Promotion of Shadab & Nawaz will put more doubts in the minds of the middle-order: Mohammad Hafeez

[MenInG]

Promotion of Shadab & Nawaz will put more doubts in the minds of the middle-order: Mohammad Hafeez

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Promotion of <a href="https://twitter.com/76Shadabkhan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@76Shadabkhan</a> at no 4 & <a href="https://twitter.com/mnawaz94?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mnawaz94</a> at no 5 can give short term success but wil put more pressure & doubts in the minds of middle order batters. Why they r there for??? If no confidence on them then why they r with the team?? Middle order wil remain an issue… <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvNZ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvNZ</a></p>— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) <a href="https://twitter.com/MHafeez22/status/1578676602745294848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[jnaveen1980]

You will still need finishers. Right now Pakistan bowling is hiding so many issues by restricting the opposition to a below-par total.

 

[Rana]

I agree

It’s just weird and disrespectful. Also reeks of panic.

These types of moves made sense against England. You can’t be backing a middle order in 2-3 vital series and still not drop them after so many failures, only to select them and not give them the opportunity to chase a par total

 

[SamNJ]

Fair point but they are not doing much when they are given confidence either. So not team's loss.
May as well trigger them to do well with a hurt ego.

 

[MenInG]

We should do what it takes to win. If Shadab and Nawaz win games for us then that is fine

Everyone has been screaming at Babar to be not so rigid in such matters, today he wasn't.

 

[umarf76]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Promotion of <a href="https://twitter.com/76Shadabkhan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@76Shadabkhan</a> at no 4 & <a href="https://twitter.com/mnawaz94?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mnawaz94</a> at no 5 can give short term success but wil put more pressure & doubts in the minds of middle order batters. Why they r there for??? If no confidence on them then why they r with the team?? Middle order wil remain an issue… <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvNZ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvNZ</a></p>— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) <a href="https://twitter.com/MHafeez22/status/1578676602745294848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ex-cricketers trying to make a future career as an arm-chair critic! Why would he tag Shadab and Nawaz in his tweet? Very strange.

 

[asadee]

Just goes to show Professor is still old school in his thinking

 

[Ashmal]

The middle-order has done nothing to be trusted....they've been given a long enough run and haven't delivered even a single notable performance in last 15 games.

They're very lucky to still be a part of the team.

 

[Kianig89]

Because with the failure of middle order the lower order is already defacto middle order rubbish from Hafeez

 

[PakPremi]

Hafeez is right to question why are they in the team, if they cannot be trusted to bat 10 overs at a reasonable rate. It is ok to promotelikes if Shadab every now and then when the run rate is going out if hand

 

[adzzy786]

He is right. If we are sending in the ‘lower order’ before the ‘middle order’ why do we even have a middle order? Shows we have no confidence in them at all!

 

[Waleed93]

If bowling all-rounders like Shadab and Nawaz are more trusted to play a match winning knock than the likes of Iftikhar, Khushdil and Asif, then it is a matter of shame for those 3 guys.

They should be realising that they are useless to a level that the captain and the management trust Shadab and Nawaz more than them.

Nothing wrong in promoting them up the order if they can win us games with the bat.

 

[gazza619]

It’s just weird and disrespectful

I am all for disrespectfulness if it helps us win games.

 

[Omer2002]

Nope i dont agree..the fact is we dont have a middle order once in a blue moon after gettong dropped they will perform..i like this idea as it makes the batting look deeper..and effective

 

[jnaveen1980]

It is not obvious like promoting Wayne Parnell ahead of David Miller. From a t20 batting skill perspective they are all interchangeable I suppose.

 

[Marooned]

"What are they there for?"

I agree they are there for nothing which is why one of them should be replaced by a bowler, preferably an allrounder like Aamer Jamal.

 

[Moiz14]

Hafeez is mindless..
Its not that they didn't try others.. They have shan, haider, fakhar, asif, Khushdil, sohaib maqsood, azam khan and even Malik and Hafeez.. Reality is that we don't have any single quality middle order and its not like bradman is sitting outside. Hafeez and Malik also weren't middle order batters.. Pak kept them playing and made them... Malik was a bowler.. Shadab has much much potential... He needs consistent chances and will not do worst than above mentioned legends including Hafeez and Malik... Actually we have started beating India and other teams on regular intervals after Hafeez and malik's departure.. I don't remember when did they won us any pressure match against India or aus or any major tournament??
3-4 vs eng.. Asia cup runner-up, 2 straight wins in nz... This is not bad.

 

[160KPH]

What a silly comment.

The only problem we have is that our entire middle order hasn’t been replaced. Can anyone imagine Shan Masood, Haider Ali, or Iftikhar Ahmed playing an innings like Nawaz did against India?

Can any of those guys strike it as clean as Shadab? At least Shadab and Nawaz bat with intent. They should be promoted permanently, maybe Shadab at 4 and Nawaz at 6 or 7, at least until we kind find some good explosive middle order batsmen in Pakistan.

 

[PakEngFan]

Rubbish player seems like a rubbish analyst too.

 

[Rana]

I am all for disrespectfulness if it helps us win games.

It’s better to not pick them. This is quite humiliating

And Iftikhar recently didn’t do too bad at number 4. He played the same kind of innings like Shadab did in the 6th T20i v England.

 

[Marooned]

It’s better to not pick them. This is quite humiliating

And Iftikhar recently didn’t do too bad at number 4. He played the same kind of innings like Shadab did in the 6th T20i v England.

Ifti can come @5 ahead of Nawaz but after Shadab.
Nothing humiliating about it.

 

[Rana]

Ifti can come @5 ahead of Nawaz but after Shadab.
Nothing humiliating about it.

I personally felt really bad for Haider, Chacha and Asif

The management most likely do not ask them where they prefer to bat…because they know they cannot give them the positions which will help them to achieve as much as the openers.

We have nothing to lose really in the next two games. NZ will beat Bangladesh tomorrow and then we have two dead rubbers against Bang/NZ

Why not let Asif and Haider have a crack as openers? Just have a look at see what they are about. Give them full licence to express themselves. Tell them that they want them to enter the World Cup with the confidence that they belong and can perform whenever we need them. Let Chacha come in at 3…will the management do it?

 

[Markhor]

I agree it's a damning indictment that two bowling ARs are preferred to specialist batsmen for those middle order roles. Khushdil shouldn't be in the squad, Iftikhar and Asif are hanging by a thread while we await to see whether Haider's turned a corner after his finishing role today.

For years, Pakistani selectors were too trigger happy by chopping and changing constantly. Now we've gone to the other extreme where one has to commit a homicide to be dropped.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

The only thing Pakistan's middle order should be confused about is whether they deserve to be at this level representing Pakistan or should they also move to USA like Sami Aslam.

 

[Zaz]

Ifti, asif khushdil and co need to give something back

If the management doesnt trust them its their own fault

Prove the management wrong and get some runs once in a while pls

 

[hitthestump]

For years, Pakistani selectors were too trigger happy by chopping and changing constantly. Now we've gone to the other extreme where one has to commit a homicide to be dropped.

Pakistan have chopped and changed the middle order though. Every single person from domestics who could have staked a claim has gotten a chance in the past 2-3 years. We were finally forced to settle on geriatrics for the last WC who we can't rely on forever.

This year it isn't so much an approach but the fact we still have no options for these positions. Bringing back Shoaib Malik from the dead is pretty much all we've got left to try.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Ifti, asif khushdil and co need to give something back

If the management doesnt trust them its their own fault

Prove the management wrong and get some runs once in a while pls

Yeah their resignations from Team Pakistan.

 

[Energy]

Humiliating is when some of the guys bat at an average of 9 with consistency.

What Hafeez is saying is partly correct though. The middle order doesn't deserve to be part of the playing XI.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Promotion of <a href="https://twitter.com/76Shadabkhan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@76Shadabkhan</a> at no 4 & <a href="https://twitter.com/mnawaz94?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mnawaz94</a> at no 5 can give short term success but wil put more pressure & doubts in the minds of middle order batters. Why they r there for??? If no confidence on them then why they r with the team?? Middle order wil remain an issue… <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvNZ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvNZ</a></p>— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) <a href="https://twitter.com/MHafeez22/status/1578676602745294848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ohh, so the middle order thinks they are comprised of Viv Richards and Rahul Dravids?
And you wanna given them a just a fat pay check and a chance after chance, but you don’t wanna give them a reality check?

What’s next from the hopeless philosopher?

“Open with Shan Masood and Khushdil Shah to bring them back into some earth shattering form”?


The fact that Hafeez’s tweet triggered a new OP on PP should be a highlighted moment in his retirement life.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

I agree it's a damning indictment that two bowling ARs are preferred to specialist batsmen for those middle order roles. Khushdil shouldn't be in the squad, Iftikhar and Asif are hanging by a thread while we await to see whether Haider's turned a corner after his finishing role today.

For years, Pakistani selectors were too trigger happy by chopping and changing constantly. Now we've gone to the other extreme where one has to commit a homicide to be dropped.

Ideally we’d have a 1 to 7 batting line up that could play in both gears, but alas that’s not the case. Thus the team strategy is to put players in positions where they can be most effective.

Babar and Rizzy open and set a platform. Fakhar if fit, can play in both gears, and then you have your low value wickets I.e. Shaddy, Nawaz, Haider and Asif. Ifti is another who can play in both gears if Shadab/Fakhar/Nawaz go early.

I agree that it’s not a good look for the middle order, but this is the best short term strategy at the moment.

Asif Ali is someone who tends to have a max life span of 2 overs. Haider, whilst starting well in his career, has had so much missed cricket, mixed messages and confidence issues, that simplifying the game for him could help get him contributing more. In this role, if he gets a quick fire 20, then he’s done his job. In the long term ofcourse he’ll need to play first class cricket to fully build himself back up again. Confidence is a strange thing and if Haider can be put in a position where he can effectively contribute and ‘feel’ like he’s succeeding, then it will help his long term confidence issues.

 

[Sherlock]

Tbh I know what he's trying to say because seeing Shadab, and especially Nawaz, who imo has more poor batting displays than he has good, come before the supposed middle-order of Ifthikar and Asif/Kushdil just goes to show the captain doesn't have any confidence in those players.

There's absolutely no point in playing them if they can't even go a run-a-ball to close a game.

Shadab imo is a better batsmen than any of them so that's a plus, and he should be coming into bat higher more regularly.

But Ifthikar and co aren't international quality players and sooner they're dispose of the better.

 

[MenInG]

Babar Azam speaking in a PCB video today

"We had the plan to utilize Shadab and Nawaz and send them up the order since we are aware of their ability and the way they execute things"

"Both of them put pressure back on the bowlers which is a key point. So, this was our plan since he [Shadab] normally doesn't get to bat a lot. So, the idea was to utilize him and how he charged the bowlers, which gave us the momentum."

 

[Ahmed216]

I agree with this part of his tweet - why are they there with the team?? They could not perform in ample opportunities given to them. Now when they are demoted Hafeez the expert is worried about these softies losing confidence.
International cricket is just not where they belong

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

Hafeez staying relevant and joining in the national debate about the team.

The only problem is that we don't have a decent middle order.

Let's see if Haider can fulfill the management's potential. Great to see him hit a few boundaries today.

 

[ads101]

It is disrespectful. However the middle order talent is so bad you could honestly argue shadab might be the most talented middle order batsman in Pakistan in t20s right now. Afterall his numbers are better than actual batsmen in PSL. We’d have already kicked these middle order batsmen out already if we had alternatives but we don’t currently.

 

[TheSultan]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Promotion of <a href="https://twitter.com/76Shadabkhan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@76Shadabkhan</a> at no 4 & <a href="https://twitter.com/mnawaz94?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mnawaz94</a> at no 5 can give short term success but wil put more pressure & doubts in the minds of middle order batters. Why they r there for??? If no confidence on them then why they r with the team?? Middle order wil remain an issue… <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvNZ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvNZ</a></p>— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) <a href="https://twitter.com/MHafeez22/status/1578676602745294848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This is what they deserve. I don’t really care about their doubts. They’ve been given enough chances.

Good question about why they’re in the team. Maybe some extra bowlers are better for the team.

 

[JibranAnsari]

He is asking the right question , if the middle order wasnt good enough then why the selectors didnt choose different players to bat in middle order

 

[Savak]

T20 Cricket is all about flexibility with your batting and bowling options and making the right decisions on the spot. Shockingly dinosaurish thoughts from someone who has played a lot of T20 Cricket in recent times.

 

[Suleiman]

T20 Cricket is all about flexibility with your batting and bowling options and making the right decisions on the spot. Shockingly dinosaurish thoughts from someone who has played a lot of T20 Cricket in recent times.

Agreed. Not a surprise though. Right up until Sarfraz/Babar became captain, Hafeez was notorious for clinging to the #3 position even when he was flopping badly. So makes sense that he would have a rigid mindset.

 

[adzzy786]

Agreed. Not a surprise though. Right up until Sarfraz/Babar became captain, Hafeez was notorious for clinging to the #3 position even when he was flopping badly. So makes sense that he would have a rigid mindset.

T20 Cricket is all about flexibility with your batting and bowling options and making the right decisions on the spot. Shockingly dinosaurish thoughts from someone who has played a lot of T20 Cricket in recent times.

Don’t you understand what he’s saying. He’s not saying don’t be flexible. But we have ‘Specialist pinch hitters’ in the middle order. It is supposed to be their platform.. If we are sending out lower order/tail Enders before them. Then there is a issue in the middle order which we need to sort out.

If we are sending Shadab and Nawaz to up the run rate before the middle order don’t you see the issue?

Means there is an issue in the middle order and they shouldn’t even be playing.

Surely in theory we should be sending in Asif Ali before Shadab to up the run rate. Now because we are sending Shadab who’s in the team for his bowling before Asif Ali who is a specialist to do that. Then there’s an issue!!

It’s like selecting Rauf for bowling but instead we ball with Khusdhil Shah before Rauf for a wicket.

The issue isn’t flexibility , the issue is the middle order!!

 

[Suleiman]

Also, Afridi and Razzaq were commonly used in this fashion when both were in their batting peaks and were originally in the team for their bowling. They were used as openers, and #3 bats even, and back then we had a far more accomplished middle order of guys like Younis (when he was actually good in ODIs), Inzi, Yousuf. I don’t think those guys took it the wrong way.

Some of our best wins came by utilizing Afridi and Razzaq as pinch hitters up the order. Yeah I know it was ODIs- but we the games in they were promoted we looked to attack the bowlers just like a t20. Also it’s the same principle p much.

 

[Suleiman]

Don’t you understand what he’s saying. He’s not saying don’t be flexible. But we have ‘Specialist pinch hitters’ in the middle order. It is supposed to be their platform.. If we are sending out lower order/tail Enders before them. Then there is a issue in the middle order which we need to sort out.

If we are sending Shadab and Nawaz to up the run rate before the middle order don’t you see the issue?

Means there is an issue in the middle order and they shouldn’t even be playing.

Surely in theory we should be sending in Asif Ali before Shadab to up the run rate. Now because we are sending Shadab who’s in the team for his bowling before Asif Ali who is a specialist to do that. Then there’s an issue!!

It’s like selecting Rauf for bowling but instead we ball with Khusdhil Shah before Rauf for a wicket.

The issue isn’t flexibility , the issue is the middle order!!

We are out of carrots, and we’re out of sticks. We’ve tried everything under the sun with this middle order, and unless They get tactically injured so they can be replaced, this is the only method we haven’t tried and it worked yesterday.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I don’t know how much influence Babar has selection wise. But if I was captain and was forced to use this bunch and the specialists were failing, I too would innovate like Babar did.

And your bowling examples makes zero sense since Shadab and Nawaz are both accomplished batters in domestic cricket. They are batsmen as well as bowlers.

 

[atomberg]

If this experiment works, Pakistan can add another two bowlers/all rounders to the playing xi.

 

[Grunge101]

Whilst the gist of the tweet is essentially true, it is irrelevant to the current predicament of a middle order crisis and the fact that the WC starts in a week's time.

"Short term success" ?

We're 2 weeks away from our first WC game, Hafeez wants us to think of long term planning ? Yes, long term planning should've done years ago but sadly wasn't. The present fact is we're left with this immediate fatal issue of nonfunctional middle order and obviously short term measures need to be taken to improve it.

"Pressure on the middle order"

That would be implying that our middle order has a chance of turning a corner if they aren't under pressure. That's quite obviously not true.
--Khushdil has been playing since 2019, he has an average of 20 with a SR of 110.
--Iftikhar has been playing since 2016, he has average of 25 and a SR of 125.
--Asif has been playing since 2018. He has an average of 15 and a SR of 135.

How can anyone who has seen them play in the last 03 years believe they're suddenly going to turn a corner and come good? It's not going to happen. Investing in them was a mistake and so was carrying on with them despite repeated consistent failures, though their chances were obviously helped by not having any clearcut better replacement options available in terms of power hitters.
Pressure or no pressure, they're a bunch of hacks. The only chance I'd ready to give is to Asif at number 6-7 in the hope that he can make a quick 15 at the tail end.

"Where are they with the team"

On this I'm with Hafeez. They clearly shouldn't be with the team. I wouldve happily tried some completely untested young players from the previous national T20 cups
03 years ago instead of going back to these vain individuals again and again. Sadly, the management decided to stick with them and now with the WC starting in a few days time, I don't know what else can we do with them other than shifting them down the order to "hide" them essentially.

 

[SM1989]

Hafeez is mindless..
Its not that they didn't try others.. They have shan, haider, fakhar, asif, Khushdil, sohaib maqsood, azam khan and even Malik and Hafeez.. Reality is that we don't have any single quality middle order and its not like bradman is sitting outside. Hafeez and Malik also weren't middle order batters.. Pak kept them playing and made them... Malik was a bowler.. Shadab has much much potential... He needs consistent chances and will not do worst than above mentioned legends including Hafeez and Malik... Actually we have started beating India and other teams on regular intervals after Hafeez and malik's departure.. I don't remember when did they won us any pressure match against India or aus or any major tournament??
3-4 vs eng.. Asia cup runner-up, 2 straight wins in nz... This is not bad.

Hafeez won you the Champions Trophy final with that blistering 50 at the end of Pak’s innings.

 

[Saj]

I think Nawaz at 5 is high risk because he's not a number 5 batter in any format.

Shadab at 4 can work until a long-term option is found.

If promoting these two to 4 and 5 rattles the middle-order finishers or whatever they are to perform, then that's fine for me.

 

[Grunge101]

Hafeez won you the Champions Trophy final with that blistering 50 at the end of Pak’s innings.

Hafeez should walk into this side, no question if he was allowed. So would Malik.

A bit of that resentment will always be reflected in such tweets. He very recently stated on PTV sports that behind his retirement decision was the fact that he was going to be forced into it if he didn't do it himself. It was made clear to him that the management didn't want him to play anymore

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Because with the failure of middle order the lower order is already defacto middle order rubbish from Hafeez

Then Chuck the failure middle order out, that’s what he is asking. Actually many ppl are asking the same question since Asia cup.

 

[SentOff]

I think Nawaz at 5 is high risk because he's not a number 5 batter in any format.

Shadab at 4 can work until a long-term option is found.

If promoting these two to 4 and 5 rattles the middle-order finishers or whatever they are to perform, then that's fine for me.

Why can't Nawaz play at 5? He is already a better limited overs batsman than Khushdil and Ifti. He isn't a 10 ball wonder like Asif Ali.

 

[SentOff]

I don't understand Hafeez's pov here. You have to make sure your best batsmen go in first. Just because Ifti and Khushdil are there to make up the numbers doesn't mean they should play above more gifted and better performing cricketers like Nawaz and Shadab. So far, Shadab and Nawaz have each won us more games with the bat than Chacha and Khushdil combined.

In limited overs cricket you have to make sure your best players get the maximum amount of deliveries.

 

[Snowflake]

Management has panicked. They've lost confidence in the middle order. However, they are to blame themselves. It's the management's stubbornness that has led them to this point. Everyone could see that Khushdil and chacha are not international level - now it's too late to make changes.

Hafeez isn't wrong. If these guys need to be shielded all the time, what's their purpose in the team?

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Ex-players sharpening knives ahead of World T20 - brings in money. Never mind supporting your boys and girls.

If promotion of Shadab and Nawaz makes current middle order uncomfortable, then the move has done its job.

That it riles up ex players is just icing on the cake.

 

[MenInG]

Given state of Haider Ali and KS - the Shadab/Nawaz strategy seems to be the best so far.

 

[Ab Fan]

Only one of them should bat at 4/5 and that one can change depending on a match situation. The other can bat at 8 then in that game.

Asif Ali is Pakistan's no.6 and Pakistan need to decide their no.5 and 7 now.