Mohammad Rizwan's innings of 76* (57) in the 3rd T20I against England (2021)

[MenInG]

Highest scorer for Pakistan today with 5x4s, 3x6s and a strike rate of 133.33 - but the question needs to be asked is if the innings was too slow, selfish, or exactly what team needed and that helped Pakistan to get a respectable total?






Some other stats to ponder upon:

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/goy30r" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Most runs in T20Is in 2021:<br><br>706 Mohammad Rizwan (13 innings)<br>472 Babar Azam (13 innings)<br>343 Evin Lewis (11 innings)<br>331 Aiden Markram (8 innings)<br>324 Aaron Finch (10 innings)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1417563769824325636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mohammad Rizwan has become the 8th Pakistani batsman to reach the milestone of 1000 runs in T20Is:<br><br>1019 runs<br>Innings 31<br>Not outs 10<br>Average of 48.52<br>Strike-rate of 129.15<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1417565298136424455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Last Monetarist]

My view is that it wasn't a particularly good innings, he allowed the spinners to dictate terms and was happy to let them settle in to bowling a consistent line and length.

It's hard to blame him because of how poor the rest of the batsmen were, but it's not controversial to state that he should have done better and done more to scramble 10-15 extra runs at the death.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Should’ve scored around 10 extra but we can see that this is not an easy pitch at all especially against spin

 

[Bhaijaan]

It was a poor knock eventually. He failed to accelerate in the end to help Pakistan post a more competitive total.

By modern standards, if a T20 opener carries the bat he must have hit a century. 76 is well below par.

 

[Bhaijaan]

The not out did him.

It just looks bad to have carried the bat and scored just 76 in a T20 in 2021.

Should have gone berzerk in the end and got himself out to have at least given an impression he was trying.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

he can't be blamed for the fact that none of the batsmen got going. I mean the guy literally scored half the team runs. Without his innings Pakistan would have struggled to get 130.

He was batting at a healthy SR and had momentum on his side but had to adopt a more cautious approach to preserve his wicket. And that's what you're supposed to do when you get a start...you have to try and bat till the end.

 

[GudduBadmash]

Pakistan have made a game of it because of his innings. Without his 70 odd runs Pakistan are not getting even close to 100 runs.

 

[Rana]

A mediocre T20 opener being exposed for what his true ceiling is.

Look at how Jason Roy bossed the game as a Proper T20 opener!

 

[marlonbrowndo]

It wasn’t a good innings but it wasn’t bad either. When you play these many deliveries in a T20, you need to get at least 15-20 more than he did. But by no means was he the culprit here. Other batsmen needed to step up and our thick management needed to send in Hassan Ali higher up the order.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

People are going overboard with defending him here. Saying he played well and he scored half the runs etc. We see this often from Pakistanis because unfortunately we don’t understand batting too well. However, some people are going too far in the other direction and blaming him for the loss, when he was the only one who stayed in.

 

[Faiz1978]

Playing with 6 bowlers and Shadab batting ahead of Hassan Ali & Imad Wasim are big mistakes these two decisions reason for loss of match . Hope Babar will learn no hope from Misbah.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

It was a fine inning. Should have sent Hasan ahead of Shadab and Imad and could have got another 10 runs. It was a 160 run wicket. We were only 5 6 runs short.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Pakistan have made a game of it because of his innings. Without his 70 odd runs Pakistan are not getting even close to 100 runs.

Your point would have been valid if he got out eventually trying to accelerate.

76 not ouit for a T20 opener cannot be accepted under any circumstances.

 

[Abdurmirr]

Didn’t get to watch the first half however it seems as if Rizwan’s innings is the reason we were even able to compete today and the poor guy is still getting slack from the same posters

Maqsood failed Fakhar failed Hafeez failed yet not critiques

Rizwan tops scores and keeps us in the game and still people will complain.

Never thought I’d say this but we deserved to lose this series

 

[Hawkeye]

When you get to bat so many balls in a T20, you better make it count.

Yes, he scored runs. He scored a lot more than others.

But, they were at the end of the day, impactless. Sure, the runs helped make a match out of a very ordinary total.

When he had played more than 50 balls already, his responsibility was to accelerate just a Lil bit towards the end.

He tried, but as I've always said, just doesn't have the ability.

He'll often accumulate and score these 30s or 40s singles/doubles. Might even out score most batters.

But, is that what an opener in 2021 is supposed to do, when you're competing against the top 4 limited overs side?

Questions need to be asked and he should stop wasting an opener's slot who could slog well at the start.

These accumulated runs will haunt us the most at the highest competition level of the T20 World Cup.

 

[Darkrai]

Slow innings, but others need to contribute too.

 

[Abdurmirr]

I do however think he could have ended the innings better just by looking at the scorecard and it is something which he needs to improve upon

 

[Bewal Express]

A really good innings on a wicket that offered bounce and spin.

 

[dildilpak]

Rizwan is the least bit of our worries right now. We have other bigger fishes to fry - Maqsood, Imad Wasim, Shadaab

Plus what was the point of having Hasnain in the game if he wasnt needed to bowl. Couldnt they have gone with an additional batsman? Strange tactics

 

[Bewal Express]

I do however think he could have ended the innings better just by looking at the scorecard and it is something which he needs to improve upon

People that are criticising Rizs innings today know bugger all about cricket

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Your point would have been valid if he got out eventually trying to accelerate.

76 not ouit for a T20 opener cannot be accepted under any circumstances.

You are correct. And I was supporting Rizwan heavily in the other thread up till the 16th over. He needed to hit out at a certain point

 

[ssuhaide]

I think some people would prefer he get 10 off 2 then get out. Pakistan would not be reaching three figures with the pathetic middle order.

If people think Fakhar and Sharjeel would do better they are sadly mistaken.

 

[Abdurmirr]

When you get to bat so many balls in a T20, you better make it count.

Yes, he scored runs. He scored a lot more than others.

But, they were at the end of the day, impactless. Sure, the runs helped make a match out of a very ordinary total.

When he had played more than 50 balls already, his responsibility was to accelerate just a Lil bit towards the end.

He tried, but as I've always said, just doesn't have the ability.

He'll often accumulate and score these 30s or 40s singles/doubles. Might even out score most batters.

But, is that what an opener in 2021 is supposed to do, when you're competing against the top 4 limited overs side?

Questions need to be asked and he should stop wasting an opener's slot who could slog well at the start.

These accumulated runs will haunt us the most at the highest competition level of the T20 World Cup.

Yeah and let’s look at your alternatives

Fakhar Zaman who if who becomes a bunny when he is given zero width to work with. Top teams understand this and he will be squeezed

Sharjeel Khan, the batsmen who couldn’t even perform on the belters of UAE, the batsmen who scored 11 off 18 within the power play against might Islamabad United.

Wayyyy better alternatives than the useless Rizwan

 

[Hawkeye]

The point I wanted to make:

One or two slow innings can easily be excused if one has actual ability to play modern T20 cricket.

He just doesn't.

He's an accumulator and we can't expect him to accelerate when it's required.

So, a slow innings in itself isn't an issue at all.

It's the ability. There are many batters who play slow as per situation or the pitch.

But then when it's required, they can slog equally well. At least take spinners to the cleaners for heaven's sake.

All our main batters in the past had this ability, score fast off the spinners as most can't hit pacers in a 360 degree fashion.

 

[ssuhaide]

Rizwan is the least bit of our worries right now. We have other bigger fishes to fry - Maqsood, Imad Wasim, Shadaab

Plus what was the point of having Hasnain in the game if he wasnt needed to bowl. Couldnt they have gone with an additional batsman? Strange tactics

He would have bowled but don't think either side expected that much spin. Shaheen only bowled 1 over. Which was probably the correct decision.

Hasnain is a real clown in the field though which is worrying given his age.

 

[Bhaijaan]

When you get to bat so many balls in a T20, you better make it count.

Yes, he scored runs. He scored a lot more than others.

But, they were at the end of the day, impactless. Sure, the runs helped make a match out of a very ordinary total.

When he had played more than 50 balls already, his responsibility was to accelerate just a Lil bit towards the end.

He tried, but as I've always said, just doesn't have the ability.

He'll often accumulate and score these 30s or 40s singles/doubles. Might even out score most batters.

But, is that what an opener in 2021 is supposed to do, when you're competing against the top 4 limited overs side?

Questions need to be asked and he should stop wasting an opener's slot who could slog well at the start.

These accumulated runs will haunt us the most at the highest competition level of the T20 World Cup.

This killer mentality is missing in Pakistan cricket today.

Same fans are happy to give Babar Azam clean chit on his impactless streak.

There used to be a time in the 1990s, people were afraid of Pakistani batters right from #1 to #9 and that despite averaging 25-30 and with SR of 60-70 any of them was capable of a 20 ball 40 on a given day and change tge momentum in the game.

That mamba mentality of the 1990s Pakistan team is missing in these kids now with people giving such utterlessly useless knocks clean chits.

Even the fans are too soft now. They have embraced meciocrity and small team status.

 

[Abdurmirr]

People that are criticising Rizs innings today know bugger all about cricket

It’s good to be critical of our players. Rizwan today was easily our best batsmen and has easily been our best batsmen for the last year and a bit. That being said we shouldn’t treat him to leniently and hold him to a high standard.

 

[Hawkeye]

Yeah and let’s look at your alternatives

Fakhar Zaman who if who becomes a bunny when he is given zero width to work with. Top teams understand this and he will be squeezed

Sharjeel Khan, the batsmen who couldn’t even perform on the belters of UAE, the batsmen who scored 11 off 18 within the power play against might Islamabad United.

Wayyyy better alternatives than the useless Rizwan

Both Sharjeel and Fakhar are better openers than Rizwan.

There's no two questions about it.

You want to take chances in 2021 and send out your best two sluggers at the top.

All the top T20 and ODI teams do it.

 

[Titan24]

A decent knock. Not his best in terms of flow in the later half but, considering how poorly other Pak batsmen played spin his innings was what kept Pakistan alive in the match.

He didnt get enough strike for my liking in the last 2-3 overs.

 

[Abdurmirr]

Both Sharjeel and Fakhar are better openers than Rizwan.

There's no two questions about it.

You want to take chances in 2021 and send out your best two sluggers at the top.

All the top T20 and ODI teams do it.

Both Sharjeel and Fakhar were opening in the PSL alongside Rizwan. Please inform we in what way shape or form did they prove themselves as better openers.

 

[Faran96]

I understand your point in most circumstances, but hitting the spinners on this pitch was just too difficult even for the England batsman. If Morgan doesn’t hit those two sixes against Hasan, we might have a different result right now.

 

[adzzy786]

Makes total sense, let’s blame the guy who made the most runs and held a end whilst the others collapsed at the other end

 

[Bewal Express]

It’s good to be critical of our players. Rizwan today was easily our best batsmen and has easily been our best batsmen for the last year and a bit. That being said we shouldn’t treat him to leniently and hold him to a high standard.

Yes when it's deserved. But Not by shouting your mouth off when you have no concept of context. Riz played really well today and any pro will tell you so. And then you have some others telling you otherwise

 

[sweep_shot]

Rizwan did well. Bowlers and other batsmen were sloppy.

 

[Bewal Express]

A decent knock. Not his best in terms of flow in the later half but, considering how poorly other Pak batsmen played spin his innings was what kept Pakistan alive in the match.

He didnt get enough strike for my liking in the last 2-3 overs.

So it's Rizs fault that the other batters couldn't rotate the strike.

 

[Abdurmirr]

This killer mentality is missing in Pakistan cricket today.

Same fans are happy to give Babar Azam clean chit on his impactless streak.

There used to be a time in the 1990s, people were afraid of Pakistani batters right from #1 to #9 and that despite averaging 25-30 and with SR of 60-70 any of them was capable of a 20 ball 40 on a given day and change tge momentum in the game.

That mamba mentality of the 1990s Pakistan team is missing in these kids now with people giving such utterlessly useless knocks clean chits.

Even the fans are too soft now. They have embraced meciocrity and small team status.

I mean we have given many “impact” players in the form of Asif, Danish, Khushdhil, Iftikhar, Talat and finally Maqsood to reignite our old “mamba” mentality and see for yourself how that’s gone.

Also our best friends performances in T20s of late (chasing 205 vs SA and scoring 230 vs Eng) were on the back of Babar and Rizwan’s opening partnership. But I guess it’s them ruining everything and not our useless middle order

 

[Faran96]

The point I wanted to make:

One or two slow innings can easily be excused if one has actual ability to play modern T20 cricket.

He just doesn't.

He's an accumulator and we can't expect him to accelerate when it's required.

So, a slow innings in itself isn't an issue at all.

It's the ability. There are many batters who play slow as per situation or the pitch.

But then when it's required, they can slog equally well. At least take spinners to the cleaners for heaven's sake.

All our main batters in the past had this ability, score fast off the spinners as most can't hit pacers in a 360 degree fashion.

I understand your point in most circumstances, but hitting the spinners on this pitch was just too difficult even for the England batsman. If Morgan doesn’t hit those two sixes against Hasan, we might have a different result right now.

 

[Titan24]

So it's Rizs fault that the other batters couldn't rotate the strike.

Not at all. It was unfortunate as it was one of those days where a set batsmen struggled to get more strike at the end. Cant blame anyone here.

 

[Bhaijaan]

You are correct. And I was supporting Rizwan heavily in the other thread up till the 16th over. He needed to hit out at a certain point

Yup.

I believe any Top 3 batsman playing for a major team these days should be expected to turn things around significantly in the death overs provided a platform like Rizwan had today.

If they fail to turn a 40 ball 50 into a 60 ball 90+, they are not a top tier T20 batsmen. Simple as that.

Of course, there are days ANYONE can struggle to do the above. Classic example being Yuvraj in 2014 T20 WC final vs Sri Lanka. Despite being among the cleanest and most gifted strikers ever in white ball cricket, he just could not connect to the ball that day if his life depended on it. He faced consequences though, Indian Cricket never had the same trust in him moving further and he was not given many opportunities ever since. It's the mentality. A team that has the ambition to be top team cannot let something like this go by.

Babar and Rizwan need to be more explosive.

Both have worked very hard already to reach where they are right now, but the bar keeps getting higher. Applause doesn;t come easy. Yes there are lullo panju ******* out there who give away appreciation too easily but the realest fans are demanding.

 

[srh]

Highest scorer for Pakistan today with 5x4s, 3x6s and a strike rate of 133.33 - but the question needs to be asked is if the innings was too slow, selfish, or exactly what team needed and that helped Pakistan to get a respectable total?






Some other stats to ponder upon:

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/goy30r" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Most runs in T20Is in 2021:<br><br>706 Mohammad Rizwan (13 innings)<br>472 Babar Azam (13 innings)<br>343 Evin Lewis (11 innings)<br>331 Aiden Markram (8 innings)<br>324 Aaron Finch (10 innings)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1417563769824325636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mohammad Rizwan has become the 8th Pakistani batsman to reach the milestone of 1000 runs in T20Is:<br><br>1019 runs<br>Innings 31<br>Not outs 10<br>Average of 48.52<br>Strike-rate of 129.15<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1417565298136424455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Pakistan missed Sharjeel Khan today as opener. Need at least 1 aggressive batsman as an opener to score more runs.

 

[Raja Ishtiaq]

Rizwan did his job. Other players need to start contributing

 

[Bewal Express]

Pakistan missed Sharjeel Khan today as opener. Need at least 1 aggressive batsman as an opener to score more runs.

No they didn't. Stop this nonsense of eulogusing guys not In the team as if they are Viv Richards or Don Bradman. Babar and Riz got us off to another good start on a spinning wicket. They have batted well in all 3 matches and this nonsense spouted about some fat guy being our saviour is rubbish. The problem lies with the lack of quality on the middle order
.

 

[srh]

No they didn't. Stop this nonsense of eulogusing guys not In the team as if they are Viv Richards or Don Bradman. Babar and Riz got us off to another good start on a spinning wicket. They have batted well in all 3 matches and this nonsense spouted about some fat guy being our saviour is rubbish. The problem lies with the lack of quality on the middle order
.

This post is typical example of lullo panju fans [MENTION=65183]freelance_cricketer[/MENTION] was taking about How can you get better if you are happy with your current performance even though you lost?

 

[Firebat]

This post is typical example of lullo panju fans [MENTION=65183]freelance_cricketer[/MENTION] was taking about How can you get better if you are happy with your current performance even though you lost?

How is he happy with the current performance?

The problem lies with the lack of quality in the middle order

He literally said there is a problem in the post, so he's clearly not happy with the performance. You just don't agree with where the problem is. Nobody is happy with losing 5-1.

 

[PakPremi]

Anyone watched the match and understands the game, it was Rizwan who was doing all the hitting at the top, and when Babar, Maqsood, Hafeez got out quickly without contributing much, he had to drop anchor to be the mainstay of the inning. And when the slog overs happened selfish hogging of the strike by Hasan Ali prevented Rizwan hitting out, with Hasan apart from one six ending up wasting all other bowls for few streaky runs. . Those who are comparing his inning with Roy need to understand Roy is a hard hitting batsman who not only is better striker of the ball than Rizwan but also can afford to play risky shots as England team has good batsmen all the way to 7. Having said that Rizwan is still Pakistan most consistent opener who bats at good strike rate for a Pakistani batsman, and his scoring average past couple years is as good as it gets in T20.

 

[Bewal Express]

This post is typical example of lullo panju fans [MENTION=65183]freelance_cricketer[/MENTION] was taking about How can you get better if you are happy with your current performance even though you lost?

So your answer for our problems is to solve a problem that doesn't exist ie replacing openers that are playing well and scoring well with a useless match fixer. Thanks my learned friend, I just wish I knew aa much about cricket as you with your advocation of a guy like Sharjeel

 

[srh]

Anyone watched the match and understands the game, it was Rizwan who was doing all the hitting at the top, and when Babar, Maqsood, Hafeez got out quickly without contributing much, he had to drop anchor to be the mainstay of the inning. And when the slog overs happened selfish hogging of the strike by Hasan Ali prevented Rizwan hitting out, with Hasan apart from one six ending up wasting all other bowls for few streaky runs. . Those who are comparing his inning with Roy need to understand Roy is a hard hitting batsman who not only is better striker of the ball than Rizwan but also can afford to play risky shots as England team has good batsmen all the way to 7. Having said that Rizwan is still Pakistan most consistent opener who bats at good strike rate for a Pakistani batsman, and his scoring average past couple years is as good as it gets in T20.

Why is Pakistan not playing a hard hitting batsman as an opener? Thats the main problem

 

[Bewal Express]

How is he happy with the current performance?


He literally said there is a problem in the post, so he's clearly not happy with the performance. You just don't agree with where the problem is. Nobody is happy with losing 5-1.

Our Middle order has no quality, we have an old guy that has failed under pressure for a decade, we have a guy in Maqsood who wants to hit but lacks the quality and the FZ, who is more miss than hit. The problem is that we can all see the problem but there isn't a solution except some rubbish about bring back Malik etc.

 

[Farabi]

Anyone watched the match and understands the game, it was Rizwan who was doing all the hitting at the top, and when Babar, Maqsood, Hafeez got out quickly without contributing much, he had to drop anchor to be the mainstay of the inning. And when the slog overs happened selfish hogging of the strike by Hasan Ali prevented Rizwan hitting out, with Hasan apart from one six ending up wasting all other bowls for few streaky runs. . Those who are comparing his inning with Roy need to understand Roy is a hard hitting batsman who not only is better striker of the ball than Rizwan but also can afford to play risky shots as England team has good batsmen all the way to 7. Having said that Rizwan is still Pakistan most consistent opener who bats at good strike rate for a Pakistani batsman, and his scoring average past couple years is as good as it gets in T20.

By far the only sensible post on this topic today. Rizwan started more aggressively but had to drop anchor because the middle order collapsed yet again. I also felt, like you, that Hassan Ali should have given strike back to Rizwan. I think Rizwan got only 3 balls to face in last few overs.

-Pakistan was clearly 1 batsman short. I couldn't believe Shadab came in after 3 wickets?? He is not a batsman. How stubborn are Misbah and Babar.
-only 1 over bowled between Shaheen and Hasnain, yet Pakistan bowled well overall. Could have slotted in one more batsman.

 

[Bewal Express]

Why is Pakistan not playing a hard hitting batsman as an opener? Thats the main problem

And you think that Sharjeel is the man.

 

[srh]

How is he happy with the current performance?


He literally said there is a problem in the post, so he's clearly not happy with the performance. You just don't agree with where the problem is. Nobody is happy with losing 5-1.

So your answer for our problems is to solve a problem that doesn't exist ie replacing openers that are playing well and scoring well with a useless match fixer. Thanks my learned friend, I just wish I knew aa much about cricket as you with your advocation of a guy like Sharjeel

The main problem is Pakistan is not playing a single hard hitting batsman as an opener.

The problem with middle order is linked with the main problem as the accumulator batsmen who should be playing in middle order are playing as opener and the hard hitting batsman who should be playing as opener are either out of team or playing in middle order. It is a domino effect.

 

[Bewal Express]

By far the only sensible post on this topic today. Rizwan started more aggressively but had to drop anchor because the middle order collapsed yet again. I also felt, like you, that Hassan Ali should have given strike back to Rizwan. I think Rizwan got only 3 balls to face in last few overs.

-Pakistan was clearly 1 batsman short. I couldn't believe Shadab came in after 3 wickets?? He is not a batsman. How stubborn are Misbah and Babar.
-only 1 over bowled between Shaheen and Hasnain, yet Pakistan bowled well overall. Could have slotted in one more batsman.

They weren't to know that SSA and Hasnain were only going to bowl one over. Please give your crystal ball to Babar before the match

 

[Firebat]

The main problem is Pakistan is not playing a single hard hitting batsman as an opener.

The problem with middle order is linked with the main problem as the accumulator batsmen who should be playing in middle order are playing as opener and the hard hitting batsman who should be playing as opener are either out of team or playing in middle order. It is a domino effect.

I assume you're referencing this guy?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fakhar Zaman last 25 T20I innings:<br><br>Runs 336<br>Average 14<br>Fifties 1<br>Scores of ten or less 12<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1416796537376722954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
For context, 17 games of that 25 was at opener, 5 games at #3 and 3 games in the middle order.

 

[Bewal Express]

The main problem is Pakistan is not playing a single hard hitting batsman as an opener.

The problem with middle order is linked with the main problem as the accumulator batsmen who should be playing in middle order are playing as opener and the hard hitting batsman who should be playing as opener are either out of team or playing in middle order. It is a domino effect.

The job of the openers is not to just slog but also give solid starts. What good is it to the team if are 25 for 2 every time. I dont remember Sharjeel taking many attacks apart, no doubt he will have the odd day but if you put Hasan Ali at the top, he too will have a good day. Our problem is not our openers, they are actually our strength. We need to find a middle order that offers something, something like runs now and then.

 

[TeymurBlake]

IMO I thought the innings was pretty good. He didn't get much support on the other end tbf and other batters should have taken the initiative and attacked more. Sure he could have attacked more, but near the end he didn't get enough strike for my liking.

But Babar, Maqsood, Hafeez, Fakhar, Shadab, Imad should all batted better. Some of these players are considered solid players of spinners, yet made Livingstone and Moeen Ali look world class, Adil Rashid was solid and took wickets when it mattered, but the batters were just awful and I can't help but think how bad these players.

Hard to blame Riz in my opinion as he kept the innings ticking along and batted well.

 

[Farabi]

They weren't to know that SSA and Hasnain were only going to bowl one over. Please give your crystal ball to Babar before the match

Did you need a crystal ball to know that Pakistan's struggle with the middle order in the past 1-2 years?
How can you further reduce the Middle order by dropping Azam Khan and playing Qadir.

 

[Bewal Express]

I assume you're referencing this guy?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fakhar Zaman last 25 T20I innings:<br><br>Runs 336<br>Average 14<br>Fifties 1<br>Scores of ten or less 12<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1416796537376722954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
For context, 17 games of that 25 was at opener, 5 games at #3 and 3 games in the middle order.

Dont give stats that show up the ignorance of posters. Our openers aren't perfect but at this point in time they are our strength with good starts at decent strike rates.

 

[Bewal Express]

Did you need a crystal ball to know that Pakistan's struggle with the middle order in the past 1-2 years?
How can you further reduce the Middle order by dropping Azam Khan and playing Qadir.

And what difference would have Azam made today. You can play 7 middle order batsman and they will still be useless. Quantity doesn't equate to quality. If I didn't fear that the inclusion of Safaraz would mess with Rizs role, he would offer more than the dross that we have atm.

 

[Raja Ishtiaq]

Really funny seeing people act like Sharjeel is Sehwag or someone that we really need in this team

Average/below par batsmen. Nothing special

Azam and Rizwan pairing is fine

 

[Savak]

They weren't to know that SSA and Hasnain were only going to bowl one over. Please give your crystal ball to Babar before the match

Tbh Nawaz should have played in place of Hasnain

 

[Bewal Express]

Tbh Nawaz should have played in place of Hasnain

Maybe but if Hasnain got dropped after one poor game and the English seamers did the damage then you would people saying how does that make sense. For Qadir was poor and Nawaz should replace him in the UAE

 

[ataullah]

A mediocre T20 opener being exposed for what his true ceiling is.

Look at how Jason Roy bossed the game as a Proper T20 opener!

What about buttler and babar?

 

[Rana]

What about buttler and babar?

They will still be world class

 

[Farabi]

And what difference would have Azam made today. You can play 7 middle order batsman and they will still be useless. Quantity doesn't equate to quality. If I didn't fear that the inclusion of Safaraz would mess with Rizs role, he would offer more than the dross that we have atm.

I think we are arguing for the sake of arguing. Pakistan has been struggling with the Middle order batting prior to this game, which means you cant further reduce the batting.
This doesn't necessarily mean play Azam Khan. But if you are dropping Azam Khan, then should have been replaced by another full batsman.

You can play 7 middle order batsman and they will still be useless. Quantity doesn't equate to quality.

Then don't even play 1, lets not even talk strategy or cricket.

 

[Farabi]

Also they could have picked Azam khan. Even quick 15-20 runs could have been vital here. Clearly they didnt need 6 full bowlers with Hafeez in the side.

 

[PakPremi]

And what difference would have Azam made today. You can play 7 middle order batsman and they will still be useless. Quantity doesn't equate to quality. If I didn't fear that the inclusion of Safaraz would mess with Rizs role, he would offer more than the dross that we have atm.

I agree you on Sarfraz in middle order as long he can prevent bad influence in the team, but perhaps in ODIs and not T20s. We need a Livingstone type player at 5 or 6.

 

[bantu]

Another 10 l-15 runs to his total and he would have avoided any kind of criticism..

 

[Bewal Express]

I agree you on Sarfraz in middle order as long he can prevent bad influence in the team, but perhaps in ODIs and not T20s. We need a Livingstone type player at 5 or 6.

For me it's not his influence on the team that worries, i have never felt he gave anything less than a 100%, its the effect on Rizs role as WK/bat that would worry me.

 

[Bewal Express]

Another 10 l-15 runs to his total and he would have avoided any kind of criticism..

The lines between succes and failure are very fine

 

[testtest]

Both Sharjeel and Fakhar are better openers than Rizwan.

There’s no two questions about it.

You want to take chances in 2021 and send out your best two sluggers at the top.

All the top T20 and ODI teams do it.

The same Sharjeel and Fakhar with lower SRs than Babar and Rizwan in T20 powerplays?

Babar PP SR 126
Rizwan PP SR 123
Fakhar PP SR 122
Sharjeel PP SR 119

(Numbers from all T20s since 2019)

Stop rating players on past glories. Sharjeel is finished. He is now a slow starter and very prone to being dismissed early, especially by left-arm pace. He is essentially a spin basher now. Fakhar has repeatedly failed to be an aggressor in T20s up top. He’s not cut out for it.

And Rizwan faced only 7 balls (out of 24) in the death overs today (17-20) where he made 10 runs. He should have faced more but don’t kid yourself by saying he can’t hit. His strike rate in the death overs of T20Is is 175. Once again, you’re confusing this with the hitting problems he faced earlier in his career. He can’t hit from the start but he is very much capable of doing it once set. He may not be Kohli or AB level at death-hitting (SR 200 or more) but he is more than decent by Pakistani standards. He did well previously vs. NZ and SA.

Rizwan’s SR problems are more to do with spin than anything. He struggles to score fast against spinners who turn the ball away from him.

In an ideal world, Pakistan would have more aggressive openers. But they don’t. Best make use of what you have.

 

[Bewal Express]

I think we are arguing for the sake of arguing. Pakistan has been struggling with the Middle order batting prior to this game, which means you cant further reduce the batting.
This doesn't necessarily mean play Azam Khan. But if you are dropping Azam Khan, then should have been replaced by another full batsman.



Then don't even play 1, lets not even talk strategy or cricket.

And you know why? We don't have any. You can't wish into existence decent players. And when they come it will be because of luck and not any great planning.

 

[Captain]

Both Sharjeel and Fakhar are better openers than Rizwan.

There's no two questions about it.

You want to take chances in 2021 and send out your best two sluggers at the top.

All the top T20 and ODI teams do it.

None of the top T20 sides would send hacks out to open the innings... You do not have a clue what you are talking about.

 

[Kroll]

Very good innings for the conditions and under the circumstances. But sure, if he's carrying the bat, the SR should ideally be 150+.

 

[shamaan]

Very good Innings put a respectful total on the board unfortunately the middle order couldn't fire

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Some people do not realize that if it wasn't for Rizwan we wouldn't even have scored 130 today the way the rest collapsed on this pitch.

Rizwan is the only one that shows game awareness and bats according to the situation. He knew if he kept slogging the rest would have faltered.

 

[Farabi]

And you know why? We don't have any. You can't wish into existence decent players. And when they come it will be because of luck and not any great planning.

I agree that there’s is lack of quality in options. But the problem was worsened by team 11.
They could have given Azam another game. He was dropped on just 1 last game (first game there weren’t enough balls). Tad bit harsh this.
-either don’t pick Sarfaraz as MO option or play him. He’s got a decent record in Eng
-Imad should have come ahead or Shadab.
-Mohammad Wasim Jnr can swing

If they were desperate to drop Azam, they could have even seriously considered slotting in Sharjeel somehow (1 down?). He’s not the 2017 level but he’s done well against spin specially legspin

 

[SaadAliG]

Pakistan have made a game of it because of his innings. Without his 70 odd runs Pakistan are not getting even close to 100 runs.

These sort of points are moot as we lost only 4 wickets. The team wouldn't have declared the innings if Riz was out early.

 

[pratiktc]

Rizwan's innings last 20% was a bad dropoff.
It is something for him to work on.

Still think there is higher chance of Rizwan improving his late end hitting rather than Sharjeel/Fakhar succeeding against quality bowlers up top. So feel he should still open.

 

[MesonK]

blind haters will say anything

Rizwan is the best thing to happen to Pakistan cricket ever since Babar Azam's debut

 

[MesonK]

Really funny seeing people act like Sharjeel is Sehwag or someone that we really need in this team

Average/below par batsmen. Nothing special

Azam and Rizwan pairing is fine

Sharjeel is another one of Media hyped up hack. He belongs to the same basket of TTF eggs that is hosting Sarfaraz, Haider Ali, Azam Khan, Sohaib Maqsood.