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[PICTURES/VIDEOS] Pakistan at the ICC World Cup 2023 - tournament updates

Has Pakistan selected the right squad to win the ICC World Cup 2023?


  • Total voters
    91
Abdullah one dimensional? Have you seen his batting in PSL, that guy knows all the zones and is a quality bat. See his innings against Sri Lanka.

Saud is a quality quality player, he knows how to hit fast in tests let alone ODIs. Both should be in the playing 11 from match 1.

52 of 69 balls against a weak Sri Lankan attack such an amazing innings by Abdullah all the top teams will need to make special plans to counter Abdullah Shafiques 75 strike rate with Imam Ul Haq raining boundaries at the other end at a 80 strike rate.

:moyo
 
Do you even follow cricket properly? Do you know how long Fakhar had toiled in domestic cricket before getting selected for Pakistan and replace Ahmed Shehzad? You sound very young to Pakistan cricket.

Saim is not the same case, he needs time. Fakhar made an impact immediately, Saim struggled massively against Fazal Farooqui of all people.
Thank you! Fakhar was prolific performer in domestic before his debut
 
It's not going to be a popular squad as everyone wants whatever is the flavour of the month is at the time but this is essentially the squad they have been playing with for the last bunch of years and wholesome changes is simply not feasible right before WC especially when, for the most part, Pakistan have been pretty good & consistent in ODI's.

Nawaz & Shadab have the ability to bowl better and they definitely will need to in order for Pakistan to have success.

Don't love Hasan Ali coming back into the squad but options are limited for Pakistan as it is. No Naseem, no Ihsanullah, no Hasnain, no Amir etc. Zaman Khan is a T20 bowler and has barely even played List A and when he has played it, he hasn't even been good and it's hard to think he will have the durability & stamina to last throughout the tournament. Dahani has been horrific lately so no chance on him. Faheem sucks. Arshad Iqbal has potential but just way too risky to include an untested rookie like him.

It's clear middle order is still undecided as they have decided to include both Agha & Saud along with Adbullah as backup opener option. Haris misses out but honestly if he's going to be a travelling reserve, they are probably better off going with Sarfraz than him simply because if Haris plays, its unlikely to be as an opener if he's Rizwan replacement. He is just poor in the middle overs and hasn't shown an application for the longer format. Development wise, he's better off playing FC than travelling around as a reserve.
 
The only reason why Sarfaraz was not added (even in reserves) is because Rizwan would become nervous

Plain and simple. They can’t afford Rizwan having to look over his shoulder every time he comes out to bat in a serious position like no.4
 
73% believe this was the wrong squad selected

This is the polls Imran Khan has in his favour in Pakistan
 
Can't say I'm surprised with this squad, pretty much expected. I understand the criticism to an extent but at the same time there is a bit of an overreaction here. Really the only proper complaint I have is why players who people wanted in the squad (Saim, Haris, etc.) were not tested and given chances earlier as opposed to selecting them literally before the tournament. Like with Saim Ayub, the kid is so graceful and talented with the bat but I'm sorry if you want him to make his ODI debut during a WC in India, then you're literally pretty much asking for a Haider Ali repeat (if not, worse).

Also, this really hasn't been discussed so I'll say it here. Yes, Pakistan in ODIs post-2019 WC kept fielding their best XI even against the smaller nations and weakened stronger nations but that's the thing: all they've been playing against were weak teams/weakened stronger teams. Like I can totally understand if Pakistan were, say, playing full-strength vs strong, full-strengthed teams and vs weaker teams and people being like "Pakistan never test out their bench against the weaker nations!". "Pakistan should always play their bench players against weaker teams"... but all they've played against were weak/weaker teams. I mean Pakistan's main players still have to get ODI game time especially since they've not played ODIs much post-2019 WC, right? If there is to be finger-pointing, it should be to the PCB for not only not scheduling more ODI cricket vs stronger, full-strength nations but also pretty much giving everyone a false sense of accomplishment for Pakistan being '#1 ODI team' by beating weaker/weakened teams.
 
Memories of a goldfish - Imad was bashed left, right and centre when he was in the team. Now Imad is a match-winner lol.

Random names being thrown around - Zafar Gohar hasn’t played international cricket in so long, why is his name being thrown about?

Fans don’t have the guts to realize that barring 3-4 players, we do not have world class cricketers in our team anymore.

If you guys were ever in doubt over Hasan Ali's inclusion. Just look at his latest Instagram post.


View attachment 136656
so what is wrong? He can post whatever he wants, no nneed to get offended
 
I don't understand the selection of wasim jnr.

The guy is trash, but keeps getting selected.

Really bizarre!
I disagree. Have you seen in bowl in Asian conditions? He has pace, can reverse the the ball, a good yorker, can field and can hit a cricket ball. People are on his back for the Asia Cup perfomace agaisnt Sri Lanka. But that was on Babar not using him properly.

Not saying he is the finished article but some are treating like a gully bowler. Now that is really bizarre!

This was his stats for the NZ ODI Series when he was given a run in the team.

1695401480681.png
 
It's not going to be a popular squad as everyone wants whatever is the flavour of the month is at the time but this is essentially the squad they have been playing with for the last bunch of years and wholesome changes is simply not feasible right before WC especially when, for the most part, Pakistan have been pretty good & consistent in ODI's.

Nawaz & Shadab have the ability to bowl better and they definitely will need to in order for Pakistan to have success.

Don't love Hasan Ali coming back into the squad but options are limited for Pakistan as it is. No Naseem, no Ihsanullah, no Hasnain, no Amir etc. Zaman Khan is a T20 bowler and has barely even played List A and when he has played it, he hasn't even been good and it's hard to think he will have the durability & stamina to last throughout the tournament. Dahani has been horrific lately so no chance on him. Faheem sucks. Arshad Iqbal has potential but just way too risky to include an untested rookie like him.

It's clear middle order is still undecided as they have decided to include both Agha & Saud along with Adbullah as backup opener option. Haris misses out but honestly if he's going to be a travelling reserve, they are probably better off going with Sarfraz than him simply because if Haris plays, its unlikely to be as an opener if he's Rizwan replacement. He is just poor in the middle overs and hasn't shown an application for the longer format. Development wise, he's better off playing FC than travelling around as a reserve.
Agreed with everything here.

Obviously Shadab and Nawaz have been atrocious as of late, but when they are onsong at the very least they do provide decent control. Now, whether they are going to be onsong is the big question here. From a spin-bowling perspective, my main criticism here is the fact that Pakistan still view Shadab Khan as their prima spinner. In my opinion, at his best and for what he offers with the ball, Shadab is more of a #2 spinner than a #1 spinner of the bowling attack. This is where Pakistan think-tank should be criticized in that they could've played, say, Abrar Ahmed (a guy who is already Pakistan's #1 spin option in tests) much earlier in ODIs so that he could be the #1 spin option with Shadab being the #2 spin option.
 
Can't say I'm surprised with this squad, pretty much expected. I understand the criticism to an extent but at the same time there is a bit of an overreaction here. Really the only proper complaint I have is why players who people wanted in the squad (Saim, Haris, etc.) were not tested and given chances earlier as opposed to selecting them literally before the tournament. Like with Saim Ayub, the kid is so graceful and talented with the bat but I'm sorry if you want him to make his ODI debut during a WC in India, then you're literally pretty much asking for a Haider Ali repeat (if not, worse).

Also, this really hasn't been discussed so I'll say it here. Yes, Pakistan in ODIs post-2019 WC kept fielding their best XI even against the smaller nations and weakened stronger nations but that's the thing: all they've been playing against were weak teams/weakened stronger teams. Like I can totally understand if Pakistan were, say, playing full-strength vs strong, full-strengthed teams and vs weaker teams and people being like "Pakistan never test out their bench against the weaker nations!". "Pakistan should always play their bench players against weaker teams"... but all they've played against were weak/weaker teams. I mean Pakistan's main players still have to get ODI game time especially since they've not played ODIs much post-2019 WC, right? If there is to be finger-pointing, it should be to the PCB for not only not scheduling more ODI cricket vs stronger, full-strength nations but also pretty much giving everyone a false sense of accomplishment for Pakistan being '#1 ODI team' by beating weaker/weakened teams.
Every match? Yes you can play full strength sometimes, but every damn match? Even Nepal? Even 2 dead rubbers against NZ?

Furthermore, Haris was in the squad for the Asia Cup, what did he do wrong to be demoted to the reserves for the WC?
 
Every match? Yes you can play full strength sometimes, but every damn match? Even Nepal? Even 2 dead rubbers against NZ?

Furthermore, Haris was in the squad for the Asia Cup, what did he do wrong to be demoted to the reserves for the WC?
That's the point I'm making: Pakistan full-strength ODI team don't play often and when they do, it's against weaker teams/weakened teams. Regardless of opposition, the Pakistan's main team still needs ODI match practice in general. If we take dead-rubbers into account, how many games would that be realistically to test out the bench? From what I've come across, that'd be at most 7 dead-rubber games. Remember, we are taking into account the time between post-2019 WC and pre-2023 WC in which Pakistan rarely played ODIs. I agree Pakistan could still have played their bench more but at the same time that's not a lot of games to fully gauge whether or not they are good enough. Again, this points to PCB not organizing more, and better, ODI series' for Pakistan to play.

I agree in regards to Haris, should've been in the main WC squad as at least the backup keeper.
 
I actually don't really mind the squad. Hasan coming in makes sense as there are no other new ball pace bowlers Pakistan currently have other than Naseem. I must say I am surprised about Mohammad Haris exclusion, specially since he is a WK, you could have also had Tayyab Tahir as a reserve. Would have thought he was part of the squad rather than reserves. A bit surprised with the inclusion of Abrar into the reserves as he is a new face into the tournament albeit a reserve. Don't like the selection of Zaman Khan, played very little cricket ahead of Arshad Iqbal.

Now, the main squad however is.... fine. I don't mind the selection of Shafique or Usama Mir specially Mir, as he has been more so than not a good player for Pakistan, whenever he has played & should play ahead of/or with Shadab imo. Nawaz being picked ahead of Imad is surprising as well, its time to end this Nawaz "experiment", he is showing enough with the bat nor ball to keep being picked. Wasim Jnr is picked as a "potential" AR which is irritating, would have gone with Aamer Jamal or even Aamir Yamin someone with experience of 50 overs cricket specially Pakistan needing to move on from Faheem. Not surprised with Shakeel's selection, expect he is tailormade for Test cricket right now. I'm actually happy Sarfaraz, Mohammad Amir, Azam Khan were not selected. Sarfaraz is at the end of his career, Amir is retired (let him be) & Azam Khan needs to sort out his fitness. Saim Ayub will be in the Pakistan for the T20WC no doubt but he needs to play more 50 over cricket.

My XI

1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Imam-ul-Haq
3. Babar Azam (C)
4. Mohammad Rizwan (WK)
5. Agha Salman
6. Iftikhar Ahmed
7. Shadab Khan
8. Usama Mir
9. Hasan Ali
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi
11. Haris Rauf

Abdullah Shafique will only play for me if one of Fakhar & Imam is injured. Shakeel ideally wouldn't play at all for me in the tournament due to his style of play not suited to the way No.5 should play in this team. Think of David Miller type player & Saud is not that. Ideally Pakistan should be looking for the next 50 over tournay, CT '25, with this in mind a lot of this current player could be playing there final 50 over tournament like Ifti & Fakhar. finding the ideal replacement & blooding them in will be important.
 
Thank God no sweeping changes. Saner heads have prevailed. These are the best players in the country.

Maybe Imad over Chacha or Agha but that's about it.
 
Accept the bitter reality.

This squad is bad, but the alternatives and those not selected are mostly even worse.

Imad Wasim — pathetic. As bad as Nawaz is.

Amir — finished at the international level for quite a while.

Only *hope* was Saim Ayub but even he isn’t tested against international quality bowlers. Our past record says he likely will not set the stage on fire. He’s no Umar Akmal of 2009/10.

Pakistan just does not have the talent!

Saud is a very good batter, technique player. Let’s see if he can score fast.

Abdullah Shafique again is quite decent for our standards, no world beater though.


Both Shafique and Saud are better versions of Imam and Rizwan. However if they’re not in starting elevens don’t expect much.
 
Thank God no sweeping changes. Saner heads have prevailed. These are the best players in the country.

Maybe Imad over Chacha or Agha but that's about it.
oh jul oye, imad over chacha?

Chacha has been a great middle order batter for us
 
Aus, India, NZ and Eng all have better ODI sides then Pak. The lack of quality spinners means Pak will struggle against SL, Bangla and Afghanistan as well.

Pakistan ain't reaching semi finals, this is will be another shambolic world cup effort.
 
Aus, India, NZ and Eng all have better ODI sides then Pak. The lack of quality spinners means Pak will struggle against SL, Bangla and Afghanistan as well.

Pakistan ain't reaching semi finals, this is will be another shambolic world cup effort.
South Africa are dented with the loss of Nortje but they still have a better side than Pakistan
 
Saner heads?

It’s Shaheen’s wedding guest list that’s been selected

Some of us have been predicting this squad for a while.

Also so many decision makers involved, Zaka, Babat,Inzimam, Misbah, MA and all the other coaches. They must all agree that these are the best and most deserving players
 
Some of us have been predicting this squad for a while.

Also so many decision makers involved, Zaka, Babat,Inzimam, Misbah, MA and all the other coaches. They must all agree that these are the best and most deserving players
We will soon find out who was on the same page and who wasn’t
 
oh jul oye, imad over chacha?

Chacha has been a great middle order batter for us

He's been a good batter but under utilized in bowling. Imad provides more utility with being able to bowl with the new ball. Saud or Rizwan at 5 followed by Imad would balance the side.
 
Sarfraz is never coming back as captain, neither is Amir coming back.

Does it really matter to you who is captain then?

People like you with agendas should just stop following Pakistan cricket, you are wasting your time.
Some so called fans of pak team want Pak to fail so bad. Their grudge, we want Amir, Imad and Sarfraz.
 
Aus, India, NZ and Eng all have better ODI sides then Pak. The lack of quality spinners means Pak will struggle against SL, Bangla and Afghanistan as well.

Pakistan ain't reaching semi finals, this is will be another shambolic world cup effort.
Reaching semi finals is not a huge feat.

What are we, BD winning hearts?

Reaching semi should be an easy reachable target even for this pathetic team. Winning that will be something.

However the skill isn’t there to win the semi or the final.
 
I think selecting Fakhar is a bold move. We all know what he's capable of on his day. He can really trouble the bowlers, especially the spinners. He's just one good innings away from being the old Fakhar-e-Pakistan. Fingers crossed for the match against the Netherlands!
 
I think selecting Fakhar is a bold move. We all know what he's capable of on his day. He can really trouble the bowlers, especially the spinners. He's just one good innings away from being the old Fakhar-e-Pakistan. Fingers crossed for the match against the Netherlands!

Fakhars form is woeful.

However, his selection is good and makes sense.

Why? He’s the only batter who can actually play like all the modern teams do. Hacks, yes, but if clicks can make it count.

Rest are all 250-260 total duds.
 
What a joke of a squad deserve a epic humiliation at the WC. The age old tradition of favourtism and nepotism continues.

Rohit and co can't wait to see Fakar, Shadab and Wasim Jr lol.

Indian conditions are going to destroy some Pak cricketers careers LOL
 
Rana bro you can’t be advocating for Imad.

He’s as bad as Nawaz. Shouldn’t be in the team, both of them.
I’m not necessarily advocating for him

I’m challenging Major’s claim that Chachu is a middle order batsman.

He isn’t shoed in to bat at 4 or 5. In one game against Afghanistan he batted after Usama Mir. In the SL game he batted after Nawaz and Harris.

The man has no clear role in the team. At least with Imad you know that he’s going to bat at 6 or 7. Iftikhar is supposedly a specialist batsman who can bowl some offies
 
The only reason why Sarfaraz was not added (even in reserves) is because Rizwan would become nervous

Plain and simple. They can’t afford Rizwan having to look over his shoulder every time he comes out to bat in a serious position like no.4
Inzy actually has form for this. On the 2018 England tour he didn't name a backup wicketkeeper for Sarfraz, prompting this amusing exchange:


:ROFLMAO:
 
I don't think there will ever be a squad that makes everyone happy. Honestly, a Pakistan team's strength can't be judged by looking at the squad. It's been like that since the '00s. It's a momentum and emotion driven team and we have seen how they can turn things around really fast with players regaining form halfway through a series or tournament. In that sense, sticking to the same/similar set of players is not a bad idea if they really gel as a team. There might not be any world-beaters in the squad but it really doesn't matter.
 
News is going around that the Pakistan team and ICC umpire Ahsan Raza haven't received their visas yet. The issue seems to be that the Indian High Commission in Delhi hasn't secured the necessary security clearance. Just a reminder, we're supposed to travel to India on the 25th of this month.
 
I don't think there will ever be a squad that makes everyone happy. Honestly, a Pakistan team's strength can't be judged by looking at the squad. It's been like that since the '00s. It's a momentum and emotion driven team and we have seen how they can turn things around really fast with players regaining form halfway through a series or tournament. In that sense, sticking to the same/similar set of players is not a bad idea if they really gel as a team. There might not be any world-beaters in the squad but it really doesn't matter.
Yes

Emotion and momentum driven team that always falls short of actually winning anything meaningful. One ODI World Cup in decades of cricket history.

In short fluke team with no world class talent.

The predictable teams that produce quality players unsurprisingly do end up winning.
 
even inzi bhai cant justify what he has selected for this worldcup.

i was shell shocked when he said Immad didnt play ODI for a long period of time so we never selected him but how the hell he selected hassan ali than? has he played any ODI cricket recently?
 
Yes

Emotion and momentum driven team that always falls short of actually winning anything meaningful. One ODI World Cup in decades of cricket history.

In short fluke team with no world class talent.

The predictable teams that produce quality players unsurprisingly do end up winning.
I agree with the view that the 'mercurial' tag is not something to be proud of. In simple English it just means inconsistent. And I also agree that it's hard to get behind a such a team. But still you cannot write Pakistan off. It's that kind of team. And luck is a very important factor in cricket.

Dearth of talent is a broader issue and is something the board should have thought about well before the World Cup, not at the time of announcing the squad.
 
Reaching semi finals is not a huge feat.

What are we, BD winning hearts?

Reaching semi should be an easy reachable target even for this pathetic team. Winning that will be something.

However the skill isn’t there to win the semi or the final.
Pakistan had plenty of time to build a team capable of winning world cup, but having a clueless captain and selectors has meant the last few years have been a waste. Reaching a semi final is worthless. Unless you win the trophy, anything else is failure
 
even inzi bhai cant justify what he has selected for this worldcup.

i was shell shocked when he said Immad didnt play ODI for a long period of time so we never selected him but how the hell he selected hassan ali than? has he played any ODI cricket recently?
I would have liked to see Imad in this team as well. I have no faith in Nawaz or Imad with the ball, but at least the latter can bat well.
 
even inzi bhai cant justify what he has selected for this worldcup.

i was shell shocked when he said Immad didnt play ODI for a long period of time so we never selected him but how the hell he selected hassan ali than? has he played any ODI cricket recently?

It’s Babar squad the players he prefers are selected and the performance will be on him this time it’s hope for the best with the batting but expectations should be low that’s best for Pakistan team.
 
It’s Babar squad the players he prefers are selected and the performance will be on him this time it’s hope for the best with the batting but expectations should be low that’s best for Pakistan team.
yeah it seems very much true, but babar also need to realise that he is selecting a team to represent Pakistan not for Galli Mohalla Leagues.

I think the Chief Selector should step in if the captain requests the inclusion of a player based on factors other than merit or performance. After all, it's the Chief Selector's responsibility, and they would be held accountable if any player's performance falls short.
 
yeah it seems very much true, but babar also need to realise that he is selecting a team to represent Pakistan not for Galli Mohalla Leagues.

I think the Chief Selector should step in if the captain requests the inclusion of a player based on factors other than merit or performance. After all, it's the Chief Selector's responsibility, and they would be held accountable if any player's performance falls short.
Chief selector picking up paycheques, free samosa and tea in PCB canteen.

He is more than happy with just picking an 15-18 player squad who the captain wants.
 
Chief selector picking up paycheques, free samosa and tea in PCB canteen.

He is more than happy with just picking an 15-18 player squad who the captain wants.
Let’s not forget the former PCB chairman said “Babar is a brand” and wanted to marry him. These are the type of fools sitting in PCB executive positions.
 
This team will rise to the occasion playing in India for the first time and make the country proud. Mark my words, regardless of form, rankings, perception, bilateral results, Pakistan is a Big Tournament team which will play an exciting mercurial brand of Cricket.
 
This is a depressing thread. People keep saying it wouldn't make any difference who was picked because we wouldn't win anyway and no world beaters are in the wings. So why bother? Babar is a very poor captain and yet people keep making excuses for him. It's not just a matter of who is in the squad. There is a problem with the choice of captain and vice captain. Serious mistake not having a backup wicket keeper. Sorry that Babar is only concerned with his stats and protecting himself and his friends. I am not looking forward to this World Cup and this is the first time in 7 decades of being a Pakistan supporter that I feel this way. I understand that cricket being a game of glorious uncertainty we may even surprise everyone but the fact of the matter is that there seems to be a lot going on that is not right and needs to change.
 
Fakhars form is woeful.

However, his selection is good and makes sense.

Why? He’s the only batter who can actually play like all the modern teams do. Hacks, yes, but if clicks can make it count.

Rest are all 250-260 total duds.

Agreed !


Fakhar has played 30 innings since 2021, amassing 1312 runs with an average of 45 and a strike rate of 87. In 2023, across 15 innings, he scored 645 runs, maintaining an average of 46 and a strike rate of 85. This period also includes his impressive 180* against New Zealand.

However, it's essential to note that a few subpar performances in the Asia Cup should not automatically lead to the captain dropping him in favor of someone who hasn't even made their ODI debut.
 
News is going around that the Pakistan team and ICC umpire Ahsan Raza haven't received their visas yet. The issue seems to be that the Indian High Commission in Delhi hasn't secured the necessary security clearance. Just a reminder, we're supposed to travel to India on the 25th of this month.
Another embarrassment for hosts
Can't even get visas
 
Hasan Ali might be a surprise for all of us. Can he repeat the wahab riaz stuff from 2011?
 
Wahab was genuinely a 90+ bowler and was emerging at the time. Not done and dusted like Hassan
Might be another lifeline for Hassan. You never know when a player can bounce back with a bang.
 
I thought Misbah was bad but this Babar is far more selfish and dishonest. Misbah even dropped his buddy Shafiq who was playing poor but Babar supported his buddies plus Vice Captain even they keep failing matches after matches plus India game humiliation. Both Zaka and Inzi have lack of dignity and holding top position just for money. Micky is Micky who already knows he will be sacked (being scape goat) right after 2023 World Cup. Babar will never resign or leave his buddies and we cannot expect him to resign after the World Cup failure. Unless Sethi is back Babar will be captain for another 4-5 years regarding performances.
 
Found Naseem to be more dangerous than Shaheen in the Asia Cup. And he is crazy good in all phases of the game. Now strategy will be just to see off Afridi in his first spell and target the rest. Spin department looks extremely weak, Pak should have gone with Abrar, risky but he will surely be a better wicket taking option.
 
9 group games, all tough. Then 2 knockouts if you want to go all the way. 11 ODIs at full intensity is very hectic. So I am really surprised why Pakistan has gone with only one keeper in Rizwan. What if his fingers are sore or he falls ill on the eve of an important game? Will Babar himself keep?

All other teams going with at least 2 keepers.
 
To be honest I am quite ok with team selected.

The one change I would have definitely made is Abrar for Nawaz . Nawaz is a nothing cricketer atleast Abrar could have been a surprise package for one of or two SENA sides and won us a crucial game or maybe even two.

I am happy we went for solid options like Abdullah and Saud over unproven youngta beauties like Saim and Harris.

Naseem is probably our biggest World Cup loss since Shoaib and Asif got banned in 2007 but we can’t do anything about it.

I hope Babar focuses on his batting and gets runs he’s not been good in high pressure white ball cricket over last 12 -18 months. I think this batting line has decent runs in them if Fakhar sorts himself out and Babar stands up.
 
We have 3 part time spinners
Nawaz shadab and chacha I'm sure one them could have been dropped for a full time spinner or a full time batsmen

All our batsmen are out of form
 
Squad is full of top order accumulator batsmens and middle order is non existence



All our batsmen are out of form



Babar needs to become friends with middle order batsmen
 
In his latest video, Saj wonders if the selectors and management have picked the right squad for the World Cup, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the squad, who are the surprise picks, is this a squad that can win the World Cup, who needs to raise their game, who are the key players and match-winners.

 
just a 1 solid win against India and the whole nation would be on his feet.

You think we can win against India, with atleast 20 overs of Hasan Ali, and Shadab? Can be 30 if Nawaz is also playing.. 20-30 overs of complete trash..and what if even one of Shaheen and Haris has an off day… India recently piled up 357 against us....I can easily see them scoring over 450 this time..and then we haveFakhar too..who will go back to pavilion iwthin first 2 overs, most probably… I doubt Babar will play Saud Shakeel, who is left handed and is a good player of spin.. this time, we will get thrashing from India like never before
 
Not really impressed with the squad. Shadab, Nawaz and Mir scream mediocrity in the spin department. Fakhar is in terrible form and prayers and hope are not going to bring that back. The lack of a backup wicketkeeper in the main squad is worrying.

But some of the names mentioned on here so far have made me appreciate things could've been much worse. Grandfather Sarfraz coming out with his zimmer frame to try and keep and bat would have been embarrassing. The mercenary Amir trying to remember how to bowl more than 4 overs having played exclusively t20 cricket for years now. Or Azam Khan struggling to breathe with his fitness meaning he barely copes with t20 cricket!
 
Not really impressed with the squad. Shadab, Nawaz and Mir scream mediocrity in the spin department. Fakhar is in terrible form and prayers and hope are not going to bring that back. The lack of a backup wicketkeeper in the main squad is worrying.

But some of the names mentioned on here so far have made me appreciate things could've been much worse. Grandfather Sarfraz coming out with his zimmer frame to try and keep and bat would have been embarrassing. The mercenary Amir trying to remember how to bowl more than 4 overs having played exclusively t20 cricket for years now. Or Azam Khan struggling to breathe with his fitness meaning he barely copes with t20 cricket!
Exactly!!! If a student never put efforts for his study and praying to be the top will never happen. You have to put your effort first then pray.
 
Exactly!!! If a student never put efforts for his study and praying to be the top will never happen. You have to put your effort first then pray.
Yeah and selectors and captain need to realise those efforts to find form should be done in domestic cricket because international cricket is too pressurised to rediscover form, especially a world cup.
 
The squad selection itself is fine, don't know why everyone is pulling their hair out over players that were never in the reckoning. Hasan Ali a suspect selection but there was not much better we could have done considering the naseem injury, since ihsanullah is also injured and zaman khan only made his debut a few weeks ago.

The bigger worry is the XI that will be selected, and whether or not they have the guts to drop out of form players like fakhar and shadab. Fakhar possibly since abdullah is there but less confident about dropping shadab since he is still VC for whatever reason
 
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