Sharjeel Khan and Fakhar Zaman - the opening partnership

[YousafTheBeast]

Imam hasn’t played in domestic cricket since 2018 so theirs nothing really to compare him to Sharjeel with. Again using PSL stats doesn’t also make any sense as we are looking at odis and Imam wouldn’t even be my 10th name in T20s

In our last series Imam scored 2 50s an even before that he has played multiple decent knocks against quality opposition. Until imam fails for a prolong period (5-6 games) their is no justifiable reason to drop him for an unproven unfit fixer

The problem we have here is, you’re only looking at averages, and not the strike rate. ANY player who has a strike rate of 76 vs the top 5 teams isn’t considered a good player, in fact he’s a liability. What that strike rate shows us is that he loves playing dots, he puts pressure on himself and the team, he’s not going to win you games when chasing 300+ and so on.

Every single team around the world takes strike rate into consideration, why don’t you? If England wanted a 50 averaging opener they’d have picked Rory Burns as the opener, but they pick players who have decent averages (high 30’s to mid 40’s) and with strikes rates of 90+.

Let’s also bring Fawad Alam back, I bet he’ll average 50+ too, there’s no way he’ll ever be dropped.

Please take Strikes Rates into consideration too, as they’re just as important as averages.

 

[Abdurmirr]

The problem we have here is, you’re only looking at averages, and not the strike rate. ANY player who has a strike rate of 76 vs the top 5 teams isn’t considered a good player, in fact he’s a liability. What that strike rate shows us is that he loves playing dots, he puts pressure on himself and the team, he’s not going to win you games when chasing 300+ and so on.

Every single team around the world takes strike rate into consideration, why don’t you? If England wanted a 50 averaging opener they’d have picked Rory Burns as the opener, but they pick players who have decent averages (high 30’s to mid 40’s) and with strikes rates of 90+.

Let’s also bring Fawad Alam back, I bet he’ll average 50+ too, there’s no way he’ll ever be dropped.

Please take Strikes Rates into consideration too, as they’re just as important as averages.

Well of course top teams like India, England and Australia have openers with high strike rates and good averages as they have the luxury of having a large pool of talented players. Take Usman Khawaja for example, in Australia he is probably a 6-7 choice opener, however if he decided he wants to play for Pakistan I would easily take him over Imam as he is a much much better option.

In the second leg of the PSL, Sharjeel failed to cross 50 once and batted at a strike rate lower than most of the other "impact" domestic players such as Maqsood, Asif and Khushdhil. If he had actually performed and played multiple quality innings where he dominated the bowling and batted for an extended period taking the game away from the opposition then maybe it would make sense to select him over the slow but dependable Imam, however he has failed to do that and their is zero reason to select him. Also it will just send a bad message to all our cricketers considering where not just giving a second chance to a match fixer but to an unfit, mediocre match fixer

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Well of course top teams like India, England and Australia have openers with high strike rates and good averages as they have the luxury of having a large pool of talented players. Take Usman Khawaja for example, in Australia he is probably a 6-7 choice opener, however if he decided he wants to play for Pakistan I would easily take him over Imam as he is a much much better option.

In the second leg of the PSL, Sharjeel failed to cross 50 once and batted at a strike rate lower than most of the other "impact" domestic players such as Maqsood, Asif and Khushdhil. If he had actually performed and played multiple quality innings where he dominated the bowling and batted for an extended period taking the game away from the opposition then maybe it would make sense to select him over the slow but dependable Imam, however he has failed to do that and their is zero reason to select him. Also it will just send a bad message to all our cricketers considering where not just giving a second chance to a match fixer but to an unfit, mediocre match fixer

If Sharjeel performs in the T20’s vs England would you accept that he’d be a much better option than Imam ul Haq in ODI’s?

Basically what you’re saying is, Imam can’t be dropped because he scored 2 50’s vs SA in his last series, even if it was at a strike rate of 50 (hypothetically) he still doesn’t deserve to be dropped. So we should not look to improve our standards, instead we should wait for the player to not perform before dropping him. (Which is unlikely because Pakistan play teams like Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and West Indies way too often, and hence why Imam can never be dropped because he’ll just continue to stat pad. I don’t think any player has been luckier than Imam ul Haq, IIRC, he made his debut against Zimbabwe?

And, what you’re also saying is, Sharjeel Khan didn’t do anything in the 2nd half of the PSL, so he shouldn’t be picked. So, let’s just ignore what he did in the first half of the PSL because that was meaningless. What you’re also saying is, FC cricket holds zero merit, and if a player performs there then he shouldn’t be picked unless their Agha Salman and Mo Nawaz.

What you’re also saying is that, because he was involved in fixing, he shouldn’t be considered, and also because he’s unfit. Well, the PCB have moved on from his fixing saga, and you should too. Also, there’s no standards of fitness in Pakistan, if there was then Azam Khan would’ve been in Pakistan right now not in England. The PCB think Sharjeel is fit enough, and that’s all that matters.

 

[Abdurmirr]

If Sharjeel performs in the T20’s vs England would you accept that he’d be a much better option than Imam ul Haq in ODI’s?

Basically what you’re saying is, Imam can’t be dropped because he scored 2 50’s vs SA in his last series, even if it was at a strike rate of 50 (hypothetically) he still doesn’t deserve to be dropped. So we should not look to improve our standards, instead we should wait for the player to not perform before dropping him. (Which is unlikely because Pakistan play teams like Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and West Indies way too often, and hence why Imam can never be dropped because he’ll just continue to stat pad. I don’t think any player has been luckier than Imam ul Haq, IIRC, he made his debut against Zimbabwe?

And, what you’re also saying is, Sharjeel Khan didn’t do anything in the 2nd half of the PSL, so he shouldn’t be picked. So, let’s just ignore what he did in the first half of the PSL because that was meaningless. What you’re also saying is, FC cricket holds zero merit, and if a player performs there then he shouldn’t be picked unless their Agha Salman and Mo Nawaz.

What you’re also saying is that, because he was involved in fixing, he shouldn’t be considered, and also because he’s unfit. Well, the PCB have moved on from his fixing saga, and you should too. Also, there’s no standards of fitness in Pakistan, if there was then Azam Khan would’ve been in Pakistan right now not in England. The PCB think Sharjeel is fit enough, and that’s all that matters.

FC cricket holds merit in selection for test cricket not limited overs. Imam is a stat padder but so is Babar and Fakhar. That’s just what happens when we are consistently playing poor teams.

Also Sharjeel never even lit up the first half of the PSL. The only good innings he played (his 100) was filled with drop catches plus after the power play he was 11 (19) which i think is enough justification to prove that he will be a liability for us.

Just give me a time in the last 2 years since his ban finished that he has absolutely demolished a team in the power play and carried on to play a big match winning innings. I’ll wait

 

[YousafTheBeast]

FC cricket holds merit in selection for test cricket not limited overs. Imam is a stat padder but so is Babar and Fakhar. That’s just what happens when we are consistently playing poor teams.

Also Sharjeel never even lit up the first half of the PSL. The only good innings he played (his 100) was filled with drop catches plus after the power play he was 11 (19) which i think is enough justification to prove that he will be a liability for us.

Just give me a time in the last 2 years since his ban finished that he has absolutely demolished a team in the power play and carried on to play a big match winning innings. I’ll wait

Sindh vs Northern - January 16, 2021 (List A)

Sharjeel Khan 108 off 74 balls. Gets out on the 20th over with Sindh being 160-1 chasing a target of 180.

Don’t know about the power play but he won his team the game. What’s your excuse for this one? List A performance doesn’t merit selection for ODI’s? The pitch was a road? The bowlers weren’t good? The sky was blue?

Now it’s my turn, when was the last time Imam ul Haq demolished a team in the power play and carried on to play a big match winning innings. I’d wait but I’ll probably be dead by then.

 

[Abdurmirr]

Sindh vs Northern - January 16, 2021 (List A)

Sharjeel Khan 108 off 74 balls. Gets out on the 20th over with Sindh being 160-1 chasing a target of 180.

Don’t know about the power play but he won his team the game. What’s your excuse for this one? List A performance doesn’t merit selection for ODI’s? The pitch was a road? The bowlers weren’t good? The sky was blue?

Now it’s my turn, when was the last time Imam ul Haq demolished a team in the power play and carried on to play a big match winning innings. I’d wait but I’ll probably be dead by then.

Well it’s a bit hard to find a fair comparison when Imam barely plays domestic while Sharjeel gets to feast on below club level standard bowling on the flattest roads in the world. Also Sharjeel is a brute type batsmen- a pretty bad one at that- while Imam is more an accumulator.

But to answer your question South Africa 2019 Imam scored 80 odd in the chase of 270 and knowing how prone we are to collapses id say that’s a damn good performance

Look we are gonna be at this for days and days so I’ll respect your opinion. Also thanks for not being hostile and actually giving some thought out replies to my points

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Well it’s a bit hard to find a fair comparison when Imam barely plays domestic while Sharjeel gets to feast on below club level standard bowling on the flattest roads in the world. Also Sharjeel is a brute type batsmen- a pretty bad one at that- while Imam is more an accumulator.

But to answer your question South Africa 2019 Imam scored 80 odd in the chase of 270 and knowing how prone we are to collapses id say that’s a damn good performance

Look we are gonna be at this for days and days so I’ll respect your opinion. Also thanks for not being hostile and actually giving some thought out replies to my points

Fair enough, we’ll just have to agree to disagree. At the end of the day, we both want the best for Pakistan cricket.

 

[msb314]

The problem we have here is, you’re only looking at averages, and not the strike rate. ANY player who has a strike rate of 76 vs the top 5 teams isn’t considered a good player, in fact he’s a liability. What that strike rate shows us is that he loves playing dots, he puts pressure on himself and the team, he’s not going to win you games when chasing 300+ and so on.

Every single team around the world takes strike rate into consideration, why don’t you? If England wanted a 50 averaging opener they’d have picked Rory Burns as the opener, but they pick players who have decent averages (high 30’s to mid 40’s) and with strikes rates of 90+.

Let’s also bring Fawad Alam back, I bet he’ll average 50+ too, there’s no way he’ll ever be dropped.

Please take Strikes Rates into consideration too, as they’re just as important as averages.

Imam had a SR of 83 not 60.

He is an automatic pick in the ODI side - no questions asked

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Imam had a SR of 83 not 60.

He is an automatic pick in the ODI side - no questions asked

I didn’t say 60, I said vs the top 5 teams he has a strike rate of 76, with an average of 40.

Of course he’s an automatic pick, who else can score a quick fire 80 off 120 balls vs the mighty Zimbabweans.

 

[GreenKhan]

I don’t understand why Imam is still questioned about his place in the ODI team .

Our top 3 all average nearly 50 and compliment each other .

All three have the ability to play big innings and whilst there styles vary , it’s usually at least one of these 3 who contribute if we get a score on the board .

Imam has a role in the team and whilst he is limited in stroke play at present he at least provides the stability , which should allow the others to play around him .

I get it that it can be harmful in a 300 plus chase, but when have ever Pakistan chased 300 plus consistently. I think they have managed it 10 times in there whole history .

Imam got our first ball yesterday and we didn’t even bat 50 overs . Our issues are not in the top 3. It’s below .

 

[YousafTheBeast]

I don’t understand why Imam is still questioned about his place in the ODI team .

Our top 3 all average nearly 50 and compliment each other .

All three have the ability to play big innings and whilst there styles vary , it’s usually at least one of these 3 who contribute if we get a score on the board .

Imam has a role in the team and whilst he is limited in stroke play at present he at least provides the stability , which should allow the others to play around him .

I get it that it can be harmful in a 300 plus chase, but when have ever Pakistan chased 300 plus consistently. I think they have managed it 10 times in there whole history .

Imam got our first ball yesterday and we didn’t even bat 50 overs . Our issues are not in the top 3. It’s below .

Averages 40 with a strike rate of 76 vs top 5, he’s just a younger version of Azhar Ali. Imam is 10 years too late. If teams wanted stability then they wouldn’t pick players like Roy and Hales, both of whom average similar to Sharjeel, but with a lower strike rate than Sharjeel.

Just because our middle order is crap it means Imam should play because he brings stability? If our middle order doesn’t bring stability then we should keep replacing them until we find the right players. Sharjeel and Fakhar are our Roy/Hales, Rohit/Dhawan, Finch/Warner, Lewis/Gayle.

 

[msb314]

I didn’t say 60, I said vs the top 5 teams he has a strike rate of 76, with an average of 40.

Of course he’s an automatic pick, who else can score a quick fire 80 off 120 balls vs the mighty Zimbabweans.

Okay but what is Sharjeels record agains the top 5 teams?

I imagine Fakhar’s record is also quite similar.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Okay but what is Sharjeels record agains the top 5 teams?

I imagine Fakhar’s record is also quite similar.

IIRC, he’s only played the top 3. Averages 34 similar Imam’s(40), and has a strike rate of 116 I think, compared to imam’s 76.

I think most teams would take 34 @ 116 over 40 @ 76 every day of the week.

 

[GreenKhan]

Averages 40 with a strike rate of 76 vs top 5, he’s just a younger version of Azhar Ali. Imam is 10 years too late. If teams wanted stability then they wouldn’t pick players like Roy and Hales, both of whom average similar to Sharjeel, but with a lower strike rate than Sharjeel.

Just because our middle order is crap it means Imam should play because he brings stability? If our middle order doesn’t bring stability then we should keep replacing them until we find the right players. Sharjeel and Fakhar are our Roy/Hales, Rohit/Dhawan, Finch/Warner, Lewis/Gayle.

You can chose stats according to how you want to fit them but apart from that 150 against Ireland , Sharjeel has no other 100 and his average is 32.

Our batting is brittle , and we do need a stabiliser, and that’s the fact of the matter . We don’t have the luxuries of a strong middle order and lower order so we do rely on our top 3.

Sharjeel scoring 25 of 17 in a t20 is fine in one dayers it’s a liability.

 

[freezerburn]

It was an unfortunate day for Pakistan. ODI class players like Imam, Babar & Rizwan dont often fail in the same innings.

What concerns me more is that our bowling looked rather toothless defending 140 odd. We should consider playing Imad and/or Nawaz.

"Bowling looked rather toothless"....your bowling will look toothless if the opposition is only chasing 140. The fact that batsmen take more risks when chasing a small total alone forces your bowlers to change their length around, making the problem worse. Its unrealistic to put the blame on the bowlers when the total is so small.

This same attack would look like world beaters if there was a larger total to defend

Cricket is a team sport for a reason

 

[YousafTheBeast]

You can chose stats according to how you want to fit them but apart from that 150 against Ireland , Sharjeel has no other 100 and his average is 32.

Our batting is brittle , and we do need a stabiliser, and that’s the fact of the matter . We don’t have the luxuries of a strong middle order and lower order so we do rely on our top 3.

Sharjeel scoring 25 of 17 in a t20 is fine in one dayers it’s a liability.

Exactly how many stabilisers do we need in the team lol? Don’t you have faith in Babar, Rizwan and Sohaib Maqsood batting out 25-30 overs?

We need to stop thinking negatively, because we’ll never ever progress if we play it safe. Sometimes in life you need to take risks, you won’t see results straight away but if you back them then you’ll get the best out of them.

Every team is moving forward, whilst we’re still stuck with players who play 90’s style of cricket.

Back Sharjeel and Fakhar to get us 80-100 in the first 10 overs, back our middle order batsman to carry the momentum, and back our lower order to finish on a high note. If you don’t back them, we’ll always be a mediocre team.

The England coach would be telling his boys “go out there lads and try to get 100 in the first 10 overs, don’t worry about losing a wicket or two, we have faith in our middle order”.

Whilst Misbah would be telling our lads “Acha, aramsay khel na shabash boys, aim hai k koi wickets ni lose karain even agr 30 runs ho first 10 overs mai. Kyo k humari middle order bohat weak hai”.

Absolute no faith in your players, and that’s the only reason why I can think of anyone wanting to have Imam as an opener.

 

[GreenKhan]

At present we need an Imam in our team to help us get scores that will make us competitive, which is 300 on most wickets .

Our middle order is weak at the moment
Rizwan averages 28
Maqsood -31
Saud- untested

Fakhar on his day and Babar can help us get those big scores as long as they have support from the other end .

One day cricket does not require us score 80-100 after 10 overs . In fact if you look at the average scores in the power play overs of all teams then it’s no more than 65-70.

Sharjeel - fakhar is a fantastic partnership on paper but at this present moment with this batting line up , it’s the wrong approach and it will rely to much on Fakhar and Babar on 7/10 occasions.

In an ideal world we all would love a 40 average 90 SR opener alongside Fakhar, but we don’t have it at present and Sharjeel is defo not the answer .

 

[YousafTheBeast]

At present we need an Imam in our team to help us get scores that will make us competitive, which is 300 on most wickets .

Our middle order is weak at the moment
Rizwan averages 28
Maqsood -31
Saud- untested

Fakhar on his day and Babar can help us get those big scores as long as they have support from the other end .

One day cricket does not require us score 80-100 after 10 overs . In fact if you look at the average scores in the power play overs of all teams then it’s no more than 65-70.

Sharjeel - fakhar is a fantastic partnership on paper but at this present moment with this batting line up , it’s the wrong approach and it will rely to much on Fakhar and Babar on 7/10 occasions.

In an ideal world we all would love a 40 average 90 SR opener alongside Fakhar, but we don’t have it at present and Sharjeel is defo not the answer .

When will the day come when you say “we don’t need Imam”. ? Out for 1 in the 2nd ODI. The stabiliser.

 

[sam_ahm]

Seriously Sherjeel can't do any worse than Imam, at least a quick fire knock can give Pakistan much needed momentum. They are going nowhere with Imam.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Imam had a SR of 83 not 60.

He is an automatic pick in the ODI side - no questions asked

Still an automatic pick?

 

[Savak]

It is criminal that this hasn't been tried yet. England must have hit 10 sixes in their first 10 overs whereas Pakistan hit none, against the Big 4 sides this will be the difference 9 times out of 10. Have absolutely no idea why the likes of Babar and Rizwan don't drop down to number 3 and 4

 

[Abdullah Rabbani]

It is criminal that this hasn't been tried yet. England must have hit 10 sixes in their first 10 overs whereas Pakistan hit none, against the Big 4 sides this will be the difference 9 times out of 10. Have absolutely no idea why the likes of Babar and Rizwan don't drop down to number 3 and 4

Both tuller fail 9 times out of 10

 

[Majid Khan]

It is criminal that this hasn't been tried yet. England must have hit 10 sixes in their first 10 overs whereas Pakistan hit none, against the Big 4 sides this will be the difference 9 times out of 10. Have absolutely no idea why the likes of Babar and Rizwan don't drop down to number 3 and 4

I agree with the point about this will be the difference against Big 4 sides more often than not - but I don’t think Pakistan have a better alternative to Babar and Rizwan opening in T20.

As much as we all wish Fakhar/Sharjeel were the answer , the reality is they are not opening batsmen of a high calibre who can negotiate good bowling and neither are they clean power hitters. Their reliability and consistency is just not comparable to their equivalent attacking openers in Big 4, as they play far too many high risk shots and often deliver little.

The best hope Pakistan have is with the quality of batsmen Babar and Rizwan both are, have them playing low risk strokes on the ground to give the batting a good foundation in first 10 overs and then unleash the beasts after that to go and slog every ball, have a blast like yesterday.

That’s the best hope Pakistan has of putting up big scores in T20 cricket.

 

[Last Monetarist]

It is criminal that this hasn't been tried yet. England must have hit 10 sixes in their first 10 overs whereas Pakistan hit none, against the Big 4 sides this will be the difference 9 times out of 10. Have absolutely no idea why the likes of Babar and Rizwan don't drop down to number 3 and 4

It's pretty evident that both Babar and Rizwan can't start hitting straight off the bat as soon as they come to the crease and tend to scratch around for at least three to four overs before they get set. That liberty isn't really available for them if they bat in the middle order.

Misbah has probably made the pragmatic calculation that it's better for them to waste the powerplay than take the risk of killing all momentum around overs 10-12 as that leaves a lot of catching up to do in the final overs.

 

[Savak]

I agree with the point about this will be the difference against Big 4 sides more often than not - but I don’t think Pakistan have a better alternative to Babar and Rizwan opening in T20.

As much as we all wish Fakhar/Sharjeel were the answer , the reality is they are not opening batsmen of a high calibre who can negotiate good bowling and neither are they clean power hitters. Their reliability and consistency is just not comparable to their equivalent attacking openers in Big 4, as they play far too many high risk shots and often deliver little.

The best hope Pakistan have is with the quality of batsmen Babar and Rizwan both are, have them playing low risk strokes on the ground to give the batting a good foundation in first 10 overs and then unleash the beasts after that to go and slog every ball, have a blast like yesterday.

That’s the best hope Pakistan has of putting up big scores in T20 cricket.

Sharjeel is not a tullah, he has hundreds in the PSL and once set he can score big and is very strong on the cut, pull and can even hit pacers over their head for six. If he is in the squad, he should not be wasted.

 

[Savak]

It's pretty evident that both Babar and Rizwan can't start hitting straight off the bat as soon as they come to the crease and tend to scratch around for at least three to four overs before they get set. That liberty isn't really available for them if they bat in the middle order.

Misbah has probably made the pragmatic calculation that it's better for them to waste the powerplay than take the risk of killing all momentum around overs 10-12 as that leaves a lot of catching up to do in the final overs.

Misbah is assuming that the batsmen to come will always score 150 plus in the final 10 overs which will not happen against quality bowling sides with excellent death bowlers.

 

[shamaan]

It is criminal that this hasn't been tried yet. England must have hit 10 sixes in their first 10 overs whereas Pakistan hit none, against the Big 4 sides this will be the difference 9 times out of 10. Have absolutely no idea why the likes of Babar and Rizwan don't drop down to number 3 and 4

Why should be dropped down to 3 and 4 they have performed really well up the order sharjeel needs to waite his time.

 

[shamaan]

I want sharjeel to be given a go but babar and rizwan are doing a good job he must waite his time.

 

[mastimasti]

It's pretty evident that both Babar and Rizwan can't start hitting straight off the bat as soon as they come to the crease and tend to scratch around for at least three to four overs before they get set. That liberty isn't really available for them if they bat in the middle order.

Misbah has probably made the pragmatic calculation that it's better for them to waste the powerplay than take the risk of killing all momentum around overs 10-12 as that leaves a lot of catching up to do in the final overs.

This is not really true, when both are in full swing Pakistan's RR is around 8....if the batting works well and Zaman and Maqsood play their roles, along with a couple of guys lower down the order than the RR jumps to 10. This is a fine plan and how many teams do it.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Sharjeel becomes a liability on a 140-160 pitch. He can only score on flat tops.

Babar and Rizwan once set are likely to switch to the 4th gear and do it for longer than Sharjeel can. And a struggling Babar/Rizwan is still likely to score at a higher SR than a struggling Fakhar.

Basically Rizwan-Babar is a more consistent opening.