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Should Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah return to the T20I side?

Sher Khan

Sher Khan

Local Club Captain
Joined
Jan 17, 2018
Runs
2,394
I will be honest both players are mediocre. But if this NZ series has proved anything it is that our middle order is practically dead wood.

We are playing with 9 players by selecting Azam Khan and Iftikhar. Both are complete failures in international cricket.

Harsh truth is we lack any quality middle order batsmen in the country. I'd say it's imperative we go back to Asif Ali and Khushdil as on a good day they might score a 30 of 11 balls.
 
Well the answer here is "No"

Pakistani batters these days are either 'sloggers' Or 'hacks' who will blindly slog without having any technique or proper batting ability or they have players who are technically fair enough can bat well but simply cannot change gears and cannot go big based on the situation.

Players like Rohit, Virat, Warner, Mitchell, almost every good player is capable of accelerating or bat according to the situation. Pakistan also had such batters throughout their history which is why they won games in the past.
 
My.boys, Asif Ali is the Jos Buttler of Pakistan and has won many world cup matches with his batting.

Whilst Khushdil is a Shakib Al Hasan like all-rounder. Wicket taking spinner with some big hits with the bat.
 
If Haseebullah can open for Pakistan why can’t one of Khushdil or Asif Ali?
 
The choice is between Azam Khan, Ifti, Asif and Khusdil for no. 5 and 6 spot.

Don't see any other big hitters in the domestic scene beside these 4 guys.

Pick the 2 you want.
 
Barragan said:
The choice is between Azam Khan, Ifti, Asif and Khusdil for no. 5 and 6 spot.

Don't see any other big hitters in the domestic scene beside these 4 guys.

Pick the 2 you want.
Click to expand...
Azam is not a big hitter. Against International teams he is a sitting duck.
 
Shoaib Malik seems to have been rejuvenated, bring him back imo. Just look at his stats in T20i’s in the last 10 years.
 
Saim Ayub
Fakhar Zaman
Mohammad Haris
Azam Khan
Shoaib Malik
Asif Ali
Amir Jamal
Naseem Shah
Haris Rauf
Abrar.
Shaheen Afridi
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Saim Ayub
Fakhar Zaman
Mohammad Haris
Azam Khan
Shoaib Malik
Asif Ali
Amir Jamal
Naseem Shah
Haris Rauf
Abrar.
Shaheen Afridi
Click to expand...
This team will struggle to get 70 runs. Tail starting at 4 and ironically the batsmen batting at 4 averages 4 lol.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Shoaib Malik seems to have been rejuvenated, bring him back imo. Just look at his stats in T20i’s in the last 10 years.
Click to expand...
He can't hit kushdil out the park how will he hit the best players in the world which he couldn't even do in his prime.
 
Well yes for Khushdil Shah as he has an edge with his bowling and fielding but a big no for Asif Ali as he has already had so many chances and but never shown any improvement.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Shoaib Malik seems to have been rejuvenated, bring him back imo. Just look at his stats in T20i’s in the last 10 years.
Click to expand...
Another slow player. Going to stagnate the middle overs as he has always done with 110 SR. 9 50s in 120+ internationals smh. He's good for his safe hands on the field but that's about it. He was a liability in the 2021 WC and his only good game was against Scotland. He didn't improve much since then. Just got older. It's the way you prefer him over Babar or Rizwan
 
Barragan said:
You could say the same about all 4 of them.

This is the reason why none of them have stood out and the positions still remain open.
Click to expand...
Well, Iftikhar has still performed on some occasions. Asif Ali has won matches for Pakistan in the World Cup. Khushdil is still meh but at least he's shown he can be capable even if it was barely ever. Azam Khan, however, in his 10 odd games, has shown absolutely zero promise or potential. Sitting duck was the correct phrase for him. He's CLUELESS in internationals. I still remember him batting like a tailender against Afghanistan. I actually wanted him to succeed in this series. I wanted him to prove me and everybody wrong but boy has he made the case worse for himself
 
But but but they are doosti yaari picks, no?

It turns out we just have minimal talent? What a surprise.

For real though, no. They are mediocre & limited players and Pakistan's inability to play spin would just get even weaker.
 
They’ve both had a lot of games to prove themselves and aren’t young anymore. Think we move on. If they have really good PSLs we can consider them, but otherwise probably better to try other options.
 
Bewal Express said:
Well a final and SF. Me thinks that is very good. Obviously AA would do better with his batting as a guy pretending to be a number 10🤔
Click to expand...
Have deluded guys like you tell us Babar is the Steve Waugh appointed by Imran Khan





Hahahahahaahhahahah
 
PakEngFan said:
He's averaging 4 with Sr below 100 in t20s after 8 international games. That's not a small sample.
Click to expand...

8 games isn’t a small sample…cool I guess 2 games is enough to tell whether a player is good enough for the top level.
 
hafizexpress said:
Another slow player. Going to stagnate the middle overs as he has always done with 110 SR. 9 50s in 120+ internationals smh. He's good for his safe hands on the field but that's about it. He was a liability in the 2021 WC and his only good game was against Scotland. He didn't improve much since then. Just got older. It's the way you prefer him over Babar or Rizwan
Click to expand...

Who would you say is a better option than Malik and based on what?
 
Rana said:
Kenya also have a 50 over World Cup semi final as well
Click to expand...
"boycotts of matches in Kenya and Zimbabwe, on political and safety grounds, skewed points so much that Kenya reached the semi-finals courtesy of wins over Bangladesh, Canada and Sri Lanka"
Research is always helpful when you feel that you need to make a point. You don't want to embarrass yourself like here.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
8 games isn’t a small sample…cool I guess 2 games is enough to tell whether a player is good enough for the top level.
Click to expand...
8 games is more than enough to show what you are capable of which he has clearly shown that he's an awful cricketer and should never be picked again
 
I think Asif Ali should return to T20 team. I still remember his sixes against Afghanistan and New Zealand. He is a good hitter and suitable for T20.

Not sure about Khushdil though.
 
Bewal Express said:
"boycotts of matches in Kenya and Zimbabwe, on political and safety grounds, skewed points so much that Kenya reached the semi-finals courtesy of wins over Bangladesh, Canada and Sri Lanka"
Research is always helpful when you feel that you need to make a point. You don't want to embarrass yourself like here.
Click to expand...
What kind of pathetic argument is that?

Pakistan reached a final because of Netherlands beating South Africa

They reached a semi because Asif Ali won two crucial games against NZ and Afghanistan

Pakistan’s actual performance was for everyone to see in the 2023 World Cup, the worst ever campaign in the history of Pakistan
 
Rana said:
What kind of pathetic argument is that?

Pakistan reached a final because of Netherlands beating South Africa

They reached a semi because Asif Ali won two crucial games against NZ and Afghanistan

Pakistan’s actual performance was for everyone to see in the 2023 World Cup, the worst ever campaign in the history of Pakistan
Click to expand...
You don't understand. PK reached the SF because of cricket not because of bombings and boycotts.
 
PakEngFan said:
8 games is more than enough to show what you are capable of which he has clearly shown that he's an awful cricketer and should never be picked again
Click to expand...

Mohammad Rizwan averaged 13.5 after his first 8 innings. Should he have been dropped then?
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Who would you say is a better option than Malik and based on what?
Click to expand...
Simply because they're all accumulators and no-one in their right minds would be taking Malik as an accumulator over Babar or Rizwan. The question should be posed to you as to why you'd take Malik over them. Who is a TTF on many occasions, clueless against pace bowling, especially outside Asia, never consistently performed even remotely near to the level of Babar and Rizwan, did absolute zilch compared to them the last time they played together (2021 t20 WC), was absolute trash compared to them in the PSL, etc etc. Like on what basis would you actually take Malik over them unless you WANT to lose.
 
hafizexpress said:
Simply because they're all accumulators and no-one in their right minds would be taking Malik as an accumulator over Babar or Rizwan. The question should be posed to you as to why you'd take Malik over them. Who is a TTF on many occasions, clueless against pace bowling, especially outside Asia, never consistently performed even remotely near to the level of Babar and Rizwan, did absolute zilch compared to them the last time they played together (2021 t20 WC), was absolute trash compared to them in the PSL, etc etc. Like on what basis would you actually take Malik over them unless you WANT to lose.
Click to expand...
But Malik would play in a position you need him to bat unlike Babar and Rizwan. Malik plays for the team in the middle, unlike Babar and Rizwan as openers
 
Asif has won games for Pakistan.

Khushdil is a broken man. Will need to reinvent himself as a proper spin bowling AR to stand a chance.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Mohammad Rizwan averaged 13.5 after his first 8 innings. Should he have been dropped then?
Click to expand...
Which is 10 more than Azam Khan. Plus he was an excellent wk not a club level wk like Azam Khan. Plus had multiple centuries in list a and FC which Azam still doesn't have. Try something better.
 
Rana said:
But Malik would play in a position you need him to bat unlike Babar and Rizwan. Malik plays for the team in the middle, unlike Babar and Rizwan as openers
Click to expand...
Sure but he still sucks wherever he'll play. His preferred position is in the middle anyway. God save him if he ever has to face an opening spell. There's a reason that he'll never want to play as opener
 
If a player is in form, you pick them on Merit.

Asif is a very talented hitter of the ball and one many a game. His consistency has been shocking however, and remains his biggest downfall.

20 overs is still a long time, where you need to survive atleast 20 deliveries and make a promper impact.

If they can turn their performances on more consistently, then why not.
 
As I've always said, Asif Ali was not a cameo batter, someone who just plays two overs and hits sixes. He should have been utilized as a T20 opening batter; he could have been one of the best T20I opening batters in Pakistan's history.

Regarding Khushdil Shah, I don't even see him as an opening or middle order batter. He is too average to even be called a batter. Yes, if he focused on his spin bowling, he could have developed as a bowling all rounder, just like another Shahid Afridi.
 
FearlessRoar said:
As I've always said, Asif Ali was not a cameo batter, someone who just plays two overs and hits sixes. He should have been utilized as a T20 opening batter; he could have been one of the best T20I opening batters in Pakistan's history.

Regarding Khushdil Shah, I don't even see him as an opening or middle order batter. He is too average to even be called a batter. Yes, if he focused on his spin bowling, he could have developed as a bowling all rounder, just like another Shahid Afridi.
Click to expand...

Has it come to this? We can't find a batter who can slog it for a couple of overs? So we need a specialist 2 over slogger? :ROFLMAO:
 
To be honest if your benchmark is a 11 ball 30, then why not try a proper batter like Abdullah Shafique.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Shoaib Malik seems to have been rejuvenated, bring him back imo. Just look at his stats in T20i’s in the last 10 years.
Click to expand...
He turns allergic when he dons the green kit. Best you can get is a 10-ball 10-14. Another fraud and unethical player.
 
Every player has the right to make a comeback but he needs to know that it is not going to happen until he performs in domestic and then reflects the same performance in the internationals. We cannot experiment every now and then. But these kinds of provincial leagues are not the standard to judge any player. Below par standards.
 
Khushdil Shah can certainly make a comeback as he could be very handy with both bat and ball and he is also a gun fielder. So, I will never mind if he gets selected into the team but a big no for Asif Ali.
 
I believe Asif Ali has a role given the conditions in WI. Khushdil can only play if his bowling is good enough to share 5th bowling duties with Ifti and I am not sure it is.

I would take Khushdils batting over Nawaz though

The team should look as such

1 Saim
2 Babar
3 Rizwan
4 Fakhar
5 Ifti
6 Asif
7 Shadab
8 Nawaz/Khushdil/A better spinner who can also bat
9 Shaheen
10 Naseem
11 Rauf/Abbas pushing for this slot/ Abrar if we only need 2 quicks

So yes Asif Ali should play- people just need to calm down on the expectation as there are 8 other player who can bat in the above team. Asif expectation should be to average 18 at 200 SR- that is all we want from him when he bats. Dont expect 40s and 50s, just a few 30s and a few failures. What I do know is that his half hits will go for 6 in Windies and opposition does have the fear factor. Hope he can have a good PSL and force himself in.
 
Asif Ali might be the worst SPECIALIST batsman ever.

25
15
24
29
22

That's his averages in all forms of cricket. His 'specialty' T20s he averages 15 in internationals and 22 in domestic.

For a guy that doesn't bowl at all this might the the worst specialist batsman ever.
 
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