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Is Imam-ul-Haq’s 65 strike-rate in ODI powerplays acceptable?

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Abdullah719

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That’s quite abysmal.
 
It just shows he tries to preserve his wicket, maybe a bit too much. Thats why he averages so high. His partnership with fakhar works well, fakhar eases off the pressure in the first 10 overs, then gets out and then imam gradually improves his sr. But him surrounded by babar abid rizwan and haris is the selectors fault.
 
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And gets out now after slowing down playing for his 50
 
Been a let down with that dismissal

He is a good player but he has been getting out too softly!
 
Rana said:
Been a let down with that dismissal

He is a good player but he has been getting out too softly!
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It usually happens when you start playing for milestones than carrying on as normal
 
So glad bhanja didn't get another selfish fifty
 
Its not, but certainly has the ability to improve this. An upgrade on Shehzad for sure.
 
Whats the obsession with going after players who are actually scoring runs? Where is the persecution for Mohammad Rizwan who has been trash so far in this series?
 
Rana said:
Whats the obsession with going after players who are actually scoring runs? Where is the persecution for Mohammad Rizwan who has been trash so far in this series?
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I am happy to see Imam scoring runs and I think Pakistan is very lucky to have several options at the moment. However just because he is scoring runs doesn't mean he's the best option. Rizwaan may not have done any scoring in this series so far but we all know his quality.

The point is if you reduce the number of accumulators in your side and have a balance of accumulators and big hitters, you will consistently make winning scores. Move Rizwan to open with the aggressor Fakhar and suddenly you have space in your XI for Harris, Haider and Kushdil Shah (and yes that means dropping Ifti Uncle despite his 5 wickets against a poor Zimbabwe).

It's all about balance and at the moment, Imam is one accumulator too many.
 
Rana said:
Whats the obsession with going after players who are actually scoring runs? Where is the persecution for Mohammad Rizwan who has been trash so far in this series?
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Rizwan is a definitely a major issue But this thread isnt about him

The problem with imam hes just too slow As the above graphic shows hes very slow at the top and unlike someone like rohit sharma will not make up for it later at over a run a ball He also slows n plays for milestones which isnt acceptable

50/65 are no good to teams in this day and age when most teams will be going at a run a ball or better

Pakistan doesnt need selfish 50s because thats going to be match losing against better teams It needs intent n players at the top who potentially can take the game away from the opposition - imam cant at the moment
 
Imam is decent if you have an attacking opener with him

This is why Fakhar or Haider fits with him. Abdullah can replace Imam but he hasn't done anything great for long period to suggest that.
 
Imam isn't someone that can make it up. Sure he's compact and will stuck up his end. But he needs to recognise he has to accelerate as well.
 
He should look to rotate strike more in the PP overs. He is never going to be a consistent boundary hitter . So he should look to improve his strike rotation.
 
Imam is the reason why Pak has lost so many ODI games since 2017. Azhar Ali also had a role for some time, but it has been Imam since 2018 something.

Because of him wasting so many deliveries we are not able to get our target score.

If Pak with Imam manages 280 on a belter than that's usally a 330 wicket. How will your bowlers succeed in modern day cricket when you get such modest scores?
 
I think, his stats are massively padded up for those 5 games against ZIM reserves, and that has it's impact in this stats as well. IICRC, he had three (or four?) hundreds in that series and with Fakhar put up some partnerships at top - that’s massive contribution in a relatively smaller career so far; take out that series, this stat might come down to 60 level!!!!
 
Imam needs to bat 2 down, perfect batting no for his type of game.
 
Zaz said:
Rizwan is a definitely a major issue But this thread isnt about him

The problem with imam hes just too slow As the above graphic shows hes very slow at the top and unlike someone like rohit sharma will not make up for it later at over a run a ball He also slows n plays for milestones which isnt acceptable

50/65 are no good to teams in this day and age when most teams will be going at a run a ball or better

Pakistan doesnt need selfish 50s because thats going to be match losing against better teams It needs intent n players at the top who potentially can take the game away from the opposition - imam cant at the moment
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Do you see people going after Rizwan like they do for Abid, Imam, Haider, Iftikhar, Faheem, Musa or Rauf?

It’s so disappointing to not see consistency in criticism. A man who scores runs for himself or for his country gets so much flack as compared to a guy who doesn’t do anything (Rizwan) besides dancing like Mithundas on the track.
 
Imam has the average where it needs to be for an opener. If he can get that strike rate a few points higher while maintaining the runs then surely we've got a world class player on our hands?

Back the bhanja.
 
The allegations concerning playing for milestones is very concerning. Imam needs to be told this is unacceptable but at the same time should be backed for now.
 
Far from a perfect opener, but I think he's still the most stable opener in Pakistan. They'll will need him against stronger bowling attacks.

To make up for his slow batting, should pair him with an aggressive opener, not the overweight 33-year old
 
Too many dot balls - as we saw once again today.

He should be looking to convert more of the dots into at least ones.
 
Prince of Pakistan said:
Don't know if its selfish, it just might be lack of ability as well ala Shehzad.

Shehzad as well just isn't able to find the gap. In return Shehzad has to slog to save his life.
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Shehzad is definitely selfish as well. After reaching 50, he would show much more intent to slog which is the only way he could score faster. Imam doesn't do that. Imam can't up the ante on slow wickets even after settling down. He did fine in England in the pre world cup ODI series, he was switching the gears well in the matches he scored runs in that 300+ odi series.

I don't expect him to replaced any time soon though. Abid is probably going to be the one to get the axe in ODIs. Fakhar will take the place back. Who's in the back up? Can't see Sharjeel coming back to ODI's so soon. They are not going to experiment with Zeeshan Malik or Abdullah Shafique this soon.
 
If you take out that 2018 Zim series in which Fakhar and Imam ran havoc, his average comes down 49.74 which is pretty good as well. But his strike rate definitely falls from 80 to 76.
 
Rana said:
Do you see people going after Rizwan like they do for Abid, Imam, Haider, Iftikhar, Faheem, Musa or Rauf?

It’s so disappointing to not see consistency in criticism. A man who scores runs for himself or for his country gets so much flack as compared to a guy who doesn’t do anything (Rizwan) besides dancing like Mithundas on the track.
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Dont you see the issues with imams batting n strike ratez?

The problem over the last 4-5 years has been with pakistans batting and not being able to consistently put up the 300 plus scores that win you odi gamez against the better teams

Its natural then someone like imam will get criticism when hes not striking at even 80 in odis
 
Imaam is a good player who can bat throw but he must have an aggressive partner with him to release the pressure I would take imaam over abid ali anyday
 
A bit of Shehzad syndrome in the powerplay where even when he hits it well, its right at the fielder or he simply not able to rotate the strike.

Plenty of not playing at balls going across of him either. Probably because he has often gotten out nicking at those but simply not playing it at all isn't a great solution.

He is young enough to improve though so I think he has deserved a bit more time at this point to see if its something he can figure out. I can't imagine all those matches in UAE helped him much considering his SR in UAE is just 71.21 so not playing in UAE will certainly go a long way towards helping his SR. He will never he Roy/Warner or some other blazing opener. The positive is that he can definitely play a long innings and even had hundreds in England/SA so far.

SR is his weakness in general but hopefully with time and experience, he can improve at it. I believe its already improved since he initially started.
 
Look, if we want to improve as an ODI team we must analyse the top sides. England have Bairstow and Roy, and Australia have Warner and Finch. They attack the first PowerPlay, we look to survive it.

Whereas England regularly score 55-65, Pakistan are obsessed with openers who can "hold an end" to ensure 40-1 after 10. How do you expect to reach scores of 300+ with this dated mindset ?

Imam consumes far too many dots. I don't care what his average is because on the occasions Imam goes big, I always feel we're 20-30 runs below par like those two ODIs vs South Africa and England in 2019. I wish he came around in the 2000s when we were cycling through openers like Farhat, Butt, Manzoor etc. But in 2020, he doesn't have the SR necessary.
 
In all honesty Imam should be the least of our worries . His average is very good. His inning conversion from 50-100 is at the moment is terrific . 8 50s to 7 100s! He also is very good foil to the likes of Fakhar, babar, haider Ali etc.
The guy is also not even 25!

SR is and rotation is an area he needs to improve, however this is generally a problem with the team on the whole or has been .

As long as the others around him fulfill their roles , then his role which is to give Pakistan a solid start consistently will be very valuable to the team.

He gets hate for being a Bhanja but that narrative holds no weight now . He has been averaging 50 plus consistently for the last 2 years .

People talk about his runs against Zimbabwe, but that’s like with any player. They feast on trash and he did in that series . I mean even Babar has 4 one day hundreds against the Windies.

If Iman can work on his game and get his SR up to even 85 then he’s here to stay .

I find it bizarre and ridiculous that a man who averages 50 and has 7 one day hundreds and is not even 25 is always the talk of the town for not being deserving of a place in the team.

We really are a sad bunch .
 
Wish we had likes of bairstow and Roy. These two don’t just score quickly in the powerplay but have the game to play long innings. You don’t want tullaybaaz scoring good in the powerplay but don’t have the game to play long.

Fakhar has been a failure since Asia 2018 apart from two fifties against Sri Lanka C team. Imam is the least our problem and he shouldn’t be dropped unless we find a better alternative. Our biggest issue is to find quality no 4 and no 6 and a worldclass spinner.
 
Markhor said:
Look, if we want to improve as an ODI team we must analyse the top sides. England have Bairstow and Roy, and Australia have Warner and Finch. They attack the first PowerPlay, we look to survive it.

Whereas England regularly score 55-65, Pakistan are obsessed with openers who can "hold an end" to ensure 40-1 after 10. How do you expect to reach scores of 300+ with this dated mindset ?

Imam consumes far too many dots. I don't care what his average is because on the occasions Imam goes big, I always feel we're 20-30 runs below par like those two ODIs vs South Africa and England in 2019. I wish he came around in the 2000s when we were cycling through openers like Farhat, Butt, Manzoor etc. But in 2020, he doesn't have the SR necessary.
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I feel this too. It seems that when Imam scores big, Pakistan still loses, however when Fakhar even scores a quicker 50, he puts the team in a far better position and we end up winning more of those games.

Still though, I feel Imam will be a good investment, he just needs to improve his SR. For now though I think he should be a reserve, while Fakhar and Haider are our first choice openers.

I think one thing we can both agree with though, is that Abid in Imam will not work. If Imam plays, his partner has to be a quick batsman like Fakhar or Haider.
 
shah_1 said:
Wish we had likes of bairstow and Roy. These two don’t just score quickly in the powerplay but have the game to play long innings. You don’t want tullaybaaz scoring good in the powerplay but don’t have the game to play long.

Fakhar has been a failure since Asia 2018 apart from two fifties against Sri Lanka C team. Imam is the least our problem and he shouldn’t be dropped unless we find a better alternative. Our biggest issue is to find quality no 4 and no 6 and a worldclass spinner.
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Since after the Asia Cup, Fakhar averages 36.4 at a SR of 91, in that same period (excluding todays, and Fridays match) Imam averages 47.7 at a SR of 78.

I wouldn't say one is better than the other, it really depends on the composition of the team. For our team though, which already has accumulators in the middle order in Babar, Haris and Rizwan, I think having explosive openers is more important. If Imam can maintain the same average, but up his SR to the mid 80s, I don't think anybody would have a problem with him.
 
Well,

That's what Inzamam ul Haq calls badtameezi players.

In his dictionary you need someone like Imam to just block and block and play the 50 overs.

And people loved him for saying we need badtameez players.
 
aloo paratha said:
Since after the Asia Cup, Fakhar averages 36.4 at a SR of 91, in that same period (excluding todays, and Fridays match) Imam averages 47.7 at a SR of 78.

I wouldn't say one is better than the other, it really depends on the composition of the team. For our team though, which already has accumulators in the middle order in Babar, Haris and Rizwan, I think having explosive openers is more important. If Imam can maintain the same average, but up his SR to the mid 80s, I don't think anybody would have a problem with him.
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Since Asia Cup

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/512191.html?class=2;spanmin1=07+Aug+2018;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

Avg 31 and SR of 88

Wrong info
 
The guy averages 53. We aren't really in a position to complain about his SR. Yes if his average starts to drop then we should but as of now he is easily the best opener Pakistan has. Ideally he should open along with an aggressive opener. I would love to see a combo of him and Sharjeel up the order.
 
He is being exposed due to partnering with Abid. Make him open with Fakhar or Haider he’ll look fine.

Need to include Fakhar, Haider and Khushdil in team
 
Imam is doing fine. As most posters have said, we need to partner him with Haider.
 
proud_pakistani said:
The guy averages 53. We aren't really in a position to complain about his SR. Yes if his average starts to drop then we should but as of now he is easily the best opener Pakistan has. Ideally he should open along with an aggressive opener. I would love to see a combo of him and Sharjeel up the order.
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What's the point of a 53 average if you can't put your team in positions to win games?
 
People are banging on about his avge but that means didly squat these days in odi cricket

Its more about the strike rates in this era Both Roy and Bairstow have a strike rate of over 100, Warner 95 finch 88

A player avging 40 a strike rate of 100 is worth a lot more than someone avging 50 at 80 because with everyone chippinng in with quick fast runs you can propel the team to over 300 Youd struggle to do the same if someone is going along at a strike rate of 80 even if he makes a ton

Someone who makes 100 off 120 in my view has wasted the team 20 balls

Weve got accumulators in rizwan babar etc We dont need another at the top of the order giving us relatively slow starts
 
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I dont understand people bringing up his average of 50+, His Run Per Innings comes down to 40 when u take out Zimbabwe, Hong Kong and Afghanistan and with a SR of 65 in the PP, that doesnt cut it, so No its not acceptable
 
Zaz said:
People are banging on about his avge but that means didly squat these days in odi cricket

Its more about the strike rates in this era Both Roy and Bairstow have a strike rate of over 100, Warner 95 finch 88

A player avging 40 a strike rate of 100 is worth a lot more than someone avging 50 at 80 because with everyone chippinng in with quick fast runs you can propel the team to over 300 Youd struggle to do the same if someone is going along at a strike rate of 80 even if he makes a ton

Someone who makes 100 off 120 in my view has wasted the team 20 balls

Weve got accumulators in rizwan babar etc We dont need another at the top of the order giving us relatively slow starts
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Yep. He averages 46.5 at 77 against top 8 sides (including Bangladesh, SL, WI). Averages 42 at 75.7 against SENA + India. On the other hand, against SENA + India, Fakhar averages 40.5 at 92.4. A difference in average of less than 2, but a difference in SR of 17! Fakhar should be opening with Haider.

As many have stated before, wickets in hand means nothing if you didn't score enough runs.
 
The worst thing about Imam though, isn't his SR, it's his attitude. He acts like he's already an ATG. Means he's not likely to try and improve his game, he thinks he's fine as is.

The "he thinks he's a superstar" tag is far too often thrown at Hasan Ali or Shadab Khan, but it characterizes Imam Ul Haq the best.
 
This + the fact that he slows down considerably nearing milestones like 50 or 100, did same in National T20 Cup twice when he was nearing his 100, eventually didn't get any 100 and cost Balochistan a game as well and a SF spot also.

He's certainly an upgrade over some of the openers that Pak had in the last decade, but the fact also remains that Cricket has changed drastically in these years. He's too slow in my opinion and his tendancy to be selfish while nearing a 50 or 100 makes it worse
 
Can play long but must not become selfish.....can rotate strike but sometimes consumes lot of balls....which won't help against quality opposition
 
aloo paratha said:
The worst thing about Imam though, isn't his SR, it's his attitude. He acts like he's already an ATG. Means he's not likely to try and improve his game, he thinks he's fine as is.

The "he thinks he's a superstar" tag is far too often thrown at Hasan Ali or Shadab Khan, but it characterizes Imam Ul Haq the best.
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Have the superstar syndrome too
 
Imam ul Haq: How can he improve his strike rate?

Let’s all try and be a little more constructive. Whether or not he makes the playing XI on merit, the fact remains that he is likely to play as first choice opener under the current management for the foreseeable future. At the very least, he will remain part of the squad.

So from a coaching perspective, what should Misbah and co do to help him improve his Strike Rate by another 5-10 points?
 
Prince of Pakistan said:
Imam is the reason why Pak has lost so many ODI games since 2017. Azhar Ali also had a role for some time, but it has been Imam since 2018 something.

Because of him wasting so many deliveries we are not able to get our target score.

If Pak with Imam manages 280 on a belter than that's usally a 330 wicket. How will your bowlers succeed in modern day cricket when you get such modest scores?
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Go look at the stats before you make up random claims. Of the 21 times that Imam has scored above 40 the team has won 16 of them. 1 draw, 1 360 total where he made 150 but england chased it in 43 overs because of our bowling. 1 was a batting collapse around him, 1 was a dl loss that I reckon pakistan woulda won if it went the whole way. And 1 was where if he kept playing we woulda won but he threw it away... so to claim that the team losses games because of him is ill-informed and just not correct. And he's been mentally strong to have done all this while he's been getting unnecessary hate for being a "parchi",
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
Let’s all try and be a little more constructive. Whether or not he makes the playing XI on merit, the fact remains that he is likely to play as first choice opener under the current management for the foreseeable future. At the very least, he will remain part of the squad.

So from a coaching perspective, what should Misbah and co do to help him improve his Strike Rate by another 5-10 points?
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I think he's doing well, I saw a bit more range in his shots in the national t20 rather than the same coming down the track to create a shot. He needs to continue building more and more shots, rather than forcing the boundaries if he continues to put away the bad balls for 4 rather than singles his sr will shoot up. He's on the rright trajectory just needs to keep at it.
 
osama.t said:
I think he's doing well, I saw a bit more range in his shots in the national t20 rather than the same coming down the track to create a shot. He needs to continue building more and more shots, rather than forcing the boundaries if he continues to put away the bad balls for 4 rather than singles his sr will shoot up. He's on the rright trajectory just needs to keep at it.
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I agree, I feel if he can begin converting those dots into singles as well by being more positive, he can increase strike rotation. Another thing I feel is he eats more balls in the powerplay than his partner - he consistently plays 10 more balls than Fakhar and recently Abid as well. This indicates lack of strike rotation and feeds back into my original point. I think if he can do this with an aggressive partner at the other end, his batting will be a handful.
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
I agree, I feel if he can begin converting those dots into singles as well by being more positive, he can increase strike rotation. Another thing I feel is he eats more balls in the powerplay than his partner - he consistently plays 10 more balls than Fakhar and recently Abid as well. This indicates lack of strike rotation and feeds back into my original point. I think if he can do this with an aggressive partner at the other end, his batting will be a handful.
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Yeah I've also noticed his strike rotation improves as soon as babar is on the crease with him, I wonder if its just a matter of building the chemistry with his opening partner, even these last few games on some occasions the running with Abid seemed very iffy. But yeah definitely agree, strike rotation will boost the sr by 10.

The only thing is though, and having played as an opener, you're likely to nick of if you're just looking to drop and run and which is why you see a lot of openers in world cricket make use of the harder ball and put it away for boundaries on bad balls. So overs 1-8, hit more boundaries, beyond that improve strike rotation.
 
osama.t said:
Yeah I've also noticed his strike rotation improves as soon as babar is on the crease with him, I wonder if its just a matter of building the chemistry with his opening partner, even these last few games on some occasions the running with Abid seemed very iffy. But yeah definitely agree, strike rotation will boost the sr by 10.

The only thing is though, and having played as an opener, you're likely to nick of if you're just looking to drop and run and which is why you see a lot of openers in world cricket make use of the harder ball and put it away for boundaries on bad balls. So overs 1-8, hit more boundaries, beyond that improve strike rotation.
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Imam waits too much for the particularly bad balls - good teams won’t give this so frequently to him. Does he need to develop new shots?
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
Imam waits too much for the particularly bad balls - good teams won’t give this so frequently to him. Does he need to develop new shots?
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Definitely does, he doesn't have a strong straight drive or pull. If he can put away short balls onto the legside then it'll help him a lot. In the powerplay especially you don't have too many fielders on the legside. So if you have a good pull, you get the bowler bowling fuller to you and thats where your drives become way more effective.
 
osama.t said:
Definitely does, he doesn't have a strong straight drive or pull. If he can put away short balls onto the legside then it'll help him a lot. In the powerplay especially you don't have too many fielders on the legside. So if you have a good pull, you get the bowler bowling fuller to you and thats where your drives become way more effective.
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Very good points. I feel if this kind of constructive feedback begins circulating from fans it’s far more useful for the players and the team at the end of the day, to be honest. I don’t understand the hatred and focus on having him either out of the team or in - better to deconstruct the problem and see if there’s a solution. If there’s no path forward, fair enough!
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
Very good points. I feel if this kind of constructive feedback begins circulating from fans it’s far more useful for the players and the team at the end of the day, to be honest. I don’t understand the hatred and focus on having him either out of the team or in - better to deconstruct the problem and see if there’s a solution. If there’s no path forward, fair enough!
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Absolutely, we don't often get batsmen with such a massive hunger for runs and that know how to value their wicket! We only start realizing we have really valuable players when other fanbases see it first and sometimes not even then. Imam is 24, already avgs 54 and has a sr of 80, which is about the same as Kane williamsons. Williamson didn't have the ability to turn it on like he does now when he started. He developed that part of his game later in his career. Meanwhile someone like Abid who is 33, needs to either perform like a match winner already or needs to make way for someone like Fakhar or Haider (I would love to see haider opening)
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
Very good points. I feel if this kind of constructive feedback begins circulating from fans it’s far more useful for the players and the team at the end of the day, to be honest. I don’t understand the hatred and focus on having him either out of the team or in - better to deconstruct the problem and see if there’s a solution. If there’s no path forward, fair enough!
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Fans go on about it, is because in a lot of these cases and this includes imam, players dont think there is an issue with their battting And if they dont think that there is an issue there is little motivavtion to work on and improve

And at the end of the day It shouldnt be upto the fans to deconstruct the problem These issues should be ironed out before they come into the national team What are the domestic cosches being paid for? The team shouldnt be used as on the job training course like imam is when other more suitable candidates wait in the wings and pakistan carries on losing big games

You also cant compare williamson with imam One is an opener the other middle order Two different players with different roles

Its funny how williamson is used and not a contemporary odi opening bat as a comparison
 
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The good: he scores runs and so far more consistently, unlike his predecessors. Definitely an improvement over the previous favored boy Shehzad. Better technique than Fakhar.

The bad: Has limited shot range, plays way too many dot balls, plays too slow for modern cricket and, most concerning, has shown a tendency to play for personal milestones.

It was frustrating and embarrassing watching him bat against Zimbabwe. In the first game they were going at less than 4 an over in the powerplay.
 
shah_1 said:
You selectively removed Asia Cup because it will make his stats look better because he scored two fifties against SL C team
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I interpreted what you said as post Asia Cup. Either way, why include a couple of matches where he was in dire form. Plus, you're sh*tting on him for scoring against Sri Lanka, but then want to include Asia Cup, where's the logic in that? If you want to look at stats against top teams, look at post #51, Fakhar is far better than Imam.
 
Zaz said:
Fans go on about it, is because in a lot of these cases and this includes imam, players dont think there is an issue with their battting And if they dont think that there is an issue there is little motivavtion to work on and improve

And at the end of the day It shouldnt be upto the fans to deconstruct the problem These issues should be ironed out before they come into the national team What are the domestic cosches being paid for? The team shouldnt be used as on the job training course like imam is when other more suitable candidates wait in the wings and pakistan carries on losing big games

You also cant compare williamson with imam One is an opener the other middle order Two different players with different roles

Its funny how williamson is used and not a contemporary odi opening bat as a comparison
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But how do you know he’s not working on this? For one, his strike rate and intent was far better in the second game than the first. Second, he’s been eager to prove himself in T20 games and his consistent 50+ scores at 120-140 SR for Balochistan indicate he isn’t completely hopeless at performing this task if his given role from the captain /coach is to score quicker than normal.

Obviously, he’s finding it difficult to translate that to ODI cricket but that’s where improvement comes in.

Factoring in his record was in the UAE as well as the first game against Zimbabwe his first international game in 1 year (yes!), I am ready to give him 1% leeway since he has a godly average right now. So he might not make my playing XI but he will definitely make my final 15-man squad if I am a competent coach and I back myself to improve his game.

So don’t write Imam off yet, at least for another year. If he fails to make noticeable improvements in his strike rate, fair enough. I’ll be the first to drop him.
 
What Imam can do


A. Improve his leg side game.....eg the pull or the ondrive......

B. Not to rely too much on tucking one down to 3rd man every now and then....good bowlers will cut off his singles and strangle him.....

C. Look for quick ones....by playing with soft hands and then run....for this he has to improve his sprinting and fitness...Fakhar Rizwan and Shadab are master at it.....thia will annoy bowlers and captains alike....plus iy will put pressure on fielders.....

D. Try to step out to unsettle the rhythm ..or suffle slightly.....but not overdo it like Azhar Ali used to do in ODIs...

E.. Lastly go with a positive frame ...not to survive but to score runs......atleast he should able to rotate strike even though he is not getting the boundaries...

Positive traits of Imam....he values his wicket...
He is hungry for runs.....

It's up to him and his coaches at NCA ..or national team or domestic setup
 
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Thunderbolt14 said:
Let’s all try and be a little more constructive. Whether or not he makes the playing XI on merit, the fact remains that he is likely to play as first choice opener under the current management for the foreseeable future. At the very least, he will remain part of the squad.

So from a coaching perspective, what should Misbah and co do to help him improve his Strike Rate by another 5-10 points?
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I think he needs to work on his strike rotation he eats upto many balls and needs to work on the short bowling.i belive one reason why he doesnt have a strike rate required is that maybe the management have told him to bat throw and that's his role in the team
 
naseem said:
What Imam can do


A. Improve his leg side game.....eg the pull or the ondrive......

B. Not to rely too much on tucking one down to 3rd man every now and then....good bowlers will cut off his singles and strangle him.....

C. Look for quick ones....by playing with soft hands and then run....for this he has to improve his sprinting and fitness...Fakhar Rizwan and Shadab are master at it.....thia will annoy bowlers and captains alike....plus iy will put pressure on fielders.....

D. Try to step out to unsettle the rhythm ..or suffle slightly.....but not overdo it like Azhar Ali used to do in ODIs...

E.. Lastly go with a positive frame ...not to survive but to score runs......atleast he should able to rotate strike even though he is not getting the boundaries...

Positive traits of Imam....he values his wicket...
He is hungry for runs.....

It's up to him and his coaches at NCA ..or national team or domestic setup
Click to expand...

Fantastic analysis, I must say.
 
Soft hands, quick singles and then see the difference it makes.

Watch videos of Javed Miandad.

At the moment it's block 4 balls, then hit a 4.
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
But how do you know he’s not working on this? For one, his strike rate and intent was far better in the second game than the first. Second, he’s been eager to prove himself in T20 games and his consistent 50+ scores at 120-140 SR for Balochistan indicate he isn’t completely hopeless at performing this task if his given role from the captain /coach is to score quicker than normal.

Obviously, he’s finding it difficult to translate that to ODI cricket but that’s where improvement comes in.

Factoring in his record was in the UAE as well as the first game against Zimbabwe his first international game in 1 year (yes!), I am ready to give him 1% leeway since he has a godly average right now. So he might not make my playing XI but he will definitely make my final 15-man squad if I am a competent coach and I back myself to improve his game.

So don’t write Imam off yet, at least for another year. If he fails to make noticeable improvements in his strike rate, fair enough. I’ll be the first to drop him.
Click to expand...

There wasnt an improvement He slowed down close to his 50 Another point that raises questions on whether hes playing for himself or pakistan

Good on him if hes working on his release shots But in the meantime we cant have him tuk tuking for another year costing games and tournaments whilst hes figuring out how to improve n expand his game

Intnl cricket is no place for that and its not fair on others waiting in the wings that we let imam carry on in this vain
 
osama.t said:
Go look at the stats before you make up random claims. Of the 21 times that Imam has scored above 40 the team has won 16 of them. 1 draw, 1 360 total where he made 150 but england chased it in 43 overs because of our bowling. 1 was a batting collapse around him, 1 was a dl loss that I reckon pakistan woulda won if it went the whole way. And 1 was where if he kept playing we woulda won but he threw it away... so to claim that the team losses games because of him is ill-informed and just not correct. And he's been mentally strong to have done all this while he's been getting unnecessary hate for being a "parchi",
Click to expand...

There is no hate in the fact that he plays the most dot balls in the side. No hate or love can undo that.

He needs to learn and develop for Pak's sake. Babar isn't the quickest scorer either but he takes a lot of singles. If Imam can do that as well he will be a major asset in the future.
 
Last edited:
Prince of Pakistan said:
There is no hate in the fact that he plays the most dot balls in the side. No hate or love can undo that.

He needs to learn and develop for Pak's sake. Babar isn't the quickest scorer either but he takes a lot of singles. If Imam can do that as well he will be a major asset in the future.
Click to expand...

Yes but to say that "Imam is the reason why Pak has lost so many ODI games since 2017." when its not true isn't okay, because it pushes a negative narrative just because he plays too many dots. But yes lets hope he develops for Pakistan's sake, he's a very good player than can become a great.
 
Bullet Drive said:
This guy has a horrible attitude

Thinks he's Kohli

So selfish
Click to expand...
Does come off as very unlikeable.

But it's good to finally see a Pakistani player that isn't a mental midget. I'm sure all those 'parchi' chants have played a role in developing his fortifying mentality.
 
The problem is the mentality, our players will play selfishly to get their milestone most of the time , especially against teams like Zimbabwe. They do this because it is seen as an almost guarantee if your hitting milestones your an automatic selection for the next few games, problem is those days have gone and the emphasis has long shifted to quick starts and strike rates. At the moment imam is taking up too many balls meaning the players below have less to work with. This is why we regularly make between 250-280 rather than 300+.
 
osama.t said:
Yes but to say that "Imam is the reason why Pak has lost so many ODI games since 2017." when its not true isn't okay, because it pushes a negative narrative just because he plays too many dots. But yes lets hope he develops for Pakistan's sake, he's a very good player than can become a great.
Click to expand...

On modern day wickets If you don't get a good start it's difficult to get a good score against sides like Eng, Ind, SA, NZ or Aus. Guys like Imam, Azhar play so many dot balls that we're always 40-50 runs short in the end.

Gone are the days we had a Razzaq or Afridi to cover it up. Also our bowlers aren't that good anymore to defend scores under 300 on belters especially outside Asia.
 
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