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[REPORT] Azhar Ali set to lose ODI captaincy but take over from Misbah-ul-Haq after retirement

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http://www.business-standard.com/ar...taincy-inzy-wants-sarfraz-117012300913_1.html

Pakistan's senior batsman Azhar Ali is set to lose his captaincy in ODIs but will be appointed as captain of the Test team after the retirement of veteran Misbah-ul-Haq.

According to insiders aware of ongoing developments in the Pakistan Cricket Board, chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq has advised the chairman of the PCB Shaharyar Khan to appoint wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain of the ODI side for the tour to West Indies in March-April.

"Inzamam has tried to convince the PCB Chairman and other high officials off some radical changes required in the national team set-up after the disastrous tour to Australia," one well-informed source told PTI.

He said it had been decided that the PCB Chairman and the chief selector would be having a talk with both Misbah and senior batsman, Younis Khan soon to let them know about the board's future plans.

"It has been decided in principle that Misbah would be advised to under take the test tour to West Indies as captain and announce his retirement and go out gracefully while Younis would also be advised to call it a day after he completes his 10,000 test runs probably in the three tests in the West Indies," another source said.

He said it had been decided in principle that after the West Indies tour, Azhar would take over as test captain.

"But Sarfaraz will be appointed as the captain of the one-day squad before the west indies tour in addition to his responsibility as captain of the national T20 side.
 
Good to hear but have issues with Azhar being a test captain as well. The guy is a loyal follower not a leader or tactican.

I think Rizwan can flourish in test cricket and I believe it's a worth it for him to take the gloves so sarfraz can plays tests as a pure batsman and captain
 
Off course I would not be surprised if Azhar scratches a slow but large enough score to somehow keep clinging on
 
That is exactly what I suggested. Azhar should not play in the ODI side, but should be the captain of the test side....
 
I think they should go for one of the younger guys as odi captain.
 
Lol

So in the format we are a bit good at
We going to give it to the worst captain ever
If Misbah isn't retiring
Just keep it with him
Or yk
 
Not a good enough captain in one format? Let's try him in the other one.

Thanks to PCB's long term planning in the past, we find ourself in a situation where we have to appoint a test captain who has already failed as a captain in the other format.
 
Not a good enough captain in one format? Let's try him in the other one.

Thanks to PCB's long term planning in the past, we find ourself in a situation where we have to appoint a test captain who has already failed as a captain in the other format.

This. The dinosaurs we have in PCB are unreal.

Only saving grace is that Test Cricket hasn't changed that much and doesn't require that much of a dynamic captain like ODIs, so he can plod along there in Tests (Azhar).
 
2-0 or 3-0 in favour of West Indies in the test series. Inexplicable...How can someone still carry Misbah in the team?? PCB never ceases to amaze. :yk
 
should ask MISBAH to retire now or after the WI series if he wants to leave on a high , then give it to Younis khan till he retires would be the best and amicable solution because MYK will cry for captaincy and he is not going anywhere till he is finished and exhausted, just look at the ODI format how did he leave... kick azhar out from the odi side and keep him in the test side as vc till MYK retires and give him the captaincy when MYK retires...Sarfraz can handle the ODI captaincy and the senior players very well...
 
Azhar will at least set a good example in terms of work ethic and knuckling down in a test match. I agree he's a far from ideal choice but hard to argue he's the best choice we've got right now.
 
typical Pakistan logic

Azhar isn't good enough for ODI cricket, lets make him ODI captain - 2015
Azhar isn't good enough to be a captain, lets make him test captain - 2017
 
Misbah touring west indies isnt going to bring any good to pakistan , it will halt the grooming of any new batsmen who could be ready in a couple of years when they again play against superior opposition in alien conditions. If you want to honor Misbah then arrange a ceremony and give him an award , don't set a bad precedent.
 
how legitimate is this report... because we had reports like this after the england series loss 4-1 too, that sarfraz will be the new captain and azhar to be axed
 
This is something I can agree with. I'm not a huge fan of test cricket as it is and Azhar Ali can run the test team to the ground for all I care. Besides test cricket is so slow that even with his reactive captaincy we can still survive, but don't expect him to take you anywhere close to top 3-4 ranking in tests.

ODI tournament victories are the pinnacle of this sport and Sarfaraz is the right man for our ODI revival.
 
Poor Azhar Ali, everyone likes to get on the bandwagon here when he performs well, is one of the top 5 highest run getters of the year. or scores a double century in Australia, or scores a triple hundred against WI.. but when he is not performing well the first thing he is told to do is to be kicked out..

He is on a similar receiving end of treatment like Misbah was early on in his career.. Shame

The guy has done decently, scored a 100 against WI in the final ODI (obviously only Babar Azam's 3x100's matter), scored a couple of decent 80 odds against England.. his perform hasn't been that bad..

He's only play 2 of 4 ODIs here in Aus and people are calling for his head already... the team is performing poorly regardless of who captains, whether its Hafeez or Azhar, we lost..

dropped catches cannot be blamed on the captain, since two of your best performers with the bat and ball dropped 4 catches in total.. there is no solution for this kind of performance, changing of captain won't change anything
 
how legitimate is this report... because we had reports like this after the england series loss 4-1 too, that sarfraz will be the new captain and azhar to be axed

Lol i was thinking same if some how pakistan win last odi azhar ali ain,t going any where
 
Can't believe Misbah still leading this side after disastrous tour as a captain & as a player. He is 42 still want farewell series. He is blocking a youngster place in the side who can get valuable experience by playing in Aliens conditions. .making Azhar as a test captain decision is unbelievable. Pcb have no idea who world boards & players doing. They r still living in 80s era
 
If it were any other cricket board, both Misbah and Azhar would have been sacked immediately.
 
Poor Azhar Ali, everyone likes to get on the bandwagon here when he performs well, is one of the top 5 highest run getters of the year. or scores a double century in Australia, or scores a triple hundred against WI.. but when he is not performing well the first thing he is told to do is to be kicked out..

He is on a similar receiving end of treatment like Misbah was early on in his career.. Shame

The guy has done decently, scored a 100 against WI in the final ODI (obviously only Babar Azam's 3x100's matter), scored a couple of decent 80 odds against England.. his perform hasn't been that bad..

He's only play 2 of 4 ODIs here in Aus and people are calling for his head already... the team is performing poorly regardless of who captains, whether its Hafeez or Azhar, we lost..

dropped catches cannot be blamed on the captain, since two of your best performers with the bat and ball dropped 4 catches in total.. there is no solution for this kind of performance, changing of captain won't change anything

he can continue as a batsman but not as captain.... with his captaincy it is very hard to win any games, with a smart and thinking captain pak can cash in half decent chances like they had in the first ODI letting wade to score a maiden 100 from nowhere... no need to explain so much, it is very easy to get it if u watch him as a fielding captain...his batsmanship in ODIs also has to improve a lot as he is still doing the old 80s style, he talks about dot balls and he himself make the most dot balls next to shehzad...
 
Azhar doesn't belong in the ODI team, so very happy to see him being relieved of his duties.

However, what is this?
It has been decided in principle that Misbah would be advised to under take the test tour to West Indies as captain and announce his retirement and go out gracefully

The pcb hierarchy is way overrating this Pak side and underselling the WI team.

We literally have one batsman (Azhar) and the rest are dodgy, so a win isn't even guaranteed and I wouldn't be surprised, if WI manage to draw the series and the chance for victory is blown once again.
 
Pure insanity,it just depressing news. Misbah is still going to West Indies. No one cares about the country and the cricket, its all personal agenda. SYK is too old to make any sensible decision now. He should be sacked first, but by whom ?
 
If Azhar Ali is sensible enough, he would be saying simply NO to Test captaincy. But the way he has stuck with ODI captaincy, I highly doubt it will be the case.

Why I say that Azhar should say no is due to these 2 reasons:

1. He is the most prized batsman of the Test team at the moment. He opens the batting which requires humongous amount of concentration to be successful. Till now he has been able to concentrate on job at hand, as he can focus on batting alone. With him being the captain, captaincy stuff is bound to interfere his concentration - sometimes it's good for batsmen. But it can also prove really bad for batsmen. Azhar's ODI record as batsman while ODI captain has deteriorated. In his first year as captain, he averaged 45 and the next year his average dropped to 31. Start to 2017 has also not been great.

2. Even as a pure batsman he is bound to face more pressure due to forthcoming retirements of Misbah n Younis Khan.

So, whether Azhar wants to strive for becoming successful batsman or as a successful captain - this captaincy decision will show the path. Ideally, he would think that I would be a successful batsman + captain. But with veterans retiring and taking up one of most difficult jobs in cricket (i.e. captaining Pakistan cricket team), his batting is bound to suffer.

Azhar has a bright chance to rewrite history books as one of Pakistan's best Test opening batsman ever. Whether he wants to take this as a career goal or not - its purely his choice. But if I were in his shoes, I would give this a shot. Captaincy will only make it harder.
 
If Azhar Ali is sensible enough, he would be saying simply NO to Test captaincy. But the way he has stuck with ODI captaincy, I highly doubt it will be the case.

Why I say that Azhar should say no is due to these 2 reasons:

1. He is the most prized batsman of the Test team at the moment. He opens the batting which requires humongous amount of concentration to be successful. Till now he has been able to concentrate on job at hand, as he can focus on batting alone. With him being the captain, captaincy stuff is bound to interfere his concentration - sometimes it's good for batsmen. But it can also prove really bad for batsmen. Azhar's ODI record as batsman while ODI captain has deteriorated. In his first year as captain, he averaged 45 and the next year his average dropped to 31. Start to 2017 has also not been great.

2. Even as a pure batsman he is bound to face more pressure due to forthcoming retirements of Misbah n Younis Khan.

So, whether Azhar wants to strive for becoming successful batsman or as a successful captain - this captaincy decision will show the path. Ideally, he would think that I would be a successful batsman + captain. But with veterans retiring and taking up one of most difficult jobs in cricket (i.e. captaining Pakistan cricket team), his batting is bound to suffer.

Azhar has a bright chance to rewrite history books as one of Pakistan's best Test opening batsman ever. Whether he wants to take this as a career goal or not - its purely his choice. But if I were in his shoes, I would give this a shot. Captaincy will only make it harder.

I'm hundred percent sure that Azhar would never turn down the captaincy, he has clinged onto the ODI captaincy despite ZERO performance. Any self-respecting man would have resigned and gone home long ago. But no, not Azhar.


Let him have the test captaincy, we will start to lose to even Zimbabwe and then he will be removed from that role as well.
 
I am just in deep sorrow we are unable to produce players who are a man's man like Shoaib, Wasim, Waqar, Ijaz. What has happened to Pakistani people? Why are all the cricketers coming through softly spoken gentle boys?
 
Poor Azhar Ali, everyone likes to get on the bandwagon here when he performs well, is one of the top 5 highest run getters of the year. or scores a double century in Australia, or scores a triple hundred against WI.. but when he is not performing well the first thing he is told to do is to be kicked out..

He is on a similar receiving end of treatment like Misbah was early on in his career.. Shame

The guy has done decently, scored a 100 against WI in the final ODI (obviously only Babar Azam's 3x100's matter), scored a couple of decent 80 odds against England.. his perform hasn't been that bad..

He's only play 2 of 4 ODIs here in Aus and people are calling for his head already... the team is performing poorly regardless of who captains, whether its Hafeez or Azhar, we lost..

dropped catches cannot be blamed on the captain, since two of your best performers with the bat and ball dropped 4 catches in total.. there is no solution for this kind of performance, changing of captain won't change anything

he's done very well as a test batsmen, and he's been very much praised on these forms for his test batting

but as a captain and a ODI batsmen, he's been terrible and- in fact he never earned either of those spots in the first place

he is rightfully criticized for that
 
Stats don't really matter at this point in this ODI team. You would even drop peak razzaq given the averages of Rizwan and Imad. Cricket is much more than averages.

Azhar tries too hard at times in ODIs but we can't afford to undo Sharjeel's quick 50s with Azhar batting like a snail on the other end as we often end up 100 in more than 20 overs even after Sharjeel's hardwork.

We need a solid opener that can complement Sharjeel and can take over from him when he gets out. In Azhar's case, he doesn't really accelerate at any point, I'm afraid doesn't have the ability to.
 
how about Fakhar Zaman averaging 49 at 92 SR?
can we finally move past recycling the same old mediocrity?

Yes, Fakhar may be a good bet at least to try out. But I doubt Inzi would select him for the WI ODIs.

Most likely Shafiq will lose his place to Sarfraz and Rahat to someone like Irfan. Don't expect anything more!
 
All of those records are ugly. An opener with a 70 SR in this day and age is atrocious :facepalm:

Yes, they are. However these are the ones at our disposal unless we try out someone new like Fakhar Zaman.
 
ODI openers (pos 1 & 2) from the last 2 years with more than 500 runs.

ODI openers.jpg
 

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Not many matches but Sharjeel khan has the highest SR of all the ones still playing (by some margin).
 
Only Tamim Iqbal, Chibaba and Shehzad have lower SR than Azhar on that list. The rest are ahead by quite a margin.

You have to compare with options we have at our disposal(beating avg of 39 with SR of 80). It is not that we can go ahead and recruit de Kock to play for us.
 
In England we call this type of action - rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic
 
Stats don't really matter at this point in this ODI team. You would even drop peak razzaq given the averages of Rizwan and Imad. Cricket is much more than averages.

Azhar tries too hard at times in ODIs but we can't afford to undo Sharjeel's quick 50s with Azhar batting like a snail on the other end as we often end up 100 in more than 20 overs even after Sharjeel's hardwork.

We need a solid opener that can complement Sharjeel and can take over from him when he gets out. In Azhar's case, he doesn't really accelerate at any point, I'm afraid doesn't have the ability to.

Actually Razzaq and Imad were/all-rounders and their numbers should be compared to all-rounders.

Azhar is a batsmen and a mediocre ODI bat whichever way you spin it.

Since his first 7 matches where he had his return purple patch, his average is 30 with a 70 SR. Simply unacceptable.

Not that there is some stud waiting in the wings, far from it, but can we call a spade a spade.
 
Actually Razzaq and Imad were/all-rounders and their numbers should be compared to all-rounders.

Azhar is a batsmen and a mediocre ODI bat whichever way you spin it.

Since his first 7 matches where he had his return purple patch, his average is 30 with a 70 SR. Simply unacceptable.

Not that there is some stud waiting in the wings, far from it, but can we call a spade a spade.

He is a minnow basher in ODIs.

I still remember in Aane Do series how he totally crumbled against India after 10 overs of tuk tuk then throwing his wicket away with an awful slog, ball didn't go anywhere. There was a reason why he was dropped for 2 years after that. I have never seen such a horrible performance from a Pakistani opener before. He totally disintegrated under the pressure.
 
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Some more stats

No of times teams have got 300+ in the last 2 years:

What a transformation by England, who were playing the same brand of cricket as Pakistan till the 2015 WC. (19 scores of 300+ in 44 matches in the last 2 years)

330 plus scores.jpg

Overall records in last 2 years

odi team record.jpg

Top 4 sides pushing run rate of 6
 
The logic that denounces Azhar as captain demands Sharjeel as skipper instead.

I for one struggle to pen down Azhar Ali in the ODI team due to his inability to match the striking ability of modern ODI batsmen. I do believe he is improving as a leader, but he really needs a few match winning innings to his name for him to warrant his place in the team as a player, let alone captain.

If Pakistan are startig a fresh, then I do not think there is anything to lose by making your most positive minded player at the crease as the captain. I would honestly back Sharjeel as the skipper and give him a run, also the opportunity to bring in like minded players in the team and put the foot down on the accelerator. Tired of this nonesensical batting approach time after time
 
We don't know much about how good Sharjeel is tactically. Islamabad united should make him skipper in 2018 psl and if he does well then I have no problem with him being captain in LOIs. Babar must be vice captain though
 
Love Sharjeel the player and the guy but he doesn't look confident at all. Even when he's giving it a whack while batting, he usually looks confused. More importantly, however, in the field, he would be out of sorts mostly. Let' face it, he'll keep on misfielding and so, wont be able to lead by example and will usually be under pressure already because of dropping a catch or a misfield.

I would like Babar to captain but that is too much for a 22 year old. Imad would be my best bet.
 
lols at ppers logics
Who ever is darling of this forum, make him captain.
Doesn't matter player has ability or not, doesn't matter he show interest or not, make him captain. We got nothing to loose, make him captain.
 
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lols at ppers logics
Who ever is darling of this forum, make him captain.
Doesn't matter player has ability or not, doesn't matter he show interest or not, make him captain. We got nothing to loose, make him captain.

Some guys act as if whatever they say is absolutely correct. Sorry if this tread derails your aspirations of seeing Sarfaraz as the skipper
 
Some guys act as if whatever they say is absolutely correct. Sorry if this tread derails your aspirations of seeing Sarfaraz as the skipper

Did I even mention Sarfraz?
I would say even drop Sarfraz if he is not performing.
But there is no sense at all in making Sharjeel captain of team. None what so ever.
 
Did I even mention Sarfraz?
I would say even drop Sarfraz if he is not performing.
But there is no sense at all in making Sharjeel captain of team. None what so ever.

None Whatsoever? He's the only player we have who plays ODI cricket the way it should be played these days!
 
None Whatsoever? He's the only player we have who plays ODI cricket the way it should be played these days!

We are not talking about selection in team
We are talking abt captaincy.
Playing ODI with good SR doesn't mean make that player captain.
 
We are not talking about selection in team
We are talking abt captaincy.
Playing ODI with good SR doesn't mean make that player captain.

It's about making a statement. When 10 other players will play for a skipper who has the ability to score a 100 in 50-70 balls, it sends a message to those ten players that we value positive cricket. Sharjeel should not be rewarded on the basis of performance because he is yet to establish himself if we take that into account. He should be given the lead because he is willing to put the foot down and lifting the energy of the team
 
It's about making a statement.When 10 other players will play for a skipper who has the ability to score a 100 in 50-70 balls, it sends a message to those ten players that we value positive cricket. Sharjeel should not be rewarded on the basis of performance because he is yet to establish himself if we take that into account. He should be given the lead because he is willing to put the foot down and lifting the energy of the team

Tried, tested n failed formula under Afridi's captaincy.
 
Tried, tested n failed formula under Afridi's captaincy.

Dont get me wrong but Afridi was a terrific captain in his first stint upto 2011. He did well because he was taking big wickets at crucial stages as a bowler regardless of his batting form. He failed to be a great leader not because of his batting but because of his inability to be a genuine wicket taker bowler, failing to lift his team. He himself was clueless of exploiting his ability and afraid to set the tone as a batsman either as an opener or at 3. He wanted to come in at number 5-6

Sharjeel is different, he is likely to be the only opener we have to play all 3 formats from now on. He has adapted well to the international level and has solidified some of his shots making him a very difficult batsman to bowl to. A quickfire 30 off 15 balls by Sharjeel has far more importance to the team than a 100 off 120 balls by Babar
 
Sharjeel as captain? Lol what a terrible idea. The guy has no personality, just because he scores quickly doesn't mean he's going to be an aggressive captain.
 
Dont get me wrong but Afridi was a terrific captain in his first stint upto 2011. He did well because he was taking big wickets at crucial stages as a bowler regardless of his batting form. He failed to be a great leader not because of his batting but because of his inability to be a genuine wicket taker bowler, failing to lift his team. He himself was clueless of exploiting his ability and afraid to set the tone as a batsman either as an opener or at 3. He wanted to come in at number 5-6

Sharjeel is different, he is likely to be the only opener we have to play all 3 formats from now on. He has adapted well to the international level and has solidified some of his shots making him a very difficult batsman to bowl to. A quickfire 30 off 15 balls by Sharjeel has far more importance to the team than a 100 off 120 balls by Babar

Has sharjeel shown any interest or being active about captaincy?
Field placings, bowling changes? Has he been groomed as captain?

Making few good scores in a row, doesn't mean he is difficult to bowl at.
Score of 30 can not have more importance than 100 in anyway, 70-80 runs off 40-45 balls faced can.
 
Even if I entertain your flawed idea of making our most aggressive batsman as captain, what is Sharjeel's captaincy experience? Has he successfully captained domestic sides before? The answer is no.
 
Inzamam ul Haq once again doing Pak cricket a great service. What a legend and the cricketing world's respect for him just keeps on increasing.

Sarfaraz has himself to blame for not getting the captaincy in all three formats. His test form has been poor and he isn't even a guranteed starter anymore. Azhar meanwhile, is the best opener on the planet now.
 
Inzamam ul Haq once again doing Pak cricket a great service. What a legend and the cricketing world's respect for him just keeps on increasing.

Sarfaraz has himself to blame for not getting the captaincy in all three formats. His test form has been poor and he isn't even a guranteed starter anymore. Azhar meanwhile, is the best opener on the planet now.

you're confusing on-field performance with leadership, just like the PCB has been doing for years

just because Azhar is a top test match batsmen doesn't make him a choice for captaincy

Sachin was the greatest batsmen ever, how long did he captain for?
 
lols at ppers logics
Who ever is darling of this forum, make him captain.
Doesn't matter player has ability or not, doesn't matter he show interest or not, make him captain. We got nothing to loose, make him captain.

Good one mate! Unfortunately, people don't understand that a good player is not necessarily a good captain, while a good captain needs to be a good player to maintain respect and position within the team.

BTW, some people did mention Sarfraz. We saw him in the PSL T20, and he showed the right temperament to be a skipper. I believe we need to have one skipper for all three sides. Three different skippers for Test, ODI and T20 doesn't work for sub-continent teams due to our culture.
 
Good one mate! Unfortunately, people don't understand that a good player is not necessarily a good captain, while a good captain needs to be a good player to maintain respect and position within the team.

BTW, some people did mention Sarfraz. We saw him in the PSL T20, and he showed the right temperament to be a skipper. I believe we need to have one skipper for all three sides. Three different skippers for Test, ODI and T20 doesn't work for sub-continent teams due to our culture.

sarfraz as captain of the t20 side and odi side makes sense..azhar as the cap for the test side makes sense if he gets dropped from the odi side..if not why not just make sarfraz captain of all three??
 
Good one mate! Unfortunately, people don't understand that a good player is not necessarily a good captain, while a good captain needs to be a good player to maintain respect and position within the team.

BTW, some people did mention Sarfraz. We saw him in the PSL T20, and he showed the right temperament to be a skipper. I believe we need to have one skipper for all three sides. Three different skippers for Test, ODI and T20 doesn't work for sub-continent teams due to our culture.

Sarfraz atleast have captaincy experience from U19 days and have WC too at that level.
Been captain of PSL team, and make it to final. And just someone have to go through thread when teams were picking players and everyone was laughing at team Quetta. But they played final under Sarfraz. I just hope, he loose abit of weight, and we should be all set under him. ( atleast in shorter format)
 
Azhar in any format isn't acceptable. Imad is a tempting option for limited overs but the problem with him is that his bowling can unravel any time. And he is not a good enough batsman to hold his spot for his batting skills. Sarfraz in all three formats is another option but you wouldn't want to overburden it. Got to take chance with a younger captain atleast in T20s.
 
you're confusing on-field performance with leadership, just like the PCB has been doing for years

just because Azhar is a top test match batsmen doesn't make him a choice for captaincy

Sachin was the greatest batsmen ever, how long did he captain for?

Not what I mean. Azhar isn't a good captain, Sarfaraz is. However, Sarfaraz isn't a guranteed starter in tests now, even though he should be while Azhar is. Barring these two, there are no viable captaincy options so it is understandable why Azhar is being preferred in the longer format.

Hopefully, Sarfaraz gets his mojo back and with it, the test captaincy too.
 
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