Postmortem of Pakistan's batting problems

[cricguru]

In recent ODI's since last World Cup, Pakistan team has shown huge problems in fielding and especially batting. I have never seen Pakistani batting to the such below par level since last 20 years.

Few areas of concern are a) Chasing moderate to high totals b) Properly utlizing batting powerplays. c) frequent change in batting order, and opening combinations, d) Some players with low strike rate causing huge pressure on lower batting order e) Inability to play quality fast bowlers


a) When it comes to Chasing Pakistan team comes as worst team from all major sides to successfuly chase down totals, this has now creating unnessary Jinx and then put caption to sometime bat first on picth which suits chasing. Pakistan team and coach has to sort this problem with proper planning and proper use of batting order. We need good solid finishers at the end, it few years back Pakistan had successful relied on Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, and Moin Khan for this job. I do see that Pakistan now a days are relying much more on Afridi and Umer Akmal as finsihers, both batsmen are neither solid and neither reliable they tends to throw wickets on much regular basis, this can be fixed by changing mindset a) Afridi is not a batsmen, but a tailender who can sometimes bat, so we should never count on him for any finishing job. b) Umer Akmal can be promoted to #4 and this will not only increase chance of better RR but also will give him chance to face more balls, may be Misbah can switch his position c) K Akmal can be better utilized at opening and Hafeez can be used as finisher as he can play both spin and fast bowlers well, he can play fast or slow depending on situations hence this batting order is recommended 1) K Akmal 2) N Jamshed 3) Azhar 4) U Akmal 5) Misbah 6) Shahfiq 7) Hafeez 8) Afridi 9) Tanveer / W Riaz 10) Saeed Ajmal 11) J Khan

b) Bating power plays are huge headache for Pakistan, we need to sort out either to attack or just defend wickets in power plays. Pakistan is again worst team in last few ODI's since since this was introuduced, we have lost so many matches from winning position just not utilzing batting power plays. My suggestion let Hafeez and Shahfiq take charge in batting power plays, as they are most stable yet for such situations. Afridi shall be allowed to take charge only from overs 46-50 for all other overs he shall be forced to run a ball type of batting only ...

c) Frequent change in batting order is not helping us, it is not letting any batsmen to settle down since many years. We have changed so many opners and then changed our order that every batsmen except middle order has not yet settle down we shall keep this batting order atleast next 12 months, let players settle down and they shall define there role.

1) K Akmal 2) N Jamshed 3) Azhar 4) U Akmal 5) Misbah 6) Shahfiq 7) Hafeez 8) Afridi 9) Tanveer / W Riaz 10) Saeed Ajmal 11) J Khan


d) Players like Misbah, and Azhar Ali strike rate causing headache and extra pressure for our middle order batting order, hense this abbting order shall help slogers to mixed up with quick runners to help run rate, now we have plently of batting in the lineup it is ok to change defense attitude to offense

1) K Akmal 2) N Jamshed 3) Azhar 4) U Akmal 5) Misbah 6) Shahfiq 7) Hafeez 8) Afridi 9) Tanveer / W Riaz 10) Saeed Ajmal 11) J Khan


e) In ability to play quality fast bowling is Pakistan's major concern, Coach Dav and captian needs to sit down and sort out this problem. We have seen cases when pakistan were in winning postion but introduction of fast wicket to wicket line bowler Paneera just started a huge collaspe, this problem repeatec in series and Pakistan last series 3-1, same happened when M Starc took charge and Pakistan lost three early wickets. This can be sorted out by creating right strategy and proper use of batting order per match situation

 

[Chokli]

we all need to agree on one thing -

pakistan was ALWAYS a poor batting side, even with the great yousuf and inzi

we just had more matches at home (pakistan) that we used to win

 

[MMHS]

we all need to agree on one thing -

pakistan was ALWAYS a poor batting side, even with the great yousuf and inzi

we just had more matches at home (pakistan) that we used to win

Two points to disagree here -

1. It’s not always, it’s now. 1970s PAK batting was probably among top 3 for the decade, 1990s lineup was definitely among best and 2000s middle order had 3 players averaging over 50; at one point 3 batsmen among top 7/8.

2. PAK’s home record is horrible- what happened that Test matches in PAK were too short in duration, hence lots of draws; so PAK remained unbeaten at home. But, 1990s to 2009; PAK has lost more home Test series than any top 6 team; ODI isn’t that great either.

On cricket skills, I would have been really surprised haf PAK team doing well at home - it’s the worst wicket there for a team with such core strength (& weakness); exactly the type of wicket PAK should never play. At least from late 1980s to next 20 years I can say.

 

[Chokli]

Two points to disagree here -

1. It’s not always, it’s now. 1970s PAK batting was probably among top 3 for the decade, 1990s lineup was definitely among best and 2000s middle order had 3 players averaging over 50; at one point 3 batsmen among top 7/8.

2. PAK’s home record is horrible- what happened that Test matches in PAK were too short in duration, hence lots of draws; so PAK remained unbeaten at home. But, 1990s to 2009; PAK has lost more home Test series than any top 6 team; ODI isn’t that great either.

On cricket skills, I would have been really surprised haf PAK team doing well at home - it’s the worst wicket there for a team with such core strength (& weakness); exactly the type of wicket PAK should never play. At least from late 1980s to next 20 years I can say.

i was talking more about odis not tests

 

[MMHS]

i was talking more about odis not tests

Even ODI as well. That PAK team between 1987 to 2006 was damn good and had India got a team like that, they would have swept absolutely everything up to dust at home.

In that period, PAK won a WC in AUS, made another final in UK, won Neheru Cup in IND, made a similar Final in AUS (1985), made the Finals of Perth Challenge Cup (1987), made 2 finals in SAF, won a WSC in AUS, won several trophies in UAE, won Sahara Cup in Canada, smoked India at their home thrice....

But, in contrary, failed to make Finals of 1987 WC, losing SF at Lahore, losing the triangular final in 1994, failing to make finals of own independence Cup in 1997, lost an ODI series to SRL of 1994 from 1-0 up, managed to lose an ODI at Karachi against India because PAK police failed to manage some beast at gallery, filed to defend 314 (then WR) at Lahore and lost 2 home series against IND in 2000s, managed to blow a 2-0 lead to SAF in 2007, failing to score 35 in 7 overs with 7 wickets at hand ..... ....... and though in Test, but had to cheat to avoid the ultimate surprise of cricket history- losing a home Test to that BD side in 2003!!!!!!!

Absolute clueless, incompetent, corrupt & arrogant dumb people running the cricket, who don’t have basic understanding of where their own strength & weakness lies, neither have the attitude to self assessment or learn something from elsewhere. I know, I am quite harsh here, and being an outsider shouldn’t comment like this - but, I am putting facts here & relating those to actual events and I have been a keen student of a good period of that. With a board as efficient as even BCB, from mid 80s to mid 2000s, PAK could have doubled their achievements in that period. You can manage with dumb, arrogant & incompetent people individually - but if all 3 come in one package....., you know. Now we’re experiencing what would have been the case 3 decades back, had Counties enforced that single foreign player rule back in late 1960s.

Hope you can digest the harsh words, but can’t help.

 

[Chokli]

Even ODI as well. That PAK team between 1987 to 2006 was damn good and had India got a team like that, they would have swept absolutely everything up to dust at home.

In that period, PAK won a WC in AUS, made another final in UK, won Neheru Cup in IND, made a similar Final in AUS (1985), made the Finals of Perth Challenge Cup (1987), made 2 finals in SAF, won a WSC in AUS, won several trophies in UAE, won Sahara Cup in Canada, smoked India at their home twice......

But, in contrary, failed to make Finals of 1987 WC, losing SF at Lahore, losing the triangular final in 1994, failing to make finals of own independence Cup in 1997, lost an ODI series to SRL of 1994 from 1-0 up, managed to lose an ODI at Karachi against India because PAK police failed to manage some beast at gallery, filed to defend 314 (then WR) at Lahore and lost 2 home series against IND in 2000s, managed to blow a 2-0 lead to SAF in 2007, failing to score 35 in 7 overs with 7 wickets at hand ..... ....... and though in Test, but had to cheat to avoid the ultimate surprise of cricket history- losing a home Test to that BD side in 2003!!!!!!!

Absolute clueless, incompetent, corrupt & arrogant dumb people running the cricket, who don’t have basic understanding of where their own strength & weakness lies, neither have the attitude to self assessment or learn something from elsewhere. I know, I am quite harsh here, and being an outsider shouldn’t comment like this - but, I am putting facts here & relating those to actual events and I have been a keen student of a good period of that. With a board as efficient as even BCB, from mid 80s to mid 2000s, PAK could have doubled their achievements in that period. You can manage with dumb, arrogant & incompetent people individually - but if all 3 come in one package....., you know. Now we’re experiencing what would have been the case 3 decades back, had Counties enforced that single foreign player rule back in late 1960s.

Hope you can digest the harsh words, but can’t help.

if you look at their records by each decade, they've been an average team

we've always struggled against SENA

we got the odd win here and there against them

most of our victories came against India/Sri Lanka etc.

 

[MMHS]

if you look at their records by each decade, they've been an average team

we've always struggled against SENA

we got the odd win here and there against them

most of our victories came against India/Sri Lanka etc.

After 2002 AUS ODI (forgot to mention - that wonderful Aussie side lost only that series in entire 10-12 years at home!!!!), head to head between PAK - AUS was 16-17 or like that & AUS crossed PAK after 3-0 win in 1998 tour of PAK. Out of those 35 or so games before 1998, 80% were played in AUS & I must say, with Aussie umpiring. So, it’s not the case of always - a very young PAK team beat Lloyd's WIN to make B&H final in 1985, then followed it with again beating them to 1987 Perth challenge cup final..... in between took Lloyd’s team to last game in 1985’s 5 game series.

Trust me - I know what I am putting here in writing, risking lots of back lash, but I can back every point.

 

[Chokli]

After 2002 AUS ODI (forgot to mention - that wonderful Aussie side lost only that series in entire 10-12 years at home!!!!), head to head between PAK - AUS was 16-17 or like that & AUS crossed PAK after 3-0 win in 1998 tour of PAK. Out of those 35 or so games before 1998, 80% were played in AUS & I must say, with Aussie umpiring. So, it’s not the case of always - a very young PAK team beat Lloyd's WIN to make B&H final in 1985, then followed it with again beating them to 1987 Perth challenge cup final..... in between took Lloyd’s team to last game in 1985’s 5 game series.

Trust me - I know what I am putting here in writing, risking lots of back lash, but I can back every point.

we've always had instances here and there where we were absolutely unstoppable and played great cricket.


but pakistan cricket has a whole has always been average with few glimpses here and there