Should Imam-ul-Haq be picked in all the three formats for Pakistan?

[Shaka81]

I totally agree too many "professionals" on media platforms always shout for mediocre players coming back. There is no patience as well, when people do a good in a match they get a shabaash but then all your past good innings are forgotten when you have an individual failure here and there.

In regards to Imam though he's a good player but far too slow in that opening powerplay which at times just builds pressure and at times costs us the match. Like you said though he's good by Pakistan standards but nowhere at the top class level.

I think our selectors always had this issue of not realising a player's potential for certain individual formats.

PS I'm from Scotland myself.

The problem is Pakistan don't have a top class opener who Imam is keeping out the team. Until one is developed or "discovered" then Imam is the best option. Fans need to be careful what they wish for or we might have Azhar Ali or Abid Ali opening again.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

The problem is Pakistan don't have a top class opener who Imam is keeping out the team. Until one is developed or "discovered" then Imam is the best option. Fans need to be careful what they wish for or we might have Azhar Ali or Abid Ali opening again.

To be honest I was hoping Azhar would've stayed in the ODI setup a little longer after CT17. I think the last thing i want is for us to go change happy every time a failure occurs.

Biggest problem i have is players not snatching their chances, there is no urgency to do better and keep your place. I think we gave up too early on Shahibzada Farhan he's a possibility and there was another who played well in the Pakistan Cup this year.

 

[shamaan]

I hope fans are not series about imaam,Azhar Ali opening in t20s

 

[ayemgilani86]

I wouldn't say I love Imam but he useful as a stop gap until a better player can be developed. Out of curiosity who would you replace him with? Please not a T20 hack like Sharjeel or someone who has never opened like Saud or Usman Salahuddin. The only alternatives with good List A stats are similar players like Shan Masood or Khurram Manzoor but Imam has more potential than them

any one who averages 25 even but doesnt play with the selfish attitude of Imam which somehow gets encouraged by the management

 

[shamaan]

No he should not play for Pakistan in test cricket he needs to do the hard yards in domestic

 

[Shoaibbtt]

No he should not play for Pakistan in test cricket he needs to do the hard yards in domestic

Absolute no justification for selection when he's done nothing to deserve it, his ODI spot for me is beginning to come under danger with how pathetically he batted in the recent ODI series vs England.

 

[shamaan]

Absolute no justification for selection when he's done nothing to deserve it, his ODI spot for me is beginning to come under danger with how pathetically he batted in the recent ODI series vs England.

Yes I agree but I stil think he's good enough in odis but Abdullah should also be given a chance in odis

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Yes I agree but I stil think he's good enough in odis but Abdullah should also be given a chance in odis

I think with the way Imam keeps batting in the opening PP it's not helping Pakistan's cause, this is the significant difference in making a good score and a poor score. I would drop Fakhar cause i think he's a walking wicket for Abdullah and see how he goes.

 

[sweep_shot]

He should only play Test.

Not good for ODI and T20 currently.

 

[shamaan]

I think with the way Imam keeps batting in the opening PP it's not helping Pakistan's cause, this is the significant difference in making a good score and a poor score. I would drop Fakhar cause i think he's a walking wicket for Abdullah and see how he goes.

Maybe try Abdullah in the odis vs New Zealand with Rizwan

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Maybe try Abdullah in the odis vs New Zealand with Rizwan

Rizwan is a strange case lol. Although his t20 form in opening has been good he hasn't shown the goods in ODI cricket.

My opinion is to start looking elsewhere from Imam and Fakhar in ODIs, Fakhar either throws his wicket away and gets dismissed early with Imam batting like a slow coach and not improving that run rate. However, with that said i would not like to go "change happy" and would drop Fakhar instead, retain Imam and replace Fakhar with Abdullah.

 

[Yasir_ch]

Rabb Da khauff kar.He should not even play cricket.

He is one of the most mediocre talentless player I have ever seen.

He has zero skill he has no talent.He should be dropped from Odis as soon as possible.

 

[shamaan]

Rizwan is a strange case lol. Although his t20 form in opening has been good he hasn't shown the goods in ODI cricket.

My opinion is to start looking elsewhere from Imam and Fakhar in ODIs, Fakhar either throws his wicket away and gets dismissed early with Imam batting like a slow coach and not improving that run rate. However, with that said i would not like to go "change happy" and would drop Fakhar instead, retain Imam and replace Fakhar with Abdullah.

Maybe because he bats in the middle lol not sure why thou.

 

[RyanRyan10]

370 runs @74 against a strong Australia attack. Well done young man.

 

[Amjid Javed]

He should only play Test.

Not good for ODI and T20 currently.

Shouldnt even be in test team, scores soft runs and otherwise goes missing when things get tough.

 

[Concerned]

Looking forward to Imam bringing his patient test batting into the ODI format.

Can not wait for him to shimmer down the wicket and belt the bowl for a single.

 

[Advaith]

Shouldnt even be in test team, scores soft runs and otherwise goes missing when things get tough.

He was highest scorer in final innings of the series ..That's as toughest as it could get ...

 

[shamaan]

He did have a very good series but I was disappointed on how he got out in the third test second Innings.

 

[TeymurBlake]

You could make a case for why he shouldn't be picked all the formats.

His game isn't really suited T20 cricket whereas with the other two, he has shown serious inconsistency.

 

[shamaan]

100 percent no for t20s

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Another chance to play against a weak Aus team. Should’ve tried out Mohammad Harris.

 

[Villager6964]

Why not make him the captain in all three formats?
He is just too good not to be the captain.

 

[Amjid Javed]

He was highest scorer in final innings of the series ..That's as toughest as it could get ...

He threw his wicket away against a nothing shot, bailed out when team needed him most.

 

[Concerned]

I rather have Asif Ali open who will score 1/10 times but the one time will win Pak the game.

Majority of times, Imam would do no harm to the opposition even if he bats the whole 50 overs.

 

[Amjid Javed]

chasing 300+ and blocking half volleys in PP. well done legend that is imam.

 

[Rana]

The op has an issue with me advocating Sharjeel Khan's inclusion in ODI and T20i but wants Pakistan to have Imam ul Haq as a T20i opener instead.

The guy is barely hanging on due to friendship in ODI's, his most impressive format in terms of numbers

 

[Rana]

Imam is a really good opener for Pakistani standards and the over the top criticism that he receives is nonsense.

He should be our first-choice opener in Tests and ODIs.

People talk about explosive openers like Warner, Bairstow, Roy, Finch etc. and how Imam does not fit the bill, but they conveniently forget that these explosive openers are quite consistent as well.

You can be as explosive as you want but if you are not scoring runs consistently then your explosiveness will be counter-productive.

Yes we would all love to have an opener with 40+ average and 100+ SR but we do not have such players.

Imam is the best that we have got.

My word.

 

[Rana]

With Babar out due to injury

Should Pakistan include Imam-Ul-Haq in their T20 line up?

The next time you try and cuss me for wanting Sharjeel Khan in the side, boy you better get ready for the smackdown I will layeth on you

 

[as-95]

This guy is a nothing player. Worse than Ahmed Shehzad. Get him out of the team. Opposition has scored 300 plus but he is ambling along eating up deliveries with dot balls despite being well set.

 

[iRfaN_LA]

This guy is a nothing player. Worse than Ahmed Shehzad. Get him out of the team. Opposition has scored 300 plus but he is ambling along eating up deliveries with dot balls despite being well set.

He will get to 50 at this pathetic SR and cement his place for next 2 series.

 

[Major]

A player with a good batting avg should be dropped because our tobty tobty fans wabt 6s and 4s

 

[as-95]

He will get to 50 at this pathetic SR and cement his place for next 2 series.

Exactly. Its like he has been airdropped into this era from the 80s... even openers in the 90s played quicker than him. Dosgraceful embarassment. Get him out of here.

 

[as-95]

Ngl, his face annoying to look at too. He should be be booted out for that reason alone .

 

[MenInG]

Imam needs to win this for us after staying on for so long

 

[Amjid Javed]

Imam needs to win this for us after staying on for so long

Dont worry he will bat through inns for a unless 90 or 100. Hes just letting run rate climb and letting batsmen at other end take risks.

 

[RyanRyan10]

Fighting a lone battle and still getting bashed. Why are PPers always so harsh on Imam?

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">8 hundreds and 10 fifties for Imam-ul-Haq in just his 47th ODI innings <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/erapX8uSo1">pic.twitter.com/erapX8uSo1</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1508851362825744392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Kianig89]

Out of 8 tons how many of those in winning cause

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Fighting a lone battle and still getting bashed. Why are PPers always so harsh on Imam?

You call that fighting? He was standing idle in the middle of no man’s land whilst watching his comrades being taken down.

 

[Wahid1234]

We needs to discard him quicker than we throw an empty can of coke in the bin 🗑…. Bring back sharjeel problem solved..

 

[A.A.Z]

I think Imam is the best player of spin in the current era of Pakistan cricket. Malik etc are from a different era. He uses his feet very well against spin and played the Aus spinners very well throughout the test series and the first ODI.

The game yesterday followed a similar template to the 2018 Asia Cup matches in Abu Dhabi against Bangladesh and Afghanistan. In those games Fakhar also got out early after which Imam and Babar batted slowly to steady the ship before another collapse against the spinners but in the Afghanistan game Malik bailed us out.

Imam has a glaring weakness against the short ball and inswing. But he's very good in low bounce conditions and against spin. I believe he would be better suited to the middle order for this reason where the ball isn't as hard so easier to play the short ball and there isn't much inswing either so easier to negotiate the pacers.

He can thrive against spin in the middle overs and play a similar role as Tom Latham does for NZ in Odi's. He can possibly switch positions with Rizwan who has thrived as an opener in T20s.

 

[Amjid Javed]

I think Imam is the best player of spin in the current era of Pakistan cricket. Malik etc are from a different era. He uses his feet very well against spin and played the Aus spinners very well throughout the test series and the first ODI.

The game yesterday followed a similar template to the 2018 Asia Cup matches in Abu Dhabi against Bangladesh and Afghanistan. In those games Fakhar also got out early after which Imam and Babar batted slowly to steady the ship before another collapse against the spinners but in the Afghanistan game Malik bailed us out.

Imam has a glaring weakness against the short ball and inswing. But he's very good in low bounce conditions and against spin. I believe he would be better suited to the middle order for this reason where the ball isn't as hard so easier to play the short ball and there isn't much inswing either so easier to negotiate the pacers.

He can thrive against spin in the middle overs and play a similar role as Tom Latham does for NZ in Odi's. He can possibly switch positions with Rizwan who has thrived as an opener in T20s.

Good player of spin? did you see his dismissals vs lyon during test series?

 

[Rana]

I think Imam is the best player of spin in the current era of Pakistan cricket. Malik etc are from a different era. He uses his feet very well against spin and played the Aus spinners very well throughout the test series and the first ODI.

The game yesterday followed a similar template to the 2018 Asia Cup matches in Abu Dhabi against Bangladesh and Afghanistan. In those games Fakhar also got out early after which Imam and Babar batted slowly to steady the ship before another collapse against the spinners but in the Afghanistan game Malik bailed us out.

Imam has a glaring weakness against the short ball and inswing. But he's very good in low bounce conditions and against spin. I believe he would be better suited to the middle order for this reason where the ball isn't as hard so easier to play the short ball and there isn't much inswing either so easier to negotiate the pacers.

He can thrive against spin in the middle overs and play a similar role as Tom Latham does for NZ in Odi's. He can possibly switch positions with Rizwan who has thrived as an opener in T20s.

Mate, he doesn’t have a clue against spin. He is a new age PS4/Mummy Daddy cricketer.

The man was defending balls pitched way outside leg instead of padding them away. He doesn’t understand cricket. The great Inzimam would be embarrassed to see his legacy and blood making a joke out of cricket the way he did on Day 5 in Lahore

 

[A.A.Z]

Good player of spin? did you see his dismissals vs lyon during test series?

Mate, he doesn’t have a clue against spin. He is a new age PS4/Mummy Daddy cricketer.

The man was defending balls pitched way outside leg instead of padding them away. He doesn’t understand cricket. The great Inzimam would be embarrassed to see his legacy and blood making a joke out of cricket the way he did on Day 5 in Lahore

I am one of Imam's biggest critics and would rather not have him in the team. He's a toxic individual who butters up his seniors and treats juniors like trash which was seen multiple times in the National t20 when he captained Balochistan. But apart from one LBW dismissal against Lyon he never got out because of a lack of ability to play spin.

Defending balls outside leg stump has nothing to do with his ability to play spin that's just dumb thought process and strategy which led to one of his dismissals while another was due to a rash shot where he failed to beat the infield going over the top. He won't be defending many balls outside leg in ODI's anyways.

i am no Imam fan whatsoever but he is far more at ease against spin than some of our golden boys and if he's going to be played in the ODI team he shouldn't be opening where he will struggle against short stuff from the hard new ball along with inswing.

 

[shaz619]

Imam ul Haq should be wrapped in cotton wool

 

[MenInG]

 

[RyanRyan10]

Back to back brilliant 100s. Where are the haters now?

 

[shamaan]

Back to back brilliant 100s. Where are the haters now?

They are all sleeping in shame.

 

[shamaan]

Imaam ul Haq best Innings to date.