Still the right decision to drop Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan?

[MenInG]

So it's happened.

We have now lost for the first time to Afghanistan.

Some would say this was bound to happen but losing one game could be down to many factors, losing 2 in a row and the series is a different matter.

Did we actually gain anything by not playing the seniors?

And a parting shot....

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A few might need to say "Come back Babar, come back Rizwan, forgive us" &#55357;&#56898; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvAFG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvAFG</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/8DeN01Woee">pic.twitter.com/8DeN01Woee</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1640074529262252033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
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[Ahmed216]

Yes it remains a good decision. They are taking rest whilst we are trying to build a bench strength.

 

[Rana]

Yes

They are terrible. Not Shaheen but the other two most definitely

 

[shokz1408]

Stupid decision. The current batting set up brought shame to the country. PSL heroes? That tournament on those 200+ pitches means absolutely nothing when you have to bat on challenging pitches. They should have played Babar, Riz and Shaheen, it wasn’t too taxing for them it’s only 3 t20 games. And after securing the series win, they could have tried more newbies.

 

[topspin]

We shouldn't read too much into this series and go straight into panic mode. The truth is Afghanistan are a better team in these conditions. That's with or without Babar and Rizwan because the Afghans have better spinners and their batsmen are well accustomed to batting on these type of pitches.

As for Shaheen, he's Pakistan's most precious asset. We can't risk him getting injured in bilateral T20Is. We have bigger fish to fry with our top asset. He'll be needed in the ODI WC in India later this year.

 

[Zaz]

Well at least one things been proven that some of these young psl stars are either overated or just not good enough

 

[ads101]

Not only a dumb decision to do this. All the good feeling after PSL is now also gone. Makes it even worse that we lost experimenting, we had the chance to actually win and voluntarily squandered it. Youngsters have learnt nothing this tour too, except a drop in confidence and blame for first Afghanistan series loss ever.

 

[Zaz]

Youngsters have learnt nothing this tour too, except a drop in confidence and blame for first Afghanistan series loss ever.

Exactly By not scoring any runs or taking any wkts their confidence will be at an all time low and instead of them taking a step forward or two most of the players after this series will be dropped and they ll go away actually carry the burden of losses

 

[shokz1408]

What was the point of PSL? An absolute run fest, so much high scores, some 200s in there. Surely the aim of the tournament alongside bringing cricket to Pak is produce future cricketers. How does performances on a batting paradise help us select batsmen who could perform on challenging pitches. Either make better pitches in Pakistan, or move it elsewhere.

 

[emranabbas]

There are not dropped only resting so we could experiment youngsters in a meaningless series
Rizwan and babar will not play for pakistan forever they will retire one day

 

[reversehook]

Yes, its good to rest them... not needed in t0his pointless and meaningless series... Pakistan doesnt like to blood in youngsters like other teams, so we will take this lame approach for that sake and pay the price of losing. What this series has shown is that shadab is a garbage player and lacks captaincy skills, and naseem is getting thrashed and isnt all that either... and our young guns need more time in domestics coz they all had such an easy opportunity to take the ball and roll with it but fluffed it this time around... all this maatam over babar and rizwan needs to end, they havent won us jack so far, ppl acting like they won us a few WCs already.

And afghanis know this is our C side, they could never beat our main team...

 

[hafizexpress]

We shouldn't read too much into this series and go straight into panic mode. The truth is Afghanistan are a better team in these conditions. That's with or without Babar and Rizwan because the Afghans have better spinners and their batsmen are well accustomed to batting on these type of pitches.

As for Shaheen, he's Pakistan's most precious asset. We can't risk him getting injured in bilateral T20Is. We have bigger fish to fry with our top asset. He'll be needed in the ODI WC in India later this year.

Can't risk getting our precious asset injured in bilateral t20is but he can go play in every single league, including the stupid Hundred and that for fun Ramadan Cup

 

[kingusama92]

Ideally, you should develop younger players alongside the seniors. It helps keep them calm. But this is still the second-best option and a lot better than bringing TTFs to a series like this.

At worst, you get to rest the main guys.

 

[abughio]

5 starters in top 5 including one making a comeback. Against Afghanistan in Sharjah was bound to fail. It's good we experimented. These guys are good, the ones standing from here will be real gold. I still believe all saim, haris, shafique and tayab are good players. I want to see tayab on bouncy pitches before judging him otherwise he looks good and ready. Saim is good talent, and garis is fearless in his approach.

Also, they were not dropped but rested. No one in whole Pakistan can replace Babar, he is once in a generation player, he proved he can shift gears this psl. Rizwan is doing good for us.. so no worries.

 

[abughio]

But i still believe, we are extremist in our approach, we either dont change winning combination even against Zimbabwe or do this amount of experiment against Afghanistan

 

[Markhor]

Pakistan fans are impossible to satisfy. They ask for these meaningless bilaterals to be used for experimentation and test our bench strength.

Now the tune has changed. Nobody will remember this T20 series apart from Afghan fans. If you don't experiment here then when ? At the T20 World Cup ?

 

[BaankeJi]

Pakistan fans are impossible to satisfy. They ask for these meaningless bilaterals to be used for experimentation and test our bench strength.

Now the tune has changed. Nobody will remember this T20 series apart from Afghan fans. If you don't experiment here then when ? At the T20 World Cup ?

Exactly. Pakistan are experimenting. They may lose while doing so but will still benefit. If nothing else, they will know who is not worth their time.

 

[amvbfm]

Despite the loss the decision to pick and play youngsters was the right one. The same people who were clamoring for the inclusion for youngsters are the ones now calling for their heads. You can't have the cake and eat it too.

This failure does not mean the youngsters are not good enough, it just means they need more time and experience. It also serves to underline the fact that Babar and Rizwan remain our most potent assets. You can disagree with their approach but you cannot doubt their importance to this side.

Also it is a disservice to this Afghan team to think they only won because we didn't play well enough. This is a well oiled T20 unit capable of beating any side in the world under favorable conditions. Also its not the first time they have done well against us, they could've beaten our full strength side more than once had they been able to hold their nerve in crunch situations.

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

Yes, its still the right decision to rest the regular seniors and play this youngster team

 

[RagingJ]

It was worth a try, usually they are too late embedding youngsters in.

In the manner it was down with the lack of experienced players probably hasn't helped, but they'll all learn. New players, vice captain, and coaching staff.

 

[hamzie]

There's a different between dropping and resting..

 

[asfandyar]

Yes. I hope this sets two precedents. 1) Losing is ok with youngsters leading the pack. 2) Stabilizers are as essential as hitters even in t20s.

 

[sweep_shot]

I think it was the right decision.

Top teams rest their main players for unimportant tours. It was an opportunity for Pakistan to test out bench strength.

 

[Champ_Pal]

Pak youngsters are talented, but many are not ready for international cricket yet. Pitches were difficult to play their attacking shots. Adaptability was clearly missing. A couple more seasons of PSL will filter out hacks from true talent.

 

[Bewal Express]

We have to do this. Playing the main players all the time doesn't create bench strength or stops complacency. I was hoping for WK/bats to put real pressure on Riz, he plays better when fighting for his place and I was desperate for Saim to put pressure on the likes of FZ and others. It's still early doors and they will come again

 

[Firebat]

Perhaps people forgot that Saim and Haris excelled at PZ with a certain Babar Azam to guide them...

In hindsight, it would have been better to bed in youngsters within the regular side.

 

[Kianig89]

Tbh it was a bad decision they should slotted a couple of youngsters instead of wole sale changes, now pretty sure these youngsters will be left in obstrucity once the series is over

 

[Saj]

I think the selectors went too far - top 3 or 4 was Saim, Haris and Tayyab. That's a complete overhaul.

Perhaps they could have rested Babar and kept Rizwan or vice versa.

 

[Rana]

Great decision

We have found Saim and Abdullah at least in this series

 

[emranabbas]

I would keep this line up just bring back fakhar and shaheen

 

[Rana]

Babar and Rizwan stat padding until the 8th-12th over would never have allowed Saim and Abdullah at least to be discovered

 

[Zaz]

Babar and Rizwan stat padding until the 8th-12th over would never have allowed Saim and Abdullah at least to be discovered

What games have u been watching?

Saim and Abdullah havent been "discovered' Youve forgot abdullahs 2 ducks?

Theyve both pretty much failed this series

Lets hope they play better going forward

 

[Rana]

What games have u been watching?

Saim and Abdullah havent been "discovered' Youve forgot abdullahs 2 ducks?

Theyve both pretty much failed this series

Lets hope they play better going forward

Abdullah has more confidence and guts to play freely than Babar does

 

[Rana]

I would keep this line up just bring back fakhar and shaheen

Me too but Babar has to play otherwise there will be civil war in Pakistan

 

[Mirpur express]

Can’t wait to see Riz & Babar back, 2 of the very best in the world.. haters can hate on but facts are facts

 

[badsha001]

What games have u been watching?

Saim and Abdullah havent been "discovered' Youve forgot abdullahs 2 ducks?

Theyve both pretty much failed this series

Lets hope they play better going forward

Pak team arrived a day before to play the games on one of the worst pitches. I'm almost certain Babar and Rizwan probably opted to sit out after realizing they will likely fail in this series.

 

[IMMY69]

I think the selectors went too far - top 3 or 4 was Saim, Haris and Tayyab. That's a complete overhaul.

Perhaps they could have rested Babar and kept Rizwan or vice versa.

This would have been the sensible thing to do and who knows we may have won the series.

You need a calm, experienced head st the top of the order to settle the youngsters down.

Unfortunately the problem we have with many of our players seems to reflect into some of the fans. A lack of common sense

 

[pakistani pride]

Dropped? They finally took some rest. Losing a meaningless T20 series is not the end of the world. At some point Pak had to lose vs them. You cant win all the time. The truth is this probably the first time in years that the main players took some rest.

 

[pakistani pride]

I think the selectors went too far - top 3 or 4 was Saim, Haris and Tayyab. That's a complete overhaul.

Perhaps they could have rested Babar and kept Rizwan or vice versa.

Does it really matter. This series has no importance. It was good to let the youngsters play and get some exposure.

 

[IMMY69]

Dropped? They finally took some rest. Losing a meaningless T20 series is not the end of the world. At some point Pak had to lose vs them. You cant win all the time. The truth is this probably the first time in years that the main players took some rest.

Ordinarily I would agree with you.
A T20 Bi Lateral series should be used to blood youngsters.

No one over 30 should every be selected unless in special circumstances.

However, you shouldn't send out a young batting side under an in experienced captain and with coaches who clearly don't know what they are doing.

Getting the set up right should be the first priority otherwise we'll continue to make the same mistakes over and over again

 

[Firebat]

Great decision

We have found Saim and Abdullah at least in this series

We could have found them anyway without having to watch Tayyab and Azam Khan. Saim and Haris excelled for PZ alongside Babar, Abdullah excelled for LQ alongside Fakhar. I don't think that's coincidence.

 

[Firebat]

Dropped? They finally took some rest. Losing a meaningless T20 series is not the end of the world. At some point Pak had to lose vs them. You cant win all the time. The truth is this probably the first time in years that the main players took some rest.

It's not necessarily meaningless if it hurts the confidence of our young talent. Pakistani fans are ruthless on these kids. I guess it just depends on how we handle it from here, if these guys can use these failures positively going forward.

I agree in principle that meaningless bilaterals, especially T20s, should be a breeding ground for youngsters and an opportunity to rest the main guys. However it's still important to remain competitive as results can affect confidence, players want to win. It's probably better to only rest 1 or 2 senior players at a time. Babar and Shaheen this time, Rizwan and Fakhar next time etc.

 

[shamaan]

Yes it was the right decision to rest the seniors.

 

[Cric1234]

The idea that Pakistan can’t score big without Babar and Rizwan was shown as false 180 was scored without them on decent batting wickets anchors will lose you more matches than attacking batsmen.

Pakistan with a full team only scraped a win last time against Afghanistan due to Naseem Shahs 2 late sixes and lost a low scoring match against Zimbabwe there’s only false perceptions and a load of air to the idea Babar and Rizwan being mythical batsmen capable of scoring quickly on difficult batting wickets.

 

[Bilal7]

Babar and Rizwan should continue opening for us but resting the seniors was absolutely a good decision. If anything, Iftikhar should have been rested as well.

Bilateral series don't matter at all. They are a means to the end that is the world cup. If this series gave the likes of Saim, Abdullah, Ihsanullah and Imad the confidence they need to help the team go deep in the upcoming world cups, it was definitely worth it.

 

[Rana]

The idea that Pakistan can’t score big without Babar and Rizwan was shown as false 180 was scored without them on decent batting wickets anchors will lose you more matches than attacking batsmen.

Pakistan with a full team only scraped a win last time against Afghanistan due to Naseem Shahs 2 late sixes and lost a low scoring match against Zimbabwe there’s only false perceptions and a load of air to the idea Babar and Rizwan being mythical batsmen capable of scoring quickly on difficult batting wickets.

I so regret going crazy in my living room when Naseem hit those two sixes and feeling proud of my side. Only to realise that the Babar and Rizwan fans were just going to use the Asia cup final qualification as an argument in support of them.

I should not support this team as long as these two are in the team, one of the two is captain and both are opening the innings

 

[Cric1234]

I so regret going crazy in my living room when Naseem hit those two sixes and feeling proud of my side. Only to realise that the Babar and Rizwan fans were just going to use the Asia cup final qualification as an argument in support of them.

I should not support this team as long as these two are in the team, one of the two is captain and both are opening the innings

Similar thing happened at the World Cup a lucky escape from the group stages where the openers failed in every match only for people to praise them later after the other batsmen helped win matches in the group stages.

 

[Suleiman]

Similar thing happened at the World Cup a lucky escape from the group stages where the openers failed in every match only for people to praise them later after the other batsmen helped win matches in the group stages.

It’s hilarious that Babar and Rizwan fans are claiming that they would’ve saved Pakistan a series loss vs AFG, which they may or may not have, but they talk as if it’s guaranteed lol, as if they are champions of tough batting conditions.

Lost the plot Vs Afghanistan in the same venue last year, did nothing in the tough conditions of the MCG where the middle order they love to criticise (at times rightfully, but not this time) got us to a more than defendable total Vs India. And then Vs England.

Not to mention, that neither is that great Vs spin, which further hurts their claim that Rizwan+Babar in the team = easy win Vs Afghanistan on these terrible for batting pitches

Babar and Rizwan have their use, but have flaws too. It’s sad that their fans refuse to be objective.

 

[Suleiman]

^they flopped Vs England I mean. Middle order didn’t do anything in that particular game.

 

[Tabishbeigh]

It was a wise decision. I honestly believe that saim ayub , zaman khan and ihsanullah have potential. You don’t always get to find 3 players of potential in a short series.
I remember Rambo once saying that by playing sides like Afghanistan and Zimbabwe there is really nothing one can gain.
So
Yes good decision. But this series also goes on to tell you that Pakistan really doesn’t have a proper spinner in their ranks.

 

[shamaan]

It was a wise decision. I honestly believe that saim ayub , zaman khan and ihsanullah have potential. You don’t always get to find 3 players of potential in a short series.
I remember Rambo once saying that by playing sides like Afghanistan and Zimbabwe there is really nothing one can gain.
So
Yes good decision. But this series also goes on to tell you that Pakistan really doesn’t have a proper spinner in their ranks.

They had Usama Mir but he was in the reserves.