pace, bouncers, short pitched deliveries on his body, that problem will not go away whether he bat's at no 1 or no 6, whether he comes in at over 1 or over 65.

But Shan Masood has shown these problems can be over come with hard work behind the scenes

 

[gazza619]

Fakhar is so much out of form. I guess this tour has made us clear our head that by no means he is made for test cricket.

 

[Cric_lover4487]

Can’t believe this guy has a test career and Fawad Alam can’t get a chance.

 

[Rishta Aunty]

Fakhar's technique was always going to be found out on wickets with some lateral movement. He will still be mighty effective in ODI's thanks to flat wickets, with some peaks-and-troughs.

I actually think that we should start looking at him as a #6 in Tests. Think of someone like De Kock or even Rohit Sharma. Openers in ODI's but can bat #6 in Tests. Your technical shortcomings will be less obvious against an older ball/tiring bowlers, and you have the license to attack!

 

[Saj]

Sarfaraz at the presser today:

"Fakhar batted at 6 because he likes to play shots, he was facing some problems with the new ball and Shan Masood was batting really well so we thought Fakhar might feel better at #6"

 

[WengerOut]

Fakhar has no business in a test team.

 

[Khwaja78]

Agree with a shuffle in the batting lineup. It did work as our batting finally crossed that magical 200 mark.

Fakhar's confidence is down he needs some counselling. They should stop altering his technique and just get him back to playing his natural game. They have reworked and damaged his playing ability.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

It's probably the end of Fakhar in tests, but I would rather have Fakhar than Imam. Imam is a serial choker against intelligent bowling attacks. While Fakhar could still be useful at 6 against the older ball.

Ideally Abid Ali + Saadi Ali should have been there. But it is what it is.

 

[Shaka81]

Pakistan cricket's obsession with ruining players by making them play in the wrong format continues. He will now eventually be dropped from all formats due to his lack of performance in Test cricket. Anyone who watches cricket could see that his style of cricket wouldn't be suited to Test cricket, especially on South African pitches.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Sarfaraz at the presser today:

"Fakhar batted at 6 because he likes to play shots, he was facing some problems with the new ball and Shan Masood was batting really well so we thought Fakhar might feel better at #6"

Seems amazing that an international team with highly regarded management and batting coach have been using an opening batsmen who has issues with the new ball. Does that mean he was included in the tests because of fan's clamour?