Pakistan needs a proper 6th bowler in T20s

[gazza619]

If we are defending the 160s and 170s against good teams, we absolutely need a proper 6th bowler. It seems like we have a lot of batting depth now with the influx of some decent bowling allrounders. A such I would drop on batsman and play a proper 6th bowler.

Imagine if we were defending 172 today against Australia, would we have been able to defend it? I don’t think so. A 6th bowler (ideally a genuine spinner) would give the captain more options.

What do you guys think?

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

Our Strongest Lineup, For Reference;

1. Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
2. Babar Azam (c)
3. Fakhar Zaman
4. Haider Ali
5. Iftikhar Ahmed
6. Asif Ali (I guess...)
7. Mohammad Nawaz
8. Shadab Khan
9. Mohammad Wasim Jr. (Competing with Hassan Ali)
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi
11. Haris Rauf (Soon to be competing with Shahnawaz Dahani)

In that lineup, Iftikhar Ahmed is the 6th bowler, who I think is decent enough to be an economical bowler (but not a game changer). If one is still not satisfied with Iftikhar Ahmed as 6th Bowler then, the next option would be to put in an allrounder for Asif Ali.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Iftikhar is that though. Not too many left handers in the WI lineup however.

 

[shah_1]

Ifti chacha has improved a lot in recent times.

 

[ARK Rafay]

We have Iftikhar and Malik and Hafeez

 

[Titan24]

As others have mentioned Iftikhar is a pretty decent 6th option especially against lefties. I think he could have been deployed against Pooran in 2nd T20I vs WI when he first came onto bat but, then Wasim Jr took his wicket in the last match so they decided to deploy him. Even future in this regard seems pretty secured as well with regards to guys like Qasim Akram and Mubasir Khan in the pipeline.

However, Pakistan has a lot of liberty to even add a full time bowler if required with guys like Shabab and Nawaz pretty well equipped to bat at no 6 & 7 in T20s while Wasim Jr and Hassan also add to the batting depth. A strategy which is definitely worth trying in preparation for the World T20 (2022) as if works this can be a big luxury while defending total.

 

[gazza619]

Our Strongest Lineup, For Reference;

1. Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
2. Babar Azam (c)
3. Fakhar Zaman
4. Haider Ali
5. Iftikhar Ahmed
6. Asif Ali (I guess...)
7. Mohammad Nawaz
8. Shadab Khan
9. Mohammad Wasim Jr. (Competing with Hassan Ali)
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi
11. Haris Rauf (Soon to be competing with Shahnawaz Dahani)

In that lineup, Iftikhar Ahmed is the 6th bowler, who I think is decent enough to be an economical bowler (but not a game changer). If one is still not satisfied with Iftikhar Ahmed as 6th Bowler then, the next option would be to put in an allrounder for Asif Ali.

Iftikhar is that though. Not too many left handers in the WI lineup however.

Ifti chacha has improved a lot in recent times.

We have Iftikhar and Malik and Hafeez

I know Iftikhar is more than capable but I am thinking of a semi final like scenario where we are defending an average total.

I like how Shadab has improved his bowling recently and is now a wicket taking option. I am thinking of dropping the ‘once in a blue moon hack’ Asif Ali and play either Zahid Mehmood or Usman Qadir as an additional wicket taking leggie. With Saqlain around as a mentor, these spinners can really be an x-factor.

 

[asadee]

Usman Qadir is a genuine spinner and wicket taker should be played more regularly

 

[ARK Rafay]

I know Iftikhar is more than capable but I am thinking of a semi final like scenario where we are defending an average total.

I like how Shadab has improved his bowling recently and is now a wicket taking option. I am thinking of dropping the ‘once in a blue moon hack’ Asif Ali and play either Zahid Mehmood or Usman Qadir as an additional wicket taking leggie. With Saqlain around as a mentor, these spinners can really be an x-factor.

You think Iftikhar is not good enough as a 6th bowler in T20Is?

It is really a bad idea to drop a batsman for a bowler.

 

[silentkiller187]

this is where we could miss a trick, most teams now have 7-8 options that can bowl, im not saying use all of them every game but the options are there, pak have 5 very good bowlers but when things go wrong we dont really have a plan b or c , all rounders is where we have failed in the past few years, defo something we need to try and identify in psl and national cups.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Bhai if 4/5 bowlers can't win it, then 6th will also get smashed.

 

[GreenKhan]

this is where we could miss a trick, most teams now have 7-8 options that can bowl, im not saying use all of them every game but the options are there, pak have 5 very good bowlers but when things go wrong we dont really have a plan b or c , all rounders is where we have failed in the past few years, defo something we need to try and identify in psl and national cups.

Most teams have 7-8? I am not sure where you got that from. The likes of India and Australia have barely 5. I am sure maxwell was the "5th bowler" in thr world cup. New zealand also just about had 5.

Pakistans bowling is generally solid. Obviously on any given day especially in t20s any team can be taken apart.

The 6th bowler is a luxury option, which Pakistan can implement in the form of Iftikhar or even a Faheem Ashraf. But ultimately its about the team balance.

 

[GreenKhan]

this is where we could miss a trick, most teams now have 7-8 options that can bowl, im not saying use all of them every game but the options are there, pak have 5 very good bowlers but when things go wrong we dont really have a plan b or c , all rounders is where we have failed in the past few years, defo something we need to try and identify in psl and national cups.

Most teams have 7-8? I am not sure where you got that from. The likes of India and Australia have barely 5. I am sure maxwell was the "5th bowler" in thr world cup. New zealand also just about had 5.

Pakistans bowling is generally solid. Obviously on any given day especially in t20s any team can be taken apart.

The 6th bowler is a luxury option, which Pakistan can implement in the form of Iftikhar or even a Faheem Ashraf. But ultimately its about the team balance.

 

[shujaatraza]

this is where we could miss a trick, most teams now have 7-8 options that can bowl, im not saying use all of them every game but the options are there, pak have 5 very good bowlers but when things go wrong we dont really have a plan b or c , all rounders is where we have failed in the past few years, defo something we need to try and identify in psl and national cups.

Name 3 teams with 7 bowling options? India have been struggling with their 5th bowler since a while now.

 

[silentkiller187]

Most teams have 7-8? I am not sure where you got that from. The likes of India and Australia have barely 5. I am sure maxwell was the "5th bowler" in thr world cup. New zealand also just about had 5.

Pakistans bowling is generally solid. Obviously on any given day especially in t20s any team can be taken apart.

The 6th bowler is a luxury option, which Pakistan can implement in the form of Iftikhar or even a Faheem Ashraf. But ultimately its about the team balance.

Name 3 teams with 7 bowling options? India have been struggling with their 5th bowler since a while now.

In one of the world cup games Australia had 9 bowling options to chose from , wade and warner where the only ones that didnt have bowling experiance in a t20i, england could easily field a team with 8 9 bowling options and still win, SL if they wanted to could field a team with more than 5 bowling options so could bangladesh, wi, im not saying every option has to be an out and out bowler, they could even bowl 1 over if need be but that extra option can act as a fail safe.

 

[shujaatraza]

In one of the world cup games Australia had 9 bowling options to chose from , wade and warner where the only ones that didnt have bowling experiance in a t20i, england could easily field a team with 8 9 bowling options and still win, SL if they wanted to could field a team with more than 5 bowling options so could bangladesh, wi, im not saying every option has to be an out and out bowler, they could even bowl 1 over if need be but that extra option can act as a fail safe.

And where are lanka, windies and bangla in rankings? Are you counting Smith and Finch as bowling options? If that is the case then Babar and Fakhar are also bowling options.

 

[Mirpur express]

Lmao so you want the 6th bowler to do what the other 5 can’t

 

[silentkiller187]

And where are lanka, windies and bangla in rankings? Are you counting Smith and Finch as bowling options? If that is the case then Babar and Fakhar are also bowling options.

Steven smith has a t20i bowling average of 22, what is babar or fakhars bowling averages?

the icc t20 rankings? we all know that in reality pakistan are not as far ahead of teams like wi, bang, sl as the rankings shows.

 

[shujaatraza]

Steven smith has a t20i bowling average of 22, what is babar or fakhars bowling averages?

the icc t20 rankings? we all know that in reality pakistan are not as far ahead of teams like wi, bang, sl as the rankings shows.

When was the last time Smith bowled? His bowling today might be as good as Babar’s bowling.
Anyways what I am trying to say is gone are the days when teams used to have 7-8 decent bowling options.

 

[shamaan]

You have Iftikhar as the 6th bowling option.Khushdil shah can be another option who can bowl 1/2 overs.

Qasim Akram can be developed . Mubasir is another one in the longer format.