[PICTURES] Abid Ali takes off his helmet to celebrate reaching a half-century against Zimbabwe

[MenInG]

Against Zimbabwe - received a standing ovation from his dressing room and raised his bat to acknowledge the praise. Was it a bit overexuberant and OTT? It does give the impression that Pakistani batsmen have low standards.

 

[Rana]

Against Zimbabwe - received a standing ovation from his dressing room and raised his bat to acknowledge the praise.

Pictures suggest he has scored 200*

 

[Yasir_ch]

This guy is an embarrassment.He should have been dumped after his performance of late but now he has scored a "fifty" against mighty Zimbabwe his place is booked for another year or two.

 

[The Viper]

Pretty sure this is not the first time he has done this. You scored a 50 - well done, raise your bat and move on. Taking off your helmet makes you look like a fool.

 

[MRSN]

Hahahaha. I am sorry but this guy has some technical issues..

 

[Line and Length]

Such weak mentality. Nothing worse in cricket than a minnow basher and this guy is the best personification of it. This was the perfect series to debut Saud Shakeel and open with Azhar. Misbah really is the gift that just keeps on giving.

 

[silentkiller187]

Hahahaha. I am sorry but this guy has some technical issues..

Playing a pull of the front foot in a test match to get off the mark says it all. Lucky there was no pace otherwise that delivery would have caused him all sorts of problems

 

[enigmatic_stani]

Taking your helmet off for a 50 against Zimbabwe...hopefully his achievements are a lot greater than this.

 

[Titan24]

Was under pressure I guess as he was failing for sometime now, so possibly reaction of a relieved man.

 

[MRSN]

Was under pressure I guess as he was failing for sometime now, so possibly reaction of a relieved man.

He has done that before as well.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Asif Ali the type of guy to take his helmet off after scoring a single and then retiring himself out.

 

[UzmanBeast]

I don't really think it means anything, literally people like Jadeja swing their bat like a sword and people see nothing wrong with it.

He got to 50, it's fine. Also, wearing a helmet in those conditions is hard as well, players will use any excuse to take it off and wipe off their sweat.

Not that big of a deal.

 

[GreenKhan]

Not really a big deal . If this is how we wanted to acknowledge his 50 then nothing wrong with it. Plus it gave him a some air to have a breather.

 

[hitthestump]

A test match 50 is a test match 50.

He can celebrate however he chooses.

 

[PakLFC]

Understandable. We value things in life that are considered most difficult to achieve. For Abid a half century versus the mighty Zimbabwe is exactly that.

 

[Saj]

Relief I guess knowing that he'll be picked for the next Test at least.

OTT no doubt about it.

 

[Usman]

Knowing the Pakistani dressing room, they'll be celebrating this with a cake and party!

 

[Titan24]

He has done that before as well.

Yes I do remember him doing that but, not sure when was it. If it was his debut match than one can understand that however, yes he can tone down the celebration a bit.

I personally dont look into celebrations and other gestures too much, it doesnt matter what a player wants to do after taking wicket or scoring 50 etc. as far as a player can do his job.

 

[Saj]

Knowing the Pakistani dressing room, they'll be celebrating this with a cake and party!

Waiting for the video to come through

 

[MRSN]

Yes I do remember him doing that but, not sure when was it. If it was his debut match than one can understand that however, yes he can tone down the celebration a bit.

I personally dont look into celebrations and other gestures too much, it doesnt matter what a player wants to do after taking wicket or scoring 50 etc. as far as a player can do his job.

Do you look into the performance though? He looked hopeless in the home season on flat surfaces against a bit quality sides and today his knock was also quite mediocre with a lot of luck. I wouldn't have minded such celebrations either but coming from such mediocre cricketers doesn't taste good.

 

[mon858]

I don't care about celebrations, you can do it, not do it, overdo it.
end of day performance matters.

however, in big picture, 103/0 with Abid/Imran is exactly what I was afraid of.
Now Misbah and co., will claim Abid/Imam are good openers and keep selecting them against better teams whether at home or in foreign conditions for 1 year until its back to square.
They could have easily used this opportunity to groom either a new opener, or just realize that we really dont have 2 good solid openers (see my cupboard is bare for openers thread), and make Azhar Ali open and introduce Saud in middle order against Zim in this series.

Only hope we could have is somehow based on work done with Mohammed Yusuf in NHPC that they have ironed out some of their technical deficiencies, but I highly doubt that at this point.

 

[Solid Snake]

Yes I do remember him doing that but, not sure when was it. If it was his debut match than one can understand that however, yes he can tone down the celebration a bit.

I personally dont look into celebrations and other gestures too much, it doesnt matter what a player wants to do after taking wicket or scoring 50 etc. as far as a player can do his job.

I think the time before it was against England, I recall Broad and quite a few of the opposition players found the OTT celebration quite funny

As far as I'm concerned it shows minnow mentality, like a huge mountain was climbed, and I hate it!

 

[Omer2002]

He was dropped by poor zimbos..

 

[Titan24]

I think the time before it was against England, I recall Broad and quite a few of the opposition players found the OTT celebration quite funny

As far as I'm concerned it shows minnow mentality, like a huge mountain was climbed, and I hate it!

Lol! Yes I remember now, it was against Eng in the 2nd test of the Eng tour.

 

[shamaan]

If he wants to celebrate like that then so be it no issue.

 

[BigShak]

lol let the guy enjoy it before he inevitably gets wrecked by Roach and co in the Windies in a few months time.

 

[Shazzam]

He needs to keep it for his 100 celebration. With the way he’s celebrating he reminds me of Imran Tahir version of a batsmen.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Am sure we will see videos of Abid Ali cutting a cake in changing rooms to celebrate his mediocre 50

 

[Visaal-E-Yaar]

What next? Pads off on getting 100?

Overdone

 

[Snowflake]

Lol! This is so sad. This lot has very very low standards for themselves.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

watched the highlights, wat a scratchy hundred that was.. these two should hv been back in the pavilion in single digits...lot of give away from zimbos,, these two will fail against any team if their batting against zim is like this...poor selection and shouldnt be backed at all... thank you

 

[A.A.Z]

He's the only player to score a century on debut in both ODI and Test cricket. He also scored a ton in his 2nd Test match.

Those are pretty decent achievements. This is just how he celebrates, there isn't much to make of it.

 

[Line and Length]

This minnow basher shouldn't be anywhere near a serious test team.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

What's he going to take off if he gets to 150?

 

[angrypathan]

Wonder how he'll celebrate a hundred then

 

[Zaz]

A quick raise of the bat and back to batting wouldve done

The best in the business dont even acknowledge such minor landmarks in pursuit of bigger scores

 

[Slim]

An absolute embarrassment.

 

[Ilan Bluestone]

Asif Ali the type of guy to take his helmet off after scoring a single and then retiring himself out.

One of the funniest posts ever. I haven't posted in a while but this made me laugh out loud.

Amazing.

 

[90MPH]

This is why a lot of our players never improve, they think scoring a 50 means a big achievement, that too against a mediocre side.

Just ridiculous.

 

[Concerned]

This is the issue about playing such teams. The weaker player are able to perform which leads to an extended run in the team whilst they struggle against the better teams.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

One of the funniest posts ever. I haven't posted in a while but this made me laugh out loud.

Amazing.

He’s our legend Asif Ali, thanks man glad I made your day.

 

[Smbhayi]

I don't really think it means anything, literally people like Jadeja swing their bat like a sword and people see nothing wrong with it.

He got to 50, it's fine. Also, wearing a helmet in those conditions is hard as well, players will use any excuse to take it off and wipe off their sweat.

Not that big of a deal.

Jadeja is bowling AR batting at 7/8, even then people say that his celebration is not needed..

 

[moghul]

Pictures suggest he has scored 200*

50 against the all time great pace attack is worth 200.

 

[CleverSir]

Why begrudge a players celebration of an accomplishment? None of us board members would even be able to score 10 runs even against Zimbabwe. Besides a player only gets limited matches and even then limited milestones.

 

[sshakir411]

No different than players doing sajda after reaching 50 in a T20. Be thankful after you’ve won the game. No one cares for your milestones...except maybe Sachin

 

[volcyz]

Very embarrassing

 

[Adnan_Ilyas]

Its funny that everyone us sitting here calling it embarrassing and he is the one batting. Who cares how he celebrates...

 

[Suleiman]

Taking your helmet off for a 50 against Zimbabwe...hopefully his achievements are a lot greater than this.

Came out of hiatus to say, if this doesn’t show the minnow mentality of our players, then idk what does. Sarfraz pulled this same stunt in his “peak”.

Taking your helmet off for a 50 vs Zimbabwe... ) I laugh but inside this is so sad to see.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

To people saying who cares how he celebrates.
It's an embarrassing celebration even to the fans.A 50 vs the top teams isn't celebrated like this let alone a 50 vs the lowest ranked test side.
It shows minnow mentality. He is representing a team with a proud cricket history. This is lowering our standards for celebrations for sure.

 

[Maher96]

Just watched the highlights going at 3,4 runs an over Ali and Butt. Struggling between the wickets and some really amateur calling going on currently. No offence we have taken Zimbabwe quality openers to make host feel good I guess. Looking forward to the next 4 batsmen to feast on someone should, Get a double. Azhar needs some runs also, rizwan and Babar should practise some t20 hitting with Hassan and Shaheen using it as nets. May be send Faheem up the order too.

 

[street cricketer]

Imagine the Zimbabwean players reaction..

"Wow lads, maybe we are a bit better than what we think we are.."

 

[gazza619]

Non issue. I really dont care how he celebrates. He perhaps knows deep down that this 50 was needed to boost his confidence hence he felt the need to celebrate.

May be there are better things to come when he faces quality bowling attacks. I am not an Abid Ali fan but lets just him be who he is.

 

[Majid Khan]

I’m sure I’ve seen another Pakistani opener doing the same and fist pumping after scoring a 50 v Zimbabwe too, trying to remember the chap’s name.

 

[m.shah]

He is definition of mediocrity. Such a lame thing to do after scoring 50 against mighty Zimbos

 

[Manik Rao]

I’m sure I’ve seen another Pakistani opener doing the same and fist pumping after scoring a 50 v Zimbabwe too, trying to remember the chap’s name.

Sir Khurram Manzoor. If it was not seen as a taboo, I'm certain he'd celebrate going past 25 run mark too, let alone Half Century. A true legend of the game.

On Topic: Congrats to Sir Abid Ali on this historic achievement. Next time he reaches a 50 he should try taking his shirt off too along with the helmet and then maybe making a complete round of the stadium.

 

[Manik Rao]

Sir Khurram Manzoor. If it was not seen as a taboo, I'm certain he'd celebrate going past 25 run mark too, let alone Half Century. A true legend of the game.

On Topic: Congrats to Sir Abid Ali on this historic achievement. Next time he reaches a 50 he should try taking his shirt off too along with the helmet and then maybe making a complete round of the stadium.

Not sure if Sir Khurram did that against Zimbabwe though ☝ But he did do that against a minnow side. That I remember vividly.

 

[OMB]

he will take off his pads now..thankfully

 

[MenInG]

he will take off his pads now..thankfully

No helmet off for Imran Butt on reaching 50

 

[Mamoon]

He is playing at his level. He cannot survive against fast bowlers above the Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh league. Hence, I do not blame him for the over the top celebration.

Pakistan is a minnow standard team. As a result, we take performances against minnows very seriously and will celebrate when we win this match.

If our players had the mentality of the top players, half of the squad wouldn’t have played this series to begin with.

 

[MenInG]

And this is Abid Ali's departure

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[Extra_Cover]

If we had 6 teams playing QEA 3-4 years back then I believe Abid Ali wouldn't have broken out to represent Pakistan. I'm not saying Pakistan has plethora of international class openers in the wings but this guy is in lower tiers when compared to even them.

I just find it amusing that Imam cannot find a place in this test line-up of Pakistan.

 

[Mamoon]

If we had 6 teams playing QEA 3-4 years back then I believe Abid Ali wouldn't have broken out to represent Pakistan. I'm not saying Pakistan has plethora of international class openers in the wings but this guy is in lower tiers when compared to even them.

I just find it amusing that Imam cannot find a place in this test line-up of Pakistan.

Abid is a king at domestic level. He will always get picked in domestic cricket because he performs at that level.

This is why this 6 team idea is not practical for a country like Pakistan with such a massive population - the domestic bullies will always get picked whether they have utility for the national team or not, which means less opportunities for newer players to come through.

There is no correlation between less number of teams and greater quality of players coming through. There is a reason why India has 38 FC sides.

Sure they have 1.3 billion people, but if we follow this logic and India reduces the number of teams to 19, almost every player coming through would be Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, Pant, Ashwin etc. level, but that is obviously not going to happen.

Pakistan needs 12 FC teams to accommodate the likes of Abid and Butt at domestic level and also provide platform to younger players who may have international level potential.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Wonder how he'll celebrate a hundred then

By taking all of his clothes? May be if he scores double ton , we never know until we see it

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Abid is a king at domestic level. He will always get picked in domestic cricket because he performs at that level.

This is why this 6 team idea is not practical for a country like Pakistan with such a massive population - the domestic bullies will always get picked whether they have utility for the national team or not, which means less opportunities for newer players to come through.

There is no correlation between less number of teams and greater quality of players coming through. There is a reason why India has 38 FC sides.

Sure they have 1.3 billion people, but if we follow this logic and India reduces the number of teams to 19, almost every player coming through would be Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, Pant, Ashwin etc. level, but that is obviously not going to happen.

Pakistan needs 12 FC teams to accommodate the likes of Abid and Butt at domestic level and also provide platform to younger players who may have international level potential.

For once I agree with you , but then the 2nd so status can be changed and they can have a full 4 day game instead. And then we can have a 3rd tier of reserves XI playing 3 day matches but half of that team should consist of u23 players.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Abid is a king at domestic level. He will always get picked in domestic cricket because he performs at that level.

This is why this 6 team idea is not practical for a country like Pakistan with such a massive population - the domestic bullies will always get picked whether they have utility for the national team or not, which means less opportunities for newer players to come through.

There is no correlation between less number of teams and greater quality of players coming through. There is a reason why India has 38 FC sides.

Sure they have 1.3 billion people, but if we follow this logic and India reduces the number of teams to 19, almost every player coming through would be Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, Pant, Ashwin etc. level, but that is obviously not going to happen.

Pakistan needs 12 FC teams to accommodate the likes of Abid and Butt at domestic level and also provide platform to younger players who may have international level potential.

I suspect the 6-team structure will only remain in place as long as Imran Khan is prime minister. Once he is forced out of power, the structure will change again.

 

[silentkiller187]

And this is Abid Ali's departure

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 54.743%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/xi8lr4" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

Can we criticise the footwork, or non existent footwork without being labelled an armchair expert?

 

[TheNightWatchman]

The fact that he scored only 60 runs and showing off like he hit a double is really rubbing me the wrong way. I do not want to see this guy in test cricket again. Unfortunately he'll be here for a while considering he did manage to score a half century and that cements his place for the next test and probably next series.

 

[PakPremi]

Why would you not celebrate a personal milestone irrespective of who the opponent is? So all those international superstar playing in counties did not take their helmat off in county matches when they scored 50.

 

[street cricketer]

Why would you not celebrate a personal milestone irrespective of who the opponent is? So all those international superstar playing in counties did not take their helmat off in county matches when they scored 50.

Not sure you're getting the drift. It is very weird to take your helmet off for a fifty against any side, nevermind Zimbabwe.

 

[PakPremi]

Not sure you're getting the drift. It is very weird to take your helmet off for a fifty against any side, nevermind Zimbabwe.

I have seen it 100s of times. Also depends on the significance to individual player,he has been struggling last few series so was important for him to get the monkey off his back of not scoring anything significant.

 

[Mamoon]

And Fawad pulls out the lame Ertugrul move to celebrate a hundred against a club level attack.

Sums up the mentality of our players. They are proper minnows.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

And Fawad pulls out the lame Ertugrul move to celebrate a hundred against a club level attack.

Sums up the mentality of our players. They are proper minnows.

I mean celebrating a 100 still isn't as bad as over- celebrating a 50.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

The picture out of context looks like Abid's been batting for 2 days straight in the heat. Grimacing in pain from all the cramps due to his gritty innings but smiling at the heavens thankful for his double century against the toughesy of opponents.

The fact that it's a 50 against Zimbabwe instead is hilarious

 

[UzmanBeast]

Jadeja is bowling AR batting at 7/8, even then people say that his celebration is not needed..

The point is people can celebrate in whatever way they feel like. It's a sport, they should be able to do as they please. People tend to take small things way out of proportion, we should be glad that Abid even got to 50 given the form he has been in.

 

[Saj]

Abid's a nice guy, humble and has waited a long time to play at this level so these milestones are probably a relief for him.

But come on, this isn't a 50 against Australia at Perth to save a Test is it.

 

[Third_Umpire]

He is a true simpleton. Not a very good bat unfortunately, wish we would use this Zimbabwe series to test out new talent.

 

[PakPremi]

Still do not understand why he should not celebrate his 50,, and I been watching cricket for 30+ years but I am at loss what the objections are for. You can only perform against who you play, he is not playing Australia but Zimbabwe, so if he achieve a milestone should he hold his celebration till he may or may not do it against Australia. Top 3 team celebrate 50s against Pakistan and according to some resident experts Pakistan is a minnow team.
Next objection will be why Pakistani bowlers celebrating taking wickets or catches against Zimbabwe.

 

[MenInG]

Ok so no helmet off this time - he did adjust his helmet later

 

[Line and Length]

Minnowbashers are the absolute worst. And this guy is the perfect personification of one.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

I think someone must have said something to him the last time.
Because he's been taking off his helmet for a 50 all through out his international career thus far.

Now I feel bad