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Pakistan ODI squad announced for Sri Lanka series - Azhar Ali rested, Imam-ul-Haq included

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Lahore-October 6, 2017: The National Selection Committee headed by Inzamam ul Haq after consultation with head coach Mickey Arthur and Captain Sarfraz Ahmed, has announced the 15-member ODI squad for the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka commencing from October 13, 2017 to October 23, 2017.

The Champions Trophy team has been retained except Azhar Ali, who has been rested for the ODI series to gain full fitness, said Inzamam ul Haq, chief selector. Imam ul Haq has been selected in the squad keeping his performance in the domestic cricket and to give a chance to a youngster in the home conditions.

1. Ahmed Shehzad
2. Fakhar Zaman
3. Imam-ul-Haq
4. Babar Azam
5. Mohammad Hafeez
6. Shoaib Malik
7. Haris Sohail
8. Sarfaraz Ahmed (c)
9. Imad Wasim
10. Shadab Khan
11. Faheem Ashraf
12. Hasan Ali
13. Mohammad Amir
14. Rumman Raees
15. Junaid Khan
 
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No Sahibzada Farhan?

Why is Iman there in ODIs, What a mockery.
 
why we always need the tuk tuk batsmen in the top order .once again selector have selected a player for

wrong format .Sahibzada farhan should have been included .imam is more of a test batsmen than odis .apart

from that a good squad
 
No Sahibzada Farhan?

Why is Iman there in ODIs, What a mockery.

thanks god they have not selected salman butt instead imam who can develop his game with age is on his side

and i don,t think he will get a chance to play shehzad and fakhar will feast on the weak SL bowling
 
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With Azhar Ali not playing, Mohammed Hafeez should open to fit in Haris Sohail.

Team for first match:

Fakhar Zaman
Mohammad Hafeez
Babar Azam
Haris Sohail
Sarfraz Ahmed(C)(Wk)
Shoaib Malik
Imad Wasim
Shadab Khan
Mohammad Amir
Hasan Ali
Junaid Khan
 
How can they select Imam for ODIs? Definitely something fishy.

Probably recommended by Inzimam a strike rate of 74 in list A tells it's own story struggle to see international potential performances in FC.
 
Not much change from the Champions Trophy which is to be expected. All for continuity in selection.

Imam-ul-Haq is a surprise given his List A SR is only 74 - he should've been in the Test team ahead of Shan Masood.
 
Happy to see Imam selected, the most talented young batsman in Pakistan. He possesses all the shots and easily can improve is SR in ODIs.
 
Brave decision as Salman butt was also in contention...
Only time will tell whether he is suited to Odis, but he's a fighter.
Not sure he's got the shots but as an opener you just need to play long innings.
 
Hoping Talat delivers in PSL and joins this group.

Its a young team with a tournament win under their belt, the sky really is the limit.
 
Imam doesn't have good stats, from what I can see.

I think u should play this 11.

1.Fakhar
2.Hafeez(He's a beast against Lanka and in UAE, to accommodate Haris)
3.Babar
4.Haris
5.Sarfraz
6.Malik
7.Imad
8.Shadab
9.Amir
10.Hassan
11.Junaid
 
Umar Amin should have been selected after his performances in Pakistan Cup. Seems a tad unlucky this lad, get picked in PSL but doesn't play a game. Gets picked in T20 squad but doesn't get a game. He is retained by QG for next PSL, will be a travesty if he ends up not playing again.
 
[MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION],,one thing is good that at least imam will get coaching on higher level and that will make his game better for ttests
..
not a LOI bat thats sure....but inzi doesnt have any other option.salman is aged,,sahibzada farhan has very less matches under his built,,,the only player was umar amin which would have been fantastic if he was included as an opener but i think management is not inetersted to make him an opener..
 
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[MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION],,one thing is good that at least imam will get coaching on higher level and that will make his game better for ttests
..
not a LOI bat thats sure....but inzi doesnt have any other option.salman is aged,,sahibzada farhan has very less matches under his built,,,the only player was umar amin which would have been fantastic if he was included as an opener but i think management is not inetersted to make him an opener..

What about trying U Akmal as an opener after the recent fitness issues it might be unlikely at the moment.
 
interesting to see who openers with fakhar at top or the order, ideally we need to aggressive batsmen at top of order now in ODIS.
 
lolwut? Why? Random nepotism. Pakistan Cups top performing opener Sami Asian left out, the next best guy Sahibzada left out. But Imam ul Haq who was nowhere on the radar and hasn't even played a game with the A team yet goes straight to the ODI team.
 
With Azhar Ali not playing, Mohammed Hafeez should open to fit in Haris Sohail.

Team for first match:

Fakhar Zaman
Mohammad Hafeez
Babar Azam
Haris Sohail
Sarfraz Ahmed(C)(Wk)
Shoaib Malik
Imad Wasim
Shadab Khan
Mohammad Amir
Hasan Ali
Junaid Khan

haris need to make a ton here in this test to make the above happen.. if not shehzad and hafeez will be in with haris benched..
 
so imam ul haq below 75 sr is in the squad and the promising sahibzada farhan is waiting.

We like our tuk tuks so much.
 
What about trying U Akmal as an opener after the recent fitness issues it might be unlikely at the moment.

umar is out of contention,a strong psl may get him in but he needs to improve his fitness and off teh field activities..
 
What about trying U Akmal as an opener after the recent fitness issues it might be unlikely at the moment.

i think UA himself doesnt like to promote or bat up the order ... even in domestic when he was captain he is happy to bat at 4 leaving the opener spot to his brother kamran and butt and no.3 was umar amin..
 
Overall, I like the squad except for the Imam ul Haq pick. He's been on a good run lately but he needs to have a stronger showing and for a longer period of time in Domestic before playing International cricket. Would be nice if they picked players with better strike rates and more aggressive showing in Domestic cricket.

Hopefully Haris Sohail will get to play in all the games. Strongest way to have the lineup would most likely be to have Hafeez open, Sohail at 4, Malik 5, Sarfraz 6, Imad/Ashraf 7, Shadab, Hassan, Amir, Junaid.
 
lolwut? Why? Random nepotism. Pakistan Cups top performing opener Sami Asian left out, the next best guy Sahibzada left out. But Imam ul Haq who was nowhere on the radar and hasn't even played a game with the A team yet goes straight to the ODI team.
Agreed. Really strange decision.
 
This is an excellent squad barring hafeez, junaid, and shehzad. The former 2 being selected because of champions trophy is short term thinking, they're both known to be dross players in the longer term and isn't doing us any favours for the 2019 world cup.
 
Imam ul Haq is there on merit. Yes, he's a much better FC player than he is in the shorter formats, however blooding a youngster in ODIs is the way to go.

More than anything else, this is a symbolic selection to give Imam the added motivation to keep his performances at a high level. He now knows that he is about to get his big break in test cricket, possibly by the next time Pakistan play in whites.

Good on Inzamam to not make any other changes to the side. The ODI team is pretty settled and the players should get space to breathe.
 
On what grounds has Ahmed Shehzad retained his place? Also, it's time to phase out the likes of Hafeez and Malik and rest/drop them from these kind of largely unimportant series.
 
This means Shehzad will play all matches. Have we not learned anything from the Champion's Trophy????/
 
Rested for what? Rested before champions trophy, rested after champions trophy.

This is just a reason to exclude him. Why not rest malik

He is carrying a knock and having to take injections to play the ongoing test match.

He will be fine for our next ODI series.
 
Rested for what? Rested before champions trophy, rested after champions trophy.

This is just a reason to exclude him. Why not rest malik

If he was dropped,it would have been unfair,but he's carrying a knee injury and requires the rest.Besides our next ODI"s (after this SL series) are in NZ.Azhar should be required there.
 
Rested for what? Rested before champions trophy, rested after champions trophy.

This is just a reason to exclude him. Why not rest malik

He's supposedly playing the current series with injections due to a knee injury. Absolutely no reason for him to play this upcoming series.
 
KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Muhammad Yousuf praised the selection policy of Inzamamul Haq, saying that he has been keeping an eye on the domestic circuit to find new players.

“Inzamam has been keeping a close eye on domestic cricket,” he said. “He has been selecting a good team since he came in.”

Commenting on Imamul Haq, Yousuf clarified that nepotism did not play any part in the rookie’s selection. “Giving young cricketers a chance is a good option when seniors are not fully fit. Imam’s selection is being questioned just because he is the nephew of Inzamam, but if you see his domestic record, you would see that he deserves a chance, and this is the best time to test him,” explained Yousuf.

He continued: “I think another reason Imam has been selected is that he has been winning a good number of man-of-the-match awards. This shows that he plays match-winning innings, which Pakistan need badly.”

The 43-year-old added that Imam’s selection shows that domestic cricketers do have a realistic chance of making it to the national team.

“There are a lot of good cricketers and they will also get noticed and a chance in the national team,” he said.


https://tribune.com.pk/story/1524409/imams-selection-not-nepotism-says-mohammad-yousuf/
 
This means that Ahmed Shehzad and Fakhar Zaman will be our openers in the upcoming 5 ODI's.

But why would you select Imam? He is more suited to Test cricket and should have been selected instead of Shan Masood in Tests. I guess Inzi is really impressed.

Someone more aggressive like Sahibzada Farhan would really have been useful.
 
On what grounds has Ahmed Shehzad retained his place? Also, it's time to phase out the likes of Hafeez and Malik and rest/drop them from these kind of largely unimportant series.

The third T20I match against World XI is the reason he has kept his place.
 
No Sahibzada Farhan, Tallat or Yamin. :facepalm:
 
It's important to remember Imam ul Haq did well for PAK U-23s.

105* vs Nepal
120 vs Hong Kong


But I think he should have been kept in domestic cricket for another season as he continues to grow.
 
Imam ul Haq is there on merit. Yes, he's a much better FC player than he is in the shorter formats, however blooding a youngster in ODIs is the way to go.

More than anything else, this is a symbolic selection to give Imam the added motivation to keep his performances at a high level. He now knows that he is about to get his big break in test cricket, possibly by the next time Pakistan play in whites.

Good on Inzamam to not make any other changes to the side. The ODI team is pretty settled and the players should get space to breathe.

The question is not whether there is merit to his selection, heck there is merit to Shan's selection if you want to go that way. The question is if there are other players who are more merited and the answer clearly is yes.
 
It's important to remember Imam ul Haq did well for PAK U-23s.

105* vs Nepal
120 vs Hong Kong


But I think he should have been kept in domestic cricket for another season as he continues to grow.

I'd give more credit to performances against Pakistani domestic teams. Both Sahbzada and Aslam have been scoring heavily in recent LA matches and a good clip.
 
I'd give more credit to performances against Pakistani domestic teams. Both Sahbzada and Aslam have been scoring heavily in recent LA matches and a good clip.

I agree, but I'd imagine Inzi is trying to show clear progression where Imam goes through the national ranks.

U-23s was the final step.
 
Rested for what? Rested before champions trophy, rested after champions trophy.

This is just a reason to exclude him. Why not rest malik

don't forget, Azhar did have an knee injury issue before the test series started, and if the batting wasn't so inexperienced, he probably would've been rested in this test series too

but you're probably half right too, Inzi and co probably realize Azhar isn't a long term solution, so they're looking at their options in a relatively easier series
 
Nepotism at its best. Imam is a terrible selection. There are MUCH better batsmen than him in domestic Cricket who could have been selected. Shame on you Inzi.
 
Nepotism at its best. Imam is a terrible selection. There are MUCH better batsmen than him in domestic Cricket who could have been selected. Shame on you Inzi.

Nah, it's easy to say that but Imam is a fantastic prospect.

Finished as the 3rd best batsman in FC cricket last season. He's the real deal.
 
My XI would be

Fakhar
Inam
Babar
Haris
Sarfraz
Malik
Shadab
Fahim
Amir
Hasan
Junaid
 
Nah, it's easy to say that but Imam is a fantastic prospect.

Finished as the 3rd best batsman in FC cricket last season. He's the real deal.

Then we can respectfully agree to disagree. I think he is far from ready for International Cricket. I guess time will tell who was right.
 
Nepotism at its best. Imam is a terrible selection. There are MUCH better batsmen than him in domestic Cricket who could have been selected. Shame on you Inzi.

At best a marginal decision - unfair to label him as a choice based upon his being a nephew of Inzi.

In that way no good cricketer will ever be selected.
 
The question is not whether there is merit to his selection, heck there is merit to Shan's selection if you want to go that way. The question is if there are other players who are more merited and the answer clearly is yes.

Please don't name the newbie with less than 10 List 'A' matches under his belt. Also, if Imam scores a century on debut, will your opinion change or no? With players as young as Imam, the selectors have to do a lot of potential-gauging and yes, talent is a big factor in their selection. Imam is a promising player and it's utterly conceited of people to write him off without seeing him bat in an ODI or blast Inzamam for nepotism when he's actually held Imam back.
 
Sahibzada Farhan averages approx. 42 in List A with a strike rate of 99.47 in just 9 innings, Imam ul Haq averages 36 with a strike rate of 74. Whoever this Farhan is he should be in contention for a top side in any other nation. This is clear case of nepotism and pathetic stance by selector uncle Inzimam.

This is why I have been calling for Mickey Arthur to be given bigger role in selections cos players like Inzimam have huge egos, biases and many friends & relatives to serve. The loss in test match and other deficiencies in the squad point to Inzimam's shameful role.

In mid-90s, when PCB was much more powerful and efficient with administrator like Majid Khan. Inzimam stance to include Mushtaq Ahmed in the team brought concerns of player power blackmailing.
 
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Please don't name the newbie with less than 10 List 'A' matches under his belt. Also, if Imam scores a century on debut, will your opinion change or no? With players as young as Imam, the selectors have to do a lot of potential-gauging and yes, talent is a big factor in their selection. Imam is a promising player and it's utterly conceited of people to write him off without seeing him bat in an ODI or blast Inzamam for nepotism when he's actually held Imam back.

I didn't claim it was nepotism and I agree Imam is a promising player, but there are even more promising players to chose from. By which I mean yes, the player with 10 matches under his belt. You can't make the argument that selectors have to do potential-gauging and then claim that what matters is record. Imam's 24 LA matches is not exactly very large sample in and of itself. Even Aslam would be far better. He's been in red hot form in LA cricket, which is his strength. With Imam it's the other way around, he's an FC player. Really, this isn't so difficult an argument to understand. Merit based selection does not mean that anyone with some merit gets selected; it means that you select those with the MOST merit.
 
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Nah, it's easy to say that but Imam is a fantastic prospect.

Finished as the 3rd best batsman in FC cricket last season. He's the real deal.

Perchance, but he's been selected for the ODI team. Another deal altogether. Should we pick Yasir Shah for ODIs too?
 
Ah yes, the gazillion failures count for nothing in Pak cricket.

Unfortunately the way it is, I want Shehzad to be dropped as much as the next guy does but that innings cemented his spot in the LOI sides. If only Sharjeel didn't get involved in fixing we would have such a beautiful opening partnership.

My 11 from the 15 man squad would be:

1) Fakhar Zaman
2) Mohammad Hafeez - Don't rate Shehzad, AS probably will play knowing our management but I wouldn't pick him
3) Babar Azam
4) Haris Sohail - Got a bright future, has to be groomed at 4
5) Sarfraz Ahmed (C) (WK) - would bat him at 5 and above Malik as World XI series showed he is not a finisher
6) Shoaib Malik - World XI Series clearly showed he is a better finisher than our captain
7) Shadab Khan
8) Imad Wasim
9) Mohammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Junaid Khan
 
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People complaining about imam let him play something then talk

this is the logic that got us shafiq. we are not complaining about imam, but his selection. even if he does well a few times, there are very likely batsmen who will do better. Since when a 30 something LA average in domestics a triumph? Happy to see him in FC eventually, but he should have been far down the cue in ODIs.
 
Unfortunately the way it is, I want Shehzad to be dropped as much as the next guy does but that innings cemented his spot in the LOI sides. If only Sharjeel didn't get involved in fixing we would have such a beautiful opening partnership.

My 11 from the 15 man squad would be:

1) Fakhar Zaman
2) Mohammad Hafeez - Don't rate Shehzad, AS probably will play knowing our management but I wouldn't pick him
3) Babar Azam
4) Haris Sohail - Got a bright future, has to be groomed at 4
5) Sarfraz Ahmed (C) (WK) - would bat him at 5 and above Malik as World XI series showed he is not a finisher
6) Shoaib Malik - World XI Series clearly showed he is a better finisher than our captain
7) Shadab Khan
8) Imad Wasim
9) Mohammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Junaid Khan

Obviously gutted what Sharjeel did, he was blossoming into one of the most dangerous openers around. However, because it's Pakistan, with Sharjeel in the side, Fakhar would probably not have had a chance yet.

Our management and selectors seem almost frightened of the idea of selecting 2 attacking players at the top. It's always one aggressive batsman followed by a succession of accumulators. This was an ideal opportunity to blood the likes of Farhan but it's clearly asking too much from our esteemed selectors.

If Fakhar gets out early, we are unlikely to post really big scores.

I like your side but personally, I would get rid of Hafeez too, there are many utility cricketers with far more left in the tank who can probably more than do the job he does. I would also keep a close eye on Malik, Imad and Junaid.

We need lower orders hitters who can strike reasonably consistently over 120 S/R and if Imad isn't up to the task, (he hasn't been so far) then I would look to find someone else. His bowling is alright but it's nothing out of the ordinary for him to be indispensable.

Junaid bowled beautifully at times in the Champions trophy but was it an anomaly or is that his level? I guess we will find out soon enough, but, we could do with a tall, right handed fast, hit the the deck and aggressive type of bowler (definitely not Wahab) somewhere in the squad at least or or there's a look of sameness in our attack which is evident in certain conditions.
 
Too much hoopla over someone who is not going to get a game unless there is an injury. Shehzad will open with Fakhar, a reward for his performance against the World XI.
 
Unfortunately the way it is, I want Shehzad to be dropped as much as the next guy does but that innings cemented his spot in the LOI sides. If only Sharjeel didn't get involved in fixing we would have such a beautiful opening partnership.

My 11 from the 15 man squad would be:

1) Fakhar Zaman
2) Mohammad Hafeez - Don't rate Shehzad, AS probably will play knowing our management but I wouldn't pick him
3) Babar Azam
4) Haris Sohail - Got a bright future, has to be groomed at 4
5) Sarfraz Ahmed (C) (WK) - would bat him at 5 and above Malik as World XI series showed he is not a finisher
6) Shoaib Malik - World XI Series clearly showed he is a better finisher than our captain
7) Shadab Khan
8) Imad Wasim
9) Mohammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Junaid Khan

Amir has been ruled out of the series due to his shin injury. I'd pick Rumman in his place.
 
Usman Khan Shinwari replaces Mohammad Amir for five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka


Lahore- October 9, 2017: The National Selection Committee headed by Inzamam ul Haq has named fast bowler Usman Khan Shinwari as a replacement for fast bowler Mohammad Amir for five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Mohammad Amir has been ruled out of the ODI series against Sri Lanka due to a stress-related injury in the right shin.
 
Fakhar.
Hafeez.
Babar.
Haris.
Malik.
Sarfaraz.
Imad.
Shadab.
Hassan.
Rumman.
Junaid.

Should win the series comfortably. But this is Pakistan, anything is possible.
 
Hafeez should not open , he played well down the order in CT and this should be his position going forward.

Play haris at the opening position.

haris
fakhar
babar
malik
hafeez
sarfraz
imad
shadab
hassan
rumman
junaid
 
I think Imam is a very good selection. I do understand why so many posters are crying over Farhan not being selected. The kid is extremely raw, has less than 10 matches under his belt and you wouldn't want to destroy the confidence of a potential big player for the future.

Say he fails, he will be discarded and that'll kill his confidence. Imam on the other hand has done really well recently and deserves to be there. Other options are Shehzad, Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoors who had an unbelievable Pakistan Cup.
 
I think Imam is a very good selection. I do understand why so many posters are crying over Farhan not being selected. The kid is extremely raw, has less than 10 matches under his belt and you wouldn't want to destroy the confidence of a potential big player for the future.

Say he fails, he will be discarded and that'll kill his confidence. Imam on the other hand has done really well recently and deserves to be there. Other options are Shehzad, Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoors who had an unbelievable Pakistan Cup.

Imam is way too stale for 50 overs cricket , his SR in 50 overs game is below 75 which is way backwards.

we need players who can bat with SR of close to 90 in modern day game. Nothing against the kid but he isnt made for limited over cricket.
 
Amir has been ruled out of the series due to his shin injury. I'd pick Rumman in his place.

Yeah I posted that 11 before it was confirmed Amir was out of the series. I would also replace Amir with Raees, like in the CT semi final
 
Sahibzada time will come and he is certainly on the selectors radaar; he is too young and inexperienced at the moment so let him play some more games before throwing him at the deep end. Imam is obviously more suited to FC cricket but he's a newbie who may have the tools to adjust down the line so we"ll see what happens.
 
Ahmed, Fakhar
Babar, Hari, Sarfraz, Malik
Imad, Shadab
Raees, Hasan, JK


Should be the starting XI.
 
[MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION]

MoHa
Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Malik

Shizzy needs to wait.
 
[MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION]

MoHa
Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Malik

Shizzy needs to wait.

He is the MoS in last LO series, therefore deserves a chance. Also, I don't think MoHa can make any impact as opener even against Lankan pace attack - might score some runs, but that's for statisticians. I am afraid what PAK will do is play both, dropping one pacer (since Amir isn't there) & justify both MoHa Malik by bowling them few overs & dropping Sarfu at 7.

That'll be a similar disaster like Test line up. It won't matter against SRL (if they win, it won't matter who is picked - overall PAK has to play well below par to lose), but it won't help for 2019 preparation. Ideally, PAK should bring 3 pacers in their ODI system, regardless of whatever wicket offers. If it spins, bring Hari & Fakhar into bowling, but 3 pacers is a must. MoHa Malik has done their job - should rest in peace now; every dog has it's day counted.
 
Better play this

Fakhar
Shezhad(deserves after world X1)
Babar
Haris
Hafeez
Malik
Sarfraz
Shadab
Hassan
Rumman
Junaid

Junaid, Hassan, Raees, Shadab to bowl 10 overs each.

Haris, Hafeez and Malik together, 10.
 
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