Pakistan's Realistic Chances of Qualifying for the WTC Final

[UzmanBeast]

This first test against the West Indies has probably been an eye-opener, leaving us with a lot more questions than answers.

We aren't looking at the same Yasir Shah who ravaged South Africa just a few series ago, he has looked badly off-color. Yasir was perhaps our biggest chance of qualifying given that he is usually world-class on spinning conditions. It's either because he hasn't had enough game time, or these are the signs of more regression to come in the future, perhaps due to how over-bowled he was under Misbah. The biggest difference between Nauman and Yasir is that Nauman usually looks like he's setting up a batsman, and can keep pressure on batsmen to take wickets. Modern-day standards have changed because the role of a spinner overseas is to contain runs and chip in with wickets, neither of which Yasir is doing on current form.

Our openers are another major issue because they are too mediocre to survive against quality international bowlers. Neither is good in swinging conditions because both lack good techniques. They have filled up their pockets scoring runs on flat QEA pitches in the past, but they show no sign of improving their techniques, or even looking like they are going to try something different. It's not a question of if, but when we finally decide to replace them. Now is the right time to look for an alternative opening combination.

Up next is the issue regarding Azhar Ali's role in the team. After that hundred against England, he has again started falling over and exposed flaws in his batting technique which limit his ability to even open the innings in test cricket outside Asia. If he can rectify his head position and foot movement, he will be in the runs again, but his technique is too faulty for us to think of him as a reliable performer. The question is whether or not Babar Azam has the guts to either promote him up the order and bring in a better middle-order batsman or drop him together.

Babar Azam himself is short of runs, but given his class in the other formats, I'm sure he will be able to conjure up larger scores of more substance soon. The same goes for Fawad Alam, who has justified his selection through rigorous performances in domestic and his gritty knocks so far in his test career. Rizwan is also a gritty performer who scores runs when the team needs it, so I am not worried about these players.

A bigger question mark lies in whether or not Faheem Ashraf is good enough to bat higher up the order. His batting has looked promising, but I am not sure if it's due to a good patch or if he has a solid technique. His bowling produces wickets occasionally when he looks on song, but he is not good enough to be a frontline bowler, so our expectations of him should be lessened in that regard.

Our new ball bowlers are quite good with Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, and Mohammad Abbas. It's the old ball bowling that causes us problems, with no bowlers who can really take advantage of the old ball through tight lines and strategic plans. It might be worth considering Naseem Shah and Shahnawaz Dahani as two guys for the old ball especially. Those two could be given specific roles to go with the short-ball ploy or just roughing batsmen up a bit to test their techniques and temperament. You will need a bowler who specializes in that.

Pakistan's best playing XI can be disputed, but I think we need to be open to a lot of different options.

My personal choices would be:

Abdullah Shafique
Azhar Ali
Fawad Alam
Babar Azam (c)
Saud Shakeel
Faheem Ashraf
Mohammad Rizwan
Nauman Ali
Hasan Ali
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Mohammad Abbas

Fawad has to bat at 3 to give Saud a proper opportunity, whereas I think Faheem ought to bat a bit higher to see what he can produce. Rizwan is excellent with rallying the tail, so I think that should be a good reason to keep him there.

But realistically, I don't think Pakistan has a very high chance to qualify. If I had to give a percentage, I'd say maybe 25-30% if we have a better first XI selected.

Interested to hear the thoughts of others.

 

[shaz619]

Pakistan could be dark horses but their fielding is a bloody shambles and so entertaining at the same time it’s like watching a 6th XI on a Sunday

Their batting does lack but it’s an area which I don’t see improving drastically, but fielding is something which can be improved I reckon a little easier because these blokes seem to drop sitters constantly and have next to no technique at all, the new opening bloke is struggling with the bat but he is a must in the slip cordon with so many butter fingers around

 

[Cric1234]

The current team is minnow level getting thrashed in SENA and only capable of winning in home conditions 7 or 8 in the rankings is about right for this team.

 

[shariqnoor]

Pakistan was never a realistic team to get to the final. Bowling wins you matches in Tests and Pakistan's bowling is terrible. This bubble will also burst that Pakistan will easily defeat the likes of NZ, Aus, Eng in Pakistan. It'll be a series loss against all 3.

 

[ssuhaide]

People who thought Pakistan would have a chance are living in cloud cuckoo land. Pakistan will not win any test match away from home barring Zimbabwe.

 

[Aman]

No offense, it would take a miracle for Pakistan to qualify for the WTC Final or a extremely favorable schedule

This is Test cricket, there is little luck and flukes which can get a midtable/weakish team to the Final of the WTC. Pakistan atm just aren't a very good Test side, they're in the same bracket as SL and WI atm.

Two of the top teams will be playing in the Final.

 

[Cricketrenew]

1. Batting is ok with Babar and Rizwan but lacks another solid player and no one seems to score 100s.
2. Bowling is ok but lacks quality spinner.
3. fielding, when it matters always crumbles.
4. Captain is ok, needs to have confidence and think more inventively.
5. Coaches taking team no where even if they had won today....

This team shouldnt even worry bout the WTC as it is virtually meaningless.... One six day match to decide the champions....

Pakistan need to win series after series esp in Aus. NZ and ENG.

Currently in a head to head they can beat Zim and maybe Windies...... Sri Lanka..... poor team overall.

 

[mazkhan]

With likes of imran butt and abid ali opening the batting we deserve chitrol from the likes of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

We are already handicapped with these 2 passengers in team it's like playing with 9 men

 

[Ashmal]

Pakistan atm don't have the team to play WTC finals

 

[Shoaibbtt]

This is why if you don’t have solid openers we are gonna get slaps all the time. Sick of winning hearts, I wanna win games.

I disagree with the line up following is the line up for me:

1. Abdullah Shafique
2. Azhar Ali
3. Saud Shakeel
4. Babar Azam (c)
5. Fawad Alam
6. Muhammad Rizwan
7. Faheem Ashraf
8. Numan Ali
9. Hassan Ali
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi
11. Shanawaz Dhani

 

[Justcrazy]

To qualify for future Test Championships PCB needs to change the management and start working with long term plans. Identify a bigger pool of players and develop players who are specialists in different formats. Then work on there skills.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

To qualify for future Test Championships PCB needs to change the management and start working with long term plans. Identify a bigger pool of players and develop players who are specialists in different formats. Then work on there skills.

Come on it can’t just be over for us qualifying after one game????

I think what’s constantly been asked is all the things Pak fans keep screaming about. Where are the A tours, where are the drop in pitches, where is the increased number of tests and where are those county stints????

 

[IAJ]

Just focus on competing with WI, SL etc. Forget even thinking about WTC final. That is for the big guys.

 

[MenInG]

 

[Babbar]

NZ reached WTC final and won as it has the world’s best fielding, among top two in bowling and a potent batting team that’s among top four. It’s led by inarguably the worlds best captain who’s in great form himself.

India reached final as its batting and bowling both are in world’s top two, much-improved fielding, probably the strongest coaching department, led by an aggressive captain with great win-loss record even if he’s not the best strategist, and, most importantly, easily the best reserve firepower that can beat Aus Full team in Gabba.

Now tell me, to reach next final, what does Pakistan bring to the table compared to the either team. Unpredictable Tag!!

 

[Napa]

No offense, it would take a miracle for Pakistan to qualify for the WTC Final or a extremely favorable schedule

This is Test cricket, there is little luck and flukes which can get a midtable/weakish team to the Final of the WTC. Pakistan atm just aren't a very good Test side, they're in the same bracket as SL and WI atm.

Two of the top teams will be playing in the Final.

Like your profile pic, congratulations on the WTC win

 

[Sunny_majoka]

if pakistan wouldn't reached the final this time with so much favouralble scheduling then thaey will never.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

It is utterly disgraceful that we lost to the West Indies. There is no sugar coating this, they are a bang average side at best and it really shows how far our cricket team has fallen.

Cricket in Pakistan is on rapid decline. I can't believe we are putting together lineups with Abid Ali and Imran Butt as openers and the backup opener has 1 FC game of experience!

Yasir Shah is finished, Azhar is finished, Abbas is poor and the Openers are duds. Our most consistent batsman, Fawad, will be 37 by the time that the WTC final comes which will be in swinging conditions. Are we realistically building a team for the final where 6 players won't be there?

We need to stop thinking about WTC final and start worrying about becoming last place in the rankings!

 

[sam_ahm]

I was at least happy to see that Pakistan fought till the very end.

Some of the issues are simple, fielding / catching has to improve, do whatever you can but invest in a good fielding coach.

Abid Ali can be replaced by Imam ul Haq, who is technically sound and a has got potential

Abbas is only a new ball bowler, it won't work out folks, what happened to Imran Khan? Or Shinwari? I'd even try out Hasnain or Mohammad Wasim for the kind of pace they bring in.

Yasir Shah has declined rapidly, invest in some other spinner, even Nouman Ali or Usman Qadir are OK.

Considering Pakistan's shambolic catching, I would say stick with Imran Butt for now. Give him some more time.

 

[Mamoon]

Pakistan was never a realistic team to get to the final. Bowling wins you matches in Tests and Pakistan's bowling is terrible. This bubble will also burst that Pakistan will easily defeat the likes of NZ, Aus, Eng in Pakistan. It'll be a series loss against all 3.

There is no way Pakistan beats all three (NZ, AUS, ENG) at home. Pakistani pitches offer considerable assistance to pacers and Yasir seems to be on his last legs.

The way we played against South Africa earlier this year was nothing exceptional, and if we produce the same level of performance against the aforementioned sides, we are not going to win.

Pakistan is at West Indies and Sri Lanka level in Test cricket.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

It is utterly disgraceful that we lost to the West Indies. There is no sugar coating this, they are a bang average side at best and it really shows how far our cricket team has fallen.

Cricket in Pakistan is on rapid decline. I can't believe we are putting together lineups with Abid Ali and Imran Butt as openers and the backup opener has 1 FC game of experience!

Yasir Shah is finished, Azhar is finished, Abbas is poor and the Openers are duds. Our most consistent batsman, Fawad, will be 37 by the time that the WTC final comes which will be in swinging conditions. Are we realistically building a team for the final where 6 players won't be there?

We need to stop thinking about WTC final and start worrying about becoming last place in the rankings!

Age is just a number, Ross Taylor is what 42/44??? He’s still playing test cricket. Having aged cricketers in our setup is ok, we just need competent openers.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Age is just a number, Ross Taylor is what 42/44??? He’s still playing test cricket. Having aged cricketers in our setup is ok, we just need competent openers.

Ross is 37 man...and a legit 37 not an aged fudged number.

He is also in a batting line up that is young and capable.

Contrast this with Fawad ( I am a fan btw), don't you think its disgraceful that our best bat is 35 years old ( allegedly) and he hasn't even played properly for 11 years.

Shows the complete and utter lack of talent in Pakistan.

 

[Ahmed216]

I have seriously lowered my expectations from this team over the last 6 months. Now a victory over Zimbabwe makes me happy. WTC what is that?

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Ross is 37 man...and a legit 37 not an aged fudged number.

He is also in a batting line up that is young and capable.

Contrast this with Fawad ( I am a fan btw), don't you think its disgraceful that our best bat is 35 years old ( allegedly) and he hasn't even played properly for 11 years.

Shows the complete and utter lack of talent in Pakistan.

Hey get in line if you wanna give the past selectors a talking to (keeping my language PG lol). Fact is Pak is disgraceful in not providing players with proper facilities like drop in pitches, like A tours and all the other sorts.

With that said despite the low score we put up, the catches should've been taken. They were dollies, but pressure got to Pak and it can happen to anyone just like when we beat WI when Gabriel went for an ugly swipe.

 

[UzmanBeast]

One would feel if Pakistan is unable to draw this series, it will show that we are a poor unit outside favorable conditions.

I maintain that our squad selection is poor, and that in conditions where the ball swings/seams, it was foolish of the management not to play two all-rounders in Nawaz and Faheem.

Nawaz is one of the better cricketers in Pakistan's domestic setup, and if he was picked, he should have been given an opportunity ahead of Yasir Shah. With an absence of right arm off-spinners, he would have provided a much more consistent bowling option alongside Nauman Ali. He is a capable batsman when there is no run-rate to be worried about judging by his FC batting average of almost 38. Keep in mind, Babar's FC average is 41.8.

If we don't select our best team, I don't think we can complain about our performances.

In a way, this series will test our management's guts. Will they drop Yasir and keep Nauman as the first choice spinner? Will Abid Ali and Imran Butt get dropped for more deserving candidates? What will happen to Azhar Ali if he isn't succeeding at 3? Is Mohammad Abbas a good choice after the new ball is gone?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

On the whole, Pakistan is a better test team than West Indies and Sri Lanka. Despite the result of the last match. But at their worst i.e. when they are having a collective meltdown, Pakistan can easily be beaten by a low-grade club cricket team.

Problem for Pakistan is that those collective meltdowns seems to be increasing with an alarming propensity.

And as certain posters have mentioned, it will take a miracle for Pakistan to reach the WTC final despite the highly favorable schedule they have been accorded. Drawing a series against West Indies is a shameful result for any top-level team. Pakistan will be lucky if they manage to that. On top of that, their fielding is consistently shambolic and they themselves are consistently inconsistent. Doesn't sound like a WTC finalist to me.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

On the whole, Pakistan is a better test team than West Indies and Sri Lanka. Despite the result of the last match. But at their worst i.e. when they are having a collective meltdown, Pakistan can easily be beaten by a low-grade club cricket team.

Problem for Pakistan is that those collective meltdowns seems to be increasing with an alarming propensity.

And as certain posters have mentioned, it will take a miracle for Pakistan to reach the WTC final despite the highly favorable schedule they have been accorded. Drawing a series against West Indies is a shameful result for any top-level team. Pakistan will be lucky if they manage to that. On top of that, their fielding is consistently shambolic and they themselves are consistently inconsistent. Doesn't sound like a WTC finalist to me.

It is embarassing to lose to WI for sure. But keep in mind this has happened before. While we won the series in 2017, in 2011 we were only able to draw the series. We however went on to have good form in tests after that, beating England 3-0 and SL 1-0. So while it's shameful, it does not mean that we will keep dropping tests.

If we can pick the right XI and get proper.openers, get Saud into the team, and that drunkard Misbah gets tactics/selections right we can still vompete.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

It is embarassing to lose to WI for sure. But keep in mind this has happened before. While we won the series in 2017, in 2011 we were only able to draw the series. We however went on to have good form in tests after that, beating England 3-0 and SL 1-0. So while it's shameful, it does not mean that we will keep dropping tests.

If we can pick the right XI and get proper.openers, get Saud into the team, and that drunkard Misbah gets tactics/selections right we can still vompete.

If they keep fielding like this and having meltdowns like these, I assure you they will keep dropping tests in any and all conditions.

 

[Energy]

Need to keep test championships to the purists and most balanced top teams. Pakistan, if they play a final by fluke would be against the morale of this competition.

 

[UzmanBeast]

On the whole, Pakistan is a better test team than West Indies and Sri Lanka. Despite the result of the last match. But at their worst i.e. when they are having a collective meltdown, Pakistan can easily be beaten by a low-grade club cricket team.

Problem for Pakistan is that those collective meltdowns seems to be increasing with an alarming propensity.

And as certain posters have mentioned, it will take a miracle for Pakistan to reach the WTC final despite the highly favorable schedule they have been accorded. Drawing a series against West Indies is a shameful result for any top-level team. Pakistan will be lucky if they manage to that. On top of that, their fielding is consistently shambolic and they themselves are consistently inconsistent. Doesn't sound like a WTC finalist to me.

I agree. I would say mentality and selection are the biggest problems. I will give credit to our bowlers except for Yasir who took the match that deep, it was a valiant effort. But we don't need valiant efforts to go in vain, and our fielding let us down, as it has done on so many other occasions.

To move our cricket further, we need to be certain that our fielding standards are at a high place. I think selection should also depend on fielding ability, it should become a major criterion for selection. People like Abbas are useless on the field, and I understand that he bowls good spells but that is no excuse to dropping dollies and making fumbles on the pitch. I would rather have 1 or 2 mediocre players who are reliable fielders than 1 or 2 good players who are terrible fielders.

Our selection, as I highlighted, is not up to the mark. The management was quite incompetent to send Nawaz back without giving him a chance, and it certainly looked like there was a game in this series for him. I think Nawaz has the potential of becoming a good test all-rounder for us, especially if we can reshuffle the squad a bit.

Keep in mind that Nawaz averages higher in FC cricket than Faheem, so I think we could trust his batting in this format. His bowling is probably a more handy option than Yasir, and I don't see why he can't play as a bowling all-rounder.

Nauman is someone I really want on the team, but I don't think he will be a consistent run-getter with the bat. He's a good spinner though.

I feel as though Mohammad Abbas did well, but his penetration with the old ball has not been resolved yet. A lot of taller bowlers were successful (Seales, Shaheen, Holder) due to the uneven bounce they extracted, so I think there might just be a place for Dahani to fill in, though it seems premature to consider him.

 

[Shafi]

We can only qualify if the other teams are Zimbabwe, SL, WI and Bangladesh and if one of Bangladesh/WI series at home.

 

[mastimasti]

Let us look at this mathematically, if Pakistan win the second test, they leave the Windies with 50% of available points. If they win all series at home, that actually leaves them in a strong position...but still only good enough for a 3rd or 4th placed finish (depending on how the two other away series go).

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I agree. I would say mentality and selection are the biggest problems. I will give credit to our bowlers except for Yasir who took the match that deep, it was a valiant effort. But we don't need valiant efforts to go in vain, and our fielding let us down, as it has done on so many other occasions.

To move our cricket further, we need to be certain that our fielding standards are at a high place. I think selection should also depend on fielding ability, it should become a major criterion for selection. People like Abbas are useless on the field, and I understand that he bowls good spells but that is no excuse to dropping dollies and making fumbles on the pitch. I would rather have 1 or 2 mediocre players who are reliable fielders than 1 or 2 good players who are terrible fielders.

Our selection, as I highlighted, is not up to the mark. The management was quite incompetent to send Nawaz back without giving him a chance, and it certainly looked like there was a game in this series for him. I think Nawaz has the potential of becoming a good test all-rounder for us, especially if we can reshuffle the squad a bit.

Keep in mind that Nawaz averages higher in FC cricket than Faheem, so I think we could trust his batting in this format. His bowling is probably a more handy option than Yasir, and I don't see why he can't play as a bowling all-rounder.

Nauman is someone I really want on the team, but I don't think he will be a consistent run-getter with the bat. He's a good spinner though.

I feel as though Mohammad Abbas did well, but his penetration with the old ball has not been resolved yet. A lot of taller bowlers were successful (Seales, Shaheen, Holder) due to the uneven bounce they extracted, so I think there might just be a place for Dahani to fill in, though it seems premature to consider him.

In my opinion, Pakistan's fielding under Steve Rixon was arguably the best it has ever been since atleast I have been watching. It was the only time I saw a marked change in the quality and mentality of the fielders. And what was PCB's response to that? Not paying him on time, running him out and generally being unprofessional. Normally, a team may still be able to do well without a fielding coach. Heck, New Zealand don't even need one. But for a team like Pakistan, a fielding coach is just as important as the head-coach. The PCB does not seem to understand this.

And as for the other factors, I agree. There seems to be no cure for that defeatist mentality that they take on in pressure situations. The selections consistently come across as 'out of touch' and not in-tuned with the actual conditions of the match. And with Mohammad Wasim at the helm; rationality, logic and common sense have completely been thrown out the window.

As for Nawaz, I'm not sure if he would have made that big of an impact on this match considering the pitch didn't offer much to the spinners. Nawaz should be in the squad but it will be hard for him to displace Nauman for now, who is the only one he is a replacement of. Faheem should be an automatic pick in all conditions. Nauman is doing quite well for now although I don't see his career lasting long. And Yasir has earned enough goodwill to play long past his sell-date.

 

[UzmanBeast]

In my opinion, Pakistan's fielding under Steve Rixon was arguably the best it has ever been since atleast I have been watching. It was the only time I saw a marked change in the quality and mentality of the fielders. And what was PCB's response to that? Not paying him on time, running him out and generally being unprofessional. Normally, a team may still be able to do well without a fielding coach. Heck, New Zealand don't even need one. But for a team like Pakistan, a fielding coach is just as important as the head-coach. The PCB does not seem to understand this.

And as for the other factors, I agree. There seems to be no cure for that defeatist mentality that they take on in pressure situations. The selections consistently come across as 'out of touch' and not in-tuned with the actual conditions of the match. And with Mohammad Wasim at the helm; rationality, logic and common sense have completely been thrown out the window.

As for Nawaz, I'm not sure if he would have made that big of an impact on this match considering the pitch didn't offer much to the spinners. Nawaz should be in the squad but it will be hard for him to displace Nauman for now, who is the only one he is a replacement of. Faheem should be an automatic pick in all conditions. Nauman is doing quite well for now although I don't see his career lasting long. And Yasir has earned enough goodwill to play long past his sell-date.

I think we seriously need a good fielding coach. I still stand by my decision, where I would be willing to pick a more mediocre player who is a decent fielder as opposed to someone who is a better player but a terrible fielder. The added value is extremely beneficial for a team like Pakistan.

The reason I would like to see Nawaz in the team is that his bowling is quite ideal for test cricket outside of Asia. You don't need someone who is gonna rip through other teams, you need someone who can give you tidy overs and wickets if there is additional support through good field placements and good fielding as a whole. I think he will be able to consistently put the ball in good areas and avoid leaking runs. His batting will give us a bonus that Nauman can't give in the long run, which is why I seriously think we need to consider Nawaz. He flights the ball and can spin it when the conditions offer the turn, otherwise, he sticks to a good length and applies pressure. We have seen this type of bowling from him on numerous occasions, like the tour of South Africa where he was easily our best spinner, and he has proven that he has the skillset to be a successful player for the team in the future.

In a team setup where a lot of players are bog average, Nawaz is still a very good choice for us, and the current management is not keen on using him and exploiting his skillset to the best.

The next game is at Sabina Park, and I'd expect the pitch to be more or less the same, and a bit flatter if I were thinking from the West Indies point of view. Unfortunately, Nawaz is no longer with the squad, and so, the team missed a trick in the book by not keeping him there.

I think we are undermining Nawaz's batting potential when there is no run-rate. Faheem averages less than him in FC but look at what he has done with the bat.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I think we seriously need a good fielding coach. I still stand by my decision, where I would be willing to pick a more mediocre player who is a decent fielder as opposed to someone who is a better player but a terrible fielder. The added value is extremely beneficial for a team like Pakistan.

The reason I would like to see Nawaz in the team is that his bowling is quite ideal for test cricket outside of Asia. You don't need someone who is gonna rip through other teams, you need someone who can give you tidy overs and wickets if there is additional support through good field placements and good fielding as a whole. I think he will be able to consistently put the ball in good areas and avoid leaking runs. His batting will give us a bonus that Nauman can't give in the long run, which is why I seriously think we need to consider Nawaz. He flights the ball and can spin it when the conditions offer the turn, otherwise, he sticks to a good length and applies pressure. We have seen this type of bowling from him on numerous occasions, like the tour of South Africa where he was easily our best spinner, and he has proven that he has the skillset to be a successful player for the team in the future.

In a team setup where a lot of players are bog average, Nawaz is still a very good choice for us, and the current management is not keen on using him and exploiting his skillset to the best.

The next game is at Sabina Park, and I'd expect the pitch to be more or less the same, and a bit flatter if I were thinking from the West Indies point of view. Unfortunately, Nawaz is no longer with the squad, and so, the team missed a trick in the book by not keeping him there.

I think we are undermining Nawaz's batting potential when there is no run-rate. Faheem averages less than him in FC but look at what he has done with the bat.

I don't know if I agree with that. Playing with a batsman who consistently fails with bat or ball is a far bigger burden than playing with someone who is poor in the field.

You can hide a poor fielder on certain positions on the field which would significantly limit his chances of being in contact with the ball. But if you're playing with someone who consistently underachieves in their primary role ala Imran Butt than you are essentially playing with 10 players. And that to me is an utterly illogical thing to do.

As for Nawaz in tests, I'm not against it, and I think its an option worth exploring down the line. He has done very well in recent seasons of QeA Trophy as an all-rounder. And he certainly merits a place in the squad if not the playing eleven. But his batting ability will always be in question for me until he proves that he can infact bat on the international level. Because thus far he has looked nothing more than a No.9 tail-ender whenever he has come out to bat for Pakistan. Also, if there's any spinner who deserves to be a priority pick for now, its Nauman Ali.

 

[UzmanBeast]

I don't know if I agree with that. Playing with a batsman who consistently fails with bat or ball is a far bigger burden than playing with someone who is poor in the field.

You can hide a poor fielder on certain positions on the field which would significantly limit his chances of being in contact with the ball. But if you're playing with someone who consistently underachieves in their primary role ala Imran Butt than you are essentially playing with 10 players. And that to me is an utterly illogical thing to do.

As for Nawaz in tests, I'm not against it, and I think its an option worth exploring down the line. He has done very well in recent seasons of QeA Trophy as an all-rounder. And he certainly merits a place in the squad if not the playing eleven. But his batting ability will always be in question for me until he proves that he can infact bat on the international level. Because thus far he has looked nothing more than a No.9 tail-ender whenever he has come out to bat for Pakistan. Also, if there's any spinner who deserves to be a priority pick for now, its Nauman Ali.

Yes, I agree that Nauman Ali deserves the chance he is getting, but we should look to diversify our batting lineup if possible.

Nowadays, you're getting a lot of decent batting all-rounders in the domestic system. Allow me to name a few:

Danish Aziz
Salman Ali Agha
Shadab Khan (red ball)
Imad Wasim
Qasim Akram
Faheem Ashraf (red ball)
Mohammad Nawaz (red ball)
Saud Shakeel
Kamran Ghulam

Compared to a few years ago, it shows that players in the system are diversifying their skill set to get recognition and improve the likelihood of their selection. I actually find it quite amazing that our domestic cricketers are striving to improve their skillsets rather than ticking along and hoping to get noticed. The competition for getting selected has improved given how cheap a Pakistan debut has become, so anything that puts you ahead of someone else is worth looking into.

It's an improvement in the system we should be capitalizing on.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Yes, I agree that Nauman Ali deserves the chance he is getting, but we should look to diversify our batting lineup if possible.

Nowadays, you're getting a lot of decent batting all-rounders in the domestic system. Allow me to name a few:

Danish Aziz
Salman Ali Agha
Shadab Khan (red ball)
Imad Wasim
Qasim Akram
Faheem Ashraf (red ball)
Mohammad Nawaz (red ball)
Saud Shakeel
Kamran Ghulam

Compared to a few years ago, it shows that players in the system are diversifying their skill set to get recognition and improve the likelihood of their selection. I actually find it quite amazing that our domestic cricketers are striving to improve their skillsets rather than ticking along and hoping to get noticed. The competition for getting selected has improved given how cheap a Pakistan debut has become, so anything that puts you ahead of someone else is worth looking into.

It's an improvement in the system we should be capitalizing on.

No doubt, we should. Certainly things are much better than they were a decade or so ago. And a more competitive domestic system should (theoretically) improve things in the long-run.

What really troubles me though is the fact that many of these national team hopefuls do not look like guys who are in any way ready for international cricket. That isn't the case for countries like England, India, Australia where new guys can just come in, not miss a single beat and make the most of their opportunities.

When I look at Danish Aziz, Khushdil Shah, Husain Talat, Aamer Yamin. And many others, I see guys who dominate in domestic but look like deer caught in the headlights when they play international cricket. Its one of the primary reasons why Pakistan has no bench strength to speak of.

And while certainly there are reasons to be be confident about the future, there are many reasons to double-guess these domestic performers too.

 

[UzmanBeast]

No doubt, we should. Certainly things are much better than they were a decade or so ago. And a more competitive domestic system should (theoretically) improve things in the long-run.

What really troubles me though is the fact that many of these national team hopefuls do not look like guys who are in any way ready for international cricket. That isn't the case for countries like England, India, Australia where new guys can just come in, not miss a single beat and make the most of their opportunities.

When I look at Danish Aziz, Khushdil Shah, Husain Talat, Aamer Yamin. And many others, I see guys who dominate in domestic but look like deer caught in the headlights when they play international cricket. Its one of the primary reasons why Pakistan has no bench strength to speak of.

And while certainly there are reasons to be be confident about the future, there are many reasons to double-guess these domestic performers too.

In a recent interview, I believe Imad Wasim said that he's looking towards a return to FC Cricket to make the test team. What do you think of that? Should he be someone we consider if he performs?

My biggest concern is that his bowling is not good for test cricket. You need a proper turner of the ball, and his specialty in skidding the ball will only damage one side of the ball and reduce conventional swing. As a lower-order batsman, perhaps there could be a reason to include him, but his bowling is the biggest let down.

What you've said about most players in our domestic system is entirely correct, they aren't ready for international cricket. Part of the reason is that they don't get the luxury of good Pakistan A tours, which allows players to acclimatize to certain conditions and perform when they get the opportunity to play.

For countries touring Pakistan, we should offer them the opportunity to play against a domestic side for practice, which will help the touring team and also us by developing these young players.

Whoever the next Chairman of PCB is, I hope he understands the importance of Pakistan A tours.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

In a recent interview, I believe Imad Wasim said that he's looking towards a return to FC Cricket to make the test team. What do you think of that? Should he be someone we consider if he performs?

My biggest concern is that his bowling is not good for test cricket. You need a proper turner of the ball, and his specialty in skidding the ball will only damage one side of the ball and reduce conventional swing. As a lower-order batsman, perhaps there could be a reason to include him, but his bowling is the biggest let down.

What you've said about most players in our domestic system is entirely correct, they aren't ready for international cricket. Part of the reason is that they don't get the luxury of good Pakistan A tours, which allows players to acclimatize to certain conditions and perform when they get the opportunity to play.

For countries touring Pakistan, we should offer them the opportunity to play against a domestic side for practice, which will help the touring team and also us by developing these young players.

Whoever the next Chairman of PCB is, I hope he understands the importance of Pakistan A tours.

I'm probably the biggest fan of Imad Wasim here. I think he's easily the best all-rounder we have in limited-overs cricket and its an absolute travesty that he isn't playing ODIs. That said, I think I echo your views on him in test cricket, its hard to imagine. Not just because his style of bowling seems like it would struggle in that format (on paper atleast), but also because he has had a history of minor injury issues. But then again, crazier things have happened.

Oh for sure. I've been saying here for months---ever since India won their last series in Australia---that A tours are the best thing you can do for up and coming players. Because its the closest thing to international cricket, without actually being international cricket. But it seems our board just isn't ready to spend the money to organize these tours. They did organize one with the NZ tour but if was full of T20s and ODIs. It had only one 4 day match that was used to get the main team players some practice before the test series.

While alot of factors are important inregards to improving the overall cricket, I feel like consistent A team cricket is one of the most important aspects. A Presidents' XI having tour matches with visiting sides also can't hurt.

 

[UzmanBeast]

I'm probably the biggest fan of Imad Wasim here. I think he's easily the best all-rounder we have in limited-overs cricket and its an absolute travesty that he isn't playing ODIs. That said, I think I echo your views on him in test cricket, its hard to imagine. Not just because his style of bowling seems like it would struggle in that format (on paper atleast), but also because he has had a history of minor injury issues. But then again, crazier things have happened.

Oh for sure. I've been saying here for months---ever since India won their last series in Australia---that A tours are the best thing you can do for up and coming players. Because its the closest thing to international cricket, without actually being international cricket. But it seems our board just isn't ready to spend the money to organize these tours. They did organize one with the NZ tour but if was full of T20s and ODIs. It had only one 4 day match that was used to get the main team players some practice before the test series.

While alot of factors are important inregards to improving the overall cricket, I feel like consistent A team cricket is one of the most important aspects. A Presidents' XI having tour matches with visiting sides also can't hurt.

Hopefully someone can convey the importance of these tours to Ramiz Raja.

No oldies like Sohail Khan should be on these tours, a strict age bracket should be maintained.