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Pakistan announce Test squad for Sri Lanka series, Fawad Alam makes a comeback

minamino said:
Didn't know to take 3 wickets after conceding 200 is a good thing.
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That’s the reason I mentioned the best from the worst. Pakistan can’t afford to replace every other bowlers with a rookie or a debutant, experience does matter.
 
Saj said:
Surprised there weren't more changes after the debacle in Australia.
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Supposidly these failures over last 2 years are the best players pakistan has to offer according to misbah.

SL will be licking their lips here.
 
Fawad alam looks like a lollipop to the critics. Criticism was against poor batsmen all of whom have been retained. The bowling options again look bizarre, Misbah is clueless and confused, and this guy replaces Mickey Arthur, shameful. Imam again rewarded for his crap performances which means more desrving and in form Abid Ali wont play. For 2 years, selection committees are not including reserve openers in squad to protect Imam.
 
Following selections was inevitable, and failing to do so smells politics.

1. Nauman Ali / Zafar Gohar /Bilal Asif
2. Sami Aslam
3. Tabish Khan / Sohail K / Rahat Ali

Based on which performance did they select Shinwari? 15 wickets in 6 matches ??
 
A mixed bag but a lot better than I was expecting (dreading) from Misbah.
The good:
- Fawad finally gets a chance
- Naseem retained
- Kashif and Abid retained. Would've been harsh to leave them out without giving them a chance.
The not so good (but understandable):
- Imam was retained. Could've been left out for Sami or Imran but might've been a bit harsh based on one failure
- Azhar as player and captain.It might not be his last chance yet but he needs to start performing if he wants to retain his place.
- Abbas could've been replaced by Nauman or Zafar but would've been a tough decision considering his record in Asia.
The bad:
- Haris needs a nudge to make him mend his complacent ways. Should've been left out.
- Imran Khan. Absolutely illogical selection when you already have 4 seamers in the squad.
 
amvbfm said:
A mixed bag but a lot better than I was expecting (dreading) from Misbah.
The good:
- Fawad finally gets a chance
- Naseem retained
- Kashif and Abid retained. Would've been harsh to leave them out without giving them a chance.
The not so good (but understandable):
- Imam was retained. Could've been left out for Sami or Imran but might've been a bit harsh based on one failure
- Azhar as player and captain.It might not be his last chance yet but he needs to start performing if he wants to retain his place.
- Abbas could've been replaced by Nauman or Zafar but would've been a tough decision considering his record in Asia.
The bad:
- Haris needs a nudge to make him mend his complacent ways. Should've been left out.
- Imran Khan. Absolutely illogical selection when you already have 4 seamers in the squad.
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A good, balanced post.

I don't agree on Haris & Abbas though - Haris needs to be persisted with, and Abbas needs a boot.
 
I can understand Yasir and Abbas being picked because of their previous record in the UAE. Although they both look like they are past it, especially Abbas, there seems something shoddy about his fitness and his pace has gone down.

Imran Khan Snr's selection remains a mystery for scientists to decipher.

Imam-ul-Haq continues to be persisted with in tests despite the fact that he hasn't shown anything to warrant the confidence in Tests and has major flaws in his technique.

Shinwari has performed well but I don't rate him as a Test bowler. Though he may do well in Pakistan. So let's reserve judgement for now.
 
I will never condone any squad with Shafiq in it he is the poster boy of doing bare minimum as long as players with such attitude are assured confirmed spots pakistannwill continue to languish 6-9 in rankings
 
Hopefully Naseem plays both games. He was the best of the lot at the Gabba. And with no reason given whatsoever was dropped for the Adelaide test.

If their logic of giving him breaks in between is correct, he has had plenty of days off. No reason he doesn't start at Pindi (boy that feels awesome to write, test cricket finally back).

He is averaging in the teens on these very tracks this season. Nobody else even comes close.
 
It was always gonna be tough to drop Kashif Bhatti after not even giving him a proper chance and Yasir wasnt gonna be dropped in Asia. Though one can argue that there could have been one more spinner in the squad but its Pak’s home series they can bring in a player or two if they want.

Regarding Usman Shinwari it was high time to be part of test team as he has showed his fitness in QAE and his ability to take wickets on his good days is pretty clear from the fact that he has won most number of MOMs in last few years amongst Pak bowlers and that ability can be an asset in tests. Good to see that Naseem will be there with the team as well.

I have no issues backing the selections in Imran Khan, Shan Masood and Asad Shafiq if they can produce the goods however if the series doesnt go as planned then these selections will bring in a lot of pressure with them towards the management. I hope they can turn it around in this series if given an opportunity.
 
As for the rest of the squad, some shocking selections. Imran Khan has no business being in the team.

This should be the last series for Azhar and Abbas (unless he gets his pace back up).

Haris is woefully out of form, he needs to work on it and only then does he make a comeback to the side.

Zafar again overlooked, should be in team. Probably the best spinner in the country.
 
amvbfm said:
A mixed bag but a lot better than I was expecting (dreading) from Misbah.
The good:
- Fawad finally gets a chance
- Naseem retained
- Kashif and Abid retained. Would've been harsh to leave them out without giving them a chance.
The not so good (but understandable):
- Imam was retained. Could've been left out for Sami or Imran but might've been a bit harsh based on one failure
- Azhar as player and captain.It might not be his last chance yet but he needs to start performing if he wants to retain his place.
- Abbas could've been replaced by Nauman or Zafar but would've been a tough decision considering his record in Asia.
The bad:
- Haris needs a nudge to make him mend his complacent ways. Should've been left out.
- Imran Khan. Absolutely illogical selection when you already have 4 seamers in the squad.
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Nice post dude. I am on the same boat of booting azhar ali but the fact is he should’ve been booted back in 2018. The fact is nobody in this squad has any international captaincy experience baring azhar ali.

Babar can’t take this task on as it will be too much for him and his batting might be affected as well. Remember tendulkar was an excellent player but his performances flopped when he was captain.

The fact is you are most likely stuck with azhar until you see someone with some captaincy potential.
 
SARJ_BD said:
Following selections was inevitable, and failing to do so smells politics.

1. Nauman Ali / Zafar Gohar /Bilal Asif
2. Sami Aslam
3. Tabish Khan / Sohail K / Rahat Ali

Based on which performance did they select Shinwari? 15 wickets in 6 matches ??
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If there was a third spinner surely one of Zafar, Nauman or an off spinner in Sajid Khan would have been in the squad. Yasir was always gonna play in Asia and Bhatti is a pretty decent slow left arm spinner himself, dropping him without playing him even in a single match wouldnt have made sense.

Shinwari’s bowling average and one of his new ball spells was better than the names you have mentioned and he has more pace along with being younger.
 
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Imam, azhar, shafiq, haris have all pretty much failed in NZ, SA and Aus series yet are retained :facepalm:
 
Fahdi said:
I can understand Yasir and Abbas being picked because of their previous record in the UAE. Although they both look like they are past it, especially Abbas, there seems something shoddy about his fitness and his pace has gone down.

Imran Khan Snr's selection remains a mystery for scientists to decipher.

Imam-ul-Haq continues to be persisted with in tests despite the fact that he hasn't shown anything to warrant the confidence in Tests and has major flaws in his technique.

Shinwari has performed well but I don't rate him as a Test bowler. Though he may do well in Pakistan. So let's reserve judgement for now.
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Imam is being selected on family connections and no cricket merit.

Oh wait Azhar says imam looks great playing in the nets.
 
titan24 said:
it was always gonna be tough to drop kashif bhatti after not even giving him a proper chance and yasir wasnt gonna be dropped in asia. Though one can argue that there could have been one more spinner in the squad but its pak’s home series they can bring in a player or two if they want.

Regarding usman shinwari it was high time to be part of test team as he has showed his fitness in qae and his ability to take wickets on his good days is pretty clear from the fact that he has won most number of moms in last few years amongst pak bowlers and that ability can be an asset in tests. Good to see that naseem will be there with the team as well.

I have no issues backing the selections in imran khan, shan masood and asad shafiq if they can produce the goods however if the series doesnt go as planned then these selections will bring in a lot of pressure with them towards the management. I hope they can turn it around in this series if given an opportunity.
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potw.
 
Good to see Fawad Alam back in the test team. Well deserved and the correct format for him too. He should never have been picked in T20 cricket or as a lower order player in ODIs. It ruined his international chances when he was always a good batsman in the longest form of the game.

The main oddities for me are Imran Khan, who is not even in the top 20 bowlers in Pakistan, Imam-ul-haq, don't think he's ready for test cricket, and Haris Sohail, who is the laziest player I've ever seen and in terrible form.

Confused by their plans for Naseem Shah as well. He needs to be either in the senior squad or in the under 19s. It makes no sense to burden him with both. He's good enough to be in the senior squad then leave him there and give another young bowler the chance to showcase their talents at the under 19 world cup!
 
Atlast, some justice to Fawad's long successful performance for past 10 years.

While, I am disappointed by some pper's response to his selection. Just shows there is not much difference in thinking of our past selectors and some arm-chair experts here in PP.
 
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SARJ_BD said:
Following selections was inevitable, and failing to do so smells politics.

1. Nauman Ali / Zafar Gohar /Bilal Asif
2. Sami Aslam
3. Tabish Khan / Sohail K / Rahat Ali

Based on which performance did they select Shinwari? 15 wickets in 6 matches ??
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Shinwsri strike rate is way better than the above mentioned tundlers. Selection is not always about stats.
 
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The final Arthur/Inzamam Test team had 8 players out of 11 aged in their twenties.

The first Misbah/Misbah Test team had 2 players out of 11 aged in their twenties.

Now Misbah responds to the problem of his veteran batsmen failing too often by recalling the oldest batsman in international cricket.

His selection model can be summarised in the following video, in which “toilets” are a metaphor for geriatric cricketers.

 
Ridiculous to keep Imran , Yasir & Imam in the squad don’t want say this but a 0-2 result will be good for the future of our cricket
 
SARJ_BD said:
Following selections was inevitable, and failing to do so smells politics.

1. Nauman Ali / Zafar Gohar /Bilal Asif
2. Sami Aslam
3. Tabish Khan / Sohail K / Rahat Ali

Based on which performance did they select Shinwari? 15 wickets in 6 matches ??
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Tabish and Sohail average 40 this season, Rahat 37. Shinwari averages 25.
 
Manager101 said:
Atlast, some justice to Fawad's long successful performance for past 10 years.

While, I am disappointed by some pper's response to his selection. Just shows there is not much difference in thinking of our past selectors and some arm-chair experts here in PP.
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Absolute. Should’ve been in the squad 12 years ago. I will make dua that he rips it in this series.

He’s been stepped on for years and as another poster said his worst QeA average was ~41 other than that it was greater than 50, however his average has gone up now a little bit in this current season (due to change of ball type from dukes to kookaburra). The change in ball makes a big difference as dukes offers more swing and even with those conditions he’s performed.

The media has a great effect in manipulating people’s emotions so wouldn’t buy into haters of this man who’s worked hard. Work hard and you can achieve anything.
 
No Sami Aslam, Imran Butt, Zafar Goar, NaumanAli and Retained IK, Imam, Azhar Ali, Sohail, its corruption plain and simple.
 
Hang on guys...we're 8th in ranking, thats pretty abysmal.
Why not start a fresh and build again, (again and again).
Get rid of Azhar, Asad, Haris and Imran.
 
Ami said:
Hang on guys...we're 8th in ranking, thats pretty abysmal.
Why not start a fresh and build again, (again and again).
Get rid of Azhar, Asad, Haris and Imran.
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Agree, that would have made more sense.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Iftikhar did well in the t20s which is what I think you are referring to. He flopped in the tests.
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Yeah, like I said, tour. Ahmed is in the international structure and they drop him again in favour of someone who isn't within the structure? If Alam was to be included, surely it should have been in the place of Ali?

This is the problem with Pakistan's selection policy.
 
Junaids said:
The final Arthur/Inzamam Test team had 8 players out of 11 aged in their twenties.

The first Misbah/Misbah Test team had 2 players out of 11 aged in their twenties.

Now Misbah responds to the problem of his veteran batsmen failing too often by recalling the oldest batsman in international cricket.

His selection model can be summarised in the following video, in which “toilets” are a metaphor for geriatric cricketers.

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Our batting is going to see a massive decline rather shortly. The top 6 have an official average age of 31.3, but in reality, it's more like 33. It would be somewhat understandable if these batsmen were world-beaters, but they're over the hill players who should be retiring at the end of the season from international cricket.

Shan (30)
Abid (officially 32)
Azhar (officially 34)
Babar (25)
Fawad (officially 34)
Shafiq (officially 33)
 
minamino said:
Because both Pakistan selectors and media are allergic to young players. If Fawad was 25, he would have never been selected. Imran Butt still has 5 years before he makes his debut
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Yep, he's just about old enough now to make a Misbah team. Also, Musa and Ifti should feel hard done by since all the other failures have been retained.
 
barah_admi said:
Yeah, like I said, tour. Ahmed is in the international structure and they drop him again in favour of someone who isn't within the structure? If Alam was to be included, surely it should have been in the place of Ali?

This is the problem with Pakistan's selection policy.
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T20 is one format and test is another. I reckon iftikhar could become a regular in t20 at least and then maybe odi. Fact is fact that Fawad hard earned this spot by continuous performance in domestic.

With regards to Fawad replacing azhar ali yea should’ve done that last year when azhar ali only averaged ~30 (annual average). The fact is we are stuck with azhar ali as he is the only one with some captaincy experience and it would be too much for Babar.

I didn’t agree as well with azhar being appointed captain just because he was failing already and I felt his position got saved. Million dollar question is do we mould Babar into a potential captain or wait and see what happens with this team?
 
Book it, this is the playing 11 below



1. Azhar Ali (captain) (Central Punjab)
2. Abid Ali (Sindh)
3. Asad Shafiq (Sindh)
4. Babar Azam (Central Punjab)
5. Fawad Alam (Sindh)
10. Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab)
11. Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
12. Naseem Shah (Central Punjab)
13. Shaheen Shah Afridi (Northern)
15. Yasir Shah (Balochistan)
16. Usman Shinwari (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
 
HasanA said:
Book it, this is the playing 11 below



1. Azhar Ali (captain) (Central Punjab)
2. Abid Ali (Sindh)
3. Asad Shafiq (Sindh)
4. Babar Azam (Central Punjab)
5. Fawad Alam (Sindh)
10. Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab)
11. Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
12. Naseem Shah (Central Punjab)
13. Shaheen Shah Afridi (Northern)
15. Yasir Shah (Balochistan)
16. Usman Shinwari (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
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Abbas at 6 is a bold move, but he does have a good defence.
 
Surprised there weren't more changes, but at the same time I can understand Misbah's logic of creating consistency. Glad to see he at least corrected 2 of his major mistakes

Azhar remains a huge liability in the team - he has got to be the next one to go.

Hopefully Imran Khan doesn't get any matches vs SL
 
Shoaibbtt said:
T20 is one format and test is another. I reckon iftikhar could become a regular in t20 at least and then maybe odi. Fact is fact that Fawad hard earned this spot by continuous performance in domestic.

With regards to Fawad replacing azhar ali yea should’ve done that last year when azhar ali only averaged ~30 (annual average). The fact is we are stuck with azhar ali as he is the only one with some captaincy experience and it would be too much for Babar.

I didn’t agree as well with azhar being appointed captain just because he was failing already and I felt his position got saved. Million dollar question is do we mould Babar into a potential captain or wait and see what happens with this team?
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Erm...Babar is already in the moulding stage and I think this is the one thing PCB have done right. The problem is, he can not take over the captaincy in such a bad state of the international test side, so who can or should be captain in his stead ?
 
Also disappointed Saud wasn't selected - he has been scoring for a while now, won the emerging cup for Pak, comes back and scores a big century and taking wickets
 
Yasir is the only bowler who will probably end up as our best bowler but everyone wants him gone because of his performance in a country where spinners have been taken to cleaners regularly(esp when their team has a weak pace attack)
 
Glad to see Fawad Alam back. Deserves it.

Sami Aslam would have been there but he had a really poor finish to the season, otherwise I'm sure he would have replaced Imam or maybe Abid Ali
 
What kind of dumb selection is this. Why was Imran Khan retained despite poor domestic and international performances. Why had they not picked a spinner? Zafar Gohar should have been there.

Usman Shinwari shouldn't have been picked either. Sameen Gul should have been picked instead, but sadly he isn't even playing 2nd XI, he even isn't in a PSL side. He has been the most impressive pacer apart from Naseem.

Good that they have retained Naseem, he should play as he knows these conditions well and bowling here will give him confidence and he is a lot more likely to perform.

They better prepare seam friendly pitches as they haven't picked any other spinning options.
 
Don’t get the logic in selecting 5 fast bowlers for a two test series in unfriendly conditions.

1-2 will just be warming the bench the entire series. Just selecting IK for the sake of selection doesn’t make sense
 
Shaan
Azhar
Haris
Babar
Shafiq
Fawad
Rizwan
Yasir
Naseem/Kashif
Shaheen
Abbas

Pretty good team.
 
barah_admi said:
Erm...Babar is already in the moulding stage and I think this is the one thing PCB have done right. The problem is, he can not take over the captaincy in such a bad state of the international test side, so who can or should be captain in his stead ?
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The only other guy I could say would be Haris Sohail, as a fan I just want Babar purely focussing on his batting and not worry about captaincy. There’s no doubt he’s capable and in this state don’t know whether he’ll cope, however with that said there’s no “i” in team and if everyone makes a collective effort then captaincy will be a doddle.
 
Iftikhar deserved more chances. At this point a way past his best Azhar Ali is blocking a more capable player from being in the team.

No love for the 5 bowler option either from Misbah. We will have 4 bowlers and 7 batsmen.
 
But off course.

Fawad is finally selected in the wrong decade and the wrong side of 30.

The selection sums up the mentality of the entire cricketing setup in Pakistan.
 
Misbah is doing as he wants. Looks like he is desperate to prove the critics wrong. Let's see what will happen
 
I really thought Zafar would make it for this series, and Imran would be dropped.
 
BunnyRabbit said:
Yasir is the only bowler who will probably end up as our best bowler but everyone wants him gone because of his performance in a country where spinners have been taken to cleaners regularly(esp when their team has a weak pace attack)
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Yasir is averaging almost 40 with the ball this season in Pakistan (QEA Trophy).
 
The reason why Sami Aslam was not selected is as follows (according to Basit Ali):

He was the captain of South Punjab and in one of his matches his team required 80 off the last 10 overs to win. His coach told him to go for the win and play the full 10 overs. But Sami Aslam, being the captain, called it off after just 2-3 overs. This p*ssed off his coach a lot
and Sami was removed from captaincy. This led to him failing in his last 5 innings.

So it was a disciplinary issue that caused Sami Aslam to miss his chance
 
KingT said:
The reason why Sami Aslam was not selected is as follows (according to Basit Ali):

He was the captain of South Punjab and in one of his matches his team required 80 off the last 10 overs to win. His coach told him to go for the win and play the full 10 overs. But Sami Aslam, being the captain, called it off after just 2-3 overs. This p*ssed off his coach a lot
and Sami was removed from captaincy. This led to him failing in his last 5 innings.

So it was a disciplinary issue that caused Sami Aslam to miss his chance
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What do you mean by called it off?

And, don't believe everything Basit spews. He's a fake news machine.

Sami will get his chance. We don't have a spot. Abid is also waiting and in the team.
 
Hawkeye said:
What do you mean by called it off?

And, don't believe everything Basit spews. He's a fake news machine.

Sami will get his chance. We don't have a spot. Abid is also waiting and in the team.
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He agreed on a draw.
Both captains need to agree on a draw for the match to be called off early.

I don't know how reliable this info is but just wanted to share it to see if it correlates with the official reason given for why he was sacked from captaincy
 
Hawkeye said:
What do you mean by called it off?

And, don't believe everything Basit spews. He's a fake news machine.

Sami will get his chance. We don't have a spot. Abid is also waiting and in the team.
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Sami doesn;t have a spot ? why he could not replace Imam in the squad.
 
KingT said:
The reason why Sami Aslam was not selected is as follows (according to Basit Ali):

He was the captain of South Punjab and in one of his matches his team required 80 off the last 10 overs to win. His coach told him to go for the win and play the full 10 overs. But Sami Aslam, being the captain, called it off after just 2-3 overs. This p*ssed off his coach a lot
and Sami was removed from captaincy. This led to him failing in his last 5 innings.

So it was a disciplinary issue that caused Sami Aslam to miss his chance
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Fully forgot about that, well now thinking about it Imran butt was probably better as his run scoring was more consistent.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Fully forgot about that, well now thinking about it Imran butt was probably better as his run scoring was more consistent.
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Not really because this is the only season where Butt has performed. He failed in the last 2-3. The only reason he perfoemd this time was because the pitches were extremely flat
 
Okish squad. No allrounders and not really any major decisions made.
I mean when is the last time a home team picked a squad as big as 16??
Normally 12 or 13 squad is picked for the home team.
 
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Abdullah said:
Okish squad. No allrounders and not really any major decisions made.
I mean when is the last time a home team picked a squad as big as 16??
Normally 12 or 13 squad is picked for the home team.
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Kashif bhatti, Fawad and Haris full under allrounders i reckon. Well Fawad and Haris are more batting allrounders.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Kashif bhatti, Fawad and Haris full under allrounders i reckon. Well Fawad and Haris are more batting allrounders.
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Fawad and Haris are batsmen who occasionally bowl, calling them all-rounders is a massive stretch. I wouldn't trust either for more than 6-8 overs a day

Kashif Bhatti seems like more of a fringe bowling all-rounder from his stats. Although not someone I would bat higher than #8
 
Good to see fawad finally getting a chance Its long overdue

But surely like others have commented how long will misbah continue to back duds like shafiq etc

Its one thing to back players its totally another to give them free reign year after year to play with very little performance

I wouldve made 2-3 more changes to the squad with the likes of shafiq yasir and masood out

Its high time deserving players get a chance over non performing seniors
 
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Finally Fawad, my favorite player. But not sure at 34 , whether he is past his prime or not. Better late than never. I shall pray for u Fawad. Smash two centuries in these two matches man.
 
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coy0607 said:
Fawad and Haris are batsmen who occasionally bowl, calling them all-rounders is a massive stretch. I wouldn't trust either for more than 6-8 overs a day

Kashif Bhatti seems like more of a fringe bowling all-rounder from his stats. Although not someone I would bat higher than #8
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Fawad ain’t too bad now neither is Haris. Haris constantly has some injury problems so gotta manage his workload, just gotta see what happens now.
 
Might extract 2 years out of Fawad. If he does well for next 2 years then he will stick for another 3 years and leech off the team like other seniors of past/present.

Also if he does well for next 2 years it will show how clueless pakistan selectors have been for last 7-8 years.

I see no win here for selectors.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Kashif bhatti, Fawad and Haris full under allrounders i reckon. Well Fawad and Haris are more batting allrounders.
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Bro they are not all rounders at all..they are batters who bowl part time.
The line for me is, would you be Ok if any of these had to bowl 10 overs allocation in an odi. The answer is no for fawad and haris.
And I'm not sure how good kashifs batting is
 
thats the trick these selectors play, finally got Fawad selected so everyone is distracted and eyes r off Imam,
 
Once again pathetic excuses given to retain failing batsmen

"Experienced" and will come good

Havent had luxury of playing domestics to score runs to get confidence

They have had two tough away tours so deserve to play on better wickets in pakistan

Misbah making himself a laughing stock as usual with lame excuses.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
The only other guy I could say would be Haris Sohail, as a fan I just want Babar purely focussing on his batting and not worry about captaincy. There’s no doubt he’s capable and in this state don’t know whether he’ll cope, however with that said there’s no “i” in team and if everyone makes a collective effort then captaincy will be a doddle.
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Sohail can't even keep his place in the side, he would be about as useful as captain as Sarfraz or Ali. Maybe PCB just bite the bullet and put Babar in the lion's den like CSA did with Smith all those years ago.
 
Dont get the hate for Haris. Technically he is our best bat after Barbar. Sure he had a bad time in Australia but tell me which Pakistan batsman has not had a bad time in Australia?

Stick with him as Haris and Babar will our versions of MisYou for the next few years in the test arena especially at home.
 
barah_admi said:
Sohail can't even keep his place in the side, he would be about as useful as captain as Sarfraz or Ali. Maybe PCB just bite the bullet and put Babar in the lion's den like CSA did with Smith all those years ago.
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I blame these somosa eating PCB suits for everything. Zero contingency plan in place in case amir and Wahab retire and then not pulling the trigger against azhar ali or shafiq a year ago.

It’s nobody else’s fault but the PCB. I reckon while azhar ali is captain for the next 2 series (I think), Babar just needs to shadow him even though azhar ali is one of the laziest captains
 
Hawkeye said:
A good, balanced post.

I don't agree on Haris & Abbas though - Haris needs to be persisted with, and Abbas needs a boot.
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Dropping Haris would be a tough decision but in my opinion he does need a jolt to perform to his potential and be serious about his fitness. We need someone dependable in the middle order and not someone who will only perform on easy pitches and against easier opponents. Haris has the potential to do that but his attitude leaves a lot to be desired.

Abbas' results have certainly gone down but its a catch 22 situation with his stellar returns in previous outings in Asia and swinging conditions. Don't think any selector would have taken the risk of dropping him just yet but another lean series will certainly put pressure on his place (although with the lack of experienced seam bowling alternatives he might get a few more chances yet) and knowing Misbah, pave the way for the return of :rahat1.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Nice post dude. I am on the same boat of booting azhar ali but the fact is he should’ve been booted back in 2018. The fact is nobody in this squad has any international captaincy experience baring azhar ali.

Babar can’t take this task on as it will be too much for him and his batting might be affected as well. Remember tendulkar was an excellent player but his performances flopped when he was captain.

The fact is you are most likely stuck with azhar until you see someone with some captaincy potential.
Click to expand...

To be honest I am a big Azhar supporter and have always been in favor of retaining him. However, his game isn't what it used to be. I am sure he will still make runs in Asia but don't see him playing beyond 2020. His captaincy has never been great and playing him just for that would be foolish. If Azhar plays beyond this series, it should be on the weight of runs and he should certainly be relieved of the captaincy. Knowing the history of Pakistan cricket can't discount the chances of a certain wonderfully bewhiskered fellow if he manages to keep his place in the team.
 
amvbfm said:
To be honest I am a big Azhar supporter and have always been in favor of retaining him. However, his game isn't what it used to be. I am sure he will still make runs in Asia but don't see him playing beyond 2020. His captaincy has never been great and playing him just for that would be foolish. If Azhar plays beyond this series, it should be on the weight of runs and he should certainly be relieved of the captaincy. Knowing the history of Pakistan cricket can't discount the chances of a certain wonderfully bewhiskered fellow if he manages to keep his place in the team.
Click to expand...

Fact is pakistan don’t fear change they just don’t want to change otherwise we’d be in the top 3 in all areas. Pakistan need to mix it up and in my view you need to do a check and see who replaces both azhar and Asad.

Anyways can’t wait big fan of Fawad and he’s hopefully playing on the 11th.
 
Good luck to Pakistan but no idea what Imran Khan is doing there!
 
Warning - there is no guarantee that he will be in the starting XI.
 
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