What's new

Should one of Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan open in ODIs?

Bilal Ahmad15

Bilal Ahmad15

Local Club Regular
Joined
Jun 6, 2018
Runs
1,582
Post of the Week
4
Well looking at all the threads and comments, it looks like so many things are falling apart... At the wrong time...

So now here is what I have to say

In the next ODI warm up, try one of Rizwan or Babar as an ODI opener, and if they play at a SR that they play in a T20I, that would be great.

1. Imam Ul-Haq (but play Fakhar instead for the next warmup)
2. Mohammad Rizwan
3. Babar Azam
4. Saud Shakeel
5 & 6 Agha Salman Ai Ifitkhar Ahmed (any order)
 
I like this, because after the class innings Saud Shakeel just played, having Rizwan open would suit Saud Shakeel at number 4, and also means we have as deep of a batting lineup as possible, which is what we are going to need if matches are going to be scores of 300, 350...
 
I guess give Babar Azam a shot. But I figure he’s too timid to open the batting. Fakhar Zaman has totally lost it. We’ve got to reshuffle mate.
 
Abdullah and Imam both don’t inspire me with confidence

They just won’t play cricket at the modern rate.

Babar is better off opening the innings
 
yes open with babar and Imam and adjust Saud shakeel in the middle.

we have to extend the batting else we cant win matches with this mediocre bowling.
 
Lets say Imam plays at a ~80 SR, then have Babar or Rizwan open at a ~120 SR, scoring 4s that they usually do in T20I

Then Pakistan would be in a better position imo
 
Absolutely not. You must be from T20 generation…
They should bring back Fakhar to open and play all the batters at the slots where they’ve been playing and scoring runs for past few years now. Rizwan seems to be settling down at no4 and Ifti at no6. These are great signs and they shouldn’t experiment now
 
Hard to open in an ODI when you also have to keep for 50 overs potentially.

Babar can open perhaps.
 
Farabi said:
Absolutely not. You must be from T20 generation…
They should bring back Fakhar to open and play all the batters at the slots where they’ve been playing and scoring runs for past few years now. Rizwan seems to be settling down at no4 and Ifti at no6. These are great signs and they shouldn’t experiment now
Click to expand...
Fair enough, one reason I was suggesting this since it seems Fakhar has been dropped now

(but personally I will still have Fakhar due to his match-winning potential)
 
Fakhar should be tried for opening in next warmup match on this flat pancake pitch of Hyderabad
 
Fakhar should continue to open with Imam. Rizwan should be the back up opener. Agha should make way for Saud as Saud has been showing good improvement on his power game. Saud should bat at 4 and Rizwan at 5. Good to have left right combo at 3 and 4. Rizwan at 5 shows more urgency earlier on than Rizwan at 4 does.
 
Ngl, I'd gave rizwan open with Fakhar/Imam/Abdullah depending on form.

Saud needs to be at 4. Rizwan would want to eye that opening slot anyway.
 
If Rizwan and Babar that would be our strongest ODI opening partnership. ODIs are easier to have high averages. If Rizwan and Babar can do it there they can do it in ODIs. The guys that fail in ODIs but succeed in t20 are the hacks who slog everything. Which isn’t those two. The guys that succeed with ODIs and not t20s are guys who can not bat at a high enough SR like Imam. Rizwan and Babar should be more suited to ODIs not less and being that consistent in ODIs would be extremely powerful.

However the sad matter is that no one else can bat 3. Maybe why Babar should move down to 3 in t20s as no one else can do it.

Rizwan is still doing ok at 4. Most batsmen we have will struggle there. Most openers definitely will. So he bats there for the good of the team. With Saud in the team, Rizwan should bat 5 to accommodate that too.

I think it’s a big problem that we have different teams for ODIs and t20s. It should be virtually the same team really at similar positions. But because we have these ODI specialists like Imam, Fakhar (yes he counts given his poor t20 record even opening) etc we play this strange system.
 
We should go with Imam, Abdullah, Babar, Rizwan, Saud as our top 5 at least in the first half of the world cup.
 
Bilal Ahmad15 said:
I like this, because after the class innings Saud Shakeel just played, having Rizwan open would suit Saud Shakeel at number 4, and also means we have as deep of a batting lineup as possible, which is what we are going to need if matches are going to be scores of 300, 350...
Click to expand...
The depth won't change. You'll still have Nawaz at #8. I agree though, if Fakhar and Imam fail in the next warmup, Rizwan should open against Netherlands.

You have to give our openers one more shot though.
 
Try to get batsman till 10.. and use more spinners

1. Shafique
2. Babar
3. Rizwan
4. Saud Shakeel
5. Salman
6. Iftikhar
7. Shadab
8. Nawaz
9. Usama/Abrar
10. Shaheen
11. Rauf
 
I think this is the time that babar should come as an openner along with Abdullah so u can drop Imam and bring in Salman Agha down the order.
 
Babar can (actually should) open in ODI, but not Rizwan for two reasons - 1. First don’t try to fix something not broken. He is batting very well at four - so far have saved PAK twice, against Holland & then SRL. Don’t think any other PAK batsman including Babar could have stayed till end and chased 345 clinically - that too after keeping for 50 overs in South Indian heat. 2. Main reason is that, I don’t think he is technically good enough to open against hard ball. If he opens, opponent pacers will target him with a barrage of bouncers - either he’ll get out or survive doing an Imam job.

Babar is technically equipped, brilliant touch player who can exploit the gaps in PP and opening the innings, he would face his nemesis lesser than being in middle order - pressure.

…. but that comes with a challenge of dropping CS’s nephew - not sure a risk worth taking. At this point, Abdullah must not be dropped while Imam at three might be a disaster.

And they should put Saud at three then.

1/2 - Babar, Abdullah
3-6 - Saud, Riz, FZ/Haris, Iftekhar
7 - Shadab OR Nawaz, not both
8 - Mir
9-10-Jack - usual picks, not much options left. Wasim doesn’t give me confidence about game identity - bowling figure might confuse us weather it’s an ODI or T20.
 
Babar
Abdullah
Fakhar (if it works in T20s then why not ODIs?)
Rizwan
Shadab
Ifti :facepalm:
Agha
Nawaz :facepalm:
Usama
Wasim :facepalm:
Shaheen
Rauf
 
Syed1 said:
Babar
Abdullah
Fakhar (if it works in T20s then why not ODIs?)
Rizwan
Shadab
Ifti :facepalm:
Agha
Nawaz :facepalm:
Usama
Wasim :facepalm:
Shaheen
Rauf
Click to expand...
Just realized I put Shadab when I wanted to put Saud. LOOL
 
I don't understand that in T20 cricket neither of them wants to leave the opening slots and in ODIs neither of them wants to step into the opening position.

We cant have such openers who are unable to hold their ground at the wicket for a full 10 overs.
 
Cricket Warrior said:
I don't understand that in T20 cricket neither of them wants to leave the opening slots and in ODIs neither of them wants to step into the opening position.

We cant have such openers who are unable to hold their ground at the wicket for a full 10 overs.
Click to expand...
Misbah ul Haq influence. Usage of walking wickets as openers. Place self at #3/4 to play hero.
 
Cricket Warrior said:
I don't understand that in T20 cricket neither of them wants to leave the opening slots and in ODIs neither of them wants to step into the opening position.

We cant have such openers who are unable to hold their ground at the wicket for a full 10 overs.
Click to expand...
Rizwan can easily slot into that opening position. He is perfect for that number. Abdullah and Rizwan can open considering Imam is also playing pretty bad to be still in the team.
 
Rizwan can play at any position but for opening he will need the right partner. Pairing him up with Imam would be a disaster as as run out will always be on the cards.

Rizwan to open + Babar at 4 could work
 
daytrader said:
Rizwan can play at any position but for opening he will need the right partner. Pairing him up with Imam would be a disaster as as run out will always be on the cards.

Rizwan to open + Babar at 4 could work
Click to expand...
Imam is not the one for him to open the innings with in these circumstances. I will go with Abdullah and Rizwan.
 
If management and captain's plan is to try Babar at no. 3 in the upcoming series then I'm all for it. Babar is actually more suitable at no. 3 than Rizwan.
 
RidiculousMan said:
If management and captain's plan is to try Babar at no. 3 in the upcoming series then I'm all for it. Babar is actually more suitable at no. 3 than Rizwan.
Click to expand...
What series are you talking about?
Pakistan is not playing any ODI till next November 2024.
 
In the last few matches, Babar has been technically batting as an opener due to the opening disaster. He mostly comes to bat in the 3rd or 4th over so why not give him a chance to play as an opener and utilize 1 middle order slot with any other suitable battsman.
 
I think Babar should have taken the risk and opened in the WC. It allows him to control the game from the start and I am sure that he would have a got a 100 or 2 and we would have won the extra game to reach the SF. But we will never know
 
Bewal Express said:
I think Babar should have taken the risk and opened in the WC. It allows him to control the game from the start and I am sure that he would have a got a 100 or 2 and we would have won the extra game to reach the SF. But we will never know
Click to expand...
Yup it's very much true.

But the problem is that Babar doesn't want to come out of his comfort zone.

In T20s he doesn't want to leave the opening slot and in ODIs he never goes up to open the innings.
 
Cricket Warrior said:
Yup it's very much true.

But the problem is that Babar doesn't want to come out of his comfort zone.

In T20s he doesn't want to leave the opening slot and in ODIs he never goes up to open the innings.
Click to expand...
We have a surplus of openers in ODI. And no one else who can play 3. He can’t leave his no.3 spot as a result. I’m sure he’s contemplated opening.

Babar opens in t20 mainly because we had no good openers there. He didn’t start off there. There’s no guarantee that the new opener will excel if Babar drops down. If sharjeel didn’t fix, or fakhar actually performed when opening I don’t think Babar would want to open. He opens in PSL mainly because he might as well play in the same position to get practice for internationals.

I don’t really think it’s to do with selfishness with Babar. I myself would try him at 3 for t20s again but I get why he wants to open. It is more down to the inability of his team mates to adapt to positions like Babar can. Which is probably because they just aren’t as well rounded batsmen as he is.
 
Rizwan can definitely be slotted into the opening position but Babar has to be our number 3 for sure. No need to poke around with his batting position in ODIs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

BouncerGuy
“I do not think Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan can be ruled out completely”: Salman Butt
Replies
18
Views
805
RedwoodOriginal
RedwoodOriginal
Savak
  • Poll Poll
Who is a more mentally tough and resilient cricketer? Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan?
Replies
62
Views
2K
Greenstorm
Greenstorm
The Bald Eagle
[PICTURE] No Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan or Shaheen Shah Afridi as Saim Ayub reveals his dream T20I World XI
Replies
31
Views
1K
Sunny_majoka
Sunny_majoka
Ball Blazer
[EXCLUSIVE] "It would be a great injustice to end Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s T20I career”: Tanvir Ahmed
Replies
3
Views
648
MenInG
MenInG
BouncerGuy
  • Poll Poll
Who should Pakistan appoint as the new Test captain?
Replies
37
Views
845
BunnyRabbit
B
Back
Top