Pakistan reach 103/0 at stumps on Day 1 of the 1st Test after bowling out Zimbabwe for 176

[Nasty Naz]

Half of Abid's runs have been lucky. This guy has such a pathetic technique and zero grit against half a quality side. So far what I have seen of him is quite disappointing. Look like a minnow basher only.

And despite, that he still looked better than Imran Butt who was nearly out 2-3 times.

Either way, it should be Azhar opening and ideally neither of Imran or Abid should be playing.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Definitely these 2, 100 partnership should have been bare minimum against this attack. No intent no taking the initiative putting pressure on zim bowlers. The worst thing is this mediocrity is going to be applauded and we are going to be stuck with these two for the next few series, until we play a proper top 5 team and we see the same old cycle of being 2/3 down for next to nothing.

I get your point bro, for me i want Imran to succeed he's played some lovely strokes today and not to mention a very good slips fielder. I mean look at Babar having a go in the slips compared to Imran, i'm telling you bro finding a good slips fielder in Pakistan is like finding a unicorn.

 

[PakPremi]

When Pakistani posters cannot fault the performance they find other things to cry about, like applause, celebrations. Sad lot.

 

[Titan24]

Professional show put up today, need to carry it on throughout this test and the series as well.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Credit to Pakistan for touring Zimbabwe.Ireland,Zimbabwe and Afghanistan don’t get chance to play many tests.

 

[silentkiller187]

I get your point bro, for me i want Imran to succeed he's played some lovely strokes today and not to mention a very good slips fielder. I mean look at Babar having a go in the slips compared to Imran, i'm telling you bro finding a good slips fielder in Pakistan is like finding a unicorn.

Yee imran deserves a run, brilliant slip fielder. I just feel like we see the same old cycle with abid, scores against minnows fails against the proper teams then scores another 50 /100 against a minnow and he has booked his ticket for the next few series. You got players like shafique on tour give him a go, I still think imam has a future in this team as well, younger option worth investing time in rather than abid who’s already past 30

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Yee imran deserves a run, brilliant slip fielder. I just feel like we see the same old cycle with abid, scores against minnows fails against the proper teams then scores another 50 /100 against a minnow and he has booked his ticket for the next few series. You got players like shafique on tour give him a go, I still think imam has a future in this team as well, younger option worth investing time in rather than abid who’s already past 30

For me age should be negligible but for poor old Abid he looked uncomfortable against raw pace and it was evident in the last series. For me if you can't play raw pace and you are old then you deserve the boot but if you are performing and scoring runs then it's fine.

I would've liked to have seen Abdullah myself which was rubbish they didn't try him, so far though i think M. Yousaf's words of wisdom have worked. Have Pakistan found their "Yoda" batting coach?

 

[Shoaibbtt]

When Pakistani posters cannot fault the performance they find other things to cry about, like applause, celebrations. Sad lot.

Yep, hats off to both boys they stuck it out. Not gonna be a negative Nancy, just give them a shaabash but wanna calm down with taking off your helmet after getting a 50 lol.

 

[Attiq_Lone]

For me age should be negligible but for poor old Abid he looked uncomfortable against raw pace and it was evident in the last series. For me if you can't play raw pace and you are old then you deserve the boot but if you are performing and scoring runs then it's fine.

I would've liked to have seen Abdullah myself which was rubbish they didn't try him, so far though i think M. Yousaf's words of wisdom have worked. Have Pakistan found their "Yoda" batting coach?

Yousuf is a much better batting coach then Younis. The recent statements of younis made us all realise, what a mediocre batting coach he is. You can be a legend, but coaching is a completely different gig (Waqar Misbah). I hope players work more with Yousuf than Younis

 

[Amjid Javed]

Both openers get runs which means they will still in side but then be exposed again once we play better sides.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Yousuf is a much better batting coach then Younis. The recent statements of younis made us all realise, what a mediocre batting coach he is. You can be a legend, but coaching is a completely different gig (Waqar Misbah). I hope players work more with Yousuf than Younis

I kept saying it that it would be interesting and i wanna see now how Azhar and Fawad look given that they worked with him as well, not as if they have anything to prove given the last series.

 

[shamaan]

We're yet to find a new ball bowler in tests after Asif. Expect hassan and shaheen to cause most of the damage with older ball

Shaheen has beaten wasim record of 16 tests to get 50 wickets.shaheen is a new ball bowler.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Shaheen has beaten wasim record of 16 tests to get 50 wickets.shaheen is a new ball bowler.

Comparing Shaheen and Wasim is meaningless, you won't achieve anything by doing that.

You can compare their bowling averages while you're at it and see how far behind Shaheen actually is.

Shaheen has a long way to go if he wants to be a successful red-ball bowler. He got some good shape with the new ball and was bowling a good length, but he needs to learn how to swing it both ways now. It's going to be too late if he doesn't nail this soon, because it will give him an entirely new dimension when bowling.

Furthermore, he needs to be more convincing with his bowling when the shine is gone from the ball. I'd like to see him actually use his height for bouncer barrages, changing fielders, and also bowling for a wicket rather than holding one end. That's where he's going to have to improve, but nevertheless, he is a good bowler for us. He finally has some support in Hasan, so it allows him to be a bit more free when he's bowling.

 

[shamaan]

He needs to play the next season of FC cricket, but given that it happens near the T20WC, he will probably go another season without playing FC.

50 wickets in 16 tests equalling wasim Akram

 

[shamaan]

What is the thinking behind filling the squad with veterans on a tour like this.

Veterans with very few tests under their belts like Fawad, Nauman, Abid etc.

Surely need to be looking longer term than 35 year olds.

They need to work hard to get test caps like other countries.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Definitely. He didnt create much impact and there is no denying that, my point was just that its too early to judge. However, will have to make a comeback in the 2nd innings as otherwise he might have to sit out the next match for Zahid or maybe a pacer.

Debuting Zahid would be a waste, he's too old and mediocre (from his FC stats) to be of any long-term use to Pakistan.

Come the second innings, it would be likely that Pakistan have a large target on the board for Zimbabwe to play with, so their batsmen will try to be defensive. Sajid will have runs to play with, but will need to take wickets in that spell.

He gets some good revolutions on the ball, but he doesn't pitch it on a good line consistently. He needs to stick to the basics, because Zimbabwe batsmen can't play spin that well as it stands.

 

[UzmanBeast]

50 wickets in 16 tests equalling wasim Akram

Comparing them is meaningless. Akram was the greatest left-arm pacer in the history of the game. He is miles above Shaheen. Getting to 50 wickets at an average greater than 30 isn't as pleasing as you think it is.

 

[Civil]

Good on these two for the partnership but Hopefully these guys show some aggressiveness tomorrow. Would love to see some risk in strokeplay if they can cross Zim total.

Otherwise just ordinary openers that will fail in tough conditions against good bowlers.

 

[shamaan]

Comparing Shaheen and Wasim is meaningless, you won't achieve anything by doing that.

You can compare their bowling averages while you're at it and see how far behind Shaheen actually is.

Shaheen has a long way to go if he wants to be a successful red-ball bowler. He got some good shape with the new ball and was bowling a good length, but he needs to learn how to swing it both ways now. It's going to be too late if he doesn't nail this soon, because it will give him an entirely new dimension when bowling.

Furthermore, he needs to be more convincing with his bowling when the shine is gone from the ball. I'd like to see him actually use his height for bouncer barrages, changing fielders, and also bowling for a wicket rather than holding one end. That's where he's going to have to improve, but nevertheless, he is a good bowler for us. He finally has some support in Hasan, so it allows him to be a bit more free when he's bowling.

Still says alot about shaheen when he's got 50 wickets in 16 tests and hasn't even reached half his calibre yet.its going to be to late he's only 21.anyways did you enjoy the yorkers at they end.

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2122506

Pakistan took command of the first test against Zimbabwe after four-wicket hauls from Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi helped bowl the hosts out for 176.

Hasan and Afridi returned 4/43 and 4/53 respectively to blunt Zimbabwe's batting line-up, even as the debutant Roy Kaia scored a fighting 48 to boost the total.

Abid Ali and Imran Butt, the Pakistan opener, added a quickfire 103 in the final session to reduce the deficit to 73 runs by stumps.

Zimbabwe opted to bat in the morning, but struggled against Pakistan's pacers. Hasan broke through in the very first over, seeing off Kevin Kasuza for nought.

Unfortunately for Zimbabwe, the rest of their batsmen didn't fare much better. Prince Masvaure, the other opener, was dismissed by Shaheen for a 30-ball 11, while Tarasai Musakanda (14) and Brendan Taylor (5) failed to build the partnership that Zimbabwe desperately needed.

The pressure racked up on the middle order as Zimbabwe were reduced to 30/4 in 18.2 overs. It was then that Milton Shumba and Kaia combined forces to help Zimbabwe reach a respectable total.

The duo added 59 runs for the fifth wicket, resisting Pakistan for nearly 18 overs. Their resilience came to an anti-climatic end, however, when Shumba was run out for 27.

Hasan then had the well-set Kaia dismissed leg-before wicket with a searing yorker, just two runs short of a maiden Test half-century. However, Donald Tiripano continued the fight, his 28* helping take Zimbabwe from 127/7 to 176, even as Afridi ran through the rest of the tail.

The Pakistan openers then put on a fine display of batsmanship. Butt and Abid were gritty for the most part, but didn't hesitate to go for the shot when the chance presented itself.

Abid went on to register his second Test fifty in Tests, while Butt ended the day needing just seven more runs on the second morning to bring up his own half-century.

 

[PakLFC]

The day could not have gone any better for Pak. After dismissing them cheaply the openers batted well for once. Bat until tea tomorrow then declare for an early end to the match on day three. We can only defeat what is in front of us.

 

[Hasan123]

Good day. A chance for the batters to fill their boots tomorrow.

 

[A.A.Z]

I personally think considering the temperament and value he has shown as an ODI player he surely deserves a proper go at test level whenever an oppurtunity comes. He hasnt been given a single test in last 2 years and now has been discarded from test format.

Not the best of the management.

His last test was in December 2019 which was just over a year before our last test series against SA in January 2021 and he was given a run of 10 games before that from May to January 2019 including 2 series in the UAE where he severely struggled.

His FC stats are worse than Abid, Butt and all the other mediocre options we have tried in the past couple of years so they all deserve a go before him.

If Imam wants to be in contention for the test side he needs to have a good FC season under him and prove he's better than the other options which shouldn't be too hard considering how limited our options are.

If he can't do even this much then he should be nowhere near the test team.

 

[Shazzam]

Credit to Pakistan for touring Zimbabwe.Ireland,Zimbabwe and Afghanistan don’t get chance to play many tests.

Yes! On the plus side great times to get averages up. Get Pakistani fans excited till we face better teams for a reality check.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Yes! On the plus side great times to get averages up. Get Pakistani fans excited till we face better teams for a reality check.

I am not excited at all.Better teams don’t play Pakistan often with the exception of England.Playing in UAE for 10 years did not help Pakistan cricket.

 

[KarachiWala]

I really hope this knock doesn't mean that the management won't try Abdullah Shafique in the second match. Might as well let the kid play in FC, if you're just going to drag him around.

 

[Monsee]

I am not excited at all.Better teams don’t play Pakistan often with the exception of England.Playing in UAE for 10 years did not help Pakistan cricket.

You do understand there was no other option, right? When you have only one option, you try and make the best out of it.

This is like a Covid patient saying I don't like the hospital, well you better if you wanna stay alive (especially if that is your only option)! I know the example is sort of bad, but hopefully you get the point.

When better teams come and play in Pakistan, we will see how this team performs, till then having some positivity as a Pak fan is def welcomed.

 

[Titan24]

His last test was in December 2019 which was just over a year before our last test series against SA in January 2021 and he was given a run of 10 games before that from May to January 2019 including 2 series in the UAE where he severely struggled.

His FC stats are worse than Abid, Butt and all the other mediocre options we have tried in the past couple of years so they all deserve a go before him.

If Imam wants to be in contention for the test side he needs to have a good FC season under him and prove he's better than the other options which shouldn't be too hard considering how limited our options are.

If he can't do even this much then he should be nowhere near the test team.

Yes you are right but he played just one match in December 2019 and the previous two he played were in Jan 2019. Even if we take into account, still 1 match in two years and then getting dropped is a bit harsh in my opinion.

He will have to perform in domestic now as there is nothing he can do but, if there would have been better clearing regarding Imam in the overall system than he could have played 2019 and 2020 season or majority of that rather than travelling for two years with test team and getting one match.

 

[A.A.Z]

Yes you are right but he played just one match in December 2019 and the previous two he played were in Jan 2019. Even if we take into account, still 1 match in two years and then getting dropped is a bit harsh in my opinion.

He will have to perform in domestic now as there is nothing he can do but, if there would have been better clearing regarding Imam in the overall system than he could have played 2019 and 2020 season or majority of that rather than travelling for two years with test team and getting one match.

Shan had outperformed him in South Africa and Australia on his comeback so he deserved to play ahead of him.

Abid started his test career with 2 centuries in his first 2 games plus he'd been doing very well for the A team so he deserved a longer rope too.

Imran Butt has slightly better stats than Imam in FC but even he shouldn't have been selected on the basis of one season which was an outlier to his other seasons.

I personally felt Sami Aslam had proved himself to be the best test opener in the country, besides Azhar, after his tours of England and NZ in 2016. I feel if he stuck around he would be the go to option right now.

I agree Imam may have been slightly hard done by but then he was lucky to be picked when he was when he wasn't even the best performer in domestics.

He was also taken with the squad because of covid requirements and therefore missed the FC season and he might have gotten a chance in the NZ tests as back up opener but he fractured his thumb. When the new CS came in he decided to reward domestics performers so Imam got dropped.