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Pakistan's ODI team after Mohammad Hafeez's bowling suspension

babajee

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After the inevitable failure of Hafeez as a specialist batsman, who would you replace him with and what lineup would you choose?
 
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After the inevitable failure of Hafeez as a specialist batsman, who would you replace him with and what lineup would you choose?

Who is judging that he is a failure? Last time when he was banned, they were ready to take his in AUS/NZ as specialist bat - injury saved PAK, but straight after the WC he went to BD as No. 3, and scored 10-12 in 3 matches, which ended in embarrassing defeats - he was rested from ZIM series, Malik batted at 3 (& got a hundred on return) - they took him to SRL, slotted at 3 and dropped Babar to 5/6.
 
Lol he's gonna fail and still be on the team because "experience"
 
You have a good chance to form a team for 2019 WC.

Sahibzada
Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Sarfraz + *
Malik (6th bowler)
Shadab
Faheem
Hassan
Amir
Usman

Imam
Imad
Rumman
Junaid
 
Most probably bring in Haris Sohail for Hafeez straight swap at no4.
 
I doubt he will be gone

But for the immediate future this will be my middle order

3.babar
4. Sarfraz
5. Malik
6. Talat
 
You have a good chance to form a team for 2019 WC.

Sahibzada
Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Sarfraz + *
Malik (6th bowler)
Shadab
Faheem
Hassan
Amir
Usman

Imam
Imad
Rumman
Junaid

You haven't seen Talat - absolutely ideal player to replace MoHa in UK condition & the guy is lefti, bowls right arm seem-up.
 
Most probably bring in Haris Sohail for Hafeez straight swap at no4.

Won't happen - let's not go personal on this, if I am proven wrong; but Haris won't play at 4 in NZ - he'll fail fitness test & Ul Haq'll be forced to take an "experienced" No. 4.
 
You haven't seen Talat - absolutely ideal player to replace MoHa in UK condition & the guy is lefti, bowls right arm seem-up.

and the poor guy was anot allowed to play a game in QEA trophy under the national treasure and he is showing his worth in t20 but again playing at 5.Ps l is the only opportunity wherehe can show his talent.
 
My ideal Pakistan side to start the first match of 2019 WC

1. Fakhar
2. Babar (just to have left-right combo)
3. Amin
4. Haris
5. Sarfaraz
6. Malik
7. Shadab
8. Fahim
9. Hasan
10. Amir
11. Junaid/Raees/Shinwari


That is a killer side. The only major flaw I see it that it has too many lefties and even opposition's innocuous offies will become dangerous.
 
Whilst Haris is the best possible replacement, he needs a lot of work on his injury proneness.
 
Post Malik and Hafeez..mark my words Malik will be a huge burden against good sides away... It is a huge risk and the sooner the BCCP realises this the better

Fakhar
Imam/Sami
Babar
Saad Ali/Haris
Sarfaraz
Hussain Talat
Shadab
Hasan Mohsin/Imad (according to conditions)
Faheem Ashraf/Any other good pacer we unearth
Amir
Hasan Ali


This can be one of the best ever Pakistan ODI units

You have 6 bowlers(including Talat) and nearly everyone can bat
 
My ideal Pakistan side to start the first match of 2019 WC

1. Fakhar
2. Babar (just to have left-right combo)
3. Amin
4. Haris
5. Sarfaraz
6. Malik
7. Shadab
8. Fahim
9. Hasan
10. Amir
11. Junaid/Raees/Shinwari


That is a killer side. The only major flaw I see it that it has too many lefties and even opposition's innocuous offies will become dangerous.

Amin at 3 you have got to be kidding me...

This guy has been such a huge failure and you want him to bat at 3 in place of our all time best number 3 Babar?

Amin does not merit a place in any Pakistan team....he is the wahab riaz of batting
He averages less than 40 in domestic and just because he is 'stylish' does not mean he merits a place in this Pakistan XI maybe in Misbah's XI he does..
 
Amin at 3 you have got to be kidding me...

This guy has been such a huge failure and you want him to bat at 3 in place of our all time best number 3 Babar?

Amin does not merit a place in any Pakistan team....he is the wahab riaz of batting
He averages less than 40 in domestic and just because he is 'stylish' does not mean he merits a place in this Pakistan XI maybe in Misbah's XI he does..

So I gather you haven't been following the National T20 cup? Yes it is a different format and Amin is in rich vein of form which he might carry over to ODIs. He would have been ideal choice to open but I didn't want two leftie... I even pointed that out in case you forgot to read it. Also Amin's record is based on 15 ODIs over 7 years. He opened in the last T20 against Lanka and looked really good.
 
You haven't seen Talat - absolutely ideal player to replace MoHa in UK condition & the guy is lefti, bowls right arm seem-up.

Do you think Talat should open? Otherwise I don’t see him making the team for now
 
[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] thoughts??

The legend is not going anywhere, but in an ideal world, I would push Babar one position up and bring in Haris at number 3.

Babar is breaking records at number 3 but I think he brings the innings to a halt on a high scoring pitch, and cannot hit big in the death overs. I would prefer him to anchor the innings as an opener, rotate the strike and bat 30-35 overs on a good day.

Haris is an ideal number 3 in all formats provided that he improves his fitness. Other candidates are Talat and Amin. Not interested in right-handed option.
 
Do you think Talat should open? Otherwise I don’t see him making the team for now

He can easily be slotted at 6 and that will force him to keep focus on bowling. If made opener, he'll find an excuse not to bowl.

Amin, Babar, Hari, *Sarfraz+, Malik, Talat, Shadab, Fahim, Amir, Hasan, a Pacer - is a good XI out side Asia.

In Asia, drop the 3rd pacer and play a genuine spinner on absolute bowling merit, may be R Hasan, who should bat at 9 in that case.

MoHa is not going to retire, so keep dreaming.
 
He can easily be slotted at 6 and that will force him to keep focus on bowling. If made opener, he'll find an excuse not to bowl.

Amin, Babar, Hari, *Sarfraz+, Malik, Talat, Shadab, Fahim, Amir, Hasan, a Pacer - is a good XI out side Asia.

In Asia, drop the 3rd pacer and play a genuine spinner on absolute bowling merit, may be R Hasan, who should bat at 9 in that case.

MoHa is not going to retire, so keep dreaming.


I would be happy with that XI.
 
So I gather you haven't been following the National T20 cup? Yes it is a different format and Amin is in rich vein of form which he might carry over to ODIs. He would have been ideal choice to open but I didn't want two leftie... I even pointed that out in case you forgot to read it. Also Amin's record is based on 15 ODIs over 7 years. He opened in the last T20 against Lanka and looked really good.

His domestic stats are not good too..plus he is well above 25 so no need
Better invest on Imam or Sami.
 
His domestic stats are not good too..plus he is well above 25 so no need
Better invest on Imam or Sami.

If you are going by domestic stats then Imam has pretty mediocre stats too. Amin is 28 years old not 38. Heck Fakhar is also of the same age. How about we drop him too?
 
I would be happy with that XI.

It's a tight call between Fakhar, Farhan, Talat or new kid (may be Saad), but FZ is struggling these days for his limited shot range and the lineup is top heavy, therefore it's important to find a No. 6 than No. 1-3. They can open with Amin-FZ, but that pushes Sarfraz to 6 (or Hari-Malik at 5, 6) which is counter productive. Lower order hitters are good now, and the batting depth in excellent - at one point, PAK's last 5 was Afridi, Wahab/Tannu/Gul, Ajmal, JK, Irfan; compared to that look at this XI with R Hasan at 9 in Asia!!!! This depth has to be factored in the RR - ideally on a standard ground/wicket this line up should target 60+ in PP and never allow RR to drop below 5 till 35 overs - be it at the cost of couple of extra wickets. That's say ideal is 180/3 after 35 overs and from there on, against 2 balls, it's possible to reach 330+. With that depth, I would like to be on 201/4 after 38 than 161/0.

But, that Misbah era batting KPI has to be kicked out - whoever is batting in top 3. Top 3 batsmen should be judged only after he has a SR of 80, preferably 85 in current context. Average of 50 at 75 SR is a curse these days - it's basically limiting the following batsmen's opportunity. Only player who should be allowed to hold on the innings at his own pace is Babar, because he is capable of averaging 60+, still has a SR of 85+.

And this XI gives every type of bowling options in playing XI. Only gap is that there is no back-up WK even in squad & Umar Akmal these days is batting like our Imrul Kayes. May be, one of Amin, Hari or Babar should start to practice a bit Keeping, otherwise this'll hurt at some point.
 
It's a tight call between Fakhar, Farhan, Talat or new kid (may be Saad), but FZ is struggling these days for his limited shot range and the lineup is top heavy, therefore it's important to find a No. 6 than No. 1-3. They can open with Amin-FZ, but that pushes Sarfraz to 6 (or Hari-Malik at 5, 6) which is counter productive. Lower order hitters are good now, and the batting depth in excellent - at one point, PAK's last 5 was Afridi, Wahab/Tannu/Gul, Ajmal, JK, Irfan; compared to that look at this XI with R Hasan at 9 in Asia!!!! This depth has to be factored in the RR - ideally on a standard ground/wicket this line up should target 60+ in PP and never allow RR to drop below 5 till 35 overs - be it at the cost of couple of extra wickets. That's say ideal is 180/3 after 35 overs and from there on, against 2 balls, it's possible to reach 330+. With that depth, I would like to be on 201/4 after 38 than 161/0.

But, that Misbah era batting KPI has to be kicked out - whoever is batting in top 3. Top 3 batsmen should be judged only after he has a SR of 80, preferably 85 in current context. Average of 50 at 75 SR is a curse these days - it's basically limiting the following batsmen's opportunity. Only player who should be allowed to hold on the innings at his own pace is Babar, because he is capable of averaging 60+, still has a SR of 85+.

And this XI gives every type of bowling options in playing XI. Only gap is that there is no back-up WK even in squad & Umar Akmal these days is batting like our Imrul Kayes. May be, one of Amin, Hari or Babar should start to practice a bit Keeping, otherwise this'll hurt at some point.

Fakhar deserves more time. Wouldn't drop him yet but if he keeps failing we can then look at other opitions who ar performing.

For back up WK, we don't seem to be developing anyone . It's an area I am worried about. Don't think it's a problem that can be sorted internally. Think we have to select someone from domestic as back up and let them train with national team. Don't want Babar or Amins batting to be affected by concentrating on keeping.

Umar Akmal has a chance to show his worth in PSL as WK.
 
It's quite simple really:

1) Imam ul Haq
2) Fakhar Zaman
3) Babar Azam
4) Haris Sohail
5) Shoaib Malik
6) Sarfaraz Ahmed (c) (wk)
7) Fahim Ashraf/Imad Wasim
8) Shadab Khan
9) Mohammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Junaid Khan

People are throwing a lot of different names in the hat but before bringing in a debutant or changing the batting order around, why not give Haris an extended run given that he's done very thus far and won't disturb out combination.
 
If you are going by domestic stats then Imam has pretty mediocre stats too. Amin is 28 years old not 38. Heck Fakhar is also of the same age. How about we drop him too?

Comparing Fakhar and Imam with Amin?

Well for starters both do not look stylish but atleast have 1 century to their name
Imam has played very few list A games so your comparison is idiotic.
 
Won't happen - let's not go personal on this, if I am proven wrong; but Haris won't play at 4 in NZ - he'll fail fitness test & Ul Haq'll be forced to take an "experienced" No. 4.

Haris has performed in the world cup in NZ/Aus, but yes maybe NZ tour will be used as a reason to kick Hafeez out, we might see Haris after that.
 
It's quite simple really:

1) Imam ul Haq
2) Fakhar Zaman
3) Babar Azam
4) Haris Sohail
5) Shoaib Malik
6) Sarfaraz Ahmed (c) (wk)
7) Fahim Ashraf/Imad Wasim
8) Shadab Khan
9) Mohammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Junaid Khan

People are throwing a lot of different names in the hat but before bringing in a debutant or changing the batting order around, why not give Haris an extended run given that he's done very thus far and won't disturb out combination.

Because as good as we have been the middle order combo is all wrong. Sarfraz at 6 will never work

He did extremely well at 4 and 5 and only moved down to accomodate the seniors. We have to correct that mistake. It’s tough on Haris but team before any individual
 
This would be my squad for the NZ tour

1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Sahibzada Farhan
3. Babar Azam
4. Sarfraz Ahmed (C) (WK)
5. Shoiab Malik
6. Hussain Talat
7. Faheem Ashraf
8. Shadab Khan
9. Mohammad Amir
10. Hasan Ali
11. Junaid Khan
 
Haris has performed in the world cup in NZ/Aus, but yes maybe NZ tour will be used as a reason to kick Hafeez out, we might see Haris after that.

May be, but only if he fails to reach 35 in 5 attempts, which is tough in these 300+ era ......... even our Imrul got a 48 in one of his 3 innings in SAF. If after 16 years, Ul Haq needs a complete series of failure to drop a 40 years old tail-ender batting at 4, then it's a bigger problem.

I am afraid, we might be heading back to the dark ages of lack of talent .............
 
Imam
Fakhar
Babar
Malik
Sarfraz*+
Imad
Faheem
Hasan
Shadab
Amir
Junaid
 
Most likely lineup for NZ.

1)Azhar Ali 2)Fakhar Zaman 3)Babar Azam 4)Mohammad Hafeez 5)Shoaib Malik 6)Sarfraz Ahmed 7)Imad Wasim 8)Shadab Khan, then Amir Junaid and Hasan.
 
Possible replacements:

Haris Sohail
Umar Amin
Hussain Talat

but not with immediate effect. Hafeez will continue as batsman until his failure.
 
[MENTION=143023]SarfiBabarHaris[/MENTION] bhai what do you think?

haha yar its obvious from my username :p Haris Sohail anyday at no 4.

Hafeez is a selfish player and a manipulator. I hope its the end of his career but knowing Pakistan cricket and this guy I wont be surprised if he plays as a 'specialist' batsman. Its very difficult to get rid of this guy. Even Mickey cant do much.
 
People are making mistakes by asking for a batsman to replace Hafeez.

We will miss his economical bowling, but our batting is still vulnerable. Haris is the obvious replacement. Malik becomes the sixth bowler.
 
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