[PICTURES/VIDEOS] Saud Shakeel: Essential or Liability?

I am advocating for Abdullah and saim ayub opening, with saud at no 4 and tayyab, imad and haris as our middle order.
now check my radical team

Saim, Haider, Babar, QasimA, MubashirK, Haris WasimJnr Shaheen Naseem Abrar HarisR

Rohail Nazir was excellent in U-19. If he recovers his form, I will put him in this team at no.4 or 5 at expense of MK. Qasim Akram is still raw but he has potential of being good MO batter & can chip in with 4/5 overs if required.

This team can bat till no.11, 4 pacers, 1 spinner, 2 part-timers.
 
now check my radical team

Saim, Haider, Babar, QasimA, MubashirK, Haris WasimJnr Shaheen Naseem Abrar HarisR

Rohail Nazir was excellent in U-19. If he recovers his form, I will put him in this team at no.4 or 5 at expense of MK. Qasim Akram is still raw but he has potential of being good MO batter & can chip in with 4/5 overs if required.

This team can bat till no.11, 4 pacers, 1 spinner, 2 part-timers.
That's fair. I don't mind this team, although I am skeptical of haider. But as I said I don't mind this team either. As long as the trundlers and tail enders leave.
 
That's fair. I don't mind this team, although I am skeptical of haider. But as I said I don't mind this team either. As long as the trundlers and tail enders leave.

Trundlers will be smashed if they encounter any hitter in form. Out of top teams, only Eng has trundlers Woakes & Curran but both of them are good lower-order batters & Curran is a thinking bowler too.
 
although I am skeptical of haider.
If Haider doesn't perform, we can replace Haider with Hurraira.

Saim, Haider/Hurraira, Babar, QasimA, MubashirK, Haris, WasimJnr, Shaheen, Naseem, Abrar, HarisR

Kamran Ghulam, OBY, Tayyab Tahir, Dahani, Ihsanullah, Zaman Khan, Sufiyan Muqeem, Mehran Mumtaz etc are back-ups.

PCP should develop Ihsanullah, Zaman Khan & SufiyanM as they are impact bowlers. They will go for runs on days but they also win you many matches. There's no need to play Shaheen Naseem Haris in every match.

Biggest disappointment is Rohail Nazir.
 
@Farabi team posted in post#161 & 164 is what we can assemble from available resources on Eng/Aus lines. Obviously this team would be below their level, but picking this team would send a strong signal to all upcoming batters & bowlers that higher batting SR and lower bowling SR is in demand.
 
If Haider doesn't perform, we can replace Haider with Hurraira.

Saim, Haider/Hurraira, Babar, QasimA, MubashirK, Haris, WasimJnr, Shaheen, Naseem, Abrar, HarisR

Kamran Ghulam, OBY, Tayyab Tahir, Dahani, Ihsanullah, Zaman Khan, Sufiyan Muqeem, Mehran Mumtaz etc are back-ups.

PCP should develop Ihsanullah, Zaman Khan & SufiyanM as they are impact bowlers. They will go for runs on days but they also win you many matches. There's no need to play Shaheen Naseem Haris in every match.

Biggest disappointment is Rohail Nazir.
I actually like you're thinking. You changed my perspective entirely. Thanks ❤️.
 
in ODIs --- Gill SR is 102, Rohit 109 in last 2y, Kohli 106 in last 2y, Kishan 102 & Rahul is 360 degree player
Where do they play most of their cricket? Mickey Mouse Indian stadium and phattas. Their SR has not been close to that in SL.
We are listening this line since ages.

Eng revamped its National Team approach & domestic structure pretty much at the same time after 2015WC defeat. Domestic players knew they would only be selected if they played with higher SR in cc.
yeah but
@Farabi team posted in post#161 & 164 is what we can assemble from available resources on Eng/Aus lines. Obviously this team would be below their level, but picking this team would send a strong signal to all upcoming batters & bowlers that higher batting SR and lower bowling SR is in demand.
selection and signaling doesn’t mean anything unless the skill exists.
Pak should back their own unique resources. We can deploy some solid batters like Imam, Saud, and Abdullah in top 5. When solid batters get set, they push the SR anyway on good batting tracks. Rizwan is at 115 SR right now.
 
He should be playing ahead of Agha Salman. I hope he gets well before the final and we see him play in the team in place of Haris.
 
Lol answer the question. Will Pak bat 45 overs today
We lasted whole innings
bcz
Chacha played with intent & forced SL spinners to change their line & length. He didn't let SL spinners to be in their rhythms.

Today, BD's lower order didn't go to their shells after being 5 down for nothing & ended up posting fighting total. This is the modern way.

Rizwan scored y'day but I was not impressed after seeing how he played in death overs. Riz was trying to hit outside off balls towards leg side for just 1s & 2s. That's his limitation. We ended up with under par total. All top 3 played with outdated cricket.
Rizwan can't be your late middle order player if he can't get boundaries at will. Only place he will be useful at is opening spot replacing struggling Fakhar with one of Abdullah / Imam accompanying him.

Zaman is a death overs bowler. Babar shouldn't have given him new ball (another player for your thread about players playing out of position @mominsaigol ). He bowled well but still. Wasim Jnr has bowled with new ball before & he has a good nip-baker & inswing. As there are rumors about Naseem's availability, I believe Jnr should partner Shaheen as opening bowler, not one of Zaman or Dahani.
 
Ind lost today bcz Rahul & Kishan went into consolidator mood. Rahul scored 19 off 39.

Pak vs NZ in 2019WC was another such low scoring thriller on a spinning low pitch. We won that not bcz of Babar's 100, Haris Sohail playing aggressively was the sole reason we won that match.
 
Glad to see Saud being kept of the main squad.
 
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How he performed in the warm up game he has now became a crucial player for the main events.

Saud can bowl as well and he has already shown the intent that he can play with good strike rate so its better to replace him with Salman Agha in main event matches.
 
How he performed in the warm up game he has now became a crucial player for the main events.

Saud can bowl as well and he has already shown the intent that he can play with good strike rate so its better to replace him with Salman Agha in main event matches.
He's as much of a bowler as Fakhar. Doubt we'll see him turn his arm over unless a very particular plan has been prepared.
 
If we give him the keys to #4 he'll make the same impact Haris Sohail did last WC.
 
I don't understand why Saud Shakeel wasn't given a chance in the second warm-up match after his good performance in the match against NZ.

isn't a strange call selecting Salman Agha over Saud when he has never bowled a single delivery in a match?
 
If Saud is picked, then the batting order also has to change a bit and it effects imams chances. Inzi will not let that happen
 
He's as much of a bowler as Fakhar. Doubt we'll see him turn his arm over unless a very particular plan has been prepared.
Agha isn't a bowler either. I saw how that guy bowls, horrible.

Saud is a batsmen, shpuld play as a batsmen.
 
When I created this thread I thought saud would be important.

The reality is, he's not just important, atm given with our obsession to play agha, Shadab and Nawaz in the middle ya Allah khair,

Saud is pretty much oxygen for the middle order.

We don't have a middle order besides saud and chacha.

Pakistan will get cremated is we play rizzu, shadab, Nawaz and Agha in the middle.

This is why I ponder why tayyab was selected in the Afghanistan series and wasn't even given a game, then he was drafted as a travel reserve and then discarded altogether?

On what basis is a bits and pieces players selected over a genuine batsmen like tayyab?

Tayyab isn't Butler or anything but he's a genuine middle order bat?

Why is Pakistan so obsessed with bits and pieces? Then again a bits and pieces players is our VC so who knows.
 
I don't understand why Saud Shakeel wasn't given a chance in the second warm-up match after his good performance in the match against NZ.

isn't a strange call selecting Salman Agha over Saud when he has never bowled a single delivery in a match?

Pakistan Cricket Team, for all its glory and achievements, is incredibly confusing and illogical.

He was a breath of fresh air in the first game and deserved to get more confidence in the second game. I hope Agha’s failure helped them realise that Saud is the for the tournament.
 
Saud Shakeel has shown what he can really do when he gets a chance. I know that on the basis of 1 match, that too a warm-up game, we cannot judge a player but considering the fragile nature of our middle order, I think he is more than necessary now.
 
We dont need hacks we need specialists, obsession with all rounders is dumb. Shadab doesnt merit a position based on his recent performances. Saud should have played against Australia but not sure whats going on with team mgmt.
 
Saud deserves the same mantra we were saying about sarfi in 2015.

"Saud is like oxygen for the team"

We are suffocating ourselves if we play agha over him or even rizzu at no 4 for that matter.
 
While talking to the media, Shoaib Malik

"I always thought Saud Shakeel should be mandatory in the Pakistan Cricket Team. A batter with a strong technique like Saud plays an important role after Babar Azam and M Rizwan."

"Babar Azam has been doing captaincy of Pakistan, and this is the time to support him. The media also has to play an important role in supporting Babar in the World Cup. I'm very much hopeful for the good performance of the Pakistan Cricket Team and the captaincy of Babar in the World Cup."

"Pakistan has also scored around 700 runs if they conceded 700 runs in warm-up matches."

"Naseem, Shaheen [Shah] and Haris [Rauf] became a strong trio. Unfortunately, Naseem got injured, but the PCB Selection Committee should have given occasional opportunities to other bowlers as well previously,"
 
I think you guys will love watching Saud Shakeel bat. I think he's quality. said Arthur on Thursday during ICC world cup press conference.
 
If we give him the keys to #4 he'll make the same impact Haris Sohail did last WC.
Similar to last WC , they will again realise that very late and play him at 4...

After 1 failure againsts WI , Haris Sohail was dropped ... After winning the game against ENGLAND they went with winning combo and failed against India and Aus then brought him back for the SA and NZL game where he amazed everyone took the team to an unbeatable unstoppable momentum in ODIs..
 
I think you guys will love watching Saud Shakeel bat. I think he's quality. said Arthur on Thursday during ICC world cup press conference.
he is simply thre for pay cheque and media hypes to suffice fans.. if Saud shakeel is in their plans then they should have played him atleast 10 matches by now including the WARMups..

Under foreign coach /management and local coach/management they simply do the same thing on choosing 11 ..

The system is deep rooted in shambles to play their own buddies and safeguard their batting positions... no matter how many games they lose..

Saud had a perfect platform to score runs after his GALLE double ton if he had played Afghanistan and Asia cup to cement his place in the side.. selfish babar didnt even give him a game.. Only a few has scored double ton in Galle and Saud is in that list..

In the practice game against NZL he showed that he can score quickly and play classy strokes for six... but he wasnt allowed to bat against Aus :facepalm:
 
Saud deserves the same mantra we were saying about sarfi in 2015.

"Saud is like oxygen for the team"

We are suffocating ourselves if we play agha over him or even rizzu at no 4 for that matter.
U will see today, they will go with agha as they are buddies and until they lose badly against india....
Saud has the technique that is needed to play day-night games in India to tackle spin..
 
Saud Shakeel is proving his inclusion right. He came to bat when Pakistan was struggling after 3 wickets were down. But Saud steadied the boat for Pakistan along with Rizwan and building a solid partnership.
 
The only liability I see in the squad is Agha.

Can't believe Babar preferred Agha over Saud.
 
Saud is looking fluent as a knife in butter today. Some excellent shots and game awareness as well.
 
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There you go. Saud has his first 50 that too in his debut world cup match. 2nd fasted 50 in a world cup by a Pakistani Batter. What a knock. Long way to go.
 
Now imagine Babar's friend Agha Salman in that situation.

Babar should be ashamed of himself for preferring his mates over deserving players.
 
Saud Shakeel is a wonderful prospect, he just need a long run to establish himself
 
ICYMI

Saud Shakeel spotted Netherlands had one too many fielders outside the circle, went for the big shot knowing it would be a no ball, then made sure the umpires called no ball, and then hit the free hit for six.
 
Wow what a wonderful player. I was just reading back on this thread looking at some of the negative comments. Most are focused on his strike rate which made me chuckle.

His strike rate in list A is actually 86. Higher than misbah and umar akmal and Kane Williamson. So hardly a slouch with the bat. What has been lovely to see his composure against really good bowling today. I know it’s Netherlands but the silky smooth manner in which he picked the gaps and didn’t try to bludgeon every ball was a treat to watch. Love his timing and ability to rebuild an innings especially lower down the order. Has some big shots to up the tempo when needed.

Really a fantastic player a real treat to watch.
 
Saud gets the MOTM in the first world cup game of pakistan.

Whats funny is that the so called experienced lot couldnt out perform him and this guy came in the team as a replacement for agha salman
 
Wow what a wonderful player. I was just reading back on this thread looking at some of the negative comments. Most are focused on his strike rate which made me chuckle.

His strike rate in list A is actually 86. Higher than misbah and umar akmal and Kane Williamson. So hardly a slouch with the bat. What has been lovely to see his composure against really good bowling today. I know it’s Netherlands but the silky smooth manner in which he picked the gaps and didn’t try to bludgeon every ball was a treat to watch. Love his timing and ability to rebuild an innings especially lower down the order. Has some big shots to up the tempo when needed.

Really a fantastic player a real treat to watch.
All the conspiracy theorist suggesting that Babar wont pick Saud are nowhere to be seen.

Neither are those who have been criticizing his SR non stop.
 
Wish we had tayyab and saim ayub. Thing is saud, tayyab and saim are aggressive, no one can perform in every match but when do they perform they score well.

I would rather have 3 players who can score 50 of 32 one in every 5 games, then a player who will score 100 of 130 lol like imam lol.
 
All the conspiracy theorist suggesting that Babar wont pick Saud are nowhere to be seen.

Neither are those who have been criticizing his SR non stop.
I always rated saud, people called me a fan boy and now those people mysteriously vanished 😆. It's as they say, bullies enjoy attacking but are cowards underneath.

But on the first point, Babar was 100% favouring agha and was clueless, he literally played agha non stop and didn't give a single chance to saud in any prior series besides only one game, even though saud was by far the best player of the test series.

I found the whole SR argument funny when saud played faster then everyone on test, dude scored a quick fire 200 for test standards lol.

But babar selecting saud is a forced change, he wanted agha because babar is brainless.
 
I always rated saud, people called me a fan boy and now those people mysteriously vanished 😆. It's as they say, bullies enjoy attacking but are cowards underneath.

But on the first point, Babar was 100% favouring agha and was clueless, he literally played agha non stop and didn't give a single chance to saud in any prior series besides only one game, even though saud was by far the best player of the test series.

I found the whole SR argument funny when saud played faster then everyone on test, dude scored a quick fire 200 for test standards lol.

But babar selecting saud is a forced change, he wanted agha because babar is brainless.
Not entirely true.

We have a habit of giving players only a couple of chances and dropping them. Agha was given those chances and now dropped fairly. Now dropping Saud after 5 bad games would be unfair, just like Agha, Saud would also be given the long rope. Like it should be.
 
Saud Shakeel (Speech during MOM award): last 2 to 3 months I've been working hard on my game. I know this is the position I am going to bat in for Pakistan, number 5 so I've developed my game accordingly & have tried to improve my shots, reverse-sweeps & attacking options, try to brave.
 
I always rated saud, people called me a fan boy and now those people mysteriously vanished 😆. It's as they say, bullies enjoy attacking but are cowards underneath.

But on the first point, Babar was 100% favouring agha and was clueless, he literally played agha non stop and didn't give a single chance to saud in any prior series besides only one game, even though saud was by far the best player of the test series.

I found the whole SR argument funny when saud played faster then everyone on test, dude scored a quick fire 200 for test standards lol.

But babar selecting saud is a forced change, he wanted agha because babar is brainless.
Do you think Sarfraz missed a trick by never playing him for QG?
 
I am really happy to see him scoring runs today. He was always a better option than Agha and he should be playing all the matches for Pakistan in this World Cup.
 
Do you think Sarfraz missed a trick by never playing him for QG?
No, because saud wasn't the player he is now.

If you watched his previous test series and early games, he was pretty much a Wall, Excellent timer, solid footwork, great defence but he lacked any stroke play.

This is why everyone except me thought saud would be useless in odi. I however have closely been following saud in domestic and the current test circuit. This power game that he's developed and lofted stroke play he developed it recently and mastered it, he just like babar is an improvement type player who improves per game and Irons out his weaknesses.

Back then he'd be exposed and his confidence diminished has sarfi played him. Obviously now he's a batter who can play in any format. But this power game was blossomed in recent domestic and the current Sri lanka test series, I think its because he was a top order at 3 and they shoved him to no 5, where he decixed to develop the power game so he can score 200's at a quicker pace then others.
 
Not entirely true.

We have a habit of giving players only a couple of chances and dropping them. Agha was given those chances and now dropped fairly. Now dropping Saud after 5 bad games would be unfair, just like Agha, Saud would also be given the long rope. Like it should be.

Brother this is a team that selected tayyab and then discarded him without giving him any ropes.

Agha was selected over saud unfairly. If a case should be made, both agha and saud should have been playing and been tested together.

But obviously that can't happen because rizzu, Imam, Babar are golden boys, they ain't going no where.
 
Mohammad Hafeez praised Saud Shakeel after his impressive innings against Netherlands, this is what he had to say about this stylish left-handed batsman.

“Saud Shakeel rescued the innings when Pakistan were in trouble after losing three early wickets. He has a solid technique and played a gritty innings. He deserves massive credit for the way he handled the pressure,”

“He wasn’t even in the team management’s plan for ODI two months ago. I have spent time with him in the dressing room and I know the passion he has for the game and how he wants to prove people wrong,”
 
Solid knock from Saud. If he keeps this form up, Agha Ali Salman will be competing with Ifti as opposed Saud. The style of playing from Saud will perfectly complement Babar & Rizwan in the middle order.
 
The only liability I see in the squad is Agha.

Can't believe Babar preferred Agha over Saud.
I think Agha is a good player on the bench. I see Shafique as more of a liability. Wish we had Zaman Khan there instead of him. Should have had more than 1 fast bowling backup in the squad.
 
Good innings from him today under pressure.

Pakistan were in serious trouble and he showed that he has the shot range, class and mental strength in these situations.

Good signs.
 
But but people were telling me he was only a test player and can't hit boundaries!
Who knew playing the lad who averages 45 in List A cricket with an 85 SR would work out????

Loved his game today, match winner
 
Good innings from him today under pressure.

Pakistan were in serious trouble and he showed that he has the shot range, class and mental strength in these situations.

Good signs.
Looked a class apart today, picked the gaps brilliantly and scored all around the wicket. Just goes to show if you intelligence and proper cricket shots you get runs.

Only positive from today's game
 
Saud has exceeded my expectations by a country mile. Such composure and calmness.
 
Always supported Saud from day 1 and I am not surprised to see him do well in odis as well. It was an unbelieveable innings he played today at a very high strike rate, something none of you thought that he was capable of doing. What a player
 
No doubt Saud is a good batsman, I just watched the highlights, but massive disappointment with the way he got out. When batting in 60s, you can't get out looking like a tailender. It's ok to get out trying to hit shots but the shot he played is a kinda red flag to me.
 
Rotate strike, play your shots according to the gaps, take calculated risks when set and look to target the weaker bowlers. This is how you play 50 over cricket and Saud executed very well.

Also Looks to be our best player of spin.
 
Karachi players have be to supremely talented to make it to the side, meanwhile PCB dishes out Pakistan caps to Lahori quota players like Salman Agha like its a buffet.


I'm glad Saud justified his talent, hope he gets a long run and isn't discarded on his first failure.
 
Pure class this lad. If we had 2 modern openers and Naseem we'd actually have a decent chance but alas.
 
Imagine middle order of Saud , Sarfraz and Ifti. Theyl brutalise a lot of spin attacks
 
Karachi players have be to supremely talented to make it to the side, meanwhile PCB dishes out Pakistan caps to Lahori quota players like Salman Agha like its a buffet.


I'm glad Saud justified his talent, hope he gets a long run and isn't discarded on his first failure.
I don’t want to agree but I agree that Karachi players are definitely treated differently. Having said that, I feel like there is a bias in favour of KPK players more than Lahore. All the Musa Khans, the Wasims, the Zaman Khans and Ihsanullah’s we’ve had recently makes me question why Hasnain is never given the same amount of support who is better than all of these guys.
 
I don’t want to agree but I agree that Karachi players are definitely treated differently. Having said that, I feel like there is a bias in favour of KPK players more than Lahore. All the Musa Khans, the Wasims, the Zaman Khans and Ihsanullah’s we’ve had recently makes me question why Hasnain is never given the same amount of support who is better than all of these guys.
Hasnain is better. He is a terrible bowler
 
Saud looked like a touch player in the age groups and A tours,developed into a rock in the test team, a bit too defensive at times and now is showing that he deserves his chance. My only worry is that against pace,his stance makes it difficult to go back as its too wide
 
Solid knock from Saud. If he keeps this form up, Agha Ali Salman will be competing with Ifti as opposed Saud. The style of playing from Saud will perfectly complement Babar & Rizwan in the middle order.
Never a truer word spoken. There absolutely should be pressure on these three players to compete for the no 5&6 spots. It’s how cricket lineup improves. I know it’s hard on the players but they should be knocking the door of selection down. If ifti has another bad game or two there will be calls for an off spinning all rounder to come forth. I don’t know how good Saud is as a spinner but Agha better start practicing.
 
Hasnain is like a "Beauty without brain"

He just releases the ball without paying attention to the line and length of his deliveries.

He is another shaun tait of cricket.
He has no practical pace- don't look at the speed, look at the time batsman have to play him. As I have said on here many times, he is the slowest 90mph that the game has seen.
 
The asking for the no-ball after NED had an extra fielder outside the circle was a refreshing bit of game awareness from a Pakistani player.

The Saud-Rizwan counterpunching partnership was the biggest positive for PAK.
 
with saud in the team the middle order of babar,rizwan and saud is a match winner and might be the reason we make into the semi
 
The SR we are seeing Saud play with recently is incredibly refreshing and great to see. I hope he can keeps it up.

Always seemed to be another accumulator in domestic with a lack of power and while he may still lack hitting ability for sixes, he's showing to be really good at finding gaps, boundaries and the most surprising part is these weird shuffles and stances in the creases that he uses to find gaps. Whenever I saw him in domestic, I didn't see this type of unorthodox shots, he usually kept it pretty basic which was still good but play style was too similar to Imam. Good on him for making these changes and making sort of transformation.
 
He should bat ahead of Rizwan.
No, i think rizwan must keep 4th position, because he is experienced batter and doing already good at this number, so if u demote him, it could possibly shatter his confidence which is not feasable at the moment.
 
He should bat ahead of Rizwan.
Don't think it makes much difference. Either way a middle order of Babar, Saud and Rizwan is very solid and looking much better than having Agha in there.

Just need Babar to get some runs (which is never too far away with him) and the batting will be sorted.
 
No doubt Saud is a good batsman, I just watched the highlights, but massive disappointment with the way he got out. When batting in 60s, you can't get out looking like a tailender. It's ok to get out trying to hit shots but the shot he played is a kinda red flag to me.
I've always vouched for saud but I agree. I've been watching him for a long time and his biggest weakness is soft dismissals. He will look like a million dollar but out of nowhere will play a tailender shot and get out cheaply.

It's a weakness he has to work on.
 
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