Starting XI for the Ireland/England Tests

[babajee]

So... What would you guys go with now that we know the squad and seeing the way some of these guys batted in this practice match?

 

[babajee]

I would go for:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Imam ul-Haq
3. Asad Shafiq (I know he’s a mental midget but he’s a “senior”... he has to finally step up or face the boot permanently)
4. Haris Sohail
5. Babar Azam (if he fails against Ireland then bench him)
6. Fakhar Zaman (mentally tough, can put runs on quickly with the tail if need be. Can also bowl a few overs to let bowlers rest.)
7. Sarfraz Ahmed
8. Faheem Ashraf (Shadab won’t do much with the ball)
9. Hasan Ali
10. Mohammad Amir
11. Rahat Ali (only if he doesn’t leak runs)

 

[PakSarZameen]

Imam-ul-Haq
Fakhar Zaman
Azhar Ali
Saad Ali
Haris Sohail
Usman Salahuddin
Sarfraz Ahmad
Fahim Ashraf
Hasan Ali
Muhammad Amir
Muhammad Abbas

unless Babar, Asad and Aslam score big in the remaining chances

 

[coy0607]

Having Sami open is tests (that too in England) is straight idiotic - he averages 35 in domestic, his strength is clearly ODIs... its like having Azhar play T20s

Definitely need a fifth bowler (Faheem). And Abbas is much MUCH better than Rahat (still don't get what he brings)

Imam
Azhar
Babar
Haris
Shafiq
Sarfraz
Shadab
Faheem
Hassan
Amir
Abbas

 

[Gubol123]

Having Sami open is tests (that too in England) is straight idiotic - he averages 35 in domestic, his strength is clearly ODIs... its like having Azhar play T20s

Definitely need a fifth bowler (Faheem). And Abbas is much MUCH better than Rahat (still don't get what he brings)

Imam
Azhar
Babar
Haris
Shafiq
Sarfraz
Shadab
Faheem
Hassan
Amir
Abbas

Why do you need a fifth bowler in bowling friendly conditions? Go with additional batsman. If pakistan needs five bowlers in bowling friendly conditions to knock out Ireland then it is a concern

 

[Arsalan Pro]

Having Sami open is tests (that too in England) is straight idiotic - he averages 35 in domestic, his strength is clearly ODIs... its like having Azhar play T20s

Definitely need a fifth bowler (Faheem). And Abbas is much MUCH better than Rahat (still don't get what he brings)

Imam
Azhar
Babar
Haris
Shafiq
Sarfraz
Shadab
Faheem
Hassan
Amir
Abbas

You still don't know what Rahat brings to the team?

Run leakage, adding extra pressure on bowling partners and taking wickets at an average of 40 runs.

 

[Arsalan Pro]

Mine would be:

Imam Ul Haq
Azhar Ali
Haris Sohail
Babar Azam
Asad Shafiq
Fakhar Zaman
Sarfraz Ahmed(C)(WK)
Faheem Ashraf
Mohammad Amir
Hasan Ali
Mohammad Abbas

 

[skhanmac]

Imam-ul-Haq
Sami Aslam
Azhar Ali
Haris Sohail
Babar (if he fails again then lets give Usman S a chance)
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz Ahmad
Fahim Ashraf
Hasan Ali
Muhammad Amir
Muhammad Abbas

 

[CadPakFan]

Azhar
Imam
Haris
Usman
Saad
Fakhar
Sarfraz
Shadab
Amir
Hasan
Abbas

 

[ads101]

1. Azhar Ali
2. Imam Ul Haq
3. Haris
4. Asad
5. Saad Ali
6. Usman Salluhuddin
7. Sarfraz
8. Shadab
9. Amir
10. Hasan
11. Abbas

 

[Ellipsism]

You still don't know what Rahat brings to the team?

Run leakage, adding extra pressure on bowling partners and taking wickets at an average of 40 runs.

Doesn’t the same apply to Amir?
��*

 

[Justcrazy]

Sami Aslam
Azhar Ali
Imam Ul Haq
Harris Sohail
Usman Sallahuddin
Sarfaraz Ahmed
Faheem Ashraf
Shadab
Aaamir
Abbas
Hassan

 

[tahasaleem]

I think Shadab would be a handful against Ireland, they have hardly faced quality Spin. And my 3rd Seamer would be Faheem Ashraf, he is quickest of the lot and can bat too.

Fakhar - Aggressor and Ireland Test would test his ability
Sami Aslam - Senior and have played well in England
Azhar
Haris
Asad
Babar
Sarfaraz
Shahdab
Fahim
Amir
Abbas

 

[coy0607]

Why do you need a fifth bowler in bowling friendly conditions? Go with additional batsman. If pakistan needs five bowlers in bowling friendly conditions to knock out Ireland then it is a concern

maybe you can get away with 4 bowlers against Ireland, but then again you can say the same about playing less batsmen

ultimately, with Yasir Shah out, and Amir's mediocre form - I don't think this bowling lineup has what it takes to get 20 wickets. Hence the need for a fifth bowler

 

[Brilliance]

Imam.
Azhar.
Haris.
Asad.
Babar.
Saad.
Sarfaraz.
Shadab.
Amir.
Hassan.
Abbas.

 

[another drop catch]

sami aslam should play instead of imam ul haq . . .
I hope both imam ul haq and sami aslam dropped for next test series

 

[Arsalan Pro]

Doesn’t the same apply to Amir?
View attachment 81112 ��*

Why have you removed West Indies and kept Sri Lanka? Just to increase his average above 40?

Also Rahat hasn't been unlucky like Amir even though I admit he hasn't bowled well himself.

 

[Gubol123]

maybe you can get away with 4 bowlers against Ireland, but then again you can say the same about playing less batsmen

ultimately, with Yasir Shah out, and Amir's mediocre form - I don't think this bowling lineup has what it takes to get 20 wickets. Hence the need for a fifth bowler

in good bowling friendly conditions you don't need more than 4 good bowlers. may be you can play a batting allrounder as your fifth option as India did in SA... four good bowlers are good enough to get opposition out in such good bowling conditions

 

[Ellipsism]

Why have you removed West Indies and kept Sri Lanka? Just to increase his average above 40?

Also Rahat hasn't been unlucky like Amir even though I admit he hasn't bowled well himself.

It's not like he averages below 40 if you remove SL, lol.

I removed the Windies because it seems his Caribbean exploits (If you can call it that, he was mediocre aside from the 1st test) were an aberration and not a true reflection of how trash he has been in tests since his return. Even if you include the mighty Windies he averages 37 at a SR of 80... Take out that fluke of a first test in Kingston, and its 43 at a SR of 90.

For me at least, its clear that he has no pride in representing his country at the test level which is a shame because not many other countries would have given him a second chance.

 

[Ellipsism]

It's not like he averages below 40 if you remove SL, lol.

I removed the Windies because it seems his Caribbean exploits (If you can call it that, he was mediocre aside from the 1st test) were an aberration and not a true reflection of how trash he has been in tests since his return. Even if you include the mighty Windies he averages 37 at a SR of 80... Take out that fluke of a first test in Kingston, and its 43 at a SR of 90.

For me at least, its clear that he has no pride in representing his country at the test level which is a shame because not many other countries would have given him a second chance.

To add on, I thought this hypothetical average rubbish was put to bed. At the end of the day it doesn't matter if you beat the bat even 90% of the time, it has no real affect on the game itself; the only thing that matters are results and Amir's are there for us all to see. Here's a bonus stat: since Amir's test return (14th of July) he has bowled the most wicket-less innings by any full time bowler.

 

[Ellipsism]

It's criminal that people are leaving out Abbas in their XI's, I don't think he's anything special but his seam position is perfect, puts a lot behind the ball and is fairly accurate. That's exactly the sort of bowler you back to succeed at this time of the year in England.

 

[Rahul1]

Doesn’t the same apply to Amir?
View attachment 81112 ��*

What a future ATG.

 

[ARK Rafay]

Imam
Azhar
Haris
Asad
Saad
Sarfraz
Faheem
Shadab
Amir
Hasan
Abbas

 

[dauntless]

Sami
Imam
Azhar
Haris
Babar
Asad
Sarfraz
Shadab
Amir
Hasan
Rahat

 

[hussain.r97]

Imam
Azhar
Haris
Asad
Babar
Usman
Sarfraz+*
Shadab
Amir
Hasan
Abbas

Haris can be the main 5th bowler, while Azhar and maybe Asad can roll their arms too.

 

[babajee]

It's criminal that people are leaving out Abbas in their XI's, I don't think he's anything special but his seam position is perfect, puts a lot behind the ball and is fairly accurate. That's exactly the sort of bowler you back to succeed at this time of the year in England.

He was underwhelming in the one match he played for his county.

 

[Hasan123]

Azhar
Imam
Harris
Babar
Asad
Sarfraz
Faheem
Shadab (need some spin, would have preferred am offie like Gohar)
Abbas
Hasan
Amir

 

[BlueDoritos]

Imam
Azhar
Haris
Shafiq
Babar
Fakhar
Sarfraz
Shadab
Hasan
Amir
Abbas


If Imam, Babar and Shadab fail against Ireland, then they should be replaced by Sami, Saad and Faheem.

It's a travesty that Shafiq is undropable just because he's experienced.He'll average less than 20 most likely. , Sallahuddin deserves a game too. No need for Rahat, unless some bowler gets injured.

 

[fluke]

I would play this eleven against ireland


Imam
Sami (can bowl off spin) / Fakhar - Aggressive and can be a good bowling option
Azhar (can bowl leg spin)
Haris (handy let armer)
Babar Azam
Asad Shafiq (Can roll his arm as well)
Sarfaraz **
Shadab Khan / Faheem Ashraf
Hassan Ali
Mohammad Amir
Rahat Ali / Mohammad Abbas

This would be the most suited playing eleven as in this team we have batting till number 10 and having good bowling line up as well.

 

[Anis Shivani]

Azhar
Imam
Haris
Usman
Saad
Fakhar
Sarfraz
Shadab
Amir
Hasan
Abbas

yes that was going to be exactly my choice. bring in both usman and saad, introduce fakhar, don't play rahat, play abbas, open with azhar. I would have preferred a different spinner over shadab but we didn't take one.

 

[CadPakFan]

He was underwhelming in the one match he played for his county.

He was the most economical and took the 2nd most amount of wickets for his team.

 

[FreePalestine]

In the next practice game, would like

Azhar
Imam
Zaman
Saad Ali
Azam
Haris
Sarfraz
Shadab
Hasan
Amir
Abbas

If they have brought Zaman on the tour, they should give him some practice games at least and see if he can hack it. Babar Azam is a concern. Bowling I would prefer Abbas over Rahat

 

[babajee]

He was the most economical and took the 2nd most amount of wickets for his team.

3 wickets. Amir would have taken at least 5-6.

 

[Abdul]

3 wickets. Amir would have taken at least 5-6.

Actually had a good laugh reading this.

 

[Arsalan Pro]

Actually had a good laugh reading this.

Last year when he played for Essex which in the end won the Division 1, he took bundle of wickets at an average of around 10 with a 10-fer aswell and Abbas was playing for a Division 2 side and took 3 wickets.

 

[coy0607]

in good bowling friendly conditions you don't need more than 4 good bowlers. may be you can play a batting allrounder as your fifth option as India did in SA... four good bowlers are good enough to get opposition out in such good bowling conditions

with the way things are going vs Kent, going in with 4 bowlers is absolute suicide

 

[Adijazz1706]

Actually had a good laugh reading this.

Aamir wrecked county last year with a ridiculous avg of 11 or so

 

[The_Odd_One]

1. Sami
2. Imam
3. Azhar
4. Assad
5. Babar
6. Haris
7. Sarfraz
8. Faheem
9. Hassan
10. Aamir
11. Abbass

There is no option but to let Azhar bat at #3 to provide stability. Imam has performed in the warm up match so he deserves a spot. Sami though did not score much can see off the new ball. Letting Sami and Imam open will provide more strength to middle order. It may be easier for them to score runs if openers can survive the critical first few overs.

Play only one of Rahat and Abbass. You won't lose much with Faheem as their bowling replacement but you will get rid of one #11 batsman. Spinners will be useless in these conditions. Part time of Haris, Azhar, and Asad should be sufficient to cover spin bowling quota.

 

[Asch Ali]

MY IRELAND TEST OFFICIAL XI


1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Imam ul Haq
3. Azhar Ali
4. Babar Azam
5. Saad Ali
6. Sarfraz Ahmed
7. Shadab Khan
8. Hasan Ali
9. Mohammed Amir
10. Mohammed Abbas
11. Rahat Ali

 

[bilawal666]

1) Sami Aslam
2) Azhar Ali
3) Babar Azam / Imam ul Haq
4) Haris Sohail
5) Asad Shafiq
6) Sarfraz Ahmed
7) Fahim Ashraf
8) Shadab Khan
9) Hassan Ali
10) Mohammed Amir
11) Mohammed Abbas

 

[QuickCrick]

1) Fakhar
2) Azhar Ali
3) Imam ul Haq
4) Asad Shafiq
5) Haris Sohail
6) Babar Azam
7) Safraz Ahmed
8) Fahim Ashraf
9) Hassan Ali
10) Mohammed Amir
11) Mohammed Abbas

Not sure about the order but I’d go with the extra batsman as I don’t think we’d need a spinner at this time of the year. Games should be over in 3-4 days and worst case haris and fakhar can chip in with the bowling.

Aslam doesn’t score quickly enough, him just staying there won’t be enough so I went for Fakhar. If he sticks around the scoreboard will keep moving and quick 30-40 can be the difference..

 

[hur rizvi]

Aamir wrecked county last year with a ridiculous avg of 11 or so

Abbas has outperformed him in almost all tests they have played together. If Abbas is not on the team sheet than something is wrong with selection.

Amir as a test tricketer has been beyond shambolic

 

[hur rizvi]

1) Fakhar
2) Azhar Ali
3) Imam ul Haq
4) Asad Shafiq
5) Haris Sohail
6) Babar Azam
7) Safraz Ahmed
8) Fahim Ashraf
9) Hassan Ali
10) Mohammed Amir
11) Mohammed Abbas

Not sure about the order but I’d go with the extra batsman as I don’t think we’d need a spinner at this time of the year. Games should be over in 3-4 days and worst case haris and fakhar can chip in with the bowling.

Aslam doesn’t score quickly enough, him just staying there won’t be enough so I went for Fakhar. If he sticks around the scoreboard will keep moving and quick 30-40 can be the difference..

Agreed

Harris, Azhar, Fakhar can provide 10-15 overs of spin if the need arises and be rest assured if such a need arises we most likely have already lost the match

 

[Lefthanded]

1. Sami
2. Imam
3. Azhar
4. Assad
5. Babar
6. Haris
7. Sarfraz
8. Faheem
9. Hassan
10. Aamir
11. Abbass

There is no option but to let Azhar bat at #3 to provide stability. Imam has performed in the warm up match so he deserves a spot. Sami though did not score much can see off the new ball. Letting Sami and Imam open will provide more strength to middle order. It may be easier for them to score runs if openers can survive the critical first few overs.

Play only one of Rahat and Abbass. You won't lose much with Faheem as their bowling replacement but you will get rid of one #11 batsman. Spinners will be useless in these conditions. Part time of Haris, Azhar, and Asad should be sufficient to cover spin bowling quota.

Wouldn't pick all of them, but I like your argument about Sami/Imam/Azhar to provide stability at the top.

 

[Lefthanded]

with the way things are going vs Kent, going in with 4 bowlers is absolute suicide

Definitely, but going in with less than 10 batsmen is suicide too.

 

[hk031992]

You cannot go into a test with 3 full time bowlers. If one of them gets injured, you are in deep trouble. You need at least four full time bowlers.

 

[babajee]

I would drop Asad for Fakhar. Ain’t happening though.

 

[Sherlock]

Problems persist with England around the corner

The bowling, I feel, was very good barring Fahim and Rahat. The latter being as ordinary as I thought he was beforehand.

Hopefully that'll mean Hasan Ali playing v England.

The other issue is the opening spot, and Azhar Ali, specifically. He's had a very poor run of it and even struggled in the warm-up games. I don't think he's 100% over his injury either.

The other issue is Shafiq. He can be excellent one minute, and a complete novice the next. His main issues are still the ball that comes in from the right-hander, and his insistence in leaving his bat to dry on the off-stump to be edged.

Sarfraz is only there because of his captaincy. Unfortunately his batting has suffered since his captaincy. His wicketkeeping has also suffered.

I thought Abbas, Shadab and Amir were terrific and deserve to be starters for the next game.

 

[babajee]

Azhar
Imam
Haris
Asad - ain’t going anywhere
Babar
Fakhar
Sarfaraz
Shadab
Amir
Hasan
Abbas

Pretty deep batting lineup and Rahat was a waste. Need Haris and Fakhar to bowl more overs.

 

[Sherlock]

Fakhar in the middle-order might just be a waste. Swap him with Azhar and may work.