Only Azhar Ali and Yasir Shah are good enough in this line up

[GLORY OF '92]

Other 9 are passengers. Haris Sohail has potential and Hasan Ali should be back but we need at least 5 changes to be competitive.

This line up looks mediocre.

 

[DRsohail]

yap more than agree..

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Mickey got the team combination wrong in the UAE. It's a crime to not play a second specialist spinner. Then he kept faith in passengers instead of giving guys of 50+ (FC average) a chance.

He is lucky that Pakistan doesn't play much Test cricket otherwise things would have gotten difficult for him with the media totally going against him.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

We need Hafeez badly for Tests. His batting apart from technical flaws have real composure in it. Bowls well. His temperament and composure might help Sarfraz in the leader's chair as well.

 

[Hasan123]

We desperately need a bowler who is over 6 foot and can bowl at good pace and hit the deck hard. A seam bowling all rounders who can bat in the top 6. A support spinner for Yasir in UAE conditions. And a batter at the top of the order who can be a a David Warner type player.

 

[New Yorker]

We need Hafeez badly for Tests. His batting apart from technical flaws have real composure in it. Bowls well. His temperament and composure might help Sarfraz in the leader's chair as well.

No one needs Hafeez any more for anything. If bowling is what is needed pick a proper spin bowler. There are many who are miles better than The Prof. The solution to our batting woes is not another bits and piece allrounder who is at sea overseas, but, quite simply, better batsmen.

 

[New Yorker]

Other 9 are passengers. Haris Sohail has potential and Hasan Ali should be back but we need at least 5 changes to be competitive.

This line up looks mediocre.

Abbas has done nothing wrong so far. This is his first off Test but none of the other pacers are doing better. He's been the best FC bowler for a while now, and is averaging 20 in Tests on the flattest pitches. Neither of this was true for Rahat Ali and if he could get 20 Tests, Abbas at least deserves a series in England.

 

[shah_1]

A very disappointing series, never expected this kind of mediocrity. Worst performance in a decade or so because of losing a series to this team in UAE.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Things to note on the opponents in this disappointing series.

SRL whitewashed by India at their home.
Their superstar player and former captain Mathews is not playing.
Except dimuth and niroshan all their batsmen are completely out of form and low in confidence.
They are in transition as they debut a no.3 when they have a settled LOI no.3 in kusal
No dhamika prasad their lonely pace sensation.

Yet pak lose to them in their own den in UAE.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

We need Hafeez badly for Tests. His batting apart from technical flaws have real composure in it. Bowls well. His temperament and composure might help Sarfraz in the leader's chair as well.

No thanks. Give youngsters the chance and preference.
Few things wrong in this series and it is costing them badly.
First and foremost not playing two regular spinners which was Misbahs mantra of success in UAE.
Not opening with Azhar, dropping babar from no.3 (dented confidence) now he is playing for his spot in the team.
Sarfraz is clueless playing one spinner and lacks a lot of patience.

 

[Mamoon]

We can talk about how good Azhar is and all the runs that he has piled up, but the fact is that given his playing style, he has never put Pakistan in a match-winning situation and probably never will.

It is not a coincidence that almost all of his big innings over the last year have not proved to be match-winning. Yes there are other factors as well, e.g. our insipid bowling, but from the perspective of the opposition, the longer Azhar stays at the crease the better it is for them.

Furthermore, moving back to number 3 will only compound this problem.

As far as Yasir is concerned, he is a decent spinner who has been made to look like a world beater in this attack because he bowls a lot of overs and doesn't have to share his wickets with others. We all saw how helpless he looked outside his comfort-zone last year, and was one of the chief architects of the 5 consecutive defeats in Australasia. He is good, but quite not very good. Certainly much more impactful than Azhar though.

If these two are our so-called world beaters, then it is fair to say that our current ranking is a very fair reflection of where we stand as a Test team.

 

[DRsohail]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] now a agree with the first part of ur post..AZHAR ALI scoregood but it usually doesn,t help team that much.

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] now a agree with the first part of ur post..AZHAR ALI scoregood but it usually doesn,t help team that much.

The other stroke-less wonders only make matters worse. Basically Azhar is the only stroke-less wonder who scores consistently.

This why it is crucial that Babar finds his feet in Test cricket. Him and Haris are vital, because they are the only two batsmen capable of batting at a SR of 50+ consistently.

 

[DRsohail]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] i would like u to come out with stats that how many of his 70 plus scores or centuries have been in winning cause the ratio will be low...???

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] i would like u to come out with stats that how many of his 70 plus scores or centuries have been in winning cause the ratio will be low...???

It will obviously be low because his match-defining knocks are not easy to recall. The triple-hundred in the D/N Test last year is the one I recall, along with 157 vs England in 2012. Maybe one or two more, but generally his runs do not do much good in terms of changing the complexion of the game.

Good for him individually though, he can overtake Younis Khan in terms of runs and hundreds if he plays long enough.

 

[DRsohail]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] his 14 70 plus scores are in the winning causes and 9 in matches we lost,dunno about drwas but it shows that he doesnt have the impact we desire..

 

[Boi]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] his 14 70 plus scores are in the winning causes and 9 in matches we lost,dunno about drwas but it shows that he doesnt have the impact we desire..

No. What it shows is that he does his job fine of stabilising the top order and blunting the new ball but the other snails in our lineup fail to capitalise.

 

[Abdullah719]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] his 14 70 plus scores are in the winning causes and 9 in matches we lost,dunno about drwas but it shows that he doesnt have the impact we desire..

Azhar is never going to be an impact batsman. The problem is that the combination is not good. For example, the current top four is a disaster with all generally batting at SRs of 40. That's not a recipe for success. Azhar's output on an individual level is not the problem - everyone would like him to score faster but we should be thankful we have at least one top-class Test batsman. However that's not enough; teams rely on good combinations for success. This team lacks that. Snails in the top 4, three pacers in UAE.

 

[DRsohail]

Azhar is never going to be an impact batsman. The problem is that the combination is not good. For example, the current top four is a disaster with all generally batting at SRs of 40. That's not a recipe for success. Azhar's output on an individual level is not the problem - everyone would like him to score faster but we should be thankful we have at least one top-class Test batsman. However that's not enough; teams rely on good combinations for success. This team lacks that. Snails in the top 4, three pacers in UAE.

we need to develop babar and haris there for the role...sami aslam can play fast but needs confidence,,and asad will be asad ,always the same,,,,

 

[hafizexpress]

It will obviously be low because his match-defining knocks are not easy to recall. The triple-hundred in the D/N Test last year is the one I recall, along with 157 vs England in 2012. Maybe one or two more, but generally his runs do not do much good in terms of changing the complexion of the game.

Good for him individually though, he can overtake Younis Khan in terms of runs and hundreds if he plays long enough.

Did Azhar not score a match winning century chasing down 300+ in 58 overs against SL a couple or so years ago? Otherwise overall I do agree he is a stroke-less wonder who usually seems like he just wants to stay in the crease making his runs.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

No thanks. Give youngsters the chance and preference.
Few things wrong in this series and it is costing them badly.
First and foremost not playing two regular spinners which was Misbahs mantra of success in UAE.
Not opening with Azhar, dropping babar from no.3 (dented confidence) now he is playing for his spot in the team.
Sarfraz is clueless playing one spinner and lacks a lot of patience.

The youngsters can't find their way when they don't have a leader to guide them. Something Younis and Misbah did with distinction. Azhar is the best we have at the moment but he is more of a damage control guy rather than someone who can lead the team to success. Yes his average and scores are good, but he can at best go toe to toe with the opposition but can't take the game further away from them like Younis consistently did.

Babar was never good against spin in the first place, his best knock as of now was his 90 not out against NZ which was on a green top. He needs to find the right way to bat in Tests and fix his issues against spin, maybe sweep a bit more.

Hafeez is a polished leader, he can provide useful input to Sarfraz as to how to use his bowlers. Plus he does boast an average of almost 40 which in my opinion is good enough for a team we have right now. Agreed he isn't good against swing and bounce but in UAE, he can be a real handful and can provide good 20 overs a day and a couple of wickets unlike what Sarfraz is trying to get out of Shafiq.

Azhar and Haris are the only good players in the team at the moment but Haris is new so we can't expect a lot from him straight away. Sami is looking good in this Test till now. Shafiq will always be shafiq. He will play a blinder of an inning against all odds and then fail miserably in the most batting friendly conditions. There is no pattern of his runs, he will just score and then fail. He simply can not be relied upon. I would rather replace him with Fawad.

 

[Ab Fan]

Azhar Ali will end up as superior test batsmen to any opening batsmen in the world in last 20 years except Smith and Hayden.

 

[aloo paratha]

Think maybe we need to rethink our combination in tests. This is what I'd do:

Azhar
Sami
Haris
Babar
Salahuddin
Yamin
Sarfraz
Abbas
Hasan
Yasir
Asghar/Agha Salman/any other spinner that's young and has potential

With this top order we'll have 2 players who are good at seeing off the new ball. Haris and Babar can bat at a decent SR (both bat at 53 in FC), Yamin and Sarfraz play pretty briskly and Yamin also gives another bowling option so that we don't have to go with 3 pacers. No explanation really needed for the bowlers.

 

[Oligochaetes]

The pitch looks benign. Pakistan should back themselves to hit 650. This is a very good opportunity for batsmen to show their mettle and gain some respect.

 

[Enigma_]

I just don't get how you can play 3 pacers and 1 spinner in the U.A.E. it literally makes no sense.

 

[ads101]

Yep, but let's face it most of the players we wanted are playing. Not playing two spinners is more a tactical error. Arguably only Shan Masood was the pick that people were annoyed about. Our players especially the younger ones aren't really used to tests, they're more ODI players, which makes sense given ODIs is the main format they play in Pak A/U19 cricket.

Think after this test series is done I'd shuffle the team a bit (provided no surprises in this test). I think Abbas has decently and Hasan showed potential. Amir again hasn't impressed, and I think struggles to preserve his body for all three formats, not the first time it looked like he looked a little unfit/injured. I'd drop Amir for now, let him focus on LOI. I'd get in Raees as the third pacer who plays unless we pick two spinners (the other being Ashgar), he knows what he's doing and has a plan to achieve it. I don't see many fast bowlers bowling at high speeds who are good in Pakistan atm, and I'd rather someone who at least has control and a bowling brain. So I'd go with Abbas, Hasan, Raees.

For batting, think time to drop Shan, Sami and Babar. For both Sami and Babar probably too early for test cricket , they need to get that first class average up and polish their test game. Hopefully Sami can make a return in the ODI format where he should succeed, his U19 and list A record are phenomenal so odds are he can make that step up, don't think we've seen the best of him there. I'd bring back Shehzad, hasn't done much wrong in the test arean, and has a wealth of first class experience.

Next test series I'd go with a team of:

1. Azhar
2. Shehzad
3. Asad (he really should play here given he's the senior, but if he can't Haris can fit in here)
4. Haris
5. Fawad (or any other performing middle order bat in first class)
6. Usman Salluhuddin
7. Sarfraz
8. Yasir Shah
9. Hasan Ali
10. Abbas
11. Raees/Ashgar

 

[babajee]

What’s happened to Amad Butt? Seems to have fallen off the radar

 

[New Yorker]

We can talk about how good Azhar is and all the runs that he has piled up, but the fact is that given his playing style, he has never put Pakistan in a match-winning situation and probably never will.

It is not a coincidence that almost all of his big innings over the last year have not proved to be match-winning. Yes there are other factors as well, e.g. our insipid bowling, but from the perspective of the opposition, the longer Azhar stays at the crease the better it is for them.

Furthermore, moving back to number 3 will only compound this problem.

As far as Yasir is concerned, he is a decent spinner who has been made to look like a world beater in this attack because he bowls a lot of overs and doesn't have to share his wickets with others. We all saw how helpless he looked outside his comfort-zone last year, and was one of the chief architects of the 5 consecutive defeats in Australasia. He is good, but quite not very good. Certainly much more impactful than Azhar though.

If these two are our so-called world beaters, then it is fair to say that our current ranking is a very fair reflection of where we stand as a Test team.

No batsman is obliged to give away his wicket, particularly not in the UAE. No one says a team has to be all out at the end of a Test innings. The alternative to Yasir not getting a wicket is not someone else gets that wicket. It is that no one gets it. I don't know if he is GOAT, but he is much better than decent. The kind of numbers he has racked up are simply too good. Most likely he will be the fastest to 200 wickets, ever. It is a testament to how well he has done that if he just has one or two good series outside Asia many people will feel that the question of GOAT has been settled.

 

[Mamoon]

No batsman is obliged to give away his wicket, particularly not in the UAE. No one says a team has to be all out at the end of a Test innings. The alternative to Yasir not getting a wicket is not someone else gets that wicket. It is that no one gets it. I don't know if he is GOAT, but he is much better than decent. The kind of numbers he has racked up are simply too good. Most likely he will be the fastest to 200 wickets, ever. It is a testament to how well he has done that if he just has one or two good series outside Asia many people will feel that the question of GOAT has been settled.

Yes that is the case in this attack, but it will not be the case if Yasir is partnered with another wicket-taking spinner or a fast bowler who knows how to take wickets when the conditions are not very favorable. In that scenario, Yasir will not have all the wickets to himself. That brings us to the original point of discussion that Yasir is looking better in this lineup than he really is. In fact, any wicket-taking bowler (esp. spinner since it's the UAE) would look like a world beater when he is being partnered by a bunch of hopeless bowlers who can't hit a barn door.

Take Yasir out of the Pakistan team and replace him with Herath, Ashwin or Jadeja - the debate of who the best Test spinner in the world will be lopsided in their favor, just like how in most people's perception there is no doubt that Yasir is the numero uno Test spinner at the moment. Their are cons of being the only wicket-taking bowler but also pros.

 

[New Yorker]

Yes that is the case in this attack, but it will not be the case if Yasir is partnered with another wicket-taking spinner or a fast bowler who knows how to take wickets when the conditions are not very favorable. In that scenario, Yasir will not have all the wickets to himself. That brings us to the original point of discussion that Yasir is looking better in this lineup than he really is. In fact, any wicket-taking bowler (esp. spinner since it's the UAE) would look like a world beater when he is being partnered by a bunch of hopeless bowlers who can't hit a barn door.

Take Yasir out of the Pakistan team and replace him with Herath, Ashwin or Jadeja - the debate of who the best Test spinner in the world will be lopsided in their favor, just like how in most people's perception there is no doubt that Yasir is the numero uno Test spinner at the moment. Their are cons of being the only wicket-taking bowler but also pros.

We don't have to engage in hypotheticals. In the Windies series Amir, Hasan and Abbas were all effective, taking 5fers and striking regularly. All averaged around the 20s. Yasir still ended up with three consecutive 5fers.

This doesn't mean he's better than Jadeja, Ashwin, or Herath. But that is not what the argument is about. He may look better than he really is, but he really is better than merely decent. You need to accept that you were wrong about him.

 

[Mamoon]

We don't have to engage in hypotheticals. In the Windies series Amir, Hasan and Abbas were all effective, taking 5fers and striking regularly. All averaged around the 20s. Yasir still ended up with three consecutive 5fers.

This doesn't mean he's better than Jadeja, Ashwin, or Herath. But that is not what the argument is about. He may look better than he really is, but he really is better than merely decent. You need to accept that you were wrong about him.

Decent is merely an adjective. If you take an offense to that then I have no issues in calling him very good, excellent, great or whatever. But I do object against the idea that he is the best spinner in the world or a world class player. Players in the world class bracket do not look as helpless as he did outside Asia last year, saving for two Tests that were played on conductive surfaces.

It wasn't just the lack of wickets but the rate at which he was conceding runs, which is not something you see with Ashwin, Jadeja or Herath. Three spinners I would prefer to him in my team.

 

[New Yorker]

Decent is merely an adjective. If you take an offense to that then I have no issues in calling him very good, excellent, great or whatever. But I do object against the idea that he is the best spinner in the world or a world class player. Players in the world class bracket do not look as helpless as he did outside Asia last year, saving for two Tests that were played on conductive surfaces.

It wasn't just the lack of wickets but the rate at which he was conceding runs, which is not something you see with Ashwin, Jadeja or Herath. Three spinners I would prefer to him in my team.

Well yes, "decent" is an adjective. Which means something else from other adjectives. If someone is taking more wickets per match than any other bowler ever, it is rather difficult to label him as anything but world class. Murali did not do much better than Yasir in Australia if I recall, averaged 75 there. Herath and Ashwin were not as impactful as Yasir in England. I think this is a bit like your contention that Younis could not be considered great because he had looked embarrassing in a few Tests. Turned out OK in the end though, didn't he.

 

[hadi123]

For batting, think time to drop Shan, Sami and Babar. For both Sami and Babar probably too early for test cricket , they need to get that first class average up and polish their test game. Hopefully Sami can make a return in the ODI format where he should succeed, his U19 and list A record are phenomenal so odds are he can make that step up, don't think we've seen the best of him there. I'd bring back Shehzad, hasn't done much wrong in the test arean, and has a wealth of first class experience.

Can't drop Sami Aslam. We are playing England in early Summer next year and we need a solid opener to tackle Anderson + Broad. He showed last year he is capable of doing that and not many players can claim the same.