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

[Mamoon]

There were 2 notable performances that you missed out on. One was Hafeez smashing a 98. Second was Asad Shafiq, another player who has played countless 'selfish' knocks like Malik did.

Without Malik, the other batsmen combined to score 252/8.

A terrible score on a batting paradise. Take Malik’s 245 out and England wins that match at a canter.

That is why first innings runs are so valuable; they set up the match. Had Malik gone for a duck in the first innings, a second innings hundred wouldn’t be enough to save the game.

 

[waleed88]

Pakistan was bundled out in the second innings on day 5 but England didn’t have enough time left to chase the small total.

Without Malik’s 245, Pakistan would have scored a below par total which means that England would have declared a little earlier and either won by an innings or by 7-8 wickets.

In the context of the game, Malik’s contribution was more valuable than Fawad’s useless haul that came too late to help Pakistan win and ended too early to help Pakistan draw.

The game does not work like that. You can't say because Pakistan got out early, English team would score the same total they did. Maybe Hafeez would've played another blinder like he did in that 3rd Test Match when he scored 150. Maybe Shafiq would've scored a double century. Misbah was one of the team's top run getters maybe he would've gone on to get a big one. Sarfaraz was also a demon back then on those wickets, maybe he would've wagged with the tail.

Pakistan team was a better team than that English team in those conditions. If the team faltered, chances are the English team would score lower than the runs our team scored. That performance was the only decent performance by that team that entire series.

To rate Malik's double century as a better and more important knock in home conditions, compared to Fawad's is a travesty. Even statisticians and experts who know their cricket state that this knock requires tremendous focus and concentration. Its also the most balls faced by a batsman par Javed Miandad in foreign conditions.

To summarize, Pakistan would've more likely than not done better than England in those conditions 9/10 (Having won 5/6 games). And like the other two matches and the series before this, England's track record states that they would've underperformed regardless of Malik's inconsequential knock would/would not have done. (As the other games proved afterwards) When Malik didn't perform it didn't hamper the teams chances. Which is why he was an extra in that whole series and rightfully retired.

The guy was hopping around to English bowlers in flat conditions like those. Malik doesn't have the caliber to even face 1/4th of the balls Fawad has faced, let alone get a century. There is no chance that innings tops Fawad who is facing one of the best bowling attacks in the world currently with 800 wickets between them. Sorry!

 

[Mamoon]

The game does not work like that. You can't say because Pakistan got out early, English team would score the same total they did. Maybe Hafeez would've played another blinder like he did in that 3rd Test Match when he scored 150. Maybe Shafiq would've scored a double century. Misbah was one of the team's top run getters maybe he would've gone on to get a big one. Sarfaraz was also a demon back then on those wickets, maybe he would've wagged with the tail.

Pakistan team was a better team than that English team in those conditions. If the team faltered, chances are the English team would score lower than the runs our team scored. That performance was the only decent performance by that team that entire series.

To rate Malik's double century as a better and more important knock in home conditions, compared to Fawad's is a travesty. Even statisticians and experts who know their cricket state that this knock requires tremendous focus and concentration. Its also the most balls faced by a batsman par Javed Miandad in foreign conditions. To summarize, Pakistan would've more likely than not done better than England in those conditions. And like the other two matches and the series before this, England's track record states that they would've underperformed regardless of Malik's inconsequential knock would/would not have done. (As the other games proved afterwards) When Malik didn't perform it didn't hamper the teams chances. Which is why he was an extra in that whole series and rightfully retired.

The guy was hopping around to English bowlers in flat conditions like those. Malik doesn't have the caliber to even face 1/4th of the balls Fawad has faced, let alone get a century. There is no chance that innings tops Fawad who is facing one of the best bowling attacks in the world currently with 800 wickets between them. Sorry!

You are the one who doesn’t understand the game because you keep insisting that first innings runs are not more valuable than second innings runs. That is a fallacy - the vast majority of Tests are set up by what happens in the first innings of both teams.

You can pretend that had Malik failed in the first innings, Cook and England would also have failed and Pakistan would have still drawn the game.

However, we are not making a DIRECT comparison between Malik and Fawad’s innings here in terms of conditions etc. You don’t seem to get the point of discussion and perhaps that is why you keep arguing the same points.

We are looking at the two innings in CONTEXT of their respective matches.

In the CONTEXT of the Pakistan vs England Test, Malik innings was more valuable because it helped Pakistan draw the match.

Had Fawad scored his runs in the first innings, it could have helped Pakistan survive and then it wouldn’t have a useless innings worth personal gratification only.

 

[waleed88]

Without Malik, the other batsmen combined to score 252/8.

A terrible score on a batting paradise. Take Malik’s 245 out and England wins that match at a canter.

That is why first innings runs are so valuable; they set up the match. Had Malik gone for a duck in the first innings, a second innings hundred wouldn’t be enough to save the game.

Not every first and second innings is valuable. It depends on the circumstances as well as the game. Mccullum counterattacked against Pakistan in his SECOND innings which took the game away from us and made us lose that test match against NZ in 2014.

There are many other countless examples of innings that have changed the course of the game in the second innings. YK against Zimbabwe 2013, YK against Srilanka chasing 378. Azhar Ali and Misbah playing a blinder to chase 300 vs Srilanka on the last day. Kamran and Razzaq drawing a test match vs India in 2005 brought belief in the camp to fight toe to toe with the legendary Indian batting unit in 2005. The list goes on.

The knock if it comes in a losing cause does not come in vain. So you can't generalize in all situations regarding the first and second innings. The game fluctuates to and fro, and you can never say the game was up until the last ball is bowled. On another day, Naseem and Shaheen would've survived those 4 overs. It was not an unrealistic ask. It's like saying the game was already lost, why even both to fight?

 

[waleed88]

You are the one who doesn’t understand the game because you keep insisting that first innings runs are not more valuable than second innings runs. That is a fallacy - the vast majority of Tests are set up by what happens in the first innings of both teams.

You can pretend that had Malik failed in the first innings, Cook and England would also have failed and Pakistan would have still drawn the game.

However, we are not making a DIRECT comparison between Malik and Fawad’s innings here in terms of conditions etc. You don’t seem to get the point of discussion and perhaps that is why you keep arguing the same points.

We are looking at the two innings in CONTEXT of their respective matches.

In the CONTEXT of the Pakistan vs England Test, Malik innings was more valuable because it helped Pakistan draw the match.

Had Fawad scored his runs in the first innings, it could have helped Pakistan survive and then it wouldn’t have a useless innings worth personal gratification only.

If the margin between defeat and victory are just 24 deliveries then I feel it was a galiant effort worth praising. If it's for self glorification, then Brett Lee and Warne should be celebrating their 50 if the reason was self glorification trying to draw the test match vs England in 2005.

 

[waleed88]

You are the one who doesn’t understand the game because you keep insisting that first innings runs are not more valuable than second innings runs. That is a fallacy - the vast majority of Tests are set up by what happens in the first innings of both teams.

You can pretend that had Malik failed in the first innings, Cook and England would also have failed and Pakistan would have still drawn the game.

However, we are not making a DIRECT comparison between Malik and Fawad’s innings here in terms of conditions etc. You don’t seem to get the point of discussion and perhaps that is why you keep arguing the same points.

We are looking at the two innings in CONTEXT of their respective matches.

In the CONTEXT of the Pakistan vs England Test, Malik innings was more valuable because it helped Pakistan draw the match.

Had Fawad scored his runs in the first innings, it could have helped Pakistan survive and then it wouldn’t have a useless innings worth personal gratification only.

The context was chasing 90 in 11 overs, which given the rules of today would've resulted in a Pakistani loss. The loss which was a draw only on technicality. The game was supposed to be a draw, which ended up being an almost loss for this team. Our hero also contributed a duck facing Jimmy Anderson in the second innings when the team needed him more than his first innings.

Given his 15+ year experience then, the guy should've steadied himself, but alas the technique gave way. Since these technicalities define the quality of the knock rather than merit we are having this debate about which knock was more important. That knock came with numerous dropped chances vs a chanceless and impeccable innings.

Considering that p** poor technique against short pitched bowling, that knock feels more for self glorification in my case. Because it makes a series average of 50, regardless of showing how technically poor a batsman you are. Which is why he took the easier route to chicken out before the series against England in England.

And that self glorification seems more evident in Malik's cause than Fawad's generally as well. Along with the #BringbackMalik tweets shared on twitter as part of a campaign. We might see those very soon, now that our boy is looking for another world cup to fail in.

 

[waleed88]

If the margin for defeat vs saving a test match**

 

[Hawkeye]

Good knock.

Will it help Pak in the long run? Even the short-term? No.

He can't do it often, certainly not against good pace attacks or in testing conditions.

No, we haven't found a Misbah/Younis replacement. Yet to see any proper batsman come through who can replace our Test batting backbone.

So, a search for proper Test batsmen is still ON.

 

[waleed88]

It's like saying if a team in football is a smaller team, and they did an outstanding job facing the attack of 90 mins against Manchester city, only to concede a goal in extra time.

It doesn't mean that you don't give credit to the defence for keeping them out for 90 minutes. Or not giving the goal keeper credit for making those outstanding saves.

Or its akin to saying the goalkeeper only did that for self glorification. Hey, even if the guy is mediocre he made some really outstanding saves and definitely deserves an applause for keeping out a world class attack for 90 minutes.

 

[Mamoon]

If the margin between defeat and victory are just 24 deliveries then I feel it was a galiant effort worth praising. If it's for self glorification, then Brett Lee and Warne should be celebrating their 50 if the reason was self glorification trying to draw the test match vs England in 2005.

Except Fawad wasn’t there at the end to help the team save the match. He got out to a nothing delivery and handed the job to the tail-enders.

Far better knocks have been played by batsmen on day 5 to save matches. Malik’s 148 not out (while opening the innings) against a rampant Muralitharan on a day 5 Colombo pitch in 2006 is one such example.

 

[waleed88]

Except Fawad wasn’t there at the end to help the team save the match. He got out to a nothing delivery and handed the job to the tail-enders.

Far better knocks have been played by batsmen on day 5 to save matches. Malik’s 148 not out (while opening the innings) against a rampant Muralitharan on a day 5 Colombo pitch in 2006 is one such example.

Yes and he still averages in his 30s despite playing for 15+ years. If only Fawad had been afforded such preferential treatment.

 

[waleed88]

Except what Malik got was subcontinent centuries and was a tailender in SENA conditions. Quite the opposite with Fawad who was dislodged for a decade after 1 failure in NZ.

 

[Mamoon]

The bottom-line is that Fawad has played 6 innings post comeback, failed miserably in 5 of them and the only good innings that he played was inconsequential.

This is not enough for me to sing songs in his honor or to shed tears on what could have been had he got his chances ahead of Shafiq all these years.

If he produces match and series defining performances in the future I will have no problem praising him.

The problem is that considering the desperate and hopeless state of Pakistan cricket these days, Pakistani fans have become the excitable in the world as well as the most charitable when it comes to players that they like.

It literally takes the bare minimum for any player of their liking to win praise from the fans.

If Pakistan was a competent cricket nation with competent fans, instead of waxing lyrical about Fawad for scoring an inconsequential innings after helping the team get into a losing position,

they would tell Fawad that you are 35 years old with years and years of FC experience. 5 failures in 6 innings with 1 inconsequential, stats boosting innings is not good enough at all.

 

[Mamoon]

Yes and he still averages in his 30s despite playing for 15+ years. If only Fawad had been afforded such preferential treatment.

No one said Malik is a better Test batsman than Fawad.

I only said that his 245 vs England at Abu Dhabi was far more influential in the context of that game then Fawad’s, and his resistance against Muralitharan in 2006 was a better day 5 effort than Fawad’s.

If both play 10 matches together, there is no doubt Fawad will score more runs. His temperament is better for this format.

 

[waleed88]

The bottom-line is that Fawad has played 6 innings post comeback, failed miserably in 5 of them and the only good innings that he played was inconsequential.

This is not enough for me to sing songs in his honor or to shed tears on what could have been had he got his chances ahead of Shafiq all these years.

If he produces match and series defining performances in the future I will have no problem praising him.

The problem is that considering the desperate and hopeless state of Pakistan cricket these days, Pakistani fans have become the excitable in the world as well as the most charitable when it comes to players that they like.

It literally takes the bare minimum for any player of their liking to win praise from the fans.

If Pakistan was a competent cricket nation with competent fans, instead of waxing lyrical about Fawad for scoring an inconsequential innings after helping the team get into a losing position,

they would tell Fawad that you are 35 years old with years and years of FC experience. 5 failures in 6 innings with 1 inconsequential, stats boosting innings is not good enough at all.

Lets bookmark this conversation and continue after the next test match lol

 

[Mamoon]

Lets bookmark this conversation and continue after the next test match lol

Or how about we give Fawad two years or until he gets dropped again and for good this time, and then examine his performance and conclude if he was impactful or not.

The problem is that Fawad fans have both sides covered.

If Fawad delivers, they will thump their chests and once again right stores about the years of injustice.

If he doesn’t deliver, they will say that PCB wasted his prime years and only selected him when he got too old.

So as far as I am concerned, there is no winning from Fawad fans.

 

[hur rizvi]

If Pakistan were a competent cricket nation they wouldn't have wasted 10 years of Fawad just because he doesn't look good while playing.

No country with some sense of merit would have deprived a person averaging 57 in FC cricket for so long of a decent run in test cricket

That's, why his success needs to celebrated, should be kept as a reminder that domestic performances are worth more than naked talent judging eyes of selectors

 

[kingusama92]

The bottom-line is that Fawad has played 6 innings post comeback, failed miserably in 5 of them and the only good innings that he played was inconsequential.

Bang on.

That second innings performance in Southampton (1st Test) was a total disaster. In the next Test, he was just as bad in the second innings!

 

[dravidthewall]

Congratulation fawad,what a batsman he is.Teriffic comeback.Hats off to you.

 

[hur rizvi]

Bang on.

That second innings performance in Southampton (1st Test) was a total disaster. In the next Test, he was just as bad in the second innings!

MAde me chuckle
Also we need to consider Fawad also scored a century against NZ-A (a match-winning one) so there is some consistency already being shown by him

 

[waleed88]

Bang on.

That second innings performance in Southampton (1st Test) was a total disaster. In the next Test, he was just as bad in the second innings!

You do know that the guy only played 2 innings in the 2 test matches. Got out to a duck in southampton. Did not bat in the second innings because rain drew the test match. He made 21 in the first innings against England, and faced 9 deliveries in the second to draw the game, ending the game as not out.

 

[waleed88]

The bottom-line is that Fawad has played 6 innings post comeback, failed miserably in 5 of them and the only good innings that he played was inconsequential.

This is not enough for me to sing songs in his honor or to shed tears on what could have been had he got his chances ahead of Shafiq all these years.

If he produces match and series defining performances in the future I will have no problem praising him.

The problem is that considering the desperate and hopeless state of Pakistan cricket these days, Pakistani fans have become the excitable in the world as well as the most charitable when it comes to players that they like.

It literally takes the bare minimum for any player of their liking to win praise from the fans.

If Pakistan was a competent cricket nation with competent fans, instead of waxing lyrical about Fawad for scoring an inconsequential innings after helping the team get into a losing position,

they would tell Fawad that you are 35 years old with years and years of FC experience. 5 failures in 6 innings with 1 inconsequential, stats boosting innings is not good enough at all.

You do know that the guy only played 2 innings in the 2 test matches vs England. Got out to a duck in southampton. Did not bat in the second innings because rain drew the test match. He made 21 in the first innings against England, and faced 9 deliveries in the second to draw the game, ending the game as not out. This was his 4th innings since comeback.

 

[waleed88]

Unless Mamoon wanted Fawad to play the game after it was drawn )

 

[hur rizvi]

Unless Mamoon wanted Fawad to play the game after it was drawn )

That was an impactful 0*

 

[waleed88]

That was an impactful 0*

As inconsequential as his century against NZ

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I'm truly humbled by the love, respect & appreciation received from everyone. I feel incredibly grateful representing my country & making everyone proud. Here's to hoping for even better future performances. Happy New Year in advance, keep me & my family in your prayers. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvNZ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvNZ</a></p>— Fawad Alam (@iamfawadalam25) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamfawadalam25/status/1344600005101973504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[IAJ]

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.

Wah. Showing tremendous modesty and humility.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Post tea is the most dangerous time for any team that is either draw, a win or even setting up a target.
Countless matches have been won or lost at that time. Start of the new days is the closest that comes to post tea session when it comes to chase.

True that is what ppl here say why they are not praising his inns is because it didn’t serve the purpose to make a draw or win.

All his effort to put that century inns was for the team to save the test, but went in vain.. he let his concentration go down when it mattered the most. With so much experience in FC level he should know how a game could turn when they give a sniff to opponent by losing a wicket. Rizwan just lost his wicket, Fawad should have stayed to draw the match and he would have been praised even more than this.