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Note to Mickey Arthur, Babar Azam and Inzamam-ul-Haq: There is still time to rethink the World Cup squad!

Nothing will change unless we are humiliated this world cup.

The two biggest culprits Babar and Rizwan need to go ASAP with Rizwan being removed for Sarfraz and Babar being stripped of captaincy.

Honestly for the sake of Pakistan cricket I really hope we don't fluke another semi like the last two world cups
 
Major said:
Babar is not going to be removed as captain. The same rona would be used that oh its near the world cup, we can remove him as captain afterwards. If you dont take a bold decision of removing Babar as captain now, than wait 4 years more for a world cup.

Than there is the Shadab dilemma. He aswell wont be dropped for similar reasons and will play in Indiia scott free.

Point is, we have seen this before and know how it goes. Nothing is gonna happen
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Exactly!!! If we manage fluke few wins then PCB will keep same team terming them as potential to be no.1
 
CerebralPatriot said:
Nothing will change unless we are humiliated this world cup.

The two biggest culprits Babar and Rizwan need to go ASAP with Rizwan being removed for Sarfraz and Babar being stripped of captaincy.

Honestly for the sake of Pakistan cricket I really hope we don't fluke another semi like the last two world cups
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Sarfraz? This guy is finished as well. I prefer Nasim Shah as a better choice
 
CricLegend said:
You can’t pick new players for a World Cup who have not been playing recently. Maybe 1 rookie at most but not 5 rookies.

I like Saim as he is a natural stroke maker and has been in good form in CPL recently. I hope selectors take a gamble on him.

Saim Ayub
Imam
Babar
Saud
Rizwan (c)
Ifti
Imad
Shaheen
Naseem
Rauf
Abrar

reserves
M Harris
Salman
Amir
Zaman

Fakhar, Shadab and nawaz have been poor lately so they need to be dropped
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I dont think you can get 10 overs out of imad.
 
MenInG said:
Nothing is set in stone.

No official announcement made yet so there is time to rethink our strategy and choose a different squad for the World Cup instead of limiting ourselves to all the players in the Asia Cup squad.
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I see the fans have panicked as well. It's very Pakistani of us to just push the button and pick a new squad for the World Cup.

Which makes me wonder what is even the point of preparations and sticking with a squad for a year or two before the world cup?

I also wonder who are the players outside the current pool of player who will suddenly make the team better in the World Cup?
 
CerebralPatriot said:
Nothing will change unless we are humiliated this world cup.

The two biggest culprits Babar and Rizwan need to go ASAP with Rizwan being removed for Sarfraz and Babar being stripped of captaincy.

Honestly for the sake of Pakistan cricket I really hope we don't fluke another semi like the last two world cups
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Sarfraz is finished he is not coming back
Keep crying
 
A little more than 10 days to go for the warm-up games, what changes can any team possibly do here?
 
heddie19 said:
He shouldn't be removed as a captain pre WC anyway. We don't have decent replacement and thankfully it is not 90s
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Plz coem out of the fan bandwagon. If you want to win a wc than remove him as captain.

I can gurantee u that pakistan wont win a world cup under him
 
with the current setup and mindset - you are not winning the World Cup for sure. You may not win a non minnow match either.

Accept it, swallow your pride and put a team out there with a mindset you want to take forward. Take a leaf out of England’s playbook and how they dealt with the 2015 WC
 
T
TheSultan said:
with the current setup and mindset - you are not winning the World Cup for sure. You may not win a non minnow match either.

Accept it, swallow your pride and put a team out there with a mindset you want to take forward. Take a leaf out of England’s playbook and how they dealt with the 2015 WC
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This is why we call this Pakistan team " The unpredictable". We never know when it is their day and they win anything out of the blue moon. Remembring the champions trophy.
 
MenInG said:
Nothing is set in stone.

No official announcement made yet so there is time to rethink our strategy and choose a different squad for the World Cup instead of limiting ourselves to all the players in the Asia Cup squad.
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I think need to bring in the experience Imad Wasim and Hassan Ali need to be recalled, they have played major ICC ODI tournaments and have experience handling crucial situations, and handy with bats too down the order. We lack experience in bowling.
 
owais1996 said:
I think need to bring in the experience Imad Wasim and Hassan Ali need to be recalled, they have played major ICC ODI tournaments and have experience handling crucial situations, and handy with bats too down the order. We lack experience in bowling.
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Exactly what I was thinking waseem/dahani/Zaman have no experience and not even consistent enough to bowl 10 overs. I would have selected ihsanullah but he's unfit. Best option is hassan ali/hasnain
 
I feel Shan Masood will be selected based on his county form and to be honest I think it would be a good move.
 
Rana said:
Look at the players SENA are taking and look at Pakistan’s

We have a batting line up paying tribute to the 1992 World Cup
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Maybe so but we ain't blessed with many great batsman on the domestic scene so got to make the best of the resources we have.
 
With Fakhar so badly out of form you cannot ignore Saim Ayub, at least to be in the squad. You need someone who can be aggressive in the powerplay and give us some fast starts.

The likes of Abdullah, Imam, Babar, Saud, Rizwan are all going to bat a similar way - you need players like Saim, Iftikhar, Haris that can add another dimension.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Imam OUT Ayub IN

Rizwan OUT Haris IN

Agha OUT Sohail IN

Nawaz OUT Abrar IN

Faheem OUT Jamal IN


Saim Ayub (ATTACK)
Abdullah Shafique (ACCUMULATE)
Babar Azam (ACCUMULATE)
Haris Sohail (ATTACK)
Fakhar Zaman (ATTACK)
Ifthikar Ahmed (ATTACK)
Mohammad Haris (wk) (ATTACK)
Shaheen Afridi (10 OVERS UPFRONT)
Naseem Shah (7 OVER 1st SPELL)
Haris Rauf (PIPY)
Abrar Ahmed. (PROPER SPINNER)
Click to expand...
Who's going to be the 5th bowler ?
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Imam OUT Ayub IN

Rizwan OUT Haris IN

Agha OUT Sohail IN

Nawaz OUT Abrar IN

Faheem OUT Jamal IN


Saim Ayub (ATTACK)
Abdullah Shafique (ACCUMULATE)
Babar Azam (ACCUMULATE)
Haris Sohail (ATTACK)
Fakhar Zaman (ATTACK)
Ifthikar Ahmed (ATTACK)
Mohammad Haris (wk) (ATTACK)
Shaheen Afridi (10 OVERS UPFRONT)
Naseem Shah (7 OVER 1st SPELL)
Haris Rauf (PIPY)
Abrar Ahmed. (PROPER SPINNER)
Click to expand...

There are no words. Just lol.

Man laid out an entire strategy without a fifth bowler using an entire XI. Beta this isn’t stick cricket
 
CerebralPatriot said:
Nothing will change unless we are humiliated this world cup.
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The amount of times i've heard this is ridiculous.

It's a shame some fans think we're world beaters if it was not for this or that.

Please snap back to reality. We are a mediocre cricketing nation. If it was not for a few players we would be Bangladesh level.
 
I hope Haris sohail is fit and selected somehow. Pakistan is the only team that has not announced its squad.
 
ideally the lineup should be
Imam
Abdullah/saim
babar
haris sohail/saud shakeel
rizwan
iftikhar
imad
shadab/nawaz/zaman
naseem
shaheen
rauf
 
Personally I think this is the time to make a strategic “principled” stance on not going to the tournament to reciprocate the BCCI not wanting to travel to Pakistan.

Pull out of the World Cup, there’s no way we’re winning a single non minnow match
 
Surprised to see so few of the posters here realize that the our main missing link in the bowling during the Asia Cup was a PROPER spinner who can take wickets, regardless of the amount of runs given or whether he can bat or not.

They need to drop Fakhar, Shadab for good, their performance in the Asia Cup was awful and we cannot carry two passengers in our team. Abrar and Saud should be starting most of the matches.

My Team would be:

1. Shafique/Haris (backup opener+wk)
2. Imam
3. Babar (c)
4. Rizwan (wk)
5. Saud
6. Iftikhar
7. Nawaz/Agha (backup railu katta)
8. Abrar/Usama (backup spinner)
9. Shaheen
10. Rauf
11. Zaman/Wasim (backup fast bowler)
 
Abrar ahmad took 6 wickets in the last game, for this weeks game he has not been selected by his first class team.

Could this mean he will get selected for the world cup?
 
I can imagine a lot of push and pull happening in the background.

Let's see what the outcome will be
 
There are rumors that Shadab will not be the part of the squad that for me will be a bad call at this moment. He may not be in good enough bowling form to be in the playing XI but he should be a part of the squad.
 
hassan918 said:
There are rumors that Shadab will not be the part of the squad that for me will be a bad call at this moment. He may not be in good enough bowling form to be in the playing XI but he should be a part of the squad.
Click to expand...

Tough decisions need to be taken.
 
hassan918 said:
There are rumors that Shadab will not be the part of the squad that for me will be a bad call at this moment. He may not be in good enough bowling form to be in the playing XI but he should be a part of the squad.
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It's time to be ruthless. He has been chasing the money in the T20/100 leagues and his bowing has regressed. He should have played first class cricket instead. If he wants to be a T20 specialist, pick him for the T20 games not ODI's. He has not got the skill and variation to bowl 10 overs in high pressure games.
 
It will be a tough call for Pakistan. You don't want to carry baggage for a big tournament but then how many senior players can you drop?

Fakhar has been out of form and majority here seem to be in favour for him to be gone but if there is anyone who can change fortunes of Pakistan performance early on then it is only him I believe. No on in our team plays with such attacking mindset with free will. One big early knock from him can really set the tone for the whole team. I would play him in first 4-5 games of world cup, should be do and die for him in this format.

Dropping Shadab would have been easier if he wasn't VC, his performance of late has been terrible, but he does chip in with the bat. We do want a much better spinner but can we rely on a long tail to score? Imad Wasim would be his ideal replacement as he bats well, but I don't count much on his bowling either, can't be worse than Shadab.

Mohammed Nawaz also has been a huge disappointment as an spinner on Asian pitches and even as an allrounder. Asian pitches are a good place where you can actually make your mark as a spinner and he keeps struggling with few odd performances, and always just terrible with the bat! I would take the gamble and drop both Shadab and Nawaz and play Imad and Abrar instead.

And Shaheen should be made VC, he obviously has the xfactor to make the mark and with extra responsibility Shaheen will only get better. Lahore won it's first title under him, be it a different format but he has the leading role exposure.
 
I think Shadab will lose the vice captaincy before or after the world cup but he will still make the squad.
 
PakHammer said:
It's time to be ruthless. He has been chasing the money in the T20/100 leagues and his bowing has regressed. He should have played first class cricket instead. If he wants to be a T20 specialist, pick him for the T20 games not ODI's. He has not got the skill and variation to bowl 10 overs in high pressure games.
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I do agree that Shadab hasn't been bowling well at the moment. However, he should definitely be in the playing XI. He's an inspiring player that makes things happen. Lifts the team when it's needed. Even in the last game he got a breakthrough with the run out and then the catch off his own bowling. It's not his fault that we don't have a primary spinner bowling from the other end that can keep up the pressure. As for bowling 10 overs, he literally pleaded to bowl his full quota last time with Babar and Rizwan
 
daytrader said:
I do agree that Shadab hasn't been bowling well at the moment. However, he should definitely be in the playing XI. He's an inspiring player that makes things happen. Lifts the team when it's needed. Even in the last game he got a breakthrough with the run out and then the catch off his own bowling. It's not his fault that we don't have a primary spinner bowling from the other end that can keep up the pressure. As for bowling 10 overs, he literally pleaded to bowl his full quota last time with Babar and Rizwan
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I do understand what you say with his energy in the field but his primary job is our front line spinner and he is failing badly. He was a breath of fresh air when he first broke through to the side but he has not worked on his bowling enough so other teams have worked him out.

Also when his bowling is out of form, his batting suffers too. You could use him as a substitute fielder but in a 15 man squad that cannot be justified. Abrar/Mir or Imad need to take his place in the starting 11 for sure.
 
PakHammer said:
I do understand what you say with his energy in the field but his primary job is our front line spinner and he is failing badly. He was a breath of fresh air when he first broke through to the side but he has not worked on his bowling enough so other teams have worked him out.

Also when his bowling is out of form, his batting suffers too. You could use him as a substitute fielder but in a 15 man squad that cannot be justified. Abrar/Mir or Imad need to take his place in the starting 11 for sure.
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I think the primary spinner tag is just a bucket we fans have dumped him in to. He gets hit because he's expected to take wickets, that's the role given to him. He tries to make things happen with too many variations and ends up getting hit. On most days he's good enough to comeback and get that wicket. He'd be a lot better if we had a higher calibre spinner bowling along with him.
 
daytrader said:
I do agree that Shadab hasn't been bowling well at the moment. However, he should definitely be in the playing XI. He's an inspiring player that makes things happen. Lifts the team when it's needed. Even in the last game he got a breakthrough with the run out and then the catch off his own bowling. It's not his fault that we don't have a primary spinner bowling from the other end that can keep up the pressure. As for bowling 10 overs, he literally pleaded to bowl his full quota last time with Babar and Rizwan
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Are you saying he plays as a specialist fielder?

Because if we’re gonna forgive him for his pathetic bowling, then his batting is even more woeful. He doesn’t make the team either on bowling or batting.

A very mediocre bits and pieces player, unfortunately has escaped all the criticism of his actual skills because of his antics in the field. And a “good guy” image.
 
Rana said:
Just like in Karachi 2022? The greatest comeback in Test cricket history.
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Sarfraz is in the hall of fame of Pakistan cricket. People may like it or hate it. He’s easily in the top five most best players in the 21st century for Pakistan.
 
We cannot discard players that have been invested in for years right before the time when we need them to pay back that trust.

Fakhar cannot be dropped from the squad because unlike England, we don't have a Harry Brook waiting in the wings, and because he can slay teams singlehandedly once he does get his form and confidence back.

Also, a 15-player squad for such an intense world cup is too few. A 17-man squad would ensure we don't see a bunch of fast bowlers getting injured during the tournament.

Most of the squad seems to be decided already. The players that the selectors will discuss are:

- Fakhar Zaman
- Mohammad Amir
- Naseem Shah (specifically his fitness)
- Usama Mir
- Mohammad Wasim
- Imad Wasim
- Shahnawaz Dahani
- Zaman Khan
- Abdullah Shafique
- Salman Ali Agha
- Mohammad Haris
 
PakHammer said:
It's time to be ruthless. He has been chasing the money in the T20/100 leagues and his bowing has regressed. He should have played first class cricket instead. If he wants to be a T20 specialist, pick him for the T20 games not ODI's. He has not got the skill and variation to bowl 10 overs in high pressure games.
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Most of our top players are playing too much franchise cricket all over the world and PCB should really look into this and make sure that their main players shouldn't play that much cricket which effects their performance for the national team.
 
While talking to media about Sarfraz and Imad, Inzamam ul Haq said:

"I do have powers to select players but I cannot close doors on any player; Selection is open for all players, for Sarfaraz and Imad Wasim as well; Imad has not played ODI cricket for a very long time; Anyone who needs to play for Pakistan has to perform in domestic cricket; Let me make this clear that performances in Pakistan's domestic cricket will be counted and will be the main criteria because we want players to play in our domestic cricket which will improve our cricket"
 
From a news report:

“It was important to review the Asia Cup performance,”

“Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq have been advising me on essential matters."

“Both former captains wanted big changes in the squad because of the team’s Asia Cup performance while our captain, Babar Azam, and the chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq, didn’t want to change the squad.

“We went with the advise of Babar Azam and Inzamam-ul-Haq in the wider interest of the World Cup and the Pakistan cricket team.”

“It was Babar’s wish that Shadab remains the vice-captain during the World Cup,”

“However, if he doesn’t perform, he will be dropped.”
 
MenInG said:
From a news report:

“It was important to review the Asia Cup performance,”

“Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq have been advising me on essential matters."

“Both former captains wanted big changes in the squad because of the team’s Asia Cup performance while our captain, Babar Azam, and the chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq, didn’t want to change the squad.

“We went with the advise of Babar Azam and Inzamam-ul-Haq in the wider interest of the World Cup and the Pakistan cricket team.”

“It was Babar’s wish that Shadab remains the vice-captain during the World Cup,”

“However, if he doesn’t perform, he will be dropped.”
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Zaka obviously has no guts
 
MenInG said:
From a news report:

“It was important to review the Asia Cup performance,”

“Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq have been advising me on essential matters."

“Both former captains wanted big changes in the squad because of the team’s Asia Cup performance while our captain, Babar Azam, and the chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq, didn’t want to change the squad.

“We went with the advise of Babar Azam and Inzamam-ul-Haq in the wider interest of the World Cup and the Pakistan cricket team.”

“It was Babar’s wish that Shadab remains the vice-captain during the World Cup,”

“However, if he doesn’t perform, he will be dropped.”
Click to expand...
respect for Babar. He kept shadab as vice captain and that was good. If Shadab was not gonna be dropped there was no need to ruin the team culture.
 
Major said:
respect for Babar. He kept shadab as vice captain and that was good. If Shadab was not gonna be dropped there was no need to ruin the team culture.
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that is the only concern that why he kept shadab as VC? its ok that u want to give him a chance to get his form back but why its so neccessary to keep him as a VC?
 
Overall it's the expected squad.

No surprises really.

My biggest concern though is the bench strength and their lack of chances recently - Saud, Wasim jr, Usama Mir, Shafique:

Saud Shakeel 6 ODIs
Abdullah Shafique 4 ODIs
Usama Mir 8 ODIs
Mohammad Wasim jr 16 ODIs
 
Last edited:
Before WC: Thanks for your concerns, duly noted, next.
After WC: Well (pause) well (pause) well we put the best team out due to our injured pacers, now is not the time, WC T20 is coming, hush and let's all focus on it.
 
Major said:
respect for Babar. He kept shadab as vice captain and that was good. If Shadab was not gonna be dropped there was no need to ruin the team culture.
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What is “team culture” exactly? Is that the dog-whistle term to describe only selecting fellow “mundey” from the same region.
 
ArabKnight said:
What is “team culture” exactly? Is that the dog-whistle term to describe only selecting fellow “mundey” from the same region.
Click to expand...
Cohesion or chemistry. The reason why the All Blacks or New England Patriots were so dominant for many years in their respective sports.

The fact that our Pakistani mentality fails to acknowledge these aspects of the sport is why we're still crawling into the 21st century.
 
FastBowlingAllrounder said:
Cohesion or chemistry. The reason why the All Blacks or New England Patriots were so dominant for many years in their respective sports.

The fact that our Pakistani mentality fails to acknowledge these aspects of the sport is why we're still crawling into the 21st century.
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“Team culture” is an entirely different term in corrupt Pakistan. It means selecting your “doston yaarian” from your “pind”. It doesn’t mean selecting someone who is capable of contributing as a team player & performing good. It actually means someone who you like to kick back with and eat paaye & chanay with.
 
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