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"Leg Side Hacks" are becoming a normal trend in Pakistan batting

MRSN

T20I Star
Joined
Oct 20, 2010
Runs
30,601
Pakistan has not really produced any good batsman beside Baber Azam for the past few years. It's a fact no doubt. But the alarming thing is that the new players whether young or experienced domestic players don't really show the basic of batting. It's one thing to fail but to fail doing basic wrong is never going to make them good players.

We know we are a mediocre batting side but have we ever wondered why? Most teams these days have got good stroke makers in their teams. First of all we don't even have a genuine stroke maker batsman who has a power game but the ones who are hyped to be good just close their eyes and pick legside for any type of ball even if it is pitched way offside.

The dismissal Haider Ali had last night, he made it look so good because he has tendency to play every boundary shot towards legside. It does raise concern when eve your upcoming talent is filled with same issues that we have seen likes of Awais Zia and Asif Ali had. There has to be some fundamental problems with our system that allow these players to make through to the top.
 
The likes of Naseem Shah and Haider Ali are good example of the problem we currently face.

In an ideal world they should be playing 2-3 season of competive fc cricket with A tours before getting called up however we are throwing them undercooked and hoping they deliver straight away

Both are potential world class talents who are in danger of getting lost due to an unhealthy system.
 
Dilemma is the ones who can play all around can't clear boundary and then one who have a good bat swing usually try to smash everything on the leg.
The only person currently in the team who can clear the fence with ease and play all around is Hafeez.
Even Babar has failed to develop a strong power game which i don't think will be difficult for him for the timing he has.
Khusdil has a good bat swing but that guy makes me remember my school days when we ll usually cover the whole wicket before the ball was bowled and then try to swing the bat wildly towards the leg.
Sharjeel was one who could hit the pacerd but for now he is not coming back atleast for a year.
Less said about Rizwan snd Sarfu the better those guys cant hit a six even if there life depended on it.
I ll put my money on hassan ali to hit more sixes than pakistani batsman.
 
We have cry babies in all situations

When you don’t have guys who can accelerate we cry. When the guys who can accelerate start featuring we still cry that they are leg side hacks.
 
Anyone got a pitch map of all the sixes Morgan has hit in his life? Would love to see how he has hit sixes equally all around the park
 
Anyone got a pitch map of all the sixes Morgan has hit in his life? Would love to see how he has hit sixes equally all around the park

Its not about hitting all around the park. Its about mindset. Have u not seen how these batsman just cover the wickets and try to slog blindly only to slog on up in the air. These tactics won't work against half decent teams.
 
Its not about hitting all around the park. Its about mindset. Have u not seen how these batsman just cover the wickets and try to slog blindly only to slog on up in the air. These tactics won't work against half decent teams.

They get out on those balls dont they? Im sure they know that, but you cant fault them for trying. Jason Roys and Jos Butlers are not born without even trying
 
In modern day cricket you need players who can play 360 degrees versus pace and spin. Pakistan severely lack in batters who can do this. Going forward these are the players we should be investing and aiming from grassroots to get players to be able to play 360 degrees versus pace and spin.
 
There has to be a technique to hitting whether its off side of leg A strong base Head still and a good controlled swing

Too many of our first clas players lose all shape trying to muscle the bowl without control or technique
 
They get out on those balls dont they? Im sure they know that, but you cant fault them for trying. Jason Roys and Jos Butlers are not born without even trying

Jason Roy? Jason hackboy fluke Roy? Dude is utter trash outside odi.
 
Issue sometimes is of the mindset. Haider is young so its too early to judge development trajectory but, he obviously has the potential. Just a sample video from U19 WC to show he does have offside shots with decent technique and QAE trophy 100s can be seen as well. Yes he needs to improve his mindset but, we need to remember he is yet to play 10 international matches across the formats.

 
Clearly noticeable that Haider Ali has tried to play a lot more with a straight bat today in the 2nd T20I versus Zimbabwe.
 
Ross Taylor a new Zealand great Is a leg side hack. He has temperament and plays the ball on merit both of which young Pakistani batsmen lack.
 
Its not about hitting legside. Its about mindlessly throwing the bat legside.
 
Old habits die hard , the side effects of playing too much tape ball cricket in the early years.
 
The likes of Naseem Shah and Haider Ali are good example of the problem we currently face.

In an ideal world they should be playing 2-3 season of competive fc cricket with A tours before getting called up however we are throwing them undercooked and hoping they deliver straight away

Both are potential world class talents who are in danger of getting lost due to an unhealthy system.

I honestly believe haider will go all the way to the top even if hasnt got much experience in domestic
 
Dilemma is the ones who can play all around can't clear boundary and then one who have a good bat swing usually try to smash everything on the leg.
The only person currently in the team who can clear the fence with ease and play all around is Hafeez.
Even Babar has failed to develop a strong power game which i don't think will be difficult for him for the timing he has.
Khusdil has a good bat swing but that guy makes me remember my school days when we ll usually cover the whole wicket before the ball was bowled and then try to swing the bat wildly towards the leg.
Sharjeel was one who could hit the pacerd but for now he is not coming back atleast for a year.
Less said about Rizwan snd Sarfu the better those guys cant hit a six even if there life depended on it.
I ll put my money on hassan ali to hit more sixes than pakistani batsman.

Haider ali can clear boundary at ease playing proper shots
 
There has to be a technique to hitting whether its off side of leg A strong base Head still and a good controlled swing

Too many of our first clas players lose all shape trying to muscle the bowl without control or technique

Good point when I watch haider bat he does have a stable base and his head is in a good position hence why he can hit the ball and connect it
 
Haider Ali in 4 T20I innings: 51.3 @148

Khushdil Shah in 4 T20I innings: 60.0 @154

May Pakistan continue to produce leg-side hacks

:salute
 
This would be my squad in the next T20I series:

1. Haider Ali
2. Babar Azam*
3. Mohammad Hafeez
4. Shadab Khan
5. Shoaib Malik
6. Khushdil Shah
7. Imad Wasim
8. Mohammad Rizwan+
9. Wahab Riaz
10. Mohammad Amir
11. Shaheen Shah Afridi
———————————-
Abdullah Shafique
Faheem Ashraf
Usman Qadir
Haris Rauf
 
This would be my squad in the next T20I series:

1. Haider Ali
2. Babar Azam*
3. Mohammad Hafeez
4. Shadab Khan
5. Shoaib Malik
6. Khushdil Shah
7. Imad Wasim
8. Mohammad Rizwan+
9. Wahab Riaz
10. Mohammad Amir
11. Shaheen Shah Afridi
———————————-
Abdullah Shafique
Faheem Ashraf
Usman Qadir
Haris Rauf

Shadab Khan is not a batsman in any sense of the word. I don't know how people got this idea that he can bat. And no, PSL doesn't count. We'll see how good he is when he faces the likes of Rabada and Archer.
 
Hacking and unorthodox is quite normal for T20s.
 
Shadab Khan is not a batsman in any sense of the word. I don't know how people got this idea that he can bat. And no, PSL doesn't count. We'll see how good he is when he faces the likes of Rabada and Archer.

He has a Test match and ODI half-century in a critical situation. Shadab is not an "Only" PSL performer.
 
This would be my squad in the next T20I series:

1. Haider Ali
2. Babar Azam*
3. Mohammad Hafeez
4. Shadab Khan
5. Shoaib Malik
6. Khushdil Shah
7. Imad Wasim
8. Mohammad Rizwan+
9. Wahab Riaz
10. Mohammad Amir
11. Shaheen Shah Afridi
———————————-
Abdullah Shafique
Faheem Ashraf
Usman Qadir
Haris Rauf

Really Shoaib Malik ? Again ?
And just because Shadab batted high in domestic and became successful, it does not mean Shadab will do good in International.

1. Haider Ali
2. Babar Azam*
3. Abdullah Shafique - give the guy a little bit more chance before discarding him pls.
4. Mohammad Hafeez
5.Hussain Talat
6. Khushdil Shah / Danish Aziz
7. Shadab Khan/Imad Wasim
8. Mohammad Rizwan/Rohail+
9. Wahab Riaz
10. Mohammad Amir/ Hussain
11. Shaheen Shah Afridi / Rauf
 
What are we expecting,strictly cover drive sixes , for once we got a couple of options that look half decent when attacking, let them develop their game.
 
This would be my squad in the next T20I series:

1. Haider Ali
2. Babar Azam*
3. Mohammad Hafeez
4. Shadab Khan
5. Shoaib Malik
6. Khushdil Shah
7. Imad Wasim
8. Mohammad Rizwan+
9. Wahab Riaz
10. Mohammad Amir
11. Shaheen Shah Afridi
———————————-
Abdullah Shafique
Faheem Ashraf
Usman Qadir
Haris Rauf

I would not play hafeez at 3 I think he should play at 4 were he is playing at the moment and is playing with a free mind.

Malik on the basis of what
Rizwan wasting space.also shadab should not good enough bat in the top 6
 
My t20 line up

Babar
Haider
Abdullah
Hafeez
Khushdil
Zeeshan Ashraf
Imad
Shadab
Rauf
Shaheen
Husain/wahab

I would go with zeeshan Ashraf even thou I dont think he will play they will go with rizwan
 
T20 lineup

Babar
Haider
Abdullah
Hafeez
Rizwan
Khushdil
Imad
Shadab
Rauf
Shaheen
Husnain
 
I am really surprised that after quite a bit of "experience", still posters are getting after OP.

Be it time-less Test or T10, proper batting technique is batting technique and no alternative there. In T20, the game is played at a super faster bit hence batsmen are hurried through, but the fundamental batting qualities has to be there which is footwork, bat swing, back-lift, timing, placement, hand-eye, balance, judgement of length-line ..... This a T20 series against a team that lost to Singapore few months back, even then they are not full strength .... therefore I read lots of prophecies here, but haven't we gone through these cycles with Fakhar Zaman, Asif Ali, Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif ..... Cricket is a side on game and bowlers will force batsmen to play against bat swing (off-side), on the rise and with vertical bat - if batsmen are successful with leg side swings, then simply one has to understand that the bowling quality isn't good enough - otherwise be ready for surprises.

I don't want to hurt peoples feeling with negative comment here as Haider & Khusdil are the essence of the time, but people should have noticed there are too many PAK batsmen go missing after couple of years - most of them start with a spark ....... until professional teams get a complete picture of the batsman. One thing most people miss that, every team has analysts these days hence finding flaws is not the biggest deal, rather it's the execution that matters - with ball and with bat as a counter measure. And, this can be done only if the fundamentals are correct - you have a base to build on. Surely, that base isn't leg swing ......

One real life example I can give from PCT itself - despite every criticism, at this age Mo Hafeez is playing truly as a world class batsman - it's because whatever, MoHa wasn't a leg side hack - he has his off-side game (albeit on flat tracks without much grass), he has the back-foot game to play rising balls from side-on position and he has fantastic foot-work against spin. Today, in the match thread I was reading praise for Haider ".... he doesn't need foot-work or stepping down to hit SIX against spinners" - lack of foot-work against spinners must be an unique quality then!!!!!!!

I am sure Haider & Khusdil will play in NZ in 3 T20s - and those are <60metre grounds .... I hope leg-side hacking will work there - I absolutely don't mind if PAK can blast 200+ against Kiwis, because it'll be required there for the bowlers to make a contest.
 
I am really surprised that after quite a bit of "experience", still posters are getting after OP.

Be it time-less Test or T10, proper batting technique is batting technique and no alternative there. In T20, the game is played at a super faster bit hence batsmen are hurried through, but the fundamental batting qualities has to be there which is footwork, bat swing, back-lift, timing, placement, hand-eye, balance, judgement of length-line ..... This a T20 series against a team that lost to Singapore few months back, even then they are not full strength .... therefore I read lots of prophecies here, but haven't we gone through these cycles with Fakhar Zaman, Asif Ali, Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif ..... Cricket is a side on game and bowlers will force batsmen to play against bat swing (off-side), on the rise and with vertical bat - if batsmen are successful with leg side swings, then simply one has to understand that the bowling quality isn't good enough - otherwise be ready for surprises.

I don't want to hurt peoples feeling with negative comment here as Haider & Khusdil are the essence of the time, but people should have noticed there are too many PAK batsmen go missing after couple of years - most of them start with a spark ....... until professional teams get a complete picture of the batsman. One thing most people miss that, every team has analysts these days hence finding flaws is not the biggest deal, rather it's the execution that matters - with ball and with bat as a counter measure. And, this can be done only if the fundamentals are correct - you have a base to build on. Surely, that base isn't leg swing ......

One real life example I can give from PCT itself - despite every criticism, at this age Mo Hafeez is playing truly as a world class batsman - it's because whatever, MoHa wasn't a leg side hack - he has his off-side game (albeit on flat tracks without much grass), he has the back-foot game to play rising balls from side-on position and he has fantastic foot-work against spin. Today, in the match thread I was reading praise for Haider ".... he doesn't need foot-work or stepping down to hit SIX against spinners" - lack of foot-work against spinners must be an unique quality then!!!!!!!

I am sure Haider & Khusdil will play in NZ in 3 T20s - and those are <60metre grounds .... I hope leg-side hacking will work there - I absolutely don't mind if PAK can blast 200+ against Kiwis, because it'll be required there for the bowlers to make a contest.

Khushdil is a bit of a hack, but Haider isnt. Yes, he plays the occasional swing across the line, but he also has a very good offside game.
 
Whats Shadabs role?

To bowl 4 overs and score 20 runs down the order considering 9-10-11 are useless

Id even be tempted to have wahab in place of hasnain or rauf to shore up the number 9 position
 
To bowl 4 overs and score 20 runs down the order considering 9-10-11 are useless

Id even be tempted to have wahab in place of hasnain or rauf to shore up the number 9 position

This. Also promotable in case of an early collapse (let’s say Babar, Haider, Hafeez all out in the powerplay with 40-3 after 6 overs). Very useful.

Wahab makes my XI automatically as does Shaheen. There is one spot remaining for Amir/Hasnain/Rauf.
 
This. Also promotable in case of an early collapse (let’s say Babar, Haider, Hafeez all out in the powerplay with 40-3 after 6 overs). Very useful.

Wahab makes my XI automatically as does Shaheen. There is one spot remaining for Amir/Hasnain/Rauf.

Amir does warrant a place
 
Khushdil Shah replaced by another profound leg side hack Asif Ali.
 
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