Saqlain Mushtaq's position as Head Coach has become untenable

[PakFan2010]

Saqlain Mushtaq needs to resign

Give Hayden the coaching job, Saqlain doesn't understand modern cricket.

 

[Savak]

Saqi is too soft for the team and its needs. This team needs a tough task master coach who will not tolerate comfort zones and a captain who only plays his favourites.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Some quotes from this great coach

Talking about experiments in the Sri Lanka match, Mushtaq said that every combination is a winning combination, and there is no room for experimentation in international cricket. He said everyone in the side is an international player. Mushtaq praised the batting of the side and said that even Naseem Shah is a part of the batting order.

“Against India we batted very well, we chased very well against them. Against Afghanistan in the last game, the total was small, but in the end, our batting won us the game. Naseem is also a part of our batting order, all XI players bat in a team,” Mushtaq added.

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

Wait till WC

 

[OmaIR1]

Mikey Arthur > Sucklain

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Positive is whole squad and lineup needs gutting

 

[PakFan2010]

Wait till WC

Hayden would be much better for the world cup. He understands Australian conditions and would pick a better team.

 

[indianpanacea]

I think chief selector M.wasim should go..if you provide crap hitters it is bound to happen..where is
Shaan
Kamran Ghulam
Imad

 

[m.shah]

Pakistan still stuck in old days. They first need to fire babar then saqlain

 

[muqarrab]

He is a yes man, 58-5 and Babar doesn't go for kill. Did saqlain send a message? Out pattern of play has been the same as it was last year. We have consistently made selection blunders in test matches, and yet somehow this guy is still around.

For raja the idiot, change of thinking in brought about by silverwood and maccullum should be enough to convince him that his stupidity of coaches don't do jack needs to change.

This is on Saqlain and Rameez.

 

[shah_1]

Mikey Arthur > Sucklain

One of the defensive player Azhar Ali was attacking Indian bowlers in the final of champion trophy.


Babar has taken over the team, he is responsible for this cowardly approach. We were rubbish as a batting unit in the whole Asia apart from once in a lifetime innings from Nawaz

 

[Usman Chadda]

Why?

What resources have you given to Babar and Saqlain? Iftikhar and Khushdil? Everyone knew if either two of Babar, Rizwan and Fakhar lost form, we were going to be bundled out for low totals.

Not even surprised by this loss, you cannot have these minnow level batsmen in international cricket.

 

[muqarrab]

Why?

What resources have you given to Babar and Saqlain? Iftikhar and Khushdil? Everyone knew if either two of Babar, Rizwan and Fakhar lost form, we were going to be bundled out for low totals.

Not even surprised by this loss, you cannot have these minnow level batsmen in international cricket.

What resources Saqlain needed to tell babar to go for killa t 58-5? And if that was Saqlain's plan then thats also problematic.

 

[reversehook]

doesnt matter, we have a timid bunch of clowns that are happy tuk tukking... they have zero aggressive mentality unless its mathematically impossible. this whole friggin tournament and before it, they sent asif ali way too late, give the bloody guy a chance to go at it fairly, he cant always come in with 6-18 balls left and 40-60 runs needed.... i m not saying he is a world beater but its unfair on these guys to go balls out from get go... babar def needs to let go of opening or rizzy, fakhar zaman time to take a long break, ifti chacha retire already, khushdil is a solid chineese hack...

once the mentality is good for a team, then all else falls in... we look content to get to 120ish or the "waikhi jao gi" mode...

 

[OmaIR1]

One of the defensive player Azhar Ali was attacking Indian bowlers in the final of champion trophy.


Babar has taken over the team, he is responsible for this cowardly approach. We were rubbish as a batting unit in the whole Asia apart from once in a lifetime innings from Nawaz

Pretty sure Mickey Arthur said he would have opened with Fakhar and Rizwan. Also mentioned that they should try Haider Ali in place of the other hacks. Just shows he has a better approach.

We need Shan Masood & Shoaib Malik for the World T20. Ifthikar and Khushdil got to go 100%. I would even consider dropping Fakhar Zaman. His batting and fielding was dismisal all series.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

I think chief selector M.wasim should go..if you provide crap hitters it is bound to happen..where is
Shaan
Kamran Ghulam
Imad

They had Haider Ali and he was never given a chance even against Hkg..

But yes for feeding them with Khusdil, Ifthikar and Asif Ali for the middle order..

 

[Markhor]

Saqlain announced he would not extend his contract when it expires in Feb. Frankly, after losing 2 of 3 series vs Australia, drawing to Sri Lanka and throwing away an Asia Cup final after having opposition 58-5 - he should resign now.

So does shameless Rameez "coaches don't matter" Raja who's employed interim, novice coaches from Day 1.

 

[saabir]

He is not a great tactician. Probably a good spin bowling coach but never as a head coach. His tactics are too outdated. He also have a Dumbo captain Babar who is not made for captaincy. Keeping wickets in hand for the last 4 overs will not work against better bowling attacks. Rizwan and Iftikhar were too defensive .coach did not send them any message to accelerate. Nawaz should have promoted to no. 4 in place of chacha . Overall very poor coach and equally poor captaincy by Babar. Shadad should be tha captain for white ball cricket and Babar should captain in tests.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Pretty sure Mickey Arthur said he would have opened with Fakhar and Rizwan. Also mentioned that they should try Haider Ali in place of the other hacks. Just shows he has a better approach.

We need Shan Masood & Shoaib Malik for the World T20. Ifthikar and Khushdil got to go 100%. I would even consider dropping Fakhar Zaman. His batting and fielding was dismisal all series.

Yes bring back Malik , Hafeez , Misbah ul haq , Sharjeel Khan, Afridi and Razzaq..

 

[ask_analyse_act]

He is not a great tactician. Probably a good spin bowling coach but never as a head coach. His tactics are too outdated. He also have a Dumbo captain Babar who is not made for captaincy. Keeping wickets in hand for the last 4 overs will not work against better bowling attacks. Rizwan and Iftikhar were too defensive .coach did not send them any message to accelerate. Nawaz should have promoted to no. 4 in place of chacha . Overall very poor coach and equally poor captaincy by Babar. Shadad should be tha captain for white ball cricket and Babar should captain in tests.

Even if Shadab was made the captain, he cant hold the bat for Ifthikar, Khusdil and Asif Ali

The middle order is full of bits and pieces not just in T20s also in ODIs ever since Misbah took over from Mickey, Wasim continues with the same template

Only Babar and Haider ALi are the batsmen in this entire lineup that can play proper cricketing shots

Rizwan is the wicketkeeper batsman, rest are all either hacks or bits and pieces..

 

[OmaIR1]

Yes bring back Malik , Hafeez , Misbah ul haq , Sharjeel Khan, Afridi and Razzaq..

Shoaib Malik > Khushdil & Ifthikar

If it was up to you, you'd probably make Khushdil vice captain lol. Brainless.

 

[MenInG]

In my view, the game is over.

You can fool people with stunts like flags in practice, motherhood statements about players etc but you need to bring something more concrete to the table than this.

Technical/strategic improvements - none are visible.

Pakistan has not progress in tactical terms. PCB are all good to hire likes of Hayden etc but they need to quickly look at possibility of a good quality coach. ASAP!

 

[msb314]

In my view, the game is over.

You can fool people with stunts like flags in practice, motherhood statements about players etc but you need to bring something more concrete to the table than this.

Technical/strategic improvements - none are visible.

Pakistan has not progress in tactical terms. PCB are all good to hire likes of Hayden etc but they need to quickly look at possibility of a good quality coach. ASAP!

Bhai I understand our frustrations regarding the game today but have to keep things in perspective and avoid knee jerk reactions.

With Saqlain and a similar squad - we reached the SF of 2021 WorldT20 and now the Finals of 2022 Asia Cup.

Now compare this to the disastrous Asia Cup 2018, Asia Cup 2016 and of course 2014 and 2016 WorldT20 where we failed to progress beyond the group stages - it is clear progress has been made in the last 12 months.

No coach can provide instant results with the likes of Khushdil, Asif Ali and Iftikhar in the middle order. Not Ravi Shastri, Not Andy Flower, Not Darren Lehman and certainly not Mickey Arthur. The selectors are to blame - pure and simple..

1) A proper number four batsman is needed - I would go with Abdullah Shafique and see what can provide to the team.

2) Need to play Haider Ali at number five

3) Send a clear message to Babar and Rizwan that 50+ runs are needed in the PP nothing less.

The team has potential but some changes are needed to be ready for 2022 WorldT20.

 

[Savak]

Bhai I understand our frustrations regarding the game today but have to keep things in perspective and avoid knee jerk reactions.

With Saqlain and a similar squad - we reached the SF of 2021 WorldT20 and now the Finals of 2022 Asia Cup.

Now compare this to the disastrous Asia Cup 2018, Asia Cup 2016 and of course 2014 and 2016 WorldT20 where we failed to progress beyond the group stages - it is clear progress has been made in the last 12 months.

No coach can provide instant results with the likes of Khushdil, Asif Ali and Iftikhar in the middle order. Not Ravi Shastri, Not Andy Flower, Not Darren Lehman and certainly not Mickey Arthur. The selectors are to blame - pure and simple..

1) A proper number four batsman is needed - I would go with Abdullah Shafique and see what can provide to the team.

2) Need to play Haider Ali at number five

3) Send a clear message to Babar and Rizwan that 50+ runs are needed in the PP nothing less.

The team has potential but some changes are needed to be ready for 2022 WorldT20.

Good coaches will find ways to utilize the likes of Iftikhar, Asif, Khusdil, Nawaz, Shadab and make sure these guys face overs from 4 onwards and give them the license to go after the bowling rather than saving them with 3-5 overs when the match is lost.

 

[msb314]

Good coaches will find ways to utilize the likes of Iftikhar, Asif, Khusdil, Nawaz, Shadab and make sure these guys face overs from 4 onwards and give them the license to go after the bowling rather than saving them with 3-5 overs when the match is lost.

These players you mentioned will only face overs from 4 and onwards when the top order goes out all guns blazing.

But again - there are no guarantees that these three have the ability to stay at the crease for long periods of time so I would like the selectors to have a serious look at Abdullah Shafique and Haider Ali.

Not Saqlains fault our top order is too conservative. Like I said - hiring anyone else will not change that fact. Only Babar and Rizwan have the power to change their approach..

 

[PakHammer]

Bhai I understand our frustrations regarding the game today but have to keep things in perspective and avoid knee jerk reactions.

With Saqlain and a similar squad - we reached the SF of 2021 WorldT20 and now the Finals of 2022 Asia Cup.

Now compare this to the disastrous Asia Cup 2018, Asia Cup 2016 and of course 2014 and 2016 WorldT20 where we failed to progress beyond the group stages - it is clear progress has been made in the last 12 months.

No coach can provide instant results with the likes of Khushdil, Asif Ali and Iftikhar in the middle order. Not Ravi Shastri, Not Andy Flower, Not Darren Lehman and certainly not Mickey Arthur. The selectors are to blame - pure and simple..

1) A proper number four batsman is needed - I would go with Abdullah Shafique and see what can provide to the team.

2) Need to play Haider Ali at number five

3) Send a clear message to Babar and Rizwan that 50+ runs are needed in the PP nothing less.

The team has potential but some changes are needed to be ready for 2022 WorldT20.

Both tournaments were played in the UAE which Pakistan are very much used too so it was not that much of a great achievement being a losing semi finalist and a losing finalist.

 

[ElRaja]

hes not gonna get sacked prior to the wt20, and its obvious PCB cant compete against IPL salaries for top coaches. once he's gone we'll pbly have some other semi-pro in the job.

 

[PakEngFan]

Why was he given the role in first place?

 

[PakLFC]

Saqi or any coach can't do much with a bunch of useless to average players. We are obsessed with changing coaches.

 

[Savak]

Saqi or any coach can't do much with a bunch of useless to average players. We are obsessed with changing coaches.

A good coach can get the best out of a mediocre bunch. Saqlain has been a huge dissapointment so far.

 

[PakLFC]

A good coach can get the best out of a mediocre bunch. Saqlain has been a huge dissapointment so far.

He can't do much from the sidelines. After every series loss we always turn on the coach.

 

[msb314]

Both tournaments were played in the UAE which Pakistan are very much used too so it was not that much of a great achievement being a losing semi finalist and a losing finalist.

The 2014 and 2016 Asia Cup were both played in Bangladesh along with the 2014 WorldT20. The 2016 WorldT20 was played in India. We all know how poorly we played in those tournaments..

 

[msb314]

hes not gonna get sacked prior to the wt20, and its obvious PCB cant compete against IPL salaries for top coaches. once he's gone we'll pbly have some other semi-pro in the job.

I support Saqlain for now but may change my mind if we have a good squad selected for the WorldT20 but still do poorly

 

[Ahmed216]

Saqlain and Babar’s inability to introspect will take this team down further

 

[ChipShot]

Dummy coach, who only is there to follow Ramiz Raja and Babar dictates.

Honestly anyone can be a better head coach than Saqi.

We went from a poor coach (Misbah) to a dummy, temporary coach in Saqi.

 

[Cric1234]

I support Saqlain for now but may change my mind if we have a good squad selected for the WorldT20 but still do poorly

The way the last 2 tournaments have played out has helped everytime we chased we won but when batting first lost until today when we lost chasing really we should’ve won the Asia Cup and will have to play well to repeat the performance of the last World Cup in Australia.

After that a decision should be made in Saqlain and Babar but the way Pakistan cricket works a similar team will play in Australia.

 

[Shafi]

Different tournament but same old story. Saklain is no where near coaching material. Even as a bowling coach he is not that good either. Poor strategy to carry on out of form player through out the tournament and pay for it. Haider could be tested in dead rubber match. Babar needs to be sacked as well as fielding coach and batting coach.

 

[Shafi]

hes not gonna get sacked prior to the wt20, and its obvious PCB cant compete against IPL salaries for top coaches. once he's gone we'll pbly have some other semi-pro in the job.

Even Level 2 English or Australian coach will do better job than Saqlain.

 

[Mamoon]

Saqlain was hired as an interim coach but he survived because Pakistan fluked it’s way into the World T20 semifinals.

He is a weak coach and does not seem to have a personality but again, it is the delusion of our fans to assume that coaching is holding the team back.

As usual, there is a big gap between fans’ expectations and the actual capability of the team.

Pakistan is a nothing team. They can fluke a win or two against superior opposition every now and then but overall it is a deeply mediocre team.

Nothing will change with a so-called professional coach at the helm. Successful teams are built by quality players not quality coaches. Pakistan does not have the quality to be a successful, reliable team.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Saqlain was hired as an interim coach but he survived because Pakistan fluked it’s way into the World T20 semifinals.

He is a weak coach and does not seem to have a personality but again, it is the delusion of our fans to assume that coaching is holding the team back.

As usual, there is a big gap between fans’ expectations and the actual capability of the team.

Pakistan is a nothing team. They can fluke a win or two against superior opposition every now and then but overall it is a deeply mediocre team.

Nothing will change with a so-called professional coach at the helm. Successful teams are built by quality players not quality coaches. Pakistan does not have the quality to be a successful, reliable team.

Brother [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] . First they said , there was no T20 franchise cricket and then the PSL, with the best bowling attack, was formed. Then they said that first class cricket was the issue and that was reformed with only 6 domestic teams and talent was concentrated in these teams.

Then they said that Pakistan did not have access to the best analytics for better data driven decisions in terms of selections and game strategy and Ramiz got a contract for access to the Cricviz engine and as a result you have

Genuine pacers - fastest attack in the world
A high quality t20 spinner in shadab
A high quality allrounder in Nawaz
The best batter in Babar and
The greatest ever Pakistani wk/bat in Rizwan

Despite all that, Pakistan are still not doing as well as some fans claimed they would after these changes.

Do Pakistani cricketers just not have the talent/genetic potential to make a world beating team?

 

[Savak]

He can't do much from the sidelines. After every series loss we always turn on the coach.

As we should. Look at England's output with the same players under Chris Silverwood and now under Brendon Mccullam. This statement that changing the coach will make no difference is only serving to further reinforce mediocrity and a cop out.

 

[James]

As we should. Look at England's output with the same players under Chris Silverwood and now under Brendon Mccullam. This statement that changing the coach will make no difference is only serving to further reinforce mediocrity and a cop out.

Yes.

Quality of leadership (or lack thereof) makes a huge difference to performance in every human field.

 

[msb314]

The way the last 2 tournaments have played out has helped everytime we chased we won but when batting first lost until today when we lost chasing really we should’ve won the Asia Cup and will have to play well to repeat the performance of the last World Cup in Australia.

After that a decision should be made in Saqlain and Babar but the way Pakistan cricket works a similar team will play in Australia.

It has helped everyone the same (i.e favorable when chasing) so why shouldn’t Saqlain get credit for it?

 

[PakLFC]

As we should. Look at England's output with the same players under Chris Silverwood and now under Brendon Mccullam. This statement that changing the coach will make no difference is only serving to further reinforce mediocrity and a cop out.

How many times have we changed coach without there being much difference? The mindset of the English players is very different to that of our uneducated villagers. There is no comparison on this at all.

 

[Saj]

Saqlain is an old-school coach.

Defensive tactics, with an approach that belongs to yesteryear.

Cricket is changing, teams are changing their approach but we still seem to be stuck in the 1990s with our tactics.

 

[KyoOne]

Brother [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] . First they said , there was no T20 franchise cricket and then the PSL, with the best bowling attack, was formed. Then they said that first class cricket was the issue and that was reformed with only 6 domestic teams and talent was concentrated in these teams.

Then they said that Pakistan did not have access to the best analytics for better data driven decisions in terms of selections and game strategy and Ramiz got a contract for access to the Cricviz engine and as a result you have

Genuine pacers - fastest attack in the world
A high quality t20 spinner in shadab
A high quality allrounder in Nawaz
The best batter in Babar and
The greatest ever Pakistani wk/bat in Rizwan

Despite all that, Pakistan are still not doing as well as some fans claimed they would after these changes.

Do Pakistani cricketers just not have the talent/genetic potential to make a world beating team?

Selections are not based on analytics but likings of Captain and Ramiz Raja.

Bring in Sharjeel, Imad/Faheem/Amir Yamin in place of Khushdil & Iftikhar. Strengthen batting at the top and middle order by shuffling. Sharjeel, Fakhar, Rizwan, Babar, Nawaz, Asif, Faheem/Amir Yamin (Imad for Asia), Shadab, Hasnain, Shaheen, Rauf -- that's how they should go

Every analysis on cricinfo, star sports, etc spoke very loudly that Babar & Rizwan at the top is causing Pakistan to suffer ("they're leaving runs out there").

Any analytics will tell you Rajapalsa is weak against pace and very strong against spin. Where was the use? Any student of the game will tell you you bowl out your best bowler when opposition is in deep trouble. 58/5. Bowl out Rauf or Naseem fgs.

Any analytics will tell you that Nouman, Yasir and Sajid have done poorly in recent past, and do not impart much spin.

Any analytics will tell you that Shan Masood and Saud Shakil are some of your best performing individuals recently. But it seems these cricvizz analytics are there for formality and Babar and his cheerleader Saqlain damn care about them.


They have revamped domestics to decreased teams of 5 only, resulting in lesser teams, shorter tournament and hence lesser grooming.

 

[muqarrab]

Saqlain is an old-school coach.

Defensive tactics, with an approach that belongs to yesteryear.

Cricket is changing, teams are changing their approach but we still seem to be stuck in the 1990s with our tactics.

Why are we dong an Ole with him? He is incompetant and should be sacked, but Rameez should also get the boot. He is clueless and out of touch with reality.

 

[msb314]

Saqlain is an old-school coach.

Defensive tactics, with an approach that belongs to yesteryear.

Cricket is changing, teams are changing their approach but we still seem to be stuck in the 1990s with our tactics.

Old School or New School - there is nothing Saqlain or anyone else can do when you have Iftikhar, Khushdil and Asif Ali in your middle order.

The selectors are to blame for this mess - pure and simple..

 

[msb314]

As we should. Look at England's output with the same players under Chris Silverwood and now under Brendon Mccullam. This statement that changing the coach will make no difference is only serving to further reinforce mediocrity and a cop out.

But Silverwood and McCullum did have different set of players. The latter of course not having the luxury of Hales, Root, Morgan and Stokes

 

[msb314]

Selections are not based on analytics but likings of Captain and Ramiz Raja.

Bring in Sharjeel, Imad/Faheem/Amir Yamin in place of Khushdil & Iftikhar. Strengthen batting at the top and middle order by shuffling. Sharjeel, Fakhar, Rizwan, Babar, Nawaz, Asif, Faheem/Amir Yamin (Imad for Asia), Shadab, Hasnain, Shaheen, Rauf -- that's how they should go

Every analysis on cricinfo, star sports, etc spoke very loudly that Babar & Rizwan at the top is causing Pakistan to suffer ("they're leaving runs out there").

Any analytics will tell you Rajapalsa is weak against pace and very strong against spin. Where was the use? Any student of the game will tell you you bowl out your best bowler when opposition is in deep trouble. 58/5. Bowl out Rauf or Naseem fgs.

Any analytics will tell you that Nouman, Yasir and Sajid have done poorly in recent past, and do not impart much spin.

Any analytics will tell you that Shan Masood and Saud Shakil are some of your best performing individuals recently. But it seems these cricvizz analytics are there for formality and Babar and his cheerleader Saqlain damn care about them.


They have revamped domestics to decreased teams of 5 only, resulting in lesser teams, shorter tournament and hence lesser grooming.

No offense but this team is rubbish.

Rizwan at 3 and Babar at 4 will dry up the runs every other game when we are 10/2 after 2 overs. Asif, Faheem and Shadab are incompetent and will fail like before..

 

[Saj]

Old School or New School - there is nothing Saqlain or anyone else can do when you have Iftikhar, Khushdil and Asif Ali in your middle order.

The selectors are to blame for this mess - pure and simple..

I'm sure Saqlain and Babar have a say in who is picked in the squad.

 

[shariqnoor]

Saqlain was hired as an interim coach but he survived because Pakistan fluked it’s way into the World T20 semifinals.

He is a weak coach and does not seem to have a personality but again, it is the delusion of our fans to assume that coaching is holding the team back.

As usual, there is a big gap between fans’ expectations and the actual capability of the team.

Pakistan is a nothing team. They can fluke a win or two against superior opposition every now and then but overall it is a deeply mediocre team.

Nothing will change with a so-called professional coach at the helm. Successful teams are built by quality players not quality coaches. Pakistan does not have the quality to be a successful, reliable team.

I've said a million time here on PP that you can get rid of the coach all you want (even when Misbah was in charge), the fact remains that Pakistan right now does not have the talent to beat top teams consistently. In order to be considered a top team, you have to win bilateral series. Tournaments usually have surprise packages all the time because of the nature of the format. That's why you see surprise semi-finalists in the FA Cup and League Cup in England regularly. Doesn't make those teams top teams.

We can get rid of Saqlain and bring in a modern coach. The end result will still remain the same. Because the performance and execution has to be done ON the field and not off it. And on the field you will still have this mediocre middle order who cannot execute simple things. Coaches are extremely overrated in cricket. Does anybody think Andrew McDonald is tactically superior to the likes of Starc, Warner, Finch, Smith? He's a run off the mill guy who Australia Cricket Board probably hired because he can be a yes-man in the dressing room as opposed to Justin Langer.

Also we have this ridiculous thing where the guy out of the team is always the best player in the world who will instantly improve the team. Now Haider Ali has again become the flavor of the month. He's a bonafide hack who will fare worse than Iftikhar when given the chance.

Pakistan needs proper batsmen who have the ability to strike at 140+ while also able to stay at the wicket for more than 20 balls. Which I don't see anyone in the domestics as of now. There's no point of having Fakhar striking at 200 (which he hardly ever does) but lasting for only 5 balls. You would rather have Rizwan scoring 70 at a SR of 135.

 

[Mamoon]

I've said a million time here on PP that you can get rid of the coach all you want (even when Misbah was in charge), the fact remains that Pakistan right now does not have the talent to beat top teams consistently. In order to be considered a top team, you have to win bilateral series. Tournaments usually have surprise packages all the time because of the nature of the format. That's why you see surprise semi-finalists in the FA Cup and League Cup in England regularly. Doesn't make those teams top teams.

We can get rid of Saqlain and bring in a modern coach. The end result will still remain the same. Because the performance and execution has to be done ON the field and not off it. And on the field you will still have this mediocre middle order who cannot execute simple things. Coaches are extremely overrated in cricket. Does anybody think Andrew McDonald is tactically superior to the likes of Starc, Warner, Finch, Smith? He's a run off the mill guy who Australia Cricket Board probably hired because he can be a yes-man in the dressing room as opposed to Justin Langer.

Also we have this ridiculous thing where the guy out of the team is always the best player in the world who will instantly improve the team. Now Haider Ali has again become the flavor of the month. He's a bonafide hack who will fare worse than Iftikhar when given the chance.

Pakistan needs proper batsmen who have the ability to strike at 140+ while also able to stay at the wicket for more than 20 balls. Which I don't see anyone in the domestics as of now. There's no point of having Fakhar striking at 200 (which he hardly ever does) but lasting for only 5 balls. You would rather have Rizwan scoring 70 at a SR of 135.

Brilliant post as usual. Unfortunately, the majority of the fans like to live in denial because truth is hard to accept. They will keep looking for scapegoats without accepting the fact that Pakistan is a mediocre team on par with Sri Lanka/West Indies and marginally ahead of the likes of Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

It is not rocket science. You need world class players and Pakistan is not capable of producing them. The mentality and the player development doesn’t exist.

 

[ads101]

Pakistan needs proper batsmen who have the ability to strike at 140+ while also able to stay at the wicket for more than 20 balls. Which I don't see anyone in the domestics as of now. There's no point of having Fakhar striking at 200 (which he hardly ever does) but lasting for only 5 balls. You would rather have Rizwan scoring 70 at a SR of 135.

This is right but we do have talent in some players. Shadab, Nawaz, Imad are a good crop of spinning allrounders. Shaheen is a good fast bowler. Rizwan is a good wicketkeeper and Rizwan and Babar are reliable openers good at strike rotation even though they are a little slow.

Most teams aren’t full of talent in their whole team, and the ones that are we can’t compete with right now. That’s why I defend Babar and Rizwan they aren’t perfect but they are good at what they do and have become no.1 and 2 on the back of that. That is far more than the rest of them. The rest struggle to maintain an average of over 20 if batting at more than 140 SR. We have to make the best of the limited talent that we have. Most teams are in the same position. Babar and Rizwan are arguably the best in the world in setting an opening platform to build on and this is the foundation for most of our success in recent years.

No point playing the modern way of cricket resulting in all of our batsmen performing badly. These modern type batsmen are also able to rotate strike well not just hit. Our so called fast scoring batsmen can’t do this, they can only hit and resulting in them only scoring marginally faster at much worse averages than Babar and Rizwan and are easier tied down due to this inability against better bowling and tougher conditions when they can’t find the boundaries. You only have to watch PSL to realise there is not a single well rounded aggressive Pakistani batsman there right now. I’m not sure there has been one of two decades or so let alone currently.

 

[Farabi]

Brilliant post as usual. Unfortunately, the majority of the fans like to live in denial because truth is hard to accept. They will keep looking for scapegoats without accepting the fact that Pakistan is a mediocre team on par with Sri Lanka/West Indies and marginally ahead of the likes of Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

It is not rocket science. You need world class players and Pakistan is not capable of producing them. The mentality and the player development doesn’t exist.

Responding to both Mamoon and Shariqnoor.

It’s a sign of maturity to avoid hyperboles like “Pakistan has no world class talent” or “changing the coach will make no difference”. The reality is usually more nuanced and less black and white.

Team that won the Asia cup wasn’t full of “world class talent”. Most of the players were largely unknown and upcoming. They beat other teams before they got to the ground with some clever planning and tactical suave. On the other hand, the team that apparently has the “world class talent” was enjoying the final on a TV from Haryana blaming the toss for their early departure from Dubai. Clearly, attitude, planning and strategy has at least some value in sports?

Like the poster said above, there are some seriously talented players in the Pak team who the world acknowledges and respects including Shaheen, Shadab, Rizwan, and Babar. As such, Haris Rauf, Naseem and Nawaz were some of the most effective bowlers at display throughout the tournament. That’s 7 out of 11 players that are “talented”. So again, incorrect to say “there is no talent”.
That said, there is a need to unearth more talented players especially in the batting department. Pak doesn’t need a batsman with 140 SR to succeed, as much as I would disagree that India would need a bowler with 145+ to succeed. Cricket is more nuanced that these hyperboles.

 

[muqarrab]

Brilliant post as usual. Unfortunately, the majority of the fans like to live in denial because truth is hard to accept. They will keep looking for scapegoats without accepting the fact that Pakistan is a mediocre team on par with Sri Lanka/West Indies and marginally ahead of the likes of Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

It is not rocket science. You need world class players and Pakistan is not capable of producing them. The mentality and the player development doesn’t exist.

To both of you, what changedin England team in 2015? How many players did Eoin Morgan change?

What changed in England's team this year in tests?

What changed in Sri Lanka's team this year?

Did woolmer have an impact on some of the pakistani players?


We have more talented team and squad than sri lanka, we need some to maximize our advantage on other teams by utilizing resources, babar is the only player that walks into three formats and he is a legit world star in our teams, keep him as a captain and have a support structure around him that challenges him. Saqlain is not that guy, Saqlain's job seems to be saying yes to everything babar says. He needs to go, Rameez Raja is taking pakistani cricket to stone ages and he is doing that through his agent Saqlain. Both need to be chucked out.

 

[muqarrab]

Old School or New School - there is nothing Saqlain or anyone else can do when you have Iftikhar, Khushdil and Asif Ali in your middle order.

The selectors are to blame for this mess - pure and simple..

Selectors were not on the field telling Babar to bowl Ifti at 58/5.

 

[moghul]

Saqlain never looked like a coach and he was never a coach. Got the job due to some other qualities, nothing to do with cricket.

 

[moghul]

Give Hayden the coaching job, Saqlain doesn't understand modern cricket.

When was the last time you saw someone resigned from his job in Pakistan .

 

[msb314]

Selectors were not on the field telling Babar to bowl Ifti at 58/5.

Well Ifti should not have been in the team in the first place

 

[msb314]

When was the last time you saw someone resigned from his job in Pakistan .

Misbah and Waqar both resigned as far as I’m aware

 

[msb314]

Saqlain never looked like a coach and he was never a coach. Got the job due to some other qualities, nothing to do with cricket.

So what does a coach “look” like?

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=6603]muqarrab[/MENTION] [MENTION=150126]Farabi[/MENTION]

England had the players available after the 2015 World Cup. What changed was their mindset. Guys like Buttler, Bairstow, Roy, Hales etc. who transformed their fortunes in white cricket did not drop from the heavens after England crashed out in the 2015 World Cup. England’s problem was bad selection; Pakistan’s problem is that they don’t have players and I will explain later.

The difference between Sri Lanka of today and Sri Lanka of past few years is that they have found 3-4 good young players. It is simply a new cycle for them after several dry years post the retirement of the stalwarts. It has nothing to do with the coach at the helm. Their coach is the Chris Silverwood, the man who led England to a record breaking losing streak in Test cricket and turned them into a minnow.

If he was a great coach, he would have turned around the fortunes of England in Test cricket.

Nothing has changed for England in Tests this year. The problems remain - they have a fragile lineup that is too dependent on Root, but they can get away with it in home Tests because their bowling always works in these conditions and someone like Bairstow hit a purple patch.

England have been good at home throughout the years as well. They have only lost 1 Test series in England in 8 years, and the real Test of Stokes and McCullum will come when they travel. If this Bazball stuff works in Australia and Asia, then you can credit the management for transforming the team. However, they started their tenure in England so it is early to judge.

Now let’s come down to Pakistan’s so-called talent. Babar and Rizwan are solid players and they certainly have the talent to be consistent scorers but neither of them have the talent to be explosive players which is a requirement in this format. This pair have lost Pakistan the WT20 semifinal and the Asia Cup final because of their inability to accelerate.

Shadab has been marketed as a world beating all-rounder but he does the bare minimum on both fronts. I don’t remember the last time he ran through a lineup. With the bat, he is barely more reliable than a tail-ender with the bat and will get you a 25-30 with the bat.

The fast bowlers are exciting for sure in terms of their speed but none of them know how to bowl at the death which is a big requirement for T20 cricket. They allowed Sri Lankan lower-order to go from 50/5 to 170/6 and they had no plan B.

The real problem for Pakistan is the lack of talent in the middle-order. Malik and Hafeez are still the most reliable middle-order players in Pakistan and that says everything that needs to be said. One is washed up and retired and the other one is washed up and refusing to retire.

 

[reversehook]

Saqlain is an old-school coach.

Defensive tactics, with an approach that belongs to yesteryear.

Cricket is changing, teams are changing their approach but we still seem to be stuck in the 1990s with our tactics.

Lets correct you, Saqlain is not a COACH... he is a motivational person/mentor that is just there to hype/rally the boys... he will/does not add any cricketing value to any of the players... just a few "shabaash beta aj tumhara din hai" "hum ney sirf jeet ka sochna hai haar ka nhin" "hum hain Pakistani hum toh jeetain gey"...

which any man or kid walking the streets can do as well...

 

[muqarrab]

[MENTION=6603]muqarrab[/MENTION] [MENTION=150126]Farabi[/MENTION]

England had the players available after the 2015 World Cup. What changed was their mindset. Guys like Buttler, Bairstow, Roy, Hales etc. who transformed their fortunes in white cricket did not drop from the heavens after England crashed out in the 2015 World Cup. England’s problem was bad selection; Pakistan’s problem is that they don’t have players and I will explain later.

The difference between Sri Lanka of today and Sri Lanka of past few years is that they have found 3-4 good young players. It is simply a new cycle for them after several dry years post the retirement of the stalwarts. It has nothing to do with the coach at the helm. Their coach is the Chris Silverwood, the man who led England to a record breaking losing streak in Test cricket and turned them into a minnow.

If he was a great coach, he would have turned around the fortunes of England in Test cricket.

Nothing has changed for England in Tests this year. The problems remain - they have a fragile lineup that is too dependent on Root, but they can get away with it in home Tests because their bowling always works in these conditions and someone like Bairstow hit a purple patch.

England have been good at home throughout the years as well. They have only lost 1 Test series in England in 8 years, and the real Test of Stokes and McCullum will come when they travel. If this Bazball stuff works in Australia and Asia, then you can credit the management for transforming the team. However, they started their tenure in England so it is early to judge.

Now let’s come down to Pakistan’s so-called talent. Babar and Rizwan are solid players and they certainly have the talent to be consistent scorers but neither of them have the talent to be explosive players which is a requirement in this format. This pair have lost Pakistan the WT20 semifinal and the Asia Cup final because of their inability to accelerate.

Shadab has been marketed as a world beating all-rounder but he does the bare minimum on both fronts. I don’t remember the last time he ran through a lineup. With the bat, he is barely more reliable than a tail-ender with the bat and will get you a 25-30 with the bat.

The fast bowlers are exciting for sure in terms of their speed but none of them know how to bowl at the death which is a big requirement for T20 cricket. They allowed Sri Lankan lower-order to go from 50/5 to 170/6 and they had no plan B.

The real problem for Pakistan is the lack of talent in the middle-order. Malik and Hafeez are still the most reliable middle-order players in Pakistan and that says everything that needs to be said. One is washed up and retired and the other one is washed up and refusing to retire.

Why are we making the same mistakes again and again? You perscription has a wring of Rameez in it, pack it with "great " players, do ""great" things and you will get "great" restuls.

As you said, england has a fragile batting lineup, but mccullum changerd their approach. Thats exactly what i meant, doesn't sound as though you are saying anything different than i am.

 

[muqarrab]

Well Ifti should not have been in the team in the first place

Why did Saqlain not challenge his selection? Doesn't that mean he is a yes man?

 

[chinaman00]

hes not gonna get sacked prior to the wt20, and its obvious PCB cant compete against IPL salaries for top coaches. once he's gone we'll pbly have some other semi-pro in the job.

This is a pretty erroneous and worn out argument. Frankly, and no disrespect to anyone, if Sri Lanka can land Chris Silverwood, there’s no reason why the PCB can’t land a decent coach.

 

[msb314]

Why did Saqlain not challenge his selection? Doesn't that mean he is a yes man?

Saqlain has an input in team selection but ultimately the Chief Selector has the final say.

We tried an experiment with Misbah being the CS and Head Coach but that failed spectacularly because he was incompetent in both roles.

 

[Kianig89]

5 outta 11 are passengers Saqlain needs to work on it 7 games vs Eng and then a triseries enough time to sort out a combination

 

[ElRaja]

This is a pretty erroneous and worn out argument. Frankly, and no disrespect to anyone, if Sri Lanka can land Chris Silverwood, there’s no reason why the PCB can’t land a decent coach.

so why have they continuously hired coaches and consultants with little or no formal coaching experience in philander, hayden, tait, saqlain, etc?

silverwood had a horror show with england and I'm pretty sure no franchise wanted him. no world class coach with experience will work full time with Pakistan, and forego a chance to work in leagues.

if what u are saying was true, justin langer is sitting free these days, had a great record with aus, why don't pak try and get him?

 

[Savak]

This is a pretty erroneous and worn out argument. Frankly, and no disrespect to anyone, if Sri Lanka can land Chris Silverwood, there’s no reason why the PCB can’t land a decent coach.

Sri Lanka will offer a western friendly lifestyle in comparison to Pakistan for gora coaches.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

Saqlain is an old-school coach.

Defensive tactics, with an approach that belongs to yesteryear.

Cricket is changing, teams are changing their approach but we still seem to be stuck in the 1990s with our tactics.

Disagree that Saqlain is old school. He’s just pragmatic given the resources we have. It would unfair to label him an Intikhab Alam Re-gen, when the guy worked under Trevor Bayliss, the man who changed England’s approach to white ball cricket, (along w/ Eoin Morgan ofcourse).

His approach is to give Pakistan’s two best batters the most balls to face. Problem is that the two best batters need to have a word with themselves regarding their respective strike rates. A struggling middle order compounds these issues.

Further, there aren’t any alternatives for the Ifti and Khushdil positions. Haider will be hit and miss because of the lack of cricket the boy has had. And Shoaib Malik is closer to retirement than anything else.

I don’t expect massive changes to the WC squad due to how close we are to announcing the squad, but post Australia they have to make changes.

 

[Rana]

Saqlain is a no school coach

He is just carrying on with what was handed over to him from Misbah. He likes it.

Shaun Tait is the one that has made our pace bowling watchable again. Nawaz and Shadab have played enough cricket now to know how to bowl in the UAE.

Mohammad Yousuf. What is he bringing to the table? None of our players are playing modern cricket besides the lower order who are decent sloggers (7-11)

 

[Abstraction1]

[MENTION=6603]muqarrab[/MENTION] [MENTION=150126]Farabi[/MENTION]

England had the players available after the 2015 World Cup. What changed was their mindset. Guys like Buttler, Bairstow, Roy, Hales etc. who transformed their fortunes in white cricket did not drop from the heavens after England crashed out in the 2015 World Cup. England’s problem was bad selection; Pakistan’s problem is that they don’t have players and I will explain later.

The difference between Sri Lanka of today and Sri Lanka of past few years is that they have found 3-4 good young players. It is simply a new cycle for them after several dry years post the retirement of the stalwarts. It has nothing to do with the coach at the helm. Their coach is the Chris Silverwood, the man who led England to a record breaking losing streak in Test cricket and turned them into a minnow.

If he was a great coach, he would have turned around the fortunes of England in Test cricket.

Nothing has changed for England in Tests this year. The problems remain - they have a fragile lineup that is too dependent on Root, but they can get away with it in home Tests because their bowling always works in these conditions and someone like Bairstow hit a purple patch.

England have been good at home throughout the years as well. They have only lost 1 Test series in England in 8 years, and the real Test of Stokes and McCullum will come when they travel. If this Bazball stuff works in Australia and Asia, then you can credit the management for transforming the team. However, they started their tenure in England so it is early to judge.

Now let’s come down to Pakistan’s so-called talent. Babar and Rizwan are solid players and they certainly have the talent to be consistent scorers but neither of them have the talent to be explosive players which is a requirement in this format. This pair have lost Pakistan the WT20 semifinal and the Asia Cup final because of their inability to accelerate.

Shadab has been marketed as a world beating all-rounder but he does the bare minimum on both fronts. I don’t remember the last time he ran through a lineup. With the bat, he is barely more reliable than a tail-ender with the bat and will get you a 25-30 with the bat.

The fast bowlers are exciting for sure in terms of their speed but none of them know how to bowl at the death which is a big requirement for T20 cricket. They allowed Sri Lankan lower-order to go from 50/5 to 170/6 and they had no plan B.

The real problem for Pakistan is the lack of talent in the middle-order. Malik and Hafeez are still the most reliable middle-order players in Pakistan and that says everything that needs to be said. One is washed up and retired and the other one is washed up and refusing to retire.

Pakistan beat your beloved India, so that makes Saqi alright in my book

 

[moghul]

Forget about winning and playing good cricket, that's not important . I'm glad boyz are taking their religious obligations more seriously now under our current coaches.

 

[Mamoon]

Pakistan beat your beloved India, so that makes Saqi alright in my book

There were two matches against India, Pakistan lost one and won one.

I have never seen a set of fans do so much trash-talking and claim bagging rights after a 1-1.

It clearly reflects the inferiority complex of Pakistani fans.

 

[Mamoon]

Why are we making the same mistakes again and again? You perscription has a wring of Rameez in it, pack it with "great " players, do ""great" things and you will get "great" restuls.

As you said, england has a fragile batting lineup, but mccullum changerd their approach. Thats exactly what i meant, doesn't sound as though you are saying anything different than i am.

It is not a mistake; it is the reality.

Great results come with great players. No team in history has ever achieved success consistently without having great players in the team.

Great results do not come with great coaches, they only have a small impact at the international level.

John Buchanan was Australia’s coach during their golden period, but if he was the Pakistan coach during 1999-2007 period, he wouldn’t have turned Pakistan into Australia. Neither would Australia have struggled without him.

The point is that coaching at the top level does not make or break the team. Pakistan’s problems run deeper than whoever is coaching the national team.

You could have Buchanan, Silverwood, Saqlain or Rameez himself as coach. Mediocre players will produce mediocre results, and that is Pakistan’s problem - too many mediocre players in the side and the ones sitting outside waiting for their chance are no better.

Pakistan has a talent/skill problem, not a coaching problem. Pakistani fans overemphasize on the coaching aspect and are always scapegoating the coach because they are not willing to accept that the players are not good enough and continue to hope for a messiah coach who would transform these average cricketers into world class cricketers.

I agree with the approach part. You need the right approach because right players/bad approach = bad results, but if your players do not have the ability to execute it on the field then it is not going to work.

McCullum is a bit suicidal. He got clean bowled in the biggest match of his career (2015 World Cup final) when he tried to hit Starc outside MCG in the first over and later said that he forgot to watch the ball. I don’t think a character like that would be the right fit for a Test side in the long run.

It is good to be aggressive but you should know when to toe the line. England’s major problem has been their batsmen struggling to occupy the crease and show temperament.

I am not sure how aggressive intent would help with that in the long run. It will be interesting to see how this Bazball stuff works in places in Australia and India though, and if he is going to tweak his approach which he should.

 

[Energy]

Lets correct you, Saqlain is not a COACH... he is a motivational person/mentor that is just there to hype/rally the boys... he will/does not add any cricketing value to any of the players... just a few "shabaash beta aj tumhara din hai" "hum ney sirf jeet ka sochna hai haar ka nhin" "hum hain Pakistani hum toh jeetain gey"...

which any man or kid walking the streets can do as well...

This is the correct observation.

The PCB like embarrassing themselves all the time anyway.

I think Misbah, Aqib, Waqar et al are already eyeing the next opening which will come after a poor World T20I performance later this year.

 

[javid]

Should be fired as soon as possible

 

[sweep_shot]

Saqlain can be a specialist spin-bowling coach. That's about it. Don't think he is good for modern day head coach role.