[PICTURES/VIDEOS] Two-day Pakistan intra-squad practice match between ends in a draw

[Abdullah719]

Spoiler

 

[coy0607]

Pak need two more like him to be part of the strong teams league in tests.

Preferably an opener and a middle order batsman to team up with babar

He's a once in a generation type of player, so I highly doubt they will find someone up to Babar's level in the next 10 years, let alone another two right now.

Babar is good enough to be the backbone of a batting line up if you have other good support batsmen. The problem right now is Pakistan don't have good support batsmen either, we have passengers like Azhar, Hafeez, Asad, etc.

 

[Shafi]

Older players (like Azhar) have a good rapport with Misbah, and absolutely not a threat to him.

Babar doesn't have the same relationship with Misbah, so if Babar is captain and he's successful, he may push to bring his own choice of coach in a year or two (see Kohli vs Kumble episode). I imagine Misbah is pretty threatened by that

Both Misbah and Azhar should consider themselves lucky under the current situation and even get away with whitewash by giving excuse of no practice matches along with no cricket for last few months.

 

[coy0607]

No.

Shadab’s job in the first three innings is to score 30 runs per innings and to bowl 10-15 economical overs per day to give the four quicks a rest.

He is not a specialist bowler. He is a Moeen Ali style all-rounder and fifth bowler to give you balance and to provide insurance in case one of the four main bowlers breaks down.


No.

You need four quicks in England. We saw in 2016 that Yasir Shah was overbowled at Old Trafford and Edgbaston and that Sohail Khan was exhausted whenever he had to bowl in a second innings.

Fawad only gets into the team if he can seize a place in the Top Five.

I want Rizwan at 6, Shadab at 7 and Faheem at 8.

So now you're changing the argument from 'importance of Faheem' to '5-bowler strategy is better than 4-bowler'

First, Pakistan's batting is a lot weaker than Pakistan's bowling. Even with a 4-bowler attack, Pakistan is capable of taking 20 wickets in a match. With batting, outside of Babar, there is no other batsmen who has proven they can consistently score runs. This 6-deep batting line up with Faheem at #7 likely won't cross 250 runs many times.

Having someone like Fawad at #7 gives you a batsmen with grit who can fight his way to a half-century and take the score to respectability. Faheem will give you 5-15 runs in most innings.

Second, even if I agree with you that Pakistan needs 5-bowlers, I'd much rather play Husnain (or Wahab) who are real threats to take wickets, both are above-average for a fifth bowler. Faheem on the other hand will give you 15 mediocre overs, maybe a wicket if he gets lucky. But he is not a real threat to English batsmen, he just isn't good enough and he's proven that again and again.

Bottom line, play either a good #7 batsmen or a good 5th bowler. Someone like Faheem will give you 10-20 runs with the bat, and 15 meaningless overs per day. Total passenger with absolutely no value in test cricket.

 

[shamaan]

So now you're changing the argument from 'importance of Faheem' to '5-bowler strategy is better than 4-bowler'

First, Pakistan's batting is a lot weaker than Pakistan's bowling. Even with a 4-bowler attack, Pakistan is capable of taking 20 wickets in a match. With batting, outside of Babar, there is no other batsmen who has proven they can consistently score runs. This 6-deep batting line up with Faheem at #7 likely won't cross 250 runs many times.

Having someone like Fawad at #7 gives you a batsmen with grit who can fight his way to a half-century and take the score to respectability. Faheem will give you 5-15 runs in most innings.

Second, even if I agree with you that Pakistan needs 5-bowlers, I'd much rather play Husnain (or Wahab) who are real threats to take wickets, both are above-average for a fifth bowler. Faheem on the other hand will give you 15 mediocre overs, maybe a wicket if he gets lucky. But he is not a real threat to English batsmen, he just isn't good enough and he's proven that again and again.

Bottom line, play either a good #7 batsmen or a good 5th bowler. Someone like Faheem will give you 10-20 runs with the bat, and 15 meaningless overs per day. Total passenger with absolutely no value in test cricket.

What about Shadab and fahim instead of yasir and fawad I would go with this

 

[shamaan]

Both Misbah and Azhar should consider themselves lucky under the current situation and even get away with whitewash by giving excuse of no practice matches along with no cricket for last few months.

Their should be no excuses pakistan batters are playing against the best Pakistan bowlers currently they had 2 intra matches and I belive another 2 to come

 

[shamaan]

He's a once in a generation type of player, so I highly doubt they will find someone up to Babar's level in the next 10 years, let alone another two right now.

Babar is good enough to be the backbone of a batting line up if you have other good support batsmen. The problem right now is Pakistan don't have good support batsmen either, we have passengers like Azhar, Hafeez, Asad, etc.

Haider ali might be good option at number 5 or 6 he attacking azwell

 

[shamaan]

Pakistan played 5 bowlers when they toured Eng in 2018.

That's wiz sir Mickey authar in charge I belive misbah will go with 4 but might be slim chance of 5 bowlers

 

[shamaan]

You don't want a walking wicket at 7, I am not sure about Shadab as a test spinner. Grandhomme doesn't bowl quick but does his job.

5th bowlers isn't always suppose to wickets, he makes sure that other bowlers don't get tired bowling long spells.

Shadab should play in sena were u just need to be tight and get some useful runs down the order

 

[shamaan]

Playing XI is pretty much confirmed of the first test

Shan
Abid
Azhar
Babar
Asad
Rizwan
Faheem
Shadab
Shaheen
Naseem
Abbas
[MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION]

Whos this confirmed by and I would go with this team defo shadab is more than decent with the bat

 

[Junaids]

Playing XI is pretty much confirmed of the first test

Shan
Abid
Azhar
Babar
Asad
Rizwan
Faheem
Shadab
Shaheen
Naseem
Abbas
[MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION]

I’d be happy with that - except I wouldn’t have the 35 year old version of Azhar Ali in the team.

 

[MenInG]

Video from today's action from the 2-Day game

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 50%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/hs8ogk" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[MenInG]

Update - Tea, Day Two, Inter-Squad Practice Match at Worcester

PCB White 209-1

Fawad Alam 19 not out
Sarfaraz Ahmed 24 not out

Retired: Iftikhar Ahmed 86 and
Imam ul Haq 74

 

[ask_analyse_act]

He's a once in a generation type of player, so I highly doubt they will find someone up to Babar's level in the next 10 years, let alone another two right now.

Babar is good enough to be the backbone of a batting line up if you have other good support batsmen. The problem right now is Pakistan don't have good support batsmen either, we have passengers like Azhar, Hafeez, Asad, etc.

Babar is not born as a once a generation batsman. There are many players who turn into a formidable asset to their teams once they get chances at the right time and position.

They are nurtured and developed into good batsman, if Babar, Fakhar, Imam doesn’t had the support of MA and Inzi wouldn’t have debuted till now in all formats.

Right now they have Imam UL haq and Haider who can be developed into a great support batsman for Babar and also heading towards playing like Babar. But I can’t think of any such developments under Misbah.

Pak do have batting talents but for some reason they are happy playing Hafeez and Malik.. no other team is playing players who debuted before 2000 or in the early 2000s. India dropped Dhoni who was far better than Hafeez and Malik, he won ICC titles and one of the greatest LOI captains, but Hafeez and Malik are given the chance to play until they call retirement for themselves.

 

[shah_1]

Imam ul haq has changed his batting stance.


Wonder why? Any expert opinion

 

[shah_1]

Imam ul haq has changed his batting stance.


Wonder why? Any expert opinion

Mostly his backlift. High backlift now

 

[ask_analyse_act]

So now you're changing the argument from 'importance of Faheem' to '5-bowler strategy is better than 4-bowler'

First, Pakistan's batting is a lot weaker than Pakistan's bowling. Even with a 4-bowler attack, Pakistan is capable of taking 20 wickets in a match. With batting, outside of Babar, there is no other batsmen who has proven they can consistently score runs. This 6-deep batting line up with Faheem at #7 likely won't cross 250 runs many times.

Whose fault is this. Can they play Imam at no. 3 instead of Azhar and and Haider at no.5 instead of Asad. Doesn’t that make a big difference , yes it does?

Having someone like Fawad at #7 gives you a batsmen with grit who can fight his way to a half-century and take the score to respectability. Faheem will give you 5-15 runs in most innings.

Which test team is playing a batsman like Fawad at no.7. Nobody. Test teams playing keepers and all rounders at 6 and 7 ? yes didn’t they.

Second, even if I agree with you that Pakistan needs 5-bowlers, I'd much rather play Husnain (or Wahab) who are real threats to take wickets, both are above-average for a fifth bowler. Faheem on the other hand will give you 15 mediocre overs, maybe a wicket if he gets lucky. But he is not a real threat to English batsmen, he just isn't good enough and he's proven that again and again.

Debatable, Hasnain not good with bat, still new to tests , doesn’t play enough domestics, can give chance but doesn’t fill the requirement. This is where Ehsan Adil comes in and would have made a good selection.
Wahab can be played , but does he have the same energy and hunger at the age of 35 ... he retired himself , Misbah goes begging at 35 yrs old pacers to play test cricket . From the video today we can see and it looks like they are bowling pies at 120kph. Musa another bowler who is good with the bat but still rusty in all departments because he hasn’t played enough domestics

Bottom line, play either a good #7 batsmen or a good 5th bowler. Someone like Faheem will give you 10-20 runs with the bat, and 15 meaningless overs per day. Total passenger with absolutely no value in test cricket.

Only option right now is Faheem, if not then play two leggies Shadab and Yasir.

 

[aloo paratha]

Bowling wise faheem has better pace than aamir Yamin. Yamin needs to increase his pace , these days in test cricket 120 kph with swing is too predictable and easy to play.

Yameen bowls between 130-135 kph, not 120, and can swing and seam the ball. We're playing in England, pace hardly matters. In the match that just concluded, England played 2 90+mph bowlers and still lost convincingly. 80mph Jason Holder did a lot better than either of them.

Plus, Yamin is an all rounder, he would've only bowled 10-15 overs a day. Yameen would've been a much better option than Faheem.

 

[ChTab]

Pepsi logo on some shirts. Is pepsi back as main sponsor????

 

[hitthestump]

Faheem doesn't seem to add anything. In an ideal world we'd go with 4 pacers but i'm not sure if he's good enough.

Can we go with 5 bowlers made up of the 3 main pacers + Shadab and Ifti?

Both bat pretty well and we get leg/off variety. I don't see spinners doing much harm either so Pakistan could just use them to give a breather to the main 3 while contributing 60-70 to the scoreboard with the bat. Then on days 4 and 5 who knows maybe they'll be useful in tandem.

 

[TrentDevil]

Pepsi logo on some shirts. Is pepsi back as main sponsor????

Nah, some players probably with old kits and if you zoom in, they have taped it

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Update - Tea, Day Two, Inter-Squad Practice Match at Worcester

PCB White 209-1

Fawad Alam 19 not out
Sarfaraz Ahmed 24 not out

Retired: Iftikhar Ahmed 86 and
Imam ul Haq 74

What’s the score now?

 

[The Viper]

<a href="https://ibb.co/QP6kGCJ"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/fkC97nX/8abfb177-ac18-413a-87b7-0de769a08082.jpg" alt="8abfb177-ac18-413a-87b7-0de769a08082" border="0"></a>
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<a href="https://ibb.co/DGk1pxr"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/B4jfNXn/53889401-8fda-48a8-babe-68340afa612c.jpg" alt="53889401-8fda-48a8-babe-68340afa612c" border="0"></a>

 

[shamaan]

Faheem doesn't seem to add anything. In an ideal world we'd go with 4 pacers but i'm not sure if he's good enough.

Can we go with 5 bowlers made up of the 3 main pacers + Shadab and Ifti?

Both bat pretty well and we get leg/off variety. I don't see spinners doing much harm either so Pakistan could just use them to give a breather to the main 3 while contributing 60-70 to the scoreboard with the bat. Then on days 4 and 5 who knows maybe they'll be useful in tandem.

I'd go wiz shadab and fahim in 5 man attack

 

[TrentDevil]

51* for Shadab Khan today

40 & 37 for Sarfaraz & Fawad respectively

 

[shamaan]

51* for Shadab Khan today

40 & 37 for Sarfaraz & Fawad respectively

Shadab khan is decent batsman good technique could be in the first test

 

[Shoaibbtt]

51* for Shadab Khan today

40 & 37 for Sarfaraz & Fawad respectively

Is that 40 and 37 retired not out or out? Still not bad batting

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Hmm would be an interesting comparison. Can Shadab provide more with the bat than Fawad if we forget he is also a spinner?

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Also, going back over yesterday’s figures, I’m a bit concerned for Abbas. Initially I thought 2 wickets were decent but then I realized his only wickets were Yasir Shah and Wahab Riaz. All the top order wickets were taken by Shaheen and 1 by Naseem.

Hope Abbas finds form so he is able to trouble the English top order.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Hmm would be an interesting comparison. Can Shadab provide more with the bat than Fawad if we forget he is also a spinner?

Same conclusion can be drawn from asad shafiq’s 18 or Shan Masood’s 12. It’s unfair if we go off a practice match as oppose to the real thing.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Same conclusion can be drawn from asad shafiq’s 18 or Shan Masood’s 12. It’s unfair if we go off a practice match as oppose to the real thing.

Fawad and Shadab were batting against a second string bowling attack comprising of Sohail, Wahab, and Musa Khan. Shan and Asad’s failures are also worth taking a look at, but slightly more excusable as Shafiq lost his wicket to Shaheen and Shan to the new ball by Naseem.

Shafiq I have maintained for a year shouldn’t be in the team, so I agree with you.

It is definitely worth taking a look at Fawad’s form — if he can’t hold up against Sohail and Musa Khan, can he hold up against Archer, Wood, Woakes, Broad, and Anderson?

Obviously there are more practice matches to come, and my hope is he finds himself in good form and can play his strokes well. That is to Pakistan’s benefit.

But he shouldn’t be played just because of the media lobby behind him. If Shadab is more effective against the same attacks in future practice matches, I would rather play him over Fawad because he also provides a spin option.

It’s simply an idea worth considering. Let’s see how the next practice match turns out.

 

[MenInG]

PCB Whites in response to PCB Greens score of 318/8 made 338/5 in 89.1 overs. Iftikhar Ahmed 86 Retired Not Out, Imam-Ul-Haq 74 Retired Not Out, Shadab Khan 51 not out, Sarfaraz Ahmed 40, Fawad Alam 37. Mohammad Musa 1/58, Usman Shinwari 1/65. Match drawn.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Fawad and Shadab were batting against a second string bowling attack comprising of Sohail, Wahab, and Musa Khan. Shan and Asad’s failures are also worth taking a look at, but slightly more excusable as Shafiq lost his wicket to Shaheen and Shan to the new ball by Naseem.

Shafiq I have maintained for a year shouldn’t be in the team, so I agree with you.

It is definitely worth taking a look at Fawad’s form — if he can’t hold up against Sohail and Musa Khan, can he hold up against Archer, Wood, Woakes, Broad, and Anderson?

Obviously there are more practice matches to come, and my hope is he finds himself in good form and can play his strokes well. That is to Pakistan’s benefit.

But he shouldn’t be played just because of the media lobby behind him. If Shadab is more effective against the same attacks in future practice matches, I would rather play him over Fawad because he also provides a spin option.

It’s simply an idea worth considering. Let’s see how the next practice match turns out.

Yep need to see more from the practice matches but let me ask this if Haris Sohail got zeros, do you think they’d leave him out? All I say is there must be fairness which I don’t see nor have I ever seen in so called pakistan cricket. The most classic example is Asim
Kamal.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Yep need to see more from the practice matches but let me ask this if Haris Sohail got zeros, do you think they’d leave him out? All I say is there must be fairness which I don’t see nor have I ever seen in so called pakistan cricket. The most classic example is Asim
Kamal.

I don’t know what they would or wouldn’t do, to be honest. I don’t claim to be an expert on what is going on in Misbah’s head. But I do know that after Haris’s horrible form in the last year, if he scored consecutive zeros in two practice matches leading into the first test, I would be sorry to select him ahead of someone else.

Applying the same to this situation, there is stiff competition for that lower middle order spot in the squad. Iftikhar, Fawad, Shadab, or even Haider Ali are all in contention. Fawad was given a second string bowling lineup to score against, and he didn’t exactly knock the door down. At a certain point, he needs to show that he’s better than 37 runs against Musa, Sohail, and Wahab. For his own sake, he needs to make at least 70 runs in the next practice match to push his case forward.

 

[shamaan]

Hmm would be an interesting comparison. Can Shadab provide more with the bat than Fawad if we forget he is also a spinner?

Just below fawad but if fahim plays then about par

 

[shamaan]

Fawad and Shadab were batting against a second string bowling attack comprising of Sohail, Wahab, and Musa Khan. Shan and Asad’s failures are also worth taking a look at, but slightly more excusable as Shafiq lost his wicket to Shaheen and Shan to the new ball by Naseem.

Shafiq I have maintained for a year shouldn’t be in the team, so I agree with you.

It is definitely worth taking a look at Fawad’s form — if he can’t hold up against Sohail and Musa Khan, can he hold up against Archer, Wood, Woakes, Broad, and Anderson?

Obviously there are more practice matches to come, and my hope is he finds himself in good form and can play his strokes well. That is to Pakistan’s benefit.

But he shouldn’t be played just because of the media lobby behind him. If Shadab is more effective against the same attacks in future practice matches, I would rather play him over Fawad because he also provides a spin option.

It’s simply an idea worth considering. Let’s see how the next practice match turns out.

I wouldn't play shadab ahead of fawad but I'd play fahim and shadab over yasir and fawad

 

[Junaids]

So just to be specific:

1. Yasir Shah went wicketless against the reserve batsmen.
2. Sohail Khan and Wahab Riaz went wicketless against the reserve batsmen.
3. Musa Khan took 1-58 against the reserve batsmen.
4. Usman Shinwari took 1-65 against the reserve batsmen.
5. Imam, Shadab and Iftikhar batted well and could not be dismissed by the bowlers.
6. The only batsmen who got out were Fawad Alam and Sarfraz Ahmed.

 

[Arsal_AK]

Shadab has clearly improved his batting and it wouldn't be that bad to give him a look. Yasir is doing absolutely nothing and we know how he is going to turn out, it's happened before when he was actually at his peak.

 

[Kashur_Kalkharab]

Play yasir and a batsman... Yasir needs to make sure he is slowing runs at one side while fast bowlers attack.

 

[Junaids]

Play yasir and a batsman... Yasir needs to make sure he is slowing runs at one side while fast bowlers attack.

Definitely not.

Four quicks means that they can bowl shorter, faster spells and have 4 minutes off between overs because the guy bowling at the other end is a quick.

Three bowlers plus Yasir means longer spells for the quicks, and only 3 minutes between overs because the guy at the other end is a spinner.

They got it just right under Sarfraz in the warm-up match: Faheem and Shadab bowled 35 overs out of 90 and kept Shaheen, Abbas and Naseem fresh.

 

[Ahmed216]

Shadab khan must play as a second spinner. The pitches will drier as season progresses .In batting he has the best technique in this side after babar azam and is tempramentally solid.

 

[TheRockStar001]

what nonsense Faheem and shadab both will be useless in test. better to go with yasir and additional batsmen.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

A few points on this practive match in combo with the results of the first Eng-WI Test in Southampton.

This all is, of course noting that it's the 2nd and 3rd tests that will be in Southampton. The 1st test is at Old Trafford. so I'll reserve my judgment until the second Windies test is over.

a) The wicket in Southampton won't do much for anybody bowling wise, with the new ball being an exception. I wouldn't expect the same weather as you saw for the Windies test.

b) Pak need 5 bowlers minimum, to allow a constant threat, especially as August will be warm in the south of England

c) You need discipline across most of your attack, when the ball is doing nothing, it's important to bowling a probing line, such that you eventually get 'loss of concentration' wickets. Remember, England are still are pretty inexperienced batting line up.

d) If the pitch does spin, then Shadab is a must. However, you absolutely don't play him as a lone spinner. Shadab has shown that he can't play a holding role in tests, so you only play him together with the following three options: i) Yasir Shah ii) Faheem Ashraf iii) Kashif Bhatti iv)Iftikhar Ahmed - Having Shah AND Shadab in the line up would be too same-y, so that's unlikely. His warm up performances have also not inspired confidence. Ifti is a VERY unlikely choice as a 5th bowling option, atleast for the Southampton test but it's Misbah so you never know! Thus it's between Faheem and Kashif. I'd personally play Faheem for the Manchester test and Kashif for the Southampton test.

e) This then leaves the 3 pacers. Abbas has to play, because of his ability to control one end. Shaheen too would also play, as he's got the mental resolve to keep going, as both the warm up match demonstrated and what he would have learned bowling long, unrewarding spells in Australia. Naseem Shah plays as the third option, and in my opinion, should be used sparingly throughout the day to keep England on their toes. I'd say a maximum of 15-17 overs in a day. The others would then share the workload

f) The batting line up will be the expected one. It'll be interesting to see how Shan does in further practice matches. He once again left a dangling bat in the practice game to get out. That type of shoddy concentration is what Anderson and Broad have built their near 1200 wicket hauls on. So he'll have to tighten up. Imam is waiting in the wings otherwise.

So the team for Southampton, for me would be:

Abid
Shan (or Imam, if Shan doesn't improve in training)
Azhar
Babar
Shafiq
Rizwan
Shadab
Kashif (or Ifti, given the Misbah factor)
Shaheen
Naseem
Abbas

For Old Trafford, it currently is the following:

Abid
Shan (or Imam, if Shan doesn't improve in training)
Azhar
Babar
Shafiq
Rizwan
Shadab/(or Ifti, given the Misbah factor)
Faheem
Shaheen
Naseem
Abbas

 

[TrentDevil]

Babar Azam got a wicket in this game but none for Yasir or Shadab, which is very concerning. Pakistan need a spinner who can get wickets in 3rd & 4th wickets, even if it's Kashif Bhatti then let it be. I really don't understand this logic of having a spinner in the team just to give rest to the pacers and not overburden them.

I understand Shadab being more than decent with the bat but that is not his job, if your top 6 can't score runs then his 30s or 40s won't be of much use anyway. One of the primary reasons England lost the first Test was that despite favourable conditions for Spinners, Dom Bess wasn't that effective and hence bowled very less in 2nd innings.

 

[Arsal_AK]

If Zafar was here, we could have played both him and Shadab if it were a spinning track, which I think we are bound to get one. They both are capable of lower order runs plus they don't have the sameness problem Yasir and Shadab have.

 

[shamaan]

Play yasir and a batsman... Yasir needs to make sure he is slowing runs at one side while fast bowlers attack.

I'd play shadab and fahi

 

[shamaan]

Definitely not.

Four quicks means that they can bowl shorter, faster spells and have 4 minutes off between overs because the guy bowling at the other end is a quick.

Three bowlers plus Yasir means longer spells for the quicks, and only 3 minutes between overs because the guy at the other end is a spinner.

They got it just right under Sarfraz in the warm-up match: Faheem and Shadab bowled 35 overs out of 90 and kept Shaheen, Abbas and Naseem fresh.

That's what I'd play shadab and fahim unless its green top then shadab and yasir

 

[shamaan]

Shadab khan must play as a second spinner. The pitches will drier as season progresses .In batting he has the best technique in this side after babar azam and is tempramentally solid.

I dont think they will go with 2 spinners but u never no

 

[shamaan]

what nonsense Faheem and shadab both will be useless in test. better to go with yasir and additional batsmen.

You obvs haven't seen shadab bat hes more than decent down the order

 

[Titan24]

If Zafar was here, we could have played both him and Shadab if it were a spinning track, which I think we are bound to get one. They both are capable of lower order runs plus they don't have the sameness problem Yasir and Shadab have.

Kashif Bhatti is there who is a SLA and a handy lower order batsman with a FC average of 23 and 2 100s. If Management thinks on these terms for a spinning track, Bhatti and Shadab can be more than handy with their batting and will give a decent batting depth while maintaining 5 bowlers strategy.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

what nonsense Faheem and shadab both will be useless in test. better to go with yasir and additional batsmen.

Yasir went wicketless against the reserve batsmen, show he is useless on seaming pitches even if u have mushy as coach + his fitness is very bad. Im sure he will not be able to finish the yoyo test. He hurries himself to finish the overs as i see from the video. Better to go with shadab who can bat and contribute runs in the lower order.

 

[Titan24]

Mostly his backlift. High backlift now

Interesting. Just saw the video and yes he has changed his initial back lift which is now higher. I am not an expert but if your see most of the modern English batsmen which have developed their games across the formats like Root and Bairstow along with some one day specialists like Roy and Hales you can see that they also have a pretty high initial back lift movement. Nasser and other commies discussed this few years ago that how this generation of English batsmen as well as some coaches prefer that.

I think it might be good for Imam in the long run as it will naturally give bit of momentum to his bat flow which he lacked a bit previously (Remember his go to stroke of coming down the wicket to fast bowler in LOIs). This will allow him to have more initial momentum and thus better ability to execute different range of strokes.

Great thing is he is looking at other players around and is working on his game.

 

[shah_1]

Interesting. Just saw the video and yes he has changed his initial back lift which is now higher. I am not an expert but if your see most of the modern English batsmen which have developed their games across the formats like Root and Bairstow along with some one day specialists like Roy and Hales you can see that they also have a pretty high initial back lift movement. Nasser and other commies discussed this few years ago that how this generation of English batsmen as well as some coaches prefer that.

I think it might be good for Imam in the long run as it will naturally give bit of momentum to his bat flow which he lacked a bit previously (Remember his go to stroke of coming down the wicket to fast bowler in LOIs). This will allow him to have more initial momentum and thus better ability to execute different range of strokes.

Great thing is he is looking at other players around and is working on his game.

I've always said that Imam can be a world class ODI opener if he can develop more scoring shot to get his SR from 80 to 90. Hopefully this is a good change

 

[Kroll]

Yameen bowls between 130-135 kph, not 120, and can swing and seam the ball. We're playing in England, pace hardly matters. In the match that just concluded, England played 2 90+mph bowlers and still lost convincingly. 80mph Jason Holder did a lot better than either of them.

Plus, Yamin is an all rounder, he would've only bowled 10-15 overs a day. Yameen would've been a much better option than Faheem.

This somewhat vindicates [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] arguments about height being useful even though you may not be the most skilled bowler out there.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I don’t know what they would or wouldn’t do, to be honest. I don’t claim to be an expert on what is going on in Misbah’s head. But I do know that after Haris’s horrible form in the last year, if he scored consecutive zeros in two practice matches leading into the first test, I would be sorry to select him ahead of someone else.

Applying the same to this situation, there is stiff competition for that lower middle order spot in the squad. Iftikhar, Fawad, Shadab, or even Haider Ali are all in contention. Fawad was given a second string bowling lineup to score against, and he didn’t exactly knock the door down. At a certain point, he needs to show that he’s better than 37 runs against Musa, Sohail, and Wahab. For his own sake, he needs to make at least 70 runs in the next practice match to push his case forward.

I'm sorry but in my head Misbah is nothing but a bully. The fact is that favourtism and nepotism exist in Pakistan cricket which is a disgrace. I will say once again if you were Fawad who has built the majority of his career in domestic cricket and hasn't gotten a single long stint in int cricket, wouldn't you be mad?

I understand that the bowling line he faced was mediocre but you can't win them all. He's still been good despite this innings. I still say give a person a chance and i don't mean giving him a promotion from water boy to juice boy.

 

[Kroll]

Play yasir and a batsman... Yasir needs to make sure he is slowing runs at one side while fast bowlers attack.

what nonsense Faheem and shadab both will be useless in test. better to go with yasir and additional batsmen.

Nah, Yasir is a bum that goes 4+ an over and doesn't get any wickets.

 

[Firebat]

Nah, Yasir is a bum that goes 4+ an over and doesn't get any wickets.

What is Faheem then? Even Yasir has done more for Pakistan with the bat than Faheem.

 

[Kroll]

What is Faheem then? Even Yasir has done more for Pakistan with the bat than Faheem.

I haven't mentioned Faheem, but I would say Faheem's done more with the ball overseas recently than Yasir and that's their primary job.

Though I agree that Faheem doesn't fill me with much anticipation either. I have said this is a mediocre squad no matter which way you look at it.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Who says cricketers live a life of luxury staying in 5-star hotels around the world. The Pakistan squad will be staying in a Travelodge in Derby for the next couple of weeks <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/4DPLaf7Sns">pic.twitter.com/4DPLaf7Sns</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1282682144725315585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[shamaan]

I'm sorry but in my head Misbah is nothing but a bully. The fact is that favourtism and nepotism exist in Pakistan cricket which is a disgrace. I will say once again if you were Fawad who has built the majority of his career in domestic cricket and hasn't gotten a single long stint in int cricket, wouldn't you be mad?

I understand that the bowling line he faced was mediocre but you can't win them all. He's still been good despite this innings. I still say give a person a chance and i don't mean giving him a promotion from water boy to juice boy.

Did favoutism and nepostism come about when misbah was in charge or was it well before this

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Did favoutism and nepostism come about when misbah was in charge or was it well before this

It's always existed. Misbah is a bully if he doesn't give Fawad a chance and instead gives it to what looks like someone older than him in Iftikhar Ahmed.

Misbah and Younis never got along as well, in fact Younis called him a "yes man". I know favouritsm and nepotism existed in Misbah's time as well. In Inzi's time it was Asim Kamal who got the short end of the stick.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

I'm sorry but in my head Misbah is nothing but a bully. The fact is that favourtism and nepotism exist in Pakistan cricket which is a disgrace. I will say once again if you were Fawad who has built the majority of his career in domestic cricket and hasn't gotten a single long stint in int cricket, wouldn't you be mad?

I understand that the bowling line he faced was mediocre but you can't win them all. He's still been good despite this innings. I still say give a person a chance and i don't mean giving him a promotion from water boy to juice boy.

I would be mad but I can’t keep looking at the past. This is my golden opportunity to make my comeback. I’ve been recalled to the squad on the back of strong domestic performances, and the main contender for my spot Haris Sohail has dropped out.

I need to grab the spot with both hands and never look back.

Right now, Fawad made 37 against a second string bowling lineup when even Shadab made 51 and Ifti chacha scored more than double what he did. Even the guy who was kicked out of the team a couple months ago on the back of weak batting performances, Sarfaraz Ahmed, has made a 40 which is 3 more runs than him.

I’d have to be kicking myself if I was Fawad. Why would Misbah select me over Ifti, Shadab, or Sarfaraz now when they are performing better against the same bowlers in the playing conditions?

I fully support you in that Fawad deserves his chance, but he’s not making it easy for himself. For his sake I hope he scores a century now.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I would be mad but I can’t keep looking at the past. This is my golden opportunity to make my comeback. I’ve been recalled to the squad on the back of strong domestic performances, and the main contender for my spot Haris Sohail has dropped out.

I need to grab the spot with both hands and never look back.

Right now, Fawad made 37 against a second string bowling lineup when even Shadab made 51 and Ifti chacha scored more than double what he did. Even the guy who was kicked out of the team a couple months ago on the back of weak batting performances, Sarfaraz Ahmed, has made a 40 which is 3 more runs than him.

I’d have to be kicking myself if I was Fawad. Why would Misbah select me over Ifti, Shadab, or Sarfaraz now when they are performing better against the same bowlers in the playing conditions?

I fully support you in that Fawad deserves his chance, but he’s not making it easy for himself. For his sake I hope he scores a century now.

First of all this is your career and you got the short end of the stick for it for years, the deprivation is next level in my eyes. It's unfair to just conclude he's no good over one innings, still very early days in my eyes. He looked pretty good in the partnership exercise earlier and you must take into account why he's here in the first place and that's because of his domestic performance this passed QeA. Lots of players get out to mediocre players but doesn't necessarily make them bad or not good enough, just take a look at Hafeez who got out to Williamson and Finch during the WC. Let's wait and see what happens. However, i still maintain that Misbah is nothing but a bully.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

First of all this is your career and you got the short end of the stick for it for years, the deprivation is next level in my eyes. It's unfair to just conclude he's no good over one innings, still very early days in my eyes. He looked pretty good in the partnership exercise earlier and you must take into account why he's here in the first place and that's because of his domestic performance this passed QeA. Lots of players get out to mediocre players but doesn't necessarily make them bad or not good enough, just take a look at Hafeez who got out to Williamson and Finch during the WC. Let's wait and see what happens. However, i still maintain that Misbah is nothing but a bully.

But Hafeez was quite mediocre. So in that specific instance your point doesn’t apply.

And look, I agree that Fawad has been wronged in the past. But you can’t automatically give him a debut when he’s 90 years old to compensate for a lifetime of injustice. He’s 34 years old right now, 1 year younger than Alastair Cook. It would be another matter if he’s scored 3 double centuries on the trot in domestic followed by 70+ and 100+ scores in the practice games. Rather, it’s clear that his performances in the last year are not as good as what they were 3 years ago.

If I had a time machine, I would go and give Fawad his comeback in 2016. In 2020, I think giving Fawad a shot despite his age and lower performances than other competitors for the same spot, would be a disaster for the team.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

[MENTION=144720]Shoaibbtt[/MENTION] despite what I'm saying, my heart does lie with Fawad. I was heart broken reading this article, for instance: https://www.dawn.com/news/1568512

I hope this man perseveres, proves his point, and shows us all what he's capable of.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

[MENTION=144720]Shoaibbtt[/MENTION] despite what I'm saying, my heart does lie with Fawad. I was heart broken reading this article, for instance: https://www.dawn.com/news/1568512

I hope this man perseveres, proves his point, and shows us all what he's capable of.

All I'll say is that he wasn't done right. You should read the stories on the likes of Tabish Khan and Asim Kamal. The likes of Saad Ali, Usman Salhuddin, Saud Shakeel etc still have some time but i think they'll become victims of the system. In my eyes i don't care a relative or close friend to the team should have no business near the team especially in higher up positions as they will favour their mates. I hope Fawad proves people wrong and to be honest he would've proved people wrong had he got a chance against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka but they deliberately never gave him a shot because they knew he would've done well and it would've been bye bye Haris.

 

[Titan24]

I hope Fawad proves people wrong and to be honest he would've proved people wrong had he got a chance against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka but they deliberately never gave him a shot because they knew he would've done well and it would've been bye bye Haris.

While I feel for Fawad but we cant undermine Haris Sohail. Haris is also someone who averaged above 50 in FC cricket before debuting in tests, was crucial in WC 19 campaign as well.

Haris could have been as good as Babar or atleast somewhat close if he had the will to become the best and wouldnt have had chronic knee issues which took away 3 years out of his career and still cause problems for him.

So its not like Haris wasnt or isnt deserving. We usually discuss many players who should be playing for Pakistan but we dont mention the players which shouldnt be playing. Only a limited number of players can be selected. Yes back in 2010 Fawad deserved the oppurtunity more than Azhar or Asad and was definitely hard done.

 

[bilawal666]

Spoiler

Why do you always wrap everything in a spoiler?? Makes me nervous about clicking on it.

 

[Abdullah719]

Why do you always wrap everything in a spoiler?? Makes me nervous about clicking on it.

So that people can click on the spoiler to see the pics if they want. Otherwise everyone is forced to scroll past them if they're not interested.

 

[bilawal666]

Spoiler

So that people can click on the spoiler to see the pics if they want. Otherwise everyone is forced to scroll past them if they're not interested.

God forbid we come across some pics we need to scroll past. We really hate seeing these pics, so much so that we love clicking on threads clearly marked [pics/video]. These pics!

 

[Abdullah719]

God forbid we come across some pics we need to scroll past. We really hate seeing these pics, so much so that we love clicking on threads clearly marked [pics/video]. These pics!

You missed the point. This thread is not only for images. It was also for score updates during the match and people keep returning to it; they don't need to keep seeing the pictures over and over again. It is also particularly a problem for users on phones (as per feedback we've received) because the page becomes tiresome to navigate if there are dozens of images people need to scroll past. This is why we sometimes enclose images, etc., within spoilers.

 

[Shaka81]

Why do you always wrap everything in a spoiler?? Makes me nervous about clicking on it.

I like it.... adds a bit of mystery... is it pictures or the excitement of a video

 

[Shoaibbtt]

While I feel for Fawad but we cant undermine Haris Sohail. Haris is also someone who averaged above 50 in FC cricket before debuting in tests, was crucial in WC 19 campaign as well.

Haris could have been as good as Babar or atleast somewhat close if he had the will to become the best and wouldnt have had chronic knee issues which took away 3 years out of his career and still cause problems for him.

So its not like Haris wasnt or isnt deserving. We usually discuss many players who should be playing for Pakistan but we dont mention the players which shouldnt be playing. Only a limited number of players can be selected. Yes back in 2010 Fawad deserved the oppurtunity more than Azhar or Asad and was definitely hard done.

All I'll say is that it's not fair that Haris Sohail walked straight into the team without playing any domestic cricket after his knee injury. Where is the protocol or should players be offered a spot if they spotted a djinn like Haris "Scooby Doo" Sohail?

 

[Forum363]

You missed the point. This thread is not only for images. It was also for score updates during the match and people keep returning to it; they don't need to keep seeing the pictures over and over again. It is also particularly a problem for users on phones (as per feedback we've received) because the page becomes tiresome to navigate if there are dozens of images people need to scroll past. This is why we sometimes enclose images, etc., within spoilers.

Agreed, the spoiler is very useful as a phone user. Particularly after you’ve already seen yesterday’s pics and returning for an update.

 

[Titan24]

All I'll say is that it's not fair that Haris Sohail walked straight into the team without playing any domestic cricket after his knee injury. Where is the protocol or should players be offered a spot if they spotted a djinn like Haris "Scooby Doo" Sohail?

Solid argument but, its not a secret transitioning and management of injured players hasnt been great historically by PCB and management. He did play couple of PSL matches and matches in Emerging Asia Cup though.

However, bigger reality that we have to accept and exist in every other country as well to an extent is that players which are rated in the circuit can be selected earlier than others and transitioned faster to international cricket before regular FC cricket. I personally am not against it as if teams are gonna be made upon just stats then any non cricketing person can do that as well. People can argue why Tabish Khan wasnt selected ahead of Shaheen Shah who just played a single FC match before he was called up by Pakistan which would be an odd question as anybody can see the bulk of difference in potential, class and future.

At the same time if Babar gets unfit, its not like selectors are gonna wait for him to play whole FC season before they select him. Yes Haris' stature in 2017 obviously wasnt like Babar but its not a hidden fact that he was rated pretty highly and had a really good ODI record before his injury. He was only dropped because he got injured not because of his performances.

I am not a big Inzi or Mickey Arther combo fan but calling up Haris didnt turn out to be a bad call, did it? They knew what he was capable of and after seeing him running reasonably well on the field they took the call. Yes one can argue why Fawad wasnt rated as much in the cricketing circuit that almost 4-5 different coaches and selectors didnt select him but thats another point. I think Fawad deserved more tests without a doubt but, at the same time I personally dont mind someone who is rated highly to be fast tracked at a young age or post injury and again we can numerous examples from each country as well.

As I said in my previous post biggest reality check for Fawad was in 2010 when he wasnt selected over Azhar, Asad and Umar Amin in tests and that showed he wasnt very high in the order in the eyes of the selectors and management at that time. That was the career turning point for him and as I said I think he was a bit hard done at that time.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Solid argument but, its not a secret transitioning and management of injured players hasnt been great historically by PCB and management. He did play couple of PSL matches and matches in Emerging Asia Cup though.

However, bigger reality that we have to accept and exist in every other country as well to an extent is that players which are rated in the circuit can be selected earlier than others and transitioned faster to international cricket before regular FC cricket. I personally am not against it as if teams are gonna be made upon just stats then any non cricketing person can do that as well. People can argue why Tabish Khan wasnt selected ahead of Shaheen Shah who just played a single FC match before he was called up by Pakistan which would be an odd question as anybody can see the bulk of difference in potential, class and future.

At the same time if Babar gets unfit, its not like selectors are gonna wait for him to play whole FC season before they select him. Yes Haris' stature in 2017 obviously wasnt like Babar but its not a hidden fact that he was rated pretty highly and had a really good ODI record before his injury. He was only dropped because he got injured not because of his performances.

I am not a big Inzi or Mickey Arther combo fan but calling up Haris didnt turn out to be a bad call, did it? They knew what he was capable of and after seeing him running reasonably well on the field they took the call. Yes one can argue why Fawad wasnt rated as much in the cricketing circuit that almost 4-5 different coaches and selectors didnt select him but thats another point. I think Fawad deserved more tests without a doubt but, at the same time I personally dont mind someone who is rated highly to be fast tracked at a young age or post injury and again we can numerous examples from each country as well.

As I said in my previous post biggest reality check for Fawad was in 2010 when he wasnt selected over Azhar, Asad and Umar Amin in tests and that showed he wasnt very high in the order in the eyes of the selectors and management at that time. That was the career turning point for him and as I said I think he was a bit hard done at that time.

Very good points bro. However, Haris Sohail has been lambasted by the likes of Misbah for his lack of fitness or focus on fitness, something that is a growing trend in the Pakistan cricketing world.

We have bags of players in the domestic circuit and it should be based on merit not just get a red carpet treatment. It's different for exceptional players like Babar but Haris has had knee issues for ages.

 

[shamaan]

It's always existed. Misbah is a bully if he doesn't give Fawad a chance and instead gives it to what looks like someone older than him in Iftikhar Ahmed.

Misbah and Younis never got along as well, in fact Younis called him a "yes man". I know favouritsm and nepotism existed in Misbah's time as well. In Inzi's time it was Asim Kamal who got the short end of the stick.

Yup it did.if he plays iftikhar then yes I'd agree with you but if he play shadab and fahim then I'd say its tactics

 

[shamaan]

While I feel for Fawad but we cant undermine Haris Sohail. Haris is also someone who averaged above 50 in FC cricket before debuting in tests, was crucial in WC 19 campaign as well.

Haris could have been as good as Babar or atleast somewhat close if he had the will to become the best and wouldnt have had chronic knee issues which took away 3 years out of his career and still cause problems for him.

So its not like Haris wasnt or isnt deserving. We usually discuss many players who should be playing for Pakistan but we dont mention the players which shouldnt be playing. Only a limited number of players can be selected. Yes back in 2010 Fawad deserved the oppurtunity more than Azhar or Asad and was definitely hard done.

Harris sohail has been poor in tests for pakistan

 

[Titan24]

Harris sohail has been poor in tests for pakistan

In the last couple of series, yes. However, overall he has been decent still averages 37 with bat though low for a player of his caliber and is a more than useful left arm spinner. Scored a 110 vs Aus and 147 vs NZ in UAE year and a half or so ago.

He has played 14 matches till now, surely someone like Saud Shakeel could be tried who is younger and is a pretty solid batsman with decent bowling arm but we shouldnt expect anyone to start scoring tons of runs from the word go. Even Babar took his time to develop into what he is now though Haris is 31 and have had fitness issues so he definitely need to put in hard yards fast.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Yup it did.if he plays iftikhar then yes I'd agree with you but if he play shadab and fahim then I'd say its tactics

Total in agreement about old man ifti. In regards to Shadab yes he's a good batsman but again he's no Shane Warne with the ball and besides you don't need 2 leggies playing. Fahim again he's not the calibre of a Ben Stokes or Hardik Pandaya and he's been given a multitude of chances and has failed. For God's sake enough is enough give the man (Fawad) his dues play him and back him like you do everyone else.

Misbah needs to stop bullying and play him where he needs to be played.