Pakistan vs Bangladesh | 1st Test | Rawalpindi | August 21-25 | Pre-Match Discussion

[Deewana Mastana]

I wouldnt mind TNT sports getting that would be awsome they have lots of cricket now

Just checked Sky Sports and TNT's schedule and neither of them are showing this.

Stay tuned for some 240p quality on Ary.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

How much test cricket does Mark Wood play? And how much time does he spend injured? Archer has not played a test match in 3 years. In theory, having an out and out 150 kph quick is a great idea. But in practice it is not sustainable.

Very few bowlers can even bowl consistently at 140+ in test matches these days. It is natural for your pace to drop when you bowl multiple spells throughout the day. Many bowlers that are perceived as 'quick' hover in that 135-137 region for large portions of their spells. How many teams even have that kind of a quick bowler? And how much time do they spend injured or on the shelf?

I would rather take a reliable 135-140 kph bowler that takes wickets consistently and stays fit rather than a shiny 150 kph quick that spends most of the time injured, on the shelf.

Bowlers that bowl the 150 k express pace bowl short 4 over spells as they are in the side as the enforcers to break partnerships and clear up the tail.

They don't need to bowl 20 overs in a day.

That is the role of the other bowlers.

I agree bowling express pace is a rare commodity however that is what we should be striving for to get to the next level.

Having 3 or 4 bowlers bowling 135 - 140k s makes it easy for batters to play due to sameness.

Variety is key to success.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Just checked Sky Sports and TNT's schedule and neither of them are showing this.

Stay tuned for some 240p quality on Ary.

Can they not buy some 4k cameras? Also the same damn adverts on repeat after every over.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Can they not buy some 4k cameras? Also the same damn adverts on repeat after every over.

When the grounds look have been stuck in the 70s they're not going to buy 4k cameras are they.

They don't even have any 4k channels in Pakistan let alone as they're 'supposedly' HD ones barely look HD in quality when they're showing live sports.

 

[Omer2002]

When the grounds look have been stuck in the 70s they're not going to buy 4k cameras are they.

They don't even have any 4k channels in Pakistan let alone as they're 'supposedly' HD ones barely look HD in quality when they're showing live sports.

Well to be fair ASPORT HD have the rights too so they will be outsourcing it but its the Ads which is the issue

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Well to be fair ASPORT HD have the rights too so they will be outsourcing it but its the Ads which is the issue

They need to make an online subscription available which lets you stream uninterrupted coverage of all non sky sports broadcasted home matches. I will gladly pay to get rid of the ads.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Shaheen looks like the weak link here, both Khurram and Ali will eat BD batters alive on these green tops , Naseem also not bad in helping conditions.

 

[Devadwal]

Can Pakistan win a home test match after more than 3 year a home ?

Pakistan have been Winless at home Tests since February 2021 .

 

[Human786]

any pictures of pitch ?

 

[BouncerGuy]

any pictures of pitch ?

FYI

 

[RidiculousMan]

FYI

Where's the pitch?

 

[Rana]

Pakistan made a seaming deck knowing full well Bangladesh Seamers are pretty decent themselves

Why are Pakistan scared to make spin tracks?

 

[mominsaigol]

Pakistan made a seaming deck knowing full well Bangladesh Seamers are pretty decent themselves

Why are Pakistan scared to make spin tracks?

Because besides Fakhar(when he's settled for 10 overs), Saud and Agha, No one else has the technique to play spin in our test odi and t20 team.

Babar's backfoot is horrificly weak which is why stump outs + Lbw + knick to slips are very common with him.

Rizwan lol

Shan has the sane issue, tries to play everything as if he's playing tennis, He can only play medium pacers or waist high deliveries because his technique is so awkward for anything that dips low.

Abdullah shafiq is fine but he gets caught napping alot and hence the lbw, not a technique problem but defo an experience and attention problem.

Saim( Idk, I haven't seen him tackle spin much cause he gets out too quickly before the spinners even come on)

If we're talking odi and T20 then shadab is a tail ender who bottom hand slogs everything so no point and chacha has the reactions and reading skills of a 90 year old.

 

[Omer2002]

Pakistan made a seaming deck knowing full well Bangladesh Seamers are pretty decent themselves

Why are Pakistan scared to make spin tracks?

As i said Bangladesh will win a test the batting line we have got will not be able to handle Taskin Shahadat on that pitch unfortunately.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Pakistan made a seaming deck knowing full well Bangladesh Seamers are pretty decent themselves

Why are Pakistan scared to make spin tracks?

Bangladesh's strength is spin. Pakistan's not. I thought it's pretty obvious.

 

[Rana]

Bangladesh's strength is spin. Pakistan's not. I thought it's pretty obvious.

So we’ve become the first south Asian side in history to surrender the art of playing spin properly? That too when we have the GOAT Pakistani batsman of our history in the line up and our greatest ever wicket keeper batsman? Is that what you are saying?

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

So we’ve become the first south Asian side in history to surrender the art of playing spin properly? That too when we have the GOAT Pakistani batsman of our history in the line up and our greatest ever wicket keeper batsman? Is that what you are saying?

We can no longer bowl spin or play spin.

Turn Pakistani pitches into green mambas and let the trundlers work their magic and the batters do tuk tuk.

 

[mominsaigol]

So we’ve become the first south Asian side in history to surrender the art of playing spin properly? That too when we have the GOAT Pakistani batsman of our history in the line up and our greatest ever wicket keeper batsman? Is that what you are saying?

These guys will never understand that consistency never beats Value.

Yes if you're consistent and valuable then you're an atg like Kohli who provides consistency and his value is being the greatest chaser ever. Same argument for viv, Ricky Pointing etc.

However the Issue with consistent batters if that they refuse to play outside their comfort zone and only play one way. Which sometimes work when given ideal situations.

Rizzu's comfort zone is legside Accumulation, Babar’s comfort zone is Accumulation. So these 2 were able to end 2021 moqa moqa because India scored low, so ideally they can accumulate and get it by the 18th/19t over.

But cricket is a game where that scenario won't always happen.

It's why Misbah fudged Mohali, His comfort zone is accumulating and finding his footing even after he's played 50 deliveiresbut the situation asked to play according to RR which Misbah just can't do, He can only decrease it while accumulating.

Same reason why rizwan sucks at anywhere besides top order in odi and opening in t20, you can't ask him to come in and play according to RR as his game is to build up slowly overtime via legside ploys, so any situation like Asia cup 2022 will cause him to fail if it's outside said comfort zone.

Rn babar's and by extension pakistan's comfort zone is pace and not spin, hence the pitch is curated to be seam friendly. They just can't deal with Bangladeshi spinners.

 

[mominsaigol]

Bangladesh's strength is spin. Pakistan's not. I thought it's pretty obvious.

According to you, Pakistan's best batsmem(babar as you proclaim) can't play spin and averages lower then any opener in a t20 world cup and averages 23 in test for the past years overseas due to spin being a factor.

^^ So the best batter of Pakistan can't play spin despite every team having atleast 2 to 3 spinners in their ranks?

 

[Energy]

It's a strange XI. It's Bangladesh so we can take it easy, but you need to play a genuine spinner even if it's a seaming wicket.

Need to have variety and not just rely on bowling machines.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Where's the pitch?

Even the pitch curator has forgot which pitch they were preparing.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Bangladesh's strength is spin. Pakistan's not. I thought it's pretty obvious.

Exactly , it will be extremely insane to roll out spinning pitches when BD spinners are 2x better than ours , however our pacers are 2X better than BD ones so it's an expected and wise decision.

 

[kron]

These guys will never understand that consistency never beats Value.

Yes if you're consistent and valuable then you're an atg like Kohli who provides consistency and his value is being the greatest chaser ever. Same argument for viv, Ricky Pointing etc.

However the Issue with consistent batters if that they refuse to play outside their comfort zone and only play one way. Which sometimes work when given ideal situations.

Rizzu's comfort zone is legside Accumulation, Babar’s comfort zone is Accumulation. So these 2 were able to end 2021 moqa moqa because India scored low, so ideally they can accumulate and get it by the 18th/19t over.

But cricket is a game where that scenario won't always happen.

It's why Misbah fudged Mohali, His comfort zone is accumulating and finding his footing even after he's played 50 deliveiresbut the situation asked to play according to RR which Misbah just can't do, He can only decrease it while accumulating.

Same reason why rizwan sucks at anywhere besides top order in odi and opening in t20, you can't ask him to come in and play according to RR as his game is to build up slowly overtime via legside ploys, so any situation like Asia cup 2022 will cause him to fail if it's outside said comfort zone.

Rn babar's and by extension pakistan's comfort zone is pace and not spin, hence the pitch is curated to be seam friendly. They just can't deal with Bangladeshi spinners.

Honestly india played bad in 2021 and 2022 t20 cause they were tired after IPL. Majority of the Indian team take ipl seriously unlike the foreign players. Cummins plays like its a paid vacation.

Also india missed a few bowlers in t20 2022 wc.

I am not sure if Pakistan could have beaten a fully fit indua in 202q even.

 

[mominsaigol]

Exactly , it will be extremely insane to roll out spinning pitches when BD spinners are 2x better than ours , however our pacers are 2X better than BD ones so it's an expected and wise decision.

You have any idea how much of a coward decision this is?

India and it's fans were literally scrutinized left and right for their nonsense curation of every pitch in their favour in the world cup. Australia was their redemption.

However at the very least India is a world class team that Managed to prove other sides wrong this wc 2024 that they aren't just a home track bully.

Pakistan is curating pitches against Bangladesh?

It sends a crapola message that our team is extremly weak and doesn't even trust itself to bear Bangladesh in a natural way in their own home den. They need to go an extra mile to hold Bangladesh down

 

[kron]

Pakistan made a seaming deck knowing full well Bangladesh Seamers are pretty decent themselves

Why are Pakistan scared to make spin tracks?

Are you serious? Bangladesh spinners are really good on spin tracks. It can backfire. Seaming track or flat pitch is the way to go.

Or else babar can't stat pad his way to boost his stats.

 

[mominsaigol]

Honestly india played bad in 2021 and 2022 t20 cause they were tired after IPL. Majority of the Indian team take ipl seriously unlike the foreign players. Cummins plays like its a paid vacation.

Also india missed a few bowlers in t20 2022 wc.

I am not sure if Pakistan could have beaten a fully fit indua in 202q even.

My point was that consistency doesn't beat Value, it's why people like Travis head, Vvs laxman, Fakhar zaman(to a lesser extent) are valued more and actually get you tournament wins over consistent ones.

Yes if you are consistent and valuable like kohli and Dhoni then you're an atg.

Theirs a reason why rizwam, Babar, Misbah botch tournaments.

Let's take Misbah for example. His comfort zone is Accumulation, and he has won a few series and games for pakistan where that was the situation that was asked of him and he achieved it cause it's right up his ally, bit cricket is a game where your ideal situation does not come every game especially in tournaments.

You wanna know why Mohali, 2012 England game, 2013 ct west indies game happened?

It's because Even though the rr was 5.5 in Mohali, Misbah will play every game in the EXACT SAME FASHION, which is 2 of 10, then 7 of 20, then 16 of 30, then 22 of 40, then 30 of 55, then 40 of 65, then 50 of 74.

In a situation where you're asked to play according to the RR and don't have the luxury of an attacking batter batting at the other end, you are screwed and you will be blamed for the botch plain and simple.

It's also why rizwan was a failure at no 4 in t20, because legside Accumulation is his game, He doesn't know how to cone in and up and ante right of the get go.

It's also why he and chacha lost 2022 Asia cup final because 170 is beyond their caliber, They do not know how to play according to these standards so despite having wickets in hand, they left the team at a situation of 60 to chase of 24.

That's why Misbah is never considered even ampung top 25 batsmen for pakistan despite being the most consistent. Someone like Inzi or saeed Anwar or fakhar zaman may be inconsistent but when they are onsong, then it's game over for the opposition.

Whereas misbah and rizwan are always onsong but will only win you games IF THE PROPER CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THEIR COMFORT ZONE align for them. God forbid if they are asked to do anything else that's outside of their comfort zone like maybe for once play shots on the offside or actually play at a strike rate of the scoreboard and not your own 70 sr.

 

[mominsaigol]

Are you serious? Bangladesh spinners are really good on spin tracks. It can backfire. Seaming track or flat pitch is the way to go.

Or else babar can't stat pad his way to boost his stats.

To be fair to bobby, he isn't the one curating the pitch this time. It's Shan and the management staff he's working with.

Shan can't play spin, He can only play waist high deliveries which is why he's doing it.

But we blame Bobby because he in the past did it multiple times, the most notable being the Nepal game.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

I am pretty sure it will not a green mamba tomorrow but just slight support for pacers that's it.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

You have any idea how much of a coward decision this is?

India and it's fans were literally scrutinized left and right for their nonsense curation of every pitch in their favour in the world cup. Australia was their redemption.

However at the very least India is a world class team that Managed to prove other sides wrong this wc 2024 that they aren't just a home track bully.

Pakistan is curating pitches against Bangladesh?

It sends a crapola message that our team is extremly weak and doesn't even trust itself to bear Bangladesh in a natural way in their own home den. They need to go an extra mile to hold Bangladesh down

Every home team attempts to curates
pitches in their favour during bilaterals. Who else is gonna curate it

In World Cups the process is meant to be independent and not under the direct control of the hosts wishes.

 

[mominsaigol]

Every home team attempts to curates
pitches in their favour during bilaterals. Who else is gonna curate it

In World Cups the process is meant to be independent and not under the direct control of the hosts wishes.

Australia has never done so, neither have England nor SA,NZ or even WI

Theirs a difference between preparing a pitch and preparing it to suit your self because your players are cowards. Pakistan curated their own pitch in an Asia cup and curated that nonsense test game where Imam and Abdullah batting was a borefest

Australian pitches are naturally bouncy and no team has an issue especially England, It's just Pakistani players blame Australia because their crapola in playing in Australia by default.

Again, just because England plays best at their home den where it's naturally swinging and seaming is completly different from Babar and ramiz raja going to every pitch and saying

" You see that right their? That's grass, please cut it off, You see that right their? That's a crack, Please flatten and harden it, You see that right their? It's a bit soft and moist, Please turn it into a tennis ball hard mat".

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Australia has never done so, neither have England nor SA,NZ or even WI

Theirs a difference between preparing a pitch and preparing it to suit your self because your players are cowards. Pakistan curated their own pitch in an Asia cup and curated that nonsense test game where Imam and Abdullah batting was a borefest

Australian pitches are naturally bouncy and no team has an issue especially England, It's just Pakistani players blame Australia because their crapola in playing in Australia by default.

Again, just because England plays best at their home den where it's naturally swinging and seaming is completly different from Babar and ramiz raja going to every pitch and saying

" You see that right their? That's grass, please cut it off, You see that right their? That's a crack, Please flatten and harden it, You see that right their? It's a bit soft and moist, Please turn it into a tennis ball hard mat".

Ben Stokes requests 'fast, flat wickets' for the Ashes

England captain encouraged by improvement in left knee as he looks to reprise fourth-seamer role this summer

www.espncricinfo.com

 

[mominsaigol]

Ben Stokes requests 'fast, flat wickets' for the Ashes

England captain encouraged by improvement in left knee as he looks to reprise fourth-seamer role this summer

www.espncricinfo.com

But he doesn't have any control over it? He's requested it.

Babar and ramiz raja were peas in a pod. But khair, You made your point so ig it's fair.

Doesn't make it right though. Nor does it detract from the fact that Bangladesh is not Australia.

 

[asifp]

SSA should not be in the team. Let him get fully fit. Play Mir or Abrar

 

[RidiculousMan]

According to you, Pakistan's best batsmem(babar as you proclaim) can't play spin and averages lower then any opener in a t20 world cup and averages 23 in test for the past years overseas due to spin being a factor.

^^ So the best batter of Pakistan can't play spin despite every team having atleast 2 to 3 spinners in their ranks?

So you are basically strengthening my argument with another point? Well. I welcome that. Thank you.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

Dizzy has said from the get go that he was looking at going in with a pace attack as he sees it as a strength and feasible strategy.

The criticism is unwarranted when he hasn't coached a game yet.

It should be viewed as a positive aggressive step rather than a negative one.

The bangla spin attack is a good one but not one where the batters would be overly fussed.

I personally would of liked to see Abrar given game time as he has good variety but I am willing to see Dizzy implement his strategy in certain match conditions as he sees fit.

 

[mominsaigol]

So you are basically strengthening my argument with another point? Well. I welcome that. Thank you.

Yeah? That's the point? To strengthen your arguments and prove the hypocrisy?

Why would I try to weaken an argument about Babar being a fraud?

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Such a great series between highly competent sides to show that Test cricket is in great health.

The connoisseurs wait with bated breath.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Dizzy has said from the get go that he was looking at going in with a pace attack as he sees it as a strength and feasible strategy.

The criticism is unwarranted when he hasn't coached a game yet.

It should be viewed as a positive aggressive step rather than a negative one.

The bangla spin attack is a good one but not one where the batters would be overly fussed.

I personally would of liked to see Abrar given game time as he has good variety but I am willing to see Dizzy implement his strategy in certain match conditions as he sees fit.

Overall I'm not a fan of this strategy for the long term.

We should be looking at either 2 pacers 2 spinners in Pakistan or 3 pacers 1 spinner and 1 AR ( Agha or Jamaal) depending on conditions.

But I like the fact Dizzy at least has a plan and has been given the tools to see the plan through.

 

[shamaan]

Four seamers is crazy such a big tail aswell

It's not like

Because besides Fakhar(when he's settled for 10 overs), Saud and Agha, No one else has the technique to play spin in our test odi and t20 team.

Babar's backfoot is horrificly weak which is why stump outs + Lbw + knick to slips are very common with him.

Rizwan lol

Shan has the sane issue, tries to play everything as if he's playing tennis, He can only play medium pacers or waist high deliveries because his technique is so awkward for anything that dips low.

Abdullah shafiq is fine but he gets caught napping alot and hence the lbw, not a technique problem but defo an experience and attention problem.

Saim( Idk, I haven't seen him tackle spin much cause he gets out too quickly before the spinners even come on)

If we're talking odi and T20 then shadab is a tail ender who bottom hand slogs everything so no point and chacha has the reactions and reading skills of a 90 year old.

Hurraira is a

Because besides Fakhar(when he's settled for 10 overs), Saud and Agha, No one else has the technique to play spin in our test odi and t20 team.

Babar's backfoot is horrificly weak which is why stump outs + Lbw + knick to slips are very common with him.

Rizwan lol

Shan has the sane issue, tries to play everything as if he's playing tennis, He can only play medium pacers or waist high deliveries because his technique is so awkward for anything that dips low.

Abdullah shafiq is fine but he gets caught napping alot and hence the lbw, not a technique problem but defo an experience and attention problem.

Saim( Idk, I haven't seen him tackle spin much cause he gets out too quickly before the spinners even come on)

If we're talking odi and T20 then shadab is a tail ender who bottom hand slogs everything so no point and chacha has the reactions and reading skills of a 90 year old.

Hurraira is a good player of spin but he will open the batting.

 

[shamaan]

SSA should not be in the team. Let him get fully fit. Play Mir or Abrar

Mir can't bowl 6 bowls in the right area and you want to him in tests.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Bowlers that bowl the 150 k express pace bowl short 4 over spells as they are in the side as the enforcers to break partnerships and clear up the tail.

They don't need to bowl 20 overs in a day.

That is the role of the other bowlers.

I agree bowling express pace is a rare commodity however that is what we should be striving for to get to the next level.

Having 3 or 4 bowlers bowling 135 - 140k s makes it easy for batters to play due to sameness.

Variety is key to success.

That's a big 'if' because this only works when you are playing with five bowlers, one of which is a proper all-rounder. Otherwise it upsets the balance of your side as the other bowlers have to shoulder the load. On top of that, not every express pacer is Shoaib Akhtar or Shane Bond. Alot of the express pacers take a couple of overs to find their length and can be all over the place with their length, which is natural because high pace can be difficult to control.

At the end of the day, having that kind of a bowler in your side is simply not worth it unless they are a Shoaib Akhtar or Shane Bond, which very few are. Even Mark Wood is not a bowler I rate highly. I don't think he is that good even when he is fit. I would much rather take someone like Anrich Nortje instead, who is probably the best and only quality express pacer going around these days.

 

[Human786]

FYI

Cricinfo review says grass on a slab - expect high scores ! Your take ? Me disappointed with PCB going in with 4 bowling options in a rain disrupted game in a Home Test !!! c @Rana @Mamoon @DeadlyVenom

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Yep. If he could develop well we can also play Abrar on all tracks and drop Salman for Jamal on seaming pitches

In SENA, a player like Aamer Jamal balances your entire side perfectly. I genuinely believe that the lack of a quality seam-bowling all-rounder has been Pakistan's biggest drawback in SENA in recent years. We could have won a number of test matches in those countries if we had a player like that in our side. Faheem Ashraf did well for a short period of time but then his form faded and they got rid of him.

 

[Human786]

In SENA, a player like Aamer Jamal balances your entire side perfectly. I genuinely believe that the lack of a quality seam-bowling all-rounder has been Pakistan's biggest drawback in SENA in recent years. We could have won a number of test matches in those countries if we had a player like that in our side. Faheem Ashraf did well for a short period of time but then his form faded and they got rid of him.

all good Test 11's must have a decent 5th bowling option .... rain curtailed HOME Test that too against mighty BD & what is the PAK 11 - any 5th bowling option ?

 

[RidiculousMan]

In SENA, a player like Aamer Jamal balances your entire side perfectly. I genuinely believe that the lack of a quality seam-bowling all-rounder has been Pakistan's biggest drawback in SENA in recent years. We could have won a number of test matches in those countries if we had a player like that in our side. Faheem Ashraf did well for a short period of time but then his form faded and they got rid of him.

We really saw his impact in the Sydney Test. If the team had held their chances or the batters played to their potential. We would've won that game.

 

[Human786]

decode this 4 moi please : "We are prepared for whatever challenge Pakistan throws at us. The Pindi pitch appears favorable for both fast bowling and batting."Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha

 

[Ahmed216]

You have any idea how much of a coward decision this is?


Pakistan is curating pitches against Bangladesh?

It sends a crapola message that our team is extremly weak and doesn't even trust itself to bear Bangladesh in a natural way in their own home den. They need to go an extra mile to hold Bangladesh down

Agree 100 percent

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Cricinfo review says grass on a slab - expect high scores ! Your take ? Me disappointed with PCB going in with 4 bowling options in a rain disrupted game in a Home Test !!! c @Rana @Mamoon @DeadlyVenom

Not disappointed personally. It will be a treat to watch if they are firing. I just don't believe its a good long term strategy.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Bangladesh captain hopes Shakib shines despite political setback
Rawalpindi (Pakistan) (AFP) – Bangladesh's cricket captain on Tuesday was confident that ace allrounder Shakib Al Hasan will compete at his best in a Test against Pakistan this week, after protests over the former lawmaker's inclusion.

Shakib, 37, was a member of the now dissolved Bangladesh parliament led by ex-premier Sheikh Hasina, who was forced to flee the country at the start of the month following mass protests.

The interim government last week gave permission for Shakib, who has not commented on the political crisis, to feature in the two Tests against Pakistan, the first of which starts Wednesday.

"He has played this game for so, long so he knows his role and how to prepare himself. I am not thinking about his political career," Bangladesh skipper and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said at a press conference.

Asked if the political setback would affect Shakib's performance, Shanto said: "I don't think so because he is a professional cricketer, we all treat him as a cricketer, to be honest."

"I hope he will do something special in this series," he added.

Shakib is Bangladesh's key allrounder with 4,505 runs in 67 Tests and as a spinner got 237 wickets -- the most of any Bangladesh bowler in Test cricket.

Bangladeshis in Dhaka protested over Shakib's continued inclusion in the team, with former Bangladesh Cricket Board member Rafiqul Islam criticising him for staying silent as protesters died in clashes with security forces.

Shakib joined the squad in Pakistan last week, after featuring in the Global T20 League in Canada, where Bangladeshis also chanted slogans against him.

The unrest in Dhaka stopped the team from assembling for practice sessions.

The tourists got some reprieve after the Pakistan Cricket Board invited them to arrive four days early to make up for their lack of preparations.

Still, Shanto hoped that Bangladesh could overturn a dismal Test record against Pakistan, having lost 12 of the last 13 Tests, with just one draw.

"We have a balanced side and I hope we play some good cricket," said Shanto. "I think the record can be changed, it's not easy but we believe that we can do some special things."

The Rawalpindi Test is under threat from bad weather, with rain predicted on all five days.

Source: France 24

 

[Human786]

Not disappointed personally. It will be a treat to watch if they are firing. I just don't believe its a good long term strategy.

biradar , curtailed game , why just 4 bowling options ?

 

[Justcrazy]

Pakistan has done right thing , BD are poor against pace , this gives Pakistan the best chance to win.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

all good Test 11's must have a decent 5th bowling option .... rain curtailed HOME Test that too against mighty BD & what is the PAK 11 - any 5th bowling option ?

You can get away with this at home, and Agha is a more than handy fifth bowler. But in SENA its very difficult to this. If your strike bowlers don't take wickets then you're cooked because with each spell they become more tired and less effective. And the lack of a fifth bowler means they have no breathing space at all.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

biradar , curtailed game , why just 4 bowling options ?

Salman Agha can bowl too

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

Overall I'm not a fan of this strategy for the long term.

We should be looking at either 2 pacers 2 spinners in Pakistan or 3 pacers 1 spinner and 1 AR ( Agha or Jamaal) depending on conditions.

But I like the fact Dizzy at least has a plan and has been given the tools to see the plan through.

I would say Dizzy wants to check out the Fast bowling resources first hand against BD with future planning in mind.

Having played with warne he knows first hand the value a spinner can bring.

If Jamal was fit he would of batted at 8 and strengthened the lower order in place of Khurram.

I do feel he will favour a four man pace attack more than playing a spinner with overseas series in mind especially in SENA conditions but venues like the Oval and Sydney a spinner will play most likely Abrar.

Venues like BD, SL and Windies are where he will play a spinner.

They are looking to develop Salman Ali and Saim as spinners who could bowl 15 overs or so in a day between them.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

Salman Agha can bowl too

Saim as well.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

That's a big 'if' because this only works when you are playing with five bowlers, one of which is a proper all-rounder. Otherwise it upsets the balance of your side as the other bowlers have to shoulder the load. On top of that, not every express pacer is Shoaib Akhtar or Shane Bond. Alot of the express pacers take a couple of overs to find their length and can be all over the place with their length, which is natural because high pace can be difficult to control.

At the end of the day, having that kind of a bowler in your side is simply not worth it unless they are a Shoaib Akhtar or Shane Bond, which very few are. Even Mark Wood is not a bowler I rate highly. I don't think he is that good even when he is fit. I would much rather take someone like Anrich Nortje instead, who is probably the best and only quality express pacer going around these days.

No doubt there aren't any Shoaib Akhtar s about.

He was a generational talent.

but we have the likes of Husnain and Ihsanullah when fit in our ranks to bowl rapid pace in short spells to offer a different test to the batters.

Tests allow a captain and bowler leeway with the field settings so I wouldn't be to fussed with a few boundaries its wickets that will win games.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

No doubt there aren't any Shoaib Akhtar s about.

He was a generational talent.

but we have the likes of Husnain and Ihsanullah when fit in our ranks to bowl rapid pace in short spells to offer a different test to the batters.

Tests allow a captain and bowler leeway with the field settings so I wouldn't be to fussed with a few boundaries its wickets that will win games.

Hasnain is garbage. He's a worse version of Mohammad Sami. He has zero control and has not really been able to establish himself in any format despite being on the scene for 6 years now. Ihsanullah is another bowler who seems too injury-prone, which is not entirely unexpected considering his height and rapid pace. He is not going to play many matches for Pakistan in any format regardless of how good or bad he is.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

Hasnain is garbage. He's a worse version of Mohammad Sami. He has zero control and has not really been able to establish himself in any format despite being on the scene for 6 years now. Ihsanullah is another bowler who seems too injury-prone, which is not entirely unexpected considering his height and rapid pace. He is not going to play many matches for Pakistan in any format regardless of how good or bad he is.

Certain bowlers like Hasnain need a good captain to guide them and get the best out of them while others like Muhammad Amir don't.

Sami was an apt example you mentioned.

Used poorly.

Its a skill of a captain to get the best out of his bowlers and know when to use them which in this era stokes and cummings are very good at.

Dizzy will enjoy working with both Hasnain and Ihsanullah and both can be very good under his and Shan s leadership.

I hope it will work out in the future when both are fit and available for selection.

 

[Rana]

all good Test 11's must have a decent 5th bowling option .... rain curtailed HOME Test that too against mighty BD & what is the PAK 11 - any 5th bowling option ?

You can always have 4 seamers if you have the guts to build a pace bowling all rounder at number 6.

Pakistan don’t want to do this, they are too scared to develop a pace bowling all rounder. Jamal should be a shoe in a 6 and Rizwan should bat at 7. Then 3 seamers+ one genuine seamer.

Pakistan don’t have the guts to build a team with balance. Has been the case for a long time

 

[mominsaigol]

You can always have 4 seamers if you have the guts to build a pace bowling all rounder at number 6.

Pakistan don’t want to do this, they are too scared to develop a pace bowling all rounder. Jamal should be a shoe in a 6 and Rizwan should bat at 7. Then 3 seamers+ one genuine seamer.

Pakistan don’t have the guts to build a team with balance. Has been the case for a long time

How is rizzu even batting ahead of agha in test? Makes zilch sense.