So it's proven that Ahmed Shehzad is the best opener Pakistan has to partner Fakhar Zaman

[msb314]

you know Ahmad Shahzad is medocre when a 44 off 33 in Christchurch is a beastly innings lol!

So what have our other openers done this tour?

Yes this was a different pitch, conditions etc etc. but at the end of the day - you make the most of the opportunity you get.

 

[PakSarZameen]

Ahmad Shahzad in his last 10 T20I innings:

Average: 35
Strikerate: 121

5 scores of 35 and above

Too much criticism for a guy who has been performing decently in this format.
Needs to take his strike rate to 130, otherwise he has been really good.

 

[Pete Rose]

Shadab won’t get a look in yet.

Shehzad has experience but needs to reestablish himself in the T20 team first.

I can tell you objectively that the mvps of this team are shadab, Faheem, hasan, Rumman, even imad are far far higher in the pecking queue for any position of responsibility before shehzad

 

[msb314]

I can tell you objectively that the mvps of this team are shadab, Faheem, hasan, Rumman, even imad are far far higher in the pecking queue for any position of responsibility before shehzad

Shadab, Hasan and Rumman are all newbies - albeit very talented ones.

We all know PCB does not like to give young players positions of responsibility - esp after the Shoaib Malik debacle so you can safely rule them out.

Imad is not assured of his place in any format so I think that also rules him out. His fitness is even worse than Sarfraz lol

Shehzad and Falhar have a shot at captaincy if they establish themselves in the T20 squad for the next few series.

 

[giri26]

Good to see Shahzad back in the team. Umar Akmal is still missing though. Once he makes a comeback, they team Will be complete.

 

[Red Devil]

The pitch was great, it was your bowlers who won the match tbh. Ours bowled badly, but yours were great and bowled the right line and lengths.

We batted poorly and still managed to make 150 with no significant contributions from our top batsmen, that too with overs to spare.

That's all true but our batsmen showed some good discipline, executed their plans well and played with good intent. All in all, it was a solid performance.

I'm not saying we've turned into a good batting side overnight though lol, just annoying when people keep crying even when we do relatively well.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

He is a selfish player and a mental midget.He will never become a good player.One or two T20 innings doesn’t change what his record is against the big teams

 

[todfod 11]

Beastly inning looked mediocre when Fakhar started hot run. Shehzad did play a good hand if he can be less selfish and plays like tgis often i m all for him to be in the t20 team for now. But we all know he kinds of plays for his own spot in the team and can play a selfish inning here and there.

 

[Slog]

So what have our other openers done this tour?

Yes this was a different pitch, conditions etc etc. but at the end of the day - you make the most of the opportunity you get.

thats the thing

time after time he has shown that he does not make the most of the gazillion opportunities he gets

 

[msb314]

thats the thing

time after time he has shown that he does not make the most of the gazillion opportunities he gets

Well he did today.

Should play the next game and I hope the Fakhar / Shehzad combination is successful for us in the long run.

 

[Canistani Hero]

Fakhar and Farhan - the way forward

 

[The_Odd_One]

Shehzad back to his mediocrity

He is a garbage batsman and will remain so.

 

[Slog]

thats the thing

time after time he has shown that he does not make the most of the gazillion opportunities he gets

And proven

 

[Railu Katta]

He played 18 balls today which included 12 dots. He is NEVER going to improve. But his 40 in the last game has booked him for all of 2018 unfortunately.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Doesn't deserve a place in the team. Absolutely unnecessary in this team. Get in Babar to open in t20 and get imad in the side and we will have a good middle order etc.

 

[srh]

Sharjeel is the answer

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Rubbish batsman

 

[Azeem Zafar]

He scored 19 (18) today and dots were 61%, basic issues still persists. 8 years of international cricket & cannot rotate the strike yet.

 

[Abdullah719]

I have my doubts.

 

[BlueDoritos]

Shehzad can only partner Umar Akmal at LQ.

Shehzad should be banned from the national team selection.

 

[babajee]

Haris Sohail is the best partner for Fakhar Zaman.

No other opener in PSL

 

[Mercurial]

He will make a strong comeback at the age of 35.

 

[Railu Katta]

OP tu rehn de.

 

[saeed5646]

He batted like a beast today and it was really a convincing innings from someone who is making his comeback given the circumstances. All the other options we have tried to replace him have been very disappointing. His knock along with Fakher really uplifted this team who was well short of confidence. I think it's safe to say that looking at our options(Azhar, Imam,Shaan,Amin) Ahmed Shehzad is much much better and should be in the team on merit.

I know I have criticized him in the past due to his slow batting but he looks likes the best option we have. The replacements are even more disappointing.

We don't need TTF and china wala kohli .imam is doing fantastic job

 

[Someone]

He's back with a bang !

 

[re82h]

oh dear

 

[Finisher]

Domestic Bully

 

[shariqnoor]

I've always said Ahmed Shehzad is 100 times better than Fakhar Zaman and should be in the team ahead of Fakhar.

But the problem with Shehzad is that he freezes in the international arena because he's always making a comeback and is worried about his selection.

In the domestic, he knows his place is secured and plays freely. Ofcourse he takes his time initially and more often than not will be 6 off 15 even in T20s but the guy has the range to cover up his SR spectacularly.

When you see the period where Shehzad was doing well in the international arena, he was a regular in the side and wasn't worried at all about his spot.

There's no denying that he needs to sharpen up mentally but I would still have him ahead of Fakhar every day of the week.

 

[Savak]

I've always said Ahmed Shehzad is 100 times better than Fakhar Zaman and should be in the team ahead of Fakhar.

But the problem with Shehzad is that he freezes in the international arena because he's always making a comeback and is worried about his selection.

In the domestic, he knows his place is secured and plays freely. Ofcourse he takes his time initially and more often than not will be 6 off 15 even in T20s but the guy has the range to cover up his SR spectacularly.

When you see the period where Shehzad was doing well in the international arena, he was a regular in the side and wasn't worried at all about his spot.

There's no denying that he needs to sharpen up mentally but I would still have him ahead of Fakhar every day of the week.

Misbah should have played AS and UA in the ODI series, if the team batted first, these 2 could have played themselves in, get some confidence and not worry about scoreboard chasing pressure unlike T-20's.

 

[Savak]

Watched the highlights of the knock, came against an attack with Mohd Amir, Haris Rauf, Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shehzad, Imad Wasim. This is pretty much the top domestic pace attack you can come across.

Shehzad looked in control throughout. The guy if he plays aggressively can be a very effective batsman for Pakistan, he has shots all around the ground. His fitness is second to none compared to Umar Akmal.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Watched the highlights of the knock, came against an attack with Mohd Amir, Haris Rauf, Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shehzad, Imad Wasim. This is pretty much the top domestic pace attack you can come across.

Shehzad looked in control throughout. The guy if he plays aggressively can be a very effective batsman for Pakistan, he has shots all around the ground. His fitness is second to none compared to Umar Akmal.

Absolutely not. He is a rubbish batsman, that has a very limited range of strokes and is very easy to get bogged down by international class teams. Don't let these mickey mouse games fool you.

Ahmed Shehzad will never amount to anything and will forever be a failed investment. It's time Pakistan looks beyond Shehzad and Akmal, and focus on new players.

Fans like you just never learn.

 

[The Viper]

I've always said Ahmed Shehzad is 100 times better than Fakhar Zaman and should be in the team ahead of Fakhar.

But the problem with Shehzad is that he freezes in the international arena because he's always making a comeback and is worried about his selection.

In the domestic, he knows his place is secured and plays freely. Ofcourse he takes his time initially and more often than not will be 6 off 15 even in T20s but the guy has the range to cover up his SR spectacularly.

When you see the period where Shehzad was doing well in the international arena, he was a regular in the side and wasn't worried at all about his spot.

There's no denying that he needs to sharpen up mentally but I would still have him ahead of Fakhar every day of the week.

He has never been a very good player. His stats are mediocre and he puts pressure on others.

His ODI peak was in 2014 where he averaged 39 but at a strike rate of 75.

We don't need players like that.

 

[saeedhk]

This is why Pakistan can never become a top side. Our players score in domestic and then get called up to international, only to fail miserably. People like Shehzad and Umar Akmal will never become good international players. They made their debut 10 years ago, that’s more than enough time. These 2 guys have always gone into hiding against top teams but score against minnows. I can’t understand any person who says Shehzad should make his 76th comeback. Wonder how many comebacks it will take for him to score some meaningful runs.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

I've always said Ahmed Shehzad is 100 times better than Fakhar Zaman and should be in the team ahead of Fakhar.

But the problem with Shehzad is that he freezes in the international arena because he's always making a comeback and is worried about his selection.

In the domestic, he knows his place is secured and plays freely. Ofcourse he takes his time initially and more often than not will be 6 off 15 even in T20s but the guy has the range to cover up his SR spectacularly.

When you see the period where Shehzad was doing well in the international arena, he was a regular in the side and wasn't worried at all about his spot.

There's no denying that he needs to sharpen up mentally but I would still have him ahead of Fakhar every day of the week.

And every time you've been wrong. So you should stop saying it.

 

[Slim]

I never could understand Ahmed shehzad's unfortunate hyphenation with Umar Akmal. Ahmed Shehzad has been really unlucky in that. Umer Akmal has discipline issues, has fitness issues and lacks a brain between his ears. Ahmed Shehzad has none of these problems. The hyphenation with Umar Akmal has really hurt him.

He got two chances and failed, but so did the whole team and t20 is not a format to allow a player to comeback like Aamir Sohail pointed out correctly. I believe he should be given a chance in the LOI and test format. You can see him performing in domestics when others are failing.

 

[Slog]

I never could understand Ahmed shehzad's unfortunate hyphenation with Umar Akmal. Ahmed Shehzad has been really unlucky in that. Umer Akmal has discipline issues, has fitness issues and lacks a brain between his ears. Ahmed Shehzad has none of these problems. The hyphenation with Umar Akmal has really hurt him.

He got two chances and failed, but so did the whole team and t20 is not a format to allow a player to comeback like Aamir Sohail pointed out correctly. I believe he should be given a chance in the LOI and test format. You can see him performing in domestics when others are failing.

Ahmed Shehzad has had discipline issues since his under 19 days. What are you even on about?

 

[Slog]

I've always said Ahmed Shehzad is 100 times better than Fakhar Zaman and should be in the team ahead of Fakhar.

But the problem with Shehzad is that he freezes in the international arena because he's always making a comeback and is worried about his selection.

In the domestic, he knows his place is secured and plays freely. Ofcourse he takes his time initially and more often than not will be 6 off 15 even in T20s but the guy has the range to cover up his SR spectacularly.

When you see the period where Shehzad was doing well in the international arena, he was a regular in the side and wasn't worried at all about his spot.

There's no denying that he needs to sharpen up mentally but I would still have him ahead of Fakhar every day of the week.

When Shehzad was doing well in the international arena he was average 33 at a strike rate of 75 in ODIs. Those were his good times when he had a virtually guaranteed place in the Pakistan national team courtesy of his friendship with Afridi.

Shehzad is a good player at domestic level where his limited batting skill set is not exposed. As soon as he comes up against an opposition with more than one decent bowler he freezes and inevitably meanders to a low score at a pathetic strike rate because he just does not have the shots or the game awareness to get out of tough situations.

 

[Slog]

Misbah should have played AS and UA in the ODI series, if the team batted first, these 2 could have played themselves in, get some confidence and not worry about scoreboard chasing pressure unlike T-20's.

So you wanted Pakistan to lose the ODI series as well?

 

[Usman Chadda]

I never could understand Ahmed shehzad's unfortunate hyphenation with Umar Akmal. Ahmed Shehzad has been really unlucky in that. Umer Akmal has discipline issues, has fitness issues and lacks a brain between his ears. Ahmed Shehzad has none of these problems. The hyphenation with Umar Akmal has really hurt him.

He got two chances and failed, but so did the whole team and t20 is not a format to allow a player to comeback like Aamir Sohail pointed out correctly. I believe he should be given a chance in the LOI and test format. You can see him performing in domestics when others are failing.

Only in Pakistan do you hear excuses about XYZ player not doing well because of so and so reasons. It's like the fans are happy to see Pakistan cricket suffer, while desperately wanting either of Shehzad or Akmal to do well to satisfy their ego.

Please remember Pakistan cricket doesn't owe Ahmed Shehzad anything. He is pants, and will forever be pants. No amount of chances in T20, ODI, Test or gulli danda can ever make him good enough to hold a cricket bat.

 

[iniqbal223]

What kind of players we are getting and their so called excuses - pressure was there, I am doing comeback after x years, I am not familiar with the conditions, I did not play my natural game, etc.

We have generated teddy bear players , who can't take little much pressure or responsibility. Thats why we will never be able to win against India in World cups. Our players always ready with their excuses. This is there Full Time job , yet we see such pathetic performances..

 

[saeedhk]

What kind of players we are getting and their so called excuses - pressure was there, I am doing comeback after x years, I am not familiar with the conditions, I did not play my natural game, etc.

We have generated teddy bear players , who can't take little much pressure or responsibility. Thats why we will never be able to win against India in World cups. Our players always ready with their excuses. This is there Full Time job , yet we see such pathetic performances..

Agreed. Pakistanis always have the excuse ‘there was pressure’. It seems it only affects Pakistani players. And if they can’t perform under pressure then they shouldn’t play international cricket. Pathetic stuff. They get paid lakhs per month and then they come up with rubbish performances. And strangely some people support them despite their miserable performances.