Justice for Abdullah Shafique: How is he not good enough for PSL?

[Rana]

Please guys. What is this nonsense by the Franchises? I don’t particularly like Abdullah or believe he will become our Shubman Gill but I can’t stand this injustice!

How is a guy deemed good enough to represent Pakistan International Men’s squad in a difficult place like New Zealand, against bowling attacks consisting of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Mitch Santner etc not good enough to be selected by 6 PSL franchises????

Mind baffling stuff! How can we sleep knowing this young man is probably hurting so bad? Koi aqal ko haath pair maaro dosto! He wasn’t even picked in the supplementary pick! This is a complete farce!

I don’t want to name others who have been picked whilst he hasn’t, but surely there has been some mistake here?

 

[unemployedgm]

There are very few ppl if any in Pakistan who know how to identify batting talent. There are even fewer who understand how to utilize it.

 

[Square Drive]

Nothing short of a travesty.

 

[trickyone]

He is been exposed, he needs to work hard in domestic.

 

[Down2Earth]

Keep loading the league with has-been foreign players.

 

[Rana]

He is been exposed, he needs to work hard in domestic.

Exposed in New Zealand. What about in Pakistan where the PSL is being held?

 

[Savak]

Franchise owner and franchise team management calls the shots, no one can dictate to them who to pick and not to pick

 

[Rana]

Franchise owner and franchise team management calls the shots, no one can dictate to them who to pick and not to pick

How is he not good enough for 6 PSL squads?

 

[in_cutter]

But but but he is not a T20 batter?

 

[Finisher]

So from the top 24 batsmen in the National T20 cup Abdullah Shafiq,Khurram Manzoor and Haris Sohail are the ones not picked for this years PSL. The latter duo are both PSL TTFS

Pretty sure he is also the only Shaheens player not selected

Is there a lobby against Abdullah Shafiq or did something happen in New Zealand

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

I think he needs to learn a lot more about his craft before being allowed to the league that has been historically dominated by elite local and international batting pros.

 

[Rana]

I think he needs to learn a lot more about his craft before being allowed to the league that has been historically dominated by elite local and international batting pros.

Ok but then what was he doing in NZ?

 

[YousafTheBeast]

LOL - Only PCB could do that.

I could never imagine ECB picking the likes of Sam Billings, Pope, Banton etc and making them debut in foreign conditions in India and expecting them to perform.

There’s no process. It’s just mind blowing how stupid our people can be.

Give the lad at least 10 games in conditions suited to him, make it easier for him to get settled in International cricket.

If Abdullah Shafique hadn’t gone to NZ, he’d have been picked in the PSL.

 

[world cup captain]

How is he not good enough for 6 PSL squads?

Why not apply the Rizwan argument logic here? If PSL teams don't think Abdullah isn't good enough to play for them then why is he playing for Pakistan? According to some, PSL teams know exactly how the better players are.

 

[Rana]

LOL - Only PCB could do that.

I could never imagine ECB picking the likes of Sam Billings, Pope, Banton etc and making them debut in foreign conditions in India and expecting them to perform.

There’s no process. It’s just mind blowing how stupid our people can be.

Give the lad at least 10 games in conditions suited to him, make it easier for him to get settled in International cricket.

If Abdullah Shafique hasn’t gone to NZ, he’d have been picked in the PSL.

But this needs to be put right. This is clearly a blunder. The kid can play in Pakistan.

 

[Rana]

Why not apply the Rizwan argument logic here? If PSL teams don't think Abdullah isn't good enough to play for them then why is he playing for Pakistan? According to some, PSL teams know exactly how the better players are.

Rizwan also plays on the friends with benefits category. Notice how MS did all their shopping and then picked up Rizwan like a chewing gum packet at the counter before the checkout. No one was in for Rizwan except MS and they knew this

 

[world cup captain]

Rizwan also plays on the friends with benefits category. Notice how MS did all their shopping and then picked up Rizwan like a chewing gum packet at the counter before the checkout. No one was in for Rizwan except MS and they knew this

Exactly the case in point. When there are foreign options available, there are very few Pakistani batting options that will be picked. From all the keepers available in Pakistan, only Rohail is good enough to play long term (Zeeshan is a hack like Awais Zia and surely will fail long term); however, when these teams have access to more dynamic players like Hales, Banton, and Malan no one in their right mind would pick Abdullah. That's not to say I don't think he's not a good player, but his game is more suited for ODIs and Tests.

 

[Savak]

Misbah ul Haq selected the squad for NZ therefore Abdullah Shafiqs selection is on him.

You can't blame the PSL franchises, they are independent teams who will do what is in their best interest. The PCB nor anyone outside the Franchises can't dictate to them

In fact Abdullah Shafiq should also accept some of the blame himself. He can't blame anyone else for getting out for 3 consecutive ducks and that also in such an amateur fashion

 

[in_cutter]

Misbah ul Haq selected the squad for NZ therefore Abdullah Shafiqs selection is on him.

You can't blame the PSL franchises, they are independent teams who will do what is in their best interest. The PCB nor anyone outside the Franchises can't dictate to them

In fact Abdullah Shafiq should also accept some of the blame himself. He can't blame anyone else for getting out for 3 consecutive ducks and that also in such an amateur fashion

Huh? What? Were fans not crying for Abdullah’s selection?!

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

Ok but then what was he doing in NZ?

Couldn’t impress the selectors. It’s easier to get into Pakistan team, hard to get into PSL sides. Thought we had it clear when Babar Azam had to show his worth to the PSL franchises by proving himself in the international cricket first.

 

[GudduBadmash]

Got chances and flopped severely. Thought he was not a T20 player though so non issue

 

[Shazzam]

It would be better for us to view PSL and Pakistan cricket selection as a different category. It would be terrible if the selections of PSL were based on the Pakistani selection. PSL is not there to grow our talent its there to sell our brand of cricket. Make our board richer so they invest in our domestic.

 

[in_cutter]

Please guys. What is this nonsense by the Franchises? I don’t particularly like Abdullah or believe he will become our Shubman Gill but I can’t stand this injustice!

How is a guy deemed good enough to represent Pakistan International Men’s squad in a difficult place like New Zealand, against bowling attacks consisting of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Mitch Santner etc not good enough to be selected by 6 PSL franchises????

Mind baffling stuff! How can we sleep knowing this young man is probably hurting so bad? Koi aqal ko haath pair maaro dosto! He wasn’t even picked in the supplementary pick! This is a complete farce!

I don’t want to name others who have been picked whilst he hasn’t, but surely there has been some mistake here?

Apparently he is not a T20 batsman..,so what’s the issue here? Same guy completely flopped in NZ.

 

[Rana]

It would be better for us to view PSL and Pakistan cricket selection as a different category. It would be terrible if the selections of PSL were based on the Pakistani selection. PSL is not there to grow our talent its there to sell our brand of cricket. Make our board richer so they invest in our domestic.

But India are picking their strong T20i side from their premier T20 league? The PSL performances are the correct measuring stick for national T20 selection

 

[Forum363]

He was severely over hyped, way too quickly. Especially in a format which isn't his best.

He is a decent batsman and I said that with hard work he could be compared to Imam and so many posters jumped on me despite how well Imam has done.

People started to compare Abdullah to the likes of Haider who is a rare talent for Pakistan and possesses insane shot making ability and natural talent. Not to say Abdullah won't be a better player than him long term, just that right now its clear Haider is ahead, especially in limited over cricket.

This could be a blessing in disguise for Abdullah. Keep his head down. Work on the technical aspects of his batting. Hire a private coach like Shan did. Spend countless hours in the nets.

Its weirdly simple. Match the crazy work ethic of someone like Kohli / Smith and he will have the chance to break records for Pakistan. Work hard but not overly so, he will have a career like Hafeez / Azhar Ali - decent with some great highlights. Complain about his omission from PSL, take his game for granted and act like the Akmals, he will go down the route of Shehzad/Farhat/ Hassan Raza.

Ball is in his court.

 

[shady]

Don't think he was a must pick for the PSL. If anything him not being drafted shows what a poor decision it was by Misbah to debut Abdullah in T20's when his game is clearly more suited to longer formats.

 

[hitthestump]

Got chances and flopped severely. Thought he was not a T20 player though so non issue

Well then he's been mishandled and set up to fail. He should have been getting chances in PSL on familiar territory with a long rope. Two games of international cricket should not have led to this.

 

[shah_1]

Not good enough for T20, he is a tail ender against spin. He also struggles outside powerplay.

 

[Titan24]

Said like few after his Nat T20 century he shouldnt be fast tracked and should be allowed to play a season or two of FC cricket but just like some others he was straight away called up to national team.

That little adventure against Zim and then in NZ reduced his PSL chances as he wasn’t eligible for emerging category. Also lets be honest he currently isnt a player who would add much strength to any side’s top 4 currently especially in T20 cricket.

Yes it was bit surprising he didnt get pick but, to be honest I cant pick out a single specialist batsman (Local) who he deserved to be selected over except in emerging. Yes maybe in supplementary. He should utilize that period to work on his game.

 

[shamaan]

LOL - Only PCB could do that.

I could never imagine ECB picking the likes of Sam Billings, Pope, Banton etc and making them debut in foreign conditions in India and expecting them to perform.

There’s no process. It’s just mind blowing how stupid our people can be.

Give the lad at least 10 games in conditions suited to him, make it easier for him to get settled in International cricket.

If Abdullah Shafique hadn’t gone to NZ, he’d have been picked in the PSL.

Defonitely he would have been picked in Emerging category but since hes played for Pakistan he cant be picked in Emerging category

 

[Darkrai]

The franchises don't have any confidence in him after his performance against NZ and NZ A.

Our domestic standards are very low that even guys like Ahsan Ali have performed and been selected at a higher level only to get exposed badly. This is most likely why the franchises didn't give his domestic performance much importance after his failures in NZ.

Let's see if Misbah persists with him now that his domestic season has been successfully wasted.

 

[shamaan]

Misbah ul Haq selected the squad for NZ therefore Abdullah Shafiqs selection is on him.

You can't blame the PSL franchises, they are independent teams who will do what is in their best interest. The PCB nor anyone outside the Franchises can't dictate to them

In fact Abdullah Shafiq should also accept some of the blame himself. He can't blame anyone else for getting out for 3 consecutive ducks and that also in such an amateur fashion

even if he didnt get ducks what was the chance him being picked

 

[Abdullah Rabbani]

But but but he is not a T20 batter?

He will able to bat like babar as accumulator

 

[angrypathan]

From a financial and confidence point of view, it's quite detrimental for him not be picked. From a development point of view, it's probably better for him not to play the PSL and first develop his game in FC cricket

 

[aloo paratha]

Looked like a tailender in NZ. I don't blame the franchises for going with safer international batsman.

 

[Savak]

Tbh, only Abdullah Shafiq is to be blamed. Very few players get a chance to play for their country, once you get that opportunity you have to make the most of it

 

[CleverSir]

Too expensive for
What he brings to the table right now.

 

[JibranAnsari]

a good score in newzealand would have helped his cause. Next year inshaAllah.

 

[Rana]

From a financial and confidence point of view, it's quite detrimental for him not be picked. From a development point of view, it's probably better for him not to play the PSL and first develop his game in FC cricket

Oh no not another blessing in disguise!

 

[Rana]

Tbh, only Abdullah Shafiq is to be blamed. Very few players get a chance to play for their country, once you get that opportunity you have to make the most of it

That’s not fair at all.

Very few players get a fast track to play for their country like he does. Clearly he was highly rated to represent Pakistan instead of Kamran Akmal for example.

It means that there is something there for Pakistan to work with, develop and utilise for the next 10-15 years.

Not being picked for PSL is not a decision that merits justice for him I’m afraid. No matter how we look at it.

 

[Bullet Drive]

Misbah ul Haq selected the squad for NZ therefore Abdullah Shafiqs selection is on him.

You can't blame the PSL franchises, they are independent teams who will do what is in their best interest. The PCB nor anyone outside the Franchises can't dictate to them

In fact Abdullah Shafiq should also accept some of the blame himself. He can't blame anyone else for getting out for 3 consecutive ducks and that also in such an amateur fashion

Two ducks.

 

[Bullet Drive]

From a financial and confidence point of view, it's quite detrimental for him not be picked. From a development point of view, it's probably better for him not to play the PSL and first develop his game in FC cricket

Which first-class tournament will be on at that time? lol

 

[Rana]

Which first-class tournament will be on at that time? lol

The same first class system that will teach Naseem Shah on how to set up plans against Kane Williamson

 

[UzmanBeast]

Misbah ul Haq selected the squad for NZ therefore Abdullah Shafiqs selection is on him.

You can't blame the PSL franchises, they are independent teams who will do what is in their best interest. The PCB nor anyone outside the Franchises can't dictate to them

In fact Abdullah Shafiq should also accept some of the blame himself. He can't blame anyone else for getting out for 3 consecutive ducks and that also in such an amateur fashion

I completely agree. Nobody is saying that he doesn't have the talent to do so, but given the needs of most of the teams, they needed a reliable option from the silver category. If you look at the squads this season, most teams don't need him. This is probably going to be the most competitive PSL season in the history of the league, and teams are looking for what can give them the edge over others. It's not about "justice" and "unfairness" to Abdullah, most teams just don't need his skillset at the moment. Plus, on the basis of recent form, most teams would have decided not to go with him. I'll remind you that the only reason Haider Ali is being given a consistent run from PZ is because he has performed for them and is a player who can clear the fence. He has an attacking mindset. Franchises have seen so little of Abdullah Shafique, and they probably weren't impressed with the returns. I mentioned this earlier, that if you take away his century, he's averaging roundabout 24.6, which isn't what franchises would want.

He's a top order player, and look at the top orders of most teams this season:

KK: Babar, Sharjeel, Colin (Abdullah won't fit because his playstyle means that Karachi won't maximise the Powerplay)

LQ: Fakhar, Sohail, Hafeez (Again, his playstyle won't match the top order of LQ, which has performed decently throughout. No need to change the combination if they want to win.)

IU: Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan (Shadab likes to bat up the order, and Hales and Munro are crucial. Shadab could have potentially gone down to 4, but it would disrupt the order, so doesn't make sense again.)

MS: James Vince, Chris Lynn, Shan Masood (If Masood wasn't captain, MS would have gone for Abdullah no doubt, but sadly, that isn't the case.)

PZ: Kamran Akmal, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik (Kamran and Malik are crucial for PZ, and Haider is a really good accelerator. Abdullah doesn't fit in again, maybe if Malik went down the order, they could have considered Abdullah, but they wouldn't want too many inexperienced batsmen.)

QG: Chris Gayle, Tom Banton, Cameron Delport (QG were probably the only franchise who should have considered Abdullah because of the fact that Banton might not be available. However, they did opt for Gayle, and the issue is that if both Gayle and Abdullah get out, it puts a strain on the middle order.)

As you can see, I can hardly think of any team that actually needed Abdullah Shafique. It should be a stepping stone for him to work harder.

 

[Hasan123]

I don't think he is a T20 player. It's sad for him on a personal note but I don't think for his career it is a big deal. Needs more first class games.

 

[trickyone]

He had the last two months to impress the whole world instead we got the performance from him. He already got his chances in New Zealand, time to give chances to new kids

 

[Rana]

He had the last two months to impress the whole world instead we got the performance from him. He already got his chances in New Zealand, time to give chances to new kids

Flawed reasoning

He was on national duty, not on some world tour like Michael Jackson. What did you make of those 4 balls that he faced in his international career.

Surely a guy who is good enough to play for his country at the age of 20 on an overseas tour is good enough to make it in any one of the 6 PSL franchises. And he is most definitely good enough to be picked in the supplementary picks.

There is absolutely no way that he isn’t in the top 50-70 T20 cricketers of Pakistan who were selected for the Franchises.... but he was good enough to play for Pakistan just a month ago.

 

[Rana]

A lot of this talk about Ali Tareen having the vision that is necessary for our youth in cricket etc.

How can he explain the retention of his dud T20 player/captain and not even picking Abdullah Shafique as a supplementary player?

 

[Salman4.]

A lot of this talk about Ali Tareen having the vision that is necessary for our youth in cricket etc.

How can he explain the retention of his dud T20 player/captain and not even picking Abdullah Shafique as a supplementary player?

He is a proper politician. Knows how to do the sweet talk. Don't get deceived by him!

 

[Markhor]

Good. Too many youngsters have been wrecked by overdosing on T20.

The lad is better off working on his technique with MoYo at the HPC, and hitting some balls in the nets in the off-season instead.

 

[Rana]

Good. Too many youngsters have been wrecked by overdosing on T20.

The lad is better off working on his technique with MoYo at the HPC, and hitting some balls in the nets in the off-season instead.

So what exactly was he doing on tour with Pakistan? Does that mean all the youngsters/emerging players have no business playing PSL?

 

[Thunderbolt14]

I completely agree. Nobody is saying that he doesn't have the talent to do so, but given the needs of most of the teams, they needed a reliable option from the silver category. If you look at the squads this season, most teams don't need him. This is probably going to be the most competitive PSL season in the history of the league, and teams are looking for what can give them the edge over others. It's not about "justice" and "unfairness" to Abdullah, most teams just don't need his skillset at the moment. Plus, on the basis of recent form, most teams would have decided not to go with him. I'll remind you that the only reason Haider Ali is being given a consistent run from PZ is because he has performed for them and is a player who can clear the fence. He has an attacking mindset. Franchises have seen so little of Abdullah Shafique, and they probably weren't impressed with the returns. I mentioned this earlier, that if you take away his century, he's averaging roundabout 24.6, which isn't what franchises would want.

He's a top order player, and look at the top orders of most teams this season:

KK: Babar, Sharjeel, Colin (Abdullah won't fit because his playstyle means that Karachi won't maximise the Powerplay)

LQ: Fakhar, Sohail, Hafeez (Again, his playstyle won't match the top order of LQ, which has performed decently throughout. No need to change the combination if they want to win.)

IU: Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan (Shadab likes to bat up the order, and Hales and Munro are crucial. Shadab could have potentially gone down to 4, but it would disrupt the order, so doesn't make sense again.)

MS: James Vince, Chris Lynn, Shan Masood (If Masood wasn't captain, MS would have gone for Abdullah no doubt, but sadly, that isn't the case.)

PZ: Kamran Akmal, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik (Kamran and Malik are crucial for PZ, and Haider is a really good accelerator. Abdullah doesn't fit in again, maybe if Malik went down the order, they could have considered Abdullah, but they wouldn't want too many inexperienced batsmen.)

QG: Chris Gayle, Tom Banton, Cameron Delport (QG were probably the only franchise who should have considered Abdullah because of the fact that Banton might not be available. However, they did opt for Gayle, and the issue is that if both Gayle and Abdullah get out, it puts a strain on the middle order.)

As you can see, I can hardly think of any team that actually needed Abdullah Shafique. It should be a stepping stone for him to work harder.

Good post, but my counter to this is - why not 7 teams? Or 8? Our first priority is to allow budding batting talent the opportunity to express themselves, not just to have a competitive tournament with overseas batsmen against domestic bowlers.

The only hope is that folks like Afridi, Malik, and Hafeez begin to phase out and open up spots for younger batsmen.

But it’s shocking - this is a year that Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Salman Butt, and many other batsmen were kicked out once and for all but emerging batsmen still can’t find a spot.

The biggest criminals in this conspiracy are Lahore Qalandars. You are right that most teams are looking for the players that can give them the biggest boost over others. So how does Ahmed Danyal give them an edge when they already have a stacked bowling attack with even Salman Irshad on the bench? Versus not much bench strength as far as batsmen go - where’s the cost benefit that puts Zaid Alam over Abdullah?

Abdul Nasir and Usman Khan. These guys over Abdullah? I realize that even if selected, Abdullah would have been benched for most of the season. However, it’s one thing to be benched on merit and another to not even be selected, for a nobody off the streets who is a good tullabaaz.

What Peshawar did with Haider, giving him free reign at number 3, was absolutely special. I don’t necessarily expect the same for Abdullah. But to not even be selected after making a national team debut, it means something’s wrong with the system.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Good. Too many youngsters have been wrecked by overdosing on T20.

The lad is better off working on his technique with MoYo at the HPC, and hitting some balls in the nets in the off-season instead.

I look at the likes of Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, and recently Shubman Gill. I don’t think Abdullah is the kind of player to completely wreck his game by turning into a slogger. He’s a proper strokemaker, and if anything would have developed his strokeplay to bat at higher strike rates in a safe manner, the way Babar has evolved.

So is it really good that he’s missing out on an opportunity to learn to perform under pressure, or to earn a living for his family?

 

[MMHS]

I look at the likes of Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, and recently Shubman Gill. I don’t think Abdullah is the kind of player to completely wreck his game by turning into a slogger. He’s a proper strokemaker, and if anything would have developed his strokeplay to bat at higher strike rates in a safe manner, the way Babar has evolved.

So is it really good that he’s missing out on an opportunity to learn to perform under pressure, or to earn a living for his family?

It is - trust me. It’s a blessing in disguise.

FGS - please don’t bring Kohli or even Babar for every PAK batsman that emerges with some potential. PCB drunk from the hype fountain at PP and picked the guy with very little experience for NZ tour, that too for his weakest suit - T20; and he was a massive disappointment, played 4 balls in two innings, more importantly two dismissals showed what he can do when forced to go after. Now, PSL franchises have dumped him & rightly so.

He still has a chance to come back for PCT for the right format - one reason is that guy has potential, but main reason is the level of competition (lack of it), but even that would have been gone had he played one season of PSL; because PSL is the Mecca of PAK cricket - failure here means he won’t have been considered even for Test.

Let the guy develop first, then comes diversification.

 

[fuzail]

To get selected in PSL you need talent as well as contacts . Abdullah has talent but no contacts I guess

 

[Bullet Drive]

It is - trust me. It’s a blessing in disguise.

FGS - please don’t bring Kohli or even Babar for every PAK batsman that emerges with some potential. PCB drunk from the hype fountain at PP and picked the guy with very little experience for NZ tour, that too for his weakest suit - T20; and he was a massive disappointment, played 4 balls in two innings, more importantly two dismissals showed what he can do when forced to go after. Now, PSL franchises have dumped him & rightly so.

He still has a chance to come back for PCT for the right format - one reason is that guy has potential, but main reason is the level of competition (lack of it), but even that would have been gone had he played one season of PSL; because PSL is the Mecca of PAK cricket - failure here means he won’t have been considered even for Test.

Let the guy develop first, then comes diversification.

Do you rate him?

 

[MMHS]

Do you rate him?

Haven’t seen enough honestly - four balls are not enough and I don’t see much into PAK domestic stats these days.

Could be good, but definitely too early to start threads like comparison with Gill.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

It is - trust me. It’s a blessing in disguise.

FGS - please don’t bring Kohli or even Babar for every PAK batsman that emerges with some potential. PCB drunk from the hype fountain at PP and picked the guy with very little experience for NZ tour, that too for his weakest suit - T20; and he was a massive disappointment, played 4 balls in two innings, more importantly two dismissals showed what he can do when forced to go after. Now, PSL franchises have dumped him & rightly so.

He still has a chance to come back for PCT for the right format - one reason is that guy has potential, but main reason is the level of competition (lack of it), but even that would have been gone had he played one season of PSL; because PSL is the Mecca of PAK cricket - failure here means he won’t have been considered even for Test.

Let the guy develop first, then comes diversification.

Okay he goes back and plays first class. What next? How does Pakistan begin to develop its batting talents better?

I won’t put him in the same sentence as Babar or Kohli or Gill. But let’s say, hypothetically, this guy can be as good as Mayank Agarwal. How do we get him to that stage? The new first class system is better than before, but is that all you’ll leave him to?

 

[MMHS]

Okay he goes back and plays first class. What next? How does Pakistan begin to develop its batting talents better?

I won’t put him in the same sentence as Babar or Kohli or Gill. But let’s say, hypothetically, this guy can be as good as Mayank Agarwal. How do we get him to that stage? The new first class system is better than before, but is that all you’ll leave him to?

New FC system is just a better stage - but one needs to learn first to dance as well. Batting is a learned trait - methodical, practiced and perfected through technical learnings. It needs lots of good coaching and mentoring as well. May be next step will be to hire (or develop) some qualified batting coaches and those have to be much better than Basit Ali’s bravado or YK’s note book.

 

[shah_1]

New FC system is just a better stage - but one needs to learn first to dance as well. Batting is a learned trait - methodical, practiced and perfected through technical learnings. It needs lots of good coaching and mentoring as well. May be next step will be to hire (or develop) some qualified batting coaches and those have to be much better than Basit Ali’s bravado or YK’s note book.

Best thing for him right now is perform in Pakistan Cup then go to Muhammad Yousuf during PSL window.

 

[Mamoon]

Agarwal produced the following scores against South Africa last year at home:

215, 7, 108, 10

If Abdullah Shafique can manage that against a South African attack at any point in his career, he will enter the folklore of Pakistan cricket and will be able to milk that performance for years.

It is interesting how our fans casually make comparisons between Pakistani and Indian batsmen, even though the difference between the batting standards of the two countries is day and night.

Although currently the difference between bowling standards is also day and night at the moment.

 

[Rana]

Agarwal produced the following scores against South Africa last year at home:

215, 7, 108, 10

If Abdullah Shafique can manage that against a South African attack at any point in his career, he will enter the folklore of Pakistan cricket and will be able to milk that performance for years.

It is interesting how our fans casually make comparisons between Pakistani and Indian batsmen, even though the difference between the batting standards of the two countries is day and night.

Although currently the difference between bowling standards is also day and night at the moment.

[MENTION=8]MIG[/MENTION]

This thread isn’t about Abdullah Shafique being overhyped. It’s simply about illogical PCB v PSL franchise selection.

This post will derail the justice I would like to see given to Abdullah Shafique

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Agarwal produced the following scores against South Africa last year at home:

215, 7, 108, 10

If Abdullah Shafique can manage that against a South African attack at any point in his career, he will enter the folklore of Pakistan cricket and will be able to milk that performance for years.

It is interesting how our fans casually make comparisons between Pakistani and Indian batsmen, even though the difference between the batting standards of the two countries is day and night.

Although currently the difference between bowling standards is also day and night at the moment.

The question was how to turn him into an Agarwal, not a statement that he is or will be or even can be an Agarwal. You’re the one delusional if you’re going out of your way to find places to call others delusional. No one, not a soul here thinks of Abdullah as someone of that talent.

He is a hard worker and has a lot of basics right, this discussion is just about how he can improve and move to the next level. If you’re not interested in that kind of discussion, by all means don’t participate. You won’t be missed.

 

[deems]

Please guys. What is this nonsense by the Franchises? I don’t particularly like Abdullah or believe he will become our Shubman Gill but I can’t stand this injustice!

How is a guy deemed good enough to represent Pakistan International Men’s squad in a difficult place like New Zealand, against bowling attacks consisting of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Mitch Santner etc not good enough to be selected by 6 PSL franchises????

Mind baffling stuff! How can we sleep knowing this young man is probably hurting so bad? Koi aqal ko haath pair maaro dosto! He wasn’t even picked in the supplementary pick! This is a complete farce!

I don’t want to name others who have been picked whilst he hasn’t, but surely there has been some mistake here?

Ni disrespect to him, he isn't a t20 player..did himself no favours by getting ducks..
He'll make good longer format player and I'll back him for that.

 

[Mamoon]

The question was how to turn him into an Agarwal, not a statement that he is or will be or even can be an Agarwal. You’re the one delusional if you’re going out of your way to find places to call others delusional. No one, not a soul here thinks of Abdullah as someone of that talent.

He is a hard worker and has a lot of basics right, this discussion is just about how he can improve and move to the next level. If you’re not interested in that kind of discussion, by all means don’t participate. You won’t be missed.

He cannot be turned into Agarwal because he probably doesn’t have the same level of ability, which is understandable because India is lightyears ahead of Pakistan as a cricket nation and we cannot match the level of talent that they possess.

If Abdullah Shafique can be better than hardworking failure Masood, Pakistan should be happy.

 

[Mercurial]

Why not Kamran Ghulam? He deserved it more than anyone else in the unsold category because he is an all rounder, with decent stats. You need such all rounders in T20 cricket. You will hardly see anyone raising voice for him just because he is from ....

 

[Mamoon]

People fail to realize how hard it is to break into the Indian team especially as a batsman. The 5th and 6th choice Indian batsmen can easily give our best batsmen a run for their money.

Everyone thought Vihari was ordinary, but what this guy pulled off today is something that is beyond even someone like Babar. He showed remarkable powers of concentration and defensive prowess. Not a single Pakistani batsman would have done what he did today.

Someone like Karun Nair would walk into our team and easily prove to be our best Test batsman along with Babar, but in India, he is not even in the picture now in spite of scoring a triple-century in only his second Test, that too against England.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

New FC system is just a better stage - but one needs to learn first to dance as well. Batting is a learned trait - methodical, practiced and perfected through technical learnings. It needs lots of good coaching and mentoring as well. May be next step will be to hire (or develop) some qualified batting coaches and those have to be much better than Basit Ali’s bravado or YK’s note book.

Fair enough. Would be good for there to be a high performance camp with Yousuf while PSL is going on, though not sure how much Yousuf himself can help. Yousuf did help Faheem Ashraf improve his balance, and is also working with U19 cricketers these days, so maybe there is some modicum of hope in his coaching ability.

I don’t see any top qualified batting coaches willing to relocate to Pakistan to work at the NHPC, so developing local coaches is the only real route to go. But even for this, you need a top qualified batting coach to help groom local coaches.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

He cannot be turned into Agarwal because he probably doesn’t have the same level of ability, which is understandable because India is lightyears ahead of Pakistan as a cricket nation and we cannot match the level of talent that they possess.

If Abdullah Shafique can be better than hardworking failure Masood, Pakistan should be happy.

Again you fail to grasp my point. Whether or not he can become an Agarwal or Kohli or Shastri or Masood, the question is about what should be done to help him improve, in much the same way you speak about a smart child interested in physics becoming the next Einstein.

If you are not content with my figures of speech, again, please ignore it and kindly provide something constructive to the discussion about Pakistan developing one of our only technically sound 20 year olds.

 

[Rellu_Katta]

might be a blessing in disguise... he needs to spend time in middle and learn to improve and plan his innings...

he wasnt get a game in PSL.. dont think any franchise would have played him in top 4 (where hs is best suited) and he would have been another saif badar

best for him is to take Rizwan / Shan Masood route... score big in domestic and force his way in international and PSL will come in the end...

 

[Mamoon]

Again you fail to grasp my point. Whether or not he can become an Agarwal or Kohli or Shastri or Masood, the question is about what should be done to help him improve, in much the same way you speak about a smart child interested in physics becoming the next Einstein.

If you are not content with my figures of speech, again, please ignore it and kindly provide something constructive to the discussion about Pakistan developing one of our only technically sound 20 year olds.

You yourself are not sure what your point is, which is why you first dragged Indian batsmen into the discussion and then back-tracked. You can talk about Shafique without establishing comparisons with the batsmen of a vastly superior cricket nation.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

You yourself are not sure what your point is, which is why you first dragged Indian batsmen into the discussion and then back-tracked. You can talk about Shafique without establishing comparisons with the batsmen of a vastly superior cricket nation.

I’ve been very clear about my point and laid it down very clearly. I brought Indian batsmen into the discussion because they are the hallmarks of batting, and any youngster around the world, even if they are Nepali or Swiss or Irish, would aspire to become Virat Kohli regardless of whether they are as gifted.

My very clearly laid out question was about what to do to develop Abdullah, keeping top batsmen around the world in mind and how they themselves have developed. Your confused mind is quick to home in on what it is seeking, however, and thus I cannot blame your bitter refusal to read the rest of my posts and perhaps, for once, answer the question. Again, if you’re not interested in discussing things with me, then by all means don’t pretend to.

I’m very ready to have a civil conversation with you. Ball’s in your court.

 

[Rana]

might be a blessing in disguise... he needs to spend time in middle and learn to improve and plan his innings...

he wasnt get a game in PSL.. dont think any franchise would have played him in top 4 (where hs is best suited) and he would have been another saif badar

best for him is to take Rizwan / Shan Masood route... score big in domestic and force his way in international and PSL will come in the end...

What blessing in disguise man? One week you are wearing the crest of Pakistan on your chest and the whole world is watching you. The next week you are not even considered good enough in the top 50-70 Pakistani cricketers picked in the PSL. These things can have serious mental health effects on a young man.

There is absolutely no justifying it whatsoever.

 

[gazza619]

This shows a lack of competence on the part of Misbah & Waqar to select A Shafique for T20s.

The Franchises are giving you a message of truth and you should not shoot the messenger.

 

[Rana]

Why not Kamran Ghulam? He deserved it more than anyone else in the unsold category because he is an all rounder, with decent stats. You need such all rounders in T20 cricket. You will hardly see anyone raising voice for him just because he is from ....

Who's stopping you to raise a voice for him? If thats what you feel is the right way, do it. Are you saying I or others are raising this voice because Abdullah Shafique belongs to a region that I or others affiliate with?

I honestly would raise a voice for Kamran Ghulam also if I feel he is hard done by.

 

[Rana]

[MENTION=146665]Mercurial[/MENTION]


Now that you have made it seem as if justice is a pick and choose thing that is chosen in accordance to the region one belongs to...I did my background check on Kamran Ghulam and I therefore ask you now to provide a suitable reason for why he should be picked in a Franchise investing millions of dollars considering he played his last T20 game in December 2018, thats 25 months ago!

Are we supposed to pick players in the PSL who do not even play T20 anymore and call it injustice because he is from KPK????

 

[Savak]

What blessing in disguise man? One week you are wearing the crest of Pakistan on your chest and the whole world is watching you. The next week you are not even considered good enough in the top 50-70 Pakistani cricketers picked in the PSL. These things can have serious mental health effects on a young man.

There is absolutely no justifying it whatsoever.

Not at all. If you consider quitting, giving up on life because of not being selected for Pakistan then perhaps professional sports is not for you.

Virat Kohli and his father refused to pay a bribe to get him selected in the Indian U16 squad because he believed in his talent and what he can do with the bat.

It's the same reason I refuse to shed tears for players like Jamshaid Ahmed who stuck in their comfort zones, refused to take risks and quit their departmental jobs and move to other teams where they had better chances of playing and being in a position to create an impression because it ultimately shows that the person did not have enough confidence in themselves or their abilities.

Contrast this to Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar, they were treated like crap by the regional sides, by PIA, were paid a meager salary and had to fend for themselves in squalid conditions at a time when khi was an mqm war zone but they kept on taking risks, kept on challenging authorities and kept trying for different teams because they knew that their talent, ability was too much to ignore and they had it in them to make it big for Pakistan one day.

The likes of Sami Aslam, Mohd Irfan Jr, Mohd Amir can take a hike, we don't need softies in Pakistan Cricket

 

[Savak]

However I hope the pcb is able to continue the good work of attracting eye balls in our domestic tournaments because atm only the PSL gets international eye balls and anyone who performs there gets noticed

 

[UzmanBeast]

Good post, but my counter to this is - why not 7 teams? Or 8? Our first priority is to allow budding batting talent the opportunity to express themselves, not just to have a competitive tournament with overseas batsmen against domestic bowlers.

The only hope is that folks like Afridi, Malik, and Hafeez begin to phase out and open up spots for younger batsmen.

But it’s shocking - this is a year that Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Salman Butt, and many other batsmen were kicked out once and for all but emerging batsmen still can’t find a spot.

The biggest criminals in this conspiracy are Lahore Qalandars. You are right that most teams are looking for the players that can give them the biggest boost over others. So how does Ahmed Danyal give them an edge when they already have a stacked bowling attack with even Salman Irshad on the bench? Versus not much bench strength as far as batsmen go - where’s the cost benefit that puts Zaid Alam over Abdullah?

Abdul Nasir and Usman Khan. These guys over Abdullah? I realize that even if selected, Abdullah would have been benched for most of the season. However, it’s one thing to be benched on merit and another to not even be selected, for a nobody off the streets who is a good tullabaaz.

What Peshawar did with Haider, giving him free reign at number 3, was absolutely special. I don’t necessarily expect the same for Abdullah. But to not even be selected after making a national team debut, it means something’s wrong with the system.

There's no need of adding more teams to the PSL until we get some more overseas stars into the setup. You don't want two rubbish sides who can barely compete added to a league which is starting to improve. I like the idea of 6 teams, it means that there's a lot more domestic competition for selection, and competition is good. With this atmosphere of competition, teams are looking for players who offer more than their counterparts.

Secondly, we cannot just rule out the likes of Zaid Alam, Abdul Nasir, and other even if we have our reservations about the likes of Abdullah not being selected. Those players clearly did something, or possess a characteristic or skillset that franchises are looking for.

It might seem wrong that someone like Abdullah is not drafted for any franchise, but what you must also understand is that the franchises are interested in making a team to win. They are trying to improve the image of the league, and are trying to create a more competitive team sheet which will allow them to win. If you want direct player development, send Abdullah to the NCA or have him get coaching from a batsman. This is franchise cricket, where teams account for profit, fan-base, revenue, and a lot of other stuff.

Teams aren't stupid to ignore Abdullah Shafique, but as I said in my post, there was barely any incentive for teams to even take Abdullah Shafique as a pick. It might not sit well with some, but according to the franchises, there were other candidates more deserving of being picked.

We should be glad that a lot of talented players and youngsters are still part of the PSL, and just because of one player not being selected, we shouldn't take our anger out upon those people who worked hard to get drafted.

 

[Rana]

Not at all. If you consider quitting, giving up on life because of not being selected for Pakistan then perhaps professional sports is not for you.

Virat Kohli and his father refused to pay a bribe to get him selected in the Indian U16 squad because he believed in his talent and what he can do with the bat.

It's the same reason I refuse to shed tears for players like Jamshaid Ahmed who stuck in their comfort zones, refused to take risks and quit their departmental jobs and move to other teams where they had better chances of playing and being in a position to create an impression because it ultimately shows that the person did not have enough confidence in themselves or their abilities.

Contrast this to Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar, they were treated like crap by the regional sides, by PIA, were paid a meager salary and had to fend for themselves in squalid conditions at a time when khi was an mqm war zone but they kept on taking risks, kept on challenging authorities and kept trying for different teams because they knew that their talent, ability was too much to ignore and they had it in them to make it big for Pakistan one day.

The likes of Sami Aslam, Mohd Irfan Jr, Mohd Amir can take a hike, we don't need softies in Pakistan Cricket

I dont think I mentioned or indicated that the boy may give up all together due to the mental pressure this can apply on him.

Also, it is very easy for me and you to say stuff as 'perhaps professional sports isnt for you', considering our positions of luxury and privilege in life. This isnt quite the case for kids like Shafique who only really have cricket as their lifeline in otherwise a tough place like Pakistan. Ive been there plenty of times on holiday, Ive seen the conditions people live in when it comes to meagre means.

Besides, these are all irrelevant considering the actual issue at hand, and that is the irregularity, inconsistency between PSL, The Premier competition of Pakistan feeding talent to PCT T20i side.

How can Wasim Khan explain this? Misbah has no say in who the Franchises pick. Waqar is not guilty of this blunder either. Can Wasim Khan sab explain how a boy who was considered good enough to play for Pakistan by the coaches hired by him is not considered good enough by the Franchises who has has let the tournament to?