Middle Order decline continues: Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali vs Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir and Irfan Khan

[Energy]

Never thought we can go lower than Iftikhar, Khushdil, Asif in the middle-order but here we are! Out come Usman, Tayyab, Irfan. Still early days for them but there's hardly any positive sign to take out from their international stint so far.

What has happened to talent in this country? Why can't these players apply their brain and have a method of going about their game. There's no reason to be clowning around on the crease each game.

 

[Asad T]

I feel you, but tbh, i like Irfan. If he is given a proper shot I think he'll come good

 

[TeymurBlake]

I like Irfan Khan Niazi, I just think he needs more time & chances.

Specially when you consider how much time was given to Khushdil & Asif.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

I like Irfan Khan Niazi, I just think he needs more time & chances.

Specially when you consider how much time was given to Khushdil & Asif.

Same, Niazi looks decent & is also a good fielder. He needs a bit of experience & bat one position higher. One out of Tahir & Usman needs to be shafted out immediately. On a pitch where chips & edges were going for sixes, they were batting as if the boundary is 200 meter.

 

[sweep_shot]

Pakistan should bring back Asif Ali. He is a natural hitter. Middle order needs such batters.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Why is it that every new batter is an opener? So the clubs make the best batter their opener it seems. Needs to change.

Where are our classical middle order batters? We still need replacements for Younis Khan and Misbah.

We had Inzamam, Younis Khan, Ijaz Ahmed, Salim Malik. The middle order has always been stacked.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Pakistan should bring back Asif Ali. He is a natural hitter. Middle order needs such batters.

yes he is way better that both usman and tayyab

 

[stani_pak]

I admire the risk Usman Khan took to play for Pakistan and give up UAE team, but the reality is he is not good enough, irfan khan and Tayyab should still be given some more chances irfan has been the most impressive out of all 3

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Give Tayyab and Irfan a chance before judging them. Both have shown flashes of brilliance. Usman is hopeless though. He made the dumbest decision of his life quitting UAE cricket. That was his ceiling but now he will pay the price when he gets shafted.

 

[mominsaigol]

Give Tayyab and Irfan a chance before judging them. Both have shown flashes of brilliance. Usman is hopeless though. He made the dumbest decision of his life quitting UAE cricket. That was his ceiling but now he will pay the price when he gets shafted.

What if he become a future all time great in odi? He'll has a 74 list A avg.

He can be one of those rubbish t20 batters, but one of the best odi players that world has ever seen.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

What if he become a future all time great in odi? He'll has a 74 list A avg.

He can be one of those rubbish t20 batters, but one of the best odi players that world has ever seen.

Who are you talking about?

 

[mominsaigol]

Who are you talking about?

Usman Khan, he has 74 List A avg

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

What if he become a future all time great in odi? He'll has a 74 list A avg.

He can be one of those rubbish t20 batters, but one of the best odi players that world has ever seen.

LOL I just saw that. But you have to keep in mind that its still 12 matches. Some of them were probably Dhaka Premier League matches, some of them were probably Champions Cup matches.

At the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding. And I have seen him bat. He is not a good player in any sense of the word. I have seen him bat many times and that is what I have judged.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

First question should be, was there ever a middle order for the Pakistan T20 team?

Our Middle order has always been like some China product. Chal gye to Chal gya wrna thuss.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

First question should be, was there ever a middle order for the Pakistan T20 team?

Our Middle order has always been like some China product. Chal gye to Chal gya wrna thuss.

Any middle order that has Usman Khan in it cannot be taken seriously

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Don't write off Tayyab Tahir. He may look ugly but I think he has potential. Don't forget he played a gun knock against India A in the Emerging Asia Cup Final.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Any middle order that has Usman Khan in it cannot be taken seriously

He is a misfit in T20I so far

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He is a misfit in T20I so far

He is a misfit in any format for Pakistan.

 

[Caved12]

No one is perfect. Rizwan has been a wonderful captain so far, but you simply cannot send a bowler ahead of a proper batsman like Irfan Khan. How can you expect to improve your middle order batting and give confidence to your new players when Shaheen is promoted ahead of Irfan Khan? Senior players have way too much power, and this obsession with turning Shaheen into a bowling all rounder must stop. Afridi is a hack as a batsman, swinging his bat blindly every time. I was stunned when Afridi came out to bat in the first T20 against South Africa ahead of Irfan Khan. This nonsense has been going on for far too long. I’m not a fan of Iftikhar, but they did the same to him as well. Whether it was Aaqib or Rizwan who sent Shaheen ahead of Irfan Khan the other day, this approach must stop, as you simply don’t play cricket like this.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

Never thought we can go lower than Iftikhar, Khushdil, Asif in the middle-order but here we are! Out come Usman, Tayyab, Irfan. Still early days for them but there's hardly any positive sign to take out from their international stint so far.

What has happened to talent in this country? Why can't these players apply their brain and have a method of going about their game. There's no reason to be clowning around on the crease each game.

At least they are young not playing after lying about their Age like our dear Chacha. Asif Ali has no brains he is not good enough for top level. Out of three Irfan looks good but I have doubts about Tayyab he is like Sahibzada Farhan, good for domestic but not international level.

 

[castortroy]

This current middle order has to be one of the worst.

None of them are international standards.

 

[Caved12]

Khushdil and Usman have consistently underperformed, making it hard to rely on them, while Iftikhar’s age suggests it’s time to move on and focus on younger options. Players like Tayyab and Irfan show promise, and you can throw Hussain Talat into this mix as well. To help them develop, we need to back them wholeheartedly and give them consistent opportunities, perhaps a run of 10 to 15 matches batting in positions where they have enough time to settle and make an impact. Don’t worry about losing T20 matches during this process; instead, use this format as a platform to discover and groom new, young players who have the ability to hit. Try players performing well in domestic tournaments, regardless of initial results, and stay consistent in selecting those who show promise.

 

[castortroy]

Why isn't Chacha in the t20 set up?

 

[Savak]

No one is perfect. Rizwan has been a wonderful captain so far, but you simply cannot send a bowler ahead of a proper batsman like Irfan Khan. How can you expect to improve your middle order batting and give confidence to your new players when Shaheen is promoted ahead of Irfan Khan? Senior players have way too much power, and this obsession with turning Shaheen into a bowling all rounder must stop. Afridi is a hack as a batsman, swinging his bat blindly every time. I was stunned when Afridi came out to bat in the first T20 against South Africa ahead of Irfan Khan. This nonsense has been going on for far too long. I’m not a fan of Iftikhar, but they did the same to him as well. Whether it was Aaqib or Rizwan who sent Shaheen ahead of Irfan Khan the other day, this approach must stop, as you simply don’t play cricket like this.

Sohaib Maqsood in his Youtube channel confirmed that the senior players like Rizwan, Babar and co have too much power in the team and even the coaches who join the team surrender in front of these players. He gave an example of Multan Sultans when he was Multan Sultan's key player and had a terrific PSL season in 2021. Andy Flower as coach encouraged an open door policy and encouraged every senior to junior player to openly speak in team meetings and Sohaib Maqsood wanted a rule that whenever a new batsman comes to the crease, it should be the responsibility of the other batter who has been batting on the wicket for a while to take charge and be responsible for hitting boundaries, sixes and the new batsman should be given a margin of 5-7 deliveries before going after the bowling. Andy Flower agreed with the suggestion and implemented the rule.

However when Sohaib Maqsood got recalled to the national team a few months later, when he complained about the openers i.e. Babar, Rizwan taking their sweet time when opening the batting, anchoring the innings and putting too much pressure on the middle order batters especially when chasing big targets, he was riddiculed by the senior players and even the coach Misbah mocked him and told him to just focus on your job.

This is just another example of the senior players having too much power in the team and putting themselves first before the team.

 

[Savak]

Don't write off Tayyab Tahir. He may look ugly but I think he has potential. Don't forget he played a gun knock against India A in the Emerging Asia Cup Final.

Based on what i have seen, Tayyab can only really go after spinners, he is a horrendous player of pace bowling and the opposition is not going to gift him a spinner at the wicket. Pakistan needs multi dimensional players who can play both pace and spin well in the middle.

 

[Vikram1989]

Don't write off Tayyab Tahir. He may look ugly but I think he has potential. Don't forget he played a gun knock against India A in the Emerging Asia Cup Final.

Correct me if am wrong

He got out cheaply in league match and was reprieved atleast 2 ot 3 times in the finals.

 

[Caved12]

Sohaib Maqsood in his Youtube channel confirmed that the senior players like Rizwan, Babar and co have too much power in the team and even the coaches who join the team surrender in front of these players. He gave an example of Multan Sultans when he was Multan Sultan's key player and had a terrific PSL season in 2021. Andy Flower as coach encouraged an open door policy and encouraged every senior to junior player to openly speak in team meetings and Sohaib Maqsood wanted a rule that whenever a new batsman comes to the crease, it should be the responsibility of the other batter who has been batting on the wicket for a while to take charge and be responsible for hitting boundaries, sixes and the new batsman should be given a margin of 5-7 deliveries before going after the bowling. Andy Flower agreed with the suggestion and implemented the rule.

However when Sohaib Maqsood got recalled to the national team a few months later, when he complained about the openers i.e. Babar, Rizwan taking their sweet time when opening the batting, anchoring the innings and putting too much pressure on the middle order batters especially when chasing big targets, he was riddiculed by the senior players and even the coach Misbah mocked him and told him to just focus on your job.

This is just another example of the senior players having too much power in the team and putting themselves first before the team.

For over 50 years, Pakistan cricket has been plagued by an environment where senior players wield excessive power. However, the current dynamics have shifted, perhaps temporarily, with Aaqib Javed now holding more influence than any senior player. This shift stems from his strong backing by Naqvi, who has clashed with senior players since day one over their resistance to his decisions.

Fakhar Zaman’s struggle to regain his place in the team highlights this ongoing power play. Aaqib remains unwilling to move past Fakhar’s public opposition to his controversial decision to drop Babar Azam from Test cricket. Even in meetings involving Rizwan, Aaqib, and Naqvi, it seems unlikely that Rizwan alone could convince Naqvi to reinstate Fakhar. If Aaqib were to support Fakhar alongside Rizwan, Naqvi would likely have no choice but to listen. However, Aaqib seems intent on continuing to punish Fakhar for openly criticizing his decision to drop Babar, further complicating matters.

At present, Rizwan is the sole advocate for Fakhar’s return, while Aaqib and Naqvi appear determined to keep him sidelined for at least another series or two as a form of retribution.

 

[khyberlion]

Give Tayyab and Irfan a chance before judging them. Both have shown flashes of brilliance. Usman is hopeless though. He made the dumbest decision of his life quitting UAE cricket. That was his ceiling but now he will pay the price when he gets shafted.

Tayyab is equally useless as Usman. Irfan is decent and has definitely improved. I have seen Tayyab getting rushed for pace against medium pacers he's clearly bang average too.

 

[khyberlion]

Don't write off Tayyab Tahir. He may look ugly but I think he has potential. Don't forget he played a gun knock against India A in the Emerging Asia Cup Final.

It was pretty much bashing u21 kids and spinners. He can't play pace and doesn't have time against pace.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

It was pretty much bashing u21 kids and spinners. He can't play pace and doesn't have time against pace.

Tayyab is equally useless as Usman. Irfan is decent and has definitely improved. I have seen Tayyab getting rushed for pace against medium pacers he's clearly bang average too.

Correct me if am wrong

He got out cheaply in league match and was reprieved atleast 2 ot 3 times in the finals.

Based on what i have seen, Tayyab can only really go after spinners, he is a horrendous player of pace bowling and the opposition is not going to gift him a spinner at the wicket. Pakistan needs multi dimensional players who can play both pace and spin well in the middle.

Tayyab tahir has played like 3 matches. It's too early to judge him. He is in the team based on strong performances in domestic cricket

 

[khyberlion]

Tayyab tahir has played like 3 matches. It's too early to judge him. He is in the team based on strong performances in domestic cricket

I have seen him play domestics and seen him play league cricket here in the UK and he was rushed for pace by Uber drivers. Pakistan domestic performances don't mean much look at Usman Khan, Farhan etc.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I have seen him play domestics and seen him play league cricket here in the UK and he was rushed for pace by Uber drivers. Pakistan domestic performances don't mean much look at Usman Khan, Farhan etc.

Thats fine, but he has earned the chance to play for PAK and prove himself

 

[khyberlion]

Thats fine, but he has earned the chance to play for PAK and prove himself

Agreed he's earned his opportunity, but I am just stating why he won't succeed and will not be the answer for us. I hope I am wrong

 

[Caved12]

The situation in Pakistan cricket is literally like trying to find a player who is “andhon mein kana raja.” Pakistan has long struggled to develop top tier batters, and these days, the cupboard seems even more bare. The solution lies in giving domestic players, even those with limited promise, a genuine opportunity. The focus should be on a process that doesn’t revolve around the fear of losing games. We’ve fallen so far behind in T20 cricket that our priority now should be to experiment with younger players, offering them consistent chances from a position where they have enough time to make an impact.

While it’s true that none of these emerging talents match the level of past stars, they represent a potential future. Take Irfan Khan, for example, while I support him, it’s clear that he’s not yet the finished product and has a long way to go. But young players are always a gamble. The key is to invest in them, work with them, and hope to strike gold with one or two players who can eventually deliver.

The priority should be to create a vision that emphasizes discovering and developing young, exciting players, even if it means sacrificing short term results. We’re not winning T20 games anyway, so why not use this format as a platform to test domestic performers? They should be given at least 10 to 15 matches before we decide whether to move on. If they’re consistently underperforming, like Usman or Khushdil, then we can move on quickly. But if they show even a hint of promise, we should continue nurturing their growth and development.

 

[Justcrazy]

Pakistan need a white ball coach , a proper certified coach who knows about power hitting , and should be given term.

 

[BouncerGuy]

There was no middle order in t20 format for years now. We have a habit of making openers play at 4 and then playing number 4-5 batter as an opener.

USMAN is pathetic and people who still defend him should not watch cricket anymore.

Tayyab is fairly new so will give him benefit of doubt here.

Irfan should bat up and bring Omair in for Usman. Fakhar used to bat at 4 and that way our middle order looked ok because fakahr did a good job but since he is gone, there is no one to play there.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Personally I wouldn't put Irfan with those guys. I think he's talented and will come good. Usman Khan & Tahir look awful aesthetically unpleasing to watch and I just don't think they have enough skills to cut it for international cricket.

Continues to be a sorry state of affairs for Pakistan with the middle order.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Personally I wouldn't put Irfan with those guys. I think he's talented and will come good. Usman Khan & Tahir look awful aesthetically unpleasing to watch and I just don't think they have enough skills to cut it for international cricket.

Continues to be a sorry state of affairs for Pakistan with the middle order.

Yep. Irfan is doing better job then all of them. He can bat up and should.

 

[shehz]

May I suggest Haider Ali? He deserves a second chance, but this time as a lower-order batsman. He has the ability to hit big shots effortlessly. Moreover, he's still very young (only 24), with loads of experience, and can learn from his past failures. His issue was not technique but shot selection. In contrast, players like Usman Khan and Tayyab Tahir thrive only on half-volleys and easy deliveries. They are limited batsmen, and I fail to see what the selectors and coaches recognize in them. Their lack of talent is evident from a mile away. They have no idea how to play quality bowling. Bring in Fakhar and Haider Ali and now you have a formidable lineup.

 

[BouncerGuy]

May I suggest Haider Ali? He deserves a second chance, but this time as a lower-order batsman. He has the ability to hit big shots effortlessly. Moreover, he's still very young (only 24), with loads of experience, and can learn from his past failures. His issue was not technique but shot selection. In contrast, players like Usman Khan and Tayyab Tahir thrive only on half-volleys and easy deliveries. They are limited batsmen, and I fail to see what the selectors and coaches recognize in them. Their lack of talent is evident from a mile away. They have no idea how to play quality bowling. Bring in Fakhar and Haider Ali and now you have a formidable lineup.

Sure why not...Haider has been in top form so far in champions cup. He should get another chance.. Replace pathetic Usman with him

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Irfan Khan looks a good player and looks to have a great temparament for international cricket.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Irfan Khan looks a good player and looks to have a great temparament for international cricket.

He is perhaps the only genuine middle order batter you can say that has come after ages. His play style is to run fast, pick gaps and keep the score ticking. I just want the team to bat him a little higher and not try to turn him into a hitter (Asif Ali type), cause he is not. He will get there. But right now he needs to spend time in middle. Ideally at no. 5 position in white ball.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

He is perhaps the only genuine middle order batter you can say that has come after ages. His play style is to run fast, pick gaps and keep the score ticking. I just want the team to bat him a little higher and not try to turn him into a hitter (Asif Ali type), cause he is not. He will get there. But right now he needs to spend time in middle. Ideally at no. 5 position in white ball.

He looks capable of batting higher up the order to be honest. I think he is being seriously underrated, in the few games I've seen he's stepped up and shown a real competitor spirit. Unlike the majority of Pakistan batsmen who look deer in headlights.

 

[RidiculousMan]

He looks capable of batting higher up the order to be honest. I think he is being seriously underrated, in the few games I've seen he's stepped up and shown a real competitor spirit. Unlike the majority of Pakistan batsmen who look deer in headlights.

Yup. His short arm jabs were seriously good. He was flat batting for six. Later on if he stays on the right path. He will be able to learn to get more flow and elevation in the sixes that he will hit.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

This current lot looks even more pathetic compared to the last one so I would definitely prefer to go back to players like Iftikhar, Asif, etc.

 

[Katwalindian]

Sure why not...Haider has been in top form so far in champions cup. He should get another chance.. Replace pathetic Usman with him

Haider Ali at least look like stylish and international caliber player while playing. Usman Khan had to be one of worst player to play for major team. He can't even make UAE team, the guy is pathetic, wants to break my LED while watching him.