Pakistan Test batsmen won't improve until they are dropped

[Amjid Javed]

Pakistans peformances in tests whether it be in UAE or away tours has been garbage both invidiually and collectively. Sadly there is no accountability on poor performances, players are protected by squads being picked with limited back up batting options. All this means mediocrity has become king in pakistans batting.

Every away tour we here the same garbage spewed whether it be Inzi, mickey or misbah. We need our seniors to perform and need them lead from the front which they never do.

Sarfaraz fell into this rut as a player and captain and eventually get the boot. Yet others remain.

Azhar and Asad the usual story - these players average 40 in test cricket, they have loads test hundreds. Living of limited past performances. The only time Azhar has improved his game when he was dropped from side a few years ago and intially on recall improved as a player.

Players in past such as misbah himself, younis khan, Moyo all got dropped at points in there careers comeback and improved.

Yet players like Azhar, asad, haris, imam, shan havent been given same kick up the backside they need aswell to try and improve. Pakistan are now a minnow test side and this is because the batting has been allowed to rot with deadwood. Bowlers in team dont seem to get same luxury but batsmen get a free ride.

In longterm a few new players might learn and improve on playing a tough away tour, even in defeat rather than turning up with same losers.

Come end of the SL series it will be same from misbah -

"england is tough away tour we need Azhar and Asad in the team"

"Shan speaks good english so he needs to be on tour"

"Imam looks world class in the nets and has scored runs in ODIs"

No wonder pakistan are a laughing stock.

Even teams like england and sri lanka in recent times have got to point and dropped key senior players from test side as they aint doing a job.

Pakistan wont be world beaters but if batting keeps on being picked on family connections, seniority etc... then more humilation is on its way.

 

[Xoib]

As I said in a other thread Asad Shafiq is the poster boy of pakistan test side mediocrity. As long as a 70 odd test veteran with a test average of 38 will continue to be an auto pick based on experience ans so called performance we will continue to languish 6-9 in rankings.

 

[Xoib]

Azhar can still get some leeway though that's also barely as he is in a total rut and their is a glimmer once he gets his form back we get consistent runs from him for couple of seasons but Asad for years hits couple of soft fifties every series secure his spot for next series and continues the joy ride.

 

[Waleed93]

Players like Azhar and Asad won't improve anymore. They should be dropped forever now.

Not a single Test playing nation would have allowed these two to play over 70 Tests.

But, as usual, we have to turn ourselves into laughing stock in front of the world. This is why a player like Azhar is captaining us during the Test Championship and someone like Asad, who has made a career out of his customary "1 good innings per series", is still considered as the backbone of our Test team.

 

[King_Kohli]

I guess Azar will play until 40

 

[andy0204]

Pakistans peformances in tests whether it be in UAE or away tours has been garbage both invidiually and collectively. Sadly there is no accountability on poor performances, players are protected by squads being picked with limited back up batting options. All this means mediocrity has become king in pakistans batting.

Every away tour we here the same garbage spewed whether it be Inzi, mickey or misbah. We need our seniors to perform and need them lead from the front which they never do.

Sarfaraz fell into this rut as a player and captain and eventually get the boot. Yet others remain.

Azhar and Asad the usual story - these players average 40 in test cricket, they have loads test hundreds. Living of limited past performances. The only time Azhar has improved his game when he was dropped from side a few years ago and intially on recall improved as a player.

Players in past such as misbah himself, younis khan, Moyo all got dropped at points in there careers comeback and improved.

Yet players like Azhar, asad, haris, imam, shan havent been given same kick up the backside they need aswell to try and improve. Pakistan are now a minnow test side and this is because the batting has been allowed to rot with deadwood. Bowlers in team dont seem to get same luxury but batsmen get a free ride.

In longterm a few new players might learn and improve on playing a tough away tour, even in defeat rather than turning up with same losers.

Come end of the SL series it will be same from misbah -

"england is tough away tour we need Azhar and Asad in the team"

"Shan speaks good english so he needs to be on tour"

"Imam looks world class in the nets and has scored runs in ODIs"

No wonder pakistan are a laughing stock.

Even teams like england and sri lanka in recent times have got to point and dropped key senior players from test side as they aint doing a job.

Pakistan wont be world beaters but if batting keeps on being picked on family connections, seniority etc... then more humilation is on its way.

I think you are being harsh on shan,he was the highest scorer for pakistan in southafrica tour last year,he played well against Australia.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Moyo used to be blamed by Pak fans for pointless centuries in a series. You would take him in a heart beat now. There are certain players who have the ability to play "just enough" to book one more test series. And they keep doing it over and over. I think Asad comes under that category.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Moyo used to be blamed by Pak fans for pointless centuries in a series. You would take him in a heart beat now. There are certain players who have the ability to play "just enough" to book one more test series. And they keep doing it over and over. I think Asad comes under that category.

Yes Asad does come under that category, seems to play one good inns then dissapear the rest of the series which is not acceptable.

 

[GreenKhan]

Shan Masood is one player who was dropped and comeback a better player . His last two series away to South Africa and Australia he has averaged close to 40 which is decent.

Shafiq unfortunately does enough to stay in the team . Even in the last series against the Aussies he scored 2 50s. So it’s difficult to drop him .

 

[Barragan]

Moyo used to be blamed by Pak fans for pointless centuries in a series. You would take him in a heart beat now. There are certain players who have the ability to play "just enough" to book one more test series. And they keep doing it over and over. I think Asad comes under that category.

Huge difference.

MoYo had a high average in the 40's, whilst shafiq has an average in the high 30's.

Even openers have the same average, so it just goes to show how trash shafiq is.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Huge difference.

MoYo had a high average in the 40's, whilst shafiq has an average in the high 30's.

Even openers have the same average, so it just goes to show how trash shafiq is.

Small correction - Yousuf's average is 52.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Azhar has been woeful for 2 years and now is the captain.

Imam has played in a decent run of test matches and right now simply doesnt look good enough yet is persisted with.

 

[Barragan]

Small correction - Yousuf's average is 52.

Thought his average went down slightly because of his final days in Tests, but good to see it didn't.

Anyway, the point being there is a huge gulf between the two and shafiq hasn't been dropped even once - absolutely disgraceful.

 

[Savak]

This is where Misbah ul Haq damaged our cricket in the long run by giving such a lengthy unprressurized ride in the team to Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq because both were the kind of batsmen he loved.

These two players still bat and have the body language of debutants. The PCB needs to hold players accountable for poor performances. They need a stick up their behinds

 

[KingT]

Moyo used to be blamed by Pak fans for pointless centuries in a series. You would take him in a heart beat now. There are certain players who have the ability to play "just enough" to book one more test series. And they keep doing it over and over. I think Asad comes under that category.

Yousaf was consistently in the top 5 for the test rankings and was no.2 at one time too with 933 points.

How can you compare him with Asad Shafiq?

 

[moghul]

Pakistans peformances in tests whether it be in UAE or away tours has been garbage both invidiually and collectively. Sadly there is no accountability on poor performances, players are protected by squads being picked with limited back up batting options. All this means mediocrity has become king in pakistans batting.

Every away tour we here the same garbage spewed whether it be Inzi, mickey or misbah. We need our seniors to perform and need them lead from the front which they never do.

Sarfaraz fell into this rut as a player and captain and eventually get the boot. Yet others remain.

Azhar and Asad the usual story - these players average 40 in test cricket, they have loads test hundreds. Living of limited past performances. The only time Azhar has improved his game when he was dropped from side a few years ago and intially on recall improved as a player.

Players in past such as misbah himself, younis khan, Moyo all got dropped at points in there careers comeback and improved.

Yet players like Azhar, asad, haris, imam, shan havent been given same kick up the backside they need aswell to try and improve. Pakistan are now a minnow test side and this is because the batting has been allowed to rot with deadwood. Bowlers in team dont seem to get same luxury but batsmen get a free ride.

In longterm a few new players might learn and improve on playing a tough away tour, even in defeat rather than turning up with same losers.

Come end of the SL series it will be same from misbah -

"england is tough away tour we need Azhar and Asad in the team"

"Shan speaks good english so he needs to be on tour"

"Imam looks world class in the nets and has scored runs in ODIs"

No wonder pakistan are a laughing stock.

Even teams like england and sri lanka in recent times have got to point and dropped key senior players from test side as they aint doing a job.

Pakistan wont be world beaters but if batting keeps on being picked on family connections, seniority etc... then more humilation is on its way.

Can you tell me what wrong Shaan has done on the tours of SA and Australia for not getting your endorsement ?

 

[sweep_shot]

Yousaf was consistently in the top 5 for the test rankings and was no.2 at one time too with 933 points.

How can you compare him with Asad Shafiq?

Correct.

Yousuf was a legend. Asad is not half the batsman Yousuf was.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Thought his average went down slightly because of his final days in Tests, but good to see it didn't.

Anyway, the point being there is a huge gulf between the two and shafiq hasn't been dropped even once - absolutely disgraceful.

I actually find it shocking that Asad has never even been discarded once in tests, yet sense was seen in giving him boot from ODI side along time ago.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Can you tell me what wrong Shaan has done on the tours of SA and Australia for not getting your endorsement ?

Shan has been the best of a worst bunch. But overall our other batsmen have been mediocre for to long now.

 

[Usman Chadda]

The issue is that the replacements are no flash either. You can drop Azhar and Asad all you want, but their replacements will turn out to be duds and we'll be back to these mediocre nobodies.

It's a vicious cycle we are stuck in.

 

[TeamPak95]

We've been losing games consistently for the past 2-3 years with Azhar and Shafiq. What harm would it bring to trying out new bats? Not to call them future superstars or anything, but it's not like there aren't batsmen in the domestic scene. Zeeshan Malik/Ashraf, Imran Butt, Sami Aslam. Even if it wouldn't change anything, it would at least make sense to attempt to build around new batsmen.

 

[Amjid Javed]

The issue is that the replacements are no flash either. You can drop Azhar and Asad all you want, but their replacements will turn out to be duds and we'll be back to these mediocre nobodies.

It's a vicious cycle we are stuck in.

What middle order replacements have we tried? Non of these guys have been dropped. Should we just keep playing series with these losers?

Id rather new players have been given ago in Australia and in england next year, atleast even if we lose these players get exposure to conditions and might improve. Something these TTFs wont.

Other test sides seem to see sense and a cut off point where players need the boot.

 

[coy0607]

I guess Azar will play until 40

he's already 40

 

[Junaids]

Batsmen over 30 don’t improve.

What you’ve got is all you’re getting.

 

[Xoib]

Shan has been the best of a worst bunch. But overall our other batsmen have been mediocre for to long now.

Babar averaged 43 in @sa/aus Shan was second at 40 sure if he does not deliver vs lanka and bd discard him for good but he has more in his credit then any one barring babar

 

[JibranAnsari]

People will stop caring about Pakistan cricket at last who can't win and can't even play entertaining cricket anymore. Chalay huye kartoos khilatay jayengay .. Bhai buhat hogaya ab Jan churao azhar air asad se. Pichle 2 saal se musalsal fail ho rahe hen aur upper se PCB ne misbah KO all in all bana dia he.