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Islamabad United 2017 Squad | Discussion Thread

Is Misbah going to keep the armband? am not sure it's a great idea, he doesn't seem quiet there mentally and perhaps he should take a backseat and just enjoy himself being a batsman. Yeah Russel was our lucky charm to! Badree is one of my favourite bowlers because my style is similar to him, I rely mostly on variations with me wrists rotated at 360 degrees and don't bowl the leg break, much like badree rely on ze googly! ze toppie! ze slidey! He's terribly underrated.

We should sign Hammad, am shocked he has not been picked by any franchise. We will give Amad and Ghulam an opportunity, management are on point when it comes to utlizing their resources especially when things dont go well.


Misbah will keep it I think. Will be his last season more than likely so don't see him not captaining the side.

Correct Badree is underated. Can bowl in the PP overs as well as the middle overs.

I don't think Ghulam is in the squad. Shadab Khan is a good talent he may get an opportunity.
 
Misbah will keep it I think. Will be his last season more than likely so don't see him not captaining the side.

Correct Badree is underated. Can bowl in the PP overs as well as the middle overs.

I don't think Ghulam is in the squad. Shadab Khan is a good talent he may get an opportunity.

Well mate, islu fans already know their team is the premeier one.

Let others have some days of enjoyment. Going to end soon. :najam
 
IU are definitely able to defend it. Only team that will give us a tough time is probably LQ.
 
Sharjeel is going to smash some in the deserts. Definitely could well defend the title.
 
Sharjeel will single handedly destroy other teams if the pitches prepared resemble pitches of the second half of last season.
 
So many oldies in the team Misbah, Haddin, Ajmal,Imran khalid,Sami, Irfan.. guys like Ammad Butt,Hussain Talat,Shadab khan, duckett will be probably benched to accommodate these oldies in the 11 i hope IU looses badly and gets rid of these old players.

#UNITEDWELOOSE
 
Surely Islamabad United can qualify for veterans tournament. I was extremely surprised last season with them winning the cup but it was mainly due to Andre Russell and Sharjeel Khan. This year however with other teams much better balanced things will get tough for Islamabad
 
a big blow for united !!!

russell has been banned for one year from cricket after being found guilty on Tuesday

morning by an independent tribunal in his doping case.
 
who should replace i think stuart broad or kyle abbot is good option if they want to select allrounder it should

be Ben cutting or Sean Abott
 
Not sure about this season for us. Lots of oldies , but duckett is a explosive player and as long as we hit big scores our dibbly dobblers will get wickets!! If Finn is coming then thats a good thing as he'll be too good for some of our doemstic uncles!!
 
Andre Russell banned for 1 year- no cricket like Yasir I take it for one year

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big blow for Islamabad ahead of the PSL as Andre Russell banned for 1 year after breaching the World Anti-doping Agency code <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/826463382014480384">January 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
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Big blow losing andre. He is a champion player and star man...this season is gonna be tough but I think we will be looking to clear out and come back strong next year!
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Reports: Steven Finn is the replacement for Andre Russell at Islamabad United in the PSL <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cricket?src=hash">#cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HBLPSL?src=hash">#HBLPSL</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/826704436345131012">February 1, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Steven Finn to replace Andre Russell for HBL PSL 2

Lahore, 1 February 2017 – Steven Finn, the English fast bowler, will be part of Islamabad United's squad for the HBL PSL 2017. This announcement was made today by the franchise management. Finn will replace Andre Russell in the squad.

Andre Russell was found guilty of failing to file his whereabouts three times in the calendar year 2015. Under the World Anti Doping Agency code three misses in one year amounts to a single failed dope test. Due to this Russell has been banned from cricket for the period 31 January 2017 to 30 January 2018.

Islamabad United's Director Cricket, Wasim Akram, gave his thoughts on Russell's absence, saying, "I've known Andre for a while, from his Kolkata Knight Riders days to our work together here. I'm disappointed in the decision that means he will miss PSL 2."

Regarding the signing of Steven Finn, the left arm legend went on to say, "Obviously there will be some who will question why we've replaced an all rounder with a genuine fast bowler, but having done the numbers, and having looked at the makeup of our squad he's a great alternative to have for Andre. His record in Asia, particularly, stood out to us, and if he replicates that form during the PSL I'm sure he'll play a major part in our successes this year. I look forward to working with him."

While there have been reports circulating in the media regarding possible replacements for Russell - including the likes of AB De Villiers, Ben Stokes and Mitchell Johnson - only those players who were eligible in the final draft list of the HBL PSL were available for selection.

Finn joins Ben Duckett, Zohaib Khan, Shadab Khan and Syed Muzammil Shah as new signings for the franchise, further strengthening a squad that won the inaugural HBL PSL.
 
Islamabad United should be renamed as oldie eleven.
 
Syed Muzammil Shah z U_19 player.
Watch out for this lad.he z some serious hitter
 
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why would you waste so many of your money on steve finn , platinum category really?
he should be in silver category

it was better if they somehow got Mitchell johnson in
 
I like that Steven Finn is there. We saw in the recent Pak vs Eng series that in the last match that he played, he was getting his old rhythm back and even his pace was in the late 80's and even over 90 MPH sometimes. I like the sight of this because in 4 overs, if he can bowl express and generate a lot of bounce, Pakistan can get a lot of wickets.

And, if I'm not wrong, I think Mohammad Irfan is also in IU's team. Woaaahh, Steven Finn and Irfan would be a lethal combination, in my opinion. Both quick, both tall and both generate a lot of bounce - that would unsettle a lot of batsmen out there.
 
You know to be honest, I am actually of the opinion that age does not matter in cricket, no matter how much importance it is given on this forum. Heck, I do not think age matters in sport altogether. We just saw Federer do the unbelievable recently. Most tennis players stop playing singles after 30. He's still playing and winning grand slams at 36. Age is just a figment of our imagination. It's all in the mind.

As for cricket, especially Twenty20 cricket, I think older players will actually benefit the team instead of doing it harm. When a youngster is playing the longer formats, he has time to adjust himself, on the field or on the pitch. He has time to calm his nerves. He has time to relax. He has time to build his innings and build the game. Even in the field, if a youngster drops a catch because of nervousness, it doesn't really make a difference because of the longevity of the innings but in the shorter format, it is a different ball game. Thus, I maintain that older players, because of their experience have more control of themselves and of the game.

I seriously expect Islamabad United to get to the final, if not win it. I don't understand why they are being treated like underdogs. Misbah ul Haq is terrific leader but moreover, he is one of the best twenty20 batsmen. He packs a serious punch and has a lot of power and we've seen that on his day, he can annihilate the opposition.


As long as there is a balance between experience and youth I don't have a problem. Of course you will need experience but Mahela, Sanga,and Gayle have hardly set the world alight in there recent t20 leagues performances. It seems they were picked for there names rather than performances. Gayle could come good.

We can win the tournament no doubt. Sharjeel and Watson are a strong opening pair. Latif,Misbah, Billings provide some power down the order. Bit worried about our fast bowlers, hoping Finn will strengthen us in this department.
 
As long as there is a balance between experience and youth I don't have a problem. Of course you will need experience but Mahela, Sanga,and Gayle have hardly set the world alight in there recent t20 leagues performances. It seems they were picked for there names rather than performances. Gayle could come good.

We can win the tournament no doubt. Sharjeel and Watson are a strong opening pair. Latif,Misbah, Billings provide some power down the order. Bit worried about our fast bowlers, hoping Finn will strengthen us in this department.

Yeah, exactly. A balance needs to be there to build the team for the future. Older players cannot go on forever, of course.

As for the team, yes, I'm very much pleased with the batting. I think Latif might open, however. Watson batted in the middle order in the BBL, I think.

For the bowling, I think IU has a good attack. Last year, before the start of the tournament, everyone was making fun of Sami, but for me, he was the best bowler of the tournament and that even merited him a spot in the Pakistan team. Sami bowled maidens, was economical, picked a lot of important wickets and even picked up a fifer with figures of what, 5-6 I think.

Then you have the deadly pair of Irfan and Finn. And trust me, they will be deadly IF in form. I hope the both of them find form in at least one match because they both are tall, fast and make the ball bounce and dead surfaces - hard for any batsman in the world.

Then you have Rumman Raees, who wasn't the best bowler last time around, but very good. He has a lot of variations and despite not being loved by PP, he is a very able bowler and can mix it up good. I even saw him swing a couple of deliveries every over. Working with Wasim Akram will obviously make him a good bowler and a threat for the opposition.

Then you have Watson. He always picks crucial wickets and was instrumental for his side in the BBL because of his wicket taking abilities. He also swings the ball. So, I have hope from our pacers. The bench looks strong too with Amad Butt there, who will hopefully get some games.
 
Yeah, exactly. A balance needs to be there to build the team for the future. Older players cannot go on forever, of course.

As for the team, yes, I'm very much pleased with the batting. I think Latif might open, however. Watson batted in the middle order in the BBL, I think.

For the bowling, I think IU has a good attack. Last year, before the start of the tournament, everyone was making fun of Sami, but for me, he was the best bowler of the tournament and that even merited him a spot in the Pakistan team. Sami bowled maidens, was economical, picked a lot of important wickets and even picked up a fifer with figures of what, 5-6 I think.

Then you have the deadly pair of Irfan and Finn. And trust me, they will be deadly IF in form. I hope the both of them find form in at least one match because they both are tall, fast and make the ball bounce and dead surfaces - hard for any batsman in the world.

Then you have Rumman Raees, who wasn't the best bowler last time around, but very good. He has a lot of variations and despite not being loved by PP, he is a very able bowler and can mix it up good. I even saw him swing a couple of deliveries every over. Working with Wasim Akram will obviously make him a good bowler and a threat for the opposition.

Then you have Watson. He always picks crucial wickets and was instrumental for his side in the BBL because of his wicket taking abilities. He also swings the ball. So, I have hope from our pacers. The bench looks strong too with Amad Butt there, who will hopefully get some games.


I would open with Watson. He prefers the ball coming onto the bat. In the UAE the middle overs the ball won't come onto the bat as much plus Latif is good at hitting the spinners.

Our bowling is good it has the experience. You forgot about our spinners who will be useful in these conditions. Looking forward to seeing Badree. A dangerous bowler in t20s, can bowl in the PP and in the middle overs.

Not sure about Irfan, his age seems to have caught up with him. Also he sometimes bowls too short and makes it easier for batsmen. Hoping Finn can return to his previous form. Should be allowed to bowl 4 quick overs and as a wicket taking option.

Ruman is fine for t20s, gets too much hate. Working with Wasim will improve him inshallah.

Interested to see what attack we settle with when that 1st game starts.
 
I would open with Watson. He prefers the ball coming onto the bat. In the UAE the middle overs the ball won't come onto the bat as much plus Latif is good at hitting the spinners.

Our bowling is good it has the experience. You forgot about our spinners who will be useful in these conditions. Looking forward to seeing Badree. A dangerous bowler in t20s, can bowl in the PP and in the middle overs.

Not sure about Irfan, his age seems to have caught up with him. Also he sometimes bowls too short and makes it easier for batsmen. Hoping Finn can return to his previous form. Should be allowed to bowl 4 quick overs and as a wicket taking option.

Ruman is fine for t20s, gets too much hate. Working with Wasim will improve him inshallah.

Interested to see what attack we settle with when that 1st game starts.

Yes, perhaps opening would be the better suit for him if you take that into consideration. I'm actually hoping we can get flat decks, but if not, Watson opening will be like Warner opening for us. :p

As for the spinners, I couldn't agree more. I just didn't mention them because you were worried about the pace attack. :salute I may sound stupid, but I actually expect Ajmal to find a lot of success, especially with the odd delivery that he still chucks. I don't want him back in the Pakistan side, but I'm sure he will be very useful for IU. Especially with his experience.
 
Hypocrisy at its best . Your precious Karachi have

Gayle 37
Mahela 39
Malik 35
Sanga 39

Not to mention Manzoor, Rahat,and Kashif Bhatti age should have an extra 3 or 4 years added on to them. Also Bopara and Mclaren are both over 30. To top it off you name 39 year old Kumar Sangakara as captain, than you say Misbah doesn't want to play youngsters or promote them. :))).

So before you carry on with your usual agenda of targeting Misbah you might want to look at your own franchise which is no better in playing youngsters. In fact it's nearly worse than Misbah. Misbah may not promote youngsters or select them, I will admit he hasn't done a good job in this regard but don't pretend like your franchise or any other franchise other than Lahore are doing a good job when it comes to the younger talent.

I was purposefully not replying to your post so that you can have your moment in the sun, kid, but at some point I had to draw the line. Here are the ages of the oldest cricketers in your beloved IU. [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION]

Misbah-ul Haq - 42
Shane Watson - 35
Brad Haddin - 39
Samuel Badree - 35
Muhammad Irfan - 34
Muhammad Sami - 35
Khalid Latif - 32
Saeed Ajmal - 39
Imran Khalid - 34
Dwayne Smith - 33
Zohaib Khan -33

Happy? :hafeez2
 
At least we have am excuse to stick with the oldies ad they won us the tittle. It was unlikely Misbah would make a lot of change after winning the competition.

I didn't even mention Sohail Khan. He is surely older than his age given and has shocking fitness levels.

Poster was attacking Misbah for selecting oldies yet his own franchise is doing the same. He hasn't said anything about it. Shows some people just want to push there agendas for the sake of it.

Let's compare the number of young players, shall we.

KK:
Amir - 24
Kieron Pollard - 29
Imad Wasim - 28
Shahzaib Hasan - 27
Abrar Ahmed - 18
Babar Azam - 22
Saifullah Bangash - 21
Usama Mir - 21
Rahat Ali - 28

So thats 9 players (out of the 18 mentioned on KK website) who are under 30.
[MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] has already mentioned 11 ISBU players aged 30+

So I don't know why you are saying that KK has picked oldies.
 
I was purposefully not replying to your post so that you can have your moment in the sun, kid, but at some point I had to draw the line. Here are the ages of the oldest cricketers in your beloved IU. [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION]

Misbah-ul Haq - 42
Shane Watson - 35
Brad Haddin - 39
Samuel Badree - 35
Muhammad Irfan - 34
Muhammad Sami - 35
Khalid Latif - 32
Saeed Ajmal - 39
Imran Khalid - 34
Dwayne Smith - 33
Zohaib Khan -33

Happy? :hafeez2


I don't need a moment in the sun :))).

I never said Islamabad has a young squad anyway. I already know that a lot of our team is over 30. I was just pointing out the fact tour critical of Misbah having older players when your own franchise has a lot of old players.

Islamabad just retained most of there squad which is a winning one. Whilst Karachi have bought Gayle, Sanga, and Mahela from the draft when they could have bought younger players.

My point had nothing to do with the age of Islamabad squad. It was just pointing and exposing your agenda against Misbah. That's all.
 
Let's compare the number of young players, shall we.

KK:
Amir - 24
Kieron Pollard - 29
Imad Wasim - 28
Shahzaib Hasan - 27
Abrar Ahmed - 18
Babar Azam - 22
Saifullah Bangash - 21
Usama Mir - 21
Rahat Ali - 28

So thats 9 players (out of the 18 mentioned on KK website) who are under 30.
[MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] has already mentioned 11 ISBU players aged 30+

So I don't know why you are saying that KK has picked oldies.


They have decided to buy Mahela, Sanga, and Gayle when they could have gone for younger players. Of course they will have some younger players. My point is misbah isn't the only one guilty of selecting older players. Karachi and the other franchise have.
 
I have an agenda and will continue to have an agenda against 42 year old Misbah who is hogging a youngster's spot in a format in which he has retired long ago.


He won't play PSL after this season.There's no need to have an agenda against players. He has served us well it's a shame he is still holding on.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pleased to be joining up with <a href="https://twitter.com/IsbUnited">@IsbUnited</a> for the PSL! Going to be great playing with someone who's taller than me in Irfan &#55357;&#56908;</p>— Steven Finn (@finnysteve) <a href="https://twitter.com/finnysteve/status/826851558939906048">February 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
He won't play PSL after this season.There's no need to have an agenda against players. He has served us well it's a shame he is still holding on.

He wont?! I'm fine with him not playing for Pakistan and all but why not PSL? He's still got it. Has he said he wont?
 
I'd be really surprised if Isb united makes it to the finals. Batting is way too dependent on Sharjeel Khan, while Watson and Haddin and Misbah, all are above 36 and not in the best of forms. Rusell is a big miss. Billings and Duckett can be motivated enough to do something as they are just starting their careers.
 
Most opposition teams will look at a bowling attack of Finn, Irfan and Sami and think this could be Eid for us.
 
Yeah, bowling is really bad. And that Ajmal...not sure how many 200 plus scores we're going to concede.
 
I 'm hoping Misbah gets humiliated in every match. He must be kicked out after this tournament.
 
I don't really like Dwayne smith but he won them the final. Why is he supplementary?
 
Johan Botha joins Islamabad United Staff

The Former South African captain will be the franchise's fielding coach

Dubai, 8 February 2017 – Johan Botha, the former South Africa captain, will be Islamabad United's fielding coach for the HBL PSL 2017. This announcement was made today by the franchise management. Botha will replace Darren Berry for the post. This is the only change in the team staff for Islamabad United from season 1 to season 2 of the PSL.

Darren Berry, who is currently serving as the coach of the South Australia team, had requested unavailability for the second season of the PSL due to family commitments.

Botha, who has previously been the captain of the South Australia team, is currently playing for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League. Regarding his replacement Darren Berry said, "For personal reasons and commitments back home I will unfortunately not be able to join the PSL this year. However, in Johan Botha, United has a former international captain and someone whom I've worked with for years. I am sure that he will be the perfect replacement and will add to an outstanding coaching staff. I wish him and the rest of the Islamabad United guys every success in PSL 2."

Botha will join Dean Jones, Tauseef Ahmed, Dean Woodford and Wasim Akram as part of the Islamabad United coaching staff.
 
So folks, I've heard Wahab is joining Zalmi.

I hope Sharjeel scores 300 off him and make him cry. :srini
 
Johan Botha joins Islamabad United Staff

The Former South African captain will be the franchise's fielding coach

Dubai, 8 February 2017 – Johan Botha, the former South Africa captain, will be Islamabad United's fielding coach for the HBL PSL 2017. This announcement was made today by the franchise management. Botha will replace Darren Berry for the post. This is the only change in the team staff for Islamabad United from season 1 to season 2 of the PSL.

Darren Berry, who is currently serving as the coach of the South Australia team, had requested unavailability for the second season of the PSL due to family commitments.

Botha, who has previously been the captain of the South Australia team, is currently playing for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League. Regarding his replacement Darren Berry said, "For personal reasons and commitments back home I will unfortunately not be able to join the PSL this year. However, in Johan Botha, United has a former international captain and someone whom I've worked with for years. I am sure that he will be the perfect replacement and will add to an outstanding coaching staff. I wish him and the rest of the Islamabad United guys every success in PSL 2."

Botha will join Dean Jones, Tauseef Ahmed, Dean Woodford and Wasim Akram as part of the Islamabad United coaching staff.

He should have been picked as a player. He is good enough still.
 
Told y'all. ISLU is the champion!
[MENTION=141114]Hasan123[/MENTION]

Trophy is staying home.
 
Told y'all. ISLU is the champion!
[MENTION=141114]Hasan123[/MENTION]

Trophy is staying home.

And I told you about Watson :msd .

This trophy is ours Inshallah.
[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] where are you bro? Come join in the celebrations :misbah
 
Just like last time it's the foreigners who are performing,apart from sharjeel the rest are tourists.
 
You know whats funny? The fact that Peshawar won the game when Hassan Ali bowled that over, but then threw it away with a new ball. And to add salt to the wounds, that no ball went for six and the free hit went for six
 
Who should replace Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan for Islamabad United?

Its seems they will most probably miss PSL 2 .Who should replace them
 
I'm sure Misbah will be able to find a couple more friends who'd be willing to go over and play. :yk
 
More concerned as to who would replace them in the international side
 
Would love to see someone like Zeeshan Malik be given a chance. Has the potential to be a really good strokemaker but with IU we can only expect a couple of old geezers coming in.
 
official statement by IU on FB

Update on today's news.
We are understandably disappointed at this development but emphasize on our commitment to a zero-tolerance policy towards any violations of the rules or stated guidelines.
We will be looking to find replacements for the squad as soon as possible.
As per the PCB's policy and guidelines, we will have no further comment on this issue.
 
So it will be Tauseef Ahmed and Misbah's job to get 2 new players in the team.

and knowing Misbah, I think the 2 new players will come from this list below

Rafatullah Mohammad
Nasir Jamshed
Ali Waqas
Umar Siddiq
Taufeeq Umar
(He could also go for Salman Butt and Asif, but his stance on them depends)


If he selects a bowler, then this would mean Asif Ali would be opening the innings for us
 
azizullah and Imran Butt are also two guys who could be getting a chance here
 
should get in hamza ghanchi for sharjeel as he is similar player who plays powerfull shots with ease or maybe israrullah
Also get Adil Amin in place of khalid latif as adil is future of pakistan middle order in ODI cricket or maybe Abdul rehman muzamil with his hitting power.
 
Nauman Anwar wouldn't be bad. Or maybe Imam, though his game may not be the best for T20s.

Salahuddin/Aslam aren't made for T20s.
 
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