Shadab Khan as a middle-order batter in Pakistan's limited over team?

[Major]

He is batting really well and bowling quite decently.

Smacked 90 and 50 uptill now. His hitting has also bee very good.

Could he be someone that could be trained to play in the middle order?

 

[GreenKhan]

Most definitely. He seems to be a player who generally responds well to responsibility .

I think batting him at 6 in one day matches and at 5 in t20s is not a far fetched possibility.

 

[Savak]

I like how he is always under estimated whenever batting lower down the order by the opposition. You promote him and the opposition will start taking him seriously.

 

[krazystrong]

With Haider failing to cement his spot in the PSL Shadab at 4 is definitely worth a try.

 

[finalfantasy7]

not for me, should concentrate on batting at 6/7 as a big hitter who can contribute - needs to do more with the ball at international, prove your record their and then w se about moving him up

 

[krazystrong]

not for me, should concentrate on batting at 6/7 as a big hitter who can contribute - needs to do more with the ball at international, prove your record their and then w se about moving him up

Proving himself with the ball grants him a promotion in the batting order..?

 

[finalfantasy7]

Sorry ment to have written, bat

 

[Ab Fan]

He is an amazing LOI cricketer. Always said the same and rated him highly. In limited overs, someone like Jadeja is far more worse than him in this format.

Yuzi Chahal is a poor man's Shadab. One is genuinely all round 3D cricketer while the other is only good in Tik Toks and cant hold a bat or field well and extremely inconsistent with the bowl too.

 

[Rana]

If Babar and Rizwan are not going to take the responsibility to bat in the Middle instead of inflating their stats as openers, Shadab can do the job I guess.

When Shadab will eventually become the captain, Babar or Rizwan will have to be benched as I don’t think he will go with this approach of two accumulators at the top.

 

[Ahmed216]

Strike rotation is not up to the mark

 

[Zaz]

If Babar and Rizwan are not going to take the responsibility to bat in the Middle instead of inflating their stats as openers, Shadab can do the job I guess.

When Shadab will eventually become the captain, Babar or Rizwan will have to be benched as I don’t think he will go with this approach of two accumulators at the top.

Babr and Rizwan are two of the best n succesful players pakistan has ever had in the format

No way are they moving from the top and in no way should they be

Shadab is doing well and if he continues showing such quality he should come into contention of playing at 4 for pakistan

 

[PakEngFan]

If Babar and Rizwan are not going to take the responsibility to bat in the Middle instead of inflating their stats as openers, Shadab can do the job I guess.

When Shadab will eventually become the captain, Babar or Rizwan will have to be benched as I don’t think he will go with this approach of two accumulators at the top.

Hahahah. This is so funny. I am actually starting to feel sorry for you.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

If he bats higher than our tail will start to become longer like back in 2014-16

 

[msb314]

If Babar and Rizwan are not going to take the responsibility to bat in the Middle instead of inflating their stats as openers, Shadab can do the job I guess.

When Shadab will eventually become the captain, Babar or Rizwan will have to be benched as I don’t think he will go with this approach of two accumulators at the top.

Yes Sharjeel will become the ATG T20 opener as soon as Shadab is made captain..

 

[msb314]

Shadab needs to bat at 4 in T20’s and 5 in ODI’s

 

[silentkiller187]

Hahahah. This is so funny. I am actually starting to feel sorry for you.

Dont take him serious, the other day he was talking about a civil lawsuit for calling out on hasnain chucking being illegal..

Babar and rizwan have an icc award which is enough of a reply to anyone who questions them

Same guy said zeeshan ashraf is better than rizwan

 

[msb314]

If he bats higher than our tail will start to become longer like back in 2014-16

Having a long tail is okay as long as your top 4 is top quality.

In ODI’s a top 4 of Fakhar, Imam, Babar and Abdullah Shafique should be pretty decent.

 

[Rana]

I’m going to spit some facts that will sting, but they are the God honest truth. Hate me or love me, I could care less.

-Babar will never take the responsibility of going into the middle because he is a coward and can’t play spin.
+Rizwan isn’t a coward or selfish, but he is simply incompetent to play in the middle instead of playing as an opener.

-I watched the national cup very carefully, I can name at least 3-5 other opening pairs that do not include the name of Babar and Rizwan who can do the same job as them at any level. What I could not pick out was any reliable batsmen who could play in the middle besides Malik. Nawaz is so underrated and wasted by QG however he is a far more competent middle order option to replace Hafeez or even Malik if given the chance.

-Babar is so scared of taking responsibility that he has no choice but to give Shoaib Malik the option to cling on, and Malik needs no second invitation for this job! He knows he is screwing Fakhar Zaman’s career by playing him at 3 because it’s he who will have to make way to 3 knowing Rizwan is a walking wicket anywhere else besides opening (as he is incompetent).

 

[Rana]

Same guy said zeeshan ashraf is better than rizwan

Yes I did and I’ll say it again.

Give Zeeshan Ashraf the long Misbah rope that was given to Rizwan and then talk to me. Misbah wanted to give Imam ul Haq that long rope to in T20is but that was one step too far.

 

[krazystrong]

Babar
Rizwan
Fakhar
Shadab
Ifti
Nawaz
Asif
Waseem
Hasan/Dahani
Shaheen
Rauf

Should try this 11 out in the next series.

 

[Extra_Cover]

Babar
Rizwan
Fakhar
Shadab
Ifti
Nawaz
Asif
Waseem
Hasan/Dahani
Shaheen
Rauf

Should try this 11 out in the next series.

Very strong XI. Waseem Jr have been disappointing so far and so has been Hasan Ali. I hope we can find replacements for these 2 apart from that your XI is spot on. Nawaz and Shadab can interchange their positions given if the situation requires a left / right hand combination.

 

[Rana]

Babar
Rizwan
Fakhar
Shadab
Ifti
Nawaz
Asif
Waseem
Hasan/Dahani
Shaheen
Rauf

Should try this 11 out in the next series.

Fakhar opens. He isn’t a number 3!

 

[Major]

Babar
Rizwan
Fakhar
Shadab
Ifti
Nawaz
Asif
Waseem
Hasan/Dahani
Shaheen
Rauf

Should try this 11 out in the next series.

Ok, did not expect that line up.. thats a really really strong team there. Would be a dream to see that line up play in that order in t20. All bases covered.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Don't see him as a serious batsman. He'll have to do alot more than a few good PSL scores to change my perception of him.

 

[krazystrong]

Very strong XI. Waseem Jr have been disappointing so far and so has been Hasan Ali. I hope we can find replacements for these 2 apart from that your XI is spot on. Nawaz and Shadab can interchange their positions given if the situation requires a left / right hand combination.

Yeah, but we need someone to fulfill the pace AR role or else the tail gets far too long.

 

[krazystrong]

Fakhar opens. He isn’t a number 3!

Small difference between opening and #3 in T20s. Plus Fakhar has already done well a 3 like against SA last year, and against Australia in the semis.

 

[Concerned]

It is good he has been performing well but Shadab at 4 is just wrong. Pakistan need specialist batsmen at 4.

He is required to ensure he is bowling well and picking up wickets, batting is secondary for him.

 

[Zaz]

He is required to ensure he is bowling well and picking up wickets, batting is secondary for him.

He is required to do well for pakistan full stop Yes hes probably not good enough to be a number 4 yet but if hes continues to perform why not in the future?

If his batting is showing promise he should be encouraged and given chances and a platform to perform

It can only benefit pakistan if we have shadab performing both with bat and ball

 

[IMMY69]

Shadab has played 6 test matches and has scored 3 50's.
At least one of those was against England in England batting at 7 or 8.

I've always maintained that he has massive potential with both bat and ball.
His bowling will take care of itself as he gets older and gains more experience.
If he can get consistency into his batting he will be a huge asset for Pakistan in all formats.

A proper all rounder that can allow us to play the extra bowler or if needed a an extra batsman.

 

[msb314]

I’m going to spit some facts that will sting, but they are the God honest truth. Hate me or love me, I could care less.

-Babar will never take the responsibility of going into the middle because he is a coward and can’t play spin.
+Rizwan isn’t a coward or selfish, but he is simply incompetent to play in the middle instead of playing as an opener.

-I watched the national cup very carefully, I can name at least 3-5 other opening pairs that do not include the name of Babar and Rizwan who can do the same job as them at any level. What I could not pick out was any reliable batsmen who could play in the middle besides Malik. Nawaz is so underrated and wasted by QG however he is a far more competent middle order option to replace Hafeez or even Malik if given the chance.

-Babar is so scared of taking responsibility that he has no choice but to give Shoaib Malik the option to cling on, and Malik needs no second invitation for this job! He knows he is screwing Fakhar Zaman’s career by playing him at 3 because it’s he who will have to make way to 3 knowing Rizwan is a walking wicket anywhere else besides opening (as he is incompetent).

You are forgetting that both Babar and Rizwan play in the middle order in ODI’s and Tests so I’m highly doubtful they are “afraid to play spin”..

 

[Rana]

You are forgetting that both Babar and Rizwan play in the middle order in ODI’s and Tests so I’m highly doubtful they are “afraid to play spin”..

Yeah and how effective is Rizwan at 4? He is a terrible ODI batsman!

 

[DeadlyVenom]

No he should stay where he is in the T20 international side. He can provide useful runs and it should technically give other batsmen the comfort to go hard earlier if they know there is a capable batsman down the order.

In terms of the second discussion around Babar & Rizwan. I find myself partially agreeing with Rana. Rizwan has the capability to develop a power game but Babar is coasting on scoring at low SR while maintaining a high average.

It doesn't matter how many awards the ICC give him or what his T20 ranking is. He will not win us games unless they are low scoring thrillers. He needs to at least try to develop a power game or come down the order.

At the moment in the PSL he is being outscored by Shan Masood and Ahsan Ali. Now I know the PSL isn't the be all and end all, but if he struggling at this level then he will be a sitting duck in the T20 world cup. Our strategy cannot just be to bat deep and hope Asif Ali clicks.

 

[Major]

No he should stay where he is in the T20 international side. He can provide useful runs and it should technically give other batsmen the comfort to go hard earlier if they know there is a capable batsman down the order.

In terms of the second discussion around Babar & Rizwan. I find myself partially agreeing with Rana. Rizwan has the capability to develop a power game but Babar is coasting on scoring at low SR while maintaining a high average.

It doesn't matter how many awards the ICC give him or what his T20 ranking is. He will not win us games unless they are low scoring thrillers. He needs to at least try to develop a power game or come down the order.

At the moment in the PSL he is being outscored by Shan Masood and Ahsan Ali. Now I know the PSL isn't the be all and end all, but if he struggling at this level then he will be a sitting duck in the T20 world cup. Our strategy cannot just be to bat deep and hope Asif Ali clicks.

Pakistan vs india....

Every strategy used failed. Rizwan babar strategy finnaly got us success.

Also ifc awards and rankings arnt some joke... They show a players worth

 

[Major]

Yeah and how effective is Rizwan at 4? He is a terrible ODI batsman!

??
Do you know that last year rizwan found himself but pakistan did not play much of odi cricket......

So how can you say he is a terrible odi batsmen?

 

[Major]

Shadab has played 6 test matches and has scored 3 50's.
At least one of those was against England in England batting at 7 or 8.

I've always maintained that he has massive potential with both bat and ball.
His bowling will take care of itself as he gets older and gains more experience.
If he can get consistency into his batting he will be a huge asset for Pakistan in all formats.

A proper all rounder that can allow us to play the extra bowler or if needed a an extra batsman.

His bowling issue isnt spin. His issue is line and length. He can fluke wickets in t20, but he cant play test cricket. Unless and untill his line and length is consisstent he wont be effective in test.


The other day when shahid afridi was getting smack by azam khan, the interesting thing was that afridi wasnt missing his line and length. The guy might bot be spinning or throwing variations but his line amd length was as accurate it was before .

 

[transparent opacity]

Stay on topic.

The thread isn't about Babar, we have separate thread for that.

 

[Major]

Do you, hand on heart, think that Babar and Rizwan could have chased 200 against India?

ICC rankings and awards are not a joke, they are highly prized but they don't indicate how a player is going to perform, they retrospectively reward past behaviour and in the case of T20 rankings can be gamed by having a high average and low SR. In this case, the rankings reflect Babars dominance in low scoring thrillers, which were luckily the type of conditions the WC was being played in.

Even then, Asif Ali was the match winner in two crunch games.

I am a massive fan of Babar but he should be bashing bowlers for fun in the PSL. This has been a high scoring tournament and even a lower order batsman like Shadab is being brave. Shan Masood is being brave but the skipper is nervous and retreats into his shell.

Yes they would had.

Pakistanis have this misconception that t20 cricket is all about hitting in the air. Rizwan and Babar know how to calculatively go after the target. They have scored 200s in the past aswell. 180+ is a score they have done many times.

Asif Ali's role is different. His requirement isnt to score 30+. As long as he smashes 2-3 boundaries and reduce the net in the end, thats good enough...

Babar and rizwan give us a strong start, we dont crumble from the top anymore. The advantage of fakhar, shadab, asif and iftikhar is that these guys are ready to hit on thr word go.

For PP overs you need batsmen who can use can use the ground to score runs, not shazaib hassan type batsmen whose only way to score runs was to go for aerial shots.

Babar and rizwan use the pp to their advantage. They get you 4s in between fielders.

Rizwan tends to make it up his balls used in the end, babar yes seems to be a bit selfish and is more of a tendulkar type batsmen where he reprefers to score his own. Babar needs a coach to guide him along to help strike the ball.

What i love about shdab was that even on 46, he was going for shots.

Also babars captaincy is a big question mark

 

[IMMY69]

His bowling issue isnt spin. His issue is line and length. He can fluke wickets in t20, but he cant play test cricket. Unless and untill his line and length is consisstent he wont be effective in test.


The other day when shahid afridi was getting smack by azam khan, the interesting thing was that afridi wasnt missing his line and length. The guy might bot be spinning or throwing variations but his line amd length was as accurate it was before .

He as atheist 3-5 years off of his peak as a bowler.
He needs to play more first class cricket snd hone his skills.
But if he can bat at 6 then that is priceless as it allows us to pick the extra bowler.

 

[Rana]

Yes they would had.

Pakistanis have this misconception that t20 cricket is all about hitting in the air. Rizwan and Babar know how to calculatively go after the target. They have scored 200s in the past aswell. 180+ is a score they have done many times.

Asif Ali's role is different. His requirement isnt to score 30+. As long as he smashes 2-3 boundaries and reduce the net in the end, thats good enough...

Babar and rizwan give us a strong start, we dont crumble from the top anymore. The advantage of fakhar, shadab, asif and iftikhar is that these guys are ready to hit on thr word go.

For PP overs you need batsmen who can use can use the ground to score runs, not shazaib hassan type batsmen whose only way to score runs was to go for aerial shots.

Babar and rizwan use the pp to their advantage. They get you 4s in between fielders.

Rizwan tends to make it up his balls used in the end, babar yes seems to be a bit selfish and is more of a tendulkar type batsmen where he reprefers to score his own. Babar needs a coach to guide him along to help strike the ball.

What i love about shdab was that even on 46, he was going for shots.

Also babars captaincy is a big question mark

Well that’s inaccurate

How did Pakistan do against England in Royal cup series just before the World Cup and the ODI series they had with them the year before? England consistently blasting Pakistan out of the park with 360+ scores whereas Pakistani batsmen falling short time after time!

How did Pakistan do against India in the World Cup and the first match of the champions trophy where they had comfortably posted 330+ scores with their bowling line up?

You are still living in the Misbah era, in which Pakistan digressed and other teams evolved as elite ODI batting units. I don’t blame you considering you believe Misbah is an ODI legend.

The biggest lie is that Pakistan would have chased 200 with Babar and Rizwan. One of the two would have been out in the powerplay and the other would have holed out against the spinners.

 

[daytrader]

Well that’s inaccurate

How did Pakistan do against England in Royal cup series just before the World Cup and the ODI series they had with them the year before? England consistently blasting Pakistan out of the park with 360+ scores whereas Pakistani batsmen falling short time after time!

How did Pakistan do against India in the World Cup and the first match of the champions trophy where they had comfortably posted 330+ scores with their bowling line up?

You are still living in the Misbah era, in which Pakistan digressed and other teams evolved as elite ODI batting units. I don’t blame you considering you believe Misbah is an ODI legend.

The biggest lie is that Pakistan would have chased 200 with Babar and Rizwan. One of the two would have been out in the powerplay and the other would have holed out against the spinners.

Oh bro you're always on a rant and on the wrong side. All those matches you quoted, where we got smashed, it was your beloved Mickey Arthur who was coach. Shukar karo Misbah has fixed our top order. Insha'Allah we will chase 200+ as well with these two at the top.

 

[finalfantasy7]

is critique I have of him in this PSL is that he's not allowing Mubasir Khan to bowl more - i'll take away 1 over from these two Mohammad Wasim / hasan ali = as their both expensive, but if Faheem Ashraf or Waqas Maqsood bowl expensive - take a over from each.

Mubasir should be getting at least 2 overs minimum to 3 overs

 

[Extra_Cover]

Well that’s inaccurate

How did Pakistan do against England in Royal cup series just before the World Cup and the ODI series they had with them the year before? England consistently blasting Pakistan out of the park with 360+ scores whereas Pakistani batsmen falling short time after time!

How did Pakistan do against India in the World Cup and the first match of the champions trophy where they had comfortably posted 330+ scores with their bowling line up?

You are still living in the Misbah era, in which Pakistan digressed and other teams evolved as elite ODI batting units. I don’t blame you considering you believe Misbah is an ODI legend.

The biggest lie is that Pakistan would have chased 200 with Babar and Rizwan. One of the two would have been out in the powerplay and the other would have holed out against the spinners.

Brother I understand you have a likeness associated with flashy players but if you are to think big and for a change be consistent and challenge for trophies then you'd soon realize these flashy nobodies cannot win you tournaments or big games.

Every successful team in the history of the game have had reliable consistent world class players to win them big games common examples are Viv Richards, Ponting and Kohli (2011 WC and 2013 CT). What Pakistan cricket needs is a consistent player who can be relied upon to win games consistently rather than flashy nobodies who have been making fools of Pakistan cricket fans since 90s. After a long long time we have had Babar and Rizwan who both can be classified as top 5 bats in limited overs currently and then we have fans like yourself who would in a heartbeat exchange them for some flashy nobodies because their couple of flashy shots would satisfy you more than hard earned win from Babar and Rizwan.

Whilst I do agree that for current modern T20 teams we need one or two flashy players for which we have Fakhar and Asif (rightly so) but we cannot bombard our team with the likes of these. This is the reality that the quota of fancy players are limited to 2-3 of which unfortunately Sharjeel cannot break through as he is not up there as well.

 

[cricketerB94]

The problem is that we do not have a specialist middle order batter other than Malik currently, who also started as an all-rounder. Haider is just too immature, Asif cannot be trusted to bat at 4 after a top order collapse. So I think that it's a blessing in disguise that Shadab is performing so well at 4. He should definitely be tried at that position in T20Is too.

For T20Is:

Babar
Rizwan
Fakhar
Shadab
Iftikhar
Khushdil / Nawaz
Asif
Waseem
Shaheen
Rauf
Dahani / Zaman / (Any death overs specialist bowler)

This would be a very strong team to play in Australia if everyone plays to their potential.

In ODIs though, Shadab should remain at 7 or 8.

For ODIs:

Imam / Shan
Fakhar
Babar
Saud
Rizwan
Iftikhar
Shadab
Nawaz
Shaheen
(+2 more pacers suited for ODIs)

This would be a very strong team to play in India for next year's 50 over CWC if everyone plays to their potential.

 

[Justcrazy]

If I was the coach I would bat him at number 5 in OD , and give him at least 5 - 6 innings at that spot.

 

[transparent opacity]

He can genuinely become a useful middle order batsman.

Pak can use him as a floater. In case of early wickets, he can come at no.4 for counter attacking, otherwise, he should bat at no.6

 

[Extra_Cover]

A lot of posters on here do not rate Nawaz's batting ability much but for me Nawaz is a very competent bat and is someone who has the ability to average between 30-35 in ODIs (if he bats in the middle overs) similarly Shadab is someone who can be in the same range and therefore we should utilise both of these to the best of their abilities.

Given we have T20 WC coming up in Australia later in the year, the current PSL has given us a fair indication already as to how our T20 lineup should stack up.

- Rizwan
- Babar
- Fakhar
- Shadab / Nawaz (depending on right / left hand requirement)
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Asif Ali
- Shadab / Nawaz
- Wasim Jr
- Shaheen
- Haris Rauf
- Zaman Khan / Naseem / Hasnain (anyone other than Hasan Ali)

The above team gives us the right mix of batters i.e. consistent strokeplayers (Babar, Rizwan and Ifti) and flamboyant strikers (Fakhar and Asif) with Nawaz and Shadab adding the floater and depth to the mix. In the bowling we have got Shaheen and Haris leading the pace options with reliable spinners (Shadab, Nawaz and Ifti). We lack another pacer as Wasim Jr and another fast bowler can go for plenty of runs so hoping we find another decent T20 pacer before the WC.

 

[IMMY69]

A lot of posters on here do not rate Nawaz's batting ability much but for me Nawaz is a very competent bat and is someone who has the ability to average between 30-35 in ODIs (if he bats in the middle overs) similarly Shadab is someone who can be in the same range and therefore we should utilise both of these to the best of their abilities.

Given we have T20 WC coming up in Australia later in the year, the current PSL has given us a fair indication already as to how our T20 lineup should stack up.

- Rizwan
- Babar
- Fakhar
- Shadab / Nawaz (depending on right / left hand requirement)
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Asif Ali
- Shadab / Nawaz
- Wasim Jr
- Shaheen
- Haris Rauf
- Zaman Khan / Naseem / Hasnain (anyone other than Hasan Ali)

The above team gives us the right mix of batters i.e. consistent strokeplayers (Babar, Rizwan and Ifti) and flamboyant strikers (Fakhar and Asif) with Nawaz and Shadab adding the floater and depth to the mix. In the bowling we have got Shaheen and Haris leading the pace options with reliable spinners (Shadab, Nawaz and Ifti). We lack another pacer as Wasim Jr and another fast bowler can go for plenty of runs so hoping we find another decent T20 pacer before the WC.

Dahani is your pace bowler for Australia.
Tall, fast and can extract bounce...

 

[Rellu_Katta]

ignoring Shaan Massood is a big blunder
Shadab at 5 is the best we can make out

1) Babar
2) Rizwan
3) Shaan Masood
4) Fakhar Zaman
5) Shadab
6) Asif Ali
8) Nawaz
9) Wasim Jnr
10) Shaheen
11)Harris Rauf

 

[Firebat]

The return of Shadab in this 1st ODI against WI, slated to bat at #7.

His first game for Pakistan since December 2021.

 

[Hectic]

This guy needs to get proper fit. We need him in the middle order.

 

[iRfaN_LA]

Should bat 1 down.

 

[Saj]

Michael Clarke on Shadab Khan after a lovely four "I'm not sure that's a bowler who bats, that stroke is from a batter who bats and can bowl as well"

 

[Firebat]

A Player of the Match award for a stunning all-round performance vs SA (52 & 2/16):



Shadab Khan | Player of the Match: I have played (batted) like this in PSL, but this is a World Cup match, so it's my best innings. The pitch was a bit slower compared to Perth. I tried to bowl at the stumps, and it paid off. I like to bat up the order, but it depends on the situation and what the team requires, so I am ready to bat anywhere.

 

[Mamoon]

Directly responsible for Pakistan’s defeats against India and Zimbabwe. Exposed himself as the glorified tail-ender that he is.

Got lucky today with the wet ball. The bowlers and fielders were struggling and the umpires should have suspended play.

 

[sweep_shot]

He should bat up the order.

I think he should bat at #5 or even #4.

 

[jnaveen1980]

He should bat up the order.

I think he should bat at #5 or even #4.

He should be a floater. Sometimes when you push the lower order up the order and give actual responsibility they may end up botching it.

 

[IMMY69]

He is a superb player.
The control he now has with the ball is almost Warnesque.

Should be our number 1 spinner in all formats, bat anywhere from 3 to 6 (depending on the situation) in the shorter formats and at number 7 in test matches.

He is also extremely unselfish as a batsman, particularly in T20's. Goes for his shots and plays the game as it should be.

 

[PakistanMeriJaan]

Directly responsible for Pakistan’s defeats against India and Zimbabwe. Exposed himself as the glorified tail-ender that he is.

Got lucky today with the wet ball. The bowlers and fielders were struggling and the umpires should have suspended play.

Weird how you never said the same when India batted against Bangladesh the other day in the rain

Also if that is the tune you want to play then surely it makes his bowling performance even better?

So which one is it? Lucky batting, extraordinary bowling or is he just as you like to refer to him a “specialist fielder”.

 

[Ab Fan]

Shadab and Shaheen are the only two cricketers that will walk into India's T20I team. Rizwan's batting vs pace and bounce has been exposed, it is worse than Ashwin too.

 

[TeymurBlake]

Shadab Khan as a floater is a brilliant idea.

As for his big hitting, it's a reminder how much he has improved over the last 12 months and what Mohammad Nawaz needs to do.

Key performer and consistent.

 

[MenInG]

Not impressed with Shadab.

He is not that batter that we want for a T20I team - surely should be better options?

 

[Mamoon]

This clown show must come to an end. How on earth can you play this glorified tailender at 5 and expect good results.

 

[Rana]

Coward spinner too

Would Rashid Khan ever start bowling 7th stump line against the best hitters in the world let alone Mitchell???

 

[ahmed16]

Very average batsmen, decent bowler and an electric fielder. True definition of a bits and pieces player.

Not sure what warrants his vice captain position either.

 

[topspin]

Usama Mir must be wondering what more he has to do get in this team. Poor guy.

As mentioned before, Shadab won't be going anywhere because he's in Babar's clique which is one of the reasons why Babar must be axed from captaincy duties.

 

[shamaan]

His batting has been no better than a tailender.

 

[Mamoon]

There is a reason why I have been calling him out for years for the mediocre cricketer that he is.

He has been scamming Pakistani fans for 6 years now.

 

[topspin]

There is a reason why I have been calling him out for years for the mediocre cricketer that he is.

He has been scamming Pakistani fans for 6 years now.

Credit where credit due. You called it for what he was from day one.

Do you think his presence in the team is largely because he's part of Babar's clique?

 

[Mamoon]

Credit where credit due. You called it for what he was from day one.

Do you think his presence in the team is largely because he's part of Babar's clique?

A lot of things fell his way. He was a blue-eyed boy and untouchable long before Babar became captain, but his comrade with him is doing him no harm.

 

[gazza619]

There is a reason why I have been calling him out for years for the mediocre cricketer that he is.

He has been scamming Pakistani fans for 6 years now.

I agree. He is a number 8 at best.

 

[Forum363]

I feel like he needs some time away from internationally cricket to regain full fitness and develop his game.

He is far more skilled and confident now than a few years ago yet that’s not translating into performance.

He needs to go away and work his way back.

Needs to be replaced by Usama Mir or Abrar (who is criminally underrated in limited overs cricket).

 

[hitthestump]

I don't think he's operating at full fitness.

Was reportedly carrying an injury during PSL and has played non-stop since then.

By his standards he is performing very poorly with bat and ball in 2023.

 

[MenInG]

Did a great job to get Pakistan to a series win and rightfully Player of the match

 

[Rana]

He’s alright for number 6-7

 

[IAJ]

Very good under preassure.

I had to laugh when commies said that Pakistani batsmen are waiting for pace bowlers to bowl in order to up the anty. This is a pity. A big Asian team so poor against spin.

 

[heddie19]

Very good batter under pressure but not impressed with his recent bowling form.

 

[Ab Fan]

Better LOI cricketer than Jadeja for sure.

 

[mominsaigol]

Very good batter under pressure but not impressed with his recent bowling form.

He bowls better then Usama and Nawaz, much better.

 

[Justcrazy]

He is good enough to bat at number 5 , the kind of composure he has.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Problem is, the team does not have enough time or games left to experiment now. Sure he has performed with the bat in the lower order. But he can replicate it even better with longer innings in the lower order? Would you want to experiment now just when Asia Cup is about to begin?

Moreover primarily the team needs him to take wickets in the middle orders. The team has had the worst spin bowling average since the last WC.