ArsenalFC
Tape Ball Regular
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2018
- Runs
- 338
Tests
Year Mat Inns NO 100s 50s 0s HS Runs Avg S/R
2014 9 16 5 3 4 0 112 743 67.55 73.71
2015 8 13 4 0 3 0 96 464 51.56 80.84
2016 11 19 2 0 3 1 59* 562 33.06 70.34
2017 6 11 1 0 4 0 72* 350 35.00 67.96
2018 1 1 0 0 0 0 20 20 20.00 50.00
End of 2015/beginning of 2016 I remember when he was averaging 50 in tests. I appreciate that was always going to be unrealistic to maintain as a full time wicket keeper and as a number 7, sometimes having to bat with the tail. But now it has dipped under 40 for the first time in 4 years. This was when he was recalled and asked to replace Adnan Akmal.
Furthermore he has failed to score a ton since 2014 when he was going through a purple patch in his first year of his recall, scoring 3 in total out of the 9 tests he played in that year. All of them came in Asia (2 in UAE and 1 in SL) but since then he has had enough opportunities in and away from Asia to be converting at least just a few of his half centuries to tons, so I don't believe with the notion that he struggles outside the subcontinent.
All those tons came in his first year following his recall so I think it could it be a matter of complacency and/or lack of work ethic in training like the more I see him year on year, the more out of shape he looks. After the CT win it seems to me he has become very lazy with his approach to fitness, diet and work ethic routines.
Or is it just a case with the workload and responsibilities with keeping and now captaincy in all 3 formats taken its toll? I appreciate he was never going to be a keeper in the mould of a Wasim Bari with the gloves but I have also observed his wicket keeping is also actually regressing and looks a lot less agile. Around 2-3 years ago his wicket keeping was relatively decent compared to someone like Kamran for e.g. in the 2015 WC when he took 6 catches in the win against South Africa.
ODIs
Year Mat Inns NO 100s 50s 0s HS Runs Avg S/R
2014 8 8 1 0 1 0 65 254 36.29 100.40
2015 22 18 2 1 2 0 101* 551 34.44 86.50
2016 11 11 2 1 3 0 105 492 54.67 92.83
2017 13 7 3 0 1 0 61* 152 38.00 85.88
2018 5 5 1 0 1 0 51 79 19.75 71.17
The other concern I hold with him is his role as a batsmen in ODIs where I feel it is now undefined because he has become laid back with his responsibility, because he now hides down the order even though he never had any real hitting ability. He's always been well suited at number 4/5 as evident from a statistic recorded at some point beginning of last year or end of 2016 where along with AB de Villiers, Sarfraz and him had the lowest dot ball %. It may only be 5 matches but the strike rate of 71 in the ODIs played this year suggest to me how his fitness is affecting his batting and therefore his ability to rotate strike like he used too with ease.
I am by no means suggesting, hinting or implying that Sarfraz should be dropped, or relived from his captaincy and/or keeping responsibilities since I don't see any other viable options to reduce his workload whether it be with gloves or as captain in the short term. He is very much needed in LOIs as skipper because is doing a good job in contrast to Misbah's preference for seniors as well as his passive and defensive brand of cricket.
But one should ask how long does he have left in the tank for tests? In the longer term who could be the ideal player to replace him in the format? What could be attributed to loss of form with the bat? Is it just a loss of form or is it a decline in progress?
Year Mat Inns NO 100s 50s 0s HS Runs Avg S/R
2014 9 16 5 3 4 0 112 743 67.55 73.71
2015 8 13 4 0 3 0 96 464 51.56 80.84
2016 11 19 2 0 3 1 59* 562 33.06 70.34
2017 6 11 1 0 4 0 72* 350 35.00 67.96
2018 1 1 0 0 0 0 20 20 20.00 50.00
End of 2015/beginning of 2016 I remember when he was averaging 50 in tests. I appreciate that was always going to be unrealistic to maintain as a full time wicket keeper and as a number 7, sometimes having to bat with the tail. But now it has dipped under 40 for the first time in 4 years. This was when he was recalled and asked to replace Adnan Akmal.
Furthermore he has failed to score a ton since 2014 when he was going through a purple patch in his first year of his recall, scoring 3 in total out of the 9 tests he played in that year. All of them came in Asia (2 in UAE and 1 in SL) but since then he has had enough opportunities in and away from Asia to be converting at least just a few of his half centuries to tons, so I don't believe with the notion that he struggles outside the subcontinent.
All those tons came in his first year following his recall so I think it could it be a matter of complacency and/or lack of work ethic in training like the more I see him year on year, the more out of shape he looks. After the CT win it seems to me he has become very lazy with his approach to fitness, diet and work ethic routines.
Or is it just a case with the workload and responsibilities with keeping and now captaincy in all 3 formats taken its toll? I appreciate he was never going to be a keeper in the mould of a Wasim Bari with the gloves but I have also observed his wicket keeping is also actually regressing and looks a lot less agile. Around 2-3 years ago his wicket keeping was relatively decent compared to someone like Kamran for e.g. in the 2015 WC when he took 6 catches in the win against South Africa.
ODIs
Year Mat Inns NO 100s 50s 0s HS Runs Avg S/R
2014 8 8 1 0 1 0 65 254 36.29 100.40
2015 22 18 2 1 2 0 101* 551 34.44 86.50
2016 11 11 2 1 3 0 105 492 54.67 92.83
2017 13 7 3 0 1 0 61* 152 38.00 85.88
2018 5 5 1 0 1 0 51 79 19.75 71.17
The other concern I hold with him is his role as a batsmen in ODIs where I feel it is now undefined because he has become laid back with his responsibility, because he now hides down the order even though he never had any real hitting ability. He's always been well suited at number 4/5 as evident from a statistic recorded at some point beginning of last year or end of 2016 where along with AB de Villiers, Sarfraz and him had the lowest dot ball %. It may only be 5 matches but the strike rate of 71 in the ODIs played this year suggest to me how his fitness is affecting his batting and therefore his ability to rotate strike like he used too with ease.
I am by no means suggesting, hinting or implying that Sarfraz should be dropped, or relived from his captaincy and/or keeping responsibilities since I don't see any other viable options to reduce his workload whether it be with gloves or as captain in the short term. He is very much needed in LOIs as skipper because is doing a good job in contrast to Misbah's preference for seniors as well as his passive and defensive brand of cricket.
But one should ask how long does he have left in the tank for tests? In the longer term who could be the ideal player to replace him in the format? What could be attributed to loss of form with the bat? Is it just a loss of form or is it a decline in progress?
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. However if Pakistan cannot produce any other young wicket keeper batsmen then it is just a matter of time when he will be Sarfraz's successor. I fear this may come sooner rather than later with how the skipper is going at this rate with bat and gloves!
