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Pakistan Test team's batting order according to Mickey Arthur

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cricketerB94

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According to an interview of Micky, Pakistan test team batting order may look like this in SL series:

Sami Aslam
Other opener
Azhar Ali
Asad Shafiq
Babar Azam
Haris Sohail
Sarfraz Ahmed

What do you guys think of this batting order? Who should be our second opener? It's looking like it will be Shan Masood but if we get in Umar Amin as second opener, then this team looks very good on paper.
 
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That's solid. Hoping the other opener is Imam ul Haq and not Shan Masood. I think Azam should bat at 4 though and keep Shafiq at 6
 
moving Babar down to no.5 and Azhar to no.3 will be a bad move going forward.

For me it should be

Sami
Azhar
Babar
Haris sohail
Asad Shafiq
Usman /Umar Amin /Hussain Talat
Sarfraz ahmed
 
I'd keep Azhar as an opener.

1) Sami Aslam
2) Azhar Ali
3) Babar Azam
4) Haris Sohail
5) Usman Salahuddin
6) Asad Shafiq

I don't see Shafiq having the mental fortitude to bat higher than #6. Let him stay where he's stable and calm.
 
On merit, the second opener would be Salman Butt, after he won the QEA Trophy.

But I hope it isn't: time to move to a younger generation.

I'd prefer Sharjeel, or Imam-ul-Haq.
 
Junaids said:
On merit, the second opener would be Salman Butt, after he won the QEA Trophy.

But I hope it isn't: time to move to a younger generation.

I'd prefer Sharjeel, or Imam-ul-Haq.
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Imam-ul-Haq would be a top option if Arthur sticks to the "Azhar bats at 3" condition.

What about Fakhar Zaman? :yk2
 
ask_analyse_act said:
moving Babar down to no.5 and Azhar to no.3 will be a bad move going forward.

For me it should be

Sami
Azhar
Babar
Haris sohail
Asad Shafiq
Usman /Umar Amin /Hussain Talat
Sarfraz ahmed
Click to expand...

looks good... usman salahudin at 6 is much better choice.
 
Really poor thinking to move Azhar at 3 :(
You play your best players in the team which Masood, Shehzad etc are not while Haris and Usman are.

This should be the batting order:

Sami/Sharjeel
Azhar
Haris
Babar
Usman
 
Junaids said:
On merit, the second opener would be Salman Butt, after he won the QEA Trophy.

But I hope it isn't: time to move to a younger generation.

I'd prefer Sharjeel, or Imam-ul-Haq.
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Mickey was asked about Salman Butt during the recent press conference and he was rather equivocal. He said Salman is a very good player who is working hard but whether he returns is a decision above his pay grade. That seems a complete turnaround from when he said "we have enough on our plates without having to worry about Salman Butt."

Giving they are talking of moving Azhar back to 3, that means there may be a vacant opener slot in the test team. I sincerely hope I am wrong here, but I don't like how this is looking.
 
Is Arthur also oblivious to the fact that a player by the name of Fawad Alam exists? A player who averages 56 in First-Class yet hasn't played a test since 2009
 
Azhar should not move down to 3, he should stick as an opener as he's scored a triple ton against WI and a double ton against Aus away. I don't really mind Babar moving to number 4 but he needs to score runs badly in Tests since he's struggling a bit and if Sharjeel is cleared then bring him back to the opening slot with Sami Aslam as backup; only problem is that Sami is an ultra defensive batsman and having both Azhar and Sami as openers would result in a snooze fest. Haris should also be in the middle order since he's a left-hander and maybe give a chance to Salahuddin to see how he is.
 
ExplicitAI said:
Azhar should not move down to 3, he should stick as an opener as he's scored a triple ton against WI and a double ton against Aus away. I don't really mind Babar moving to number 4 but he needs to score runs badly in Tests since he's struggling a bit and if Sharjeel is cleared then bring him back to the opening slot with Sami Aslam as backup; only problem is that Sami is an ultra defensive batsman and having both Azhar and Sami as openers would result in a snooze fest. Haris should also be in the middle order since he's a left-hander and maybe give a chance to Salahuddin to see how he is.
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Babar is yet to play a series in UAE.. So far he has played abroad and as a newbie to play in NZL, AUS and WI i will take what he has achieved along with the learnt mistakes + experience
 
Amirforpresident said:
What about Usman Salahuddin?? Did Mickey forget about him.
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The question was actually asked about Usman and Micky is very impressed with him. But Haris gives him a left hand option in middle order and he can be used as fifth bowler as well.
 
kingusama92 said:
I'd keep Azhar as an opener.

1) Sami Aslam
2) Azhar Ali
3) Babar Azam
4) Haris Sohail
5) Usman Salahuddin
6) Asad Shafiq

I don't see Shafiq having the mental fortitude to bat higher than #6. Let him stay where he's stable and calm.
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I like you batting order, couldn't agree more on Shafiq.

So the eleven can possibly be:

1) Sami Aslam
2) Azhar Ali
3) Babar Azam
4) Haris Sohail
5) Usman Salahuddin
6) Asad Shafiq
7) Sarfraz Ahmed
8) Muhammad Amir
9) Yasir Shah
10) Hasan Ali
11) Muhammad Abbass

Not a bad team if you compare it to the other teams worldwide.
 
ask_analyse_act said:
not good enough... he is a domestic tallawah but a int'l chicken...
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He averages above 40 in both ODIs and Tests and did fair well in Australia as well, your accusation is baseless. Fawad should get a lot more chances than he has so far in his career if 'domestic performances' were really the barometer we were using here.
 
It'll work but this is what I'd prefer:

Sami Aslam
Azhar Ali
Haris Sohail
Babar Azam
Asad Shafiq
Usman Salahuddin
Sarfraz
 
sadida97 said:
He isn't good enough
Click to expand...

ask_analyse_act said:
not good enough... he is a domestic tallawah but a int'l chicken...
Click to expand...

Really? And you know this how? From the grand number of 'three' test matches that he has played?

All I know is that if a player has given his life to working hard and scoring runs consistently time in and time out, at an average of 56.5 no less! He deserves a little more than three test matches at the international level.

Especially considering TTFs like Faisal Iqbal have gotten chance after chance despite doing poorly everytime.
 
Mickey, I heard you read PakPassion sometimes. If you are reading this, just open Fawad Alam's profile on Cricinfo, look at his stats, select him for the series against Sri Lanka and correct one of the great injustices of Pakistan Cricket.
 
Firstly, the OP is taking Arthur's comments out of context. He was only talking about moving Azhar Ali to 3 hypothetically. He said "if we move Azhar Ali to 3, which is a conundrum for us, we could have Asad Shafiq at 4, Babar Azam at 5 and another young batsman at 6 but we'd need to find a consistent opening pair."

So that's not guaranteed. He also says Sami Aslam will be back which is good, and the chicken karahi story was rubbish. He said he's impressed with Usman Salahuddin's work ethic and technique. He also likes Haris Sohail as he also provides left-arm spin.

As for all-rounders, he wants someone good enough to bat at 6 or 7 who can also bowl seam for 10-12 overs. He name checked Fahim Ashraf, Aamer Yamin and Hussain Talat.

Babar Azam apparently has the best work ethic and promise, whilst Shan Masood is the fittest. Hasan Ali is a player who hasn't realised his potential yet, as Arthur thinks he can get even better and better. Said that he's bulked up as he was a beanpole when he first toured with the team to England.

Said that he had a talk with Hafeez after his slow innings in the first ODI in the West Indies and that he has to bat faster to stay in the team. Looks like he'll have a lower order role from now on.

Says he feels very included in the selection process with Inzamam and praised the selectors for trying out youngsters like Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan and Fakhar Zaman. Also praised his backroom staff (rubbished the story that Grant Flower wanted his brother Andy to be hired) and trusts the NCA staff like Mudassar and Mushtaq.
 
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did he specifically mention haris? if so great news, fears he wasnt returning anytime soon when he wasnt played in ct.

pretty sure azhar will drop down mickey will fear losing two experienced bats in middle order, so dropping one back down lessens the impact.

not sure who will open but feel masood is out of favour. i guess it will probably be fakhar then, i dont think amin really looks like an opener more a middle order player in most eyes, even in domestic hes playing middle order a lot these days.

think it's clear mickey prefers guys who have already shown some worth in internationals over completely new, he's slow to move on. which is why i think zaman will probably get the nod for the remaining opening spot despite fears he's not test class. i think hes also not keen on injecting too many new guys in the team all at once, hence one at a time in haris (who is basically new given such a long layoff) rather than both haris and usman at the same time especially when babar isnt performing to his potential in tests and asad's not at the level we expect of him.
 
Markhor said:
Firstly, the OP is taking Arthur's comments out of context. He was only talking about moving Azhar Ali to 3 hypothetically. He said "if we move Azhar Ali to 3, which is a conundrum for us, we could have Asad Shafiq at 4, Babar Azam at 5 and another young batsman at 6 but we'd need to find a consistent opening pair."

So that's not guaranteed. He also says Sami Aslam will be back which is good, and the chicken karahi story was rubbish. He said he's impressed with Usman Salahuddin's work ethic and technique. He also likes Haris Sohail as he also provides left-arm spin.

As for all-rounders, he wants someone good enough to bat at 6 or 7 who can also bowl seam for 10-12 overs. He name checked Fahim Ashraf, Aamer Yamin and Hussain Talat.

Babar Azam apparently has the best work ethic and promise, whilst Shan Masood is the fittest. Hasan Ali is a player who hasn't realised his potential yet, as Arthur thinks he can get even better and better. Said that he's bulked up as he was a beanpole when he first toured with the team to England.

Said that he had a talk with Hafeez after his slow innings in the first ODI in the West Indies and that he has to bat faster to stay in the team. Looks like he'll have a lower order role from now on.

Says he feels very included in the selection process with Inzamam and praised the selectors for trying out youngsters like Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan and Fakhar Zaman. Also praised his backroom staff (rubbished the story that Grant Flower wanted his brother Andy to be hired) and trusts the NCA staff like Mudassar and Mushtaq.
Click to expand...

Very glad to hear Sami Aslam will be back. He played some very important innings in England.
 
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ask_analyse_act said:
Babar is yet to play a series in UAE.. So far he has played abroad and as a newbie to play in NZL, AUS and WI i will take what he has achieved along with the learnt mistakes + experience
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Babar Azam has played a test series in UAE. His debut series was there against West Indies
 
cricketerB94 said:
According to an interview of Micky, Pakistan test team batting order may look like this in SL series:

Sami Aslam
Other opener
Azhar Ali
Asad Shafiq
Babar Azam
Haris Sohail
Sarfraz Ahmed

What do you guys think of this batting order? Who should be our second opener? It's looking like it will be Shan Masood but if we get in Umar Amin as second opener, then this team looks very good on paper.
Click to expand...

Azhar should open. Don't believe in Shafiq. Fawad Alam should have a spot and Haris should bat higher up. Also, did Mickey let on who comes after Sarfraz? Needless to say Shan is a joke.
 
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Markhor said:
Not a Test batsman. His technique against the short ball would be exposed. Let's for once play the right players for the right format.
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In Tests, one has the option of letting go/ducking the short balls because you don't have to try and score off every ball. I don't think most new players (from Pakistan) when they arrive at the Int'l scene necessarily have the best technique against short ball anyway. With time and hard work, most get there and some never do like e.g. Malik!

I am a big believer of reaping the benefits of an aggressive opener when our top order has all tuk tuk ones in other spots. Fakkhar should be given a chance to cement a place especially considering he averages 50+ in domestic, that should account for something rather than just thinking he will be useless for Test
 
Monsee said:
In Tests, one has the option of letting go/ducking the short balls because you don't have to try and score off every ball. I don't think most new players (from Pakistan) when they arrive at the Int'l scene necessarily have the best technique against short ball anyway. With time and hard work, most get there and some never do like e.g. Malik!

I am a big believer of reaping the benefits of an aggressive opener when our top order has all tuk tuk ones in other spots. Fakkhar should be given a chance to cement a place especially considering he averages 50+ in domestic, that should account for something rather than just thinking he will be useless for Test
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I have a feeling he chose to play county cricket (including FC) for Somerset over the chance of playing CPL precisely to showcase/develop his ability in the longer format. It's no coincidence Pakistan have a test series in England next summer.
 
Don't agree with this.Azhar should open

Sami
Azhar
Haris
Babar
Usman/Fawad
Shafiq(one last series,if he fails,drop him permanently)
Sarfraz(C/WK)
Amir
Yasir
Hassan
Abbas.

Imam
Fawad/Usman
Asghar
Shadab.

Since our next series is in the UAE,we may need to play 2 spinners.You could drop a quick(most likely Hassan) or could drop a batsman(Shafiq?)to make way for a spinner.

Asghar could be given a go in the first two matches,then Shadab in the last one.
 
kingusama92 said:
I'd keep Azhar as an opener.

1) Sami Aslam
2) Azhar Ali
3) Babar Azam
4) Haris Sohail
5) Usman Salahuddin
6) Asad Shafiq

I don't see Shafiq having the mental fortitude to bat higher than #6. Let him stay where he's stable and calm.
Click to expand...

Same. Demoting Babar against a halwa opposition is going backwards. What is the logic in batting him at 3 vs tough oppositions and conditions away from home and then giving up on him in comfortable conditions of UAE and against a minnow level test side to bat at 5.

Don't know if Mickey actually said this, but if he did, then poor from him, expected better.

Shafiq should stay at 6, he belong there.
 
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Don't be silly Mickey. No point fixing something which isn't broke.
 
cricketerB94 said:
According to an interview of Micky, Pakistan test team batting order may look like this in SL series:

Sami Aslam
Other opener
Azhar Ali
Asad Shafiq
Babar Azam
Haris Sohail
Sarfraz Ahmed

What do you guys think of this batting order? Who should be our second opener? It's looking like it will be Shan Masood but if we get in Umar Amin as second opener, then this team looks very good on paper.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this order.
 
This is our best batting lineup

Sami Aslam
Azhaz Ali
Babar Azam
Usman Salahuddin
Saud Shakil
Hussain Talat
Sarfraz Ahmed
 
1. Sami Aslam (long term)
2.Azhar Ali(Pakistan Best Test batsman)
3.Fawad Alam (Merited Selection, Averages 56 in FA)
4.Babar Azam ( No4 for test match, let's not burden him too much, already Batting at crucial position in ODI,T20)
5.Asad Shafiq (Senior batsman in the team)
6. Safraz Ahmad (Kaptaan)
7.Amir Yamin/ Shadab Khan(Depending on the pitch)( Believe in having 4 bowlers and 1 all rounder incase of injury to the main bowlers)
8.Muhammad Amir
9.Yasir Shah
10. Sohail Khan(Let's not burden Hassan Ali, he's looking good at the Limited overs, allow him to get experience from the bench at the test match)
11. Muhammad Abbas

12. Hassan Ali
13. Harris Sohail
14. Usman Salhuddin
15. Amir Yamin/Shadab
 
For the A tours

1.Fakhar Zaman
2.Iman Ul Haq
3.Asif Zakir
4. Umar Amin (C)
5.Muhammad Rizwan (wk)
6.Hammad Azam
7. Fahim Ashraf
8.Usama Mir
9. Usman Shinwari
10.Mir Hamza
11. Sadat Hussain
 
I can't seem to understand the logic why people are vouchsafing for Fawad Alam. Just because he averages 56 in some domestic cricket doesn't mean he is suited to test cricket, remember certian Graeme Hick ? Fawad Alam is miserable to watch ,not even a poor man's Chanderpaul.I remember him being hit on helmet by Grame Swann while attempting sweep shot ,that was embarrassing. If Fawad alam is your answer to Misbah Younis ,good luck with test cricket.i sympathize with this dude but the fact is that he isn't good enough.
 
Tabishbeigh said:
I can't seem to understand the logic why people are vouchsafing for Fawad Alam. Just because he averages 56 in some domestic cricket doesn't mean he is suited to test cricket, remember certian Graeme Hick ? Fawad Alam is miserable to watch ,not even a poor man's Chanderpaul.I remember him being hit on helmet by Grame Swann while attempting sweep shot ,that was embarrassing. If Fawad alam is your answer to Misbah Younis ,good luck with test cricket.i sympathize with this dude but the fact is that he isn't good enough.
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To be fair, the Swann bit was in ODI cricket.

Fawad Alam is built for test cricket where he can tick along and not worry about upping the ante. It was the same issue with Younis Khan.

He has never got a proper chance in Test cricket.
 
Tabishbeigh said:
I can't seem to understand the logic why people are vouchsafing for Fawad Alam. Just because he averages 56 in some domestic cricket doesn't mean he is suited to test cricket, remember certian Graeme Hick ? Fawad Alam is miserable to watch ,not even a poor man's Chanderpaul.I remember him being hit on helmet by Grame Swann while attempting sweep shot ,that was embarrassing. If Fawad alam is your answer to Misbah Younis ,good luck with test cricket.i sympathize with this dude but the fact is that he isn't good enough.
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the argument for him:

he has the highest FC average in pakistani history.
FC averages tend to track very closely to international averages.
he scored 160 on debut, oustscoring YK and Youhana.
he averages 40+ in Tests
many batsmen with unorthodox technique have excelled internationally. see under chanders, smith, yk
best player of spin in the country after yk and misbah retired

the argument against

he doesn't look good
 
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I am not a Fawad Alam fan. The guy is clearly very professional and disciplined and knows how to score runs. But I'm sorry - that technique is going to get found out at international level. I know Chandepaul etc. I'm just not convinced.

People have also mentioned Hammad. The guy is not international class. He is struggling at Ashcombe Park for a reason.
 
For heavens sake , Mickey please get Fawad alam a couple of series , home and away and then judge him
He has worked 100 times harder than Babar or anyone for that reason, he deserves to be in the test squad 100%
and deserves a shot, a proper shot, specially with Misbah and Younis gone, Mickey dont be a party to the biggest injustice in Pakistani cricket, make sure he gets a chance and only in test cricket as that is all he is good for!!!

Peace!
 
KhalidRafi said:
Is Arthur also oblivious to the fact that a player by the name of Fawad Alam exists? A player who averages 56 in First-Class yet hasn't played a test since 2009
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He ruled himself out by averaging 50+ and that 160 in an opening position against Sri Lanka!
 
angeldsoul said:
For heavens sake , Mickey please get Fawad alam a couple of series , home and away and then judge him
He has worked 100 times harder than Babar or anyone for that reason, he deserves to be in the test squad 100%
and deserves a shot, a proper shot, specially with Misbah and Younis gone, Mickey dont be a party to the biggest injustice in Pakistani cricket, make sure he gets a chance and only in test cricket as that is all he is good for!!!

Peace!
Click to expand...
i thought he was dropped unjustly even in odis however not really up to mickey, fawad's not even in contracts and hence not going to be put in the squad any time soon. and mickey selects his players from the squad he doesnt go to domestic to hand pick people (which he shouldnt be expected to its the selectors job).

so yeah fawad's not going to be playing tests any time soon. thought his biggest chance was after misbah and yk retired but by not giving him a contract shows theyd rather try out nee guys than go back to fawad.
 
The Googly said:
I am not a Fawad Alam fan. The guy is clearly very professional and disciplined and knows how to score runs. But I'm sorry - that technique is going to get found out at international level. I know Chandepaul etc. I'm just not convinced.

People have also mentioned Hammad. The guy is not international class. He is struggling at Ashcombe Park for a reason.
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Errrm, which Pakistani player had technique that doesn't get found out? Sami aslam has horrible technique, Shan masood is club level cricketer... what's his record in domestic?

Last I looked, fawad has a test 160 away against srilanka, not when they were as poor as they are now. If he gets found out then so be it.... how he is never given a chance to be even in the squad is just beyond comprehension.

Do you know how long it took Inzi to start scoring consistently in tests?
 
Mickey didn't say Azhar would be moved back down to 3. He said it was a possibility as they consider the future of the Test side now that the 2 stalwarts in the middle have left.

From what I gather, his plan is to have 4 bowlers and 6 batsmen for UAE tests as there is no need for a 5th as we usually go with the 2 spin combo.

But for Tests away from Asia, he wants a Ben Stokes type player who can bowl seam and bat Top 7. He admitted he doesn't see anyone of that quality in Pakistan, but he is looking at Faheem Ashraf, Amir Yamin and Hussain Talat to fill in that role.

I would recommend everyone to watch the interview. Very informative as to what Mickey's plans for the future are.

Most pleasing thing to hear was how much he is enjoying being part of the Pakistan set-up. He said his first year on the job was his best in his international career.
 
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Mickey can easily ask to work with Fawad alam, or ask the selectors why he is not being selected,
he can be a batting stalwart for us for the next 5/6 years, I guess he will never really get a chance
his best bet is to cry non stop in media and then I guarantee you he will be in next squad, he should go on every show he can and plaster his stats in everyones faces, only thing that works in pakistan apart from sifaarish! being a diva! lol
 
cricketerB94 said:
According to an interview of Micky, Pakistan test team batting order may look like this in SL series:

Sami Aslam
Other opener
Azhar Ali
Asad Shafiq
Babar Azam
Haris Sohail
Sarfraz Ahmed

What do you guys think of this batting order? Who should be our second opener? It's looking like it will be Shan Masood but if we get in Umar Amin as second opener, then this team looks very good on paper.
Click to expand...

I believe the 'other opener' is the nickname of Ahmed Shehzad. Like Babar Azam and Harris Sohail at #5 & #6 but no Fawad Alam :( Hopefully Shan masood is not selected, I would take Hafeez in his place
 
azhar should open other should be BUTT
also arthur is not sure whether he wants to play with 5 bats or 6.Shinwari should be preferred over wahab or rahat
 
AFM said:
Mickey didn't say Azhar would be moved back down to 3. He said it was a possibility as they consider the future of the Test side now that the 2 stalwarts in the middle have left.

From what I gather, his plan is to have 4 bowlers and 6 batsmen for UAE tests as there is no need for a 5th as we usually go with the 2 spin combo.

But for Tests away from Asia, he wants a Ben Stokes type player who can bowl seam and bat Top 7. He admitted he doesn't see anyone of that quality in Pakistan, but he is looking at Faheem Ashraf, Amir Yamin and Hussain Talat to fill in that role.

I would recommend everyone to watch the interview. Very informative as to what Mickey's plans for the future are.

Most pleasing thing to hear was how much he is enjoying being part of the Pakistan set-up. He said his first year on the job was his best in his international career.
Click to expand...

He wants a spinning AR for UAE thats why he taked about possibility of hafeez in test
 
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Fawad alam needs to be selected inzamam is doing massive injustice the way he did with asim kamal
 
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Has everyone seriously ignored the possibility Azhar might actually prefer to bat at three?

If that is the case, then should it be considered? According to most posters here, it would seem not.
 
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So by all accounts, Pakistan coach and fans alike, Sarfraz "better than Dhoni" Ahmad can't bat higher than #7 in test cricket. Interesting.


Btw, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq are going to be the lynchpins of Pakistan test batting. For Pak fans sake, I hope the team doesn't screw them over.
 
As said earlier,

I would go with

Sami
Azhar
Babar
Haris
Shafiq
Umar Amin/ usman
Sarfraz

But looks like Azhar will be dropped down to 3 with a new opener coming in which is like salman butt a very very bad move indeed
 
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ask_analyse_act said:
As said earlier,

I would go with

Sami
Azhar
Babar
Haris
Shafiq
Umar Amin/ usman
Sarfraz

But looks like Azhar will be dropped down to 3 with a new opener coming in which is like salman butt a very very bad move indeed
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Salman Butt aside, If Azhar himself has expressed a preference to bat at 3 would you still say it is a bad move?
 
1) Whether or not Mickey is oblivious, he isn't the selector. Inzi obviously isn't oblivious, and has never been.

Fawad's time has long gone, and it's definitely an injustice. Whether or not he is international class, hasn't been proven, etc, he was discarded unfairly. And he didn't get any real opportunities. His debut ton was worth a long run. And he deserved to come back. Still does, but even after two open spots, he isn't likely to return.

2) Demoting Azhar is an insane idea. Which team would demote a triple centurion opener, who is also the best batsman in the team? If the logic is to blood a new opener, then that's absurd because Sami needs time at the top to bat and develop with someone who has experience.

3) And I'm really happy Sami is back, but I do hope Masood isn't selected. He needs to go back to work on his technique. Coming back in the team without that is going to lead to cheap runs on UAE/SL etc, but ten ball innings outside Asia. We've already seen that.

4) Fakhar should be allowed to grow in confidence in the shorter format, and score big runs in A and FC cricket before being selected for Tests. From what I've seen in CT, he's basically Afridi style batsman. High risk shots that will work sometimes but won't work consistently. I'd love for him to be our David Warner, but he's been very lucky in his 3 chances.

5) Everyone I've heard outside Pakistan insists that you bat your best players higher up the order. Not sure whether that's the view with coach/selectors.

6) So for Asad, being the second best now, he needs to take responsibility. Babar is unproven so far in testing conditions and 3 position is something that the likes of Ponting inherited after proving himself below the order. Hope he succeeds when we play in testing conditions.

7) As many people have said, that there's prejudice against Butt for the 2010 fiasco and favourably attitudes towards Amir. That's probably true, and whether or not Amir wasn't an innocent sheep, Butt was captain.

No board would re-select a captain fixer. Whether or not Amir should be selected, captaining your country and fixing is another level of criminality.

Relatedly, It's a shame it didn't happen to Wasim, because it would've been a massive deterrent and he should've been made an example of [he's one of my favourite cricketers].
 
Maybe Saj can shed some light on the current situation with Fawad and whether Mickey's considered his selection?
 
It's well known that Fawad's exclusion has got nothing to do with cricket so those who are saying "his technique will get found out" are talking nonsense.
 
hitthestump said:
It's well known that Fawad's exclusion has got nothing to do with cricket so those who are saying "his technique will get found out" are talking nonsense.
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If not his technique, why do you think he is being kept out of the team?
 
Sami Aslam
Azhar Ali
Imam ul Haq
Haris Sohail (5th bowler)
Usman Salahuddin
Babar Azam
Sarfraz Ahmed * +
Yasir Shah
Muhammad Amir
Wahab Riaz(For dead UAE pitches)
Muhammad Abbas

Ahmed Shahzad
Asad Shafiq
Muhammad Rizwan (Backup wk)
Muhammad Asghar
Hassan Ali
Mir Hamza
 
kingusama92 said:
I'd keep Azhar as an opener.

1) Sami Aslam
2) Azhar Ali
3) Babar Azam
4) Haris Sohail
5) Usman Salahuddin
6) Asad Shafiq

I don't see Shafiq having the mental fortitude to bat higher than #6. Let him stay where he's stable and calm.
Click to expand...
Asif Zakir was in Test Squad against west indies but could not get chance. he should included in place of haris sohail, also imam ul haq is very good test player
 
AliUsman said:
Asif Zakir was in Test Squad against west indies but could not get chance. he should included in place of haris sohail, also imam ul haq is very good test player
Click to expand...

Haris Sohail is quality- this is his chance to shine.
 
Think something like this would be good:

1. Azhar
2. Fakhar
3. Babar
4. Asad
5. Fawad
6. Haris
7. Sarfraz
8. Amir
9. Yasir
10. Hasan
11. Abbas

Would like someone else rather than Babar to play 3 so he can play lower down, but looks like they're aren't many candidates, and realistically Asad's not going to play at 3 long term. And it looks like Babar will eventually become our long term no.3 anyway. I'm worried about Haris's fitness, and with such long period out from cricket, perhaps best to introduce him slowly at no.6 than putting him straight at 3. Similar with fawad or whoever new e.g. Salluhuddin (whom I think will play over Fawad), better to add them lower down than suddenly at no.3, plus both are probably more suited down the order.

I'm not sure whether Fakhar or Sami should open. But guess Fakhar does deserve it more atm, so I've gone with him.
 
Last edited:
AliUsman said:
Asif Zakir was in Test Squad against west indies but could not get chance. he should included in place of haris sohail, also imam ul haq is very good test player
Click to expand...

Wrong. Asif Zakir was only in the Pakistan ODI squad, not in the test squad
 
Aslam
Azhar
Babar
Asad
Haris
Sarfraz
Yamin
Amir
Yasir
Hasan
Abbas
 
Not sure if Azhar should stay as an opener or go back to 3

Asad Shafiq should be between 3-5
Stop cuddling the golden boy and if he fails continously
Drop him

Shocked at how long they protected that mental midget.

Sami should return
Azam doesn't belong as an opener or at 3 in test cricket
 
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