[PICTURES] Congratulations to Fawad Alam on his 2nd Test Century!

[Rayyman]

What an innings!

Fighting it out for the green team




===

A luckless Pakistan batsman’s 4188-day Test century drought is over after Fawad Alam produced a potentially career-saving ton in remarkable circumstances in New Zealand.
Over 11 years after reaching triple figures on debut against Sri Lankan, Alam notched his second Test century as he led an inspirational fightback in a futile attempt to save the first Test against the Black Caps in Mount Maunganui.

Batting with a Shivnarine Chanderpaul-like stance, Alam combined with Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan to defy New Zealand and put on an absorbing 165-run stand to take the match into a final-session showdown.

4188-day century drought is finally over4188-day century drought is finally over1:09


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When Alam reached his century late on Wednesday, he looked to the heavens and embraced Rizwan before gesturing to his teammates in the dressing room in an emotional moment for player and teammates.

The 35-year-old was eventually dismissed by lion-hearted Kiwi bowler Neil Wagner for a mighty 102 off 269 balls late on the fifth day to leave New Zealand in the box seat to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Nonetheless, it was Alam’s second highest score as he, at last, showed the promise expected of him after 11 years in the Test wilderness.

Alam debuted against the Sri Lankans in July, 2009. He opened the batting and conjured 168 for a team that also featured some of Pakistan’s greatest batsmen in Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq.

However Alam only lasted another two Tests before he was dropped in November later that year.

Outside of a brief stint in Pakistan’s ODI team in 2014 and 2015, Alam was snubbed from international exposure for a decade — despite a stellar first-class record that’s seen him score 36 centuries and average over 56 runs per knock.

Alam was finally recalled in August for two Tests against England, but made a duck, 21 and zero not out from his three attempts.

He may have been left out of the clash against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui if it wasn’t for a thumb injury to skipper Babar Azam.

On Wednesday, 11 years of pain and frustration was somewhat eased as Alam reached his second Test century.

After a few anxious moments at the start of his innings the left-hander found his rhythm as he worked the ball through the field. His defence was compact, but as he became more comfortable at the wicket he played more expansively, using the pull shot, in particular, to find the boundary rope.

With 36 overs remaining, Pakistan needed 158 to win while New Zealand need six more wickets. However late wickets to Kyle Jamieson and Wagner left the Kiwis well placed to win the match heading into the final hour of play.

A draw would all but end New Zealand’s chance of making the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricke...y/news-story/aa7d55de156fa9cb16c31185448ea455

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Massive hundred for Faadi!

The only thing I could think of was what injustice has been done to this guy! What a tragedy. At 35 he is finally going to get a fair run at this level.

All the people involved should be ashamed.

 

[Bhaijaan]

What an effort.
He deserves this and a win

 

[Junaids]

Sincere congratulations to him.

What a comeback after his years of exclusion!

 

[El Generico]

Massive hundred for Faadi!

The only thing I could think of was what injustice has been done to this guy! What a tragedy. At 35 he is finally going to get a fair run at this level.

All the people involved should be ashamed.

Agreed, all we can hope for is that he can stay fit and have at least 5 more years.

 

[volcyz]

Inzamam should be absolutely ashamed of himself saying Alam has one of the worst techniques and was bound to fail in international cricket.

 

[trickyone]

I hope Sami Aslam is watch Fawad Alam's inning right now...

 

[moghul]

Most determined cricketer in Pakistan to make his mark, against all odds.

 

[giri26]

Brilliant hundred and a well deserved one. Scored when his team needed it most.

 

[Cric_lover4487]

I loved that he was disappointed after getting out. I remember Abid Ali getting debut century in ODI then getting out, smiling and waving to crowd while going back to pavilion. In the end Pak lost the game.

 

[choudhary6964]

What's the benefit to the team? They lost the match.a useless knock and he will not be dropped for many more tests thanks to this useless innings.He is gonna be new Asad useless shafiq.

 

[Rayyman]

What's the benefit to the team? They lost the match.a useless knock and he will not be dropped for many more tests thanks to this useless innings.He is gonna be new Asad useless shafiq.

True. This innings is gonna cost us.

 

[Saj]

If only he could have batted a few more overs today.

 

[dravidthewall]

That was chandrepaul esque batting , great 100 under pressure , well played fawad alam

 

[Finisher]

What's the benefit to the team? They lost the match.a useless knock and he will not be dropped for many more tests thanks to this useless innings.He is gonna be new Asad useless shafiq.

He should have got out at 0 so everyone can go home earlier

 

[AMSS]

Let's be honest, Fawad has earned himself a cake here. Hopefully the Pak team management hasn't been slacking and ordered in a fancy one. We need pics of cake smeared faces to surface on social media from the dressing room.

 

[waleed88]

What's the benefit to the team? They lost the match.a useless knock and he will not be dropped for many more tests thanks to this useless innings.He is gonna be new Asad useless shafiq.

When he got out there were 20 overs to bat and 4 wickets. Your performance hasn't been our the performance itself, you have been calling him 'ugly' and 'disgusting' to watch throughout his innings including calling him an evil karachi wala. So stop it enough of your trash for one day. Any other team would've probably drawn the match. Asad's knocks came in impossible circumstances chasing 450 against Australia. Drawing a test match was a more realistic option, and our tail should've done better. You have a batsman that bats our 3 sessions dulls the new ball, and gets out after staying on the crease for nearly 7 hours and if you can't say anything about that then don't comment at all. And your hatred and bias has been more regional then about the player and his performance. So please stop spewing this garbage again and again. Fawad hasn't gotten a decade to prove himself like shafiq did. Quite the contrary rather.

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

Useless innings? Do people even know what they're talking about.

It will be remembered as one a top fightback 4th innings by any batsman, and while I haven't checked data, could go down as one of the greatest 4th innings by an Asian bastman in SENA countries.

 

[aloo paratha]

Fawad should be a lock for a year at least. You don't average 55+ if you're not good. Even if he would be bad in SENA (which is a myth), we don't play there everyday. we need players who can win matches for us at home first and foremost. Even good test sides don't win away often, but they make sure they win every home series

 

[letme alone]

what a innings! Congratulations

 

[Mamoon]

He is on his last legs and has only a few Tests left in him. This innings is like Azhar’s at Southampton - it doesn’t mean anything in the long run.

There is no point in crying about his non-selection now. Besides, it is ironic to see him play a very Shafiq like innings.

Fail in the first innings when his runs could have had an impact, score a useless hundred when the match was already beyond winning, and then get out in a tame fashion before finishing off the job.

 

[Indiafan]

What's the benefit to the team? They lost the match.a useless knock and he will not be dropped for many more tests thanks to this useless innings.He is gonna be new Asad useless shafiq.

True. This innings is gonna cost us.

You guys should stick to watching PSL.

 

[Executioner]

True. This innings is gonna cost us.

Cost Pakistan what? A chance of an innings defeat?

This was a sensational innings from Fawad Alam, had put Pakistan in a great position to draw the innings. Should have played more cricket for Pakistan in the format he is good at.

 

[RainStopsPlay]

Useless innings? Do people even know what they're talking about.

It will be remembered as one a top fightback 4th innings by any batsman, and while I haven't checked data, could go down as one of the greatest 4th innings by an Asian bastman in SENA countries.

KL Rahul's 149 vs Eng in 2nd inngs of 5th Test (2018) is right up there, too. That came against the likes of Anderson, Broad, Moeen, Curran and Stokes who are much better bowlers than these. But sadly, both these guys' innings won't be remembered for long cos they didn't win the match for their respective countries. So, all these talks about 'fightbacks' and 'greatest' mean nothing if they don't take their team home.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Excellent innings. Why was he kept out of the team these many years?

 

[Energy]

Happy for Fawad to have achieved a personal milestone. Obviously has no relevance in the outcome of the match, but doesn't matter considering the bizarre career situation he's found himself in.

 

[waleed88]

He is on his last legs and has only a few Tests left in him. This innings is like Azhar’s at Southampton - it doesn’t mean anything in the long run.

There is no point in crying about his non-selection now. Besides, it is ironic to see him play a very Shafiq like innings.

Fail in the first innings when his runs could have had an impact, score a useless hundred when the match was already beyond winning, and then get out in a tame fashion before finishing off the job.

If you have been following Pakistani cricket, you would know that on the contrary this was quite the opposite of an Asad Shafiq innings in terms of style and grit. Shafiq was a classy batsman and stroke maker. This was more of a Chanderpaul type rearguard action. But ofcourse very convenient to stereotype all players coming from karachi in the same category. It's just more convenient.

Plus if you have ever seen Shafiq bat, I don't think he has ever batted for 7 hours in his career ever.

 

[kingusama92]

Excellent innings.

I'm almost certain Pakistan would have ruined Steven Smith's career if he was a Pakistani. Some lame logic about a batsman's technique when the guy is piling runs in domestic cricket.

Fawad deserved a proper 10-15 match run in his prime.

At this point in his career, they should just squeeze out as much as they can get from him.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fawad Alam 1st Test century - July 2009.<br><br>Fawad Alam 2nd Test century - today.<br><br>Incredible that in over 11 years he has only played 6 Test matches.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1344159852524953602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[hur rizvi]

Excellent innings.

I'm almost certain Pakistan would have ruined Steven Smith's career if he was a Pakistani. Some lame logic about a batsman's technique when the guy is piling runs in domestic cricket.

Fawad deserved a proper 10-15 match run in his prime.

At this point in his career, they should just squeeze out as much as they can get from him.

Its a tragedy. Specially when he scored a 100 on debut and didnt really fail in test cricket

If he can squeeze 10-15 matches now it would be great. HE can play for next 2 years if he keeps his performances up

 

[waleed88]

Shafiq's batting is almost always good on the and inconsequential on the result. Fawad Alam got his team into a position where the team only had to abt 20 overs with 4 wickets in hand. Guy can't do much more having come in since tea yesterday and playing the better part of a tea session this evening. The team not going over the line is a shot on the mentality of the team, which required this rearguard action. If each tail had batted only 4 overs per wicket we would've drawn the game. But you were left with young Naseem Shah and Shaheen trying to bat out an impossible ask of 11 overs.

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

He is on his last legs and has only a few Tests left in him. This innings is like Azhar’s at Southampton - it doesn’t mean anything in the long run.

There is no point in crying about his non-selection now. Besides, it is ironic to see him play a very Shafiq like innings.

Fail in the first innings when his runs could have had an impact, score a useless hundred when the match was already beyond winning, and then get out in a tame fashion before finishing off the job.

This is really unfair on the man. I could argue (am not, but jut making an opposite point) that a second innings knock is tougher and more impactful than a first. Also, how do you know (except in hindsight) that the match was beyond winning when Rizwan and Alam were doing swell? And a draw would have been just as good in these circumstances

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Inzamam Ul Haq and Misbah Ul Haq have destroyed a genuine career of a batsman with 50+ average.
He would had 5000+ test runs minimum by now.
He still keeps quiet Fawad and does his job. Hats off to him.

 

[aloo paratha]

It would've been a Shafiq innings if it was the 3rd or 4th day and the target was 500. Fawad walked in late in day 4 when a draw was still very much possible.

 

[Mamoon]

If you have been following Pakistani cricket, you would know that on the contrary this was quite the opposite of an Asad Shafiq innings in terms of style and grit. Shafiq was a classy batsman and stroke maker. This was more of a Chanderpaul type rearguard action. But ofcourse very convenient to stereotype all players coming from karachi in the same category. It's just more convenient.

Plus if you have ever seen Shafiq bat, I don't think he has ever batted for 7 hours in his career ever.

It doesn’t matter how many hours he batted. He couldn’t help Pakistan win because he failed in the first innings, and he couldn’t help Pakistan draw because he got out to a tame delivery.

It was a zero impact innings like Shafiq.

Please don’t drag me into the Karachi vs Lahore rubbish. I don’t care about either cities or the stereotypes associated with them.

 

[wajid]

I simply can't believe you guys.....one player almost singlehandedly defies all odds despite predictions of doom from all and gives a more than fighting chance at draw, which rest fail to convert into a win and people are still criticizing him!!!! This can happen only in the 'Land of Pure' delusion.

The guy is a pure gem for having performed in these conditions...... keyboard warriors should direct their venom elsewhere.... especially at deserving top order and middle order...

 

[James Steven]

Since my last post was deleted, I am gonna go a bit easy now. I think this inning was okayish pretty useless in the hindsight.

 

[waleed88]

It doesn’t matter how many hours he batted. He couldn’t help Pakistan win because he failed in the first innings, and he couldn’t help Pakistan draw because he got out to a tame delivery.

It was a zero impact innings like Shafiq.

Please don’t drag me into the Karachi vs Lahore rubbish. I don’t care about either cities or the stereotypes associated with them.

You can't compound two batsmen who don't bat the same way as being similar in nature just because the outcome of the game was/wasn't what you had wanted, or because they belong to the same region.

 

[boomboom6]

Finally at peace with myself as a long time fan of Fawad ... Justice has been served, thundering response delivered to all his critics and all those that denied him his fair chance all these years which includes Inzi's tenure as the chief selector which was most disappointing of all.

Fawad is another potential 10k run machine we lost from test cricket due to incompetence of PCB and nepotism of powerful elite blocking his return.

Fawad is a gamer and he proved his mettle in just 6 innings in SENA on return at age 34 no less against a world class attack! Imagine if he had played in UAE tests with Younis all these years! Absolutely ecstatic for him!

 

[Smbhayi]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fawad Alam 1st Test century - July 2009.<br><br>Fawad Alam 2nd Test century - today.<br><br>Incredible that in over 11 years he has only played 6 Test matches.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq [MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION]_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1344159852524953602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] should've mentioned first century was on his debut match..

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Fawad Alam failed to save his team.

I was hoping against hope he would be there at the end but knew deep in my heart, Fawad Alam can't see things through.

You can give him all the credit for his innings but ultimately, it means nothing except a personal record.

Contrast that with an Inzi, a Minandad, even an Imran saving Pakistan tests with dogged last innings batting and staying till the end.

These kinds of players are dangerous. They can do wonders when playing without expectations but the first moment of real hope and it scrambles their minds. Asad Shafiq has many such innings to his name.

 

[UsmanhailsAfridi]

He is on his last legs and has only a few Tests left in him. This innings is like Azhar’s at Southampton - it doesn’t mean anything in the long run.

There is no point in crying about his non-selection now. Besides, it is ironic to see him play a very Shafiq like innings.

Fail in the first innings when his runs could have had an impact, score a useless hundred when the match was already beyond winning, and then get out in a tame fashion before finishing off the job.

Yepp another proof you have no real clue about cricket

 

[waleed88]

Fawad Alam failed to save his team.

I was hoping against hope he would be there at the end but knew deep in my heart, Fawad Alam can't see things through.

You can give him all the credit for his innings but ultimately, it means nothing except a personal record.

Contrast that with an Inzi, a Minandad, even an Imran saving Pakistan tests with dogged last innings batting and staying till the end.

These kinds of players are dangerous. They can do wonders when playing without expectations but the first moment of real hope and it scrambles their minds. Asad Shafiq has many such innings to his name.

Of course the blame falls on the guy who only had 9 other batsmen with him who didn't perform. Such fickle are the fans and I can guarantee you, if he drew the game the fans would've been like he was too slow, he could've won us the game. He is also compared to the guy who has a decade of experience more than him in International cricket just because he is from in the same region. He was also probably the reason he was kept out all this time. Why y'all even want some changes in the first place when you end up with the same conclusion as it being more of the same? Should've just been happy with Shafiq then

 

[wajid]

Nobody declared Fawad as savior and messiah. Infact he was branded incapable and useless for years despite solid and abundant performance. While he kept churning performance after performance in domestic circuit which shows mental fortitude and strength.

And I am pretty sure Inzi, miandad and imran were not giving those performances everyday especially after long comebacks. Give respect and time to the guy...

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Of course the blame falls on the guy who only had 9 other batsmen with him who didn't perform. Such fickle are the fans and I can guarantee you, if he drew the game the fans would've been like he was too slow, he could've won us the game. He is also compared to the guy who has a decade of experience more than him in International cricket just because he is from in the same region. He was also probably the reason he was kept out all this time. Why y'all even want some changes in the first place when you end up with the same conclusion as it being more of the same? Should've just been happy with Shafiq then

No need to bold words. I can read them just as well without bold lettering

I remember hearing the same stuff about Misbah in ODIs. People used to say, why focus on his low strike rate or the result of the match. All the others failed while Misbah scored a 70 ball 55. Without him, we'd lose by a wider margin.

Not until he left the team did the mentality change and team started to play as a team.

My misgivings with Fawad are the same I have with Shan. It is not about individual innings. It's about results. Fawad unfortunately has been hard done by in the last decade - or we'd have found him out earlier.

Based on this innings, he deserves and will get a long rope - but my fear is, I will be proven right about him.

 

[waleed88]

No need to bold words. I can read them just as well without bold lettering

I remember hearing the same stuff about Misbah in ODIs. People used to say, why focus on his low strike rate or the result of the match. All the others failed while Misbah scored a 70 ball 55. Without him, we'd lose by a wider margin.

Not until he left the team did the mentality change and team started to play as a team.

My misgivings with Fawad are the same I have with Shan. It is not about individual innings. It's about results. Fawad unfortunately has been hard done by in the last decade - or we'd have found him out earlier.

Based on this innings, he deserves and will get a long rope - but my fear is, I will be proven right about him.

Your misgivings are about a batsman who you are comparing to someone who has been playing in tests since 2013 and still hasn't made a mark. Not only that he has the resources to have had played domestics in England, and has been tried to death in all SENA conditions, yet has only scored a barrage of zeroes and can't move his feet to save his life. Comparing him to someone like Fawad who is probably playing his 5th or 6th International test match says all that I need to hear.

 

[boomboom6]

Can only laugh at some pure comedic trash being churned out by some on here ... comparing a guy on his comeback to a proven failure who played 70+ tests and drawing parallels lol

 

[waleed88]

All those people who said Fawad doesn't have the technique to survive in SENA conditions and is a complete tailender, useless, ugly, washed up 35 year old are now on a limb saying he didn't even save the game when he should've stood for 20 more overs. He is also the second coming of Asad 'superior technique' Shafiq for us says all that I need to hear about this forum when they can't accept humble pie

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

Fawad Alam failed to save his team.

I was hoping against hope he would be there at the end but knew deep in my heart, Fawad Alam can't see things through.

You can give him all the credit for his innings but ultimately, it means nothing except a personal record.

Contrast that with an Inzi, a Minandad, even an Imran saving Pakistan tests with dogged last innings batting and staying till the end.

These kinds of players are dangerous. They can do wonders when playing without expectations but the first moment of real hope and it scrambles their minds. Asad Shafiq has many such innings to his name.

You're evidencing that classic negative fan behaviour.

One, blame the guy who's made the maximum runs and put in the best performance, why don't you.

Two, demean him by comparing him to an Inzi or Miandad or Imran? If one starts dong that to every player, how many in the world, far less Pakistan will match up?

Three, forgetting it is a team game. This is not tennis or squash where one man can win a game by himself.

I understand its a bitter moment having come so far and yet lost. But no matter how he goes from here, Fawad is to be celebrated, not pilloried.

 

[hur rizvi]

Nobody declared Fawad as savior and messiah. Infact he was branded incapable and useless for years despite solid and abundant performance. While he kept churning performance after performance in domestic circuit which shows mental fortitude and strength.

And I am pretty sure Inzi, miandad and imran were not giving those performances everyday especially after long comebacks. Give respect and time to the guy...

EXactly this guy is under constant threat that this could be his last test. Had he failed in this innings he might not have even gotten next test and HAris 'lazy' sohail would have played with babar replacing fawad

 

[sharmaji]

Fantastic innings by Fawad. I wish he had ensured that Pak could draw the test.

Maybe PCB should have played him in the national team all these years, I feel he was wasted in the domestic cricket.

 

[Barragan]

Even at the twilight of his career he has managed to show his worth at intl. level.

Slap on the faces of all those previous naysayers and those who didn't want to select him based on his stance or technique.

Unfortunately, he was robbed of a selection during his prime years and at this stage only has a year or two left in him.

A tragic story.

 

[Slog]

Classic Pakistani fans.

Harsha Bhogle was right. Pakistani fans behavior is akin to criticising the sole breadwinner of the family while the rest of the family members sit and do nothing.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Your misgivings are about a batsman who you are comparing to someone who has been playing in tests since 2013 and still hasn't made a mark. Not only that he has the resources to have had played domestics in England, and has been tried to death in all SENA conditions, yet has only scored a barrage of zeroes and can't move his feet to save his life. Comparing him to someone like Fawad who is probably playing his 5th or 6th International test match says all that I need to hear.

Fawad is not a 19 year old. His track record is in front of us. There is a reason he has not been in the international team despite his 57 average.

As I said, he deserves to stay based on this innings but he is not the solution in my view. I will be happy to be proven wrong.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

You're evidencing that classic negative fan behaviour.

One, blame the guy who's made the maximum runs and put in the best performance, why don't you.

Two, demean him by comparing him to an Inzi or Miandad or Imran? If one starts dong that to every player, how many in the world, far less Pakistan will match up?

Three, forgetting it is a team game. This is not tennis or squash where one man can win a game by himself.

I understand its a bitter moment having come so far and yet lost. But no matter how he goes from here, Fawad is to be celebrated, not pilloried.

I am not basing my opinion on one innings. Otherwise, I would be celebrating him to the moon and back.

 

[Mamoon]

This is really unfair on the man. I could argue (am not, but jut making an opposite point) that a second innings knock is tougher and more impactful than a first. Also, how do you know (except in hindsight) that the match was beyond winning when Rizwan and Alam were doing swell? And a draw would have been just as good in these circumstances

Second innings runs in Test cricket is a highly overrated metric/criteria.

More than 90% of Tests are decided by the events of the first innings of both teams. That is why runs in the first innings carry more value and are far more impactful.

If you bat first, score a hundred and help your team post 400+, very rarely would you lose from that position.

Similarly, if you bat second and the opposition didn’t score much in their first innings, you can kill the game by scoring big in your first innings.

If the opposition gets a big total while batting first, you can make a game out of it by doing the same in your first innings.

People give second innings performances too much value because the pitch has deteriorated, but what is the point of scoring tough runs when your failure in the first innings has already cost your team the chance to win the match.

A batsman who averages 50 in the first innings and 30 in the second innings will prove to be a bigger match-winner than someone averaging 30 in the first innings and 50 in the second innings.

There was no possibility of Pakistan chasing this total even when Fawad and Rizwan were batting. At no point did Pakistan entertain that possibility - it was all about surviving.

There is a reason why even the best batting lineup would fail to chase 350+ 99% of the time. It is an extremely difficult task.

 

[Mamoon]

Yepp another proof you have no real clue about cricket

I have more clue than 99% of the people here put together. They are shortsighted and deluded and always fail to look at the bigger picture.

 

[waleed88]

Fawad is not a 19 year old. His track record is in front of us. There is a reason he has not been in the international team despite his 57 average.

As I said, he deserves to stay based on this innings but he is not the solution in my view. I will be happy to be proven wrong.

The reason was the same guy who is also his Karachi compatriot, who was in his spot because of his 'superior technique.' His technique was used as a yardstick to bash Fawad's. And of course we can see what technique got us for the better part of a decade. Same with Azhar Ali who is only churning out career saving performances and is pretty much past his prime.

 

[Mamoon]

You can't compound two batsmen who don't bat the same way as being similar in nature just because the outcome of the game was/wasn't what you had wanted, or because they belong to the same region.

Again, I couldn’t care less about the region that they come from, and I couldn’t care less about their respective playing styles. Both are average batsmen, and that is a commonality.

My point is that Fawad had a typical Shafiq like impact-less Test match. Not score runs when there is a chance to win the match, score runs when there isn’t, but don’t score enough runs to save the match.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

The reason was the same guy who is also his Karachi compatriot, who was in his spot because of his 'superior technique.' His technique was used as a yardstick to bash Fawad's. And of course we can see what technique got us for the better part of a decade. Same with Azhar Ali who is only churning out career saving performances and is pretty much past his prime.

I don't disagree with you there - Shafiq shouldn't have played more than 15 tests.

But that doesn't make a case for Fawad.

 

[waleed88]

Again, I couldn’t care less about the region that they come from, and I couldn’t care less about their respective playing styles. Both are average batsmen, and that is a commonality.

My point is that Fawad had a typical Shafiq like impact-less Test match. Not score runs when there is a chance to win the match, score runs when there isn’t, but don’t score enough runs to save the match.

What would you call Fahim's knock then in the first innings? I am guessing a fluke

 

[Mamoon]

What would you call Fahim's knock then in the first innings? I am guessing a fluke

No it wasn’t. It was a terrific innings. Whether he can do it consistently or not is a different story.

He is not the first average player to play a brilliant innings. Won’t be the last either.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Hes got temperament but I don't think he's a world Beater and moreover he's 36.

 

[waleed88]

Again, I couldn’t care less about the region that they come from, and I couldn’t care less about their respective playing styles. Both are average batsmen, and that is a commonality.

My point is that Fawad had a typical Shafiq like impact-less Test match. Not score runs when there is a chance to win the match, score runs when there isn’t, but don’t score enough runs to save the match.

Also team deserves to lose when your last 4 batsmen can't bat out 20 overs.

 

[waleed88]

It's like saying 'Hey Tendulkar is at fault for losing the Chennai test, and the guy should've gotten those 15 runs. No blame on the next 5 batsmen coming' Irrespective that he scored on a rank turner on a day 5 wicket. (Ofcourse not comparing the calibre of the two batsman)

 

[Mamoon]

Fawad is 35, he has failed miserably in all his comeback innings apart from one, and even his one innings was completely impact-less.

He arrived too late to help Pakistan win, but left too early to help Pakistan draw.

However, Pakistani fans will have you convinced that this was a batting masterclass and we should either wail about the injustice that he has suffered in the past or get excited about the future.

This is the level of delusion and cricket ignorance among Pakistani fans. The mediocrity of the team mirrors the mediocrity of the fans.

 

[Mamoon]

It's like saying 'Hey Tendulkar is at fault for losing the Chennai test, and the guy should've gotten those 15 runs. No blame on the next 5 batsmen coming' Irrespective that he scored on a rank turner on a day 5 wicket. (Ofcourse not comparing the calibre of the two batsman)

If he scored the 136 in the first innings instead of getting out for 0, India would have probably won the match.

That is why first innings performances are more valuable and impactful.

 

[waleed88]

Fawad is 35, he has failed miserably in all his comeback innings apart from one, and even his one innings was completely impact-less.

He arrived too late to help Pakistan win, but left too early to help Pakistan draw.

However, Pakistani fans will have you convinced that this was a batting masterclass and we should either wail about the injustice that he has suffered in the past or get excited about the future.

This is the level of delusion and cricket ignorance among Pakistani fans. The mediocrity of the team mirrors the mediocrity of the fans.

Same people were glorifying Malik's comeback back in 2015 after he scored that double century against England on a flat UAE surface, but failed miserably after.

 

[waleed88]

If he scored the 136 in the first innings instead of getting out for 0, India would have probably won the match.

That is why first innings performances are more valuable and impactful.

Still doesn't change the fact that it is still one of the greatest knocks of all time regardless of the results.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

It's like saying 'Hey Tendulkar is at fault for losing the Chennai test, and the guy should've gotten those 15 runs. No blame on the next 5 batsmen coming' Irrespective that he scored on a rank turner on a day 5 wicket. (Ofcourse not comparing the calibre of the two batsman)

I would actually agree to that statement - but will be murdered even on a Pakistani origin forum

When its your day, make it count for your team.

 

[smkk]

Truly unforgivable, what a injustice had been done on this man. In his peak years, he kept on piling runs after runs in domestics and no one even bother to look upon him.

End result, Pakistan loose on to a batsman who could had seved her for all these years. Goes on to show, that domestics should always be taken into serious contention while selecting.

Another gross injustice were done to the premier bowler of domestics, Sadaf Khan (hopefully right name).

 

[Mamoon]

Same people were glorifying Malik's comeback back in 2015 after he scored that double century against England on a flat UAE surface, but failed miserably after.

That 245 came in the first innings and helped Pakistan draw the game. If he failed, England would have won the match because they scored 598 n their first innings with Cook scoring 263.

 

[Mamoon]

Still doesn't change the fact that it is still one of the greatest knocks of all time regardless of the results.

Yes, but it also doesn’t change the fact it didn’t help the team win. It is usually the case when batsmen play a great knock in the second innings after failing in the first innings.

That is why first innings runs are more valuable. They set up the match. You fail in the first innings and you will keep playing catch up.

 

[waleed88]

That 245 came in the first innings and helped Pakistan draw the game. If he failed, England would have won the match because they scored 598 n their first innings with Cook scoring 263.

He was thoroughly mediocre and even retired after that Test Series because he felt the game wasn't right and the English team bounced him out in most innings afterwards. It also wasn't a chanceless innings by any means. He was a mediocre investment which should've never been made if the plan was to play him on surfaces he is comfortable in. Which has been quite the opposite in Fawad's case.

 

[shariqnoor]

I can appreciate his century but won't go beyond that. It neither won Pakistan the game nor drew it. So it doesn't matter if he scored 250 or 0. The end result matters.

Also the fact that he got out right after scoring his century and Rizwan getting out shows that he let his concentration down when it mattered the most. He scored his century when there was literally 0 pressure because everybody knew Pakistan would lose. Fawad had nothing to lose. But just when the finishing line got closer, he succumbed as all non-great players would.

I'm not surprised that many are hailing the "fightback" and "steel" showed by Pakistan batsmen. This is the kind of mediocrity that needs to be erased from Pakistan cricket. Everybody should be angry at losing the match. Not being happy that they showed "fight". This is the kind of attitude that Bangladesh used to show when they would celebrate a fight against the big boys even though they lost.

 

[Mamoon]

He was thoroughly mediocre and even retired after that Test Series because he felt the game wasn't right and the English team bounced him out in most innings afterwards. It also wasn't a chanceless innings by any means. He was a mediocre investment which should've never been made if the plan was to play him on surfaces he is comfortable in. Which has been quite the opposite in Fawad's case.

All of that is true, but his innings was worth more than Fawad’s effort here.

 

[waleed88]

All of that is true, but his innings was worth more than Fawad’s effort here.

Easy to play in conditions you are comfortable in which has been the summary of his career.

 

[Mamoon]

I can appreciate his century but won't go beyond that. It neither won Pakistan the game nor drew it. So it doesn't matter if he scored 250 or 0. The end result matters.

Also the fact that he got out right after scoring his century and Rizwan getting out shows that he let his concentration down when it mattered the most. He scored his century when there was literally 0 pressure because everybody knew Pakistan would lose. Fawad had nothing to lose. But just when the finishing line got closer, he succumbed as all non-great players would.

I'm not surprised that many are hailing the "fightback" and "steel" showed by Pakistan batsmen. This is the kind of mediocrity that needs to be erased from Pakistan cricket. Everybody should be angry at losing the match. Not being happy that they showed "fight". This is the kind of attitude that Bangladesh used to show when they would celebrate a fight against the big boys even though they lost.

Well said. Unfortunately, when the team becomes mediocre, the fans follow suit. These days, it takes very little for a Pakistani player to win praise from the fans.

They keep overrated the team but they have accepted their mediocrity subconsciously even if they don’t want to admit it.

 

[Mamoon]

Easy to play in conditions you are comfortable in which has been the summary of his career.

Yeah it would have been really nice if Fawad would have played this “tough” knock in the first innings instead of trying hook the ball like prime Ponting.

 

[James Steven]

Well said. Unfortunately, when the team becomes mediocre, the fans follow suit. These days, it takes very little for a Pakistani player to win praise from the fans.

They keep overrated the team but they have accepted their mediocrity subconsciously even if they don’t want to admit it.

As I said, Pakistan is quick becoming the new Zimbabwe where fans celebrate the "effort" and do bhangra over one off win here and there.