Should Fakhar Zaman get a call up to the Test side?

[idrizzy]

After his blistering performances (to the worst Zimbabwean side I can think of, yes that's true) he has shown some tremendous hitting, and has shown stamina, temperament and guts to get a double hundred.

He's also said how he'd like to get a call up to the test side, and I think we could do with someone like him in the team who will take the pressure off our batting somewhat and will counterattack the opposition, akin to Warner.

Azhar Ali can slot to #3, and Salahuddin will have to miss out.

I understand this might be a tad too reactionary, since it IS Zimbabwe, but we have been crying out for a guy who takes the attack to the opposition in tests, instead of pursuing a block-fest which will ultimately lead to a crumble of wickets. If he gets selected into the test side after the World Cup, that would be fine too since our focus should be on 2019 rather than anything else, and you do want your batsmen to be as fresh as possible when it comes to big tournaments.

Desire, passion, ability. These are the traits we should be looking for when it comes to selection and Fakhar wears them on his sleeve.

 

[ManFan]

Our next scheduled Test match is against NZ in the UAE and I expect them to give us a hard time like 2015.

I would refrain from tinkering with the line-up that won 2/3 Tests in England.

There’s a lot of questions that could make for some exciting selections like...

Where does Yasir Shah fit into the lineup?

Will Fahim be replaced for an extra batsman?

If so, will it be Fakhar?

Where will he be slotted?

Will we see Shaheen or Juanid? A call-up for Usman or Gohar?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

The upcoming series against Australia and New Zealand is the perfect opportunity to give him his start in test cricket. I think it's fair to say that he is currently the most exciting prospect for Pakistan and it's pointless to think of things like: his technique will be ruined or that he won't adapt well to the format.

I think the biggest thing is that he already seems mentally tough and capable of coping with pressure, which are the two biggest pre-requisites of making it in test cricket.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Our next scheduled Test match is against NZ in the UAE and I expect them to give us a hard time like 2015.

I would refrain from tinkering with the line-up that won 2/3 Tests in England.

There’s a lot of questions that could make for some exciting selections like...

Where does Yasir Shah fit into the lineup?

Will Fahim be replaced for an extra batsman?

If so, will it be Fakhar?

Where will he be slotted?

Will we see Shaheen or Juanid? A call-up for Usman or Gohar?

Really? because I think there are very few questions. Faheem and Shadab will consilidate their places in the line-up and Yasir will return. This will grant Mickey's everlasting wish of playing 3 seamers. There will be another spinner in the squad probably Kashif Bhatti who likely won't play unless the twin leg-spin attack of Yasir and Shadab fails.

Don't think Junaid or Shaheen will get called up. For Shaheen it's too early and he's too raw, For Junaid, it's being prone to injuries and the fact that he's already doing well in ODIs?

Fakhar will either be slotted at 6 or as opener but I feel he will get a chance

 

[Snowflake]

I think Fakhar should be allowed to only focus on his limited overs game; at least till the World Cup. So often we've seen batsmen not replicating their form from one format to the other and then losing it altogether. We cannot risk anything even remotely similar happening to Fakhar as he's definitely going to be our clutch player in the World Cup.

 

[shokz1408]

Absolutely, he is the best batsmen we have. He knows how to pace his innings, and plays according to the situation. I think he would be far better than anyone else that you could put in an openers slot for pakistan.

 

[Majid Khan]

Well bear in mind that aggressive and successful ODI opening batsmen like the following names were also successful test batsmen - Saeed Anwar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Virendar Sehwag, Adam Ghilcrist, Chris Gayle, David Warner more recently, so there is no reason why Fakhar Saman can't join that list as he cleary copes well under pressure and shows more responsibility than many of recent Pakistani batsmen.

He can also take inspiration from Hafeez, who has opened the batting for Pakistan in test, ODI and T20 level for such a long period of time without any worries about his position in the team, clearly excelling in all formats as opener.

 

[IMMY69]

100pct yes!!!

He should be opening in all three formats.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Yes.He should be brought at 6 when he’ll likely face the second new ball.

 

[Hasan123]

Yes. He should bat at 5 or 6. We need an attacking player like him in the middle order.

 

[babajee]

He’s an opening batsman and he should open.