Mohammad Hafeez and Babar Azam batting together

[Saj]

1st T20I:

73 runs partnership off 58 balls

2nd T20I:

70 runs partnership off 61 balls

Discuss the above numbers.

 

[gazza619]

Not the best but our batting is so fragile that we need some a solid foundation to score 160

 

[Itachi]

Too slow. Doesn't have the ability to be aggressive.

 

[AliMurtaza]

Today was especially slow. With Babar, Sarfaraz and Malik in top 5 who score around 110-120 strike rate, you cannot afford to have hafeez in the top order in T20. Problem is that you don't have any T20 mode players in domestic. Sahibzada Farhan and Talat Hussain are more suited to ODIs. Asif Ali is not good enough for intl. level. No other hard hitting talent shone at PSL. So, Pak is stuck with Hafeez.

 

[AAli98]

Paks batting has always been pathetic, you can’t expect Haydens & gilchrists.. baba & Hafeez is the best its going to get!!

 

[shah_1]

They should not bat together

 

[Saj]

Quite a sedate approach especially considering you have such a long batting line-up and it's only a 20 over match.

 

[Asif321]

Hafeez isn’t needed in T20s makes no sense
odis is okay

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Today's pitch was not easy to hit big shots on, but Hafeez was extremely slow at the start of his innings, was 25 off 25 at one point.

They need to rotate strike effectively on such pitches, shouldn't let SR get too low.

 

[Fahdi]

Cutters from fast bowlers were turning like off-spin. The pitch was too slow today but they still played 6-7 dots too many, 4-5 of which were by Babar near the end. Singles off those would make it 77 off 55.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Quite a sedate approach especially considering you have such a long batting line-up and it's only a 20 over match.

I don't blame looking at the way we capitulated in the first game.

 

[Fahdi]

Cutters from fast bowlers were turning like off-spin. The pitch was too slow today but they still played 6-7 dots too many, 4-5 of which were by Babar near the end. Singles off those would make it 77 off 55.

I meant 77 off 61.

 

[CricketingMinds]

These make for great reading if it were an ODI game

 

[RickyG]

They start off well enough but they really don't know how to accelerate. Today was especially bad.

 

[TeymurBlake]

Should have promoted Sarfaraz to No.3 and potentially should have retained Hussain Talat in the team.

 

[Gotham Cronie]

Mohammad Hafeez and [Insert Player Here] would have sufficed

 

[CricketDon]

Hafeez can’t bowl no more and is not effective post chucking.

Hafeez and babar are accumulators. We can only have one of them.

Babar is miles better then Hafeez.

Hafeez needs to be dropped in every format.

 

[srh]

They should not bat together

This. Dont let 2 slow batsmen bat together in T20Is. Would Sarfraz understand this simple logic?

 

[Barragan]

I don't see the difference between shehzad and babar.

Last game, babar didn't even try hitting, when hafeez was going and it could have helped having both guys go for it. If one gets out, then the other can play anchor, but babar was very selfish.

If management has instructed him to play out till 20 overs, then that is completely wrong.

If Zam doesn't fire, then everything rests on Asif and he hardly comes good.

Pak escaped today, but innings like these are match losing.

 

[mak36]

Won both games.

It can be a little frustrating, especially Hafeez, but I think we have to lower expectations of what a par score in the UAE is.

150 and Pakistan will defend it.

 

[Saj]

Bowlers won Pakistan the game today.

In both matches their score was below-par.

 

[CricketDon]

Bowlers won Pakistan the game today.

In both matches their score was below-par.

Let’s be honest the bowlers are why we are ranked #1

 

[Rana]

Today's pitch was not easy to hit big shots on, but Hafeez was extremely slow at the start of his innings, was 25 off 25 at one point.

They need to rotate strike effectively on such pitches, shouldn't let SR get too low.

Maxwell scored 50 off 33 balls. Nothing wrong with the pitch and boundaries

 

[Snowflake]

Sub par batting for a T20 game, but it only works because of the bowlers we have. Against stronger batting units, these certainly won't be good enough numbers.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Sub par batting for a T20 game, but it only works because of the bowlers we have. Against stronger batting units, these certainly won't be good enough numbers.

Only England have a more explosive batting line-up as compared to this Australian team. It's another either teams are rubbish against spin and will lose to this Pakistan side 9/10 times in the UAE.

 

[IMMY69]

Bowlers won Pakistan the game today.

In both matches their score was below-par.

I refer you to the next match thread!

 

[rhony]

Bowlers won Pakistan the game today.

In both matches their score was below-par.

This is a par score for Pak team. 150 to 160 in T20Is and around 250 in ODIs.

 

[Saj]

This is a par score for Pak team. 150 to 160 in T20Is and around 250 in ODIs.

Maxwell showed that the Pakistan score was below par. If he had support in the 2nd match Pakistan would have lost.

 

[Fineline]

Maxwell showed that the Pakistan score was below par. If he had support in the 2nd match Pakistan would have lost.

Nah we are better and we are the best.We donot recognize anyone by the name Maxwell

 

[mak36]

Maxwell showed that the Pakistan score was below par. If he had support in the 2nd match Pakistan would have lost.

To be fair, Maxwell was dropped twice.

 

[rhony]

Maxwell showed that the Pakistan score was below par. If he had support in the 2nd match Pakistan would have lost.

Every team has their capability. Every batsman too. Maxwell can score at that SR anywhere in the world irrespective of the pitch. Pak team typically looks to score those minimum runs they think they can defend with their bowling. The batting of Babar, Hafeez and the comments from Sarfraz indicate the number they were looking for was around 160. It is that typical score that is on par with the capabilities and the style of the Pakistani batsmen. It also is decent enough for a very good bowling unit to defend.

 

[IMMY69]

Things is the score was not below par.
It was par if not slightly above par given the conditions.

In the first match, the Aussies collapsed trying to go after the bowling so the way we batted in the first 12-15 overs was actually the right way to go about it. If anything, we would have scored 10-15 runs more had we not aimed to high.

To get less then 160 was disappointing and this was not down to Hafeez and Barber. 160 on this track would have been like 180-190 on a decent wicket with a faster outfield and shorter boundaries..

Maxwell was dropped twice and played some really ungainly shots in between some lusty blows but truth is the Aussies were always behind the right ball...
Someone in match thread mentioned how Afridi would have cleared the ropes in these conditions and yes he may have, but like in so many chases he would have done a Maxwell, in that he may have hit a few sixes and got to a fifty but we would have ended up short of the final total.

I’m really at a loss here. Why do people put down this T20 side when it’s been playing well and beating everyone put in front of them home and away.

 

[90MPH]

It wasn’t a belting batting track so they played it fine.

The problem is the fire power in the last 5 overs just didn’t come out when we needed it - 10/15 more runs would have made the game totally safe.

In the end the bowling made sure Pakistan had enough.

 

[hussain.r97]

150-160 is absolutely fine on these tracks, it's not easy to score quick runs here. I would be concerned if they were putting up 150-160 in places like England, Australia, NZ, not in the UAE.

 

[OmarKhan99]

Maxwell scored 50 off 33 balls. Nothing wrong with the pitch and boundaries

Maxwell lived quite a charmed life in that innings. Also, he enjoyed that the Pakistani Pacers were going full throttle, instead of emulating the Aussies in the latter half by bowling those cutters into the pitch.


He also had the added benefit of playing from a nothing to lose scenario. With the gradual start they had, Maxwell and Coulter-Nile had no choice but to go for the big shots almost straight up. Luckily for them, it came off enough to get the game close.

 

[Fahdi]

Maxwell showed that the Pakistan score was below par. If he had support in the 2nd match Pakistan would have lost.

Maxwell hit just one boundary against spin and that was a poor ball. The fast bowlers provided him with pace on a slow pitch. He was also dropped twice.

Pakistan's score was below par but not by too much. 10 runs more would have been good enough. India is the only team which would cause Pakistan trouble defending 157 on this pitch since they play spin well compared to most other teams.

 

[Itachi]

Maxwell hit just one boundary against spin and that was a poor ball. The fast bowlers provided him with pace on a slow pitch. He was also dropped twice.

Pakistan's score was below par but not by too much. 10 runs more would have been good enough. India is the only team which would cause Pakistan trouble defending 157 on this pitch since they play spin well compared to most other teams.

This could be the reason I may believe why Pakistan score was below par. We play spin and pace well unless there's lateral movement in which case we are sitting ducks.

 

[happydavy]

Between Hafeez and Babbar, fans should be worried about Babbar. Batted much slower than Hafeez, and wth was that run out situation with Fakhar. No clue of running.

 

[Hasan123]

This is a serious worry. Our batsmen can't rotate the strike. On these pitches it won't hurt us but the World T20 is in Australia. The pitches will be flat. 150 scores won't be enough against good batting line ups.

 

[Saj]

Maxwell hit just one boundary against spin and that was a poor ball. The fast bowlers provided him with pace on a slow pitch. He was also dropped twice.

Pakistan's score was below par but not by too much. 10 runs more would have been good enough. India is the only team which would cause Pakistan trouble defending 157 on this pitch since they play spin well compared to most other teams.

10 more runs and that is why I added the figures and stats of Babar and Hafeez batting together.

 

[Attiq_Lone]

babar and hafeez are too similar players, in my opinion we should drop hafeez and keep babar. Fakhar at the top trying to smash every ball without thinking about timing and placement doesn't help either. Fakhar has serious issues with the short ball and anything that is given to him close to his body, and this problem is not new, it is continuing since his debut in CT (He was hit on the helmet more than once trying to play the pull shot).

Currently we have a unidimensional batting line up, Fakhar struggles a lot as mentioned, you then end up with your no. 2 3 4 5 who are similar to their approach (babar, Hafeez, Malik and Sarfraz) they are all accumulators (Malik hits big but he takes few balls).

So on the basis of what i said above, I would drop hafeez, keep babar as the second opener and play malik at 3, he keeps rotating the strike and he can then finish the innings too, at 4 bat with hussain talat and at 5 you have your power house Asif Ali (I am not really sure about him, he has the talent but he is failing to capitalise it).

There are some little adjustments we need to make with our batting order and team selection, and this team can score big.

 

[Abdul]

The difference is that Hafeez is better.