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Pakistan v West Indies | 1st Test (D/N) | Dubai (DSC) | Oct 13-17, 2016 | Day 1

Gorgeous opening partnership. Ajju is doing well as an opener and sami sure shot for next 15 years.
 
Scoring rate is fine. You have to take into account the slow nature of the pitch and the outfield. A lot of these twos out to the boundary would've been fours on other grounds.
 
Really disappointing to see the reaction of few posters ,

When shezzy and masod played slow they were batting terribly but when Azhar and Sami are playing slow they are playing solidly wow
 
Mickey has made this fantastic decision of having Asad at number 3. Helped up to add extra batsman and get Azhar to open where he has alot of experience playing donestic cricket and the fact that Azhar was ultimately our opener even while batting at #3 due to low scores by likes of Hafeez and Shan.
 
Sports_Psychologist said:
Really disappointing to see the reaction of few posters ,

When shezzy and masod played slow they were batting terribly but when Azhar and Sami are playing slow they are playing solidly wow
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What time are you talking about?
 
Pakpak said:
They're far far too slow against a useless lollipop attack.
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I never broke a barrier in terms of getting more GPA in a semester in my university life and got exactly the same GPA in every semester (no matter how difficult or easy). I studied in a particular way and outcome was always good.

The point is we as a team have got the formula(how to go about playing tests) working for us and if it is helping us win, long may it continue.
 
There have been 2 150+ opening stands for Pak in the first inns of a Test in the last 50 years, including this. Other was 178 b/w Shehzad and Hafeez v NZ, Abu Dhabi, 2014. -ESPNCricinfo

We rarely have had stable opening partnerships
 
JibranAnsari said:
172 in 55 overs on first day isn't exactly slow.
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They are actually ODI & T20 viewers!!! Have little idea about test!!!
172/0 after 55 over!!! It's very nice going in test!!
If it is 220/0!! They would've said now a days 240 is scored in 20 overs or 444 is scored in 50 over!!!!
 
Sports_Psychologist said:
Really disappointing to see the reaction of few posters ,

When shezzy and masod played slow they were batting terribly but when Azhar and Sami are playing slow they are playing solidly wow
Click to expand...

DUde this is only second time pakistani opener have scored 150+ without losing a wicket in test in first

inning.I know opposition is not that great but your beloved shehzad played against Zim in 2014 and failed to

do the same with hafeez SO please give credit where is due and also this is pink ball not Red ball and also

The out field is very slow so you should also consider these factors
 
omorst7 said:
They are actually ODI & T20 viewers!!! Have little idea about test!!!
172/0 after 55 over!!! It's very nice going in test!!
If it is 220/0!! They would've said now a days 240 is scored in 20 overs or 444 is scored in 50 over!!!!
Click to expand...

Well kid its not about that the thing I was talking about is the two faced reality of some posters and in general the favouritism in our Pakistani culture,
 
Thankfully Inzi selected Shehzad, Hafeez, Masood and Fawad in the practise match and yet again they failed to register real big scores. Nobody can really now whine that above said players would have smashed 200s and 300s if they were playing.

They played on a similar pitch, with the same color of the ball and against same attack and yet we saw a score of 26/3. A lot of goodies happening in Pakistan cricket honestly
 
Ahmed4472 said:
Thankfully Inzi selected Shehzad, Hafeez, Masood and Fawad in the practise match and yet again they failed to register real big scores. Nobody can really now whine that above said players would have smashed 200s and 300s if they were playing.

They played on a similar pitch, with the same color of the ball and against same attack and yet we saw a score of 26/3. A lot of goodies happening in Pakistan cricket honestly
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This is true as well I suppose.
 
saeed5646 said:
DUde this is only second timie pakistani opener have scored 150+ without losing a wicket in test in first

inning.I know opposition is not that great but your beloved shehzad played against Zim in 2014 and failed to

do the same with hafeez SO please give credit where is due and also this is pink ball not Red ball and also

The out field is very slow so you should also consider these factors
Click to expand...

first no one is beloved to me so first set your tone right I've always been a realistic critique and my posts are mainly focusing the mentality of players or the posters the fact that you can't understand the point of that comment describes your mentality so no argument here,

Secondly the favouritism or napotism that we criticize our selectors of its the same when we as a nation are involved in an argument,
 
Hamzakhalid said:
Mickey has made this fantastic decision of having Asad at number 3. Helped up to add extra batsman and get Azhar to open where he has alot of experience playing donestic cricket and the fact that Azhar was ultimately our opener even while batting at #3 due to low scores by likes of Hafeez and Shan.
Click to expand...

But Azhar is a solid batman and well need him in middle order as it'll be tough for him as an opener and we can't risk him as an opener we need to find someone who can bat like sami as he is great while leaving the ball because when Misbah and Younis retires well need Azhar and Shafique to stabilize the innings,
 
Now, I feel they are batting slow. RR went to 3.15; from there it's back to 3 without any wicket loss - that's simply not acceptable in any from of cricket, any era. I understand, UAE out field is pathetic, but still RR must grow - if PAK loses one wicket now, it'll come down to 2.8 level.

The idea of playing against sub standard team should always be how much time we need to get 20 wickets. I don't think this pair is looking at that perspective - PAK must score 600 in 160 overs, at least that should be plan.
 
Sports_Psychologist said:
Really disappointing to see the reaction of few posters ,

When shezzy and masod played slow they were batting terribly but when Azhar and Sami are playing slow they are playing solidly wow
Click to expand...

Its not about playing slow or fast. Main difference is technique and temperament, in test that is lot more important. Sami's technique to face new ball is far superior then Shezad and Shaun, he plays close to the body, plays late, wait for ball to come to him. That allows him to play seaming and swinging ball better than the rest, that's the major reason he was successful against Broad, Anderson and Woaks in England, a lot tougher task than what we see here.... Shezad, Hafeez and Shaun technique is kind of opposite, there is no point of trying them out for opener slot.

Azhar is better at playing new ball than all the openers we tried in last 5/6 years, and not just new ball, he is over all better player and his stats and performance are evidence of that as well. None of them stack up to him anyway...
 
Mashallah Sami Aslam is approaching his first hundred. I want a double from him.
 
Highest partnerships For Pakistan 1st Wicket in Test

For 1st Wicket : Runs 298

Partners : Aamer Sohail, Ijaz Ahmed

Opposition v West Indies

Ground : Karachi

Match Date : 6 Dec 1997



Azhar and Sami has Opportunity to break that record if they don.t get them self run out:sanga
 
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saeed5646 said:
Highest partnerships For Pakistan For 1st Wicket in Test

For 1st Wicket : Runs 298

Partners : Aamer Sohail, Ijaz Ahmed

Opposition v West Indies

Ground : Karachi

Match Date : 6 Dec 1997



Azhar and Sami has Opportunity to break that record if they don.t get them self run out:sanga
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vow would love to see these two breaking that.
 
MMHS said:
Now, I feel they are batting slow. RR went to 3.15; from there it's back to 3 without any wicket loss - that's simply not acceptable in any from of cricket, any era. I understand, UAE out field is pathetic, but still RR must grow - if PAK loses one wicket now, it'll come down to 2.8 level.

The idea of playing against sub standard team should always be how much time we need to get 20 wickets. I don't think this pair is looking at that perspective - PAK must score 600 in 160 overs, at least that should be plan.
Click to expand...

Part of the reason is first time playing under lights. They are more cautious, plus close to century, they should pick up the pace after milestone.
 
One of the reason YK has so many hundreds & hardly any score in 90s, is he never does what Azhar is doing here. For the similar approach, Tendulkar has one of the highest numbers of 90s in ODI.
 
MMHS said:
Now, I feel they are batting slow. RR went to 3.15; from there it's back to 3 without any wicket loss - that's simply not acceptable in any from of cricket, any era. I understand, UAE out field is pathetic, but still RR must grow - if PAK loses one wicket now, it'll come down to 2.8 level.

The idea of playing against sub standard team should always be how much time we need to get 20 wickets. I don't think this pair is looking at that perspective - PAK must score 600 in 160 overs, at least that should be plan.
Click to expand...

Wait till you have the self-proclaimed experts claim otherwise.

This a pathetic attack, we are tuktuking for no reason now.
 
MMHS said:
Now, I feel they are batting slow. RR went to 3.15; from there it's back to 3 without any wicket loss - that's simply not acceptable in any from of cricket, any era. I understand, UAE out field is pathetic, but still RR must grow - if PAK loses one wicket now, it'll come down to 2.8 level.

The idea of playing against sub standard team should always be how much time we need to get 20 wickets. I don't think this pair is looking at that perspective - PAK must score 600 in 160 overs, at least that should be plan.
Click to expand...

Now you will be labelled here that you don't know about test cricket
 
Sports_Psychologist said:
But Azhar is a solid batman and well need him in middle order as it'll be tough for him as an opener and we can't risk him as an opener we need to find someone who can bat like sami as he is great while leaving the ball because when Misbah and Younis retires well need Azhar and Shafique to stabilize the innings,
Click to expand...

No. Azhar is fine as opener. Babar Azam can easily replace YK. Harris Sohail, Saud Shakeel and Saad Ali.etc are all solid middle order batsmen who can take a spot.
 
yasir said:
Part of the reason is first time playing under lights. They are more cautious, plus close to century, they should pick up the pace after milestone.
Click to expand...

The bowling doesn't demand such respect, may be even under light.
 
Well played Azhar.

I'll take 343/4 at the day end, more than 280/1 - this lot is not going to take 10 wickets, let alone 20. It's a race between time & 5 PAK bowlers.
 
Azhar now has a ton against all nations except Zim, SA, NZ and none other than India.
 
I believe Sami is playing too slow.

I realize outfield is slow but com'on there are no demons on this pitch, bowling is club level why so afraid in playing your shots?

Used 201 balls for his 85 runs with SR 42.28, not acceptable at all.
 
MMHS said:
Well played Azhar.

I'll take 343/4 at the day end, more than 280/1 - this lot is not going to take 10 wickets, let alone 20. It's a race between time & 5 PAK bowlers.
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Why does it matter?

Its not like WI can bat long to save the test anyways.
 
Sports_Psychologist said:
But Azhar is a solid batman and well need him in middle order as it'll be tough for him as an opener and we can't risk him as an opener we need to find someone who can bat like sami as he is great while leaving the ball because when Misbah and Younis retires well need Azhar and Shafique to stabilize the innings,
Click to expand...

Azhar strength is grinding the new ball, he does it much better than others, seeing off new ball is very important skill in test. They both do it much better than others. Plus players like Shafiq and Babar has broader range of shots, that's what you need from middle order batsmen. Look how Cook and Strauss has done for England in past, they both build the foundation of strong batting lineup, where player like KP flourish in the middle order... One of the YK and Misbah can play for another year or two to make sure we don't have big hole in playing spin in middle order, most likely that would be YK, since he is king of spin and can really help develop long innings temperament in youngsters, he is a master of building and developing long innings...

Azhar is exactly what we need in the top order. Now we have no weak links in batting, and everybody is batting at their correct spot... When we used to play openers like Hafeez, Shezad, Shaun, we had very flaky foundation.
 
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MMHS said:
Well played Azhar.

I'll take 343/4 at the day end, more than 280/1 - this lot is not going to take 10 wickets, let alone 20. It's a race between time & 5 PAK bowlers.
Click to expand...

I think Misbah will bat till tomorrow, push for about 500 some runs and then let the bowler do the job.

Then in second innings, accomplish a safe lead and give bowlers some rest and unleash Yasir.

The way these two are playing - this game will go till 4th or maybe 5th day (Of curse it's also a subject of how WI bats).
 
sensible-indian-fan said:
Why does it matter?

Its not like WI can bat long to save the test anyways.
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I am not sure how dew is going to affect the bowling. Better to plan 3 1st (day) session to bowl at WI. With a wet bat, it's not easy to get through dead ball.

However, it's not about scoring rate - around 3 is not bad, but the scoring rate shouldn't drop this way. On a wet wicket, in last 10 overs of night, WI can knock 3/4 in no time. In Test, set pair should always look for gradually scoring faster.
 
Hopefully Sami gets his hundred as well. He needs as much time as he can get out there so he is ready for tougher upcoming AUS and NZ tours and I hope Babar also gets plenty of time out there.
 
Next 13 overs, PAK should target around 75.

I am a bit confused with Junadis theory on Pink ball, so I'll go to my conventional theory - it'll be difficult to bat on a dew wet wicket with new ball. Also, I believe, with 2nd ball WI bowlers will bowl at least a yard longer.
 
Damn, wanted Aslam to get his maiden Test hundred. Another missed opportunity after coming close at Edgbaston as well before getting run out on 82.
 
Bad luck, played on. But, he was becoming too dependent on sweep only.
 
Sami you !!!!1Missed a golden opportunity to score maiden hundred nonetheless well played
 
Darren Bravo averaging 50 away and only 30 at home haha remarkable.
 
Hope nobody suggests that we should be moving Azhar back to 3 or another opener should be drafted in.

This has been a 16 year long issue - Azhar and Aslam should be our Test openers period.
 
Sami was playing way to slow to get be able to get a century. In the end pressure did him in.
 
So much for D/N Tests attracting the crowds - this is dismal turnout.

Hopefully it will improve on Friday, Saturday and maybe Sunday.
 
Knives out for Shafiq :))

I'm sure a few would want him dropped if he doesn't score a ton too lol
 
Sami Aslam continues to reinforce the idea that he should never play Limited Overs for Pakistan.
 
Markhor said:
Hope nobody suggests that we should be moving Azhar back to 3 or another opener should be drafted in.

This has been a 16 year long issue - Azhar and Aslam should be our Test openers period.
Click to expand...
We need to fit in Shezzy somehow :shehzad
 
Still almost 20 overs are left.

We're at 219 - should get at least 60 odd runs more, which means somewhere close to 280. Anything on top, I'll take it as bonus.

Of curse, no more wicket should go down.
 
Mamoon said:
Sami Aslam continues to reinforce the idea that he should never play Limited Overs for Pakistan.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Azhar Ali is there to stay, especially because of his recent hundred and Test form. And without Sharjeel, we would be too one dimensional. He is a necessity whether or not he performs in a couple of matches.
 
putF%8id said:
Still almost 20 overs are left.

We're at 219 - should get at least 60 odd runs more, which means somewhere close to 280. Anything on top, I'll take it as bonus.

Of curse, no more wicket should go down.
Click to expand...

Aus got 438 on the first day against Windies last year :facepalm:
 
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