What's new

[PICTURES/VIDEO] Abdullah Shafique needs to be our flagship batter going forward

Abdullah Shafique has all the right technical skills to be a really good batsman in all formats. I would persist with him rather than expecting something from players like Usman Khan
 
I am sure the international teams would love to have Shafique as Pakistan's flagship batter in T20's. This would mean Babar and Rizwan will be part of the pack as well as they play exactly like Shafique. This would mean that Pakistan on their best batting day will probably reach 200-210 at the max. This is a poor strategy and is not going to improve Pakistan's already struggling T20 side. Pakistan either has sloggers like Nawaz/Haris or has blockers like Shafique/Babar/Rizwan, seems like they don't have any middle ground except for Saim Ayub.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
No tantrums - seems some players can never win in your eyes and it's interesting to see favouritism at play.

In those 50+ matches he has scored almost 20 50+ scores.

If he doesn't score in PSL you will call him a failure. If he scores you call him a failure anyway.

What should he do? Retire from cricket? Is there no room for redemption or comebacks.
Click to expand...
He should play domestic cricket so we can see exactly where he stands compared to the rest of the domestic players and not just play PSL which is designed for entertainment and same goes for players like Babar and Rizwan.

In the recent T20 Cup, Sahibzada averaged 121 with a strike rate of 190 over 7 games, scoring 3 centuries and 2 fifties meanwhile, your guy Abdullah Shafique averaged just 36, lol
 
emranabbas said:
He should play domestic cricket so we can see exactly where he stands compared to the rest of the domestic players and not just play PSL which is designed for entertainment and same goes for players like Babar and Rizwan.

In the recent T20 Cup, Sahibzada averaged 121 with a strike rate of 190 over 7 games, scoring 3 centuries and 2 fifties meanwhile, your guy Abdullah Shafique averaged just 36, lol
Click to expand...
You can try Sahibzada too. I'm not against it. He should be given a fair and consistent shot.

The nation T20 cup is a low standard. PSL is the barometer for domestic T20 cricket in Pakistan and if he does well then thats good enough to be considered for a long stint in t20 cricket. In my eyes a player needs to be given 15-20 consistent chances in T20 cricket at least. It is a format where you only need to really come off once every 4-5 matches so writing a player off after 6 matches is too soon.
 
emranabbas said:
@DeadlyVenom

Also I want to ask are fahim ashraf and tariq usman world class international standard bowlers?
Click to expand...
Thats not really the batsmans fault. He can only play what's infront of him. We are already placing high expectations of scoring runs on him. It is too much to expect him to negotiate for Pat Cumins and Bumrah to play PSL so his critics can be satisfied.

Your stance seems to be that sometimes you want proven domestic players to play international but then when you don't like the player then you criticize the same domestic you were a fan of.
 
N
DeadlyVenom said:
Thats not really the batsmans fault. He can only play what's infront of him. We are already placing high expectations of scoring runs on him. It is too much to expect him to negotiate for Pat Cumins and Bumrah to play PSL so his critics can be satisfied.

Your stance seems to be that sometimes you want proven domestic players to play international but then when you don't like the player then you criticize the same domestic you were a fan of.
Click to expand...
No that's not my stance at all Abdullah shafique has played more than enough international cricket facing decent bowlers and he's not cut for international cricket. Imam is also a beast in domestic and we know what happens in international cricket.

PSL is definitely not the league where you can hype up players For international cricket Usman khan last year scored 4 centuries in PSL with so many chances he's not even able to score 1 century in international cricket

PSL is designed for entertainment purposes where the pitch is going to be flat with smaller boundries and not easy to replicate same perfomances in international cricket
 
emranabbas said:
N

No that's not my stance at all Abdullah shafique has played more than enough international cricket facing decent bowlers and he's not cut for international cricket. Imam is also a beast in domestic and we know what happens in international cricket.

PSL is definitely not the league where you can hype up players For international cricket Usman khan last year scored 4 centuries in PSL with so many chances he's not even able to score 1 century in international cricket

PSL is designed for entertainment purposes where the pitch is going to be flat with smaller boundries and not easy to replicate same perfomances in international cricket
Click to expand...
How do we find T20 players then if not PSL?

All other Pak tournaments are of lower quality (Champions Cup, National T20, etc), and FC tournaments won't produce the right players for the T20 format.

By the way, I am not arguing with you or have any axe to grind in case it is being perceived that way. I am just interested in your opinion, as I can't see any alternative for the T20 selection in Pakistan apart from PSL.

Imam is a different story. He never plays quickly and isn't good enough to be selected for franchise, so I think his ceiling is a lot lower than others.
 
msb314 said:
Abdullah Shafique has all the ingredients to become our premier batsman moving forward in LOi.

- Good Technique
- Good Range of Strokes
- Acceleration or Accumulation depending on the situation…

Not interested in nonsense about how he failed in SAF or is too defensive… so please avoid.

Need to persist with the following team moving forward:

1. Saim Ayub
2. Mo Haris
3. Abdullah Shafique
4. Babar Azam
5. Saud Shakeel
6. Salman Agha
7. Shadab Khan
8. Naseem Shah
9. Sufiyan Muqeem
10. Ihsanullah
11. Abrar
Click to expand...
Will babar bat this position ? never
 
msb314 said:
Abdullah Shafique has all the ingredients to become our premier batsman moving forward in LOi.

- Good Technique
- Good Range of Strokes
- Acceleration or Accumulation depending on the situation…

Not interested in nonsense about how he failed in SAF or is too defensive… so please avoid.

Need to persist with the following team moving forward:

1. Saim Ayub
2. Mo Haris
3. Abdullah Shafique
4. Babar Azam
5. Saud Shakeel
6. Salman Agha
7. Shadab Khan
8. Naseem Shah
9. Sufiyan Muqeem
10. Ihsanullah
11. Abrar
Click to expand...
ABD has ability to hit big and go with the flow
 
DeadlyVenom said:
How do we find T20 players then if not PSL?

All other Pak tournaments are of lower quality (Champions Cup, National T20, etc), and FC tournaments won't produce the right players for the T20 format.

By the way, I am not arguing with you or have any axe to grind in case it is being perceived that way. I am just interested in your opinion, as I can't see any alternative for the T20 selection in Pakistan apart from PSL.

Imam is a different story. He never plays quickly and isn't good enough to be selected for franchise, so I think his ceiling is a lot lower than others.
Click to expand...

Give a new guy a chance instead of sticking with the tried-and-tested like Abdullah Shafique. Some newcomers, like Saim Ayub, will prove themselves, while others, like Sahibzada Farhan, might not. You can’t judge a player solely based on PSL performances.

Last year we thought usman khan will do wonders but he failed bur on the other hand saim was a success

We have also found the likes of hasan ali, shadab shaheen etc through psl and they were good In their initial years of international cricket and were a success but you may get others who will fail

With Abdullah shafique he has had enough chances and isn't cut for international
 
Abdullah Shafique set things up easily for Qalandars after scoring a quickfire 65 runs off just 35 deliveries. This man is just a treat to watch playing elegant shots.
 
RidiculousMan said:
Form is temporary. Class is permanent.

This guy will win Pakistan many more games in the future in all formats.
Click to expand...
Whenever he performs in mickey mouse PSL 🐭 his fans come out saying hes class etc. Check his record. Hes extremely timid in international cricket. He won't be batting against Abbas Afridi and Hasan Ali in international cricket
 
ataullah said:
Whenever he performs in mickey mouse PSL 🐭 his fans come out saying hes class etc. Check his record. Hes extremely timid in international cricket. He won't be batting against Abbas Afridi and Hasan Ali in international cricket
Click to expand...
Guy has a winning double hundred and a match winning hundred vs Sri Lanka at Galle in Test Cricket. Not many can say that. Not even Babar. Those two innings were the most crucial Pakistani batter has played in recent times for an away win.

He's still young. Give him some time.
 
RidiculousMan said:
Guy has a winning double hundred and a match winning hundred vs Sri Lanka at Galle in Test Cricket. Not many can say that. Not even Babar. Those two innings were the most crucial Pakistani batter has played in recent times for an away win.

He's still young. Give him some time.
Click to expand...
No doubt hes got massive potential and scored big hundreds but hes got weaknesses which he didn't work on. International cricket is unforgiving in that regard. Also shouldn't compare to babar as babar is bang average.


Let's
 
Tbf to him,

He kept hitting a six every time KK were about to wrestle the momentum back to them.

That was a top innings!
 
His inconsistency and nervous early starts are frustrating. But the guy has always performed for Lahore Qalandars in the most vital matches ie the 2022 final, 2023 final and the 2025 Quarter Final
 
Could have been picked instead lf Hussain Talat. Still should work on his weakness outside off that kept getting him out in south africa, etc, as he is more useful for odi and tests.
 
Only problem is he has limited shots. He looks stylish by not consistent... Good enough for ODIs though.
 
In international cricket, he is way too busy with aesthetics rather than substance.
 
What’s the blueprint of a successful Abdullah S innings? Whatever it is, it won’t help Pak win matches.
 
They hype his technique and aesthetics a lot…

I think even that element is overrated.

I hate these types of players (coward white ball batters) in general but I can tell when a batter really does play proper satisfying shots.

For me, I love watching Shai Hope play his strokes both against pace and spin. He has class and swagger. He has confidence and guile.

This guy Shafique does nothing for me even when he stands and holds his pose after successfully nailing one.
 
mominsaigol said:
Massive insult to KL Rahul. His temu version would be Imam.

Imam despite all his faults still has impressive stats even if it is minnow bashing.

Abdullah is somehow even worse then Imam
Click to expand...
Imam and Fakhar opening was such a stable combination and it's a shame that's not carried on.
 
Rana said:
They hype his technique and aesthetics a lot…

I think even that element is overrated.

I hate these types of players (coward white ball batters) in general but I can tell when a batter really does play proper satisfying shots.

For me, I love watching Shai Hope play his strokes both against pace and spin. He has class and swagger. He has confidence and guile.

This guy Shafique does nothing for me even when he stands and holds his pose after successfully nailing one.
Click to expand...
I dont understand this technique propaganda?

At present Joe root clearly has the best technique in the world, but even if you ignore that, good technique =/= being a good whiteball batter. The likes of root and Williamson have better techniques then Abdullah but in whiteball both are just okay. Only in tests their good.

The likes of David Warner, Cameron Green, Harry Brook(against pace, his technique was spin is good for offence but he hasnt figured out how to play spin defensively) are all better then Abdullah pure technique wise.

Heck Hasan Nawaz has a better technique then Abdullah. His front foot, Backfoot and overall shot selection is infinitely superior.

Some players like fakhar and Travis Head who have inferior techniques then Abdullah are 100x the batter he is or ever will be.

Is looking pretty on camera the new criteria for Technique 🤣🤣?

Abdullah's backfoot is non existent, its the pace equivalent of Babar's backfoot vs Spin. His Front foot is good but his shot selection is awful and extremely limited.

Only Rizzu in the team has a more limited shot selection then Abdullah imo.
 
This guy wouldn't make it to Duleep Trophy squads in India. I know there's not much talent in Pakistan but surely there's a better opener than him somewhere in domestics.

Guy is meek, timid , cowardly and looks like a mental midget even on the field whenever the ball comes to him.
 
His technique hype is just a hoax... His technique is flawed as it has been debunked many times before... Just like Afridi being called duckridi, his name is being duckique.
 
Marnus Labushagne is a better ODI batter than both Shafique and Imam


He (Marnus) is viewed as the black sheep of the team.

Get your priorities right! You don’t need Tatti approach white ball players!
 
Rana said:
Then you don’t need to unnecessarily mention Imam. You can say what you want tbf but it’s a needless name to throw in the hat.
Click to expand...
I was quoting topspin because he was saying Abdullah has better technique and bats at a faster pace
 
shamaan said:
I was quoting topspin because he was saying Abdullah has better technique and bats at a faster pace
Click to expand...
I’m not fully up to date with you and my bro @topspin ‘s debate but I trust him to have a sound judgment on cricket. I’m sure whatever he said holds some merit and weightage. The Shafique desperate to make it into the Pakistan side for the 2023 World Cup and the Shafique now are 2 very different players.
 
Rana said:
Marnus Labushagne is a better ODI batter than both Shafique and Imam


He (Marnus) is viewed as the black sheep of the team.

Get your priorities right! You don’t need Tatti approach white ball players!
Click to expand...
Labu will be replaced by Cameron Green soon enough.

Green is simply more talented in all formats.
 
Rana said:
I’m not fully up to date with you and my bro @topspin ‘s debate but I trust him to have a sound judgment on cricket. I’m sure whatever he said holds some merit and weightage. The Shafique desperate to make it into the Pakistan side for the 2023 World Cup and the Shafique now are 2 very different players.
Click to expand...

@shamaan

You missed the part when I said:

I have no problem with Abdullah Shafique being dropped because he's got his issues but I do not want to see him replaced for an inferior tried and tested player like Imam.
Click to expand...
 
Rana said:
Who cares?

Alistair Cook is way better than both Imam and Shafique

So we play a guy like Cook in ODI????
Click to expand...

This is thing people don’t understand.

If you want to progress, you have embrace change rather than go backwards.

Playing an outdated brand of cricket will guarantee only one outcome. Long-term failure.

Embracing change may come at a short-term cost but eventually the team will improve.

Sri Lanka are not the best side but they are far more respectable than Pakistan in limited overs cricket because they adhere to play the right brand of cricket.
 
He had 2-3 fifties and a hundred in wc23 which is his saving grace.

Not a modern day ODI batsman by any means though
 
He is obsessed with looking pretty on camera and having a picturesque technique. Every time he hits a cover drive or a straight drive he holds his pose for the camera.

Being an aesthetic batsman means nothing when you are not scoring runs. He cannot be ahead of Imam in the pecking-order as far as ODIs are concerned, but I think he can be utilized as a number 4 in ODIs along with Saud.

SR is overrated in ODIs. You need batsmen who can score runs. Maybe Shafique can score at that number.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

BouncerGuy
"Pakistan cricket needs to move forward, that should be our goal": Shan Masood
Replies
10
Views
1K
cricketAXEpert
C
The Bald Eagle
[PICTURES/VIDEOS] Pakistan announce squad for 1st Test against England
2 3
Replies
177
Views
8K
FearlessRoar
FearlessRoar
kingusama92
Rebuilding Pakistan Cricket: A Roadmap for The Future (Potential Prospects + Selections)
2
Replies
103
Views
5K
Dr_Bassim
Dr_Bassim
FearlessRoar
  • Poll Poll
[PICTURE/VIDEO] ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan announce 15-member squad
5 6 7
Replies
534
Views
17K
Rana
Rana
Bilal7
Despite a 3-0 loss to Australia, this series has made Pakistan a better Test side
2 3
Replies
231
Views
12K
Buffet
Buffet
Back
Top