Team management's unfair treatment of Abid Ali

[Sher Khan]

So Abid Ali was selected in the “World Cup squad”. He packed his bags, and received prayers and well wishes from his obviously super excited family members. Now he has come to England and has not played a single match.

It is now clear to all, that he was only chosen to throw Asif Ali a challenge. Now that Asif Ali has performed, he will replace Abid Ali. Abid Ali conveniently has not been given a chance in the first three odis. If he scored a century, the team management would have had it tough to find reason to exclude him. They will play it safe and maybe give him a chance in the fifth odi and hope he doesn’t perform too well.

Is this morally right of the team management to do? They have literally tricked the poor lad and used him.

 

[saeed5646]

You have any credible source about abid ali will be dropped from worldcup squad?

Who would have you replaced him in playing 11 for current series .?

If they were hell bent on not selecting abid ali for worldcup they would have not rested fakhar and give him chance in odi series against aus.

 

[jnaveen1980]

I am happy with Indian management on that score. It is such a big moment for someone. Getting a call for the world cup. Sending them back with no rhyme or reason is really heart breaking for those players. India has done it before in Test series where they sent back Agarwal without getting a game. This time they won't do that. Same thing was raised by some bowlers in England with Archer making himself available. It is bad. But England will do out of desperation. On these roads any runs you make have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

 

[SecularPakistanii]

The problem is Abid is an opener. We have Imam-ul-Haq occupying one spot and after that century, he has confirmed his place in the WC squad. He already thinks he is an 'Automatic Selection'

Second opening spot is taken by Zaman and he is deserving of that spot. Both openers need as much practice in English conditions as possible before the WC.


It's unfortunate but I don't see him getting a chance in this ENG series or even if he makes the WC squad. He will be warming the bench unless someone from the top 3 gets injured.

 

[Pete Rose]

Is Abid playing in Asif’s position

 

[slipcatch]

Is Abid playing in Asif’s position

Abid Ali is an opener.

Asif Ali is a middle order batsmen.

I don’t understand why Asif Ali being blamed by OP?

 

[slipcatch]

Should have selected the team after England tour.

 

[trickyone]

Give him one chance before sends him back to Pakistan...

 

[Usman Chadda]

In a world where Pakistan should play three openers in the playing XI, this thread would still make no sense.

 

[proud_pakistani]

Its OK we knew this would happen. I think the other issue is if they select Abid Ali and he performs its another selection dilemma for the committee. I think Fakhar and Imam are pretty much confirmed as openers for the world cup now.

 

[Ronaldo7]

There is no spot available for Abid ali in this lineup. We have two openers already in place and Hafeez or babar or even sarfaraz can open if needed.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

The problem is Abid is an opener. We have ****** occupying one spot and after that century, he has confirmed his place in the WC squad. He already thinks he is an 'Automatic Selection'

Second opening spot is taken by Zaman and he is deserving of that spot. Both openers need as much practice in English conditions as possible before the WC.


It's unfortunate but I don't see him getting a chance in this ENG series or even if he makes the WC squad. He will be warming the bench unless someone from the top 3 gets injured.

So you call a player a "derogatory term" but when someone uses the same "derogatory term" against you, you tell others to mind their language?

Hypocrisy much?

By the way, the same "derogatory player" that you would like to bash everyday averages more than Babar in South Africa and has outperformed Babar even so far against England.

Yet you believe that Imam is still "that p Player" and that Babar is the best thing since sliced bread.

But its not your fault.

This inherent bias exists on this forum since times immemorial and you are just another passing stranger in the crowd who considers talent >>> performance.

 

[TalhaSyed]

I have the utmost sympathy for Abid and agree that is lts a massive shame for the poor lad if he is to to be sent back to Pakistan without being given a real chance.

However - the selectors job is to pick the best Pakistani team and give Pakistan the best chance to win the WC.

I believe Abid was included in the squad since the first choice openers were Fakhar and Imam, and if they didn't perform you would have Abid waiting to sweep in. However, now that both openers have scored big centuries it's looking unlikely that Abid will be getting a chance any time soon. At least not any sort of significant chance.

As for Asif Ali - he was always competing with Faheem for a spot in the team and so far Asif definitely seems like the stronger pick.

That brings us onto the fast bowling. It's hilarious how Amir has proved his worth in this bowling line up but not playing a game. However, that's exactly the point. I don't see how the selectors can drop one of their first choice pacers (Hassan, Hasnain, Shaheen or Junaid) to bring in Amir simply in the hope that Amir will perform better than the other pacers.

If Amir had played and significantly out performed one or two of the pace bowlers their may have been a case to drop on of the pace bowlers to accommodate Amir, however, as things have transpired that hasn't been the case. Instead we have simply seen how much the bowling line up has struggled without Amir and now need to try and accommodate him in the line up, without taking the risk of dumping one of our front line Pacers incase Amir doesn't deliver.

Things have worked out in a very odd way and at the moment it's seeming likely Asif will replace Faheem and Amir will replace Abid - which sounds really odd for an opening batsmen to be replaced by an opening pace bowler - however, I think that is best for the team and the balance of the team.

Again - I have the utmost sympathy for Abid and feel really bad for the poor guy if he does get the cut. It's a real shame and can't even imagine how crappy he feels. However, the selectors have a job to do and that is pick what they think is the best combination/squad for Pakistan.

 

[Ronaldo7]

I have the utmost sympathy for Abid and agree that is lts a massive shame for the poor lad if he is to to be sent back to Pakistan without being given a real chance.

However - the selectors job is to pick the best Pakistani team and give Pakistan the best chance to win the WC.

I believe Abid was included in the squad since the first choice openers were Fakhar and Imam, and if they didn't perform you would have Abid waiting to sweep in. However, now that both openers have scored big centuries it's looking unlikely that Abid will be getting a chance any time soon. At least not any sort of significant chance.

As for Asif Ali - he was always competing with Faheem for a spot in the team and so far Asif definitely seems like the stronger pick.

That brings us onto the fast bowling. It's hilarious how Amir has proved his worth in this bowling line up but not playing a game. However, that's exactly the point. I don't see how the selectors can drop one of their first choice pacers (Hassan, Hasnain, Shaheen or Junaid) to bring in Amir simply in the hope that Amir will perform better than the other pacers.

If Amir had played and significantly out performed one or two of the pace bowlers their may have been a case to drop on of the pace bowlers to accommodate Amir, however, as things have transpired that hasn't been the case. Instead we have simply seen how much the bowling line up has struggled without Amir and now need to try and accommodate him in the line up, without taking the risk of dumping one of our front line Pacers incase Amir doesn't deliver.

Things have worked out in a very odd way and at the moment it's seeming likely Asif will replace Faheem and Amir will replace Abid - which sounds really odd for an opening batsmen to be replaced by an opening pace bowler - however, I think that is best for the team and the balance of the team.

Again - I have the utmost sympathy for Abid and feel really bad for the poor guy if he does get the cut. It's a real shame and can't even imagine how crappy he feels. However, the selectors have a job to do and that is pick what they think is the best combination/squad for Pakistan.

Or you can say that Amir will replace Faheem and asif will replace Abid.

 

[in_cutter]

The problem is Abid is an opener. We have Imam-ul-Haq occupying one spot and after that century, he has confirmed his place in the WC squad. He already thinks he is an 'Automatic Selection'

Second opening spot is taken by Zaman and he is deserving of that spot. Both openers need as much practice in English conditions as possible before the WC.


It's unfortunate but I don't see him getting a chance in this ENG series or even if he makes the WC squad. He will be warming the bench unless someone from the top 3 gets injured.

Imam has been performing and deserved the spot. So stop crying over it.

 

[TalhaSyed]

Or you can say that Amir will replace Faheem and asif will replace Abid.

Yea you can put it whichever way you want - however, the question is the unfair treatment of Abid and why is he getting dropped without being given a chance.

I believe Abid has just been a victim of circumstances.

Going into the ODI series in my mind - their were 2 spots up for grab. This was made clear by Asif and Amir being selected as the 16th and 17th members of the squad respectively.

Spot 1:

Asif Vs Faheem

Asif is well ahead in this contest at the moment and is the obvious stronger choice.

Now I may be wrong but I don't think the intention was to ever have Asif compete with Abid for the slot of opening batsman

Spot 2:

Amir Vs The other Pcaers

Again - when selecting Amir as the 17th player I don't think the intention was to have him competing for a spot with Abid - our stand by opening batsmen.

Unfortunately for Abid however, Amir was unable to take part in any matches whilst the other pacers have all failed miserably so far.

If Amir had played and performed worse than or just as bad as the current pacers in the squad - the selectors would be able to discard Amir and say they will stick with their first choice.

If Amir had played and performed significantly better than any of the Pacers - again it would be an easy call for the selectors to drop one of the current 4 pacers and include Amir since he has clearly outperformed them.

However, the fact that Amir hasn't played - yet all the other pacers who have played so far have struggled and underperformed makes it tricky.

They can't drop any one pacer since their is no obvious weak link and all of them have been pretty rubbish, and if they were to drop one of the current 4 and bring Amir in their is no evidence to suggest Amir would do better than whomever they drop.

At the same time - the bowling is obviously the weakest link so they can't sit back and do nothing. At this stage the selectors start looking around at rest of the squad to see who else can make room for Amir.

The senior players - Malik and Hafeez - will never get the cut (unless unfit) and now that both our openers have performed well the obvious choice is our stand by opener - unfortunately for Abid.

This is why in my head I think Amir has ended up taking Abid's spot.

Having said all that - at the end of the day you are absolutely right - it makes no difference. People can say that Asif is replacing Abid because Asif is being included primarily based on his batting and Amir is replacing Faheem since Amir is being included primarily due to his bowling. I get that argument.

However, in my head if Amir was to play the remaining 2 games VS England and play absolutely crap - Asif will still replace Faheem IMO but Abid would end up retaining his place in the squad. That is why in my mind Asif is replacing Faheem and Amir is replacing Abid.

 

[Kashmiri_Pak_fan]

Yea you can put it whichever way you want - however, the question is the unfair treatment of Abid and why is he getting dropped without being given a chance.

I believe Abid has just been a victim of circumstances.

Going into the ODI series in my mind - their were 2 spots up for grab. This was made clear by Asif and Amir being selected as the 16th and 17th members of the squad respectively.

Spot 1:

Asif Vs Faheem

Asif is well ahead in this contest at the moment and is the obvious stronger choice.

Now I may be wrong but I don't think the intention was to ever have Asif compete with Abid for the slot of opening batsman

Spot 2:

Amir Vs The other Pcaers

Again - when selecting Amir as the 17th player I don't think the intention was to have him competing for a spot with Abid - our stand by opening batsmen.

Unfortunately for Abid however, Amir was unable to take part in any matches whilst the other pacers have all failed miserably so far.

If Amir had played and performed worse than or just as bad as the current pacers in the squad - the selectors would be able to discard Amir and say they will stick with their first choice.

If Amir had played and performed significantly better than any of the Pacers - again it would be an easy call for the selectors to drop one of the current 4 pacers and include Amir since he has clearly outperformed them.

However, the fact that Amir hasn't played - yet all the other pacers who have played so far have struggled and underperformed makes it tricky.

They can't drop any one pacer since their is no obvious weak link and all of them have been pretty rubbish, and if they were to drop one of the current 4 and bring Amir in their is no evidence to suggest Amir would do better than whomever they drop.

At the same time - the bowling is obviously the weakest link so they can't sit back and do nothing. At this stage the selectors start looking around at rest of the squad to see who else can make room for Amir.

The senior players - Malik and Hafeez - will never get the cut (unless unfit) and now that both our openers have performed well the obvious choice is our stand by opener - unfortunately for Abid.

This is why in my head I think Amir has ended up taking Abid's spot.

Having said all that - at the end of the day you are absolutely right - it makes no difference. People can say that Asif is replacing Abid because Asif is being included primarily based on his batting and Amir is replacing Faheem since Amir is being included primarily due to his bowling. I get that argument.

However, in my head if Amir was to play the remaining 2 games VS England and play absolutely crap - Asif will still replace Faheem IMO but Abid would end up retaining his place in the squad. That is why in my mind Asif is replacing Faheem and Amir is replacing Abid.

If asif was competing with faheem and amir with other pacers then u mean pakistan were going to world cup with four seamers....how ****!

 

[Da_Future_Knick]

Seeing tons of post online that Faheem and Abid are being replaced by Amir & Asif in the WC squad

 

[Sher Khan]

I want to make this clear. He is not a P. He was initially selected in the squad Vs Sri Lanka because of his spectacular performance in the QEA final and his performances in domestic and for PAK A.

The notion that he is a P carries zero weight when he possesses a mighty average of 60.04. For perspective, guess how many centuries hafeez or Malik have? EIGHT! After having played for two decades. Imam has six centuries having played for one and a half year.

So please stop being hypocritical and calling a potential Pakistani great a P.

 

[Ronaldo7]

I want to make this clear. He is not a P. He was initially selected in the squad Vs Sri Lanka because of his spectacular performance in the QEA final and his performances in domestic and for PAK A.

The notion that he is a P carries zero weight when he possesses a mighty average of 60.04. For perspective, guess how many centuries hafeez or Malik have? EIGHT! After having played for two decades. Imam has six centuries having played for one and a half year.

So please stop being hypocritical and calling a potential Pakistani great a P.

As i said before, All of these Imam haters are just ignorant and they're just sheep following the shepherds (journalists). Most of them know nothing about imam's u19 and pak a performances but still think Imam is a p*rchi.

 

[Duckworth Lewis]

Some posters are crazy. They want to drop a man who scored a big century. It is your bowling that is rubbish. And Amir is not going to solve the problems.

 

[GreenKhan]

It is tough on Abid, but looking at the team set up the opening spot is not really a concern.

Imam and Fakhar have played very good knocks, and they are getting the much needed game time on this tour to fine tune there skills so they can continue there form in the world cup. Abid would get a game maybe if they wanted to rest either of them but in reality he is the 3rd choice opener.

The lower order batting especially the power hitting aspect is a concern therefore they have given Asif Ali an opportunity to stake a claim for the final 15 and thus far he has taken the opportunity with both hands.

Asif instead of Abid is most likey the sensibile option as it gives us more options in the middle order which is what we need especially given the way Asif has performed so far.

 

[Mehndi155]

Asif should have replaced malik

 

[TalhaSyed]

If asif was competing with faheem and amir with other pacers then u mean pakistan were going to world cup with four seamers....how ****!

Yup.

 

[nam]

Its not team management.. He should not have been in the 15 squad to begin with.. with handful of ODIs and one century he was handed a plane ticket for worldcup.. while Imam with 5 centuries was still doubtful in the minds of pp fans

 

[moghul]

Doesn't look like he has any personal contact with Inzi or PCB admin, depending solely on his performance, not enough in Pakistan cricket.

 

[Saj]

He is highly unlikely to play in the 4th ODI and is not a certainty either for the 5th ODI.

 

[wasimjunior]

Doesn't look like he has any personal contact with Inzi or PCB admin, depending solely on his performance, not enough in Pakistan cricket.

Inzy picked him when he had no exposure and nobody wanted him in the side.

Realistically how can pak play him or slot him in the side when the top 3 is confirmed?

Deserves to stay as a backup keeper but has no use and is a waste of a spot otherwise

Please use common sense

 

[msb314]

I have the utmost sympathy for Abid and agree that is lts a massive shame for the poor lad if he is to to be sent back to Pakistan without being given a real chance.

However - the selectors job is to pick the best Pakistani team and give Pakistan the best chance to win the WC.

I believe Abid was included in the squad since the first choice openers were Fakhar and Imam, and if they didn't perform you would have Abid waiting to sweep in. However, now that both openers have scored big centuries it's looking unlikely that Abid will be getting a chance any time soon. At least not any sort of significant chance.

As for Asif Ali - he was always competing with Faheem for a spot in the team and so far Asif definitely seems like the stronger pick.

That brings us onto the fast bowling. It's hilarious how Amir has proved his worth in this bowling line up but not playing a game. However, that's exactly the point. I don't see how the selectors can drop one of their first choice pacers (Hassan, Hasnain, Shaheen or Junaid) to bring in Amir simply in the hope that Amir will perform better than the other pacers.

If Amir had played and significantly out performed one or two of the pace bowlers their may have been a case to drop on of the pace bowlers to accommodate Amir, however, as things have transpired that hasn't been the case. Instead we have simply seen how much the bowling line up has struggled without Amir and now need to try and accommodate him in the line up, without taking the risk of dumping one of our front line Pacers incase Amir doesn't deliver.

Things have worked out in a very odd way and at the moment it's seeming likely Asif will replace Faheem and Amir will replace Abid - which sounds really odd for an opening batsmen to be replaced by an opening pace bowler - however, I think that is best for the team and the balance of the team.

Again - I have the utmost sympathy for Abid and feel really bad for the poor guy if he does get the cut. It's a real shame and can't even imagine how crappy he feels. However, the selectors have a job to do and that is pick what they think is the best combination/squad for Pakistan.

The issue isn’t whether Fakhar and Imam perform or not - it is to prepare for the unfortunate scenario of wither of then got injured. Now with Abid’s reported exclusion - we have no backup openers.

I am now 100% sure Hafeez was included in the squad to act as a makeshift backup opener. His ticket to the WC is pretty sealed...

 

[TalhaSyed]

The issue isn’t whether Fakhar and Imam perform or not - it is to prepare for the unfortunate scenario of wither of then got injured. Now with Abid’s reported exclusion - we have no backup openers.

I am now 100% sure Hafeez was included in the squad to act as a makeshift backup opener. His ticket to the WC is pretty sealed...

Yea Hafeez's spot in the squad was never in danger. Plus if I'm not mistaken I believe he made is intentions to want to play as an opener a couple of weeks ago.

The other backup opener we have is Babar Azam. The guy averages 61 whilst opening in T20s & thanks to his excellent ability to hit the balls in the gaps he may prove quite a useful opener during the power plays.

 

[Hasan123]

He is unlucky to be dropped but some talk on this forum as if he is a Rohit Sharma or Bairstow 2.0

 

[MenInG]

Its sad if he is dropped but you can only have 15 in the squad.

 

[hadi123]

Looks like he'll get a chance in the next game after what happenedd to Imam today.

 

[coy0607]

This is not school cricket where everyone needs to get a chance. This is international cricket - there is no such thing as "getting fair treatment"

Team management needs to do whatever puts Pakistan in the best position of being successful at the WC, no matter who's feelings it hurts.

 

[moghul]

Selected for WC squad based on years and years of performance in domestic circuit and ton on ODI debut, being sent home without giving him a game, ridiculous. Why select him on the first place.

 

[Saj]

Looks like he's doing such a fine job of carrying the drinks that they don't want to pick him.

Actually the danger is that if he does well if given a chance, then they will have to drop one of the 'regulars'.

 

[mak36]

Looks like he's doing such a fine job of carrying the drinks that they don't want to pick him.

Actually the danger is that if he does well if given a chance, then they will have to drop one of the 'regulars'.

Who would you drop from the squad to make room for Abid?

 

[Pete Rose]

It’s a tragedy that he will be sent home and Malik/hafeez will play

 

[OmaIR1]

If he was originally to be in the WC squad WHY would you not showcase him in the England series?

Makes ZERO sense but it is the Pakistani way.

It's a shame but I do believe both Malik and Hafeez are a must. I would throw Mohammad Amir in the mix too despite his recent failures. He is a match winner and those are the players that have the X factor and will make you win games.

Fakhar Zaman - enough said, he has to be in.

Babar Azam - is a good player but he doesn't have the X factor, he's not going to guide you to victory or take the game away from the opposition. His dot balls are case in point of that. But not everyone can have the X factor in the team so we need a few just to be stable.

Asif Ali - has the X factor and is a must.

Sarfraz - is captain so no choice there, really.

Hasan Ali - would retain him as well.

Rest of the spots are up for grabs.

 

[mon858]

i doubt they will play him even in 5th odi to rest Imam, if they have made up mind to replace with Asif.

what if he scores 180 off 140 balls or something crazy, then what? so it may be better that they just play shadab or haris instead of imam in last ODI.

 

[Bilal7]

This is international cricket, no one is ever guaranteed a spot. Abid Ali was rightfully selected by Inzamam but there was always the fine print that he, or anyone else from the team, could be dropped. During this series, both openers have been fantastic and Asif Ali has also shown promise. With Hafeez fully recovering as well, Abid is now surplus to requirements. Therefore, he should be sent back home. He will get to bat in the fifth ODI, I hope, however whether he scores 15 or 150, he will still remain surplus to requirements.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

I don’t see how it’s unfair treatment

 

[Khwaja78]

This is international cricket, no one is ever guaranteed a spot. Abid Ali was rightfully selected by Inzamam but there was always the fine print that he, or anyone else from the team, could be dropped. During this series, both openers have been fantastic and Asif Ali has also shown promise. With Hafeez fully recovering as well, Abid is now surplus to requirements. Therefore, he should be sent back home. He will get to bat in the fifth ODI, I hope, however whether he scores 15 or 150, he will still remain surplus to requirements.

Rofl Inzamam did'nt select, his hundred got him selected. How many batsmen Inzamam gave in his 2.5 years selector years or even the 3 years as captain? Please don't twist we all know reality, don't give undue credit to a nepotistic person who has destroyed PAkistan's domestic batting careers

 

[Farhan93]

This is not school cricket where everyone needs to get a chance. This is international cricket - there is no such thing as "getting fair treatment"

Team management needs to do whatever puts Pakistan in the best position of being successful at the WC, no matter who's feelings it hurts.

He is a best opener we have right now along side fakhar so why not give him a proper run? why Inzi and managment are afraid?

 

[Farhan93]

He is unlucky to be dropped but some talk on this forum as if he is a Rohit Sharma or Bairstow 2.0

Lol. So imam is a sharma or bairstow 2.0? Nah, then we should try Abid who's shown he's a far better opener than Imam on his debut innings...on Dubai track he played such a quick knock that Imam could never play in UAE. Plus, his FC record shows he is a solid batsman and on flat tracks he will score runs that's certain , and if he scores quickly than Imam than thats great as we need better opener than Imam to partner Fakhar

 

[hadi123]

I feel sorry for him but tell me how it's unfair? He hasn't got a chance in this series as Imam and Zaman are our setled openers and they're doing well this series. How can he play? Next game he might get a chance due to Imam's injury, but how can people claim that this is all an agenda against him?

 

[Farhan93]

I feel sorry for him but tell me how it's unfair? He hasn't got a chance in this series as Imam and Zaman are our setled openers and they're doing well this series. How can he play? Next game he might get a chance due to Imam's injury, but how can people claim that this is all an agenda against him?

Imam is slow, you need to give your better opener a go so he gets ready for the WC but we haven't done that ,that's why people saying that ...only few though , most of PPians are still happy with Imam and his SR of 74-75 against top 9 nations

 

[hadi123]

Imam is slow, you need to give your better opener a go so he gets ready for the WC but we haven't done that ,that's why people saying that ...only few though , most of PPians are still happy with Imam and his SR of 74-75 against top 9 nations

Imam is one of our best players. He might start off slowly but can accelerate as we saw in the last game. He scores runs consistently and once he is set he never looks like getting out

 

[Hasan123]

What's his career strike rate against top 9 side? 74? 75? yeah that is worldclass ...Abid is a crap for scoring heap of runs in tougher FC conditions where babar and imam failed badly...

Yes blame the guy who is actually scoring. Why not say anything about PP favourites Haris and Babar?

 

[Farhan93]

Imam is one of our best players. He might start off slowly but can accelerate as we saw in the last game. He scores runs consistently and once he is set he never looks like getting out

you can accelerate even further if you are already playing with a SR of 100 but issue with Imam is he can't do that or he is very selfish and Pakistan can't afford to carry such a batsman in the team if we want to win big. Yes we will score 310-320 on flat pitches with imam averaging 80 with a SR of 90 but top oppositions wil chase them scores with ease, with SR of 120-130 ..
We need better batsman who play selflessly or batsman like Sharjeel ...Imam has no place in modern cricket I am sorry, not saying because he is a nephew but because he is not good enough. Avg doesn't mean anything you have to have balance numbers decent avg and very good SR. Eng prefer players with avg of 40 and SR of 100 while we prefer Babar and Imam avging in 50s while having SR of 80. And we can see the difference between the two teams.

Balance numbers for batsmen in modern day top 3 are :

Avg : 38-50 , SR : 95+



Imam's SR is in 70s against top 9 sides tell me how is that good enough?

 

[Farhan93]

Yes blame the guy who is actually scoring. Why not say anything about PP favourites Haris and Babar?

I criticize babar very harshly and rightly so, Imam is the guy who gets away with criticism as the logic is " he's a nephew and already getting alot of flak so we should go easy on him" why ? can't ignore his SR of 70s. M sorry he should be ruthlessly criticized like everyone else...

 

[hadi123]

you can accelerate even further if you are already playing with a SR of 100 but issue with Imam is he can't do that or he is very selfish and Pakistan can't afford to carry such a batsman in the team if we want to win big. Yes we will score 310-320 on flat pitches with imam averaging 80 with a SR of 90 but top oppositions wil chase them scores with ease, with SR of 120-130 ..
We need better batsman who play selflessly or batsman like Sharjeel ...Imam has no place in modern cricket I am sorry, not saying because he is a nephew but because he is not good enough. Avg doesn't mean anything you have to have balance numbers decent avg and very good SR. Eng prefer players with avg of 40 and SR of 100 while we prefer Babar and Imam avging in 50s while having SR of 80. And we can see the difference between the two teams.

Balance numbers for batsmen in modern day top 3 are :

Avg : 38-50 , SR : 95+



Imam's SR is in 70s against top 9 sides tell me how is that good enough?

Abid Ali isn't exactly a quick scorer either judging by his List A perforamnces. And would he score runs consistently as Imam? Doubt it

 

[Farhan93]

Abid Ali isn't exactly a quick scorer either judging by his List A perforamnces. And would he score runs consistently as Imam? Doubt it

He is more suited to test, yes but still better and quick run getter than Imam.. hes more shots than Imam at his disposal and he will play selflessly I am sure ..should have given him 5-6 successive games

 

[hadi123]

He is more suited to test, yes but still better and quick run getter than Imam.. hes more shots than Imam at his disposal and he will play selflessly I am sure ..should have given him 5-6 successive games

Have you seen his List A strike rate? Nothing special

 

[srh]

Pakistan should always have 3 openers in the squad. Remember CT was won because Pakistan had Fakhar as 3rd opener.

 

[Farhan93]

Have you seen his List A strike rate? Nothing special

Imam's List A strike rate is even worse. His List A strike rate before his debut was 73, His strike rate against top 9 side is 75 and never played an innings like Abid played on his debut - a run a ball hundred- on most sluggish surface in the world..Thats why he is far better

 

[Savak]

My biggest frustration is that if the team management had no intention of ever playing him, why did they waste a spot on him? Would it not have been better to get someone in and play a player who had a higher chance of making the WC Squad? Mickey Arthur needs to be shown the door after this WC is over

 

[Farhan93]

My biggest frustration is that if the team management had no intention of ever playing him, why did they waste a spot on him? Would it not have been better to get someone in and play a player who had a higher chance of making the WC Squad? Mickey Arthur needs to be shown the door after this WC is over

Sarfraz has intention to play him I feel because he wants to win he knows Fakhar and Abid are best openers and they need to play and he can't win with Imam in the team but Mickey and Inzi are running our team they picked Abid in the squad as he's performed outstandingly on his debut but he can't get into the side as Inzi doesn't want that and Mickey doesn't want to lose his job by replacing nephew with him..

 

[Ronaldo7]

Imam's List A strike rate is even worse. His List A strike rate before his debut was 73, His strike rate against top 9 side is 75 and never played an innings like Abid played on his debut - a run a ball hundred- on most sluggish surface in the world..Thats why he is far better

Sluggish surface?
Australia thrashed our bowling on the same pitch.

 

[Savak]

Sarfraz has intention to play him I feel because he wants to win he knows Fakhar and Abid are best openers and they need to play and he can't win with Imam in the team but Mickey and Inzi are running our team they picked Abid in the squad as he's performed outstandingly on his debut but he can't get into the side as Inzi doesn't want that and Mickey doesn't want to lose his job by replacing nephew with him..

Inzi selected Abid Ali in the team. It is now upto Sarfaraz and Mickey to play him. In any case i felt his inclusion was a knee jerk reaction and to do it on the basis of one innings was not fair to the other players who had been playing for the last 2-3 years.

 

[Abdullah]

So Abid Ali was selected in the “World Cup squad”. He packed his bags, and received prayers and well wishes from his obviously super excited family members. Now he has come to England and has not played a single match.

It is now clear to all, that he was only chosen to throw Asif Ali a challenge. Now that Asif Ali has performed, he will replace Abid Ali. Abid Ali conveniently has not been given a chance in the first three odis. If he scored a century, the team management would have had it tough to find reason to exclude him. They will play it safe and maybe give him a chance in the fifth odi and hope he doesn’t perform too well.

Is this morally right of the team management to do? They have literally tricked the poor lad and used him.

There is no need to play him. He got selected as the back up opener but it was clear from the outset we need Asif and now he has shown he has a bit about him we need to select him
So somebody needs to go out.
It ain't gonna be Malik or hafeez and haris has been in form too, so it's Abid.
Not too much to see here

 

[Abdullah]

He is highly unlikely to play in the 4th ODI and is not a certainty either for the 5th ODI.

There is no need to play him if we have decided on taking Asif to the world cup

 

[Farhan93]

Sluggish surface?
Australia thrashed our bowling on the same pitch.

Search average ODI score at Dubai then compare it to avg score on any other ground..you will get what I am saying.. It wasn't a 370 pitch like the pitch we are seeing in England..Imam played many times in Dubai why couldnot he score a single hundred with such a SR ? because there is a difference between the two Abid is a far better batsman....give him 5 consecutive matches in England...That's why I am saying management seem afraid of giving Abid fair chance in England as they know he will easily outshine Imam on such batting paradises and fans then will put pressure on both Imam and management to keep Fakhar and Abid as our openers for the WC

 

[Ronaldo7]

Search average ODI score at Dubai then compare it to avg score on any other ground..you will get what I am saying.. It wasn't a 370 pitch like the pitch we are seeing in England..Imam played many times in Dubai why couldnot he score a single hundred with such a SR ? because there is a difference between the two Abid is a far better batsman....give him 5 consecutive matches in England...That's why I am saying management seem afraid of giving Abid fair chance in England as they know he will easily outshine Imam on such batting paradises and fans then will put pressure on both Imam and management to keep Fakhar and Abid as our openers for the WC

Even Rizwan scored a 100 in that match with a better strike rate. Why would you wanna replace a player with another player who has the exact same skill set??
That's just stupidity.

 

[Farhan93]

Inzi selected Abid Ali in the team. It is now upto Sarfaraz and Mickey to play him. In any case i felt his inclusion was a knee jerk reaction and to do it on the basis of one innings was not fair to the other players who had been playing for the last 2-3 years.

His performances are far better than in domestic than the likes of Imam and Babar yet he was not given more than 2 games that's why its unfair ..Inzi and Mickey are running the team and mickey can't go against Inzi as he wants to keep his job..Inzi had to select Abid as a 3rd opener there was no other choice and there was media pressure so he had to do it but now imam has scored few selfish 50s and 100s Inzi can keep pressure on Mickey and Sarfraz to not include Abid , though he deserves and Pakistan need him.

 

[Farhan93]

Rizwan failed in so many matches so he was alot down the pecking order already while Abid has performed massively in firstclass as an opener, he has a double ton in List A , he scored a wonderful century on his debut a far better innings than all of imams innings so he deserved run of games before the worldcup .He is also right handed ,could become ideal partner for Fakhar but here nepotism triumphs over merit more often than not that's what happening in Imam/Abid case... Imam has a strike rate of 74-75 against top 9 sides but he is an automatic choice lol

 

[SecularPakistanii]

Thank you Farhan93. Excellent analysis

 

[Chokli]

Rizwan failed in so many matches so he was alot down the pecking order already while Abid has performed massively in firstclass as an opener, he has a double ton in List A , he scored a wonderful century on his debut a far better innings than all of imams innings so he deserved run of games before the worldcup .He is also right handed ,could become ideal partner for Fakhar but here nepotism triumphs over merit more often than not that's what happening in Imam/Abid case... Imam has a strike rate of 74-75 against top 9 sides but he is an automatic choice lol

Lol he hasn't even played that many matches against the top sides.

The matches he has played he's only gotten better and better.

 

[Zeeraq]

He shouldn't have been selected for the World Cup squad in the first place, but knowing this team management he may play the next ODI and what will happen if he scores a match-winningcentury?

 

[Majestic_Inzi]

imaam injury will not fully recover by world cup, trust me. I remember when i had elbow injury it took months to fully recover.

Imaam will not be 100% in world cup

 

[hadi123]

Imam's List A strike rate is even worse. His List A strike rate before his debut was 73, His strike rate against top 9 side is 75 and never played an innings like Abid played on his debut - a run a ball hundred- on most sluggish surface in the world..Thats why he is far better

Man why are people just ignoring how freakishly consistent Imam is. Have people seen his average for crying out loud? Even if he can start slowly. He scores runs upon runs upon runs. Regardless of his SR, it's overlooked how good his average is. Even if you look at other players with a similar style to him, their run scoring was never as consistent as him.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Man why are people just ignoring how freakishly consistent Imam is. Have people seen his average for crying out loud? Even if he can start slowly. He scores runs upon runs upon runs. Regardless of his SR, it's overlooked how good his average is. Even if you look at other players with a similar style to him, their run scoring was never as consistent as him.

I am not knocking the guy, but in this world cup, games are not going to be won by averages. The pitches are a dream for batting so it will be the teams with the most effective hitters that succeed. If big scores are that important then Rizwan scored two centuries recently against Australia, but no one considers bringing him in. Imam has shown some intent to hit out, but not convinced myself just yet, either by his attempts to hit short bowling, or his charging down the crease after a couple of dot balls. But he's done a decent job opening so deserves credit for that.

 

[Ronaldo7]

I am not knocking the guy, but in this world cup, games are not going to be won by averages. The pitches are a dream for batting so it will be the teams with the most effective hitters that succeed. If big scores are that important then Rizwan scored two centuries recently against Australia, but no one considers bringing him in. Imam has shown some intent to hit out, but not convinced myself just yet, either by his attempts to hit short bowling, or his charging down the crease after a couple of dot balls. But he's done a decent job opening so deserves credit for that.

What makes you think Abid is the answer to that question???
Abid's strike rate is very similar to that of Imam's.

 

[dhump]

He will get a good chance after the world cup when Sarfraz will be sacked and dropped. I think it is a blessing in disguise for him he can play without the pressure of captain occupying wicketkeeper slot.

 

[Chokli]

I am not knocking the guy, but in this world cup, games are not going to be won by averages. The pitches are a dream for batting so it will be the teams with the most effective hitters that succeed. If big scores are that important then Rizwan scored two centuries recently against Australia, but no one considers bringing him in. Imam has shown some intent to hit out, but not convinced myself just yet, either by his attempts to hit short bowling, or his charging down the crease after a couple of dot balls. But he's done a decent job opening so deserves credit for that.

And he's improving day by day.

You need to remember he hasn't played a lot against the top sides.

 

[Slim]

Hopefully Abid plays the last match.

 

[hadi123]

What makes you think Abid is the answer to that question???
Abid's strike rate is very similar to that of Imam's.

Exactly, this is what these people don't realize

 

[Muhammad10]

Imam's List A strike rate is even worse. His List A strike rate before his debut was 73, His strike rate against top 9 side is 75 and never played an innings like Abid played on his debut - a run a ball hundred- on most sluggish surface in the world..Thats why he is far better

If it was indeed the "most sluggish surface in the world", why did Rizwan make 104 off just 102 on it, whereas Abid made 112 off 119? Does that mean Abid would've made 151 off 100 balls in the third ODI against England, and Rizwan would've made it in 90 balls? )

Looks like Rizwan is the GOAT we need, not Abid, going by your bizarre logic.