Should Azhar Ali be sacked as captain of Pakistan Test team?

[MenInG]

Many didnt like his appointment, but his own form and lack of captaincy skills as displayed on the tour of Australia is a matter of grave concern.

Sarfaraz was removed as captain and dropped from the side due to bad form as well so shouldnt the same standard be applied to Azhar Ali?

 

[minamino]

Many didnt like his appointment, but his own form and lack of captaincy skills as displayed on the tour of Australia is a matter of grave concern.

Sarfaraz was removed as captain and dropped from the side due to bad form as well so shouldnt the same standard be applied to Azhar Ali?

Not just from the captaincy but also the team.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Needs to be dropped as a player, let alone rid as captain.

Hes a walking wicket both home and away now. With SL series then england away id rather new players be blooded in team and pakistan move forward.

 

[Vastunna]

After 1 series ?? For good or bad stick with an appointment at least for an year.

 

[saeed5646]

Don't think he will be removed till sl series .Ideally he should haven't been made captain looking at his last 2 year performances

 

[Hawkeye]

We don't really need this masala stuff brother.

Nobody is dropped or sacked after one series.

His form should be monitored for the next 2-3 series and if he continues to fail, we should appoint someone else who is performing.

In the team, we don't have anyone who is performing. Everyone has failed in the last 1-2 years. Only Babar did well.

 

[MenInG]

He is unlikely to be removed but its a question worth asking and discussing.

 

[Shafi]

Is win really matter for current Pakistan team under the management of Misbah and Waqar? As long as Misbah stays on top position with the recycle of players like Shehzad, Irfan, Umar... and support to useless players like Iftikhar, Azhar, Shafiq... it will be good for his fans and our former greats. Besides Misbah doesn't need to answer to anyone. As long as PCB acts professional and we find any talent we can keep Misbah for another 3-4 years. By then Misbah will have enough experience and ask for double/triple amount of current salary and more responsibilities.

 

[Junaids]

We don't really need this masala stuff brother.

Nobody is dropped or sacked after one series.

His form should be monitored for the next 2-3 series and if he continues to fail, we should appoint someone else who is performing.

In the team, we don't have anyone who is performing. Everyone has failed in the last 1-2 years. Only Babar did well.

He should be permanently retired due to four consecutive away series in which he has averaged less than 15.

Making him captain was a stupid self-inflicted unforced error by Misbah because he was already long overdue to be dropped permanently as a player.

 

[AFM]

We don't really need this masala stuff brother.

Nobody is dropped or sacked after one series.

His form should be monitored for the next 2-3 series and if he continues to fail, we should appoint someone else who is performing.

In the team, we don't have anyone who is performing. Everyone has failed in the last 1-2 years. Only Babar did well.

Monitor his form for 2-3 years? Are you serious?

 

[Hawkeye]

He should be permanently retired due to four consecutive away series in which he has averaged less than 15.

Making him captain was a stupid self-inflicted unforced error by Misbah because he was already long overdue to be dropped permanently as a player.

Everyone has failed. But he's the one who was our backbone in Australia last time, and became our best batsman. And he has averaged over 40 for a long time. Selective bias isn't needed here.

Now, on recent form of 1-2 years, everyone in the team has been failing. It's not only him.

Only Babar has done well. He cannot be burdened with two captaincies right away. That too on a tough away Test tour.

So, we have to hope that Azhar returns to his form or someone else who is performing (it is only Babar Azam who is doing it) will have to replace him.

There's nobody else.

Monitor his form for 2-3 years? Are you serious?

You need to give things a read (or re-read) before drawing conclusions. Years?

 

[Fahdi]

He should be dropped before the SL series otherwise he will prolong his career with a hundred and we will see the same stuff for the next 2-3 years whenever we go overseas.

 

[topspin]

It's time we make Shan Masood captain. He's averaged 35-40 in South Africa and Australia and for a mediocre Pakistan team, those are good numbers for an opener batting in two of the toughest places to bat in world cricket, if you consider how Pakistani batsmen have fared there historically.

This guy leads by example with his worth work ethic, fitness and mental resolve (when he's batting). He also has a good cricketing brain and also because he's well educated, he can be trusted with how he conducts himself on and off the field.

 

[Shafi]

Everyone has failed. But he's the one who was our backbone in Australia last time, and became our best batsman. And he has averaged over 40 for a long time. Selective bias isn't needed here.

Now, on recent form of 1-2 years, everyone in the team has been failing. It's not only him.

Only Babar has done well. He cannot be burdened with two captaincies right away. That too on a tough away Test tour.

So, we have to hope that Azhar returns to his form or someone else who is performing (it is only Babar Azam who is doing it) will have to replace him.

There's nobody else.



You need to give things a read (or re-read) before drawing conclusions. Years?

So you want to monitor him another 2-3 years even though his average was around 15 for last 2 years.
So by this logic any good player starts to fail consecutive matches you want to award them 4-5 years in career.

 

[Khan12]

Shameless misbah's puppet is averaging less then tail ender these days. What does shameless misbah do? Make him our captain. This rubbish shouldn't be even in the team let alone a captain who wants to leave a legacy and still thinks he has 5-6 years left in him. Lol. Even shameless people have limits him and misbah are beyond that.

 

[angrypathan]

As much as I don't rate Shafiq, it still baffles me as to why Azhar was chosen as captain over him. Shafiq was vice captain to Sarfraz, and even captained in a test against New Zealand when Sarfraz sat out. His performances have also not been anywhere near as terrible as Azhar's since Misbah and Younis retired. Ideally neither should even be in the team, but if I were to pick a captain from the two it would be Shafiq every day of the week

 

[Amjid Javed]

After 1 series ?? For good or bad stick with an appointment at least for an year.

if he was even a half decent captain tactically then you could put up with his shambolic failures with bat, plain and simple hes not good enough for international cricket anymore.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Some people still hoping that Azhar is all of sudden going to become a good batsmen again, hes been rubbish for to years.

Yet pakistan never learn with persisting with rubbish hoping them come good, how long did we persist with losers like hafeez etc..

There comes a point where you need to move or drop players and give them the kick up backside they need to go away and improve and earn a recall.

 

[Cricket World]

Yes, sooner the better along with new coach and selector

 

[Sadozai]

A person with no coaching qualification and experience can improve the performance of an already deteriorated team.
A person with little no experience of captaining (16 FC matches) can effectively lead a deteriorated team.

Height of delusions (read professionalism).

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

If Australia series is the parameter, no Pakistani apart from the legendary Imran Khan may have not been sacked. Ridiculous amount of hate towards Azhar. Nauseating to be honest!

 

[Khan12]

If Australia series is the parameter, no Pakistani apart from the legendary Imran Khan may have not been sacked. Ridiculous amount of hate towards Azhar. Nauseating to be honest!

Abbas averaged more then him. Enough said.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Abbas averaged more then him. Enough said.

Abbas or Yasir would do a better job going forward in number 3 nightwatchmen role then Azhar.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Last tour of England, South Africa and Australia - Azhar has failed with bat pretty much all the time. Then we have a situation that hes struggling to even score runs in the UAE.

We have another series in england next year, early summer.

Yet we have a batsmen not scoring any runs, had a pretty mediocre county season - 4 day cricket with somerset, is a year old, reflexs have gone a bit more but we should be looking to have him as captain until england series at least?

Do most Azhar backers watch cricket on the radio?

 

[Boi]

He’s finished man. The guy needs to retire.

 

[Junaids]

We don't really need this masala stuff brother.

Nobody is dropped or sacked after one series.

His form should be monitored for the next 2-3 series and if he continues to fail, we should appoint someone else who is performing.

In the team, we don't have anyone who is performing. Everyone has failed in the last 1-2 years. Only Babar did well.

You’re completely wrong.

Why do you think that the likes of Alastair Cook and Ricky Ponting quit as skipper before they finished up as national team batsmen?

95% of international batsmen reach an age - generally around 32 - at which they lose their hand-eye coordination and become unselectable.

Consequently any batsman over the age of 32 is a series by series proposition as a player - if he’s succeeding you can keep him on but if he’s failing you can’t. So you don’t put yourself in the position of being stuck with him as your captain.

Azhar Ali has failed in every away series since his 33rd birthday. He averages 12.13 in those four series. He is being outperformed as a batsman not just by Yasir Shah but even by Mohammad Abbas.

Shan Masood and Asad Shafiq average three times higher than him in away Tests in that time.

They are not all “failing together”. Azhar is the Specialist In Failure currently.

I wrote last January when Azhar scored another duck in South Africa that the PCB needed to hold a press conference to announce his international retirement and to celebrate his career.

To make him skipper was an unforced error by Misbah, but we know that Misbah has never been a man who sees other people’s age-related decline.

Ironically the most dangerous thing would be if Azhar scored home Test runs now. Because then you would be stuck with him and he’d have a fifth and a sixth consecutive failed away series in the England and New Zealand World Test Championship series.

 

[Amjid Javed]

You’re completely wrong.

Why do you think that the likes of Alastair Cook and Ricky Ponting quit as skipper before they finished up as national team batsmen?

95% of international batsmen reach an age - generally around 32 - at which they lose their hand-eye coordination and become unselectable.

Consequently any batsman over the age of 32 is a series by series proposition as a player - if he’s succeeding you can keep him on but if he’s failing you can’t. So you don’t put yourself in the position of being stuck with him as your captain.

Azhar Ali has failed in every away series since his 33rd birthday. He averages 12.13 in those four series. He is being outperformed as a batsman not just by Yasir Shah but even by Mohammad Abbas.

Shan Masood and Asad Shafiq average three times higher than him in away Tests in that time.

They are not all “failing together”. Azhar is the Specialist In Failure currently.

I wrote last January when Azhar scored another duck in South Africa that the PCB needed to hold a press conference to announce his international retirement and to celebrate his career.

To make him skipper was an unforced error by Misbah, but we know that Misbah has never been a man who sees other people’s age-related decline.

Ironically the most dangerous thing would be if Azhar scored home Test runs now. Because then you would be stuck with him and he’d have a fifth and a sixth consecutive failed away series in the England and New Zealand World Test Championship series.

100% Agree with this post, seems PCB waiting for Azhar to come good which in short term might help in odd test, but in longterm offers nothing to pakistan, indeed all failures in NZ (UAE) and SA series should have been dumped.

But Inzi decided to back failures and jump gun and select these failures in middle or a test match we were losing.

 

[Shafi]

Some people still hoping that Azhar is all of sudden going to become a good batsmen again, hes been rubbish for to years.

Yet pakistan never learn with persisting with rubbish hoping them come good, how long did we persist with losers like hafeez etc..

There comes a point where you need to move or drop players and give them the kick up backside they need to go away and improve and earn a recall.

Only Misbah fans!!! They want their favorites to play around 45 years at least. Performance doesn't matter

 

[Rayyman]

Yes

 

[Kroll]

Can't be sacked as this is Misbah captaining the side by proxy.

 

[AFM]

You need to give things a read (or re-read) before drawing conclusions. Years?

Yes, I misread. But even 2-3 series is too much leeway considering his decline in the past few years. Should be dropped.

 

[Mercurial]

He should also be removed from the Test squad.

 

[MenInG]

Misbah speaking to press:

"A player (Azhar Ali) who has a 40-something average with 15+ hundreds and has been a top performer in Tests, we have to show some trust. It's not that he has scored in some specific conditions, he has made runs in Australia, England, West Indies. If we don't support such players and quickly discard them then it's difficult. Of course, we are looking at the long term future and who will be captain etc."

 

[sweep_shot]

Azhar Ali was a very useful cricketer 2-3 years ago but that is no longer the case. I think this upcoming SL series should be his last chance. If he fails, he needs to go.

 

[Saj]

Misbah today "A player (Azhar Ali) who has a 40-something average with 15+ hundreds and has been a top performer in Tests, we have to show some trust. It's not that he has scored in some specific conditions, he has made runs in Australia, England, West Indies. If we don't support such players and quickly discard them then it's difficult. Of course, we are looking at the long term future and who will be captain etc."

 

[Hasan123]

In serious teams he would have not even be appointed or playing the Australian series in the first place .

 

[Kroll]

Misbah speaking to press:

"A player (Azhar Ali) who has a 40-something average with 15+ hundreds and has been a top performer in Tests, we have to show some trust. It's not that he has scored in some specific conditions, he has made runs in Australia, England, West Indies. If we don't support such players and quickly discard them then it's difficult. Of course, we are looking at the long term future and who will be captain etc."

Conveniently ignores the fact, he hasn't made any runs for three years. Misbah shouldn't have shown his loyalty to Azhar as a friend but respect by retiring him with honour.