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Is Pakistan finally finding balance in their T20I XI?

Do you think Pakistan has found the right T20I combination?


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    18

Cricket Warrior

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After a T20I series win in the West Indies and now an emphatic 39-run win over Afghanistan in the Tri-Series opener questions are once again being raised and perhaps positively this time about Pakistan’s T20I combination. For a format that has often exposed their inconsistency, Pakistan looked sharp in all departments today. The batting unit delivered a solid performance, the bowling attack maintained pressure and the fielding usually their Achilles’ heel—showed marked improvement. It was a performance that felt less like a one-off and more like a team slowly getting its act together.

What stood out in this match was how roles seemed more defined. The top order played with clarity, the middle order showed intent and the bowlers operated with a clear plan. The inclusion of Sufiyan Muqeem added variety to the bowling unit, while Mohammad Nawaz’s presence gave depth with both bat and ball. Haris Rauf’s pace combined with spin control from Sufiyan Muqeem and Mohammad Nawaz gave Pakistan a balanced bowling attack capable of defending competitive totals—something they’ve struggled with in the recent past.

But one win doesn’t solve everything. The real question is whether this is the beginning of a settled T20I formula for Pakistan or just another glimpse of potential without consistency. With tougher matches ahead, fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see if this new-look XI can deliver under pressure and prove that today’s win was more than just a good day at the office.
 
Not even close. There is something to work with, but better teams will provide much stiffer challenges.

It’s a good enough team to beat mid-tier teams but will look out of it’s depth against top teams.

Like watching them bat though, it’s been a while we have said this as a Pakistan fan.
 
Too early to say.

A stronger test awaits Pak. Let's see how they perform in the Asia Cup.
 
Still worried about our fast bowlers bowling at the death. Against the top teams, I wouldn’t back Rauf and Shaheen to defend anything under 50 in the last 4 overs.

I think we need Nawaz and Faheem in the XI to strengthen our batting, it allows the others at the top to play more freely.

All this team really needs is a proper death overs bowler. Bowlers like Yasir Arafat who have a ton of variations that back themselves to defend even 6-7 runs in the last over.
 
Afghanistan round 2 will be even more intense

Can see them drop a seamer for another spinner
Pakistan also need to make the change... drop Faheem and pick Salman Mirza

role which Faheem is playing down the order as a batter can also be fulfilled by Shaheen or Haris Rauf as they can also smash really hard in the last few overs.
 
I think we need Nawaz and Faheem in the XI to strengthen our batting, it allows the others at the top to play more freely.
Just Nawaz will do, Abbas/Md Waseem can better do what Faheem does and their bowling is also much superior, it would open the way for a specialist spinnerr also as then we can play both Abrar and Muqeem
 
Pakistan also need to make the change... drop Faheem and pick Salman Mirza

role which Faheem is playing down the order as a batter can also be fulfilled by Shaheen or Haris Rauf as they can also smash really hard in the last few overs.
Easier said than done

Faheem in his last 2-3 outings has picked up low full tosses/close to Yorkers and hit them for 6 at the back end. You can’t expect that kind of skill from Shaheen or Rauf. They are not trained batters

I agree, Faheem really needs to sort out his bowling. You’ve lost your pace, so you adapt. Make better use of whatever energy you have left.

Just run in and bowl 5 cutters and bowl the odd pace on ball!
 
step in the right direction with the approach but a few massive issues still

1. fakhar and saim lack of form, you cant have your top three failing as consistently as this
2. reliance on nawaz is a ticking time bomb, he bombs in crunch moments, not a big game player
3. fahim is not an international quality bowler
4. no stand out fielders, rauf is a quality outfielder tho
5. haris need to up his consistency
6. pacers are one dimensional, shaheen and rauf both crumble in pressure situations against top players
 
Pakistan also need to make the change... drop Faheem and pick Salman Mirza

role which Faheem is playing down the order as a batter can also be fulfilled by Shaheen or Haris Rauf as they can also smash really hard in the last few overs.
Salman mirza can also tonk some
But i d rather have another spin option in the form of abrar
 
Pakistan went with just four proper bowlers again, and it showed—42 runs were leaked by the fifth bowling option. Faheem only bowled one over and gave away 14.

Many feel Abrar would be a better pick, offering control and spin with the new ball. In UAE conditions, a spin trio of Nawaz, Abrar, and Sufyan could be much stronger. But Pakistan still isn’t learning, and this same mistake could cost them in the Asia Cup.
 
Balance will only come with removal of Faheem. Can't hold a place for bowling 1 over spells at 15rpo each game.

Get Hassan Ali in his place and work on his power hitting.
 
A lot of my afghan friends very upset that the pitches in Sharjah have been upgraded
Ba/riz would have been out in the first few overs lol, lol at them playing spin on this pitch. Fakhar, Hasan Nawaz, Farhan, Agha are all better.
 
Ba/riz would have been out in the first few overs lol, lol at them playing spin on this pitch. Fakhar, Hasan Nawaz, Farhan, Agha are all better.
We still have work to do when it comes to attacking quality spin though

I wasn’t impressed with Saim, Fakhar, Harris and even Nawaz. Too many scratchy shots, too many mis-hits, too many swing and misses.

In comparison, Atal at 3 looked so comfortable against spin, so did Darvish.
 
India is going to expose Pakistan team in The Asia cup.

Afghanistan Missed the trick by not playing Noor Ahmed ahead of one of the pacer. Next match I can see Afghanistan beating Pakistan with little bit better thinking.

:kp
 
We still have work to do when it comes to attacking quality spin though

I wasn’t impressed with Saim, Fakhar, Harris and even Nawaz. Too many scratchy shots, too many mis-hits, too many swing and misses.

In comparison, Atal at 3 looked so comfortable against spin, so did Darvish.
Afg spin quality is better then ours. That's the one area they are superior. Gotta give credit where its due.
 
Ba/riz would have been out in the first few overs lol, lol at them playing spin on this pitch. Fakhar, Hasan Nawaz, Farhan, Agha are all better.
Apart from Agha all the players struggled against Spinners yesterday so don't know which game you have watched :klopp :kp
 
Afg spin quality is better then ours. That's the one area they are superior. Gotta give credit where its due.
You gotta respect Agha’s approach

He made a decision to just go after the spin. No double minded thinking. He looked so good and completely turned the pressure back on AFG.

I couldn’t believe how timid Saim and Nawaz were looking against their good spinners. You ain’t getting any better by being double minded! If you can’t pick it, your best option is to get on the knee and sweep!
 
I just watched 5-6 overs of the game yesterday. Really good batting by Salman. But I was not impressed by Mohammad Haris. I like that he is aggressive, but he just swings the bat. If we can get a better WK-batsman than him (Not Rizwan obviously) that would be better, but untill that happens he needs to play.

I know Rashid Khan is a good batter down the order, but to let him hit 5 sixes is not good. Did he target one single bowler or was he hitting everyone?
 
Pakistan won't challenge big teams like NZ/Australia/India/SA/England in this format. Teams will come with sound strategies against players. There will be more chest height bouncers at the batsmen. May not work at UAE as the bounce is low. But in other parts bouncer will be used heavily. Pakistan can never outbat top teams. Their strength is traditionally bowling. That is when they won tournaments, matches consistently.
 
Pakistan won't challenge big teams like NZ/Australia/India/SA/England in this format. Teams will come with sound strategies against players. There will be more chest height bouncers at the batsmen. May not work at UAE as the bounce is low. But in other parts bouncer will be used heavily. Pakistan can never outbat top teams. Their strength is traditionally bowling. That is when they won tournaments, matches consistently.
Agree. They had hard times vs teams like Ban n WI recently.
 
Batting is probably the best that is available in Pakistan.

Bowling will remain incomplete until a reliable opening bowler is found.

Not sure Faheem deserves a place.
 
I think fans and posters here concentrate too much on the batting and ignore the bowling altogether.

Naseem, shaheen and haris have been crap and dont really perform as much as they have been hyped up
 
Batting is probably the best that is available in Pakistan.

Bowling will remain incomplete until a reliable opening bowler is found.

Not sure Faheem deserves a place.
Its not just opening bowler.

They dont have a guy for death overs. Rauf and Shaheen are crap death bowlers.

Than, although muqeem and abrar are playing, but these guys love to go back to Shadab Khan, the full tosser.
 
Bookmark this. This may come back to haunt you.
Like his drivel about Agha came back to haunt him.

These guys look for a new scapegoat every game bro. Today it’s Fakhar and Harris

Tomorrow it’s Agha and Farhan

The next day it will be Saim and Nawaz


Every game, there will be a new scapegoat for them so that Babar and Rizwan can somehow be readjusted into the team.
 
It’s tough to find the right balance right now since we’re carrying quite a few passengers in our T20I side. Saim, Hasan, Agha, and Farhan have shown some promise, but the rest still have a lot to prove. Our bowling looks at an all-time low, none of them inspire confidence in the death overs. Even in batting, most of the performances have come against weaker teams, and even then, players have gone missing here and there. Still a long way to go. Let’s see how they shape up in the Asia Cup, if they do well there, then at least we’ll have something solid to build on.
 
Pakistan needs an extra spinner in UAE, so we can't afford three pacers....Sufiyan and Abrar should be played in tandem against big sides.
 
Pakistan needs an extra spinner in UAE, so we can't afford three pacers....Sufiyan and Abrar should be played in tandem against big sides.
Sufiyan, Nawaz , Agha and saim - Four spin options are enough and by playing two proper spinners batting depth will be huge problem for any team. This is why India will not play Kuldeep/ Varun together in the playing Eleven

:kp
 
Sufiyan, Nawaz , Agha and saim - Four spin options are enough and by playing two proper spinners batting depth will be huge problem for any team. This is why India will not play Kuldeep/ Varun together in the playing Eleven

:kp
Yes, it creates batting issues but specifically for UAE you need extra bowler to kill the opposition, rather than extra batter for runs cushion. The problem with PCT is that our pacers sometimes will concede way more than they can contribute. So guys like Faheem not deserve to be in XI
 
Bowling attack is not 100% especially with the death bowling.

Also while the batters are clearly showing intent with the bat and looking more for impact vs personal stat padded runs, they will have to balance this with better game awareness because good teams like Australia, India will not let you off the hook once they see an opening
 
It is a long journey from losing to Ireland, Zimbabwe, USA, Bangladesh to going on to consistently beat Australia and India.

We can't expect such results overnight. It is an unreasonable expectation and sets the team up for failure.

Our first target needs to be to hammer the bottom teams and make sure we are winning against WIndies, Sri Lanka. Then we can build from there.

Let's see where the journey takes us.
 
We dont help ourselves by picking a one legged Faheem as the third seamer. Drop him and play Abrar
Yes,

Hesson who’s actually on the verge of building you a team that can compete and not embarrass you doesn’t know what he’s doing by picking Faheem?
 
Pakistan needs an extra spinner in UAE, so we can't afford three pacers....Sufiyan and Abrar should be played in tandem against big sides.
What they need is one of Abrar or Sufyan to actually become useful with the bat

Sufyan has potential

They need him to be a reliable number 8 if you want both Abrar and Sufyan in the side.
 
Easier said than done

Faheem in his last 2-3 outings has picked up low full tosses/close to Yorkers and hit them for 6 at the back end. You can’t expect that kind of skill from Shaheen or Rauf. They are not trained batters

I agree, Faheem really needs to sort out his bowling. You’ve lost your pace, so you adapt. Make better use of whatever energy you have left.

Just run in and bowl 5 cutters and bowl the odd pace on ball!
Yeah faheem can easily play as batsman alone in this line up...he is far better than hacks like haris and irfan niazi plus bowling option also....
 
There is clarity of roles and the approach is right. With time, Hesson has sorted out these things that I was concerned about:

1. Only playing two out of Fakhar, Saim, Farhan when all three can play.
2. Playing Harris at 4 when he is more suited to top order or as a finisher (last 4 overs).
3. Mohammad Nawaz batting too low at 7/8.

Now there is only one issue left and that is of Rana Faheem. Abbas Afridi at 8 can add a lot more balance to this side. I just hope Hesson's reliance on Faheem and Talat type players won't cost us in a big game.

In current XI, only Faheem parchi is the weak link.
 
It is a long journey from losing to Ireland, Zimbabwe, USA, Bangladesh to going on to consistently beat Australia and India.

We can't expect such results overnight. It is an unreasonable expectation and sets the team up for failure.

Our first target needs to be to hammer the bottom teams and make sure we are winning against WIndies, Sri Lanka. Then we can build from there.

Let's see where the journey takes us.
Its not just opening bowler.

They dont have a guy for death overs. Rauf and Shaheen are crap death bowlers.

Than, although muqeem and abrar are playing, but these guys love to go back to Shadab Khan, the full tosser.

Like his drivel about Agha came back to haunt him.

These guys look for a new scapegoat every game bro. Today it’s Fakhar and Harris

Tomorrow it’s Agha and Farhan

The next day it will be Saim and Nawaz


Every game, there will be a new scapegoat for them so that Babar and Rizwan can somehow be readjusted into the team.

Lol now even Wannabe hiding behind boycott


:klopp :kp

Pakistan needs an extra spinner in UAE, so we can't afford three pacers....Sufiyan and Abrar should be played in tandem against big sides.

Bowling attack is not 100% especially with the death bowling.

Also while the batters are clearly showing intent with the bat and looking more for impact vs personal stat padded runs, they will have to balance this with better game awareness because good teams like Australia, India will not let you off the hook once they see an opening

My take is that is Shaheen, Haris and Hassan are all going to get hammered by the good teams if they are already cannon fodder for UAE and Afg…. Lol

However we probably need tue pace of Haris and in swing of Shaheen with the new ball so they both need to play.

The question now is if the extra batting ability of Faheem is worth dropping Abrar from the playing XI… my answer is no since Faheem will not contribute with the bat nor ball against the good sides.

The spin Quartet of Abrar, Sufiyan, Nawaz and Saim is a MUST in the Asia Cup.
 
My take is that is Shaheen, Haris and Hassan are all going to get hammered by the good teams if they are already cannon fodder for UAE and Afg…. Lol

However we probably need tue pace of Haris and in swing of Shaheen with the new ball so they both need to play.

The question now is if the extra batting ability of Faheem is worth dropping Abrar from the playing XI… my answer is no since Faheem will not contribute with the bat nor ball against the good sides.

The spin Quartet of Abrar, Sufiyan, Nawaz and Saim is a MUST in the Asia Cup.

Faheem is considered an alrounder only because he doesn’t bowl as well as a regular bowler.
 
The xi is not settled yet because batting order is not set. I get the need for fluidity but changes every innings suggest roles are not clear.

Will take time, Sahibzada and Saim need to continue to open. M Haris should be allowed nowhere near the top order.
 
Faheem needs to go, hes the weakest link in the team. We need to bring Wasim Junior.

Other than that i see space for Abrar in the team in place of Nawaz as well against teams that are weak against spin.

But otherwise the team couldnt be better than what it is right now.
 
batting order is not settled still. Sally at 5 now 4. Haris still being considered a batter (hide him at 7). Need positions set. Until then the flux will keep on going.
 
Balance will come once Mohammad haris starts performing. He has been a mess, and Pakistan has no replacement for him in the squad... Farhan is not a regular keeper but he can be tried though.
 
Devadwal needs something to defend. First it was a boycott and now it is NO BOYCOTT.. Chill...LOL
It's fine. I've been endlessly fighting with him non stop since 2023. For me he's very similar to Team Rocket from Pokemon, they always return to get blasted off again.

I don't mind him much though. Always entertaining to watch @Devadwal comment lol.
 
Yes,

Hesson who’s actually on the verge of building you a team that can compete and not embarrass you doesn’t know what he’s doing by picking Faheem?
You clearly don’t understand the concept of balance in the team. If you want Faheem to come at number 8 and be your saviour with the bat, then you clearly have a negative mindset. Bowlers win you matches. May be it may 1925, or 2025. May it be test match or T20.

The game against Aghanistan was won mainly due to the fantastic bowling of Rauf & Sufiyan.
 
No one is hiding. I'm just curious as to why an indian would be airing and watching Pakistan games after rona dhona.

The last time India boycotted a bilateral series with Pakistan, former Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed had made a statement after the Champions Trophy 2017, "India is scared of playing against Pakistan."

Few months later, India and Pakistan faced each other twice in Asia Cup 2018 and India thrashed Pakistan twice in a week and shut the mouth of Sarfraz Ahmed and Pakistani fans.

:klopp :kp
 
You clearly don’t understand the concept of balance in the team. If you want Faheem to come at number 8 and be your saviour with the bat, then you clearly have a negative mindset. Bowlers win you matches. May be it may 1925, or 2025. May it be test match or T20.

The game against Aghanistan was won mainly due to the fantastic bowling of Rauf & Sufiyan.
I think you clearly don’t understand the concept of cricket

You have a problem with Pakistan looking at Faheem at 8 to have to save them? Who says Faheem is picked at number 8 to save Pakistan? What’s the purpose of the batters before him? To play with no accountability because Faheem will them?
 
The last time India boycotted a bilateral series with Pakistan, former Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed had made a statement after the Champions Trophy 2017, "India is scared of playing against Pakistan."

Few months later, India and Pakistan faced each other twice in Asia Cup 2018 and India thrashed Pakistan twice in a week and shut the mouth of Sarfraz Ahmed and Pakistani fans.

:klopp :kp
India’s boycott drama is getting old now — every time a big tournament comes around, the same noise starts. Funny how they “boycott” bilateral series but still show up for ICC and ACC events when the stakes are high. If you're really scared, just say it... no need for press releases and politics. Fans want cricket, not excuses.

First you need to stop this hypocrisy and then you can talk.
 
Faheem needs to go, hes the weakest link in the team. We need to bring Wasim Junior.

Other than that i see space for Abrar in the team in place of Nawaz as well against teams that are weak against spin.

But otherwise the team couldnt be better than what it is right now.
Wasim was getting tonked in the top end tournament. I don't think he has made his case enough.

The ideal replacement for Faheem is Abbas Afridi but he hasn't been selected.

If the choice is between Faheem and Wasim Jr ill keep Faheem for now. But I do think depending on conditions we can drop him and play a specialist batsman instead.
 
Need to try Wasim Jr. Death bowling is hard these days. Teams normally look to score at least 10 an over.

If Wasim Jr can deliver with the ball then we can look to play him ahead of Faheem.
 
The last time India boycotted a bilateral series with Pakistan, former Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed had made a statement after the Champions Trophy 2017, "India is scared of playing against Pakistan."

Few months later, India and Pakistan faced each other twice in Asia Cup 2018 and India thrashed Pakistan twice in a week and shut the mouth of Sarfraz Ahmed and Pakistani fans.

:klopp :kp
Cool, still doesn't answer my question. You seem confused. Maybe ask @Rajdeep to help you out. He's the king of Boycotting.
 
I think you clearly don’t understand the concept of cricket

You have a problem with Pakistan looking at Faheem at 8 to have to save them? Who says Faheem is picked at number 8 to save Pakistan? What’s the purpose of the batters before him? To play with no accountability because Faheem will them?
What is the purpose of Faheem in the XI. Bowl one over give away 15 runs. And then come in to bat and score 16 off 10 balls?
 
Haris and Faheem are tier 1 weak links and only make it to the squad because their alternatives are even worse.

bye Riz, don’t want you to see your dot balls
faheem’s replacement Jamal is out of picture so he has no threat of losing his place.
 
Pakistan fans shouldn't bother about losing 100% of all T20s they play if they can still be a good ODI and Test team.
 
India’s boycott drama is getting old now — every time a big tournament comes around, the same noise starts. Funny how they “boycott” bilateral series but still show up for ICC and ACC events when the stakes are high. If you're really scared, just say it... no need for press releases and politics. Fans want cricket, not excuses.

First you need to stop this hypocrisy and then you can talk.
India is already boycott bilateral series with Pakistan.

India policy is clear , we don't Play with Pakistan any bilateral series but in ICC event's and Asia cup we will Play. So not sure where is confusion .

We don't play bilateral series because all the revenues directly goes to Pakistan which can be used for spreading terrorism in india.

:klopp :kp
 
Pakistan fans shouldn't bother about losing 100% of all T20s they play if they can still be a good ODI and Test team.
It will take a while for them to be a good ODI team. Their bowling unusually stepped up in a couple fo recent series. But that was an anamoly. Their best bet is to put together a T20 team that can compete given the nature of the format.
 
Pakistan still have quite a few spots to fix to consider a good T20 side. Their No 3 batter Fakhar is unreliable..he is throwing his wicket by playing ugly shorts. their Wicket keeper Mohd Haris is unreliable he is not suitable for no.7 spot..guy don't have the power to bat at that number. They are also short of one good fast bowler. Haris and Shaheen are good bowlers in patches but they don't have a Bumrah type bowler who can come and bowl at death with precision. They need to find an find a young talent rather than rely on Hasan Ali. Faheem is a very good batter down the order but his bowling is not fit for international cricket. So problems for Pakistan are plenty atm. New team management need to find the answers . They need to think long term..groom some more youngsters like Abdul Samad or Niazi type of players who can hit big sixes at will. There was one more Maz Sadaqat I guess. There was one youngster pacer named Raza Ali I guess very lean young boy with bit broken teeth.he seems highly talented and bowled very fast for his age group. There is any chinaman bowler played in A team in Australia who is also a good addition and can be a back up or bench strength of Sufiyan..
 
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