Should Pakistan have opted for a nightwatchman after the fall of the second wicket?

[Bhaijaan]

Absolutely appealing that no night watchman was used.

Was there even a point of exposing Babar today?

You are 2 down. Just 5 overs to go.

Should have sent Shaheen or Yasir and hope they defended.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Should have protected Babar Azam by using night watchman.

Dumb captaincy and team management, sorry for being harsh but this made no sense.

3 main batsmen out. Could have protected at least 1 of them with a night watchman.

 

[Green Patriot]

Should have protected Babar Azam by using night watchman.

Dumb captaincy and team management, sorry for being harsh but this made no sense.

3 main batsmen out. Could have protected at least 1 of them with a night watchman.

Agreed. Especially since they were on field the whole day and a night's rest would have potentially given him much needed freshness and concentration tomorrow.

 

[Firebat]

Should have protected Babar Azam by using night watchman.

Dumb captaincy and team management, sorry for being harsh but this made no sense.

3 main batsmen out. Could have protected at least 1 of them with a night watchman.

The bowlers just grinded for 2 days and you wanted to send one of them out for 6 overs vs completely fresh Archer and Anderson after a 15 minute rest.

Meanwhile, Babar has been standing at 1st slip for 2 days. You can't blame our best batsman getting out on team management not sending a bowler to bat for him. He was more than good enough to get through that spell till stumps, and he will know that and be as disappointed as anyone else.

Those bowlers probably wouldn't have had the energy to lift up a bat, none of them would have lasted 4 balls.

 

[Thephenom]

Not when your nearly 600 runs behind and there’s only 3 overs left

 

[Bhaijaan]

The bowlers just grinded for 2 days and you wanted to send one of them out for 6 overs vs completely fresh Archer and Anderson after a 15 minute rest.

Meanwhile, Babar has been standing at 1st slip for 2 days. You can't blame our best batsman getting out on team management not sending a bowler to bat for him. He was more than good enough to get through that spell till stumps, and he will know that and be as disappointed as anyone else.

Those bowlers probably wouldn't have had the energy to lift up a bat, none of them would have lasted 4 balls.

These are things you do for team.

No selfishness in trying to preserve a main batsman for another proper outing next day.

Babar Azam had no point batting today for 5 overs.

 

[Firebat]

These are things you do for team.

No selfishness in trying to preserve a main batsman for another proper outing next day.

Babar Azam had no point batting today for 5 overs.

What is the point in any of the batsmen batting those 10 overs? Should've just sent Yasir and Naseem to open, with Shaheen at 3 and Abbas at 4. Preserve the batsmen for the actual batting.

 

[Bhaijaan]

What is the point in any of the batsmen batting those 10 overs? Should've just sent Yasir and Naseem to open, with Shaheen at 3 and Abbas at 4. Preserve the batsmen for the actual batting.

That actually would have made sense.

I would rather have two tail ender's down today than my two premier batsmen.

 

[sweep_shot]

NWM is a great idea. I think it is a good way to protect your best batsman.

Pakistan should've sent in Yasir Shah instead of Babar Azam.

 

[Kaddy]

Actually i wrote this in the match thread itself, Misbah should have sent a night watchman for last five overs.

Babar azam is a nervous starter but once set he can score freely and we have witnessed this throughout this series.

In the first test first innings, he was batting exceptionally well but then rain interrupted, when he came back next morning, he got out early.

Now tomorrow, after half an hour of play, wicket will be better. Babar could have scored big and at least could have saved Pakistan from innings defeat.

Same happened in the last series against Bangladesh, when got out early in the morning.

Knowing the team was on the field for two days, management should have protected its best batsman and sent Yasir as night watchman.

The concept of night watchman is not a negative mindset, it's called thinking out of the box. Many captains in the past have done this.

Misbah-ul-Haq used to hide himself at no. 5 or 6 throughout his career, that is called negative mindset.

 

[Kaddy]

What is the point in any of the batsmen batting those 10 overs? Should've just sent Yasir and Naseem to open, with Shaheen at 3 and Abbas at 4. Preserve the batsmen for the actual batting.

Normally, openers are supposed to come for batting even if its only 1 over left but at least you can protect your number 4 by sending a night watchman.

In 1936's Ashes series, during the Melbourne test, Sir Don Bradman reversed his whole batting order, just to protect his openers and himself. Bradman scored 270 while batting at number 7 and the opener Fingleton scored 136 at number 6. Australia won the match.

(Disclaimer, I am not comparing Babar azam with Bradman)

 

[Bhaijaan]

Imagine if night watchman had done his job and you had Babar Azam with the chance to bat out the entire day today on a beautiful batting pitch,.potentially scoring a match saving 160 not out by the end of day

 

[QalandarFan]

If only we had sent in a night watchman, I would have had a tiny bit of excitement for today’s day of test cricket watching Babar bat and all, but oh well.

 

[Bhaijaan]

If only we had sent in a night watchman, I would have had a tiny bit of excitement for today’s day of test cricket watching Babar bat and all, but oh well.

Shoaib Akhtar has tweeted about it.

I wonder if this question was asked in press conference yesterday? [MENTION=93712]MenInG[/MENTION] @Saj

 

[MenInG]

Shoaib Akhtar has tweeted about it.

I wonder if this question was asked in press conference yesterday? [MENTION=93712]MenInG[/MENTION] @Saj

Yes it was asked:

Fawad Alam said:

"It was too early to send in a nightwatchman as when Babar went into bat, half an hour of play was still left at that time, which is a lot of time for a nightwatchman to spend at the crease”

“The batsman is asked if he needs a nightwatchman and it depends on whether he says he is comfortable batting at that time or not; 8 overs were left at that time and Babar was comfortable so he went into bat"

 

[stevewittry]

Two quick wickets in succession and Azhar not having the best season with the bat, and a tricky session survive towards the closing minutes of second day after toiling the better part of 2 days on the field. Also the series is at stake and the pitch was doing a few tricks.

All these factors needed to preserve your best batsman so that he can start fresh on Day 3 after having an overnight rest and not having to deal with the last session.

However, I feel it was wrong to send Babar at the fall of second wicket and instead should have gone for a night watchman - the likes of Yasir Shah who himself is a very useful lower order bat. Other option would have been Asad Shafiq who typically performs in crisis when the chips are down.

Did Pak team think tank did a blunder and at the same time put series at risk by pushing Babar to bat at the time of the day when the pitch was getting unplayable?

 

[Junaids]

Absolutely.

 

[Mueez]

Yes.

 

[angrypathan]

Was taking the OP seriously till he claimed Shafiq performs when the chips are down. On topic, the nightwatchman wouldn't have survived either.

 

[Fahdi]

That's what I thought but Yasir being too tired was my only concern.

 

[Kenpachi]

I think thus question was asked on another thread and someone quoted Fawad as stating that the batsmen decides. In this instance Babar decided a night watchmen wasnt needed.

In addition, I'm not sure a night watchmen woukd have helped because:

A) We don't have an adequate night watchmen
B) Anderson was likely to have got them out anyway

 

[Majid Khan]

I thought Abid Ali was sent last night, what do you mean, that there should have been night watchmen at both ends ?

 

[MMHS]

NWM is decided by the batsman himself - many players don’t like that option. Personally, I don’t like because it just pushes regular batsmen one slot down, makes tail shorter (means the last recognised batsman often is left alone or has to go after the ball) and it often gifts bowling side a soft wicket early in morning. And, if the NWM get out before stumps- disaster.

 

[Bhaijaan]

I think thus question was asked on another thread and someone quoted Fawad as stating that the batsmen decides. In this instance Babar decided a night watchmen wasnt needed.

In addition, I'm not sure a night watchmen woukd have helped because:

A) We don't have an adequate night watchmen
B) Anderson was likely to have got them out anyway

This is the fair point.

Does Pakistan have an adequate NWM anyway? Because Junaid bhai keeps saying Pakistan has three #11s in their team.

Answer is Yasir Shah. The guy has a century to his name in Australia.

 

[ZamanFan]

Hilarious that some think Nightwatchman would've saved Babar Azam. For a tailender to survive 8 overs with Anderson bowling not ppssible. It would be reading 41 for 5. Azam isn't that fab as some people think. If Root wants Azam he'll get him in first few overs. He just needs to keep the 4 slips and a gully. And keep the gast bowlers bowling the full spell. They have planned beforehand which players they'll go easy on. England literally allowed Shan Masood to make a 100. This is giving long term damage to Pakistan. They know our corrupt system better than us.

 

[Bhaijaan]

This is a batting surface. Azhar Ali is able to cash in after having spent some good time..

Had Pakistan team used their brain to save Babar Azam's wicket yesterday, he'd also be gunning for century right now.

In hindsight obviously

But probably a big strategic blunder

 

[Bhaijaan]

Pakistan are 130/2 today so far

One guy dismissed under cloudy weather early on against new ball.