Pakistan's Test bowling resources - something to be concerned about?

[Saj]

3 debutants against England.

Haris Rauf now roped into Test cricket

Yasir Shah struggling

Mohammad Abbas not in favour

Not much strength in depth.

Looking at the QeA leading wicket-takers this season, there isn't much to write home about especially in the pace-bowling ranks.

Are our Test bowling resources something to be concerned about?

 

[sam_ahm]

Probably Yes, and Pakistan is one of those teams that is focussing too much on T20 cricket, it also reflects in the posts that we see on this forum.

It is a myth that all the teams are doing it. They are not.

 

[Majestic]

Experience plays an important role in Test cricket. Pakistani fast bowlers are lacking that.

 

[Champ_Pal]

Current Pakistani bowlers are wicket takers. They err in line and length a lot more than other teams in pursuit of wickets. Naseem Shah, Rauf bowl fast and on that dead pitch, it is easier for them to lose the plot. England took full advantage of it.
For Shaheen, it was a blessing in disguise to get injured. He would have been wasted playing on these pitches.

 

[Suleiman]

The gap between Pakistani domestic circuit and international standards continues to widen.

It’s hard to expect us to churn out consistently world class players. Bowlers and batsmen.

You’re not going to find U19 world beaters every U19 WC, who are ready to play internationals.

You’re not always going to find a tape bowler found out by pure kismat by t20 league franchise. Let alone expect him to run through line ups without proper FC experience.

Pakistan continues to rely on mercurial performances and pure miraculous finds- which we’ve been very VERY lucky to have for 60 years or so. But it’s just sheer luck.

As long as there’s no system in place to nurture grass roots level talent we will continue to have 1-2 world class players surrounded by mediocrity, regardless of format.

There’s no planning at the team level as shown by the t20 WC, nor at the administrative level of the PCB.

We are very lucky that we found a bunch of talent and that talent went through the proper rigors to be world class in county cricket in the 80s and 90s.

 

[charlie007]

You’ll get the answer to that after England bowl for an innings. If they are as toothless, even acknowledging that it’s not their first choice bowling attack, it’ll tell us if we’re overthinking Pakistan’s bowling effort on a pitch where England struggled too.

 

[ElRaja]

how are pak bowlers meant to get experience, 6 to 8 tests a year, no A tours, top players skipping domestic season, its not coincidental the best bowling attacks tend to play a decent amount of test cricket.

all pcb cares abt is revenue, t20s, leagues, test cricket has fallen way down the priorities, and it shows.

 

[Saj]

You’ll get the answer to that after England bowl for an innings. If they are as toothless, even acknowledging that it’s not their first choice bowling attack, it’ll tell us if we’re overthinking Pakistan’s bowling effort on a pitch where England struggled too.

Even putting the result of this match aside, the question is still valid surely.

 

[Mamoon]

Also add Naseem to the list. He has been an embarrassment in Test cricket.

England & New Zealand have smashed him like no tomorrow. It is funny how he keeps avoiding scrutiny & criticism because he is the golden boy these days.

He has a very good chance of breaking his own record of having the highest economy rate for a fast bowler in an innings (min. 25 overs bowled).

 

[TheSultan]

You can’t keep playing without some semblance of experience in the bowling line up. 3 bowlers debuting is plain wrong.

HAsan Ali, as annoying as he is, should have played. If you’re going to pick a trundler like Ali and not play Hasan Ali, then you might aswell pick abbas.

You can’t have 3 debutants + novice Naseem

 

[TheSultan]

The gap between Pakistani domestic circuit and international standards continues to widen.

It’s hard to expect us to churn out consistently world class players. Bowlers and batsmen.

You’re not going to find U19 world beaters every U19 WC, who are ready to play internationals.

You’re not always going to find a tape bowler found out by pure kismat by t20 league franchise. Let alone expect him to run through line ups without proper FC experience.

Pakistan continues to rely on mercurial performances and pure miraculous finds- which we’ve been very VERY lucky to have for 60 years or so. But it’s just sheer luck.

As long as there’s no system in place to nurture grass roots level talent we will continue to have 1-2 world class players surrounded by mediocrity, regardless of format.

There’s no planning at the team level as shown by the t20 WC, nor at the administrative level of the PCB.

We are very lucky that we found a bunch of talent and that talent went through the proper rigors to be world class in county cricket in the 80s and 90s.

It’s not just the gap, it’s then the additional challenge of being presented with the flattest tracks imagineable.

575 in one day should not happen in any case, but all of the above certainly does not help.

 

[Rana]

There was no reason to drop Hasan Ali for Muhammad Ali

It would make sense if they wanted to draft in a young 22 year old like Ihsanullah or Akif Javed but what is there to gain with this uncle? He can’t field and he is probably an mug with the bat too

 

[GLORY OF '92]

There was no reason to drop Hasan Ali for Muhammad Ali

It would make sense if they wanted to draft in a young 22 year old like Ihsanullah or Akif Javed but what is there to gain with this uncle? He can’t field and he is probably an mug with the bat too

Seriously one ball in you could tell he was awful. We are just brainless.

 

[Rana]

Seriously one ball in you could tell he was awful. We are just brainless.

After 22 fc games he has a batting average of 6

The guy is practically playing as a passenger

 

[Nikhil_cric]

There was no reason to drop Hasan Ali for Muhammad Ali

It would make sense if they wanted to draft in a young 22 year old like Ihsanullah or Akif Javed but what is there to gain with this uncle? He can’t field and he is probably an mug with the bat too

Akif Javed averaged 45 with the ball this season. Not sure if that selection is justified.

 

[RyanRyan10]

Akif Javed averaged 45 with the ball this season. Not sure if that selection is justified.

He has mentioned M Ali's batting average in his next post to prove that he was an undeserving selection

 

[Rana]

He has mentioned M Ali's batting average in his next post to prove that he was an undeserving selection

I’m just pointing out what exactly does he offer besides being a 30 year old trundler

I know his pace is decent for some Test nations but not exactly for Pakistan standards

 

[Savak]

You can't blame the bowlers if you are going to produce such a pitch and then throw them in against a Bazball England line up.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I’m just pointing out what exactly does he offer besides being a 30 year old trundler

I know his pace is decent for some Test nations but not exactly for Pakistan standards

His pace may not be decent for Pakistan's exalted standards but his performances in domestic show he's pretty much the best Pakistan have to offer

 

[Rana]

His pace may not be decent for Pakistan's exalted standards but his performances in domestic show he's pretty much the best Pakistan have to offer

So he will show his worth on proper bowling tracks when the time comes and if he is picked by then

 

[jnaveen1980]

Not sure why Pakistan is using kookaburra ball. Not like they do well in Australia. THey could start using Duke like West Indies.

 

[Savak]

Not sure why Pakistan is using kookaburra ball. Not like they do well in Australia. THey could start using Duke like West Indies.

The previous PCB administration decided to introduce Kookaburra because it is the ball used in ICC events and in Australia, South Africa. England uses its own ball the Dukes, India uses the SG ball

Pakistan previously was using their local balls but the argument used against our local balls was we started producing plenty of medium pace trundlers who would operate at 125-130 km/hr, were topping domestic charts but were exposed in international cricket big time when they had to play in the UAE and had to bowl with the kookaburra ball.

Pakistan were forced into using the Kookaburra ball for all their games in the UAE.

If Pakistan is able to play consistent cricket back home, then maybe we should revert back to our own balls?

 

[charlie007]

Even putting the result of this match aside, the question is still valid surely.

Agree with that - Pakistan does have an unproven attack - going with so many newbies is always fraught with risk, perhaps Hasan Ali could have been played. In the end, nothing succeeds like success. If these bowlers had taken wickets and England were 302/7 at the day's end everyone would be talking about how Pakistan took the courageous decision to put their trust in their future stars.

 

[Savak]

Agree with that - Pakistan does have an unproven attack - going with so many newbies is always fraught with risk, perhaps Hasan Ali could have been played. In the end, nothing succeeds like success. If these bowlers had taken wickets and England were 302/7 at the day's end everyone would be talking about how Pakistan took the courageous decision to put their trust in their future stars.

Hasan Ali was dropped for a reason i.e. poor form. If he wants to come back, he needs to take wickets in domestic cricket to stake a claim.

 

[hitthestump]

Agree with that - Pakistan does have an unproven attack - going with so many newbies is always fraught with risk, perhaps Hasan Ali could have been played. In the end, nothing succeeds like success. If these bowlers had taken wickets and England were 302/7 at the day's end everyone would be talking about how Pakistan took the courageous decision to put their trust in their future stars.

Hasan Ali has been struggling for years now. He has been murdered in international cricket and his QeA stats this year are unspectacular.

Nothing would have changed if he was selected. It's still better we are trying new people rather than a TTF who has done nothing to earn a recall to the national side.

 

[Farabi]

There was no reason to drop Hasan Ali for Muhammad Ali

It would make sense if they wanted to draft in a young 22 year old like Ihsanullah or Akif Javed but what is there to gain with this uncle? He can’t field and he is probably an mug with the bat too

But Muhammad Ali was picked because of his recent superior m FC performance vs Hassan Ali.
Same posters are saying Abrar should have played ahead of Zahid for the same reason.

 

[RyanRyan10]

I’m just pointing out what exactly does he offer besides being a 30 year old trundler

I know his pace is decent for some Test nations but not exactly for Pakistan standards

The best Pak bowler in tests over the last 5 years bowls slower than M Ali.

You want guys like Hasan or Akif. Both average in 40s in this FC season. Do you really believe they would have troubled England on such wicket at their current forms?

 

[Saj]

Dare I say - the cupboard is pretty bare.

That's why you have to draft in a T20 bowler who has only played a few 1st class matches.

 

[jnaveen1980]

The previous PCB administration decided to introduce Kookaburra because it is the ball used in ICC events and in Australia, South Africa. England uses its own ball the Dukes, India uses the SG ball

Pakistan previously was using their local balls but the argument used against our local balls was we started producing plenty of medium pace trundlers who would operate at 125-130 km/hr, were topping domestic charts but were exposed in international cricket big time when they had to play in the UAE and had to bowl with the kookaburra ball.

Pakistan were forced into using the Kookaburra ball for all their games in the UAE.

If Pakistan is able to play consistent cricket back home, then maybe we should revert back to our own balls?

Kookburra becomes soft much easily. Not suitable for these surfaces. Dukes ball official thinks Kookaburra should be banned referring to Pakistan/Australia test at Rawalpindi and pitch was rated below average by ICC

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...ustralia-pakistan-series-20220318-p5a5xu.html

 

[muqarrab]

Also add Naseem to the list. He has been an embarrassment in Test cricket.

England & New Zealand have smashed him like no tomorrow. It is funny how he keeps avoiding scrutiny & criticism because he is the golden boy these days.

He has a very good chance of breaking his own record of having the highest economy rate for a fast bowler in an innings (min. 25 overs bowled).

C'mon now....

 

[shamaan]

The whole selection of this test series is diabolical why is Nawaz not in the xi when you obviously know the pitches are dead and you need the extra bowling option.

Rauf isn't fit enough to bowl 15+ overs a day.
Zahid Mahmood is a spray gun.

 

[shamaan]

His pace may not be decent for Pakistan's exalted standards but his performances in domestic show he's pretty much the best Pakistan have to offer

The best all rounder in this Qaid E Azam wasn't selected also not sure how Nawaz doesn't get in this xi.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

The previous PCB administration decided to introduce Kookaburra because it is the ball used in ICC events and in Australia, South Africa. England uses its own ball the Dukes, India uses the SG ball

Pakistan previously was using their local balls but the argument used against our local balls was we started producing plenty of medium pace trundlers who would operate at 125-130 km/hr, were topping domestic charts but were exposed in international cricket big time when they had to play in the UAE and had to bowl with the kookaburra ball.

Pakistan were forced into using the Kookaburra ball for all their games in the UAE.

If Pakistan is able to play consistent cricket back home, then maybe we should revert back to our own balls?

Do Pakistan have the guts to do that ?

 

[PakLFC]

Shaheen is injured where as the great Hassan Ali is out of form. When they return w'll be walking on air

 

[mastermind_quad]

Also lack of good spinner is very visible. Seems Pakistan don't have good spin bowler in domestic as well as nobody talks about them.

 

[pratiktc]

The whole selection of this test series is diabolical why is Nawaz not in the xi when you obviously know the pitches are dead and you need the extra bowling option.

Rauf isn't fit enough to bowl 15+ overs a day.
Zahid Mahmood is a spray gun.

You should say spray water gun. Only ppl being threatened by Zahid were boundary riders

 

[Nikhil_cric]

The best all rounder in this Qaid E Azam wasn't selected also not sure how Nawaz doesn't get in this xi.

Not denying all that. Nawaz has played a lot of cricket recently across formats and mentally he's been under a lot of pressure lately. Also I may be wrong but PAK think tank probably believe they lost that test match in Lanka die to lack of batting depth and so they've gone batting heavy.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

When you make selections as bamboozling as Mahmood over Abrar, then the problems are systemic with deep-rooted nepotism its main obstacle

 

[Marooned]

All they needed was some help from the pitch which is very much achievable in Pindi.

The selections barring Z mahmood weren't an issue, this monsterisity in the name of cricket pitch is the issue.

 

[Bilal7]

I'm pretty split on Haris playing test cricket. On the one hand, he wants to play tests and he definitely has the skills to succeed in this format but on the other, he's a world class LO bowler and we desperately need him to remain fresh and keep his pace up for the next two world cups, at least.

Naseem is clearly not ready to lead a bowling attack. The guy is very young and it's unfair to place that burden on him. With Shaheen out, they should bring Hasan and Abbas back into the team but then again, both would have gotten slaughtered on this pitch. Any bowler would have.

Let's see how this series plays out before making any judgements.

 

[zubair16]

I thought we missed a trick not bringing in Mir Hamza tbh, especially with Shaheen out. Out of M Ali, Rauf and Naseem, 19 year old Naseem has the most FC experience. M Ali has done well in two QeAT's in a row but overall he's still a pretty inexperienced FC bowler. It would've made sense to debut him alongside the likes of Shaheen, Abbas and Hasan. Mir Hamza has more FC experience and wickets than all three of our fast bowlers in this game. He has the variation of being a left arm bowler so he would've made more sense than M.Ali or Rauf, especially if Hasan is out of form and Abbas is out of favour.

Zahid seems to be a token selection, a bit like Tabish Khan. He's done okay for few years and has been knocking on the door, but he's not a long term solution to be our replacement for Yasir/lead spinner. His FC numbers aren't event great, and for his age he's only played 56 FC games. At his age there's no way he should be playing over Yasir in this format, I think/hope they will give him this one test match and then look to play Abrar for the remaining tests. We've been trying to find our replacement for Yasir/lead spinner for a while. Sajid hasn't hit the mark and Zafar hasn't been given many chances, I hope Abrar is given an opportunity. Ideally we should be looking at Abrar and Zafar/Nawaz as our spin pair IMO

 

[Kianig89]

Test cricket is all about patience temperament and experience only those who have the skills succeed in this format and for that you have give players a longer rope bowling attacks in Test cricket are sown and then you reap after some time there is no overnight solution, good teams follow this path Ishant Sharma despite being rubbish in ODIs player around 100 tests for India because selectors persisted with him and ultimately he delivered, same with Jimmy Anderson mediocre in ODis but got Legendary status in Test cricket, Australia over the years polished player for Test cricket by backing them Hilfenhaus, Siddle, Clarke Pattinson

On the other hand Pakistan destroyed players by changing and chopping and then jumping back to step 1, the experience of Test cricket is irreplaceable, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Junaid Khan not one player played consistently because PCB took them all for granted then came Shaheen Abbas and Hassan Faheem again playing them in ill formats and not managing their workloads and all of them are out of sight and we are back to square one , handing debuts like a sale store

 

[Saj]

Who else could have played in this Test?

Mohammad Abbas? Mir Hamza?

Cupboard bare?

 

[Kianig89]

Who else could have played in this Test?

Mohammad Abbas? Mir Hamza?

Cupboard bare?

Hassan Ali Faheem Ashraf Shadab Khan

Three first choice players being sidelined by PCB

 

[Saj]

Hassan Ali Faheem Ashraf Shadab Khan

Three first choice players being sidelined by PCB

But then people have been talking about how much Hassan Ali has struggled of late and Faheem Ashraf had a horrendous County season and only an average QeA Trophy.

Also people aren't sure of Shadab's credentials as a Test cricketer?

 

[Zaz]

Hassan Ali Faheem Ashraf Shadab Khan

Three first choice players being sidelined by PCB

Hasan Ali has been rubbish for the last 2years for pakistan

Even in fc recently he was avg was skywards

Shadab doesnt play fc cricket

We should be rewarding successful fc cricketers not picking players based on t20 form or name alone

Id be interested in drafting in mir hamza Who seeks like a good fc bowler with some skill and control

 

[Zaz]

What they need to do is stop chopping and changing Like a poster said it doesnt help players confidence and growth

You pick a bunch of 5 pacers and give them a run for 2 years

Shaheen
Naseem
M Ali
Mir Hamza
?

No ones gonna perform in 1 or 2 games They need backing and consistent chances

Not this merry go round series to series year to year

 

[D/DAhmed]

The resources are there, the issue is 20% poor selection and 80% the rubbish standard of Pakistani pitches. A frontline attack of Shaheen, Naseem & Mohammad Ali (who’s been unfairly labelled as a trundler even though he’s touched early 140’s and generally bowled at the same speed that Shaheen does in tests) is good enough, with backups including Hasan Ali, Arshad Iqbal, Mohammad Umar, Sameen Gul.

Problem is that half these guys haven’t been tried, and Hasan Ali who generally has a good average in test cricket and did well in County Cricket got dropped just because of one poor season (that too on these awful pitches). Something needs to be done quickly to correct these, because even the likes of McGrath and Asif would average 35+ here

 

[corleone]

Lack of fast bowling options for Pakistan's Test side is a matter of concern

Take Shaheen out of the equation and the cupboard really does look bare.

We've tried one of our best domestic performers in recent years in Mohammed Ali and he couldn't buy a wicket. Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah aren't test quality bowlers- they're simply not able to bowl a consistent line or length. The jury is still out on Mohammed Wasim, who's decent with the old ball but no so much with the new. Hasan Ali is on his way out.

I'm scratching my head attempting to draw up any other options. Looking at the numbers from the most recent QEA tournament there really isn't anyone knocking on the door.

England have outbowled us on our own patch, and the edge given by their fast bowlers is the reason they're 2-0 up. The lack of planning/average captaincy may be a factor but our quick bowling just does not look threatening, and we will not win many games/series until something changes.

 

[Barragan]

Naseem Shah is definitely a Test bowler, but too injury prone.

Guys like Rauf and Hasnain need to be playing FC no matter what, otherwise they will never develop as Test bowlers.

Too many potential bowlers missing FC cricket.

 

[Extra_Cover]

I understand there is a lot of criticism of our bowling unit and rightly so but the problem does not lie in depth of the squad. The problem is management not nurturing talents correctly. Wrong people are being selected for wrong conditions. Its simple ensure your pool of players are different for Asian and SENA conditions. If I had a pick I would go for following.

Asian conditions
1. Shaheen Shah
2. Naseem Shah
3. Abrar Ahmed
4. Sajid Khan
5. Shadab Khan
_________
6. Nawaz
7. Mohammad Wasim
8. Hasan Ali

SENA conditions
1. Shaheen Shah
2. Naseem Shah
3. Mohammad Hasnain
4. Faheem Ashraf
5. Shadab Khan
___________
6. Nawaz
7. Israrullah
8. Mir Hamza

Its important we differentiate between conditions and pick horses for courses. Normally we select wrong player in wrong games and absolutely kill their confidence. I remember Sajid Khan winning us that game in Mirpur in dying light and taking 8 wickets in his second game. Later he faced Australia on absolutely awful track and then discarded when he could have been quite handful on turning tracks given he is an attacking spinner. Similarly Hasan Ali won the series against SAF last year but discarded based on T20 performances which is non-sensical. Then we have Haris Rauf playing test with no domestic experience. The more we take international cricket for a joke the bigger the joke we become. So plan is simple have the correct players playing in correct conditions.

 

[MenInG]

We also need good pitches for our bowlers to shine, all part of the equation

 

[Bewal Express]

A full strength PK bowling lineup is more than a match for most batting lineups. The issue is that Babar and the decision makers have made decision that they are useless and we can't play on good wickets and we need pitches that are slow turners. This is just rubbish and the negativety has destroyed the confidence of everyone.

 

[Bewal Express]

I understand there is a lot of criticism of our bowling unit and rightly so but the problem does not lie in depth of the squad. The problem is management not nurturing talents correctly. Wrong people are being selected for wrong conditions. Its simple ensure your pool of players are different for Asian and SENA conditions. If I had a pick I would go for following.

Asian conditions
1. Shaheen Shah
2. Naseem Shah
3. Abrar Ahmed
4. Sajid Khan
5. Shadab Khan
_________
6. Nawaz
7. Mohammad Wasim
8. Hasan Ali

SENA conditions
1. Shaheen Shah
2. Naseem Shah
3. Mohammad Hasnain
4. Faheem Ashraf
5. Shadab Khan
___________
6. Nawaz
7. Israrullah
8. Mir Hamza

Its important we differentiate between conditions and pick horses for courses. Normally we select wrong player in wrong games and absolutely kill their confidence. I remember Sajid Khan winning us that game in Mirpur in dying light and taking 8 wickets in his second game. Later he faced Australia on absolutely awful track and then discarded when he could have been quite handful on turning tracks given he is an attacking spinner. Similarly Hasan Ali won the series against SAF last year but discarded based on T20 performances which is non-sensical. Then we have Haris Rauf playing test with no domestic experience. The more we take international cricket for a joke the bigger the joke we become. So plan is simple have the correct players playing in correct conditions.

In no world is Faheem Ashraf now an international bowler and nor is Husnain.

 

[amvbfm]

I think it has more to do with poor selection and strategy. Yes, the cupboard might not be as well stocked as some other countries but it is certainly not bare. We could have picked Hasan and Abbas. Yes they aren't as good as they used to be but even now they are way better options than Faheem and Ali. Mohammad Ali took wickets in QeA but he is not international material. Imo Umar, Hamza and Sameen are all way better than him and much younger. At least two of them should have been picked in place of Faheem and Ali. It was really surprising that no replacements were picked for Haris and Naseem. Also you can't blame the pacers if you prepare roads like Pindi or slow ones like Multan and Karachi and the captain does not know how to rotate his bowlers.

It would be great if better sense prevails in the upcoming NZ series but I don't have high hopes from the current setup. They will definitely get scared of the NZ quicks and prepare more dead wickets.

 

[Savak]

I think it has more to do with poor selection and strategy. Yes, the cupboard might not be as well stocked as some other countries but it is certainly not bare. We could have picked Hasan and Abbas. Yes they aren't as good as they used to be but even now they are way better options than Faheem and Ali. Mohammad Ali took wickets in QeA but he is not international material. Imo Umar, Hamza and Sameen are all way better than him and much younger. At least two of them should have been picked in place of Faheem and Ali. It was really surprising that no replacements were picked for Haris and Naseem. Also you can't blame the pacers if you prepare roads like Pindi or slow ones like Multan and Karachi and the captain does not know how to rotate his bowlers.

It would be great if better sense prevails in the upcoming NZ series but I don't have high hopes from the current setup. They will definitely get scared of the NZ quicks and prepare more dead wickets.

Pacers can be blamed if they have been comprehensively out bowled by the English pacers on the same pitches and conditions.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Is Pakistan really that arid compared to India?.

If Indian Punjab is the breadbasket, is Pakistani Punjab the pancake?.

 

[amvbfm]

Pacers can be blamed if they have been comprehensively out bowled by the English pacers on the same pitches and conditions.

I think it will be an unfair comparison given:
- Anderson's skill and experience and Wood's pace.
- How Babar handled his pacers and field placements compared with Stokes.

 

[shamaan]

I think it has more to do with poor selection and strategy. Yes, the cupboard might not be as well stocked as some other countries but it is certainly not bare. We could have picked Hasan and Abbas. Yes they aren't as good as they used to be but even now they are way better options than Faheem and Ali. Mohammad Ali took wickets in QeA but he is not international material. Imo Umar, Hamza and Sameen are all way better than him and much younger. At least two of them should have been picked in place of Faheem and Ali. It was really surprising that no replacements were picked for Haris and Naseem. Also you can't blame the pacers if you prepare roads like Pindi or slow ones like Multan and Karachi and the captain does not know how to rotate his bowlers.

It would be great if better sense prevails in the upcoming NZ series but I don't have high hopes from the current setup. They will definitely get scared of the NZ quicks and prepare more dead wickets.

Yes I would pick 2 of these 4 sameen Gull,Umar,Hamza,Ihsanullah and I would have picked Mubasir instead of Agha.now that azhar had retired they should bring in both kamran Ghullam and Hurraira.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

I witnessed the birth of new England first-hand at Lord's.

This isn't that. England have got confidence, arrogance under this new ethos.

They've shown Pakistan utter contempt befitting a worthless opponent

 

[Mamoon]

This “we have a great attack in LOs” drama will also end soon. Regardless of the format, we just have one world class fast bowler who is injured.

 

[u0sama]

Musa, Ihsanullah, Hassan Mehmood, Muhammed Umer, Aamer Jamal now should be groom for test. They can bowl all day long.

 

[amvbfm]

Yes I would pick 2 of these 4 sameen Gull,Umar,Hamza,Ihsanullah and I would have picked Mubasir instead of Agha.now that azhar had retired they should bring in both kamran Ghullam and Hurraira.

I think the Imam/Shafique partnership is ok for the time being. But Huraira should come in as the backup opener in place of Shan. They should move Saud to 3 and bring in Kamran at 5 with Usman as backup. The real issue is the allrounder/number 7 slot which is a pivotal one for the team's balance. The only viable candidate for this position imo is Mubasir (based on his exploits in the QeA during the last two seasons). Pakistan need a batting allrounder more than a bowling one and he fits the bill. Also all the other options like Fahim, Jamal, Yamin, Nawaz are more suited to LOIs than tests. Else, Pakistan should bring in an extra batter in this position as Kamran and Saud won't be much worse than the other available options.

In the pace department i'd pick Hamza and Umar over the others with Hasan and Abbas. Hamza is the only viable left handed option and Umar bowled really well in the recent season. While most would disagree with Hasan and Abbas you just cannot ignore experience. Abbas offers control which was crucially missing throughout this series. I have always been impressed by Sameen but he seems to be a bowler who will need helpful conditions to be effective more than the others.

 

[JibranAnsari]

Pakistan have grave drearth of test class fast bowlwrs , we are just creating t20 quicks but no bowlers good enough to toil hard and bowl line and length in test cricket. Shaheen afridi and then theres none.

Abrar is a good find but apart from him are there any good prospects in spin department?

 

[shamaan]

I think the Imam/Shafique partnership is ok for the time being. But Huraira should come in as the backup opener in place of Shan. They should move Saud to 3 and bring in Kamran at 5 with Usman as backup. The real issue is the allrounder/number 7 slot which is a pivotal one for the team's balance. The only viable candidate for this position imo is Mubasir (based on his exploits in the QeA during the last two seasons). Pakistan need a batting allrounder more than a bowling one and he fits the bill. Also all the other options like Fahim, Jamal, Yamin, Nawaz are more suited to LOIs than tests. Else, Pakistan should bring in an extra batter in this position as Kamran and Saud won't be much worse than the other available options.

In the pace department i'd pick Hamza and Umar over the others with Hasan and Abbas. Hamza is the only viable left handed option and Umar bowled really well in the recent season. While most would disagree with Hasan and Abbas you just cannot ignore experience. Abbas offers control which was crucially missing throughout this series. I have always been impressed by Sameen but he seems to be a bowler who will need helpful conditions to be effective more than the others.

Yes correct I would pick Hurraira in place of Shan and play Saud at 3 and Kamran at 5 .Mubasir 100% should have been in the squad I agree.

 

[shamaan]

Pakistan have grave drearth of test class fast bowlwrs , we are just creating t20 quicks but no bowlers good enough to toil hard and bowl line and length in test cricket. Shaheen afridi and then theres none.

Abrar is a good find but apart from him are there any good prospects in spin department?

Gohar is decent and can bat decently.

 

[Firebat]

We've been handing out debuts like candy in recent times, looking for the answer to our fast bowling woes. M Ali and Rauf have both come and gone. Wasim and Hamza are looking mediocre, soon Dahani will be handed his Test cap.

How badly we are missing Shaheen.

 

[Savak]

We saw what Hasan Ali, Shaheen, Naseem Abbas did vs Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa from 2019 to 2021 when the PCB prepared proper sporting tracks to support our quicks.

Our pitches went to the dogs under Ramiz under whom we lost 4 test matches out of 5 at home with the pitches being graveyards for our pacers

 

[Cric1234]

When the selectors think Nauman Ali preceded by Zahid Mehmood are good enough to win tests then something is wrong.

The fast bowlers are finding it difficult with little help from the wickets but there’s no real quick who can take the pitch out of the equation aswell currently like Shoaib could do in the past.

 

[Chip32]

Bangladesh’s Ebadot and Taskin are better test bowlers than any test bowler we have bar Shaheen atm

 

[giri26]

I don’t think Pakistan has a Test pacer besides Shaheen at the moment. Who is Pakistans second pacer? Is it Hasan? Is it Naseem? Don’t think even the team management has clarity. These bowlers playing right now can’t win you Tests.

 

[kumjsr]

It has been the case for last 20 years.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Tests on Pakistan's dead surfaces will not decide which bowler will win you matches, unless you have a Wasim or Waqar.

Even England and NZ can't claim that.

The reason teams have won in Pakistan is because of Pakistan's non-existent batting beyond 2-3 batsmen. If the batting were half decent, all matches would be draws or Pakistan would have won some too.

Test of Pakistan's bowling will be in SENA, now that Naseem, Hasnain, Waseem, Mir Hamza etc have matured a bit. Some of them had disastrous first tours when very young and thrown to the wolves by their captains.

 

[MenInG]

What can one say about this?

 

[ARK Rafay]

What can one say about this?

How many of those overs bowled at home and Sri Lanka?

 

[Marooned]

As I've said before too, no bowler deserves to be judged on these pathetic wickets.
It's a complete farce.

 

[MenInG]

How many of those overs bowled at home and Sri Lanka?

In last 3 Tests so guess last vs England and current one

 

[MenInG]

Shocking to see that no 5fers in 2022 for Pakistan in Tests