mominsaigol
Test Debutant
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2021
- Runs
- 13,805
- Post of the Week
- 2
Surprisingly no one has made a thread on this, but this is an issue that should be discussed.
Since I've been watching cricket pakistan has continued to play up and coming cricketers out of order. It was more evident in the misbah era but it still exists in the babar azam era.
Example 1: Umar Akmal
While I agree umar akmal destroyed his career, unlike Ahmed shehzad, he's not 100% to blame. Umar akmal was a solid no 3, who had good technique and an excellent 5th gear, but misbah relegated him to a no 6 or 7 pinch hitter. Umar was never the type of player to finish the innings yet undeserving players like asad shafique got the no 3.
Similarly other cricketers during that era like sohaib maqsood who scored multiple half centuries at no 3 and 4, were relegated to no 6 due to misbah obsession of playing medicore test players at the top order.
Example 2: Our current t20 team
Why do we have saim ayub and Fakhar in the t20 team as middle order batsmen? While I don't mind babar or rizwan opening, only one of them should open, we have middle order batsmen playing as openers and openers playing as middle order batsmen.
Even in our current team if saud plays he gets shoved to no 5 rather then no 4 which would be his natural position, we also have solid middle order batsmen in the squad but we're choosing not to play them for Pseudo all rounders.
The best atg of Pakistan have always played in their natural positions, never have I encountered a pakistani atg that has been successful at playing out of position.
Simply put, let middle order batsmen be middle order batsmen, let openers be openers, and let finishers be finishers. You think babar would be succesful if they shoved him to no 6? Or no 7? Like they did with umar akmal?
Simply put every team should have openers, your 2 best batsmen at 3 and 4, and your strikers at no 5,6 and 7. You don't shove a no 3 at no 7 and put a no 7 at no 3. That experiment backfired with KL Rahul, it backfired with Muhammad hafeez when he was shoved from no 6 to opening, I can go on and on.
Since I've been watching cricket pakistan has continued to play up and coming cricketers out of order. It was more evident in the misbah era but it still exists in the babar azam era.
Example 1: Umar Akmal
While I agree umar akmal destroyed his career, unlike Ahmed shehzad, he's not 100% to blame. Umar akmal was a solid no 3, who had good technique and an excellent 5th gear, but misbah relegated him to a no 6 or 7 pinch hitter. Umar was never the type of player to finish the innings yet undeserving players like asad shafique got the no 3.
Similarly other cricketers during that era like sohaib maqsood who scored multiple half centuries at no 3 and 4, were relegated to no 6 due to misbah obsession of playing medicore test players at the top order.
Example 2: Our current t20 team
Why do we have saim ayub and Fakhar in the t20 team as middle order batsmen? While I don't mind babar or rizwan opening, only one of them should open, we have middle order batsmen playing as openers and openers playing as middle order batsmen.
Even in our current team if saud plays he gets shoved to no 5 rather then no 4 which would be his natural position, we also have solid middle order batsmen in the squad but we're choosing not to play them for Pseudo all rounders.
The best atg of Pakistan have always played in their natural positions, never have I encountered a pakistani atg that has been successful at playing out of position.
Simply put, let middle order batsmen be middle order batsmen, let openers be openers, and let finishers be finishers. You think babar would be succesful if they shoved him to no 6? Or no 7? Like they did with umar akmal?
Simply put every team should have openers, your 2 best batsmen at 3 and 4, and your strikers at no 5,6 and 7. You don't shove a no 3 at no 7 and put a no 7 at no 3. That experiment backfired with KL Rahul, it backfired with Muhammad hafeez when he was shoved from no 6 to opening, I can go on and on.