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"Pakistan needs Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik" : Shahid Afridi

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Shahid Afridi speaking to the press:

"PCB Chairman should be a capable person as Ramiz Raja is but the main decision for him will be to take on people who have sincere intentions for this country and PCB, and are good quality professionals - Only such people can run an institution like PCB where capable people are appointed based on merit. With such people in place, the PCB will rise to greater heights"

"We have a lot of talent but it needs to be groomed"

"When you get to such a position [as Chairman] you make decisions for the good of the organization and not based on personal likes or dislikes, some of these decisions will be appreciated and others not so"

"We tried a lot of things when it comes to team selection, where we tried out and gave chances to young players from whom we had a lot of expectations but they couldn't perform; So this is the last time Shoaib Malik will play in a ICC World Cup, so lets give him chance"

"Both Hafeez and Malik have served this nation well in the past and its not as if we don't have a need for them as I feel Pakistan needs them so lets see what decision is taken about them for the upcoming T20 World Cup"

"The tour of West Indies was the first one for a few of the players and I can tell you from my experience that the pitches there are different from any other place around the world - but it was good experience for new and old players"

"As far as Shahen Shah Afridi is concerned, I understand that from 2019/20, he has bowled about 700 overs - He can win matches for Pakistan but he will need to be used very carefully; I don't think he will survive if too much load is put on him"

“He will be the first PCB chairman whom I have congratulated via a text. I really want him to take Pakistan cricket forward. I just suggested him not to change the current PCB system. Because, I believe every system needs some time to deliver results, changing it immediately will cause problems,” he shared.
 
To do what? These guys have failed for a decade, will they suddenly win against good teams under pressure. Our best result in Limited overs was in the CT final and took a guy with no mental scares like FZ to win. On those Dubai wickets Afridi, even at his age, is a better bet than these 2 losers
 
This is why M. Waseem was right when he told Babar that Malik is no good.

Still gotta persist with Hafeez despite his bad batting run.
 
Hafeez perhaps. Shoaib is a liability and always was. I hate the way he plays the game.
 
why not send this team to WT20 (and just say bye to everyone)

Hafeez
Ahmed Shehzad
Kami
Azhar Ali
Malik
Umar Akmal
Sohail Tanvir
Md. Irfan
Imran Khan
Sohail Khan
Yasir shah
 
PCB can do better if they just arrange this WT20 as a farewell series for all the TTFS

Hafeez
Ahmed Shehzad
Kami
Azhar Ali
Malik
Umar Akmal
Sohail Tanvir
Md. Irfan
Imran Khan
Sohail Khan
Yasir shah
Wahab
 
The reason why Malik and Hafeez are being mentioned so often is because we have NO replacements for them. And even if we do, they’re too inexperienced to be going into a major tournament.

I really can’t see the cons of picking Malik and Hafeez for the WT20, they can bat, bowl and one of them is still our best fielder.

The only issue for me would be we’ll have too many players who take 10-15 balls to get going - Babar, Rizwan, Malik and Hafeez take wayyyy too long to get going.
 
I don't understand the sarcasm tbh. Hafeez is already an automatic pick despite a year of poor form. Nobody is dropping him for WT20.

Malik remains a genuine option for positions 5 and 6 given how awful every other youngsta beauty has been in that position.

The fact of the matter is that there is no talent coming through in Pakistan.
 
Malik and Hafeez already won a T20 world cup, they don't need another ring
 
Hafeez was not part of the 2009 t20 world cup sqaud, so hafeez never won a t20 world cup

Was he in the 2017 champions trophy team? If he was then he's already tasted international success, this doesn't have to be his Carmelo Anthony swansong last-shot at a world title.
 
Lala should check whats happening in CPL until he comes to a final conclusion on what is needed for Pakistan.
 
PCB can do better if they just arrange this WT20 as a farewell series for all the TTFS

Hafeez
Ahmed Shehzad
Kami
Azhar Ali
Malik
Umar Akmal
Sohail Tanvir
Md. Irfan
Imran Khan
Sohail Khan
Yasir shah
Wahab

Exactly!!!! Under Misbah we will not go anywhere.
 
Jeez!..guys!
Keep giving potentials more runs than the likes of Malik.
Persist with Hafeez till World Cup and then Khuda Hafiz...bahot ho gaya!
 
why not send this team to WT20 (and just say bye to everyone)

Hafeez
Ahmed Shehzad
Kami
Azhar Ali
Malik
Umar Akmal
Sohail Tanvir
Md. Irfan
Imran Khan
Sohail Khan
Yasir shah

Haha...classic!
Hope Imran Farhat reads your comment and comes out of retirement.
 
Lol lala was never a great cricketing mind The less he talks about cricket the better
 
He was always Anti youngsters his whole life he would rather prefer a retired cricketer than youngester.
 
The reason why Malik and Hafeez are being mentioned so often is because we have NO replacements for them. And even if we do, they’re too inexperienced to be going into a major tournament.

I really can’t see the cons of picking Malik and Hafeez for the WT20, they can bat, bowl and one of them is still our best fielder.

The only issue for me would be we’ll have too many players who take 10-15 balls to get going - Babar, Rizwan, Malik and Hafeez take wayyyy too long to get going.

Most people who are hating on Malik and Hafeez at the moment are deluded into thinking that hacks like Haider, Azam, Khushdil can perform at the international level.

You can list all the players tried in place of them and see who performed, if anyone at all:
Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Azam Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Danish Aziz, etc.

We don't have the luxury of options now.
 
Most people who are hating on Malik and Hafeez at the moment are deluded into thinking that hacks like Haider, Azam, Khushdil can perform at the international level.

You can list all the players tried in place of them and see who performed, if anyone at all:
Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Azam Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Danish Aziz, etc.

We don't have the luxury of options now.

Let's take you at face value and pick these 2 losers and we still don't get anywhere, because with or without these 2 guys,we aren't winning the T20 WC . So after another failure, how much have we moved forward? Not one iota.
I rather fail with HA, Khushdil etc rather than some guys that have had an extra decade. In any other country these guys would have gone around a decade ago, but fans like you still believe in losers like these.
Tell me what happened in the WC in 2019. How did these 2 go? Because exactly the same arguments were made then. How many matches did they play and what did they do?
 
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Our WC will depend on Babar and Riz and if they fail, we will get hammered, and if they score we will be competitive
 
Let's take you at face value and pick these 2 losers and we still don't get anywhere, because with or without these 2 guys,we aren't winning the T20 WC . So after another failure, how much have we moved forward? Not one iota.
I rather fail with HA, Khushdil etc rather than some guys that have had an extra decade. In any other country these guys would have gone around a decade ago, but fans like you still believe in losers like these.
Tell me what happened in the WC in 2019. How did these 2 go? Because exactly the same arguments were made then. How many matches did they play and what did they do?

The goal is to put forth the best squad. You can use as much childish terminology to speak about Malik and Hafeez but it doesn't improve your already lacking viewpoint.

If you really think that players like Khushdil are fit for the international level, I beg you to watch how they perform in the PSL.

You're treating the T20I format as if it's a relevant one; it isn't. Picking Haider, Khushdil, and all the other hacks in T20Is is no justification for their selection in any other format, so please let that be clear. A hack like Haider could score a fluke hundred in a T20, but I would never consider him for ODIs till he provides reliable statistics.

You are willing to ignore all the relevant data about their performances to try and accommodate your baseless theory that injecting youth that has no cricketing IQ into our team will help us move forward.

If you don't think that these youngsters should have to work for their selection and perform on the international stage, please say so, because that is what your argument sounds like. Why should we be wasting our time on youngsters who have no desire to improve, and players who lack any cricketing IQ?

Do yourself a favor and read my post again. Did I say I wanted Malik and Hafeez because I'm a fan of their batting? "We don't have the luxury of options now."

Please bring out the statistics that justify the selection of the so-called "brilliant youngsters" in our domestic system, I implore you to do so. You can already quit because nothing justifies their selection ahead of two players who have been putting up performances despite aging.

Had there been adequate replacements, these two would have been long gone, but the fact that they are still playing shows how no player has been found to have greater batting quality than them.

Please don't compare Pakistan's domestic system and talent with that of other countries; we are far behind in almost every aspect. You wouldn't be doing yourself any favors if you claim that other teams would have disposed of Malik and Hafeez, especially since those teams have the luxury of a good domestic system that produces batting talent on a regular basis.

Your argument is entirely baseless and is contradictory in itself in almost every given way. Next time, please say something meaningful with the use of data rather than your own intuitions which can be disregarded with a moment of thought.
 
The goal is to put forth the best squad. You can use as much childish terminology to speak about Malik and Hafeez but it doesn't improve your already lacking viewpoint.

If you really think that players like Khushdil are fit for the international level, I beg you to watch how they perform in the PSL.

You're treating the T20I format as if it's a relevant one; it isn't. Picking Haider, Khushdil, and all the other hacks in T20Is is no justification for their selection in any other format, so please let that be clear. A hack like Haider could score a fluke hundred in a T20, but I would never consider him for ODIs till he provides reliable statistics.

You are willing to ignore all the relevant data about their performances to try and accommodate your baseless theory that injecting youth that has no cricketing IQ into our team will help us move forward.

If you don't think that these youngsters should have to work for their selection and perform on the international stage, please say so, because that is what your argument sounds like. Why should we be wasting our time on youngsters who have no desire to improve, and players who lack any cricketing IQ?

Do yourself a favor and read my post again. Did I say I wanted Malik and Hafeez because I'm a fan of their batting? "We don't have the luxury of options now."

Please bring out the statistics that justify the selection of the so-called "brilliant youngsters" in our domestic system, I implore you to do so. You can already quit because nothing justifies their selection ahead of two players who have been putting up performances despite aging.

Had there been adequate replacements, these two would have been long gone, but the fact that they are still playing shows how no player has been found to have greater batting quality than them.

Please don't compare Pakistan's domestic system and talent with that of other countries; we are far behind in almost every aspect. You wouldn't be doing yourself any favors if you claim that other teams would have disposed of Malik and Hafeez, especially since those teams have the luxury of a good domestic system that produces batting talent on a regular basis.

Your argument is entirely baseless and is contradictory in itself in almost every given way. Next time, please say something meaningful with the use of data rather than your own intuitions which can be disregarded with a moment of thought.

So based on your criteria why not bring back MY and Inzi, because they too are better than the domestic players even at their ages. They are and havd beeb rubbish for a decade and if they were Zimbabwean or from Namibia they would have been sacked. Its a nonsense that they are still being talked about.
BTW
Why not tell us how they did in the WC in 19, was you happy with their selection, did you use the same arguments
 
If we're setting out to win the world twenty20 this year, then Hafeez and Malik really should be a part of that set up. I can understand the antagonism towards Shoaib Malik in particular, theres a feeling that he plays and stops a youngster getting a chance and he's also got previous chances unfairly at the behest of more deserving players, fair enough i agree with all of that 100%.

But heres a reality check, we've tried Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Azam Khan and Hussain Talat in positions where Malik would play, these guys either didn't fire at all or they played one flash in the pan innings and then flattered to deceive.

Theres a difference between giving exposure to youngsters and setting out to win a world cup...and to win should be the aim (which I don't think people in this forum actually understand, they'd rather sacrifice a potential win on the grounds Malik doesn't play the World T20...go figure!).

Malik is a decent bat in this format (he's not going to set the world on fire but he can play a role on the spinning and low bouncing pitches of the UAE), he's also a bowling option and a very good fielder. He should be there, ditto for Hafeez. These guys are fit and they have shown that they can make runs when other younger players haven't on stages like the PSL etc. For the purposes of the world T20 (not a bilateral t20 series) make the best of a bad situation and put them in.
 
If there is no replacement then M.Hafeez may be given the last chance considering it is a UAE venue for the world cup. But I am not sure about Shoab Malik he hardly performs.
 
Jeez!..guys!
Keep giving potentials more runs than the likes of Malik.
Persist with Hafeez till World Cup and then Khuda Hafiz...bahot ho gaya!

There are no potentials. I don't understand how people aren't grasping this yet.
 
Players like Hafeez/Malik have hardly ever done well in ICC tournaments even while they were at their peaks.

Now at the age of 40 they don't offer anything apart from experience.....experience of failing at crucial moments in past WCs.

We all saw how Hafeez and Malik performed in 2019 WC.

Those who expect them to do well are in for yet another disappointment.

I would much rather lose with youngsters than give these oldies a free ride yet again.

Hafeez might still get selected though due to his performances last year and he can still bowl but Malik is totally useless.
 
The reason why Malik and Hafeez are being mentioned so often is because we have NO replacements for them. And even if we do, they’re too inexperienced to be going into a major tournament.

I really can’t see the cons of picking Malik and Hafeez for the WT20, they can bat, bowl and one of them is still our best fielder.

The only issue for me would be we’ll have too many players who take 10-15 balls to get going - Babar, Rizwan, Malik and Hafeez take wayyyy too long to get going.

I don't understand the sarcasm tbh. Hafeez is already an automatic pick despite a year of poor form. Nobody is dropping him for WT20.

Malik remains a genuine option for positions 5 and 6 given how awful every other youngsta beauty has been in that position.

The fact of the matter is that there is no talent coming through in Pakistan.

Most people who are hating on Malik and Hafeez at the moment are deluded into thinking that hacks like Haider, Azam, Khushdil can perform at the international level.

You can list all the players tried in place of them and see who performed, if anyone at all:
Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Azam Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Danish Aziz, etc.

We don't have the luxury of options now.


In theory, it looks very odd but much as unfortunate as it gets, this is our logical route if we look at things practically.

Unfortunately, all the replacements we have produced and tried, turned out to be utter disappointments.

I mean, it's truly shameful that Afghanistan produces a T20 player like Zazai who looks to bat better than our entire new generation of crickets combined. (Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Azam Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Danish Aziz, etc.)

The only one good innings I saw by a Pak new comer in the last year or two, was from Zeeshan Ashraf in the KPL Final.

He hinted some signs of having a good bat speed, nice back lift, powerful forearms, and a good hand-eye coordination that may suit in the T20 powerplays.

Rest of all, just looked junk, with a few tullas get it right at a couple of occasions.
 
Have a look at CPL scores and see the performances of Malik/Hafeez......do people really think they can score against top international bowlers in WC
 
Have a look at CPL scores and see the performances of Malik/Hafeez......do people really think they can score against top international bowlers in WC

Yes, that could be a factor to consider but this is not THE ONLY event we should be basing on when selecting the best possible squad that has the highest probability of excelling in the WC.

You must look at the bigger picture and the over all situation. CPL is very minor among the scheme of things and current state of Pak new players that our broken system has produced.
 
The reason why Malik and Hafeez are being mentioned so often is because we have NO replacements for them. And even if we do, they’re too inexperienced to be going into a major tournament.

I really can’t see the cons of picking Malik and Hafeez for the WT20, they can bat, bowl and one of them is still our best fielder.

The only issue for me would be we’ll have too many players who take 10-15 balls to get going - Babar, Rizwan, Malik and Hafeez take wayyyy too long to get going.

There are replacements , but the expectations are too high. Replace them with young players and back them. That is why Pakistan are still struggling to make proper batsmen and bowlers for decades.

One bad series or a tour. They are discarded and named TTFs. Well it is very important that identifying the right potential and backing them just like Babar

Even now if Babar had a lean run in tests, people want him to be replaced as captain or dropped down the order.


Right now Pakistan is doing this approach and have lost many promising youngsters and they are still want to play the 40 year old uncles and justifying their selections.
 
So based on your criteria why not bring back MY and Inzi, because they too are better than the domestic players even at their ages. They are and havd beeb rubbish for a decade and if they were Zimbabwean or from Namibia they would have been sacked. Its a nonsense that they are still being talked about.
BTW
Why not tell us how they did in the WC in 19, was you happy with their selection, did you use the same arguments

In List A cricket, we are not as deprived of batting talent as we are in the shortest format, so Malik/Hafeez should not have been included in the team at that time to pave the way for a few younger batsmen to get a chance.

Apart from one match-winning performance from Hafeez, both didn't contribute as much as they should have.

Please provide some statistics of our so-called "youngsta beauties" who have been breaking record after record in our illustrious domestic system to deserve a call-up to the national team.

Once you put aside your personal biases and emotions, you will understand the logic behind the inclusion of Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik.
 
There are replacements , but the expectations are too high. Replace them with young players and back them. That is why Pakistan are still struggling to make proper batsmen and bowlers for decades.

One bad series or a tour. They are discarded and named TTFs. Well it is very important that identifying the right potential and backing them just like Babar

Even now if Babar had a lean run in tests, people want him to be replaced as captain or dropped down the order.


Right now Pakistan is doing this approach and have lost many promising youngsters and they are still want to play the 40 year old uncles and justifying their selections.

Out of all the replacements of Malik and Hafeez, almost everyone got enough of an opportunity to showcase their class. Mind you, a few international games should be enough for a player to produce something of substance, and this "long rope" you mention only applies if the player has exemplary domestic statistics.

If we had someone of Shubman Gill's class averaging nearly 70 in FC cricket, I wouldn't hesitate in giving them a longer rope. The fact of the matter is that we have guys averaging less than 20 who are being hailed as future superstars when they can't even bash the living daylight out of our mediocre domestic bowling lineups.

Every single player who got a chance to replace Malik/Hafeez failed to perform except for Iftikhar Ahmed who is probably just as old as them but averaged significantly higher with some good innings in Australia. Since then, he failed as well, exposing a glaring fault in his own batting ability as he requires too many deliveries to get set before exploding, only succeeding in a small number of games.
 
In theory, it looks very odd but much as unfortunate as it gets, this is our logical route if we look at things practically.

Unfortunately, all the replacements we have produced and tried, turned out to be utter disappointments.

I mean, it's truly shameful that Afghanistan produces a T20 player like Zazai who looks to bat better than our entire new generation of crickets combined. (Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Azam Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Danish Aziz, etc.)

The only one good innings I saw by a Pak new comer in the last year or two, was from Zeeshan Ashraf in the KPL Final.

He hinted some signs of having a good bat speed, nice back lift, powerful forearms, and a good hand-eye coordination that may suit in the T20 powerplays.

Rest of all, just looked junk, with a few tullas get it right at a couple of occasions.

Zeeshan Ashraf lacks consistency and power-hitting. In his century, I believe he only had one six, and that too on a flat wicket.

He has not made any impact in the opportunities he had in the PSL, and judging by his paltry FC and List A average, I don't think he has the technique to be a player we look at across all formats.

Pakistan is devoid of talent for T20s, but we fail to utilize players who are succeeding in formats such as List A.

The fact that Imam get to stat pad against teams like Zimbabwe is just horrific.

How does Shan Masood not make it into our ODI team? Just take a look at his List A stats:

97 games, 4540 runs, 57.46 average, 82.72 SR.

Those are extremely good numbers, and he has the technique to play in a slightly aggressive gear judging by his T20 performances in recent times.

Imam-ul-Haq is a liability who has gotten too many opportunities despite having a poor strike rate and the luxury of playing depleted teams to score soft runs.

He has never played a single inning of substance in his career, and I doubt he ever will.

Whereas we lack batting ability in T20s, we have a variety of options in List A cricket who should be considered.
 
There are replacements , but the expectations are too high. Replace them with young players and back them. That is why Pakistan are still struggling to make proper batsmen and bowlers for decades.

Seriously, how do you "back them"?
comes in from domestic cricket to play international games, and does not know how to hold a bat.

One bad series or a tour. They are discarded and named TTFs. Well it is very important that identifying the right potential and backing them just like Babar

Aren't we saying the same for Malik and Hafeez? One bad CPL, and discard both of them?

Even now if Babar had a lean run in tests, people want him to be replaced as captain or dropped down the order.

Everyone is free to voice their opinion. Many agree that Rizwan perhaps has more bearing on the field as the pack leader than Baber.

Right now Pakistan is doing this approach and have lost many promising youngsters and they are still want to play the 40 year old uncles and justifying their selections.

Unfortunately, this is true.
It's because those 40 years old have displayed better stamina and grit, game planning and execution than these young legs.
 
Misbah played his cards so well in last 10 years; he gave just enough chances (just enough chances) to unmerited youngsters just to prove , see we dont have talents..
and then we have his friends playing I his team

PCB can do Ahsaan on everyone, stakeholders, fans, PCB itself, cricketing word, neutral fans, etc., by playing below team

These are domestic bashers, and did not improve even 1% after getting millions of chances (in fact, after returning to International cricket they become worse than before); but when they are on TV, they are nothing less than Bradman/ Joel Garner/ Warne/ McGrath..

Coach : Misbah
Bowling Coach : Waqar
Spin Coach : Mushtaq
Batting Coach : Inzamam Ul Haq
All rounder Coach : Razzak
Wicket-keepig Coach : Moin Khan
Head Manager : Intikhab alam
Anti Corruption Manager : Talat Ali
Coaches Manager : Iqbal Qasim
Players Manager : Saleem Yousuf
Peace Ambassador : Shoaib Akhtar


Kami (wk1)
Shehzad
Hafeez (c)
Malik (vc)
Umar Akmal(wk2)
Adnan Akmal (wk3)
Sohaib Maqsood (very nice TTF)
Wahab
Tanvir
Imran Khan Jr.
Sohail Khan
Yasir Shah
Md. Abbas
Md. Irfan
Zulfiqar Babar
 
I think, these days Lala is outdated as he is focussed more o his foundation work
So his comments regarding cricket needs to be taken with a pinch of salt
 
Zeeshan Ashraf lacks consistency and power-hitting. In his century, I believe he only had one six, and that too on a flat wicket.

He has not made any impact in the opportunities he had in the PSL, and judging by his paltry FC and List A average, I don't think he has the technique to be a player we look at across all formats.

Pakistan is devoid of talent for T20s, but we fail to utilize players who are succeeding in formats such as List A.

The fact that Imam get to stat pad against teams like Zimbabwe is just horrific.

How does Shan Masood not make it into our ODI team? Just take a look at his List A stats:

97 games, 4540 runs, 57.46 average, 82.72 SR.

Those are extremely good numbers, and he has the technique to play in a slightly aggressive gear judging by his T20 performances in recent times.

Imam-ul-Haq is a liability who has gotten too many opportunities despite having a poor strike rate and the luxury of playing depleted teams to score soft runs.

He has never played a single inning of substance in his career, and I doubt he ever will.

Whereas we lack batting ability in T20s, we have a variety of options in List A cricket who should be considered.

Zeeshan doesn't lack power hitting. He is a big hitter, consistency is a problem but that's a problem with many palyers
 
In List A cricket, we are not as deprived of batting talent as we are in the shortest format, so Malik/Hafeez should not have been included in the team at that time to pave the way for a few younger batsmen to get a chance.

Apart from one match-winning performance from Hafeez, both didn't contribute as much as they should have.

Please provide some statistics of our so-called "youngsta beauties" who have been breaking record after record in our illustrious domestic system to deserve a call-up to the national team.

Once you put aside your personal biases and emotions, you will understand the logic behind the inclusion of Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik.

Did you back their inclusion in the WC or not?
 
Zeeshan Ashraf lacks consistency and power-hitting. In his century, I believe he only had one six, and that too on a flat wicket.

He has not made any impact in the opportunities he had in the PSL, and judging by his paltry FC and List A average, I don't think he has the technique to be a player we look at across all formats.

Pakistan is devoid of talent for T20s, but we fail to utilize players who are succeeding in formats such as List A.

The fact that Imam get to stat pad against teams like Zimbabwe is just horrific.

How does Shan Masood not make it into our ODI team? Just take a look at his List A stats:

97 games, 4540 runs, 57.46 average, 82.72 SR.

Those are extremely good numbers, and he has the technique to play in a slightly aggressive gear judging by his T20 performances in recent times.

Imam-ul-Haq is a liability who has gotten too many opportunities despite having a poor strike rate and the luxury of playing depleted teams to score soft runs.

He has never played a single inning of substance in his career, and I doubt he ever will.

Whereas we lack batting ability in T20s, we have a variety of options in List A cricket who should be considered.

probably true about Zeeshan.
I just happen to watch this one off game where he apparently seemed to play well.

Otherwise, I have no interest in watching domestic Pakistani games. The bowlers look ret@rds and the batsman's style, quality and class makes me throw up.
 
probably true about Zeeshan.
I just happen to watch this one off game where he apparently seemed to play well.

Otherwise, I have no interest in watching domestic Pakistani games. The bowlers look ret@rds and the batsman's style, quality and class makes me throw up.

Imagine being Zeeshan Ashraf though and seeing someone like Azam Khan get picked ahead of you for the national team. Nepotism has been destroying Pakistan cricket for a very long time.

Why would a player like Zeeshan want to work harder with his game when players who haven’t worked at all for their spot end up getting picked.
 
Zeeshan doesn't lack power hitting. He is a big hitter, consistency is a problem but that's a problem with many palyers

I've seen his batting, he doesn't have that extra gear to clear the boundary at will.

He flashes at the ball and mostly deals in fours.
 
Imagine being Zeeshan Ashraf though and seeing someone like Azam Khan get picked ahead of you for the national team. Nepotism has been destroying Pakistan cricket for a very long time.

Why would a player like Zeeshan want to work harder with his game when players who haven’t worked at all for their spot end up getting picked.

Azam Khan doesn't merit his selection in any way, and it's clear that Moin Khan used his influence on the selection panel to push his son into the limelight.

A guy who has the physique of a wrecking ball and gets run-out more times than not seriously makes me question Mohammad Wasim and what his role is.
 
No I didn't.

There were other options available that we should have gone with, but for the upcoming T20 World Cup, we have a very limited set of options.

Fair play because those calling for his 1000th recall were the same guys that made the same failed arguments in the WC
 
Fair play because those calling for his 1000th recall were the same guys that made the same failed arguments in the WC

The only reason I side with the selection of Hafeez and Malik is that they are of superior quality than their competition for the slots.

Hafeez with his bowling has become a more useful member of the team, and let's not forget that Malik can give you an over or two if you are desperate.
 
The only reason I side with the selection of Hafeez and Malik is that they are of superior quality than their competition for the slots.

Hafeez with his bowling has become a more useful member of the team, and let's not forget that Malik can give you an over or two if you are desperate.

They aren't they have had 2 decades to show their quality and they are terrible players for the best part of a decade.
 
The only reason I side with the selection of Hafeez and Malik is that they are of superior quality than their competition for the slots.

I think when judging quality we often overlook how many matches it took for these players to show some sort of quality.

Hafeez averages 26 with a SR of 120, he has been exceptional for a period without a doubt but, that period took close to 90 matches to come. Malik averages 31 with SR of 124 but, even he was averaging in 20s at a lower SR even when he was in his mid 30s. It was period from 2016 to 2020 (Post 34-35 years of age) and took almost 70-80 matches when he started producing something. They were initially in the team as all rounders during all that period of no returns otherwise they wouldn’t have been persisted with

So while I agree that in their current form and shape after over 100 T20Is each and 100s of T20 matches in leagues and domestic cricket that they might be somewhat better options than few. However, its unfair to judge guys like Haider Ali and co when they are 13-18 years younger with experience nowhere close to that. Even guys like Maqsood, Iftikhar etc with all their issues are yet to play even 1/10th of the matches Hafeez and Malik had the opportunity to play.

Malik and Hafeez still being an option is more to do with lack of planning and development by of other guys along with obviously these two started delivering good returns after the age of 35-36.

A young or inexperienced guy can only show basic raw skills but, in terms of experience and understanding of the game they can’t compete with players with 100s of matches behind them. What teams are expected to do is to start giving younger and inexperienced guys with better raw skills or upside potential that experience and exposure so that they can form an optimal team. Pak T20 team has created a problem for itself where no middle order batsmen whether we talk about Malik and Hafeez or the younger/inexperienced ones are the solution. As none of them are at their optimal/ peak level, Malik/Hafeez due to being in their last stages and other ones due to lack of experience, exposure and timely development.
 
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Out of all the replacements of Malik and Hafeez, almost everyone got enough of an opportunity to showcase their class. Mind you, a few international games should be enough for a player to produce something of substance, and this "long rope" you mention only applies if the player has exemplary domestic statistics.

If we had someone of Shubman Gill's class averaging nearly 70 in FC cricket, I wouldn't hesitate in giving them a longer rope. The fact of the matter is that we have guys averaging less than 20 who are being hailed as future superstars when they can't even bash the living daylight out of our mediocre domestic bowling lineups.

Every single player who got a chance to replace Malik/Hafeez failed to perform except for Iftikhar Ahmed who is probably just as old as them but averaged significantly higher with some good innings in Australia. Since then, he failed as well, exposing a glaring fault in his own batting ability as he requires too many deliveries to get set before exploding, only succeeding in a small number of games.

I dont disagree with your viewpoint.

But I do question a few things.

1. If the aim is to win the World Cup, then considering what happened in 2019 World Cup, how do you believe these players will perform better than the youngsters who are failing.

2. At what point do we finally say goodbye? 40? 45? Or do we chug along because we dont have any youngster till they reach 50 ? And then what? Will we then stop playing cricket?

Your point makes sense in theoretical terms.

But leaving theory aside, in practice, your point seems weak.

Aka we are choosing decade old losers because the youth are losers to help us lose (win?) the World Cup?
 
I dont disagree with your viewpoint.

But I do question a few things.

1. If the aim is to win the World Cup, then considering what happened in 2019 World Cup, how do you believe these players will perform better than the youngsters who are failing.

2. At what point do we finally say goodbye? 40? 45? Or do we chug along because we dont have any youngster till they reach 50 ? And then what? Will we then stop playing cricket?

Your point makes sense in theoretical terms.

But leaving theory aside, in practice, your point seems weak.

Aka we are choosing decade old losers because the youth are losers to help us lose (win?) the World Cup?

Answering your first question, I think you've answered it already. In simplest terms, the youngsters are failing, Hafeez and Malik have been performing. Why would a job hire the worst possible candidate? This is no different.

Hafeez and Malik have already said that they will retire after this T20 World Cup. I am interested in using their services whilst they are still performing to give us the best chance of bringing home the silverware.

After they retire, we won't have other options apart from backing our mentally incapable youngsters, but if we do so now, we are squandering our chances of winning some silverware. Keep in mind, the T20 World Cup is in the UAE, and these two know how to play spin better than any youngster I mentioned in the list above.
 
I think when judging quality we often overlook how many matches it took for these players to show some sort of quality.

Hafeez averages 26 with a SR of 120, he has been exceptional for a period without a doubt but, that period took close to 90 matches to come. Malik averages 31 with SR of 124 but, even he was averaging in 20s at a lower SR even when he was in his mid 30s. It was period from 2016 to 2020 (Post 34-35 years of age) and took almost 70-80 matches when he started producing something. They were initially in the team as all rounders during all that period of no returns otherwise they wouldn’t have been persisted with

So while I agree that in their current form and shape after over 100 T20Is each and 100s of T20 matches in leagues and domestic cricket that they might be somewhat better options than few. However, its unfair to judge guys like Haider Ali and co when they are 13-18 years younger with experience nowhere close to that. Even guys like Maqsood, Iftikhar etc with all their issues are yet to play even 1/10th of the matches Hafeez and Malik had the opportunity to play.

Malik and Hafeez still being an option is more to do with lack of planning and development by of other guys along with obviously these two started delivering good returns after the age of 35-36.

A young or inexperienced guy can only show basic raw skills but, in terms of experience and understanding of the game they can’t compete with players with 100s of matches behind them. What teams are expected to do is to start giving younger and inexperienced guys with better raw skills or upside potential that experience and exposure so that they can form an optimal team. Pak T20 team has created a problem for itself where no middle order batsmen whether we talk about Malik and Hafeez or the younger/inexperienced ones are the solution. As none of them are at their optimal/ peak level, Malik/Hafeez due to being in their last stages and other ones due to lack of experience, exposure and timely development.

Pakistan's problems of not developing players in the past cannot be resolved now.

At the moment, if we ignore all outside factors and biases, Hafeez and Malik are the most logical choices for the best chance at winning the T20 World Cup.

Their counterparts are failing miserably.
 
They aren't they have had 2 decades to show their quality and they are terrible players for the best part of a decade.

I return to my statement that they are putting up performances, unlike their younger counterparts.

Everyone who has been tried in place of Hafeez and Malik has failed, which is why they have had long international careers, perhaps too long for my liking as well.

If youngsters cannot use common sense and put in some credible performances, they don't deserve to play.
 
Answering your first question, I think you've answered it already. In simplest terms, the youngsters are failing, Hafeez and Malik have been performing. Why would a job hire the worst possible candidate? This is no different.

Hafeez and Malik have already said that they will retire after this T20 World Cup. I am interested in using their services whilst they are still performing to give us the best chance of bringing home the silverware.

After they retire, we won't have other options apart from backing our mentally incapable youngsters, but if we do so now, we are squandering our chances of winning some silverware. Keep in mind, the T20 World Cup is in the UAE, and these two know how to play spin better than any youngster I mentioned in the list above.

Actually you didnt answer my last point.

Are we choosing decades old losers instead of the losing youth to lose (win?) the World Cup.

Or else

Do you genuinely believe that by playing Hafeez and Malik we might WIN the entire thing?

And if NOT, then are you picking them out of FORLORN hope rather than anything else?

And if YES, then what is the difference between being thrown out by youngsters or by aged wooden warriors?

The contradiction is something I am trying to still digest.
 
Actually you didnt answer my last point.

Are we choosing decades old losers instead of the losing youth to lose (win?) the World Cup.

Or else

Do you genuinely believe that by playing Hafeez and Malik we might WIN the entire thing?

And if NOT, then are you picking them out of FORLORN hope rather than anything else?

And if YES, then what is the difference between being thrown out by youngsters or by aged wooden warriors?

The contradiction is something I am trying to still digest.

To clarify: I am not picking Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik just for the sake that the youngsters are failing, let that be clear.

I'll go through both separately, starting with Malik:

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In Pakistan, I don't think there exists a player more comfortable against playing spin than Shoaib Malik. Another desirable aspect is that Shoaib Malik was arguably a key component of Peshawar Zalmi's successful chases. Take a look at the games they batted second, and look at the contributions made by Shoaib Malik. It's absurd that a player who looks comfortable in a run-chase, something most batsmen on our team fumble with, is not being considered.

Right now, I just mentioned two things Pakistan requires: a steady head in a run-chase, and a batsman capable of scoring runs against spinners. This does not take into consideration that Malik is more than capable of bowling a few overs should the pitch provide some good turn for spinners to exploit.

The undesirable trait is that Malik is nearly 40 years of age, so he is not a long-term fix to our issues.

You can do the math yourself, but Malik is helping is more than he is hurting us.

---------------------------------------------------------

Hafeez on the other hand had a stellar 2020 for all of us to see. Since then, however, he fell off quite dramatically, and he was on the verge of being dropped had he not opened our eyes to his bowling skill. Being economical whilst taking wickets in conditions that could be similar to the UAE was something that we needed, especially since we lack a spinner who can deal with left-handers adequately. Both Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim get belted by left-handed batsmen, so it would be wise to consider a bowler who doesn't have the same struggles against left-handers to give us a better opportunity.

His batting suffered a great dip, but a hundred in the KPL and some runs in the CPL would do him some good.

--------------------------------------------------------

The key is to understand what type of a team you want. Youngsters in our team are too inconsistent and have a slogger's mindset. You can only have so many of them on a team, which is what people don't understand. I would be more than happy to drop Fakhar Zaman from the middle order and replace him with Haider Ali, it does not affect me because both will give me the same amount of runs and the same level of inconsistency.

The team I have in mind is one that will put runs on the board when batting first with batsmen capable of building partnerships, whilst reserving some players who will bash the leather off the ball. When it comes to chasing large totals, the team should have experienced players who can again absorb pressure and play to the demands of the modern game as well.

Assuming we are allowed a squad of 15 for the T20 WC, I think by letting you know what I have in mind will help you understand my viewpoint better:

Top Order Batsmen: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sohaib Maqsood/Sharjeel Khan (either is a punt at this point).

Middle Order Batsmen: Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk).

All-rounders: Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.

Pacers: Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain.

Spinner: Usman Qadir.
 
Whilst I wouldn't go overboard, I think both could be options although there's something about having them in the team at the same time that doesn't sit well with me.

Malik has had a sterling T20 period in the last few years and seems to value his wicket. He also had a very decent PSL. Perhaps a cool head is required for 6th spot rather than all the failed hack we've tried.

Hafeez had been in super form but has tailed off, although could be a useful addition for his bowling. Both could thrive on the slow and low pitches of the UAE.
 
Whilst I wouldn't go overboard, I think both could be options although there's something about having them in the team at the same time that doesn't sit well with me.

Malik has had a sterling T20 period in the last few years and seems to value his wicket. He also had a very decent PSL. Perhaps a cool head is required for 6th spot rather than all the failed hack we've tried.

Hafeez had been in super form but has tailed off, although could be a useful addition for his bowling. Both could thrive on the slow and low pitches of the UAE.

That’s the problem you don’t want to lose with Hafeez and Malik in the team but with Asif Talat Danish and others we have no chance of a positive outcome.
 
Have always said this that only one of Hafeez and Malik can be in the T20 team and currently it can only be Hafeez because he's also bowling now and done decently and also with the bat too.
 
To clarify: I am not picking Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik just for the sake that the youngsters are failing, let that be clear.

I'll go through both separately, starting with Malik:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
In Pakistan, I don't think there exists a player more comfortable against playing spin than Shoaib Malik. Another desirable aspect is that Shoaib Malik was arguably a key component of Peshawar Zalmi's successful chases. Take a look at the games they batted second, and look at the contributions made by Shoaib Malik. It's absurd that a player who looks comfortable in a run-chase, something most batsmen on our team fumble with, is not being considered.

Right now, I just mentioned two things Pakistan requires: a steady head in a run-chase, and a batsman capable of scoring runs against spinners. This does not take into consideration that Malik is more than capable of bowling a few overs should the pitch provide some good turn for spinners to exploit.

The undesirable trait is that Malik is nearly 40 years of age, so he is not a long-term fix to our issues.

You can do the math yourself, but Malik is helping is more than he is hurting us.

---------------------------------------------------------

Hafeez on the other hand had a stellar 2020 for all of us to see. Since then, however, he fell off quite dramatically, and he was on the verge of being dropped had he not opened our eyes to his bowling skill. Being economical whilst taking wickets in conditions that could be similar to the UAE was something that we needed, especially since we lack a spinner who can deal with left-handers adequately. Both Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim get belted by left-handed batsmen, so it would be wise to consider a bowler who doesn't have the same struggles against left-handers to give us a better opportunity.

His batting suffered a great dip, but a hundred in the KPL and some runs in the CPL would do him some good.

--------------------------------------------------------

The key is to understand what type of a team you want. Youngsters in our team are too inconsistent and have a slogger's mindset. You can only have so many of them on a team, which is what people don't understand. I would be more than happy to drop Fakhar Zaman from the middle order and replace him with Haider Ali, it does not affect me because both will give me the same amount of runs and the same level of inconsistency.

The team I have in mind is one that will put runs on the board when batting first with batsmen capable of building partnerships, whilst reserving some players who will bash the leather off the ball. When it comes to chasing large totals, the team should have experienced players who can again absorb pressure and play to the demands of the modern game as well.

Assuming we are allowed a squad of 15 for the T20 WC, I think by letting you know what I have in mind will help you understand my viewpoint better:

Top Order Batsmen: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sohaib Maqsood/Sharjeel Khan (either is a punt at this point).

Middle Order Batsmen: Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk).

All-rounders: Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.

Pacers: Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain.

Spinner: Usman Qadir.

Why sharjeel and not fakhar in top order?

Why not nawaz as a spinner /all rounder ? He has been very good in whatever little chances that came his way.

Haris Rauf and hasnain as pacers give me heartache. Why? Why not some guys that were outperforming them in PSL?
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">70 off 59 balls and 4 overs for 25 for Mohammad Hafeez but it wasn't enough to stop St Kitts and Nevis Patriots beating Guyana Amazon Warriors by 6 wickets in the Caribbean Premier League <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CPL21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CPL21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/ChtJyIR8r2">pic.twitter.com/ChtJyIR8r2</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1432115493083697153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Why sharjeel and not fakhar in top order?

Why not nawaz as a spinner /all rounder ? He has been very good in whatever little chances that came his way.

Haris Rauf and hasnain as pacers give me heartache. Why? Why not some guys that were outperforming them in PSL?

If Nawaz plays, he plays as a spinner. His batting is unreliable and we should expect nothing from him with the bat in limited-overs cricket. So yes, a case can be made to include Nawaz ahead of Usman Qadir, but we would be going into the tournament without a bowler who can really spin the ball. It's unfortunate, especially since he would be a mainstay on this team had Shadab not been given vice-captaincy.

Fakhar Zaman has had too many opportunities and not enough performances. In a way, all three of Maqsood, Sharjeel, and Fakhar are selections that pose more risk than reward.

We saw how badly Wahab Riaz got mutilated at the CPL in just a 3 over spell, so he's out of the equation already. Mohammad Amir seems to be back in some sort of form, but I would rather go by the stats in the UAE, where he was hammered without remorse. Apart from Rauf and Hasnain, nobody comes to mind.

However, if I was in charge of the squad, I would still take Amir for the sake that he isn't as much of a scatter-gun as Rauf.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">70 off 59 balls and 4 overs for 25 for Mohammad Hafeez but it wasn't enough to stop St Kitts and Nevis Patriots beating Guyana Amazon Warriors by 6 wickets in the Caribbean Premier League <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CPL21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CPL21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/ChtJyIR8r2">pic.twitter.com/ChtJyIR8r2</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1432115493083697153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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A selfish and slow innings.
 
Was he in the 2017 champions trophy team? If he was then he's already tasted international success, this doesn't have to be his Carmelo Anthony swansong last-shot at a world title.

I agree with you, i was just quoting you becuase you said he won a T20 WORLD CUP, but Hafeez never did. Doesnt mean he should be in the squad, i was just correcting your quote, cuz in t20 world cup Hafeez never won.
 
Seriously, how do you "back them"?
comes in from domestic cricket to play international games, and does not know how to hold a bat.

Why bring those leg side hacks , and players who dont know how to hold a bat or put bat on ball except slog blindly for 2 sixers a match

They should bring in players like proper batsman and then back them to perform
Abdullah Shafiq, Saud Shakeel, Haider Ali, Umar Amin, Rohail Nazir, Muhammad Haris, Hurraira etc

But instead what they bring is Iftikhar Ahmed, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Khusdil Shah,

Would have added Maqsood and Azam khan in the above list but atleast these two know how to play on both sides of the wicket.
 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">70 off 59 balls and 4 overs for 25 for Mohammad Hafeez but it wasn't enough to stop St Kitts and Nevis Patriots beating Guyana Amazon Warriors by 6 wickets in the Caribbean Premier League <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CPL21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CPL21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/ChtJyIR8r2">pic.twitter.com/ChtJyIR8r2</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1432115493083697153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Of course the team lost because he played 10 overs and scored 70 runs,
Bowled 4 overs didnt take a wicket
 
Why bring those leg side hacks , and players who dont know how to hold a bat or put bat on ball except slog blindly for 2 sixers a match

They should bring in players like proper batsman and then back them to perform
Abdullah Shafiq, Saud Shakeel, Haider Ali, Umar Amin, Rohail Nazir, Muhammad Haris, Hurraira etc

But instead what they bring is Iftikhar Ahmed, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Khusdil Shah,

Would have added Maqsood and Azam khan in the above list but atleast these two know how to play on both sides of the wicket.

The names you mentioned are all top order batters baring haris
 
Malik is certainly better than Khushdil and Asif Ali. I wouldn't have been against Malik being selected for the World T20.
 
Shoaib Malik hits 50 for CP - could this be the tide turning for him?
 
Outstanding innings. Saved CP from a collapse and then carried them to a very competitive total. Absolutely schooled Hasnain in that 19th over with 5 straight boundaries.

Can't believe he's not in the World Cup squad. Its absolutely criminal.
 
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Even Mike Haysman couldn't help but reference the selectors during Malik's awesome knock. You'd have to be a pretty vindictive man to not include Malik after this. But then again, Mohammad Wasim is so you never know
 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shoaib Malik today:<br>85* off 47 balls<br><br>Rest of the Central Punjab team:<br>79 off 73 balls<br><br>4 extras<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NationalT20Cup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NationalT20Cup</a> <a href="https://t.co/HZDgw0vkyB">pic.twitter.com/HZDgw0vkyB</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1444337255989010432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Just because he finally scored, doesn’t mean he has to be selected? Look at his recent scores, terrible to say atleast. Beside that, name one game where he has done something special in world cup or champions trophy games? He has always struggled in big tournaments and has been a liability. So no he doesn’t deserve to be in the squad.
 
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Malik is making Moin Khan and Mohammad Wasim very uncomfortable.

If there is quote for Dady's boy ( Somu Khan ) why not one for elderly cricketers. Professor is all but out of WC due to illness , replace him with Malik .
 
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