[PICTURES/VIDEOS] Pakistan name 22 probables for the ODI and T20I series against Zimbabwe

[ads101]

I would rather we let Zafar play instead of Imad. Next world cup is in India and we need to a groom a quality spinner like him for all formats.

I'd like to play Zafar. But we're stuck with Shadab and Imad for now better or worse. Playing Zafar messes with those two, one of them would have to be dropped in the long run to accommodate Zafar. Imad's batting in ODIs at the allrounder spot at 7 is really tough to replace for a weak batting side (I don't see Zafar or Shadab performing at 7) and Shadab is now vice captain. Might as well just show faith in those two now.

Zafar should be playing tests though, where it's easy to fit him in and we can actually see him on display in international cricket.

Zafar and Shadab directly competes for the same spot really. It's why Zafar struggles to get games in IU too. Until Shadab proves he can consistently perform with the bat in LOIs and not just PSL/domestic T20, he can't seriously be considered for the batting allrounder slot over Imad who averages over 40 at over 100 SR.

 

[ahmedzee]

So once gain Misbah did it. Few days ago I predicted an experienced squad for Zimbabwe and all youngsters for NZ. It will happen, trust me guys.

My input is as follows:

1) Musa Khan is not international quality, infact not even domestic quality bowler. He needs to work on his skills so what is the point of keeping him?

2) Usman Qadir has done literally nothing in life to be selected to even warm the bench. All this is because of Misbah's friendship with the great late Legend Abdul Qadir. Usman should be nowhere near the team as we already have Shadab. Infact he doesn't have the quality to even play in PSL.

3) Faheem Ashraf is not an international quality all-rounder. It is a horrible decision to keep selecting him with no performance backing. Isn't that the reason they dropped Aamir?

4) Muhammad Hafeez is in blistering form right now but his selection is no longer justifed for ODIs. Sure he should be the first name on the sheet for T20Is as we have 2 World T20s coming up, but I think it is time to move on from him in ODIs.

5) Wahab Riaz is in the same category as above. Yes he is in form, but select him for T20s. He is not going to be playing cricket once the next ODI world cup comes.

6) Muhammad Aamir: There is no New Ball bowler other than Shaheen in the squad. You can't just drop someone like Aamir just because it is fashionable now. He is still your opening bowler. If you want to drop him then replace him with a new ball bowler, Hasnain is not one.

7) Vice Captaincy: Not doubting passion and attitude of Shadab, but the vice-captaincy should be given to someone who has a proven record. Shadab captained the team to the last position in the last PSL. Why not name Muhammad Rizwan as Vice Captain, as he has the caliber to be a very good captain. I feel Misbah appointed Shadab as VC only to please his Islamabad United boss.

 

[ads101]

Why we need Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Ifti, Faheem, time to move on from these useless players, enough.

I'm not sure whether it's worth playing Haris or not. He's done well when he's played. But he doesn't consistently play, injury and fitness issues and I'm not sure he's going to have much longevity. The fact he's not a player even considered capable for T20s either and over 30 when Zimbabwe tour should be grooming a side for the future. You really get the feeling what's the point. Especially if you're putting in faith in Abdullah and Haider who may have to sit out for Haris. He doesn't have the power game to be moved too low down the order, especially when our wicketkeeper and Abdullah and Haider prefer playing up the order. Imam directly competes with him too as that anchor player, but is far younger with better longevity which is why Haris has hardly played since he returned after injury in 2017.

Tempted to just make Haris a test specialist and be done with it, let him just focus on that. I just don't know if Haris really has any long term future in ODIs, is it worth playing him for the 1 or 2 good years you'll get out of him in ODIs barring no recurring injuries again when there are other, younger options we can invest instead.

Still I've included Haris on merit, currently he deserves his place. It doesn't seem fair to chuck him. But honestly my gut feeling tells me things aren't going to work out for Haris in ODIs in the long run.

 

[Savak]

Abid Ali and Harris Sohail are not T-20 players, they struggled badly in the T-20 competition and Imad's SR was below par. Don't understand the logic of these selections

 

[Rayyman]

What’s disappointing to me is that there is a lack of clarity to why some were rested and others were selected.

Mohammad Amir, Usman Khan Shinwari and Shoaib Malik have not been selected.

Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Wahab Riaz have been selected.

All 6 of these players have good performances in either ODIs or T20Is in the past 12 months.

So why has Misbah selected the latter 3 and not the former?

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I'm impressed with the fact we have some youngsters in there but it should comprise of all youngsters/fresh faces. For God's sake you are facing Zimbabwe after all, I definitely feel Talat, Moqsood and to an extent Khurrum Manzoor deserved selection along with Zahid Mehmood. Abdullah is a definite find for one day but don't think t20 really suits him, besides from the first game against SP he didn't really impress me with his chasing ability.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

What’s disappointing to me is that there is a lack of clarity to why some were rested and others were selected.

Mohammad Amir, Usman Khan Shinwari and Shoaib Malik have not been selected.

Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Wahab Riaz have been selected.

All 6 of these players have good performances in either ODIs or T20Is in the past 12 months.

So why has Misbah selected the latter 3 and not the former?

Shinwari- garbage bowler despite his recent performance and Amir is well past his prime.

 

[Extra_Cover]

For me the standout player of the National T20 has not even been selected in probables. Zahid Mehmood is one of the major reasons Southern Punjab went as far in the tournament as they did.

Its always about selecting players in their prime and Zahid was in the form of his life and thoroughly deserved his selection.

 

[Maher96]

Nice to see Malik not in there but it’s probably due to LPL, think in T20’s we will see

Fakhar
Babar
Abdullah Shafiq/ kushdil
Haider
Hafeez
Rizwan
Shadab
Imad/ haris sohail
Wahab
Haris
Shaheen

I might drop Imad for haris Sohail and get the 4th bowler quota from hafeez, haris and kushdil.

 

[Syed1]

Wait why is Misbah still selecting the squad? Didn't he get booted out?


And typical shameless Misbah, keeps selecting his buddy Chacha Ifti.

 

[ahmedzee]

Misbah says Pakistan will not experiment in ODIs as every match counts for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 direct qualification, his side will play ODIs for the first time in 12 months, and every opponent needs to be respected irrespective of their international ranking

There you go guys, the above statement is Misbah's legacy, scared of failure. What is the point of preparing for ICC Men's Cricket World Cup if you can't experiment with different players to get the best combination. Misbah has this loser mentality where he is scared of losing and critics, be it in batting, captaincy or coaching. Can anyone else see what is wrong here?

 

[naseem]

So once gain Misbah did it. Few days ago I predicted an experienced squad for Zimbabwe and all youngsters for NZ. It will happen, trust me guys.

My input is as follows:

1) Musa Khan is not international quality, infact not even domestic quality bowler. He needs to work on his skills so what is the point of keeping him?

2) Usman Qadir has done literally nothing in life to be selected to even warm the bench. All this is because of Misbah's friendship with the great late Legend Abdul Qadir. Usman should be nowhere near the team as we already have Shadab. Infact he doesn't have the quality to even play in PSL.

3) Faheem Ashraf is not an international quality all-rounder. It is a horrible decision to keep selecting him with no performance backing. Isn't that the reason they dropped Aamir?

4) Muhammad Hafeez is in blistering form right now but his selection is no longer justifed for ODIs. Sure he should be the first name on the sheet for T20Is as we have 2 World T20s coming up, but I think it is time to move on from him in ODIs.

5) Wahab Riaz is in the same category as above. Yes he is in form, but select him for T20s. He is not going to be playing cricket once the next ODI world cup comes.

6) Muhammad Aamir: There is no New Ball bowler other than Shaheen in the squad. You can't just drop someone like Aamir just because it is fashionable now. He is still your opening bowler. If you want to drop him then replace him with a new ball bowler, Hasnain is not one.

7) Vice Captaincy: Not doubting passion and attitude of Shadab, but the vice-captaincy should be given to someone who has a proven record. Shadab captained the team to the last position in the last PSL. Why not name Muhammad Rizwan as Vice Captain, as he has the caliber to be a very good captain. I feel Misbah appointed Shadab as VC only to please his Islamabad United boss.

Seems nothing will make some fans happy

 

[Saj]

In terms of ages, it's as follows:-

RN 19
AS 20
HA 20
MM 20
SSA 20
MH 20
SK 22
IU 24
ZG 25
BA 26
KS 26
FA 26
HR 26
UQ 27
RIZ 28
FZ 30
IA 30
HS 31
IW 31
Abid 33
WR 35
Prof 40

 

[ask_analyse_act]

“We have resisted the temptation of experimenting in the ODIs for three simple reasons. Firstly, we cannot afford to be complacent and have to respect each and every opponent irrespective of their strength or international ranking. Secondly, every ODI counts as it leads towards automatic qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, and thirdly, we have not played any ODI cricket in the past 12 months.

This is the very reason why he didn’t have the success as captain now as coach and selector.

Even in a home series against new look Zimbabwe team if you are hesitant to select a bunch of youngsters and still want to go with seniors like Hafeez and Wahab then it either shows your lack of guts and planning for the future ... if Hafeez and Wahab are undroppable as they have such connections to begin with in any team selection no matter where Or who they play then no words to say.

On the other hand looking at Wasim where he congratulate Shadab and announce him as the first choice captain straight away after failing to win the tournament shows the guts and clear mind approach towards the task given to him.

I hope he is the next chief selector , he is showing the true abilities of the selector who is in command of his job. If he was hesitant like Misbah he wouldn’t have announced it in twitter fearing what Imad will think of him which is totally rubbish in a professional setup. Leading by example. Highly impressed by Mohammed Wasim

 

[Shaka81]

Seems a decent squad all things considered. Certainly better than most of us had predicted. There's not a huge difference in quality or performance between the marginal ones that got selected and didn't get selected.

 

[Omer2002]

I dont think hafeez wahab will play one days

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Wait why is Misbah still selecting the squad? Didn't he get booted out?


And typical shameless Misbah, keeps selecting his buddy Chacha Ifti.

He openly admits his fear of failure against the new look Zimbabwe side, so wouldn’t want to experiment in ODIs and that is why he has selected Hafeez , Wahab, Ifthikar etc. what can one expect from this bloke... full of negative vibes top to bottom.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

I dont think hafeez wahab will play one days

They will , u know he played haider ali after all the critics and bashing of the tour to finally win a solitary T20.

 

[naseem]

I just don't understood ppl are arguing in favour of a 32 year old legspinner and a similar aged if not less opener who is no fitter than Sharjeel.....only 2 selections could have made .....Danish and Azam....u can't drop core players from ODI setup....esp when each and every match counts.....and who knows after how many months Pak will play another ODI.....

Malik.....one performance in final is not good ..
Amir.....clearly not fully 100 percent fit...
Azam......need more domestics behind him...
Zahid Mohd.....clearly with Qadir...Qasim...Zafar around... Not futile to invest in another 32 year old...when u already have Yasir for tests..

Wahab Riaz won't play ODIs....but can be seen in T20s to rotate bowlers....

Plus....RAuf is good with new ball too...
Saheen Rauf Wahab Shadab Imad/Gohar..in t20s..
Saheen...RAuf.. Hasnain...Shadab ...Gohar/Imad....is good for ODIs ....too

 

[Saj]

I was expecting a few more debutants really.

It was an ideal opportunity to throw in some more youngsters.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

In terms of ages, it's as follows:-

RN 19
AS 20
HA 20
MM 20
SSA 20
MH 20
SK 22
IU 24
ZG 25
BA 26
KS 26
FA 26
HR 26
UQ 27
RIZ 28
FZ 30
IA 30
HS 31
IW 31
Abid 33
WR 35
Prof 40

it's pretty good.
People will find faults everywhere they can when they don't like the selector. Pakistanis are extremely good in that.

His selections have been way better than the terror reigns of Haroon Rashid, Iqbal Qasim, Wasim Bari, Aamer Sohail, Intikhab Alam etc.

I remember the musical chair being played during haroon rashid's tenure. They went without a single lead spinner in world t20 that was to be played in india of all places. Dubious selections of Khurram Manzoor, out of form Iftikhar, no babar azam and many other laughable selections.

Inzi's and Misbah's selections have been okay till now.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Seems a decent squad all things considered. Certainly better than most of us had predicted. There's not a huge difference in quality or performance between the marginal ones that got selected and didn't get selected.

Think of this selection against a new look Zimbabwe for a home series.. many like you are happy and think that he has selected for a home series against Australia or India which is not.

This is the series where u try all your bench strength and backups.

Shaheen, Babar, Imam, Fakhar, Haris Sohail, Imad, Rizwan and Shadab should have been rested
Wahab , chacha Ifthikar and Hafeez surely shouldn’t even be selected

Either Imam or Fakhar should have made to captain this series. If they want to make Shadab as vice captain then he should be given captaincy

No point in playing Babar the world class batsman to play against the Zimbabwe team where he will never get out , he might even score 200s

 

[ask_analyse_act]

it's pretty good.
People will find faults everywhere they can when they don't like the selector. Pakistanis are extremely good in that.

His selections have been way better than the terror reigns of Haroon Rashid, Iqbal Qasim, Wasim Bari, Aamer Sohail, Intikhab Alam etc.

I remember the musical chair being played during haroon rashid's tenure. They went without a single lead spinner in world t20 that was to be played in india of all places. Dubious selections of Khurram Manzoor, out of form Iftikhar, no babar azam and many other laughable selections.

Inzi's and Misbah's selections have been okay till now.

Don’t bring in Inzi with Misbah. Inzi has given a bunch of youngsters who are not the TTFs of Pakistan

Inzi has brought in Babar, Shadab, Imad, Hasan Ali, faheem, shaheen, Hasnain, Abid Ali, Imam, Fakhar, Sharjeel, hussain talat, Sami aslam, shinwari etc

Misbah has brought in just now with haider ali , Naseem, Musa Khan, Rohail and now Abdullah shafiq. Let’s see if haider ali, rohail, Musa and shafiq gets a game.
He had also brought in shehzad, Akmal, Ifthikar, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan, Kashif bhatti,
Continues to select Wahab and Hafeez

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Much better selection from Misbah. Why it had to be now? Just when he quit the job?

Not perfect as he could have experienced a bit more considering the prospects Azam Khan, Danish Aziz, but this a lot better than what Misbah usually selects.

So happy to see Zafar Gohar finally there. This guy has deserved it for more than four years now!!!

Kudos to Misbah! Wish the selection policy had been like this from the beginning.

 

[ahmedzee]

Seems nothing will make some fans happy

The opening statement in the OP makes you happy? Well as a fan if we're not going to stand up to Misbah's non-sense, then who would? I still standby my two posts above. In a previous thread few weeks ago I actually predicted all this. Unfortunately Misbah's defeatist mindset is going to ruin our cricket. I urge fans to speak against it.

 

[Ellipsism]

Surprise surprise no Danish Aziz. He will have an uphill battle in this regional bias set up

He's played like two noteworthy knocks...

His domestic numbers aren't up to mark, but of course its the regional bias keeping him out. Sindh hasn't produced a decent cricketer in a while, is that due to the regional bias as well?

 

[ahmedzee]

I was expecting a few more debutants really.

It was an ideal opportunity to throw in some more youngsters.

Well the thing is, Misbah specifically quoted that all points count towards CWC 2023, so he wants to field a full strength squad against the might Zimbabwe B team. This was the defeatist mindset that us fans suffered when Misbah was the captain. Unfortunately, since he took over a bit over a year ago, Pakistan cricket has been going down.

 

[hitthestump]

Iftikhar, Hafeez and Abid Ali are absolutely horrendous selections. It's actually heartbreaking to see guys like Zeeshan Ashraf continually finding themselves blocked so that Misbah can satisfy his senior fascination.

I've said it in other threads - he is the absolute worst man to have at the helm at a time when Pakistan finally have an exciting crop of young batsmen coming through.

Instead of nurturing the talent into an easy series, he's gone with Hafeez and Chacha Ifti again. I guess we're still waiting for them to show what they can do against Zimbabwe.

 

[Shaka81]

Think of this selection against a new look Zimbabwe for a home series.. many like you are happy and think that he has selected for a home series against Australia or India which is not.

This is the series where u try all your bench strength and backups.

Shaheen, Babar, Imam, Fakhar, Haris Sohail, Imad, Rizwan and Shadab should have been rested
Wahab , chacha Ifthikar and Hafeez surely shouldn’t even be selected

Either Imam or Fakhar should have made to captain this series. If they want to make Shadab as vice captain then he should be given captaincy

No point in playing Babar the world class batsman to play against the Zimbabwe team where he will never get out , he might even score 200s

You can't just pick a full squad of new players. There needs to be a balance between youth and experience. Young players have to earn a spot by being significantly better than their peers. Most of the ones who have shown they are significantly better have been picked and the ones who haven't now have an opportunity to prove their skills and fitness for next time.

Also you can't rest Babar. He's a fairly inexperienced captain who is still learning and needs all the experience he can get as a leader. Similarly Shadab has been chosen as vice-captain and will learn a lot from this experience. Shaheen and Imam are young players who can only benefit from playing some easier games after all the tough tours they've been on. Similarly Haris and Rizwan despite their ages haven't played a lot of international cricket and need to start establishing themselves in the team. Wahab, Hafeez and Imad can be argued bring a lot of experience to pass on to the younger players as well as being in fairly good form.
I'm not entirely convinced about Ifti or Fakhar but the competition for them in Khushdil, Abdullah and Haider are also in the squad so if they don't do well then will lose their spots in the future.

 

[Khan12]

Why on earth has musa, usman qadir and abid Ali been selected. So haider and Abdullah shafique will be warming the bench since this beghairat is scared of losing to Zimbabwe. Get rid of him please. What a coward.

 

[Kroll]

These selections show that Misbah has been under heat from the hierarchy. Of course, there are still some dubious selections in there but largely, names that should be selected are there.

If only Misbah had shown this foresight from the onset, he might not have been under so much criticism and retained his CS job. But yeah, better to cut our losses now than drag it on for years like Misbah did in his playing days.

 

[Nadeemp]

Where is sharjeel

 

[SensiblePakFan]

I was expecting a few more debutants really.

It was an ideal opportunity to throw in some more youngsters.

Given the standards, this was pretty decent.
Nazir and Haider are the 2 standouts of our old u19 squad.

 

[ammar_merry]

Where is sharjeel

He did nothing to be selected.

 

[naseem]

The opening statement in the OP makes you happy? Well as a fan if we're not going to stand up to Misbah's non-sense, then who would? I still standby my two posts above. In a previous thread few weeks ago I actually predicted all this. Unfortunately Misbah's defeatist mindset is going to ruin our cricket. I urge fans to speak against it.

I am a not Misbah fan dude....and I am happy he is no mre CS after this....but it is a decent squad....I would have liked Saud Sakil Zeeshan Malik and probably Danish Aziz in the squad but it is a decent squad.....and Haider Shafique will get chance so is Gohar Qadir ......Babar needs as much game as captain as possible to improve his captaincy and understanding of each players......and situations.....I AM SAD that Hafeez Abid are there but I m happy Malik Sarfi are ignored.....
Danish Azam all get their due in future

 

[Hawkeye]

Hmm

So one of the best squads ever announced on merit.

Yet we have people who are ranting and unhappy. ) Truly, you should never try to satisfy everyone and specially not the clueless ones.

 

[Mir jibran]

Some people here dont understand that its a combined squad and the likes of abid ali and haris sohail will only play odis which they deserve due to their performances

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Hmm

So one of the best squads ever announced on merit.

Yet we have people who are ranting and unhappy. ) Truly, you should never try to satisfy everyone and specially not the clueless ones.

Agreed. Most surprising thing is people calling for Zafar Gohar’s head. Zahid Mahmood is 32, Gohar is 25, and Gohar was the man of the tournament in QAE 2019, surely that matters more than a T20 tournament?

Secondly, people want Danish Aziz selected on the basis of 2 performances and mediocre first class, list A stats?

Should all 11 players against Zimbabwe be debutants?

 

[Savak]

Hussain Talat needs to improve his bowling to improve his chances of being an unquestioned choice in our ODI and T20 side. His bowling is very raddi level right now

 

[JibranAnsari]

So once gain Misbah did it. Few days ago I predicted an experienced squad for Zimbabwe and all youngsters for NZ. It will happen, trust me guys.

My input is as follows:

1) Musa Khan is not international quality, infact not even domestic quality bowler. He needs to work on his skills so what is the point of keeping him?

2) Usman Qadir has done literally nothing in life to be selected to even warm the bench. All this is because of Misbah's friendship with the great late Legend Abdul Qadir. Usman should be nowhere near the team as we already have Shadab. Infact he doesn't have the quality to even play in PSL.

3) Faheem Ashraf is not an international quality all-rounder. It is a horrible decision to keep selecting him with no performance backing. Isn't that the reason they dropped Aamir?

4) Muhammad Hafeez is in blistering form right now but his selection is no longer justifed for ODIs. Sure he should be the first name on the sheet for T20Is as we have 2 World T20s coming up, but I think it is time to move on from him in ODIs.

5) Wahab Riaz is in the same category as above. Yes he is in form, but select him for T20s. He is not going to be playing cricket once the next ODI world cup comes.

6) Muhammad Aamir: There is no New Ball bowler other than Shaheen in the squad. You can't just drop someone like Aamir just because it is fashionable now. He is still your opening bowler. If you want to drop him then replace him with a new ball bowler, Hasnain is not one.

7) Vice Captaincy: Not doubting passion and attitude of Shadab, but the vice-captaincy should be given to someone who has a proven record. Shadab captained the team to the last position in the last PSL. Why not name Muhammad Rizwan as Vice Captain, as he has the caliber to be a very good captain. I feel Misbah appointed Shadab as VC only to please his Islamabad United boss.

I dont think rizwan is going to be a certain starter in t20s given his lack of power game , this might be the reason he has not been handed vice captaincy.

 

[gazza619]

Depressing. So all the new faces in the 22 will be discarded when the squad is narrowed down to 15.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Don’t bring in Inzi with Misbah. Inzi has given a bunch of youngsters who are not the TTFs of Pakistan

Inzi has brought in Babar, Shadab, Imad, Hasan Ali, faheem, shaheen, Hasnain, Abid Ali, Imam, Fakhar, Sharjeel, hussain talat, Sami aslam, shinwari etc

Misbah has brought in just now with haider ali , Naseem, Musa Khan, Rohail and now Abdullah shafiq. Let’s see if haider ali, rohail, Musa and shafiq gets a game.
He had also brought in shehzad, Akmal, Ifthikar, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan, Kashif bhatti,
Continues to select Wahab and Hafeez

Imad, Babar, Shinwari, Sharjeel, Sami Aslam were theoretically selected by previous selectors.
Fahim and Hasnain haven't done much to be thought of as some golden selections tbh.

Inzi was a good selector, Shaheen, Shadab, Hasan, Imam, Fakhar are the ones he should be commended about. The consistent opportunities given to Babar, Shadab, Imad, Hasan, Shaheen, Imam, Fakhar, Sharjeel should be credited to Mickey arthur and his coaching staff who believed in them and kept giving them chances.

Akmal, Shehzad, Sohail Khan, Hafeez and Wahab were constant presence during Inzi era as well. So don't just twist the facts around just to have a go at someone you don't just like.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Apart from the howlers of bringing back Shehzad and Akmal for the T20is, I think Misbah did a decent job as a CS. The sacking of Sarfraz was also not handed well.
Him and Inzi have been few of the better selectors as compared to the past panels.

 

[angrypathan]

Apart from the howlers of bringing back Shehzad and Akmal for the T20is, I think Misbah did a decent job as a CS. The sacking of Sarfraz was also not handed well.
Him and Inzi have been few of the better selectors as compared to the past panels.

Shehzad and Akmal for T20s
Mohammad Irfan, Musa Khan, and Imran Khan for the tour of Australia
Sohail Khan for the tour of England
The continual selection of Kashif Bhatti when a much younger Zafar Gohar with similar performances was available

And those are just the poor selections he actually made in the space of under 12 months, and doesn't take into account all the players that could have been selected instead. Misbah's tenure as chief selector has been nothing short of a disaster. It's infuriating that the only half decent squad he's put out has been the one after he's tendered his resignation.

 

[Hawkeye]

Agreed. Most surprising thing is people calling for Zafar Gohar’s head. Zahid Mahmood is 32, Gohar is 25, and Gohar was the man of the tournament in QAE 2019, surely that matters more than a T20 tournament?

Secondly, people want Danish Aziz selected on the basis of 2 performances and mediocre first class, list A stats?

Should all 11 players against Zimbabwe be debutants?

The ranters will rant, no matter what.

You can use it as a filter to know who really knows cricket. Ignore the ones who are always ranting and can't critically think.

Life will be easier.

 

[Khan12]

Hmm

So one of the best squads ever announced on merit.

Yet we have people who are ranting and unhappy. ) Truly, you should never try to satisfy everyone and specially not the clueless ones.

Can you let us know on what merit is musa , usman qadir are selected of mr knowing all. While talking about clueless you want kamran akmal ovee rizwan. That takea some doing.

 

[Khan12]

Agreed. Most surprising thing is people calling for Zafar Gohar’s head. Zahid Mahmood is 32, Gohar is 25, and Gohar was the man of the tournament in QAE 2019, surely that matters more than a T20 tournament?

Secondly, people want Danish Aziz selected on the basis of 2 performances and mediocre first class, list A stats?

Should all 11 players against Zimbabwe be debutants?

No people want to know why musa and usman qadir are picked again along with adil ali. Zafar ahould be selected for tests.

 

[Kroll]

Hmm

So one of the best squads ever announced on merit.

Yet we have people who are ranting and unhappy. ) Truly, you should never try to satisfy everyone and specially not the clueless ones.

We all know these aren't Misbah selections, you can't be that naive surely? Surely?

If he hadn't been reprimanded, the squad would be entirely different. But at least he still has the gumption to get in some of his favourites like Ifti.

But now that he's been booted, Misbah knew he had nothing to lose and with the slap on the wrist, could finally select a half decent squad.

 

[StreetSmart]

Maybe if Amir took more than 6 wickets in 7 domestic T20 games, he’d make a better case for being in an international T20 game. That too in a series against Zimbabwe where he really shouldn’t be playing anyways

Agree, but still some clueless selections. Sir Fahim Ashraf given chance over Amir Yameen is beyond senses

 

[Glen Durrant fan]

I think in reality the squads are divided as such:

ODI:

First XI:
Imam-ul-Haq,
Fakhar Zaman
Babar Azam (C)
Haris Sohail
Mohammad Rizwan (W)
Khushdil Shah
Shadab Khan (VC)
Imad Wasim
Wahab Riaz
Shaheen Afridi
Haris Rauf

Reserves:
Abid Ali
Haider Ali
Rohail Nazir (W)
Faheem Ashraf
Zafar Gohar
Mohammad Hasnain

T20I:

First XI:
Babar Azam (C)
Fakhar Zaman
Haider Ali
Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Rizwan (W)
Khushdil Shah
Shadab Khan (VC)
Imad Wasim
Wahab Riaz
Shaheen Afridi
Haris Rauf

Bench:
Abdullah Shafiq
Iftikhar Ahmed
Rohail Nazir (W)
Faheem Ashraf
Usman Qadir
Mohammad Musa

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Shehzad and Akmal for T20s
Mohammad Irfan, Musa Khan, and Imran Khan for the tour of Australia
Sohail Khan for the tour of England
The continual selection of Kashif Bhatti when a much younger Zafar Gohar with similar performances was available

And those are just the poor selections he actually made in the space of under 12 months, and doesn't take into account all the players that could have been selected instead. Misbah's tenure as chief selector has been nothing short of a disaster. It's infuriating that the only half decent squad he's put out has been the one after he's tendered his resignation.

Musa is not that bad of a selection. He is rated by many of the former cricketers.
Sohail was sent more of the reason for batsmen's practice against swing bowling. Considering there wasn't any proven swing bowler who had played in England apart from Abbas and Shaheen. Plus of the 22 member squad, there are going to be 4 or 5 selections that won't please much regardless of what you do. The good thing is Sohail didn't play.
What are you supposed to do when your two senior bowlers who have had experience of playing in Australia decide to call it quits a month or two prior? You need someone who is has played there atleast. Abbas was already injured during that time. Only Imran, Sohail and I think maybe Rahat had played there before.
Irfan was a poor selection based on his fitness. Although the rationale behind his selection made sense as tall fast bowlers tend to do well on bouncy wickets of Australia. Irfan was in terrible form and wasn't fit enough, so that would account for a wrong pick.

Kashif Bhatti has been toiling hard in the domestic circuit for over 10 years and a spinner without many overs under his belt is good for nothing. For some, Kashif Bhatti would have been a better choice, for others Zafar Gohar was the better choice. I would have liked Zafar though.
But our selectors took a punt with Zulfiqar Babar's selection 7 years ago as well and that sort of paid off as well with a fast declining Abdur Rehman and a to-be-banned Ajmal.

There is no such thing as perfect selections because of subjective likenesses. Every selection would be welcomed by some and criticized by others.

 

[Glen Durrant fan]

Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal weren't bad selections at the time, just at the wrong point. Shehzad should have been picked for Australia given his National T20 Cup form just weeks earlier and he would have done far better. Because they picked him too late, they shot his confidence. He's not, or at least wasn't, a lost cause. Umar Akmal was similar, although the issue wasn't so much timing it was position. His fantastic form was as a finisher, so to bat him at three was cruel. This also shot Umar's confidence and probably made him a bit forlorn, causing issues. Pakistan fans are just too quick to malign and are the supreme pessimists of the cricket world, constantly putting down their players while seeking confirmation from other nations and especially big daddy India (disclaimer: i'm not saying India is in reality this in relation to Pakistan, the Pakistan fans see it that way though), who despite personally wanting to thrash, they praise unconditionally and look up to, which is damaging. The mentality is so futile and toxic, it's seeped into the national team and now they clearly mentally feel inferior when playing India. It's tragic how awful it is given the talent. Coming from the perspective of an English born and adopted but huge Pakistan fan, it's severely diminished the sharpness of the team and increased pressure one hundred fold.

 

[zeeshanarif1981]

Zimbabwe are coming with full squad to Pakistan.

This is not Pakistani T20 side that used to be under Sarfaraz era. An era that will soon be returned inshallah.

I believe Pakistan will lose any of T20 match. It's going to be a slap on face of shameless Misbah and PCB injustice


Can't wait to get this started

 

[Kroll]

He openly admits his fear of failure against the new look Zimbabwe side, so wouldn’t want to experiment in ODIs and that is why he has selected Hafeez , Wahab, Ifthikar etc. what can one expect from this bloke... full of negative vibes top to bottom.

That's hilarious.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Personally as I said in the other threads, Shaheen should have been rested especially as he has been playing back to back had a long spell in England then also played for Hamsphire, then came back and went straight into the National T20.

He should have been given a little rest and then let him work on his bowling and fitness for the NZ tour in Dec which is very important.

Many of these guys who have been picked should not have been picked but as many here have said already that Misbah does not want to lose or experiment much with the squad and has gone for the safety first approach.

 

[MMHS]

Batsmen - Abdullah Shafiq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Hafeez

Wicketkeepers - Mohammad Rizwan and Rohail Nazir

Spinners - Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir and Zafar Gohar

Fast bowlers - Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Musa Khan, Shaheen Shah and Wahab Riaz

Probably Misbah’s best job in CS career, came after being sacked (voluntarily stepping down).

Only few question marks for LO series are
1. Abid - May be should have taken Zeeshan, if not ZIM at home, then who else to risk a young opener?
2. Iftekhar- I would have tried Danish Aziz, bowled well also and he is a clean six hitter down the line.
3. WK Zeeshan is probably more deserving just after NT20, but Ruhail is for the future, not likely to debut, no complaints
4. Usman Qadir - they are desperately trying for a second Leggi, only other guy is Zahid - in that regard Usman makes sense as he is younger & bats as well; but I would have tried Sajid Khan - Shadab is younger than Usman & already first choice even as specialist Leggi, VC as well - unless they plan to play two Leggi, Usman won’t even carry drinks
5. Injury probably cost Akif a spot, which went to Musa; and probably age cost Sohail Khan, but I would have definitely picked Yamin here, probably at the cost of Musa or Hasnain .... or as 23rd member.

Still better than usual .... including Inzi era.

 

[shamaan]

Decent squad.

Would’ve loved to see Azam Khan in the side, however this should be his motivation to lose more weight.

Maybe Zeeshan should’ve been there too.

Definitely zeeshan Ashraf should have been thier rohail is good but needs alot of work

 

[shamaan]

Imad shahdab wahab rauf and shaheen , a very good t20 attack and 3 out of 5 can bat as well.

Shaheen should have been rested hes played alot of games in the past two months

 

[shamaan]

So no opportunity for Danish Aizaz? So other performers are missing like Azam Khan is better hitter than Rohail...

Rohail nazir shouldn't have been thier zeeshan Ashraf should have been thier

 

[Slim]

Shaheen should have been rested, so should have been Ifthikar, Hafeez. However, overall decent squad.

 

[shamaan]

So once gain Misbah did it. Few days ago I predicted an experienced squad for Zimbabwe and all youngsters for NZ. It will happen, trust me guys.

My input is as follows:

1) Musa Khan is not international quality, infact not even domestic quality bowler. He needs to work on his skills so what is the point of keeping him?

2) Usman Qadir has done literally nothing in life to be selected to even warm the bench. All this is because of Misbah's friendship with the great late Legend Abdul Qadir. Usman should be nowhere near the team as we already have Shadab. Infact he doesn't have the quality to even play in PSL.

3) Faheem Ashraf is not an international quality all-rounder. It is a horrible decision to keep selecting him with no performance backing. Isn't that the reason they dropped Aamir?

4) Muhammad Hafeez is in blistering form right now but his selection is no longer justifed for ODIs. Sure he should be the first name on the sheet for T20Is as we have 2 World T20s coming up, but I think it is time to move on from him in ODIs.

5) Wahab Riaz is in the same category as above. Yes he is in form, but select him for T20s. He is not going to be playing cricket once the next ODI world cup comes.

6) Muhammad Aamir: There is no New Ball bowler other than Shaheen in the squad. You can't just drop someone like Aamir just because it is fashionable now. He is still your opening bowler. If you want to drop him then replace him with a new ball bowler, Hasnain is not one.

7) Vice Captaincy: Not doubting passion and attitude of Shadab, but the vice-captaincy should be given to someone who has a proven record. Shadab captained the team to the last position in the last PSL. Why not name Muhammad Rizwan as Vice Captain, as he has the caliber to be a very good captain. I feel Misbah appointed Shadab as VC only to please his Islamabad United boss.

Usman qadir performed quite well in the national cup he was spinning the ball and has alot of variations only 1 game he got hit around.


Muhammed hafeez is thier for the t20s I think he wont play the odis.

Muhammed amir has lost his speed and his swing I rather invest in husnain rauf or musa even.

Rizwan is not a garrented starter in t20s in the long run

 

[shamaan]

I think the squad is a good one I expected more youngesters to be good a chance but realistically that wasnt going to happen with misbah in charge.


I think thier were a few who shouldn't have been included .

the first being abid ali he was one of the worst performers in the national cup who could hardly get the ball out of the circle also we have imaam fakhar haider so what was the point in abid ridiculous decision wasnt justified.

On what basis was rohail nazir given a chance other than hes young if this Is merit based then zeeshan Ashraf should have been given ago pluss rohail should have been in one of the qaid e azam squads and learn the art of batting.

Now let's look to the positives.
Abdullah shaifque was an excellent move but it will only be excellent if he play in the odis or t20s if he doesnt get maximum opportunities It will not be a good move as would have been better to give him maximum exposure in qaid e azam.

Another positive is that both malik and amir have been dropped this is an excellent decision by misbah and hopefully will give haider and khushdil maximum chances to cement thier places along wiz husnain Rauf.

Zafar gohar and qadir are good decisions by misbah as both are good back up bowlers who can spin the ball and also they can bat.

 

[Mueez]

Definitely zeeshan Ashraf should have been thier rohail is good but needs alot of work

I agree. Still makes me happy that the team is grooming another youngster and a future captain...

 

[shamaan]

I agree. Still makes me happy that the team is grooming another youngster and a future captain...

100 percent it's a win win situations

 

[MenInG]

Update on the Covid-19 tests of Pakistan squad

Lahore, 22 October 2020:

All Pakistan men’s national team’s players and support staff assembled in Lahore were integrated into a bio-secure bubble in a local hotel today after they tested negative for Covid-19.

The tests were conducted on Wednesday upon the squad’s arrival at the hotel.

The squad will now start preparations for the three-match ODI series at the Gaddafi Stadium with a training and practice session.

The ODI series will be played in Rawalpindi with the first match taking place on October 30. The Pakistan squad will travel to Rawalpindi from Lahore on 26 October.

The complete ODI and T20I series schedule is available below:

30 Oct – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi
1 Nov – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi
3 Nov – 3rd ODI, Rawalpindi
7 Nov – 1st T20I, Lahore
8 Nov – 2nd T20I, Lahore
10 Nov – 3rd T20I, Lahore

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan team meeting underway in Lahore. Head coach Misbah welcomed the squad.

 

[The Viper]

<a href="https://ibb.co/607NF7p"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/7tdbKdT/3a5d042c-e082-4fe5-ad14-949d301030c2.jpg" alt="3a5d042c-e082-4fe5-ad14-949d301030c2" border="0"></a>
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<a href="https://ibb.co/7kfLv5C"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/km7vKfB/c51695b0-9bd6-4952-9590-e13dde6de499.jpg" alt="c51695b0-9bd6-4952-9590-e13dde6de499" border="0"></a>
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[The Viper]

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[MMHS]

Fakhar’s legs are glued even in nets!!!!! After almost 4 years in PAK team and 2+ years under Arthur.

 

[Kroll]

Misbah running scared of the mighty Zimbabwe.

 

[TeymurBlake]

I can't fully comprehend this squad man. Yes on one hand you have Zafar Gohar, Rohail Nazir, Abdullah Shafique which is great to see. On the other hand you have Wahab Riaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Musa Khan, Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail return.

Its a typical Misbah squad, some youngsters and a ton of TTFs.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

I can't fully comprehend this squad man. Yes on one hand you have Zafar Gohar, Rohail Nazir, Abdullah Shafique which is great to see. On the other hand you have Wahab Riaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Musa Khan, Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail return.

Its a typical Misbah squad, some youngsters and a ton of TTFs.

Wahab Riaz, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, none of them are in my plans for 2023, but even then there needs to be continuity. You can’t just kick everyone out and start from scratch.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

I agree. Still makes me happy that the team is grooming another youngster and a future captain...

Wahab Riaz, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, none of them are in my plans for 2023, but even then there needs to be continuity. You can’t just kick everyone out and start from scratch.

Haris is good enough to play for another 3 years. He has the skill to do so. Not like there is any youngsters crying out to replace him. He should keep playing and only if he gets into bad form then he can be dropped.

 

[TeymurBlake]

Wahab Riaz, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, none of them are in my plans for 2023, but even then there needs to be continuity. You can’t just kick everyone out and start from scratch.

Don't get me wrong, I get where your coming from, I do.

But this is Zimbabwe. Instead of Haris they could have tried Saud Shakeel, instead of Fakhar Zaman another opener like Zeeshan Malik and instead of Wahab Riaz, maybe Akif Javed or Arshad Iqbal or another young pacer.

This is Zimbabwe a opposition that shouldn't really threaten Pakistan at all. This tour should be utilized as a way to strengthen the bench for the NZ tour which will likely end a lot of intl careers of Misbah's mates.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Don't get me wrong, I get where your coming from, I do.

But this is Zimbabwe. Instead of Haris they could have tried Saud Shakeel, instead of Fakhar Zaman another opener like Zeeshan Malik and instead of Wahab Riaz, maybe Akif Javed or Arshad Iqbal or another young pacer.

This is Zimbabwe a opposition that shouldn't really threaten Pakistan at all. This tour should be utilized as a way to strengthen the bench for the NZ tour which will likely end a lot of intl careers of Misbah's mates.

Zimbabwe shouldn't be a threat to us but we only beat them 2-1 in 2013 and 2015.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Don't get me wrong, I get where your coming from, I do.

But this is Zimbabwe. Instead of Haris they could have tried Saud Shakeel, instead of Fakhar Zaman another opener like Zeeshan Malik and instead of Wahab Riaz, maybe Akif Javed or Arshad Iqbal or another young pacer.

This is Zimbabwe a opposition that shouldn't really threaten Pakistan at all. This tour should be utilized as a way to strengthen the bench for the NZ tour which will likely end a lot of intl careers of Misbah's mates.

I do agree, that’s why I’m holding my breath that the playing XI is decent - it’s okay to keep Haris, Wahab around the team in the squad just to advise the youngsters, to be honest. As long as Abdullah Shafique, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, and Rohail Nazir get games, I will be happy with Misbah’s selections.

 

[TeymurBlake]

I do agree, that’s why I’m holding my breath that the playing XI is decent - it’s okay to keep Haris, Wahab around the team in the squad just to advise the youngsters, to be honest. As long as Abdullah Shafique, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, and Rohail Nazir get games, I will be happy with Misbah’s selections.

I also hope the lineup would be decent, but knowing Misbah it probably won't. I expect to see Haris come in straight into No.4 or No.5 depending on Hafeez, I can also Wahab being a part of the pace attack with Mohammad Musa and Shaheen Afridi who himself needs a rest with the amount of cricket he's been playing.

Seeing Haris and Wahab giving tips and advise to youngsters also doesn't make sense if you have Hafeez and the coaching staff. Haris Sohail's best advise would be to not trust PCB medical department and Wahab Riaz would be making sure to not no-balls.

Overall I not certain as much as you are with the line-up. I don't see Khushdil playing ahead of Haris, specially with Ifti chacha there as the finisher.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Good squad except for Ifti and Faheem, how does Ifti keep getting selected with terrible performance in the recent Cup. Talat Hussain is far better batsman and also provides better bowling support.
Good to see Gohar and Qadir.

I like Talat but bowling wise is about average his fielding effort in the final cost them the game and you can't say that it wasn't a dolly of a catch.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Zimbabwe shouldn't be a threat to us but we only beat them 2-1 in 2013 and 2015.

I think regardless of the result you shouldn't be afraid to have +90% new faces.

 

[shamaan]

Don't get me wrong, I get where your coming from, I do.

But this is Zimbabwe. Instead of Haris they could have tried Saud Shakeel, instead of Fakhar Zaman another opener like Zeeshan Malik and instead of Wahab Riaz, maybe Akif Javed or Arshad Iqbal or another young pacer.

This is Zimbabwe a opposition that shouldn't really threaten Pakistan at all. This tour should be utilized as a way to strengthen the bench for the NZ tour which will likely end a lot of intl careers of Misbah's mates.

You cant expect saud shakeel to be given ago when the sindh team didnt even pick him got majority of the games in the national cup.akif javed is also injuired so they could pick him we should beat them in both series without a single defeat.