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Mohammad Nawaz being under-bowled?

First select Zulfi and now under-bowling Nawaz. Misbah really has a big problem w/the youngsters. That's a terrible quality for a leader/captain to have.
 
Many zulfi fans will disagree but Nawaz in the first test was as good as zulfi is in this match.
 
Rayyman said:
First select Zulfi and now under-bowling Nawaz. Misbah really has a big problem w/the youngsters. That's a terrible quality for a leader/captain to have.
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Zulfi baba is a real spinner although his bowling has lost a step.
Nawaz is a part-time spinner.
If you are captain would you bowl a real spinner or a part-time spinner?
 
srh said:
Zulfi baba is a real spinner although his bowling has lost a step.
Nawaz is a part-time spinner.
If you are captain would you bowl a real spinner or a part-time spinner?
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That part timer took 4 wickets in the last match
 
Looking at the scorecard don't understand why he hasn't bowled an over. Really poor from Misbah
 
srh said:
Zulfi baba is a real spinner although his bowling has lost a step.
Nawaz is a part-time spinner.
If you are captain would you bowl a real spinner or a part-time spinner?
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Why not bowl the part-timer if he's equally good?
 
I think the main strategy behind playing him against West Indies is to figure out if his batting is good enough to be a #7 batsmen for the overseas tours. I don't think the likes of Yamin will be selected out of the blue.

His bowling is clearly good enough for a 5th bowler, despite the fact that overseas he might not be as useful with the ball. It's strange how he hasn't been bowled at all in the innings so far, needs to be given some more confidence so that he integrates into the team properly.
 
Plenty of time for Nawaz to get into the match. But yes he could easily been given a few overs today when nothing was happening.

Slightly at a tangent, I was actually pleased that Yasir wasn't brought on straight away. Shows the captain has other ideas than just throw the ball in Yasir's direction whenever wkts aren't falling.
 
I think he means to use him as more than a part timer but not as much as a 5th bowler. He will come in when the others start to tire a bit to keep a lid on things. Misbah will give him 10-15 overs in a day's play at best. He will basically be used as Hafeez but will probably bowl a bit more.

The problem is I think Misbah is underestimating Nawaz. Nawaz is a bowling all-rounders and I believe his bowling is on par with the current Babar.

Though with 3 spinners there are only so many overs one can give them. That is my problem with the 3 spinner strategy especially when all three turn the ball in the same direction. If we are to go with 3 spinners then we'd be better off playing Imad replacing Babar as he adds variety and strengthens the tail.

Though in the long run we would have been much better off investing in a fast bowling all-rounder(provided we had a potential candidate) with Nawaz as the 2nd spinner, 2 genuine quicks and 1 fast bowling all-rounder we would have had a strong tail as well and a potential 5th bowling option for tests outside asia.
 
this wil remain misbahs greatest weakness, his complete inability to trust youth. Its not like Zulfi is doing anything special here.
 
pakistanigoneaussie said:
this wil remain misbahs greatest weakness, his complete inability to trust youth. Its not like Zulfi is doing anything special here.
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its pretty obvious what Misbah is doing here

he wants to give his buddy Zulfiqar max chance to make an impact because if Nawaz performs its curtains for Zulfiqar's career

same reason why Zulfiqar was bowling from the 7th over yesteday whereas even Yasir didnt come toll 23rd over
 
Misbah's protection of Zulfiqar Babar at Nawaz's expense is a disgrace!

A few things:

1) Zulfiqar Babar averages almost 40 in the UAE

2) Zulfiqar Babar is considered a great buddy of Misbah and has consistently been picked (even for England tour :facepalm:) despite mediocre performances in most helpful conditions in the past 18-20 months. In any other scenario, a youngster would have been chosen as a back up to Yasir Shah to gain experience on such an important tour. There is enough evidence anyway that Zulfiqar Babar cannot operate as a lone spinner so it was a poor choice to have him as a backup anyway.

3) At 38 (officially :)) ), Zulfiqar Babar is clearly past it and its a shame that we didnt get to see him at his peak. He offers no long term or short term utility

4) Mohammad Nawaz played his first test match on one of the flattest pitches ever and did very well. Brilliant bowling at tight lines and ended with 4/70 which is a performance Babar has failed to come close to in eons.

5) Mohammad Nawaz and Zulfiqar Babar have almost identical domestic records and at 22, Nawaz clearly has the much greater potential. Add his batting ability he is a brilliant choice even if he ends up a 25 average batsman.

Now coming to the current scenario:

6) Zulfiqar Babar was picked for the current match despite there being talented youngsters 15 years younger in domestic such as Asghar and Gohar.

7) As of right now (60th over), Zulfiqar has been given EVERY opportunity to take cheap wickets of a weak West Indian side. Misbah even brought him as early as the 7th over whereas Yasir didnt bowl till the 23rd over. When Yasir came wickets started tumbling meaning that a spinner gets purchase here.

8) A poor performance in this match could mean curtains for Zulfiqar Babar becauee I dont think Mickey would want him to be around much longer without any utility.

9) With Nawaz in the squad, it would look doubly embarassing for Zulfiqar if Nawaz performs better than him. So as of 60th over Nawaz hasnt been given the chance to bowl a single over lest he takes wickets and outperforms Zulfiqar

This is a disgrace!

We have much better spinners than Zulfiqar Babar waiting in the wings even if we just go for pure spinners
 
Just to add:

I have always been a huge supporter of Misbah and vouch for him a lot but even as an admirer I cannot deny the haters' charge that Misbah has a tendency to stick up for his buddies (Hafeez ahem) and have total and utter lack of faith in youngsters. I hope Mickey Arthur shows spine and innovative thinking where Waqar Younis didnt
 
I already mentioned in my thread that we have to move on from Zulfi. Just not good enough.
 
Not giving bowling to Nawaz is flat out wrong.

But what's more concerning from Pak point of view is absolute lack of planning and team building for the future.

Pakistan's test team got assembled on its own. Not built.

If Hafeez had scored the odd 50, Sami would not have been there.

If Shan had scored the odd 50, Azhar wouldn't have opened.

Yasir has no spin partner who is in the prime of his skills. You need a proper full time spinner to partner him.

If you pick Nawaz, atleast bowl him more.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
I know he prefers older men but didn't think he would stoop this low.
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the worse thing is that the Windies tail (the whole side bar one or 2 really) are total mugs against spin so sooner or later Zulfiqar will end up with a few wickets and when you look at the scorecard you wont see the absolute disgrace happening right now
 
It's because the 70 over old ball is easier to grip for a finger spinner...oh wait, Nawaz is one too? Hmm...
 
Slog said:
its pretty obvious what Misbah is doing here

he wants to give his buddy Zulfiqar max chance to make an impact because if Nawaz performs its curtains for Zulfiqar's career

same reason why Zulfiqar was bowling from the 7th over yesteday whereas even Yasir didnt come toll 23rd over
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i think it goes beyond that, its just who misbah is.


I remember in an interview he was asked the most attribute to a cricket and he said experience,and he values it above all else.

Its worked for him in tests and the PSL but its still a glaring weakness
 
Misbahs defensive captaincy has meant that we've let go a lot of opportunities over the years

Ofcourse the likelihood is also that if Misbah hadn't been there we probably wouldn't have even been in positions to win or draw series'
 
pakistanigoneaussie said:
i think it goes beyond that, its just who misbah is.


I remember in an interview he was asked the most attribute to a cricket and he said experience,and he values it above all else.

Its worked for him in tests and the PSL but its still a glaring weakness
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Experience isn't worth jack if you have little understanding of the game. That review by Zulfiqar for an LBW should not have been taken, for he should have known that the ball is clearly not pitching in line and that he will not get the decision in his favor.

Contrast that with the review taken by Nawaz in the 1st test to get the decision in his favor when the umpire had ruled Blackwood not out. Shows that at 22 he has a much better understanding of the game.

I am not going to second guess Misbah's tactics but no matter how much preference he give to experienced players, Nawaz is here to stay. He is way too talented to be kept out of the team.
 
Slog said:
A few things:

1) Zulfiqar Babar averages almost 40 in the UAE

2) Zulfiqar Babar is considered a great buddy of Misbah and has consistently been picked (even for England tour :facepalm:) despite mediocre performances in most helpful conditions in the past 18-20 months. In any other scenario, a youngster would have been chosen as a back up to Yasir Shah to gain experience on such an important tour. There is enough evidence anyway that Zulfiqar Babar cannot operate as a lone spinner so it was a poor choice to have him as a backup anyway.

3) At 38 (officially :)) ), Zulfiqar Babar is clearly past it and its a shame that we didnt get to see him at his peak. He offers no long term or short term utility

4) Mohammad Nawaz played his first test match on one of the flattest pitches ever and did very well. Brilliant bowling at tight lines and ended with 4/70 which is a performance Babar has failed to come close to in eons.

5) Mohammad Nawaz and Zulfiqar Babar have almost identical domestic records and at 22, Nawaz clearly has the much greater potential. Add his batting ability he is a brilliant choice even if he ends up a 25 average batsman.

Now coming to the current scenario:

6) Zulfiqar Babar was picked for the current match despite there being talented youngsters 15 years younger in domestic such as Asghar and Gohar.

7) As of right now (60th over), Zulfiqar has been given EVERY opportunity to take cheap wickets of a weak West Indian side. Misbah even brought him as early as the 7th over whereas Yasir didnt bowl till the 23rd over. When Yasir came wickets started tumbling meaning that a spinner gets purchase here.

8) A poor performance in this match could mean curtains for Zulfiqar Babar becauee I dont think Mickey would want him to be around much longer without any utility.

9) With Nawaz in the squad, it would look doubly embarassing for Zulfiqar if Nawaz performs better than him. So as of 60th over Nawaz hasnt been given the chance to bowl a single over lest he takes wickets and outperforms Zulfiqar

This is a disgrace!

We have much better spinners than Zulfiqar Babar waiting in the wings even if we just go for pure spinners
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Well written.

It's really sad that eventually zulfiqar will clean up the tail, I hope yasir beats him to it. On the plus side, all the Nawaz bashers have disappeared now that they realize that chacha zulfi is a worse option. Nawaz would gotten more wickets had it not been for the dew in the first match.
 
fawad_wellwisher said:
Experience isn't worth jack if you have little understanding of the game. That review by Zulfiqar for an LBW should not have been taken, for he should have known that the ball is clearly not pitching in line and that he will not get the decision in his favor.

Contrast that with the review taken by Nawaz in the 1st test to get the decision in his favor when the umpire had ruled Blackwood not out. Shows that at 22 he has a much better understanding of the game.

I am not going to second guess Misbah's tactics but no matter how much preference he give to experienced players, Nawaz is here to stay. He is way too talented to be kept out of the team.
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Chacha zulfi is just desperate to get a wicket nothing else. And no, Nawaz will probably be kicked out if Misbah stays this way. When he doesn't get to bowl a single over people will judge him on his batting performance which is clearly not his stronger suit.
 
Misbah was never good for Youngsters, if there was Imran Khalid instead of Nawaz he would have bowled Imran khalid most overs.
I think misbah has the mentality of "choose experience over young" probably as he was late entry to International cricket he is taking all his grudges at younger players.
 
fawad_wellwisher said:
Experience isn't worth jack if you have little understanding of the game. That review by Zulfiqar for an LBW should not have been taken, for he should have known that the ball is clearly not pitching in line and that he will not get the decision in his favor.

Contrast that with the review taken by Nawaz in the 1st test to get the decision in his favor when the umpire had ruled Blackwood not out. Shows that at 22 he has a much better understanding of the game.

I am not going to second guess Misbah's tactics but no matter how much preference he give to experienced players, Nawaz is here to stay. He is way too talented to be kept out of the team.
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i agree completely, but its just the way he is . If it wasnt for the Champions Trophy disaster our odi team would still have the likes of Farhat and Kamran.


the issue is that rarely is there middle ground on the misbah debate. His supporters will automatically go after any player that misbah isnt keen on , as seen with nawaz. His detractors will label him the devil.

Misbah is probably our greatest Test Captain, but in ODIs he largely failed, and overall he is reluntant to trust youth.
 
Looks like misbah has a plan to bring back his old friend Prof. Hafeez in that position provided he clears his bowling action. Misbah do have a problem with the youngsters, he made Haris, UA, Maqsood, Shehzad, Sarfraz form the batting lineup in CWC'15 but favoured MYK, hafeez, shafiq and Azhar Ali selections in the team previously also pushed maqsood nearly to no. 8
 
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pakistanigoneaussie said:
i agree completely, but its just the way he is . If it wasnt for the Champions Trophy disaster our odi team would still have the likes of Farhat and Kamran.


the issue is that rarely is there middle ground on the misbah debate. His supporters will automatically go after any player that misbah isnt keen on , as seen with nawaz. His detractors will label him the devil.

Misbah is probably our greatest Test Captain, but in ODIs he largely failed, and overall he is reluntant to trust youth.
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Like Sarfaraz muscled his way into the team with his performances, I expect Nawaz to do the same. He seems to have good temperament and he is the kind of player we need to build a solid team for the future.

I wanted Zulfi to play because he has done well in Abu Dhabi being the leading wicket taker. He has got 19 overs to prove himself that he still belongs at this level. So far he has not delivered .....
 
Although Nawaz, who isn't a good enough bowler to begin with specially on non-square turners, hasn't been bowled much.

But our attack spinners have bowled 19 overs so far. Yes the allrounder could've been given a few more overs, but it wouldn't have made any difference.

Yasir and Zulfi aren't being able to pick wickets because the surface hasn't deteriorated enough. Let our strike fast bowlers do their job .

Some here are having hysterical panic attacks without knowing how the pitch is behaving. Calm down. The allrounder will bowl. Yes he should've been given a few more overs.

Stop overreacting and hating your best Test cap.
 
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So he finally gets a few overs with the ball 70+ overs old and the new ball about to be due
 
Hawkeye said:
Stop overreacting and hating your best Test cap.
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Yes I'll write whatever I feel like. You can't stop me from criticising Misbah's tactics. Misbah is a good captain but he is NOT some perfectionist.
 
shah_1 said:
Yes I'll write whatever I feel like. You can't stop me from criticising Misbah's tactics. Misbah is a good captain but he is NOT some perfectionist.
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Yeah, you can disagree, but if you want to hate too, that's fine.

Nobody says you can't disagree with something. He should've been given a few more overs, that I agree with, but I don't go around exaggerating it and hating the guy.
 
Hawkeye said:
Although Nawaz, who isn't a good enough bowler to begin with specially on non-square turners, hasn't been bowled much.

But our attack spinners have bowled 19 overs so far. Yes the allrounder could've been given a few more overs, but it wouldn't have made any difference.

Yasir and Zulfi aren't being able to pick wickets because the surface hasn't deteriorated enough. Let our strike fast bowlers do their job .

Some here are having hysterical panic attacks without knowing how the pitch is behaving. Calm down. The allrounder will bowl. Yes he should've been given a few more overs.

Stop overreacting and hating your best Test cap.
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Few corrections:

1. Nawaz took 4 wickets on a flat track and under excellent batting conditions. His SR was better than Yasir Shah in the same match. How do you conclude he is not good enough in non-supporting conditions.

2. Both of our spinners (Yasir and Zulfi bowled) bowled 38 overs between them out of 72.

3. Nawaz bowled 0 over when you posted this message. Few more overs doesn't apply in that case. It should have been Few overs.

Please stop considering yourself as the sole authority on the game. We all like Misbah and respect him but if he does something wrong then it is not our duty to defend that.
 
Only 4 overs bowled in 90 odd overs. Why play him?

Zufiqar has bowled nearly 20 overs and hasn't taken a wicket...
 
Light at end of the tunnel, zulfi ends the innings with 0 wickets.
 
Nothing against Zulfi but I think we have a similar bowler in Nawaz who can be economical and hold up one end given the role. However, Nawaz can bat and will improve with time provided he is given confidence. Nawaz is 22 now so we definitely need to investment more in Nawaz.

This was (is) a perfect series for Nawaz where he can be given the confidence as we will need an all-rounder in Australia (and maybe NZ). The more Nawaz will bowl, the more confidence he will gain and eventually it will help the team in the long run.
 
Posters are jumping up and down.

Zulfi is always rubbish in first 2 innings.

Watch him in 4th innings where he will pick wickets, seal his spot and make you cry.

As for Misbah, I am honestly very disappointed by what he did this time with Nawaz. This is the kind of nonsense that Dhoni gets criticized for. Also why not give Rahat the satisfaction of 1 more wicket even if he couldn't get a 5fer.
 
natkhat-shahzada said:
But but but he has been very economical and put the pressure by holding at one end which resulted in 10 wickets at other end.
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I was expecting that he would do well against the weak against spin WI batsmen but that was not to be.

His 2nd innings stats are much better. Let's see how he performs on day 4 & 5.
 
sensible-indian-fan said:
Posters are jumping up and down.

Zulfi is always rubbish in first 2 innings.

Watch him in 4th innings where he will pick wickets, seal his spot and make you cry.

As for Misbah, I am honestly very disappointed by what he did this time with Nawaz. This is the kind of nonsense that Dhoni gets criticized for. Also why not give Rahat the satisfaction of 1 more wicket even if he couldn't get a 5fer.
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Yes. You are right. But Nawaz can get the wickets in 4th innings provided he is given the bowling.

My point is that Nawaz and Zulfi are on par (in terms of bowling) at the moment. But if we look at other aspects i.e. batting and age then we need to invest more in Nawaz.
 
fawad_wellwisher said:
I was expecting that he would do well against the weak against spin WI batsmen but that was not to be.

His 2nd innings stats are much better. Let's see how he performs on day 4 & 5.
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Yes. I was being sarcastic. He should have definitely done better than those figures. However, it is still not bad and as SIF pointed out that he has a better avg in 3rd/4th innings so he will be getting the wickets then.
 
natkhat-shahzada said:
Nothing against Zulfi but I think we have a similar bowler in Nawaz who can be economical and hold up one end given the role. However, Nawaz can bat and will improve with time provided he is given confidence. Nawaz is 22 now so we definitely need to investment more in Nawaz.

This was (is) a perfect series for Nawaz where he can be given the confidence as we will need an all-rounder in Australia (and maybe NZ). The more Nawaz will bowl, the more confidence he will gain and eventually it will help the team in the long run.
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It actually worked out in Nawaz's favor. The pitch isn't really doing much and he would have struggled to take wickets as well.
 
fawad_wellwisher said:
It actually worked out in Nawaz's favor. The pitch isn't really doing much and he would have struggled to take wickets as well.
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Not really.

I am not sure if you watched Nawaz four overs then you would have known why I am saying this. Nawaz was trying to bowl full in those 4 overs and I felt that Nawaz was under pressure. Because he knew that he won't be bowling when the new ball is taken. So, he missed the trick by not keeping the bowl at good length and get something out of the pitch.

This is why I feel that it would have helped Nawaz had he bowled more overs. But then one of the spinner will bowling less overs when you have 3 spinners.
 
Poor from misbah Its not as it zulfi was setting the world on fire If theres one issue misbah has its not trusting youth

At least give the lad 10 overs out of 90 odd

Whats the point playing him if hes not gonna bowl?
 
shah_1 said:
So Zulfi is better than Nawaz? @srh

0 WICKET
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Of course. As I mentioned before Zulfi baba is a real spinner while Nawaz is a part-time spinner. Real spinner >>> part-time spinner.
 
Poor captaincy from Misbah. I have very little doubt that once Hafeez's ban is over, he is going to replace Nawaz.
 
It's a mystery...
Pak could have played additional pure batsman in place of nawaz.... if he is not gonna bowl.... or even rested zulfiqar and played a batsman.... this is really poor captaincy
 
srh said:
Of course. As I mentioned before Zulfi baba is a real spinner while Nawaz is a part-time spinner. Real spinner >>> part-time spinner.
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What is the requirement to be a "real spinner"? Is there some sort of certification you have to do? Or be 40 years of age? Or better yet have an average of 40 in Asia?
 
I am glad Misbah is retiring after the Australia tour. Giving only 4 hours to a new player is criminal. We won't progress as a team if we keep bring these oldies. Where are the long term goals? I really hope Misbah never becomes a selector in the future.
 
Nawaz is playing his 2nd Test. Not to forget that Nawaz debuted in a D/N Pink Ball Match which we have come to know wasn't a spin friendly thing. Still he didn't disappoint. In any case, why select him in first place if you never intended to use him.

Imagine Haris Sohail/Hafeez bowling 10 overs in a day only to see them batting at number 9/10.

I was surprised that Misbah didn't try part timer off spin from Babar Azam against Bravo who is a left handed Batsman.

Here PAK could have played another Batsman but Misbah was happy with Nawaz who won't contribute much with bat and can be under bowled. A proper batsman making a 70 odd could have destroyed comeback of Hafeez.

Ulterior motive or conspiracy theory, The plot to get Hafeez into XI is thickening. Sami has done just enough to escape the axe for Hafeez. They won't let another escape.

Welcome back Hafeez.
 
sensible-indian-fan said:
Not giving bowling to Nawaz is flat out wrong.

But what's more concerning from Pak point of view is absolute lack of planning and team building for the future.

Pakistan's test team got assembled on its own. Not built.

If Hafeez had scored the odd 50, Sami would not have been there.

If Shan had scored the odd 50, Azhar wouldn't have opened.

Yasir has no spin partner who is in the prime of his skills. You need a proper full time spinner to partner him.

If you pick Nawaz, atleast bowl him more.
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This. Not trying out more new talent on an easy tour like this is borderline criminal. Given the over reliance on Yasir, and success of introducing Sohail, why not even one new pacer or first line spin bowler in the squad?
 
Misbah's lack of giving youngsters consistent chances.

Really don't understand what is with this guy. A really poor long term planner who couldn't groom a captain under him in ODIs and now has 0 vision for the future in tests as well who only wants to preserve his image instead of promoting new spinners over a 39 year old who is about to retire anyway.

I know even the smallest criticism of King Misbah gets under the skin of his fans, but someone really needs to take him to task about this. Instead they will blame Mickey or Nawaz himself or even the "match situation" which is probably custom built for a new spinner to cause problems and gain confidence given our dominant position.

Also lets not forget that this is prob the only time Nawaz will get to prove his worth as the lad prob won't even get a game in Aus or NZ.
 
Suleiman said:
Misbah's lack of giving youngsters consistent chances.

Really don't understand what is with this guy. A really poor long term planner who couldn't groom a captain under him in ODIs and now has 0 vision for the future in tests as well who only wants to preserve his image instead of promoting new spinners over a 39 year old who is about to retire anyway.

I know even the smallest criticism of King Misbah gets under the skin of his fans, but someone really needs to take him to task about this. Instead they will blame Mickey or Nawaz himself or even the "match situation" which is probably custom built for a new spinner to cause problems and gain confidence given our dominant position.

Also lets not forget that this is prob the only time Nawaz will get to prove his worth as the lad prob won't even get a game in Aus or NZ.
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Honestly that's what I am waiting for misbah to retire at least we will see youngsters if not we might even see Imran khalid play for pakistan. It's a crime on pp to say something about misbah if he does something wrong. His supporters defined him to death. It's so cringeworthy.
 
Desperation by Misbah in an attempt to get Uncle Zulfi some wickets but all in vain. Misbah should really let zulfi go now, it's clearly time.
 
Both misbah and younis need to be shown the door after this series

Sarfraz should be made captain in all 3 formats and the team should go down under in Australia with confidence with a street smart fighter captain
 
carbon11 said:
Both misbah and younis need to be shown the door after this series

Sarfraz should be made captain in all 3 formats and the team should go down under in Australia with confidence with a street smart fighter captain
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This comment makes no sense... Younis just got a hundred and Misbah just got a 90. Sure, I agree, this is pretty weird that Misbah isn't giving the ball to Nawaz but it is HIM who has led us to becoming number 1. It is HIM who was successful in England, while so many others failed. We can not just write him off.
 
Guys, agreed that Nawaz not getting the ball is sort of weird but you never know, maybe he doesn't want to bowl. Maybe he's not comfortable with his shoulder. We never know the ground realities.
 
Looks like Nawaz needs to give Misbah some confidence rather than the other way around.

Let's hope he gets a wkt or 2 to make Misbah believe in him.

This has been a poor show by Misbah, he needs to give the youngsters confidence for the future. If he doesn't have enough confidence then should have batted for another 50 runs and then Nawaz could have been given a proper go.
 
fawad_wellwisher said:
Experience isn't worth jack if you have little understanding of the game. That review by Zulfiqar for an LBW should not have been taken, for he should have known that the ball is clearly not pitching in line and that he will not get the decision in his favor.

Contrast that with the review taken by Nawaz in the 1st test to get the decision in his favor when the umpire had ruled Blackwood not out. Shows that at 22 he has a much better understanding of the game.

I am not going to second guess Misbah's tactics but no matter how much preference he give to experienced players, Nawaz is here to stay. He is way too talented to be kept out of the team.
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Excellent review taken by Nawaz once again. I continue to be impressed with his understanding of the game.
 
Slog said:
A few things:

1) Zulfiqar Babar averages almost 40 in the UAE

2) Zulfiqar Babar is considered a great buddy of Misbah and has consistently been picked (even for England tour :facepalm:) despite mediocre performances in most helpful conditions in the past 18-20 months. In any other scenario, a youngster would have been chosen as a back up to Yasir Shah to gain experience on such an important tour. There is enough evidence anyway that Zulfiqar Babar cannot operate as a lone spinner so it was a poor choice to have him as a backup anyway.

3) At 38 (officially :)) ), Zulfiqar Babar is clearly past it and its a shame that we didnt get to see him at his peak. He offers no long term or short term utility

4) Mohammad Nawaz played his first test match on one of the flattest pitches ever and did very well. Brilliant bowling at tight lines and ended with 4/70 which is a performance Babar has failed to come close to in eons.

5) Mohammad Nawaz and Zulfiqar Babar have almost identical domestic records and at 22, Nawaz clearly has the much greater potential. Add his batting ability he is a brilliant choice even if he ends up a 25 average batsman.

Now coming to the current scenario:

6) Zulfiqar Babar was picked for the current match despite there being talented youngsters 15 years younger in domestic such as Asghar and Gohar.

7) As of right now (60th over), Zulfiqar has been given EVERY opportunity to take cheap wickets of a weak West Indian side. Misbah even brought him as early as the 7th over whereas Yasir didnt bowl till the 23rd over. When Yasir came wickets started tumbling meaning that a spinner gets purchase here.

8) A poor performance in this match could mean curtains for Zulfiqar Babar becauee I dont think Mickey would want him to be around much longer without any utility.

9) With Nawaz in the squad, it would look doubly embarassing for Zulfiqar if Nawaz performs better than him. So as of 60th over Nawaz hasnt been given the chance to bowl a single over lest he takes wickets and outperforms Zulfiqar

This is a disgrace!

We have much better spinners than Zulfiqar Babar waiting in the wings even if we just go for pure spinners
Click to expand...

Well done Nawaz
Hopefully Misbah trusts him now
 
Moiza said:
Desperation by Misbah in an attempt to get Uncle Zulfi some wickets but all in vain. Misbah should really let zulfi go now, it's clearly time.
Click to expand...

Uncle Zulfi again got 15 overs today before Misbah rekuctantly turned to Nawaz

and Misbahs worst fear came true when Nawaz struck early
 
Nawaz bringing Zulfi's career to an end it seems... 4th innings performances were the only things to note about Zulfi and now he's failed to pick up a wicket here too.
 
Bishop ? (on commentary) expressing how impressed he is with Nawaz
 
Slog said:
Uncle Zulfi again got 15 overs today before Misbah rekuctantly turned to Nawaz

and Misbahs worst fear came true when Nawaz struck early
Click to expand...

I am not going to second guess why Misbah did not throw the ball earlier to Nawaz but the unintended consequences of the skipper's actions have perfectly worked in his favor.

He is bowling a little faster than Zulfi baba which appears to be the way to go on this pitch.
 
Funny how everyone, but Misbah knew that Zulfi cha cha was done. Sadly it took another match for him to figure out. Zulfi can carry drinks in the next game and give advice to Nawaz.
 
Rayyman said:
Funny how everyone, but Misbah knew that Zulfi cha cha was done. Sadly it took another match for him to figure out. Zulfi can carry drinks in the next game and give advice to Nawaz.
Click to expand...

Looks like Misbah is using Nawaz as a partnership breaker. Changed him after only 5 overs.
 
It's clear Misbah's tactic is to use Nawaz in short bursts rather than long spells and that is working perfectly well at the moment.
 
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