Pakistan's decision to drop Yasir Shah for the 2nd Test and play four pacers - the right decision?

[Abdullah719]

Big call by the management today considering that Yasir has been crucial to us in pretty much all of our victories in the past couple of years. Pitch looks pretty green and the conditions are overcast. Right decision?

 

[Arham_PakFan]

In my opinion,Yes.

 

[Bewal Express]

A poor decision especially as all the pacers are pretty average.

 

[in_cutter]

Poor decision. The pitch will ease out.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Yes. Wrong decision to drop Rahat.

 

[kingusama92]

It's the price you pay for not having a quality fast bowling allrounder.

 

[Haroon786]

I'm unconvinced about this, it's not like the seamers coming in are exact match winners who can take 5fers regularly.

 

[Pete Rose]

I will have an opinion end of day two

 

[coy0607]

It may come back to burn them, but it was an aggressive decision, and I'll take that anyway from Pakistan

 

[in_cutter]

It may come back to burn them, but it was an aggressive decision, and I'll take that anyway from Pakistan

The only agression we are seeing is off Taylor's bat

 

[aloo paratha]

This is where an all rounder is so crucial, we could have played Shah and still ahd 4 proper pacers like New Zealand do.

 

[Justcrazy]

This is where an all rounder is so crucial, we could have played Shah and still ahd 4 proper pacers like New Zealand do.

Pakistan Tail is not reliable , and Pakistan do not have a quality all rounder.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

yasir shah dropped is acceptable, difficult for him to survive in green pitches... rahat dropped and trundling IK selected is a bad move though rahat took 4 wickets out of 12 in the last match

 

[R1ddlR]

poor decision, reactive change rather than proactive.

Spinners don't only take wickets, but hold down an end and create pressure, there is nothing to say the ball wont skid on - we are already seeing some uneven bounce and good carry.. would have definitely played yasir - he can hold the bat too!

 

[MMHS]

NO - never. Wicket had enough bounce & pace for a quality leggi - in fact I am not sure if batting 2nd is a good idea or not. My question is - would India dropped Kumble or PAK Mushi or AUS Macgill on such wickets (Not even bothering to bring Warne here) ? - answer is a big no.

On top of that for Imran & Wahab

 

[waleed88]

Big call by the management today considering that Yasir has been crucial to us in pretty much all of our victories in the past couple of years. Pitch looks pretty green and the conditions are overcast. Right decision?

Hindsight is a beautiful thing, before the game started everyone was in favor of that decision.. I thought green pitch, overcast conditions, Yasir getting pelted in the previous game..

If Yasir was getting beaten here we would be complaining about getting 4 pacers..

Right call by the management, it gets rid of the notion we have any world class bowler in our side..

Yasir is not a GREAT when it comes to green tops, it was proven during the WC 2015 on these tracks, and in the first test match

 

[PakLFC]

No point in playing Yasir if the management feels there is no spin in the wicket. He can't be guaranteed a place, selecting the right team is more important then any one player.

 

[Abdullah719]

Hindsight is a beautiful thing, before the game started everyone was in favor of that decision.. I thought green pitch, overcast conditions, Yasir getting pelted in the previous game..

If Yasir was getting beaten here we would be complaining about getting 4 pacers..

Right call by the management, it gets rid of the notion we have any world class bowler in our side..

Yasir is not a GREAT when it comes to green tops, it was proven during the WC 2015 on these tracks, and in the first test match

I don't think ODIs should be brought into the discussion.

I didn't mind it initially though but seeing the garbage we bowled to Taylor, I'm having second thoughts.

 

[Sanzcool]

If your spinner is world class, you don't drop him no matter what the situation is

 

[Major]

Misbah leaves for oneday and they end up making a fool out of themselves with the selection.


This is a one dimensional bowling attack. Arthur acts like a smarty one, how the hell did he approve this?

We all saw what hapenned in the world t20 game against india when a 1 dimensional bowling attack was played

 

[waleed88]

I don't think ODIs should be brought into the discussion.

I didn't mind it initially though but seeing the garbage we bowled to Taylor, I'm having second thoughts.

I was just comparing it to the time when Yasir was almost pushed as the solution by everyone, from Imran Khan to everyone else who thought Yasir will be a match winner like mushtaq ahmed was in 1992, Misbah went with 4 seamers on these wickets.. (NZ and Aus) and I remember in Auckland we defended 232 against SA in 50 overs..

 

[Sidilicious]

For Indian games, I have seen a few matches in the past where despite a very green pitch in the first innings, the spinners have ended up bagging a bucketload of wickets in the final test. So I am not sure whether this is the correct decision. Only time will tell.

Also, if 3 bowlers - Amir, Sohail and Wahab can't make use of the green pitch, would an extra pacer create a significant impact?

 

[waleed88]

For Indian games, I have seen a few matches in the past where despite a very green pitch in the first innings, the spinners have ended up bagging a bucketload of wickets in the final test. So I am not sure whether this is the correct decision. Only time will tell.

Also, if 3 bowlers - Amir, Sohail and Wahab can't make use of the green pitch, would an extra pacer create a significant impact?

In our previous game, Yasir was hardly used, and the 3 pacers worked in tandem to pick up 10 wickets..

Would it be wrong to get a 4th one when Yasir was barely used in the first game.. it was just overburdening our bowlers because Yasir was helpless

The situation can shift very quickly in rain hit games.. if you remember NZ were 100/3 with just 32 runs to get to remove the lead in the first game, Nichols and Raval looked in cruise control
and they were bundled out for 200..

 

[Sidilicious]

In our previous game, Yasir was hardly used, and the 3 pacers worked in tandem to pick up 10 wickets..

Would it be wrong to get a 4th one when Yasir was barely used in the first game.. it was just overburdening our bowlers because Yasir was helpless

The situation can shift very quickly in rain hit games.. if you remember NZ were 100/3 with just 32 runs to get to remove the lead in the first game, Nichols and Raval looked in cruise control
and they were bundled out for 200..

I agree that Yasir was not used in the previous test. But had Pakistan set a target of 220, Yasir would have come into play.

I would have rather covered all bases with Yasir than gone with a 4th bowler.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Yes, it is a good decision. Yasir should concentrate on the Australian tour rather than wasting himself on pitches not suitable for spinners.

 

[cric_fanatic]

Its fair wnough. Sometimes players have to be picked based on conditions and not reputation, especially bowlers. Reminds me of how Ashwin sat out a couple of games outside SC.

 

[Jan Sher]

Bad decision, and I am afraid it will backfire big time. You just can't drop your best bowler, especially when he is a leg spinner. He wasn't even tested in the first Test, yet the management prematurely judged him, hence dropped him. The management needs to understand he is not an off spinner who will not click. A leg spinner of his calibre can click on any surface, provided he gives more flight.

 

[Jan Sher]

I was just comparing it to the time when Yasir was almost pushed as the solution by everyone, from Imran Khan to everyone else who thought Yasir will be a match winner like mushtaq ahmed was in 1992, Misbah went with 4 seamers on these wickets.. (NZ and Aus) and I remember in Auckland we defended 232 against SA in 50 overs..

Come on man, there is a lot of difference between white ball game and the red one. Yasir is your best bowler, he is world class, you just can't drop him, as your fast bowlers aren't good enough to take 20 wickets easily.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Rahat is rubbish!

Took 4 wickets!

 

[Hamza_]

Rahat is rubbish!

So you should go out there and bowl. Rahat is fine bowler who is the best we have under these conditions along with Amir.

 

[Hamza_]

Took 4 wickets!

Hate for Rahat is cringeworthy, Some people want him dropped for Imran Khan who has been useless nor even Wahab will as effective as Rahat given conditions. So really pathetic decision

 

[Hamza_]

Rubbish bowler, check his career average!

Wahab averages around 33, Amir around same mark. Rahat around 36, It's not like there is daylight difference in stats. And Rahat is a better bowler simply much better than his stats suggest

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

Its fair wnough. Sometimes players have to be picked based on conditions and not reputation, especially bowlers. Reminds me of how Ashwin sat out a couple of games outside SC.

The difference is prior to the games he was dropped, Ashwin's wicket taking ability had nose dived and his form was nightmarish to begin with. Yasir on the other hand has had a say almost 90-95 percent of the time Pakistan have won both at neutral venues as well as when they played away in Eng and SL for that matter.

Plus he's a Leggie who is rated by Past ATGs and just broke a 100 something year old record. Needless to say I see this decision as a hasty one and this could in the end come back and burn us big time if the match stretches to Day 4 / Day 5.....

 

[ShoonyaSifar]

Very strange decision. You dont drop your match winner just like that. Wonder if Misbah not being there helped Arthur take such a drastic call.

Does not send any good message to rest of the players. If your premier bowler is not safe, no one is secure either. Definitely not good for the dressing room with uncertainty about places.

This is exactly how the cookie crumbled under Greg Chappel. Given the history of Mickey Arthur, don't be surprised to see a repeat.

 

[Jan Sher]

Wahab averages around 33, Amir around same mark. Rahat around 36, It's not like there is daylight difference in stats. And Rahat is a better bowler simply much better than his stats suggest

I don't prefer fantasies. The reality is, he has been average till now. Took 4 wickets in the first Test, so what? Came in a losing cause.

 

[waleed88]

I don't prefer fantasies. The reality is, he has been average till now. Took 4 wickets in the first Test, so what? Came in a losing cause.

Lets just ignore Shoaib Akhtar's greatest spell against Australia in Colombo since it also came in a losing cause

 

[Hasan123]

Yasir should have played and Rahat should have been stuck with

 

[MMHS]

PAK's bowling choices in 1st Test was spot on - there was absolutely no reason to change that. In both innings, bowlers got targets of 133 & 105 to defend. Any given time Rahat should be ahead of Imran, while Wahab is not a bowler for such surfaces.

If any player that chould have been dropped here from 1st Test, it was YK.

 

[Jan Sher]

Lets just ignore Shoaib Akhtar's greatest spell against Australia in Colombo since it also came in a losing cause

Now don't compare Akhtar to Rahat, in a way.

 

[waleed88]

Now don't compare Akhtar to Rahat, in a way.

Losing performance is a losing performance, don't shift goalposts now.. I have had these arguements about losing performances before.. and lets not mix words, but stats don't look at the stature of the bowler, a 4'fer is 4'fer regardless of what spin you want to put on it

 

[waleed88]

Come on man, there is a lot of difference between white ball game and the red one. Yasir is your best bowler, he is world class, you just can't drop him, as your fast bowlers aren't good enough to take 20 wickets easily.

Not really, if you look at the stats away from the UAE, I admit Yasir Shah on spinning tracks probably GOAT if he carries on like this..

His bowling in Lords won us the game, then 5 innings went by and no such performance came, infact he was a liability, he then redeemed himself in the final test match in the last innings, but in that game we led by some 200 runs..

After that NZ came along, so he was barely used in that game... 4 overs and 6 overs respectively..

So basically 7 innings since he started bowling in England he has failed to produce, while 3 innings he has made notable contributions..

His benching was on the cards.. and this benching of Shah can also be used as a litmus test for where our standards of pace bowling lie..

We will have a clearer idea of what our best bowling lineup is..

 

[Haroon786]

Might turn out to be a moot point with scheduled weather on the cards.

 

[Major]

Would like to change my vote now

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

Plus he's a Leggie who is rated by Past ATGs and just broke a 100 something year old record. Needless to say I see this decision as a hasty one and this could in the end come back and burn us big time if the match stretches to Day 4 / Day 5.....

I sincerely hope this is proven wrong !!!

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Ahem....

Terrible stuff