Power hitting - Is it still a problem for Pakistan?

[ahsan_888]

Even though we won the Champions trophy , we still need to look at the weak links of our team. i really dont think we have the power hitters needed at the need which could be seen in the game against India , as even though we were set we scored only 100 in the last 13 .
Our lower order leader Imad just cant bat u can expect a slow build up innings from him but not a rapid fire one.
Fahim looked like the solution with his hits while Shadab also showed hi big hitting class in the PSL . Aamir Yamin can also be called for the job
I personally think it is too much of an ask for Imad

 

[Zaz]

i think the team is missing 2-3 key players who can strengthen them and going forward any t20 fixtures and some odi matches need to be used to find and develope these players for the next world cup

A lower order hitter at 7-8 is vital -fahim needs chances to develop, an opener in the sharjeel mode, a mid order batsman maybe harris sohail needs chances

This team is short in 2-3 positions in my opinion

 

[Rayyman]

So much Imad bashing on PP these days...

 

[ahsan_888]

i think the team is missing 2-3 key players who can strengthen them and going forward any t20 fixtures and some odi matches need to be used to find and develope these players for the next world cup

A lower order hitter at 7-8 is vital -fahim needs chances to develop, an opener in the sharjeel mode, a mid order batsman maybe harris sohail needs chances

This team is short in 2-3 positions in my opinion

Harris Needs time to develop but the thing is we cant waste our time and resources on umar akmal , Fahim and Aamir Yamin showed some great temperament and talent which can take us forward they need to be developed, while Sarfraz needs to improve his batting alot if he has to bat at 4
Shadab is the on to look forward to Bright future in batting and bowling

 

[ahsan_888]

So much Imad bashing on PP these days...

We have to point out whats wrong , Imad isnt really a batsman at his position , yup he bowls well but his fitness have dropped greatly which can be seen , his batting was greatly exposed in the game against India

 

[sl-fan-of-pak]

Yes, Imad is not a power hitter

 

[proud_pakistani]

Hopefully once Sharjeel is back we will have one more hitter in the starting 11. Somehow need to develop Fahim Ashraf. He definitely has the hitting ability required for the lower order. Imad is a decent hitter when the ball is in his zone. Outside that he struggles. Needs to develop his stroke play further.

 

[kaifmazhar]

Of course Pakistan still have power hitting issues. One tournament victory can not hide the weakest aspect of the team. And one must not forget that it was the bowling that won the tournament for Pak and the batting clicked only in the last two matches.

 

[ahsan_888]

Of course Pakistan still have power hitting issues. One tournament victory can not hide the weakest aspect of the team. And one must not forget that it was the bowling that won the tournament for Pak and the batting clicked only in the last two matches.

Batting was a problem from start due to weak middle order, Fakhar was a reveleation a saviour , Power hitting needs to be worked upon , some special training should be done upon it

 

[Inswing]

Only sharjeel and umar

 

[ahsan_888]

Hopefully once Sharjeel is back we will have one more hitter in the starting 11. Somehow need to develop Fahim Ashraf. He definitely has the hitting ability required for the lower order. Imad is a decent hitter when the ball is in his zone. Outside that he struggles. Needs to develop his stroke play further.

Shaejeel will really rejuvenate the team , but he will need time , Fahim needs to work at his bowling and fielding a bit more , while his batting needs to get dynamic , Shadab is dynamic enough just needs to get his techique better and more strength.
Imad zone is extremely restriced he really needs to work on it

 

[Hamza_]

Shadab and Fahim are good. Although Shadab is more of stroke player

 

[Rayyman]

People are missing Afridi here. Lala was one of the best power hitters of all time. So it won't be easy to replace him.

And Imad is no tuk tuk either. His strike rate is over 100.

 

[Talented]

Bring back Afridi from retirement.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

First we have to acknowledge that we don't have many options right now in the middle order

Get Talat into the side and groom him for number 6, I do see him as a power hitter.

I would not call Haris Sohail a power hitter but I do feel he is a batsmen that can hit any kind of bowling for 6. I still remember him laying into 155 kph bouncers from Milne. He should get a chance at 4.

Sarfraz bat at 5, he can maintain a strike rate of the 90s without much effort in the middle orders

Most of all though we need to look at the top

Fahkar needs to partnered with one of Farhan, Sharjeel or Shazaib.

Down below players like Shadab need to be given more of chance with the bat. In the PSL he showed he had both the big shots and the dinky sweeps

I also hope Faheem gets a chance to establish himself with bat and ball

 

[riz45]

Hafeez solved this problem to a significant degree with his impressive display in the final. All we need is maybe one more aggressive batsman in the lower order - I'd go for Hussain Talat.

 

[Savak]

Hafeez solved this problem to a significant degree with his impressive display in the final. All we need is maybe one more aggressive batsman in the lower order - I'd go for Hussain Talat.

Nah Hafeez is still weak against yorkers. We failed to make most of the last 4 overs. Hafeez is not a consistent hitter.

 

[Billy1999]

So much Imad bashing on PP these days...

Why not,if he is in the team for 2 reasons(power hitting/Bowling 5 overs) why is he unable to do it.Anyone can adapt at a set role.Sohail Khan is a legend power hitter his scores are normally 40 off 15 balls and this is what we need. Shadab made 42 off 18 in the PSL,Which shows he is much better then Imad.

Here are Imads standards 30 off 20,40 off 30,50 off 45,25 off 20.Its just not good enough and to top it up he goes to restraunts and buffets regular.Name one instance when Imad has scored a Quck 35 off atleast 15 balls.

Kohli hasn't tasted Desi food for over 4 years now that is Roti and Daal included,Imad has chickens,Grills,Biryani,Kebabs,Peri peri,Burgers you name it.If he has even a bit of shame he would stop.He is actually fat as well the other day in an advert him and Babar went to eat at Chak 89(Babar is quite skinny so this doesn't apply to him) but Imad was eating,I want him to join an eating competition instead of playing cricket.Then when he comes to bat he thinks he has come to play tennis.Useless cricketer.

Normally modern day cricketers have strict balanced diets,If they play there roles then they can eat all they want but,There is always a but if they do what Imad is doing then the coach should speak like this. "If you keep on eating I will kick u out"
One more thing is he has started to become a liability with the ball,Either gets injured or he just helps the opposition out by getting them In.

 

[ahsan_888]

Why not,if he is in the team for 2 reasons(power hitting/Bowling 5 overs) why is he unable to do it.Anyone can adapt at a set role.Sohail Khan is a legend power hitter his scores are normally 40 off 15 balls and this is what we need. Shadab made 42 off 18 in the PSL,Which shows he is much better then Imad.

Here are Imads standards 30 off 20,40 off 30,50 off 45,25 off 20.Its just not good enough and to top it up he goes to restraunts and buffets regular.Name one instance when Imad has scored a Quck 35 off atleast 15 balls.

Kohli hasn't tasted Desi food for over 4 years now that is Roti and Daal included,Imad has chickens,Grills,Biryani,Kebabs,Peri peri,Burgers you name it.If he has even a bit of shame he would stop.He is actually fat as well the other day in an advert him and Babar went to eat at Chak 89(Babar is quite skinny so this doesn't apply to him) but Imad was eating,I want him to join an eating competition instead of playing cricket.Then when he comes to bat he thinks he has come to play tennis.Useless cricketer.

Normally modern day cricketers have strict balanced diets,If they play there roles then they can eat all they want but,There is always a but if they do what Imad is doing then the coach should speak like this. "If you keep on eating I will kick u out"
One more thing is he has started to become a liability with the ball,Either gets injured or he just helps the opposition out by getting them In.

Imad wasnt really a smasher of the ball ever, Sohail Khan has greatly enhanced his game and thats what he need he was a bowler now he smacks the bowlers all over the park , yup imads diet shows on his apperance his fitness has changed alot , from the moment he entered till now , haris is not a hitter but a playmaker t20 expsed his hitting game he can bat in the middle order while Aamir, Fahim and Shadab can be used to give the run rate a boost

 

[ExpressPacer]

1) Sharjeel Khan
2) Fakhar Zaman
3) Babar Azam
4) Harris Sohail
5) Sarfraz Ahmed

Honestly, if we're able to field this top/middle-order, I'm confident Pakistan will have no problems related to power hitting whatsoever. As for the lower order, Shadab Khan and Imad/Fahim can provide a great bunch of lusty blows to set a high total. I don't think we need to bring back Sohail Khan. I personally do think we should give the lad Yamin a go because he's rated at Buttler-esque levels on PP so lets see what the hype is all about.

 

[ahsan_888]

Hussain is being rated highly he is a great player i agree he is great player but at the top order his record is great than at the lower order , he provides great skill and is one for the future however his form and fitness took a hit after psl so that is worrying , Aamir is not buttlers level but he is a great player and a good bowler , his fitness is also up to the mark while he can smack a quite few easily , a lower order of him fahim and shadab will be best . Babr needs to develop his hitting game and consistency alot he is our answer to kohli

 

[Billy1999]

Sohail Khan is a guy that can bowl 10 overs,Uses the new ball and if say the team is stuttering at 250/7 and 5-6 overs left
I am confident Sohail can get us to 300,also if he came instead of Imad vs India the score would have read 355,

Think about it carefully Imad hardly bowls and is a choker at the end of an innings with the bat and nowadays we don't often be at 75/4

Our team is much better batting wise then in 2012-2015

With Babar,New Malik,Sarfraz,Rejuvinated Hafeez,The Rock Azhar these guys normally take us to about 190/5 after about 38 overs

This is where the disappointment comes

We stutter our way to 265 with Imad making 20 odd run a ball then getting out,This is not needed,then there is another situation we get to 285 3 overs left and again stutter to barely 300,Good teams get 320.

It's not the top order batting anymore,Those guys are doing a fabulous job it's the lower order guys that time and time again cannot adjust.And Imad has been the main culprit.

Remember in Australia when Babar and Sharjeel played 320 was always on the cards but as always we stuttered to 265.

Imad is also very arrogant and proud which I dislike extremely.
Against windies in the UAE series Azhar and Babar Both made hundreds and the score was 228/1 after about 39/40 overs again we stuttered to 308 this time Sarfraz choked.In modern day cricket anyone can adjust and play a role,Imad doesn't need to adjust he knows why he is in the team so it's quite strange and beyond me he can't execute

 

[ads101]

When you score at an average of 20 you aren't a power hitter. You're a bowler, who bats a bit, you can't rely on someone like that, averages far too low to make a consistent difference to the score. In ODIs, really the no.8 bowler should be able to bat to support the no.7.

power hitters/late order hitters are overrated, its not how LOI cricket works these days. Most batsmen start positively from the start, and those who play themselves in are relied on to hit boundaries at the end, much easier to do when you've got your eye in with wickets in hand, then relying on someone new to the crease who will need time to adjust to start hitting. It only looks like a big problem if your top/middle order is not scoring quick enough or staying in long enough. We saw how Fakhar turned on the acceleration the longer he stayed in. Which also probably goes to show that it's probably not worth having guys in the side which can't accelerate. Hence I would probably let go of Azhar.

The most talented guys I've seen for Pakistan in terms of lower order/power hitting are umar akmal and
maqsood. Both are out of form sadly. For most of our games Shadab should be our main spinner so will usually be batting at no.8 (we need someone there who can bat a bit anyway). Imad Wasim's spot looks a bit shaky, he didnt impress me at all with the bat this tournament, though he has done well with the bat in the past against WI and England so hopefully he'll return to that. What was most worrying about Imad is the approach he took in the final. It was clear best option was to hit down the line, it wasn't too hard (Hafeez did it comfortably). Imad instead resorted to behind shots/deceptive shots to try and sneak some quick runs. But really a no.7 is considered a real batsman not a bowler, and you would have thought he'd have had more faith in his ability to time the balll and hit the distance with the boundaries. Needs to act more like a proper batsman.

 

[Suleiman]

So much Imad bashing on PP these days...

Imad and Kohli are both on the Most Wanted list these days.

Think Imad batted way below his potential in this tournament with a very soft dismissal vs Sl especially.

He can definitely hit big and work the gaps as he showed vs England last year, it's not a case of being "figured out". He needs a kick on the bum from Mickey to stop being lazy and wake up!!

Also got into a scandal related to girls in BPL

Yes his attitude has been terrible last few months, but if someone responsible like Afridi can have a word with him like "beta you have to take this seriously" I honestly believe he will come good. More with the bat than with the ball.

 

[ahsan_888]

Sohaib Maqsood and Umar akmal were goot but not good enough , Fitness Fitness and Fitness has always been a problem for our players . thing about imad is he tries to much to acheieve to little its his problem that he trys things not needed and achieves nothing , imad problem is that there is no one to teach him he came and became a senior to quick which affected his attitude a lot and now his game . yes the main problem is he is not taking the game serious but swag is over taking him
Sohail has been tremendous with the bat and bowl as well he is what our team needs but also provides experince.
i dont get why wasnt sohail and talat added to thw high performance camp imad and babar should have also been added to improve thier batting. its time for them to work hard not rest

 

[ManFan]

Imad Wasim needs to lay off the milk and honey and focus more on his bat and ball.

 

[ahsan_888]

Imad Wasim needs to lay off the milk and honey and focus more on his bat and ball.

He needs to work on every aspect including fitness and fielding and his attitude.

 

[Just Win Baby]

Power hitting is an attitude either you have it in you or don't, We certainly have quite a few payers like Fakhar, Faheem, Sharjeel, Umar Akmal and Sahabzada etc just to name few, we need to build our LOI team in regard to these players and pair them with an aggressive captain like Sarfraz I guarantee you we will start getting amazing results, especially with our bowling attack. Its about a time we should start playing PAKISTAN CRICKET AGAIN.

 

[Saj]

Power-hitting gets exposed when you have the likes of Ahmed Shehzad and Azhar Ali opening together.

When you have the likes of Fakhar Zaman opening then it isn't a huge problem as the scoring rate is already there and it makes it easier for the likes of Sarfraz and Imad to come in and make runs.

 

[Just Win Baby]

Power-hitting gets exposed when you have the likes of Ahmed Shehzad and Azhar Ali opening together.

When you have the likes of Fakhar Zaman opening then it isn't a huge problem as the scoring rate is already there and it makes it easier for the likes of Sarfraz and Imad to come in and make runs.

I agree 100%. Pressure pass it down to the later batsmen by these 2 by playing negative cricket, is so enormous that most of the time they cannot salvage the inning.

 

[ahsan_888]

Power hitting is an attitude either you have it in you or don't, We certainly have quite a few payers like Fakhar, Faheem, Sharjeel, Umar Akmal and Sahabzada etc just to name few, we need to build our LOI team in regard to these players and pair them with an aggressive captain like Sarfraz I guarantee you we will start getting amazing results, especially with our bowling attack. Its about a time we should start playing PAKISTAN CRICKET AGAIN.

Sarfraz is worthless at 4 th position he should move up the order where he is better. our bowling is better due to the variety we bowl and we need to maintain it it get best results

 

[ahsan_888]

Sahibazada needs a PSL before being intoroduced to the intl cricket because that gives confidence like it did to shadab and rumman. what about rumman's batting is he good enough?

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Yes his attitude has been terrible last few months, but if someone responsible like Afridi can have a word with him like "beta you have to take this seriously" I honestly believe he will come good.

Agreed with the rest of the post,but responsible and Afridi don't go together. )

 

[kaifmazhar]

Power-hitting gets exposed when you have the likes of Ahmed Shehzad and Azhar Ali opening together.

When you have the likes of Fakhar Zaman opening then it isn't a huge problem as the scoring rate is already there and it makes it easier for the likes of Sarfraz and Imad to come in and make runs.

Yeah that's true.

 

[ahsan_888]

Fitness isnt something u get over night . Hassan Ali told in his interview that he cant eat anything sweet and he has to eat that disgusting grilled stuff . For fitness and sucess u have to sacrifice and manitain consistency . Hard work is what is needed not Swag

 

[Sarwar89]

Sharjeel Khan, Umar Akmal and Imad Wasim. Imad can definitely become lower order power hitter e.g Faulkner

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Power-hitting gets exposed when you have the likes of Ahmed Shehzad and Azhar Ali opening together.

When you have the likes of Fakhar Zaman opening then it isn't a huge problem as the scoring rate is already there and it makes it easier for the likes of Sarfraz and Imad to come in and make runs.

Fakhar Zaman will not be able to score in every match, he is also merely human, that is when power hitting ability will be felt. I feel Fahim, Aamer Yameen or Nauman Anwar can be given no 7 spot as a finisher. Sohail Khan can be a very able no.8 provided he improves his fitness drastically. It's painful seeing him bowl in second and third spells.

 

[Suleiman]

Agreed with the rest of the post,but responsible and Afridi don't go together. )

That was the heart of the post buddy

 

[Savak]

Power-hitting gets exposed when you have the likes of Ahmed Shehzad and Azhar Ali opening together.

When you have the likes of Fakhar Zaman opening then it isn't a huge problem as the scoring rate is already there and it makes it easier for the likes of Sarfraz and Imad to come in and make runs.

Most teams score 100-150 runs in the last 10 and at times 60-70 runs in the last 5 due to death over batting. It shouldn't have anything to do with the start or how the middle order bats. You need to have Razzaq type hitters at the end.

Too often i have seen Pakistan get off to good starts or for the middle order to consolidate only for the death overs batting to be exposed because the batsman don't have the shots against the yorkers, slower ball bouncers, fast bouncers. We are very backward in the final 10 overs compared to the rest of the world.

 

[Seamer]

I think this is a good lineup, with good lower order hitters in there:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Fakhar Zaman
3. Babar Azam
4. Haris Sohail
5. Malik
6. Sarfaraz
7. Fahim Ashraf
8. Shadab Khan
9. Amir
10. Hassan Ali
11. Junaid Khan

 

[PakLFC]

Faheem Ashraf had to be tried lower in the order. I once looked at Umar Gul as a possible hitter, seems it's all over for him at international level. Maybe a recall for Rana Naveed-Ul-Hassan. Only kidding!

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

After Ali Khan I find Fahim to have most potential as a lower order hitter who can smash bowlers from the word go.

 

[KhalidRafi]

Get Fahim Ashraf in and watch him put all the best bowling attacks to the sword!

 

[Saj]

Most teams score 100-150 runs in the last 10 and at times 60-70 runs in the last 5 due to death over batting. It shouldn't have anything to do with the start or how the middle order bats. You need to have Razzaq type hitters at the end.

Too often i have seen Pakistan get off to good starts or for the middle order to consolidate only for the death overs batting to be exposed because the batsman don't have the shots against the yorkers, slower ball bouncers, fast bouncers. We are very backward in the final 10 overs compared to the rest of the world.

The start has a huge impact.

If you are 100/6 then what are the power-hitters going to do?

 

[ManFan]

Wouldn't the solution than be to power pack the top order with hitters and take out the accumulators in the middle like Malik and Hafeez?

 

[Markhor]

We need another explosive opener and a finisher/power hitter at 6. Sahibzada Farhan and Hussain Talat should be monitored.

Shadab has potential with the bat as evident from his A team and PSL performances but we haven't seen much of his batting in internationals coming in so low at 8.

I don't mind bringing in Fahim as a lower order hitter BUT presuming Amir, Ali and Junaid are our main seamers then there's no use playing a fourth seamer in Asia. I don't see him being good enough as a third seamer and needs to work on his action. He can come in outside Asia when we don't need as many spin options.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Well if we had good power hitters we would have got minimum 360 vs India from where we were.

Faheem is one part but must try Yamin too.

Once we get this sorted we will be unstoppable.

 

[Savak]

The start has a huge impact.

If you are 100/6 then what are the power-hitters going to do?

We are not 100/6 every time. In Australia we were certainly not 100/6 and we enjoyed fast starts thanks to Sharjeel and Babar. The last 10 overs in Perth were a disgrace. We faced the same problem in England and against the WI in Sharjah. If we don't have a set batsman batting through the whole innings we don't have players who can smash the ball at the death from ball 1 and our middle order, late order batsmen are incredibly weak on yorkers, short pitched stuff, slower balls as if they don't do enough drills in the nets

 

[mak36]

I think this is a good lineup, with good lower order hitters in there:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Fakhar Zaman
3. Babar Azam
4. Haris Sohail
5. Malik
6. Sarfaraz
7. Fahim Ashraf
8. Shadab Khan
9. Amir
10. Hassan Ali
11. Junaid Khan

Not convinced this has enough power-hitting. Also Sarfaraz needs to be batting in the top 4.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

They say ‘appreciate what you have before it turns into what you had’.

We had the best power hitters in Afridi and Razzaq who were ahead of their times.

Now, our power hitters are Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim and Faheem 11.6 Ashraf.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Shoaib can still blast a few, although he'll probably fail now I've said that. Rizwan is an accumulator, and Shadab and Imad are bowlers who can smack the odd four.

 

[Hasan123]

Power hitting is ovverated term. We can't hit the balls in the gaps and we don't produce players who can hit pace and spin 360 degrees.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Four out of our five top batsmen didn't score and you're complaining about powerhitting?