Should Saeed Ajmal have bowled the last over against the Aussies at the 2010 World T20?

[Saj]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it and we are all captains sat in our armchairs at home

Ajmal was Afridi's trusted bowler at the death, but did Shahid get it wrong yesterday, given Hussey was at the crease?

 

[AZ]

yes, he should have, you have to back the bowler who's done the deed throughout the tournament...would most definitely give it to Saeed again.

 

[KA$H]

without a doubt

pak's best bowler of the tourno

unfourtunately he was tournadoed by Hussey - who would have done it to any bowler in the world

 

[s.h.a.k]

i know ajmal beens are best bowler but yesterday the aussies were hitting the spinners with ease, ajmal shouldv bowled the 19th over and aamer the 20th but what can you say now, i was still backing ajmal not to get hit for 18 anyways but cant still cant beleive it.

 

[OZGOD]

Absolutely. He got it wrong but he was the right choice.

 

[chui_kadoo]

Sohail Tanvir mentioned in an interview yesturday that Saed Ajmal is shaky against lefthanders and does not have the same affect as to the right handers and should not have bowled the last over. He also mentioned that we should not of let them get that close in the first place and should of taken the completely out the game before the last over was bowled.

 

[Sufi Malang]

YES! He was your best bowler in this tournament and probably 2nd best in the last tournament.

I think where Afridi did went wrong was when he brought Amir for 17th over. I think he should have brought AJMAL for 17th, so that Amir would have bowled the last over this way!!!

But again, the way AJmal had bowled all along the tournament (remember he bowled the last over against SA as well), I think most of the captains would have given him the ball...

 

[dhump]

Ajmal was the perfect choice he failed yesterday but he did it again and again since last world cup yes he was the rite choice but he bowled miserably.

 

[AZ]

YES! He was your best bowler in this tournament and probably 2nd best in the last tournament.

I think where Afridi did went wrong was when he brought Amir for 17th over. I think he should have brought AJMAL for 17th, so that Amir would have bowled the last over this way!!!

But again, the way AJmal had bowled all along the tournament (remember he bowled the last over against SA as well), I think most of the captains would have given him the ball...

I think the end from which Aamer did eventually bowl was the one he preferred.

 

[RexRex]

I thought it was a bad choice before the 20th over commenced.I was quickly reminded of the rapid ton Huss made in the first IPL where he belted the spinners all over the park with ease.


Walloping a spinner is far easier than pace when you have 18 runs to get !

 

[chui_kadoo]

I thought it was a bad choice before the 20th over commenced.I was quickly reminded of the rapid ton Huss made in the first IPL where he belted the spinners all over the park with ease.


Walloping a spinner is far easier than pace when you have 18 runs to get !

true with a spinner u either hit a six or u completely miss, wheras with the fast bowler its very difficult hit sixes if the ball is bowled in the right area. There is more margin for error for a fast bowler, hence it was a much bigger risk to bowl ajmal in the final over against an inform left handed mike hussey.

 

[s.h.a.k]

thats true hitting a spinner is easier then pace but who else was there to bowl razzaq wouldv been risky too, aamer shouldv bowled it thats the only mistake afridi probably made and playing either sami or asif instead of hafeez wouldv been better, but ajmal has been our star in 2020 it was a tough call but most people would have been backing ajmal but not to hussey who just loves spinners.

 

[HuZi]

He should have switched the overs somehow so Aamer could bowl the last over, I aint saying that Ajmal is a bad bowler or anything he did it quite good ( the last over bowling) in the past. But it would be harde voor Hussey to hit aamer for 18 runs if aamer would keep bowling offstump yorkers. But yeah it happened and let it rest now

 

[Asif khan]

I don't think he should have bowled the last over.

It is always a big gamble to bowl a spinner in the last few overs no matter ho good they are.

Roll back to the New Zealand match where he bowled his last over to Nathan McCullum.

Ajmal completely bamboozled him but he managed to pick the very last delivery of the innings and it went out of the park. Let's not forget we only lost by one run.

I wasn't comfortable with spinners bowling at the death then, i'm more uncomfortable now.

They simply have no margin for error.

 

[Fazz]

Afridi made the wright choice we just missed umar gul BADLY!!!

 

[sali]

Spinner is never the best choice for last over but unless you have Gul, Ajmal is the 2nd best choice for Pakistan. Ameer is too young and inexperinced to be given such responsibility.

Key issue was that there was no captain in the last two overs. Why was the play not stopped? Captain should have discussed the strategy with the bowlers and taken some time to break the momentum.

 

[*sallu*]

It was a very 50-50 decision to be honest

I would have had a straight swap for Ajmal and Aamer in both the RSA and Aus matches.
Its just too risky bowling a spinner in the last over, but then again, when it worked out against RSA, Afridi was tempted to go for the same tactics against Australia.

 

[Atif]

It was a big risk, could have gone either way, but since Aus only needed 18 runs, i would have not had Ajmal bowling the final over

 

[Safar55]

I think one of the best traits to have in most SPORTS if not all... is the ability to adapt and overcome during the heat of battle. To show flexibility, smartness and keeping a cool head when others around you are losing theirs.

To be flexible and be able to change the gameplan according to cicumstances... I don't want to criticise Afridi as he has other great charateristics that make him a good captain... although cunning and smartness are not his strongest points. The team that adapts best and makes the adjustments based on circumstances and opposition always do better... Now there's no guarantee Hussey wouldn't have smashed Ajmal for the 2nd last over.... and we will never know... however i think based on who was at the crease it would've been better for Aamir to try the last over.

The ability to adapt and adjust your gameplan is key to victory against elite teams like Australia. Having said that sometimes you can try everything and the opposition will still find a way to overcome. Hussey was just the wrong cricketer for Pak....he's smarter than most and he out thought the Pak team yesterday... not many could've done that.

Pak didn't play bad cricket or even dumb cricket yesterday, but Chappell is right when he says we need to be smarter. And it's the smartest and most skillful teams/individuals that usually do the best in ALL SPORTS

 

[farsiddiqui]

Hussey scored 16 runs off of Aamer in the 19th over. The way he was playing, I don't think the choice of bowler would have mattered. If Ajmal would have bowled the 19th, who knows how little the target would have been to defend for Aamer any way.

We should have choked them in the middle overs to not leave any hope. With Australia, if they have even a theoretical chance, they fully believe to win it till the last man standing.

Hope we can learn from Australia if we are in this type of a situation chasing. Any other team would have folded after the top wickets fell chasing such a mammoth total.

Australia is Australia for a reason. Hats off to them.

 

[UntouchablePlaya]

i know ajmal beens are best bowler but yesterday the aussies were hitting the spinners with ease, ajmal shouldv bowled the 19th over and aamer the 20th but what can you say now, i was still backing ajmal not to get hit for 18 anyways but cant still cant beleive it.

I agree with you!!

 

[its.raja]

He was the right choice. Ajmal was doing great job in last overs in previous matches. However, this is what Captain has to learn and make the changes according to the match situation and looking at the batsmen if he is good against spinners or fast bowlers.

 

[mZj]

we are all captains sat in our armchairs at home

) ) true

 

[Safar55]

With Hussey staying back in the crease... was there any particular delivery Ajmal could've gone for that would have prevented or at least made it difficult the ball going to or above the boundary?

Did Ajmal bowl the right delivery- but was Hussey just too good? or did Ajmal not bowl the right deliveries due to pressure or other than that? and did Ajmal make it easier for Hussey?

 

[srh]

I never liked the idea of a spinner bowling the last over. So its not just Saeed Ajmal. Even if Shane Warne was available I would not give him the last over.

 

[Wiji]

Absolutely. He got it wrong but he was the right choice.

I just watched the highlights again. He actually didn't get it wrong. He bowled one ball on the leg side, two on the off. There was nothing he could do. On another day, Hussey would've charged down and gotten stumped. It didn't happen yesterday.

The only thing he could've done was perhaps ball fuller, but I have no doubt Hussey would've dispatched those out of the ground as well. He was possessed.

This poll is a good show of support for Ajmal. He broke down in tears after the match. Must be really tough on any sportsman to lose like that. Let's all get behind him. Saj can convey our messages to him. He's still in the top 3 best T20 bowlers in the world. No doubt.

He'll be back soon.

 

[IAJ]

Really liked this picture where where Salman consoles Ajmal after the defeat:

 

[RehanG]

never understood ajmals tactic he knew wind was also going on to leg side and yet he bowled most of them on leg and mid/leg he should have bowled on off stump or even wider as it would be almost impossible to hit six in to the wind plus if he would have tried he should have gone.. last over of ajmal was really brainless which i really didn't expected from him.

 

[Safar55]

Ajmal is probably one of the craftiest T20 spin bowlers around. I liked the way Clarke smiled when Ajmal fooled him in his first over. I remember the same happening in earlier matches last year with Aus when Ajmal first made a name for himself. I hope some of the Aussies went over to Ajmal afterwards to offer some words it would be a good gesture after such a great game.

Hope this doesn't affect him too much, still top class and with fully fit and on form Guls support in the death overs - Pak will have good chances for the future. Would have an in form Gul bowl the final over...and maybe even go back to a Plan A of Ajmal and Afridi in the middle overs and Faster bowlers at the end...although like I said we should be able to adjust with the current situation in mind.

 

[Noman]

Sohail Tanvir mentioned in an interview yesturday that Saed Ajmal is shaky against lefthanders and does not have the same affect as to the right handers and should not have bowled the last over. He also mentioned that we should not of let them get that close in the first place and should of taken the completely out the game before the last over was bowled.

Bhai I really think Sohail Tanvir is right.. I was thinking the same, that Ajmal is a bit shaky against the lefthanders. We do not have many left handers in out team.. Have to agree with Sohail Tanvir.

 

[Zaz]

In hindsight no...

However during match i was glad he was bowling the last over, hes done it before successfully and was the best choice

Unfortunately he was bowling to hussey!!!!!!

 

[Juggernaut]

Its all hindsight really.

As someone else pointed out 9 times out of 10 Ajmal would have bowled a more than decent over.

It just wasn't his day. Still doesn't detract from the fact that he's a good T20 bowler.

 

[Imr4n_Khan]

Ajmal has bowled great at the death of innings, so I don't see why he shouldn't have bowled the last over. If Gul was there and Afridi choose Ajmal to bowel the last over then I would question Afridi. I think every Pakistani trusted Ajmal to bowel the last over. I don't know what happened to him or where he went wrong.

 

[AZ]

Huseey happened to him, that's what.

 

[Kray_jackson7]

Yep, SA needed 17 with a big hitter like morkel and they managed 4.

He was the right choice but he just didnt bowl his best. doesnt matter. we move on from here. next time umar gul will be back with his 4 overs.

 

[chui_kadoo]

Bhai I really think Sohail Tanvir is right.. I was thinking the same, that Ajmal is a bit shaky against the lefthanders. We do not have many left handers in out team.. Have to agree with Sohail Tanvir.

I have seen quite a few interview's from sohair tanvir recently. The guy definitely makes some valid points about pakistan cricket in general and seems quite astute. Maybe the time with shane warne helped him think differently.

 

[chui_kadoo]

Yep, SA needed 17 with a big hitter like morkel and they managed 4.

He was the right choice but he just didnt bowl his best. doesnt matter. we move on from here. next time umar gul will be back with his 4 overs.

The point is with spin it either six or a miss. There is too bigger margin for error when bowling spin. Even nathan Mcculum managed a six againts Ajmal which proved decisive in that game. Full and straight yorkers are the only in death bowling as shown by tait in the last over and Umar Gul in the last 2 world cups.

 

[Pak Raptor]

Ajmal is a champion, one performance does not make him a bad bowler, he has performed for us on many occasions. Keep your head up son. It was not meant to be, just accept it and move on.

 

[pakcricketfan]

Its all hindsight really.

As someone else pointed out 9 times out of 10 Ajmal would have bowled a more than decent over.

It just wasn't his day. Still doesn't detract from the fact that he's a good T20 bowler.

Absolutely.

 

[Mohsin]

Ajmal had been filling in (VERY well may i add) with the Gul role throughout the tourney, there was no one else.

Aamer has been seriously p1ssing me off with his serious lack of yorkers! Always thinks bowling short will do the job...so fustrating! issed:

 

[Hari Sombar]

seeing how the spinners were going for runs in the last 5 overs, I would have given Aamer the penultimate over to put pressure on the Aussies in the last over and given it to someone else, I think even Razzler would have done a better job.

 

[chui_kadoo]

bowling a spinner at the end is just a complete gamble.Its either win or bust. Against SA it proved a win and yesturday it showed the other side. Remember in the Final of 2007 when bhaji got spanked for 3 sixes by misbah in the 17th or 18th over, dhoni did not allow him to ball the final over and instead replaced him with J. Sharma and that proved vital. When requiring 17 or 18 runs over why risk it with a spinner as thats the only likelihood u will get smacked for consecitive 6's. Also another difference was that Morkel had just come in to the crease so its harder to launch straight away unlike Hussey who was already in for a quite a while and so was easier for him to launch.

 

[Rizie]

Ajmal bowled during the whole tournament in the last over and he did it very good.

Afridi thought 18 runs in the last over wont be doable for the aussies. Mike Hussey had other plans.

 

[Seen Sheen]

Really liked this picture where where Salman consoles Ajmal after the defeat:

You gotta feel for the guy..very,very emotional and heart-rending pic....He tried his best,gave it everything for his country throughout the tournament...It was just not his day and a lot of blames goes to Afridi and other seniors.They should have slowed things down,held a pitch conference or something like that..It seemed that team thought we'd lost the match after that first six was hit..

..Unfortunately,everybody will remember the over he bowled to hussey and the scars of it would remain for a long,long time.....

 

[imran666]

come on guys stop moaning about who should have bowled and who shouldent ..if afridi had given the last over to someone else and aussies scored 18 runs of it u guys would moan about why didnt afridi gave the over to the legend ajmal ...all i would say is hard luck ajmal ..it just wasent ur day ..we still love u ..hope to see u in action again soon inshallah

 

[Mr S Khan]

Only other choice was Razzaq and I think Hussey would have taken those runs against Razzaq as well...Our problem started with the Injury of Umar Gul and unfortunately the Replacement in the from of Sami was just not good enough to Play..I was really disappointed with Asif though in this whole tournament..I think he did not bowl well at all in this t20 wc...

 

[sam]

Ajmal had been bowling VERY well before the last over yesterday. Would have been the right choice any day, against any batsman. No use blaming the guy, or anybody else for that matter.

Hussey was just brilliant yesterday and he'd have made those runs against ANY other bowler too. Pakistan just weren't meant to win it. Simple.

 

[kashmiri_lad]

No way, he should have given it to Ajmal(being a spinner).
It would have been very difficult to score of Aamir(being a non spinner)

 

[Cricket_MN]

The point is not who should have bowled the last over but how the last over should have been bowled. And this depends on who the last batsman is.

I am sure that our Pak team did their home work and knew what were Australian batsmen strong & weaknesses are but it seemed from the last over that Ajmal had no clue as to where he shoudl be bowling M.Hussey. M.Husseys MOST favorite shots are mostly on the leg side specially square leg & deep square leg.

If an average (no body) guy like me knows this then how come Ajmal or better our coach did not know this. It is these minut details that some times cost you big times.

 

[Tiger316]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it and we are all captains sat in our armchairs at home

Ajmal was Afridi's trusted bowler at the death, but did Shahid get it wrong yesterday, given Hussey was at the crease?

A spinner should never bowl the last over. Aamer should have bowled the last over. :aamir

 

[cricketindiafan]

Go back to the semis of the t20 wc in 2007.

India had scored 188, Aussies were 167/5 at the end of 19th over, needed 22 off the last over, very similar to what they needed against Pakistan. Mike Hussey and Haddin were batting, Dhoni threw the ball to Joginder Sharma, what did he do, bowled 2 dot balls first up, then got Hussey and Haddin out and at the end we won by 14 runs.

So if Joginder Sharma could bowl the last over in t20 WC semis and then again in finals, why not Ajmal who is definitely a much better bowler than Jogi (and was bowling at almost the same speed as Jogi 110-112 kmph). Just because Aussies won the match doesnt make it a bad move. Had the same strategy worked , Afridi would have been hailed as a genius like Dhoni was in 2007.

 

[kingusama92]

You could make me go back every time and I would still pick Ajmal.

He was our best bowler in the tourney. The fact that he was a spinner would never make me stay away from using him. He has not only been one of our finest T20 bowlers but the finest death bowler in T20 cricket.

Obviously I would have used Gul if we had him but since we didn't I would use Ajmal. We can all look back now and say we should have used Aamer but at that point in time I didn't mind Ajmal being used. I was quite confident that he would get the job done but sadly it wasn't to be. Hussey had other ideas in mind.

 

[Monsee]

I don't think he should have bowled the last over.

It is always a big gamble to bowl a spinner in the last few overs no matter ho good they are.

Roll back to the New Zealand match where he bowled his last over to Nathan McCullum.

Ajmal completely bamboozled him but he managed to pick the very last delivery of the innings and it went out of the park. Let's not forget we only lost by one run.

I wasn't comfortable with spinners bowling at the death then, i'm more uncomfortable now.

They simply have no margin for error.

Sami says Hello :Sami

 

[Monsee]

No way, he should have given it to Ajmal(being a spinner).
It would have been very difficult to score of Aamir(being a non spinner)

Aamir went for 16 in the 19th over...when Hussey was only taking singles/doubles and not going for big hits on every ball.

Yes, hindsight is a beautiful thing but this is wrong to say NOW that Ajaml was the wrong choice...Sami went for 25-28 runs (?) in the last match so the only bowler who could have been better would be Gul (IMO).

And even then, Gul has been hit around many a times too

 

[Geordie Ahmed]

I voted No BUT I have the benefit of hindsight - tho having said that if Aamer had bowled the last over and the result was the same then we would have said Ajmal should have bowled the last over

At the time I had no issues with Ajmal bowling the last over and unfortunately it didnt quite work

 

[azfar wali]

Yes it was the right decision by Afridi cause Ajmal bowled well in the death overs throughout this tournament but Hussey was just in great form and it was hard to stop him.

 

[iafzal]

Sohail Tanvir mentioned in an interview yesturday that Saed Ajmal is shaky against lefthanders and does not have the same affect as to the right handers and should not have bowled the last over. He also mentioned that we should not of let them get that close in the first place and should of taken the completely out the game before the last over was bowled.

Yes his doosra is ineffective against lefties and we found it first hand.

 

[Seen Sheen]

^^ why because his offspinner hardly turns when he's bowling to left handers from around the wkt...So there isnt much differnece b/w his doosra and stock delivery when he's bowling to lefties..Its most of the times straight or coming in to the lefties so no surprise there for the batsmen....

 

[Amjid Javed]

Yes it had to be given to Ajmal. He just bowled badly for once but it happens to the very best bowlers some times.

 

[iafzal]

No way, he should have given it to Ajmal(being a spinner).
It would have been very difficult to score of Aamir(being a non spinner)

Not too sure about that as they scored 16 runs of Aamir in the 19th over so what makes you think 18 are not possible.
Only other player picked our Ajmal will be Gul in form or not.

 

[bantu]

It wouldnt have mattered.............IMO

 

[ali_ed2006]

seeing how the spinners were going for runs in the last 5 overs, I would have given Aamer the penultimate over to put pressure on the Aussies in the last over and given it to someone else, I think even Razzler would have done a better job.

No way. Razzaq most likely would have gotten hammered. They score 15-16 runs of his 2nd over..he bowls half volleys and Hussey would have loved those even more.

 

[zimmz]

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[shabbu1]

As stated, it's all hindsight now - Hussey played an unbelievable innings and little could stop him.

BUT having said that, Ajmal is not at his wiling best against left-handers as he is against the righties with that doosra coming into play much more effectively.

 

[umerpervaiz1]

Thats the difference b/w AFridi and Younis khan.As Afridi is Spinner so he think that a spinner can bowl last over well but Younis khan always gave last over to Amir or Gul.at saint lucia where ball wasnot spinning.Afridi should have realise it but now its over
WE lost the match

 

[Kray_jackson7]

NO MATTER WHO BOWLED IT AND WE LOST WE WOULD HAVE HAD THIS THREAD QUESTIONING!

Lets move on, we showed our batting is good when we bring it. now we just got to be consistent.
inshallah nothing can hold us back now

 

[bhai457]

wht abt giving last over to razzaq?

 

[khilari]

he was the right choice

when botha was batting in SA match against ajmal, i had the same feeling as this thread, but he came through. I would have trusted him here too.

Go Pakistan

 

[Tapori]

wht abt giving last over to razzaq?

Would have been worse IMO as Razzaqs lack of pace would make him easier to smack around at will.

Ajmal seems like such a fierce competitor despite his relatively small stocky frame.

No questions; Ajmal was the man for the over and had shown through the T20 that he could handle pressure and deliver, even being smacked off the first ball I would still back him to deliver.

Unfortunately we just have to accept Hussey played an absolute stunner; If one of our lads did that we wouldn't think twice about the opposition bowler - Says more about Hussey that he smacked the other 2 deliveries, because the first was slanted too far into the legside; Husseys key area (he'd scored nearly all his runs there in thematch)

Aamer would have been far far more distraught if he'd got smacked like that.

Ajmal in T20; Legend.

Heres hoping he continues improving in all forms of the game as he has the potential to emulate and better good ol' Saqi.

 

[kkmix]

9 out of 10 times, Ajmal would deliever, would conceed less than 7 or 8. and plus he was our best bowler in the tournament, plus he bowled the last over against SA too when they needed 16 runs. It just wasn't our game, Australia were going to chase it. Sadly for Ajmal, he happened to bowl the last over. Gotta feel sorry for him.

 

[Saj]

I'm going against what most PPers have said in this poll.

I dont think he should have been bowling the last over. Afridi should have realised that Hussey was at the crease and it should have been a case of Ajmal bowling the 17th and 19th overs with Aamer bowling over number 20.

 

[chui_kadoo]

No other countries bowl their last over with spin because they know its a gamble. Do u see swann,vettori,botha or murli bowling the last over a match. And these 4 bowlers are class spinners. Its just too much of a gamble. As seen today with broad. He only went for 7 runs in the last bowler when mike hussey on strike.

 

[kkmix]

No other countries bowl their last over with spin because they know its a gamble. Do u see swann,vettori,botha or murli bowling the last over a match. And these 4 bowlers are class spinners. Its just too much of a gamble. As seen today with broad. He only went for 7 runs in the last bowler when mike hussey on strike.

the reason lot of spinners don't ball the last over is because they are not confident enough, Vettori even said once, you have to be a very good spinner to bowl at the death overs.
they got 16 runs from Aamer's 19th over, so u think 18 runs were impossible?

 

[chui_kadoo]

the reason lot of spinners don't ball the last over is because they are not confident enough, Vettori even said once, you have to be a very good spinner to bowl at the death overs.
they got 16 runs from Aamer's 19th over, so u think 18 runs were impossible?

Sohail Tanvir said in a recent interview that he knows Ajmal very well and said that he is not that confident when bowling to left handers. So why risk it when hussey was already well set and plays spin very especially offspin. Look at how broad bowled to hussey today. Too be honest Amir bowled a very poor 19th over, no yorkers and some poor legside bowling and sloppy fielding.

 

[cricwiz]

Ajmal did it against SA just in the last game... So we as fans, Afridi as captain and nearly everyone would have believed that Ajmal could just do it.

No one ever thought that Ajmal would go for 18 runs in the last over. Indeed it was the 2nd last over which made things worse for Pakistan. It was 32 runs needed in last overs. Those 14 runs in Aamer's last over changed things a bit in Aus favour. Aamer is in his early days, so he would learn inshAllah.

Had Afridi gone to Aamer for the last over, and Pakistan still lost in similiar circumstances, people would have started to say that why Ajmal wasnt given the last over.

Both Aamer & Ajmal did need to bowl yorker length at that stint. They were unable to do so. It was simply not Pakistan's day.

 

[Couch Cricketer]

I don't think we lost because of the last over it should not have gotten that close in the first place.
5 overs before the end we started feeling we had the match in our hands and let off to many boundaries.
I would have gone with Ajmal as well he did not bowl as well as he could have thats true but we did not have much choice. Anyway the number of runs aamer went for in his last over would have won Aus the match. He gave so many runs in 2nd last over he still a 17 year what would have happened to his confidence if he had bowled the last over.
In the greater scheme of things I think it is good for Aamer and for Pakistan that he didn't bowl that over.

 

[Zaz]

I'm going against what most PPers have said in this poll.

I dont think he should have been bowling the last over. Afridi should have realised that Hussey was at the crease and it should have been a case of Ajmal bowling the 17th and 19th overs with Aamer bowling over number 20.

Saj are ur comments based on hindsight or is that what u actually thought at the time?

Myself and 9/10 ppers were comfortable our best t20 bowler was gonna bowl the last over

 

[aabbasi]

He was our best bowler, and it is generally hard to hit spinners who can turn it both ways...

 

[cricwiz]

I don't think we lost because of the last over it should not have gotten that close in the first place.
5 overs before the end we started feeling we had the match in our hands and let off to many boundaries.
I would have gone with Ajmal as well he did not bowl as well as he could have thats true but we did not have much choice. Anyway the number of runs aamer went for in his last over would have won Aus the match. He gave so many runs in 2nd last over he still a 17 year what would have happened to his confidence if he had bowled the last over.
In the greater scheme of things I think it is good for Aamer and for Pakistan that he didn't bowl that over.

+1

 

[Wised up]

I'm going against what most PPers have said in this poll.

I dont think he should have been bowling the last over. Afridi should have realised that Hussey was at the crease and it should have been a case of Ajmal bowling the 17th and 19th overs with Aamer bowling over number 20.

And why do you think Hussey would not have taken him to the cleaners in 19th over? 19th or 20th doesn't matter. What we lacked was another pace bowler. We had very one dimensional attack. Once they got into their groove, it got easier for them to attack us.