Mohammad Hafeez robbed Saad Ali of a deserving Test debut

[TalentSpotterPk]

I was in process of making this thread on the last day of first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand but unfortunately I lost the typed content hence could not post this thread.

Firstly I have been a supporter of Mohammad Hafeez. I believe that Hafeez after getting dropped from Pakistan team in 2005-2006 worked really hard in Pakistan domestic cricket over next 4-5 years and made a strong comeback into Pakistan team across all the formats. We saw an improved Hafeez in all the department's of his skillset. You can compare his numbers pre 2006 and post 2010 and you will see a huge improvement.

If I am not wrong than Mohammad Hafeez has bagged most number of Man of the Match awards for Pakistan in last 8 years. As an allrounder he has been pivotal in Pakistan's success across all the formats especially when we lost experienced Shoaib Malik for years because he wasn't in the right frame of mind hence wasn't scoring at all. Hafeez fitted the bill immensely well.

Thank you Hafeez for your services to Pakistan Cricket.

But,

I cannot ignore and push his last 3 Tests under the carpet for his services to Pakistan Cricket.

Hafeez was one of the main reason for Pakistan getting defeated from New Zealand.

Hafeez's attitude and discipline along with team management was bizarre and questionable

Now I am going to come to the main and pivotal point of this thread.

How did an Unfit Hafeez play 3 Tests for Pakistan ahead of Saad Ali ?

This point has not been raised by any Pper as far as I have followed PP in last 1 month or so.

Let's revive our memories and go back to day 1 of first Test vs NZ with Pakistan fielding.

Whenever ball went towards Hafeez and he had to chase the ball towards boundary he did not sprint in 5th gear rather he gingerly ran else he preferred to let others chase the ball towards boundary.

Why ?

Because Mohammad Hafeez was unfit. He had issues with his Hamstring.

On Commemtary I heard Rameez Raja make these comments around three times :

“ Looks like Hafeez is protecting his hamstring forgive him he’s 38 ” as Hafeez ran gingerly after the ball.

Hafeez was in good batting form off late hence in absense of Fakhar Zaman he was picked by Inzamam and Co for the Test series. Him getting picked did not mean than He is some World Class Test opener but he was picked as a " Genuine Allrounder " to do the same role as he used to do along with Ajmal Rehman, Ajmal Zulfiqar & Yasir Rehman combination. That role meant bowling economical overs, giving rest to frontline bowlers and chipping in with 1-3 wickets here and there especially taking care of the allrounders.

Hafeez bowled only 10 overs in 3 Test matches. Only Williamson who bowled 5 overs bowled less than Mohammad Hafeez.

10 overs in 3 Test matches played in UAE ? Is this the role of an Allrounder or even Batting Allrounder in UAE ?

When you have a tight hamstring or a hamstring injury of lower to medium grade than what are you supposed to do ?

Ans : Take some weeks rest and than come back after strength training.

How can a top order batsman + some one who is an allrounder can play a 5 days Test match and the entire series (3 Tests) while being 60 % fit ?

Even batting requires balance and feet movement. You cannot have assured footwork when your hamstring is 60 % in terms of fitness.

Hence an unfit Hafeez could never succeed as either a batsman or an allrounder. He was just a walking wicket who had zero contribution in either bowling or fielding.

CONCLUSSION :

This was the ideal scenario for Saad Ali to debut. Home conditions of UAE would have suited him. Azhar should have opened with Imam and Saad should have batted at number 6. Left right combination would have been good too and atleast in 6 innings Saad Ali would have scored Crucial 180 + runs in my view. If he scored at an @Ave of 35 or 40+ than we might have carried him to SA
Pertinent questions :

1. Why didn't Hafeez as a senior Pro told team management that He is not fit hence isn't playing ?

2. Why did Sarfraz, Mickey and entire Coaching Staff play an unfit Hafeez in the entire series ?

3. Is Respect of Senior more important than the Country ?

Demand:

I demand an enquiry by PCB.

[MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] [MENTION=93712]MenInG[/MENTION] [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] [MENTION=43242]Dr_Bassim[/MENTION] [MENTION=141557]Chief Destroyer[/MENTION] [MENTION=5869]yasir[/MENTION] [MENTION=133726]GoUgandaCranes[/MENTION] [MENTION=139288]Abdul[/MENTION]ltah719 [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] [MENTION=130037]Titan[/MENTION]4 [MENTION=144682]Sirris[/MENTION] [MENTION=2071]saadibaba[/MENTION] [MENTION=140234]DRsohail[/MENTION] [MENTION=34564]asfandyar[/MENTION] [MENTION=134608]Hawkeye[/MENTION] [MENTION=135196]waleed88[/MENTION] [MENTION=136079]ahmedwaqas92[/MENTION] [MENTION=16]Amjid Javed[/MENTION] [MENTION=1080]miandadrules[/MENTION]

 

[MMHS]

No.

Hafeez didn’t select himself for Test series. It was the corrupt, visionless & nepotic selection process that cost Saad a deserving Test debut. Ideally, Azhar should have batted as opener, which would have opened a middle order slot - but that keeps only one opener’s slot free, which is a bit risky proposition for Imam. Not only Hafeez, as long as this guy Ul Haq is CS, he won’t allow PCT to develop a pair of solid openers unless one of the pair is his nephew. He did that a decade back with PAK middle order, now doing it for opening slot for both longer formats. If Imam was a little better, it would have been 3 formats.

I don’t think any of the 4 middle order deserve the chop, therefore if Azhar doesn’t open, from No. 3 to 6 will & should remain unchanged for at least next 12 more months.

I don’t see much fault of Hafeez here. Guy actually has done a respectable job by retiring on his own, otherwise he would have played more Tests for PAK for sure.

 

[Savak]

People need to stop conveniently blaming Inzi, Inzi selects the squad of 16. Once the squad of 16 is selected. It is up to Sarfaraz and Arthur what to do.

And as far as I know, Saad Ali was in the squad so it was the choice of Sarfaraz and Arthur on what to do.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

10 overs bowled by unfit genuine allrounder Hafeez in 3 Tests.


Hafeez that was not a respectable end to your Test Career. Shameful End I am afraid.


Could have even retired after 1st Test match but didn't.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Contribution by Hafeez's Bat :

 

[aukhan]

Blame goes to spineless Sarfraz and Mickey.

 

[Hasan123]

Inzi should take some blame too. He has played enough cricket to know that Hafeez won't have success outside of Asia but still picked him for all 3 games. Also Mickey should have stood up to Inzi. Why he is so afraid to voice his opinion? I'm sure he will know Azhar isn't a fit for number 3 and that Hafeez is past his best but he just let this happen.

 

[Khan12]

Expected from a shameless person. Can't wait for him to get ducks against South Africa which will hopefully end his odi career too.

 

[Khan12]

Inzi should take some blame too. He has played enough cricket to know that Hafeez won't have success outside of Asia but still picked him for all 3 games. Also Mickey should have stood up to Inzi. Why he is so afraid to voice his opinion? I'm sure he will know Azhar isn't a fit for number 3 and that Hafeez is past his best but he just let this happen.

As much as I don't like Inzi the blame goes to Arthur and sarfraz. They are the ones picking him in the final 11 not inzi.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Inzi should take some blame too. He has played enough cricket to know that Hafeez won't have success outside of Asia but still picked him for all 3 games. Also Mickey should have stood up to Inzi. Why he is so afraid to voice his opinion? I'm sure he will know Azhar isn't a fit for number 3 and that Hafeez is past his best but he just let this happen.

Why blame Inzamam ul Haq for selecting Hafeez in Squad of 16 for Tests in UAE ?

Hafeez wasn't in rich form (Odi's)

Hafeez has excellent record as a Test allrounder in UAE. The best from Pakistan side ?

Don't you have the memory of Pakistan wins in UAE from 2010 to 2018 ?

Blame goes to Hafeez, Sarfraz and Mickey along with trainer, physio, Azhar Mahmood, Grant flower and Manager.

Why would you play 60 % fit player in a Test match ?

Inzamam ul Haq selects playing eleven ?

 

[DRsohail]

Thanks talent spotter for tagging me, it was really painful to watch a38 years old proven failure making come back in test squad and Saad Ali and Usman bring ignored. To be honest I have lost respect for Inzi.... Really and immensely disappointed with pak CS coach Captain and the rubbish Mani and even Khan choice. I have lost hope in pak cricket.... and I have now started to beleive what [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] used to say.

 

[aukhan]

Hafeez wasn't in the starting 11 on gun point? Blame lies with Sarfraz and Mickey. Even after strings of failure they lacked the courage to drop him and try someone new. Same is the case with Imam why these two spineless captain and coach lacked the brains and balls to take bold decisions.

 

[MMHS]

Why blame Inzamam ul Haq for selecting Hafeez in Squad of 16 for Tests in UAE ?


Hafeez wasn't in rich form (Odi's)


Hafeez has excellent record as a Test allrounder in UAE. The best from Pakistan side ?

Don't you have the memory of Pakistan wins in UAE from 2010 to 2018 ?


Blame goes to Hafeez, Sarfraz and Mickey along with trainer, physio, Azhar Mahmood, Grant flower and Manager.


Why would you play 60 % fit player in a Test match ?

Inzamam ul Haq selects playing eleven ?

Squad of 16 was a double bluff - effectively Ul Haq selected 13 players - you don’t pick 5 pacers for a Test series in UAE. Then, he didn’t select a 3rd opener and Azhar wasn’t in plan to open - then, they kept identical 16 for 3rd Test as well.

In an effectively 13 men squad without back-up opener, MoHa-Imam was destined to open in all 3 games. Given that squad & Azhar not opening, I would also have played those top 6 for all 3 Tests, even if it was 0-2 after 2nd Test. Arthur-Sarfraz might be part of the plot, but definitely not the ring leader here.

 

[srh]

People need to stop conveniently blaming Inzi, Inzi selects the squad of 16. Once the squad of 16 is selected. It is up to Sarfaraz and Arthur what to do.

And as far as I know, Saad Ali was in the squad so it was the choice of Sarfaraz and Arthur on what to do.

This. It is common sense but some people are having difficulty understanding it. Sarfraz is the biggest one at fault here followed by Arthur. Shame on Sarfraz.

 

[Savak]

This. It is common sense but some people are having difficulty understanding it. Sarfraz is the biggest one at fault here followed by Arthur. Shame on Sarfraz.

Inzi gave the captain and coach spinners to play against Sri Lanka in 2017 ie Asghar and Bilal Asif but Sarfaraz and Arthur chose not to play them. Since then Bilal Asif has picked up 2 five wicket hauls against Australia and NZ respectively.

Similarly, I don't think anyone was holding a gun to the captain's or coach's head to select Hafeez, they could have selected Saad Ali if they wanted.

The only time Inzi blatantly interfered with team selection was against the Bangladesh ODI in the Asia Cup where he demanded that the team management select Junaid Khan in the starting eleven and we saw the results.

Stupid to blame Inzi for the blunders of the captain and coach.

 

[in_cutter]

This. It is common sense but some people are having difficulty understanding it. Sarfraz is the biggest one at fault here followed by Arthur. Shame on Sarfraz.

He should not have been in the squad in the first place! So yea, Inzi is partly to blame.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Only in Pakistan! )

 

[Hawkeye]

Not really.

Mickey Arthur and Sarfraz do most of the selection and ask for players.

They both love Shafiq, Hafeez etc.

Mickey is clueless.

 

[coy0607]

I don't understand how this is Hafeez's fault. Is he just supposed to give up his spot?

 

[Justcrazy]

I don't understand how this is Hafeez's fault. Is he just supposed to give up his spot?

Fault is not with hafeez but Inzamam , he has shown intellectual dishonesty by making sure the spot of his nephew is safe.

 

[shaaik]

Just couldn't agree more with OP, I was disappointed when I heard the news of Hafeez's retirement after 3rd test, if he was planning to hang up his boots in tests he should have done it after 2nd test so that we cd hv tested our bench strength. On a side note, I have a feeling that may be Azhar doesn't want to open in tests that's why we had to continue with Hafeez in Fakhars absence.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Squad of 16 was a double bluff - effectively Ul Haq selected 13 players - you don’t pick 5 pacers for a Test series in UAE. Then, he didn’t select a 3rd opener and Azhar wasn’t in plan to open - then, they kept identical 16 for 3rd Test as well.

In an effectively 13 men squad without back-up opener, MoHa-Imam was destined to open in all 3 games. Given that squad & Azhar not opening, I would also have played those top 6 for all 3 Tests, even if it was 0-2 after 2nd Test. Arthur-Sarfraz might be part of the plot, but definitely not the ring leader here.

Look MMHS I have discussed it in depth.

Fakhar Zaman was the 3rd opener and Shan Masood needed to prove his numbers for Pakistan A again to be in contention hence he was with Pakistan A.

This was not the time to try another opener.

Shan has come back to the squad through Pakistan A campaign now and Fakhar is coming back from injury.


Hafeez was selected not just as an opener but as an all rounder. None amongst others is an allrounder and Hafeez has great Test record in UAE both with Bat and Ball. Furthermore He was in top form with the bat hence it was the right time for him to make a come back.


While Azhar Ali indeed was a backup choice as Opener. He has Average of 41 as opener outside Asia only in 14 Tests so UAE isn't a problem for him as an opener.


The problem here is to dig what happened in the days leading to 1st Test ?

What I see is that Hafeez got unfit during training sessions and hence the Hafeez who turned out on Day 1 of first Test was 50 to 60 % fit only. In the entire series he bowled only 10 overs due to hamstring issues.


Why did an unfit Hafeez make playing eleven in 3 Tests when neither he was able to bowl nor score ? 50 - 60 % fit players have to be benched irrespective of their form because this fitness cannot produce results/performances of note.


So Hafeez himself and entire team management are to be blamed for this.

 

[JaanZeb]

Share of the blame in descending order:
Blame is on PCB chairman Ehsan Mani and no one else who is allowing the same corrupt setup to thrive. esp. the selection committee.

PM Imran Khan also shares the blame for no review on Ehsan Mani's performance since the start of his tenure.
[MENTION=138958]Khan12[/MENTION]

Then why did'nt Inzamam select no middle order alternative this series, if its Arthur's fault?
Inzamam knew fully well, that Arthur will replace them. Same for the NZ tour Inzamam selected knowing well Saad Ali and Usman will never play test match unless a senior gets injured.


Who knows the culture of Pakistani cricket and our media [Yahya Hussaini like paid journalists], understands the politics. Azhar and Asad both scored centuries, if Arthur would've dropped them then our biased media would've attacked him more than anyone. Due to dirty work of our media, even Arthur has started to play safe.

Inzamam thrruout his career, has always done politics to protect seniors and is emboldened even more to select his worthless nephew.
Inzamam in his captaincy, damaged careers of players like Asim Kamal for his favorites, Yousuf, Hafeez and Malik. Hafeez average in Inzamam's captaincy [2004-2007] was 18.60 as an opener. He has performed similarly as chief selector, not allowing batting replacements for seniors and selecting very few players who perform in PSL and are good with the bowl also.

If one goes back in the 90s when Majid Khan was Chief Executive of PCB, Inzamam organized alongwthother players to protect Mushtaq Ahmed in the team then.

And he always gets away with it as somehow some people in the middle and media divert the blame away from him.

 

[MMHS]

Look MMHS I have discussed it in depth.

Fakhar Zaman was the 3rd opener and Shan Masood needed to prove his numbers for Pakistan A again to be in contention hence he was with Pakistan A.

This was not the time to try another opener.

Shan has come back to the squad through Pakistan A campaign now and Fakhar is coming back from injury.


Hafeez was selected not just as an opener but as an all rounder. None amongst others is an allrounder and Hafeez has great Test record in UAE both with Bat and Ball. Furthermore He was in top form with the bat hence it was the right time for him to make a come back.


While Azhar Ali indeed was a backup choice as Opener. He has Average of 41 as opener outside Asia only in 14 Tests so UAE isn't a problem for him as an opener.


The problem here is to dig what happened in the days leading to 1st Test ?

What I see is that Hafeez got unfit during training sessions and hence the Hafeez who turned out on Day 1 of first Test was 50 to 60 % fit only. In the entire series he bowled only 10 overs due to hamstring issues.


Why did an unfit Hafeez make playing eleven in 3 Tests when neither he was able to bowl nor score ? 50 - 60 % fit players have to be benched irrespective of their form because this fitness cannot produce results/performances of note.


So Hafeez himself and entire team management are to be blamed for this.

Did I say anything otherwise, apart from blaming Hafeez - why are you complaining? Hafeez didn't select him as all-rounder, nether he was used for only 3-4 overs by himself, and if he was unfit then what is Yo-yo for?

Don't think 19 wickets in 22 Tests at 39+ is a "great" bowling record, but if he was under bowled, it has to be against Sarfraz and may be Arthur. If this is not the time for trying another opener - in UAE, then may be in SAF, against SAF must be better time?

Unfit MoHa made playing XI because there was no back-up opener. Ok, as you said Azhar was indeed backup with 41 average, but doesn't help much if he is not made to open instead of being "back-up" only.

May be your discussion is too deep for my understanding, but I can't blame a player who has just retired as he himself found him not good enough anymore. If he was in top form with the bat hence it was the right time for him to make a come back, then he should be playing also - why blaming him for robbing Saad's chance?

 

[Hasan123]

As much as I don't like Inzi the blame goes to Arthur and sarfraz. They are the ones picking him in the final 11 not inzi.

Yes they should take some blame but Inzi is a big name in Pakistan cricket and he has a lot of experience when it comes to cricket. He should know that Hafeez was past his best.

 

[Hasan123]

Why blame Inzamam ul Haq for selecting Hafeez in Squad of 16 for Tests in UAE ?


Hafeez wasn't in rich form (Odi's)


Hafeez has excellent record as a Test allrounder in UAE. The best from Pakistan side ?

Don't you have the memory of Pakistan wins in UAE from 2010 to 2018 ?


Blame goes to Hafeez, Sarfraz and Mickey along with trainer, physio, Azhar Mahmood, Grant flower and Manager.


Why would you play 60 % fit player in a Test match ?

Inzamam ul Haq selects playing eleven ?

Lol you just said it yourself. Hafeez wasn't in form yet he was selected. Once he is in the squad,Sarfraz and Mickey should have done more to keep him out. So they are all to blame for this mess.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Hafeez has been a selfish player his whole career, so him playing whole series unfit isnt a surprise. How much longer was hafeez realistically going to hope to play on for? The short term thinking of his selection was stupid and provided no benefit to the team.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Not his first victim. He's ruined plenty of careers.

 

[LordEddardStark]

People saying Arthur and Sarfaraz are to be blamed are only being naive. Hafeez is a product of this system. Over the years he has learned to manipulate the system in his favor. Be friendly with journalists, be a yes man to high ups, always be on good terms with a powerful group of seniors, yet remain extremely humble when speaking in public so that you don't become the bad guy. He knows how things run here, he knows ins and outs of this system. I would be surprised if he does not become another Haroon Rashid after his eventual retirement.

Speaking of his selection for this series, the blame lies entirely on Inzi. The way he selected this team meant his chosen eleven would play every match, whatever the result be. There were 5 fast bowlers in the team when only 2 would have played in a match. Shaheen only got chance when Abbas got unfit and Hamza just had a paid vacation. Saad Ali was backup for a middle order guy and realistically he didn't have any chance against Babar, Haris, Asad and Azhar. There was no backup opener so Inzi made sure that Imam and Hafeez would play every match irrespective of the result and their performance.

And why didn't Arthur and Sarfaraz promote Azhar to open and drop Hafeez? Well they had already tried dropping Hafeez for Asia Cup once before, but that Geo party led by Shoaib and Hussaini made sure that not only they revert this decision, but they also concede that Hafeez is too powerful for them to mess with ever in future.

As for Saad Ali, my disappointment knows no bounds. Hope he comes back stronger than ever.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

People saying Arthur and Sarfaraz are to be blamed are only being naive. Hafeez is a product of this system. Over the years he has learned to manipulate the system in his favor. Be friendly with journalists, be a yes man to high ups, always be on good terms with a powerful group of seniors, yet remain extremely humble when speaking in public so that you don't become the bad guy. He knows how things run here, he knows ins and outs of this system. I would be surprised if he does not become another Haroon Rashid after his eventual retirement.

Speaking of his selection for this series, the blame lies entirely on Inzi. The way he selected this team meant his chosen eleven would play every match, whatever the result be. There were 5 fast bowlers in the team when only 2 would have played in a match. Shaheen only got chance when Abbas got unfit and Hamza just had a paid vacation. Saad Ali was backup for a middle order guy and realistically he didn't have any chance against Babar, Haris, Asad and Azhar. There was no backup opener so Inzi made sure that Imam and Hafeez would play every match irrespective of the result and their performance.

And why didn't Arthur and Sarfaraz promote Azhar to open and drop Hafeez? Well they had already tried dropping Hafeez for Asia Cup once before, but that Geo party led by Shoaib and Hussaini made sure that not only they revert this decision, but they also concede that Hafeez is too powerful for them to mess with ever in future.

As for Saad Ali, my disappointment knows no bounds. Hope he comes back stronger than ever.

Good post. I remember the hoe and cry when Hafeez was dropped.

Who was the backup opener in this series? Answer is none! And no Azhar was not in management's plans to open in Asia where we go with 6 batsmen.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

People saying Arthur and Sarfaraz are to be blamed are only being naive. Hafeez is a product of this system. Over the years he has learned to manipulate the system in his favor. Be friendly with journalists, be a yes man to high ups, always be on good terms with a powerful group of seniors, yet remain extremely humble when speaking in public so that you don't become the bad guy. He knows how things run here, he knows ins and outs of this system. I would be surprised if he does not become another Haroon Rashid after his eventual retirement.

Speaking of his selection for this series, the blame lies entirely on Inzi. The way he selected this team meant his chosen eleven would play every match, whatever the result be. There were 5 fast bowlers in the team when only 2 would have played in a match. Shaheen only got chance when Abbas got unfit and Hamza just had a paid vacation. Saad Ali was backup for a middle order guy and realistically he didn't have any chance against Babar, Haris, Asad and Azhar. There was no backup opener so Inzi made sure that Imam and Hafeez would play every match irrespective of the result and their performance.

And why didn't Arthur and Sarfaraz promote Azhar to open and drop Hafeez? Well they had already tried dropping Hafeez for Asia Cup once before, but that Geo party led by Shoaib and Hussaini made sure that not only they revert this decision, but they also concede that Hafeez is too powerful for them to mess with ever in future.

As for Saad Ali, my disappointment knows no bounds. Hope he comes back stronger than ever.

I have some disagreements with your Post.


1. Do you know who are the top performers of Pakistan who have flourished under Haroon Rasheed ?


2. Do you know the blokes who were selected and groomed by Mr Haroon Rasheed at under 13, 15, 17, 19 levels ?


Haroon Rasheed has delivered in all departments he has worked for PCB in last 2 decades.


Anti Haroon Rasheed propaganda was carried out by Syed Yahya Hussaini, Mirza Iqbal Baig & Majid Bhatti.


Haroon has earned the roles at PCB by performing at grass roots over the year.



2. Azhar Ali has opened for Pakistan with success. Hence he was a decent choice to open. He has experience.


3. You haven't addressed the main point of the thread ie


Hafeez's fitness.


If a player an allrounder is 50 - 60 % fit than if he doesn't inform this himself to the management he cannot hide this in training sessions from the Coach, assistant coach, batting coach, bowling coach, trainer, manager etc


The team management should think for national interest of Pakistan 1st or Mr.Yahya Hussaini is more important ?


Clearly when Mickey Arthur is so strict about fitness than how can he allow a semi limping hafeez to play not Test 1 but 3 Tests ?

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Lol you just said it yourself. Hafeez wasn't in form yet he was selected. Once he is in the squad,Sarfraz and Mickey should have done more to keep him out. So they are all to blame for this mess.

I think you have not seen Hafeez's performances in limited overs format recently plus his excellent knock of hundred vs Aus in Test and his performances for SNGPL in FC this season.


His comeback in Test squad was merited. Look at his UAE record aswell.


Read OP again. " FITNESS " is the main thing being discussed.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Hafeez has been a selfish player his whole career, so him playing whole series unfit isnt a surprise. How much longer was hafeez realistically going to hope to play on for? The short term thinking of his selection was stupid and provided no benefit to the team.

It was team management's job to rule him rule of the series or atleast first Two Tests citing his Hamstring Issues.


Yes ideally Hafeez should have excused himself but this doesn't mean that if He isn't honest than its a national duty to pick him (in playing eleven) for 3 Tests.

 

[Savak]

Pretty lazy to blame Hafeez and Inzi for the non selection of Saad Ali if that is what cost us the series and giving this impression that Inzi left Arthur and Sarfaraz with no choice but to select Hafeez. Arthur and Sarfaraz had all the power in the world to bench Hafeez and play Saad Ali just like they showed the power and authority to play Yasir Shah as the sole spinner and bench the spinners Inzi had given to them in the form of Asghar and Bilal Asif, just like they showed the power and authority to constantly keep Junaid Khan on the bench.

This laziness that certain posters show in their posting needs to be acknowledged

 

[Majid Khan]

He’s also robbed many fans of their passion for cricket (myself included) but that’s a different story for another day.

But agree with MMHS, it’s not Hafeez to blame but the selection process behind his selection based on favouritism, seniority, nepotism and bias.

Question - was Hafeez a superior batsman to Asim Kamal or Fawad Alam in any form of the game?

 

[charlie007]

Inzi should take some blame too. He has played enough cricket to know that Hafeez won't have success outside of Asia but still picked him for all 3 games. Also Mickey should have stood up to Inzi. Why he is so afraid to voice his opinion? I'm sure he will know Azhar isn't a fit for number 3 and that Hafeez is past his best but he just let this happen.

Games were played in UAE.

 

[waleed88]

Hafeez being selected was a poor decision that took the team two steps backwards. It was regressive thinking on part of the management, and the captain specifically is to blame for this.

This home series is one of the worst in recent times for Pakistan... and much worse than the whitewash we faced against Lanka.

 

[LordEddardStark]

I have some disagreements with your Post.


1. Do you know who are the top performers of Pakistan who have flourished under Haroon Rasheed ?


2. Do you know the blokes who were selected and groomed by Mr Haroon Rasheed at under 13, 15, 17, 19 levels ?


Haroon Rasheed has delivered in all departments he has worked for PCB in last 2 decades.


Anti Haroon Rasheed propaganda was carried out by Syed Yahya Hussaini, Mirza Iqbal Baig & Majid Bhatti.


Haroon has earned the roles at PCB by performing at grass roots over the year.



2. Azhar Ali has opened for Pakistan with success. Hence he was a decent choice to open. He has experience.


3. You haven't addressed the main point of the thread ie


Hafeez's fitness.


If a player an allrounder is 50 - 60 % fit than if he doesn't inform this himself to the management he cannot hide this in training sessions from the Coach, assistant coach, batting coach, bowling coach, trainer, manager etc


The team management should think for national interest of Pakistan 1st or Mr.Yahya Hussaini is more important ?


Clearly when Mickey Arthur is so strict about fitness than how can he allow a semi limping hafeez to play not Test 1 but 3 Tests ?

No I admit I do not have much knowledge about the young guys who have flourished under Haroon. I guess I am hearing it for the first time that Haroon ur Rasheed has helped nurture some talent from domestic scene. Please shed more light on it.

Regarding Azhar, he was only moved to one down position to accommodate Hafeez otherwise he had been our best opener over the years. There was no logical reason to move him.

I feel Arthur has been feeling a lot of heat due to Asia Cup loss. Previously he did not let Hafeez play during the entire Zimbabwe series and I reckon exclusion of Hafeez from Asia Cup squad was due to his insistence as well. But after humiliation at Asia Cup, he didn't have that strength to face the Hafeez lobby and Hafeez walked back to all formats pretty easily.

Over the period I have learned to expect low from selection committees. That's why I had considered Inzi a good selector till date because along with accommodating Hafeez, Imam or Akmal, he had been introducing at least one fresh face every series too. But his recent selections has got me disillusioned with him. The way he has promoted Imam and dropped Usman, Saad and Hamza without getting a game, he is back to his old ways. I don't think we can expect any better from him after SA series as well.

 

[asfandyar]

TSPK, thanks for tagging. We have a culture of inefficient seniors blocking deserving juniors. Younis Khan blocking Fawad from inclusion in the WC squad, and Shahid Afridi hogging up space when he was way past his prime (if there was any). Hafeez robbing Saad is just another example of this.

Sarfraz-Inzimam duo is not a healthy captain-selector combination. Sarfraz is too nice to seniors, and I don't think he has the spine to stand up against a legend like Inzi.

Also, Babar, Imam and Shafiq are too inconsistent to be considered as the backbone of Pakistan's batting order. Need to induct Usman, Saad and Saud/Fawad ASAP.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

TSPK, thanks for tagging. We have a culture of inefficient seniors blocking deserving juniors. Younis Khan blocking Fawad from inclusion in the WC squad, and Shahid Afridi hogging up space when he was way past his prime (if there was any). Hafeez robbing Saad is just another example of this.

Sarfraz-Inzimam duo is not a healthy captain-selector combination. Sarfraz is too nice to seniors, and I don't think he has the spine to stand up against a legend like Inzi.

Also, Babar, Imam and Shafiq are too inconsistent to be considered as the backbone of Pakistan's batting order. Need to induct Usman, Saad and Saud/Fawad ASAP.

You're welcome.


Did you see Fawad Alam getting gagged/trapped by Australian fast bowlers in an Odi ? It was horrible to see as a fan and highly embarassing to see. Fawad could not even sneak singles, forget about boundaries.


It felt so so ugly seeing a 56 Averaging FC player unable to take singles in an ODI game and you are dissapointed at him not getting picked for WC (the premier Odi tournament in World Cricket)


Any batsman who plays atleast 5 FC matches in a season and doesn't have SR of 60+ should not be considered for Pakistan in Test Cricket. This is 2018 my friend.


Usman Salahuddin has horrible SR and we don't need such blockers/thakka players in Pak Test team.


Pakistan A played 2 FC matches on UAE Phattas and these were the numbers.


Shan Masood 352 runs @88 & SR of 73

Abid Ali 257 runs @85 & SR of 54

Usman Salahuddin 247 runs [MENTION=9367]123[/MENTION] & SR of 45

Saad Ali 144 runs @72 & SR of 65

Saud Shakeel 47 runs @47 & SR of 60


From this only acceptable for me are Shan, Saud & Saad.

Furthermore Saad & Saud had SR of 60 plus in QEA 2018 aswell.

Fawad has SR of only 50 in QEA 2018 which is not acceptable at all.


Disagree with Babar Azam assesmemt. He has been consistent enough in Tests for Pakistan in 2018 which is very encouraging.


Babar, Haris (fitness), Saud & Saad are future of Pakistan Test batting.


Last Season Saad was highest scorer in FC 921 runs at a SR of 72.



I strongly believe that a player in Pak domestic Cricket who in a given season (5+ FC matches) cannot succeed in having SR of 60 has serious problems in rotating Strike and hence should not make Pakistan Test team. Note these Strike rates are not reproducible in Test Cricket for most Pak Cricketers and dip of 5 to 10 points is expected.


Inzamam ul Haq overall is doing fine Job. Yes I have some disagreements with his selections but out of 100 I give him 80-85 marks. He has got the eye for Talent and most young or performing players he picks for Pakistan A or Pakistan team are performing aswell.


Lastly you have totally ignored the Krux og this Thread ie


" How Come & Why a 50 to 60 % match fit genuine allrounder play not 1 but 3 Test matches for Pakistan ? "


Team Management doesn't need to oblige sports journalists or specific tv channels. Unfit player is not supposed to play especially the one carrying injury no matter who he is and whether he us senior or junior.