Pakistan at the 2019 World Cup: A positive outlook!

[Wasim_Waqar]

The 50 over World Cup is the major prize in cricket. As the lead for the official Pakistan fan supporters group for this World Cup, I cannot wait to see the tournament. I am attending 4 of our games: England, India, SA and NZ. Work and of course the wife does not allow me to attend all 9.

So what do we need to do in this World Cup? Somehow win 6 group games!

I think Shan Masood has surprised us all in SA. He smashed England Lions in a one day game (160) so I think he will get the nod ahead of Imam.

There is room for a Rizwan Hussain or Saud Shakeel to enter the squad.

The bowling takes care of itself.

We need to use the next 15 ODIs to get Asif Ali and Faheem Ashraf into finishing roles as both are very special hitters.

A squad of Fakhar, Masood, Babar, Haris, Malik, Sarfaraz, Faheem, Shadab, Amir, Shaheen, Hassan, Junaid, Usman Shinwari, M Rizwan, Rizwan Hussain/Imam, Saud Shakeel. They can do well.

There will be great support for us in all the games except the India game where we will be comfortably outnumbered!

Pakistan Zindabad!

 

[iPakistani]

You managed to get tickets for IndvPak, lucky. I live 5 minutes from the ground but didn't manage to get any :/. Old Trafford has a lot of Pakistanis so I expect it to be 60:40 crowdwise to India

 

[Wasim_Waqar]

You managed to get tickets for IndvPak, lucky. I live 5 minutes from the ground but didn't manage to get any :/. Old Trafford has a lot of Pakistanis so I expect it to be 60:40 crowdwise to India

Hi, it’s nothing to do with number of Pakistani locals. It’s the ballot and also number of fans India has.

I think it will be 70/30 to India at best for us, 80:20 at worst for us.

 

[PakLFC]

We are not winning it. I fancy South Africa, England or India. The above team seems incredibly weak to me.

 

[gazza619]

I like the positive vibes from this thread. The team is down, and we have a leader who is not helping matters by his statements in SA.

We need to change something. I just cant see how things will work for the World Cup under the current think tank of Sarfaraz/Inzi/Mickey.

 

[Wasim_Waqar]

We are not winning it. I fancy South Africa, England or India. The above team seems incredibly weak to me.

SA and England will bottle it. It’s abkut the team performing to its capability with fans behind them. Get 250-260 on the board regularly, we can win against the stronger teams

 

[Wasim_Waqar]

I like the positive vibes from this thread. The team is down, and we have a leader who is not helping matters by his statements in SA.

We need to change something. I just cant see how things will work for the World Cup under the current think tank of Sarfaraz/Inzi/Mickey.

Sarfaraz is tired out. PSL will probably force the hand of selectors. It’s the way with us. When our hand is forced, someone usually comes up with something special. Don’t underestimate how amazing our fan support is.

I’ve been gearing up for this for 12 months!

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Hopefully, the PSL unearths a few young batsmen, who can hit big.

If it does, play them in the ODI’s in the UK prior to the World Cup and see how they get on.

By the end of the tournament, Umar Akmal will be carrying the trophy back to Lahore.

 

[MMHS]

It’s impossible for PAK to make SF cut with Sarfraz leading and MoHa, Malik, Sarfraz holding key spots of 4-5-6.

Add to that the decline of FZ and constant injury to Haris, it’s Babar or bust in batting - he’ll need to score may be 1000 runs in WC to drag PAK out of hole.

 

[gazza619]

Sarfaraz is tired out. PSL will probably force the hand of selectors. It’s the way with us. When our hand is forced, someone usually comes up with something special. Don’t underestimate how amazing our fan support is.

I’ve been gearing up for this for 12 months!

Hopefully, the PSL unearths a few young batsmen, who can hit big.

If it does, play them in the ODI’s in the UK prior to the World Cup and see how they get on.

By the end of the tournament, Umar Akmal will be carrying the trophy back to Lahore.

Yeah the problem is that PSL may give us some T20 hacks. We need proper batsmen for ODIs, not hitters like Asif Ali who do not last more than 5-6 overs.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Yeah the problem is that PSL may give us some T20 hacks. We need proper batsmen for ODIs, not hitters like Asif Ali who do not last more than 5-6 overs.

Asif Ali’s role in the team is to hit quick-fire 30s-40s, not to come in at the 25th over having to rebuild the innings.

Most of the players that played major roles and won us the CT17 came through the PSL.

 

[PakLFC]

SA and England will bottle it. It’s abkut the team performing to its capability with fans behind them. Get 250-260 on the board regularly, we can win against the stronger teams

250 or 260 will be nowhere near enough against the stronger sides. At least 300 against the likes of India or England, We will get nowhere near that score.

 

[gazza619]

Asif Ali’s role in the team is to hit quick-fire 30s-40s, not to come in at the 25th over having to rebuild the innings.

Most of the players that played major roles and won us the CT17 came through the PSL.

A genuine batsman who bats at no.6 in ODIs should have the capability to last 25-30 overs. Sometimes you can be 100/4.

But if Asif Ali is only good for 5-6 overs then we really need to find someone else.

 

[SportsWarrior]

Hopefully, the PSL unearths a few young batsmen, who can hit big.

If it does, play them in the ODI’s in the UK prior to the World Cup and see how they get on.

By the end of the tournament, Umar Akmal will be carrying the trophy back to Lahore.

That is the last thing you want your team to be doing. Get proven List A players, not t20 players.
You guys still have 15 ODIS to try combination.

 

[SportsWarrior]

A genuine batsman who bats at no.6 in ODIs should have the capability to last 25-30 overs. Sometimes you can be 100/4.

But if Asif Ali is only good for 5-6 overs then we really need to find someone else.

With the lineup pak has they will be 100/4 very often, especially while chasing. You may get away with a hack coming in at six while setting target not while chasing one. Knowing pak's issues with chasing you can bet most of the top teams except India will win toss and bat first.

 

[gazza619]

With the lineup pak has they will be 100/4 very often, especially while chasing. You may get away with a hack coming in at six while setting target not while chasing one. Knowing pak's issues with chasing you can bet most of the top teams except India will win toss and bat first.

And therefore that proves that Asif Ali is not the number 6 we want. He is more of a 8 if I am being honest. The only problem is that he cant bowl so i wont invest in him.

 

[SportsWarrior]

And therefore that proves that Asif Ali is not the number 6 we want. He is more of a 8 if I am being honest. The only problem is that he cant bowl so i wont invest in him.

Yeah I was supporting your point not refuting it. Number six should be capable batsman who can score quickly more like Raina, Pant, Jadhav, Shoaib Malik, etc. If they can bowl some overs or WK that is a bonus.

 

[Chokli]

It’s impossible for PAK to make SF cut with Sarfraz leading and MoHa, Malik, Sarfraz holding key spots of 4-5-6.

Add to that the decline of FZ and constant injury to Haris, it’s Babar or bust in batting - he’ll need to score may be 1000 runs in WC to drag PAK out of hole.

Hafeez ain't bad in ODIs.

Decline of FZ? He just started his career a year and a half ago, he's still one of our best bats in ODIS.... He'll be fine, just needs some confidence.

Sarfraz I'd replace with Rizwan.

Rizwan has shown in the Pakistan A games that he can bat at number 4/5.

 

[Napa]

We are not winning it. I fancy South Africa, England or India. The above team seems incredibly weak to me.

England is probably the venue where the Pakistan team does the best, as seen from its CT victory and 2 drawn Test series. I would rate Pakistan as one of the favorites, along with England and maybe India.

 

[Chokli]

England is probably the venue where the Pakistan team does the best, as seen from its CT victory and 2 drawn Test series. I would rate Pakistan as one of the favorites, along with England and maybe India.

They've always done decent in England except for the 2013 Champs Trophy.

 

[PakLFC]

England is probably the venue where the Pakistan team does the best, as seen from its CT victory and 2 drawn Test series. I would rate Pakistan as one of the favorites, along with England and maybe India.

We had good one day players back then. This Pak one day side seem like a bunch of amateurs. There is not one world class batsman or anchorman in the side.

 

[giri26]

Pakistan need to get rid of 20's & 30's scoring players from the X1. They have Babar, Shoaib and possibly Haris? in the X1 who can probably build an innings. Imam is not a reliable opener, Fakhar can be good and probably the only wild card Pakistan can carry in their X1. Sarfaraz isn't scoring much runs, Then you have all rounders Shadab and Faheem who are decent with the bat. Now you cannot win a tournament based on 3 good batters who themselves are not very quick scoring ones. There in lies the issue, Pakistan will probably bring back Hafeez in the ODI team at the top of the order trying to stabilise the top order.

Pakistan have a good chance if Fakhar plays like he did in CT 2017. If he does not, considering how flat English LOI pitches are, it will be difficult for the current Pakistan line up to put up 250 consistently.

 

[Napa]

We had good one day players back then. This Pak one day side seem like a bunch of amateurs. There is not one world class batsman or anchorman in the side.

Your country won the CT just a year ago.

Anyway, I always say it as I see it. I would rather keep quiet than say something I don't believe. I think Pakistan may surprise everybody like they did in the CT. England is no doubt the country where they perform the best. I won't say they are the favorites, but they definitely have a good chance of winning it all.

 

[ARK Rafay]

Man you picked up the wrong tickets. Must've taken vs Sri Lanka and Afghanistan

No seriously our ODI team needs some changes. I would want Saud Shakeel in the side. And the most disappointing thing was that the team never made Faheem an AR who can hit but instead turns into our lead T20 bowler :/

 

[Suleiman]

We will do better than the joke of a performance in the 2015 World Cup. Waste of time and money. Will never forget how we were 1-4 against West Indies of all teams

That tournament was the perfect sign off for the Misbah ODI era as his last match. Not saying that he was the cause of all our defeats in the format, but the stooges who played and the tactics were in his reign.

But still that’s not saying much. We gotta get rid of the tumor of accumulators.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

It’s impossible for PAK to make SF cut with Sarfraz leading and MoHa, Malik, Sarfraz holding key spots of 4-5-6.

Add to that the decline of FZ and constant injury to Haris, it’s Babar or bust in batting - he’ll need to score may be 1000 runs in WC to drag PAK out of hole.

Babar plays way to slow in ODI to impact games.

I know you don't believe in this, but you will find out soon.

 

[MMHS]

Babar plays way to slow in ODI to impact games.

I know you don't believe in this, but you will find out soon.

I do think he bats slow. In fact, I posted a detailed analysis on his relative scoring rate by Quarter. Obviously, in a game of cricket if a batsman stays in middle for 2 hours his scoring rate will improve; but what I showed that in his 8 centuries (that time), compared to PAK's scoring rate (again, PAK's overall scoring rate will also increase when he is in his first Q, which is like around over between 15-20, than his 4th Q, likely after 35 overs), his relative scoring rate is slowest between his 76-100 and it jumps just after 100, between 101-125 it's almost double than previous Q.

But, having said that, he is by far the best player in PAK team and if his impact is lesser, only reason is that PCT is wasting him at 3 - put him as opener and allow to bat in PP, that should definitely improve his effectiveness and impact. He played some of the most exquisite drives and cuts against SAF attack in this Test series and each one was proper cricket shot through gaps on either feet including some perfect pulls - absolutely no reason why he can't do that against white ball, with 9 men in on 300 per tracks. Fakhar can bat as his partner or better at 3, because he plays spinners better and he is not the best tool against short new ball.

 

[Markhor]

Our batting is hopeless and heavily dependent on Fakhar and Babar so I've little faith in us showing the consistency needed in this new World Cup format. The Champions Trophy format suited us as 3-4 wins could see you win the trophy. My best case scenario is we qualify out of the group.

I'm hoping South Africa will finish off Hafeez and Malik so that we don't have to carry these two sitting ducks against pace to the World Cup. If Sarfraz relinquishes the Test captaincy at the end of this series, it may liberate him as he can focus on just two formats, but he needs to step up his batting performances.

I'm interested to see what Asif Ali does on flat wickets as he's one of the few clean hitters of the ball but he cannot seem to concentrate for longer than 10 deliveries and has a glaring weakness against spin. I don't even see how he makes the team given we're likely to play Imad/Shadab at 7 and Faheem at 8 unless he opens ?