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Pakistan need to play five bowlers to win overseas

fieldMarshal

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Pakistan needs to shed it's defensive/defeated mentality ie if it wants to win not just in Eng but all other foreign lands barring the subcontinent.

For as long as I can remember we have played a bowler short to make room for a batsmen, who themself have invariably failed to do well in seaming, swinging,bouncing conditions.

4 bowlers work great in the subcontinent as the ball will take some degree of turn on day one , so u can get way with playing a bowler short as the spinner will hold on end all day long.
But in seaming and swinging conditions the spinner n that too a leg spinner will get no turn (a world class finger spinner might get some turn but we don't have any at the moment). So a leg spinner on day 1 & 2 will be more of a liability than any thing else ( specially on account of no cricket being played the pitches are fresh and green).

We have lost our way in so many matches n ended up loosing from positions were we had dismissed the top order but due to a bowler short and ones playing got tired, we were unable to sustain the pressure and let the opposition get out of jail.

So we need to go in with 4 fast bowler n 1 spin.
In any case if the 5 front line batsmen n the wicket keeper are unable to score than very seldom does the sixth batsmen scores to safe the day or win the match.
 
You need five good bowlers, but Pakistan only has one.
 
Your points are valid - but I don't think 5 specialist bowlers are likely while Misbah is in change. He was really the captain that made 4-bowlers the norm for Pakistan in test cricket, before him that was not a frequent occurrence.

Now when you look at the batting, there is essentially just 1 batsmen who can really rely on, everyone else is either untested or just plain bad. That makes the 5 bowler scenario even less likely
 
Shaheen shah, Mohd Abbas, Naseem Shah and Yasir Shah are very likely to play barring any injury. That is a decent attack.
We need to play an other quick bowler.
I would have liked to play Harris rauf as he can seam n swing the new ball both ways and can reverse it later on but as he is out due to covid 19 hence would like to give Hasnain ago.

That would make 2 bowlers bowling around 145 k mark consistently.
Use them in short sharp burst n they will get the job done for u
 
Do you mean Pakistan has only one or Pakistan only has one which means that England has none! What exactly do you mean? Either way your statement does not amount to much!
 
Only if the 5th bowler can bat solid, more than just a cummins type. Needs to be a holder equivalent with the bat,

Having someone like Labuschagne as the 5th bowler works fine
 
Yeah makes the importance of a class wk batsman and class allrounder so much important.Africa had Ab and kallis and this really adds balance to the 11.
 
You can play 4 bowlers and win overseas. It's a myth you can't win overseas without playing 5 bowlers.
 
Play 4 pacers and use Fawad Alam to bowl some part time spin. Yasir's gonna be useless.
 
While I believe with Shaheen and Naseem in the team Pak should play 5 bowlers more often than not to minimize the stress on them but Pakistan can even try to win with 4 bowlers and one part timer (Like Fawad Alam currently or Haris Sohail/ Saud Shakeel) ideally bowling atleast 10 overs or so in the innings to share the workload. Its mainly about execution and pressure building tactics which Pak has lacked.

Problem in overseas conditions from bowling perspective has been lack of pressure building tactics and when pacers were able to create a bit of that Yasir leaks runs far too often and quickly to keep any pressure on. Pak needs a spinner which can bowl economically and pacers can bowl around him.

No team can think much about winning when the lead spinner who generally bowls 20-40 overs in an innings goes at around 4-5 runs per over.
 
You cant have a tail starting at number 7

The below are genuine bunnies apart from yasir who can bat a bit You cant add another rabbit to that mix

Yasir
Shaheen
Abbas
Naseem
 
While I believe with Shaheen and Naseem in the team Pak should play 5 bowlers more often than not to minimize the stress on them but Pakistan can even try to win with 4 bowlers and one part timer (Like Fawad Alam currently or Haris Sohail/ Saud Shakeel) ideally bowling atleast 10 overs or so in the innings to share the workload. Its mainly about execution and pressure building tactics which Pak has lacked.

Problem in overseas conditions from bowling perspective has been lack of pressure building tactics and when pacers were able to create a bit of that Yasir leaks runs far too often and quickly to keep any pressure on. Pak needs a spinner which can bowl economically and pacers can bowl around him.

No team can think much about winning when the lead spinner who generally bowls 20-40 overs in an innings goes at around 4-5 runs per over.

Just to clarify, I meant 5 bowlers with someone like Faheem and Shadab in the mix. 5 specialist bowlers without any batting credentials is definitely not an option.
 
You cant have a tail starting at number 7

The below are genuine bunnies apart from yasir who can bat a bit You cant add another rabbit to that mix

Yasir
Shaheen
Abbas
Naseem

TBF, apart from Babar, the bunnies will come start coming in a lot higher than that. We will have a massive tail. Just hope this tail can wag.
 
You need five good bowlers, but Pakistan only has one.
You need two good pace bowlers, plus two more to do the donkey work to keep the strike bowlers fresh.

But with only one other quick, Shaheen and Naseem will be quickly worn out - especially as they can’t shine the ball.
You cant have a tail starting at number 7

The below are genuine bunnies apart from yasir who can bat a bit You cant add another rabbit to that mix

Yasir
Shaheen
Abbas
Naseem

Exactly. You can’t play four Number Elevens.

It’s why I have

6 Rizwan
7 Shadab
8 Faheem

I would have preferred Amir at 9 (before Shaheen at 10 and Naseem at 11) but because of the long tail issue I probably would pick Wahab at 9 instead of Abbas.
 
Pakistan need to find someone who is a proper batsman and can chip in with a few overs. Someone like Kieron Pollard.

Four specialist bowlers and one capable part-time bowler should be good.
 
When playing in seaming swinging conditions 9 out of 10 time our team will struggle to get past 250. This even if u extent ur batting till no. 9 by bringing in all rounders.

So the only way u will win is by playing five genuine bowlers, so as to get the opposition out cheaply, other than that u might as well not play n gift to points to the opposition.
 
Pakistan need to find someone who is a proper batsman and can chip in with a few overs. Someone like Kieron Pollard.

Four specialist bowlers and one capable part-time bowler should be good.

As far as i know...Umar Amin, Hussain Talat, Shan Masood... All are same like younis khan with a bowling speed of 110-120 kph... Under Waqar they can be taught how to be effective and some minor adjustments they can generate an extra 5kph with smooth action..Pak doesnt not how to use their part-timers...
 
A fifth bowler who is a decent part timer can also do the job. The issue is to have 4 good bowlers.

Pakistan has been playing with a toothless Yasir Shah for quite some time now, and that is the real issue i think.
 
The problem with Yasir Shah is that for him to get ppl out, the wicket needs to do something as he hardly ever seems to generate any drift in the air. With the nature of wickets in Eng he will struggle.
And that's wt separates a good spinner from a great spinner.
 
Fawad Alam can be the part time spinner with 4 pacers. Azhar Ali on his day can also get a few wickets with his googlies.
 
You cant have a tail starting at number 7

The below are genuine bunnies apart from yasir who can bat a bit You cant add another rabbit to that mix

Yasir
Shaheen
Abbas
Naseem

Shadab?
 
If pitch is not doing much, Yasir comes up with figures like 200/1 with 4-5 runs per over. Yasir needs to tighten up when pitch is not doing much otherwise it's very hard to stop other side. He has lost more games than won due to his bowling.
 
I can't see them playing 5 bowlers as that weakens the brittle batting meaning you are only playing with 5 proper batsmen.

I believe they'll go with 3 pacers and Yasir Shah. 6 batsmen and Rizwan.
 
If pitch is not doing much, Yasir comes up with figures like 200/1 with 4-5 runs per over. Yasir needs to tighten up when pitch is not doing much otherwise it's very hard to stop other side. He has lost more games than won due to his bowling.

Bhatti could be better option if nothing happens in the pitch will bowl tightly and can bat azwell or go wiz shadab
 
Yasir, Abbas, Shaheen, Naseem. If needed a few overs from Shan and Azhar.

Huge risk if they go with 5 bowlers.
 
Our problem is batting never bowling !
Would be suicide playing 5 bowlers with this weak batting line up
 
5 bowlers are needed because of fitness concerns!
 
I guess it will be between Fawad Alam and Faheem Ashraf for the 1st Test. The rest of the XI is confirmed.
 
I guess it will be between Fawad Alam and Faheem Ashraf for the 1st Test. The rest of the XI is confirmed.

I fink it has to be between fahim and yasir dont think u can play fahim at that high up in the order
 
Aamer yamin would have been good bowler in these conditions

He is the better batsman between the two as well. In fact Yamin has more batting talent than bowling talent.

I guess Faheem's experience and success in 2018 made Misbah opt for him.
 
The problem is no high-quality pace-bowling all-rounders have been produced for many years. Someone who can bowl well and bat at number 8.

I don't class Faheem Ashraf as a Test quality all-rounder.
 
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The only reason west Indies were able to dismiss England for around 200 is that they were able to maintain constant pressure through out the English inning by playing 4 quick bowlers.

In our case it would have been 3 fast n 1 spin bowler. The quicks would have dismissed the eng top order but due to being a quick bowler short would have not been able to keep that unrelenting pressure needed to dismiss a team cheaply.
The result would have been our fast bowlers have gotten tried and once spin was introduced and with no spin on offer, the opp would have scored big and that would have been the end of our test match.

Now the question is are we playing to win or to just make up nos. The captain n the coach need to ask them selves this question.
 
The problem is no high-quality pace-bowling all-rounders have been produced for many years. Someone who can bowl well and bat at number 8.

I don't class Faheem Ashraf as a Test quality all-rounder.

What about shadab
 
He is the better batsman between the two as well. In fact Yamin has more batting talent than bowling talent.

I guess Faheem's experience and success in 2018 made Misbah opt for him.

Yes agreed yamin is a decent batsman and good swing bowler
 
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