Team that can win Pakistan the World Cup!

[usam wani]

What I have realised in past few years is that we have a useless coach and a useless chief selector. Our players have got the capability to compete with any team, but the balance of the side is always wrong. Sarfraz never bats at a fixed position like other captains do and thus he never takes responsibility with the bat. He should bat at 4 where he will take more responsibility and bail out the team when required. I'll give my combination for world cup . Suggestions to improve are welcome.
1.Fakhar
2.Imam
If anyone of them is not performing then we should replace him with Shan or Abid Ali
3. Babar
4.Sarfraz(C)
5.Haris
6.Hafeez(we need hafeez at this no. only) It will balance the side.
7.Shadab Or Imad
Now we need to play 4 pacers in England. And my first choice would be these 4
Start with Junaid and Shaheen,
and then Aamir and Hassan
Why Aamir? because he will bowl better than faheem and i'm sure he can contribute more with bat than faheem . And you know he is a big match player and I'm sure he will find his rythm back against India.
8.Hassan
9.Aamir
10.shaheen
11.junaid.
Aamir yamin can be a back up allrounder, And Rizwan should also be in the squad.

 

[Sajjad-007]

Good analysis. My team.
01. Fakhar
02. Imam
03. Babar
04. Sarfaraz
05. Haris
06. Hafeez
07. Imad
08. Sadab
09. Amir
10. Hasan
11. Shaheen

 

[Sajjad-007]

Back up
01. Malik
02. Rizwan
03. Junaid
04. Faheem

 

[usam wani]

Good analysis. My team.
01. Fakhar
02. Imam
03. Babar
04. Sarfaraz
05. Haris
06. Hafeez
07. Imad
08. Sadab
09. Amir
10. Hasan
11. Shaheen

I would love to see both Imad and shadab together in team but i guess we will need 4 pacers in england.

 

[usam wani]

Back up
01. Malik
02. Rizwan
03. Junaid
04. Faheem

i used to be a fan of malik but his recent form is bad and his record in england is even worse. We should definitely go with Haris .

 

[ExpressPacer]

There's no team that can win us the WC with our batting, I'm afraid. The sooner this bubble is popped, the better. There is absolutely no one in the team that can bat according to modern standards. FZ is good on his day (not world class) but inconsistent and he's all we have. Babar Azam will never be able to take on the opposition and take charge. He's a young prodigy but it seems as though he will always be that; a young prodigy that was never good enough to win matches single-handedly.

Our bowling can be world class but if we're not putting up good totals, its useless.

 

[Abdullah]

Number 5 is 2 low for Harris.
Agree with sarfaraz at 4.
Agree with hafeez at 6.
I'd always play the 2 all rounders as the tail is too long. Faheem can bowl economically. Shadab is the attacking option and Imad is the best all rounder currently
So it's a tough choice

 

[usam wani]

Number 5 is 2 low for Harris.
Agree with sarfaraz at 4.
Agree with hafeez at 6.
I'd always play the 2 all rounders as the tail is too long. Faheem can bowl economically. Shadab is the attacking option and Imad is the best all rounder currently
So it's a tough choice

Inzi used to bat at 5 and he was someone who used to stay till the end. I see haris capable of doing something like that. Faheem has bowled very poorly against non minnows. And his batting is even worse. Shadab and Imad should play , England also plays both moeen and Aadil rashid.

 

[usam wani]

There's no team that can win us the WC with our batting, I'm afraid. The sooner this bubble is popped, the better. There is absolutely no one in the team that can bat according to modern standards. FZ is good on his day (not world class) but inconsistent and he's all we have. Babar Azam will never be able to take on the opposition and take charge. He's a young prodigy but it seems as though he will always be that; a young prodigy that was never good enough to win matches single-handedly.

Our bowling can be world class but if we're not putting up good totals, its useless.

Our batting has started to score something above 250 but that won't be enough as we know the present standards set by other teams. All we need is someone in those last 10 overs whoc can score at more than 10 an over and we can easily cross 300 everytime. Imam, babar and Hairs should bat sensibly everytime and give that score from where our lower order can assault . I'm hopeful.

 

[IAJ]

Our only option are Prayers.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Our batting has started to score something above 250 but that won't be enough as we know the present standards set by other teams. All we need is someone in those last 10 overs whoc can score at more than 10 an over and we can easily cross 300 everytime. Imam, babar and Hairs should bat sensibly everytime and give that score from where our lower order can assault . I'm hopeful.

I think we need to promote Imad to No. 4 for Pakistan to succeed. Get hundred runs at least by the time the second wicket falls and then send in Imad. That is the only way we can succeed. He's in good form right now, let's hope he maintains it.

 

[Hawkeye]

I think we need to promote Imad to No. 4 for Pakistan to succeed. Get hundred runs at least by the time the second wicket falls and then send in Imad. That is the only way we can succeed. He's in good form right now, let's hope he maintains it.

Imad Wasim will lose us all the matches when he's on the crease and it's the last 10 overs.

He has a very limited game, cannot take on the bowlers and cannot clear the fence at will.

The only way he can be be of use is if he bats at 3 or 4 and at 100 or above strike rate averaging 45+.

At number 6/7/8/9 or as a finisher he's just a match loser.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Fakhar
Imam
Babar
Haris
Sarfraz
Hafeez
Imad
Shadab
Fahim/Junaid
Hasan
Shaheen

Although we could get hafeez to open if one of the openers are not firing(highly likely) which can get fahim and junaid both into the equation or we could get Umar/Rizwan. I think our best finishers are still Imad and Umar Akmal which is extremely sad. Umar Akmal can be made to open as well as his devil may care attitude/stupidity can get us some good starts in the powerplay.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Imad Wasim will lose us all the matches when he's on the crease and it's the last 10 overs.

He has a very limited game, cannot take on the bowlers and cannot clear the fence at will.

The only way he can be be of use is if he bats at 3 or 4 and at 100 or above strike rate averaging 45+.

At number 6/7/8/9 or as a finisher he's just a match loser.

He's been spectacular throughout this series. He's no powerhitter but he's one of the few that can hit. We need someone like him at 4.

 

[Hawkeye]

He's been spectacular throughout this series. He's no powerhitter but he's one of the few that can hit. We need someone like him at 4.

He is anything but spectacular for a number 6/7/8/9 or a finisher. Has never and will never bring us over the line because of limited batting, inability to hit boundaries at will.

Yes, he can be fine at 4 if can he maintain 100 strike rate at a good average.

But not in the late to middle order.

 

[topspin]

Fakhar (or Abid if he's struggling)
Babar
Haris
Umar/Rizwan
Hafeez
Asif Ali
Imad Wasim (comes before Asif if the 4th wicket is lost earlier in the innings)
Sarfraz (wk) - worse bat than every name above, so this is where he belongs in the batting order.
Hasan Ali
Amir
Shaheen

Haris and Hafeez can share 10 overs.

 

[Bilal7]

You should also realize that the selectors do not pick the team combination, they pick the squad. The final XI is chosen by the coach and captain. The players in your apparently world class team are players that Inzamam has backed and is likely to select for the World Cup which makes your criticism strange.

As for your team, it is quite good but I would make a few changes:

1) Imam
2) Fakhar
3) Haris
4) Babar
5) Hafeez
6) Malik
7) Sarfaraz (c) (wk)
8) Shadab/Imad
9) Hasan
10) Amir
11) Shaheen/Junaid

Ideally, we should play four pacers but I want them to start safe and pick six batsmen + the keeper during the first couple of matches at least. I believe that Haris might be better suited to #3 than #4 and that Babar can still be as effective at #4 as he is in his favored position, but it should be okay either way. They are both good players.

 

[ARK Rafay]

I agree.

I feel this is the best XI.

01. Imam (Slowest of the top 3 but he's the most consistent opener)
02. Fakhar (Explosive opener. He's the one guy that you want to play the most overs)
03. Babar (Best batsman we have right now)
04. Haris (He's also a player who can score a big 100. His technique will also come in handy if a collapse happens. His bowling will also come handy)
05. Sarfraz (He's the captain so cannot be dropped. Also he averages 50+ at this position)
06. Hafeez (He's the most senior player and can play at any position. He can be the finisher that Pakistan needs. Also he can bowl all 10 overs if needed)
07. Imad (His bowling may not provide you wickets but his economy plays a part and his batting has improved at the death. Him, Hafeez and Haris can definitely bowl 10 overs together)
08. Shadab (He's the lone attacking spinner we have and also can bat)
09. Hasan (His form will be the best thing for this bowling. He can also hit big if needed)
10. Amir (Not the hero we want but the hero we need. He can pick at least 1-2 wicket/s (I hope so). He also dosen't leak runs and is the best death bowler we have)
11. Shaheen (All eyes is on this young lad. He can provide early breakthroughs and will be a surprise package)

 

[ManFan]

The team is pretty much picked.

Imam
FZ
Babar
Haris
Hafeez/Malik
Rizwan
Sarfraz
Imad
Hasan
Hasnain
Shaheen

Backup opener: Abid Ali.
Backup bowlers: Junaid, Shinwari, and Shadab.

 

[CricketDon]

Imam
Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Umar Akmal
Hafeez
Sarfraz
Imad
Faheem
Amir
Afridi
Usman

 

[usam wani]

I agree.

I feel this is the best XI.

01. Imam (Slowest of the top 3 but he's the most consistent opener)
02. Fakhar (Explosive opener. He's the one guy that you want to play the most overs)
03. Babar (Best batsman we have right now)
04. Haris (He's also a player who can score a big 100. His technique will also come in handy if a collapse happens. His bowling will also come handy)
05. Sarfraz (He's the captain so cannot be dropped. Also he averages 50+ at this position)
06. Hafeez (He's the most senior player and can play at any position. He can be the finisher that Pakistan needs. Also he can bowl all 10 overs if needed)
07. Imad (His bowling may not provide you wickets but his economy plays a part and his batting has improved at the death. Him, Hafeez and Haris can definitely bowl 10 overs together)
08. Shadab (He's the lone attacking spinner we have and also can bat)
09. Hasan (His form will be the best thing for this bowling. He can also hit big if needed)
10. Amir (Not the hero we want but the hero we need. He can pick at least 1-2 wicket/s (I hope so). He also dosen't leak runs and is the best death bowler we have)
11. Shaheen (All eyes is on this young lad. He can provide early breakthroughs and will be a surprise package)

Perfect!

 

[fareedymohammad]

Fakhar
Abid ( If Abid Fails, I would bring Imam in but since Abid plays on his back foot I would make him my 1st choice with F. Zaman).
Baber
Haris
Sarfaraz
Hafeez ( If Hafeez fails, I would bring in Asif Ali / Umar Akmal for this slot).
Faheem ( Either him or Immad, depending on the wicket).
Shadab
Hassan Ali
Amir / Usman (I would rotate Usman in every other game as he is lethal when he gets a small break and will force Amir to do better as well).
Shaheen


Yes , the above team is weak in spin Department but I would get Haris and Hafeez to share the ball between them selves and would bring in Immad for Faheem in case the wicket is turning. Its not like we have a classy spinner like Ajmal / Saqlain / Mushtaq / to start with which is a shame.

 

[Junaid_ahmed]

Fakhar
Abid ( If Abid Fails, I would bring Imam in but since Abid plays on his back foot I would make him my 1st choice with F. Zaman).
Baber
Haris
Sarfaraz
Hafeez ( If Hafeez fails, I would bring in Asif Ali / Umar Akmal for this slot).
Faheem ( Either him or Immad, depending on the wicket).
Shadab
Hassan Ali
Amir / Usman (I would rotate Usman in every other game as he is lethal when he gets a small break and will force Amir to do better as well).
Shaheen


Yes , the above team is weak in spin Department but I would get Haris and Hafeez to share the ball between them selves and would bring in Immad for Faheem in case the wicket is turning. Its not like we have a classy spinner like Ajmal / Saqlain / Mushtaq / to start with which is a shame.

Good team, at least you dare to kick Malik out. I mad can also replace shadab or any other non performing bowler.

Can you suggest some batsmen too who can replace unfits/not performing batsmen.

 

[Amirforpresident]

What I have realised in past few years is that we have a useless coach and a useless chief selector. Our players have got the capability to compete with any team, but the balance of the side is always wrong. Sarfraz never bats at a fixed position like other captains do and thus he never takes responsibility with the bat. He should bat at 4 where he will take more responsibility and bail out the team when required. I'll give my combination for world cup . Suggestions to improve are welcome.
1.Fakhar
2.Imam
If anyone of them is not performing then we should replace him with Shan or Abid Ali
3. Babar
4.Sarfraz(C)
5.Haris
6.Hafeez(we need hafeez at this no. only) It will balance the side.
7.Shadab Or Imad
Now we need to play 4 pacers in England. And my first choice would be these 4
Start with Junaid and Shaheen,
and then Aamir and Hassan
Why Aamir? because he will bowl better than faheem and And you know he is a big match player and I'm sure he will find his rythm back against India.
8.Hassan
9.Aamir
10.shaheen
11.junaid.
Aamir yamin can be a back up allrounder, And Rizwan should also be in the squad.

Like he did in the Asia Cup?

With all the respect bro, but Im getting tired of this excuse. Dont you see it that when Amir bowls there is no passion, no fire, no heat he is not even trying. That's the total opposite of Shinwari. That guy might be brainless at times, but atleast he gives it 150% every ball. He kept bowling in the 140 range in the odi's against AUS.

 

[harasraja]

1. Fakhar zaman
2. Babar azam
3. Haris sohail
4. Sarfraz ahmed
5. Mohammad hafeez
6. Imad wasim
7. Asif ali
8. Shadab khan
9. Hassan ali
10. Shaheen shah afridi
11. Usman shinwari

 

[Ronaldo7]

Like he did in the Asia Cup?

With all the respect bro, but Im getting tired of this excuse. Dont you see it that when Amir bowls there is no passion, no fire, no heat he is not even trying. That's the total opposite of Shinwari. That guy might be brainless at times, but atleast he gives it 150% every ball. He kept bowling in the 140 range in the odi's against AUS.

What is the asia cup in front of the World cup?
As he said amir is a "big match player".
I just want Amir to get hammered in a big match so this misconception can be cleared.

 

[Sadozai]

Only the 9 other teams playing against Pakistan in world cup can win Pakistan (by losing for themselves) this world cup. Other than that there is no team/squad that can win Pakistan this world cup.

 

[usam wani]

Like he did in the Asia Cup?

With all the respect bro, but Im getting tired of this excuse. Dont you see it that when Amir bowls there is no passion, no fire, no heat he is not even trying. That's the total opposite of Shinwari. That guy might be brainless at times, but atleast he gives it 150% every ball. He kept bowling in the 140 range in the odi's against AUS.

i feel the pitches were not that good, and yeah he didn't bowled well!

 

[usam wani]

Only the 9 other teams playing against Pakistan in world cup can win Pakistan (by losing for themselves) this world cup. Other than that there is no team/squad that can win Pakistan this world cup.

don't be so negative bhai

 

[Smudger]

Imam
Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Sarfaraz (c)(wk)
Hafeez
Imad
Shadab
Hassan
Amir
Afridi
Reserves: Asif ali , Shinwari and Faheem

 

[JibranAnsari]

My starting 11
Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Hafeez
Sarfraz
Asif ali
Imad
Shadab
Amir
Hassan
Shaheen


Rest
Imam
Shinwari
Rizwan
Faheem

 

[NauV]

I agree.

I feel this is the best XI.

01. Imam (Slowest of the top 3 but he's the most consistent opener)
02. Fakhar (Explosive opener. He's the one guy that you want to play the most overs)
03. Babar (Best batsman we have right now)
04. Haris (He's also a player who can score a big 100. His technique will also come in handy if a collapse happens. His bowling will also come handy)
05. Sarfraz (He's the captain so cannot be dropped. Also he averages 50+ at this position)
06. Hafeez (He's the most senior player and can play at any position. He can be the finisher that Pakistan needs. Also he can bowl all 10 overs if needed)
07. Imad (His bowling may not provide you wickets but his economy plays a part and his batting has improved at the death. Him, Hafeez and Haris can definitely bowl 10 overs together)
08. Shadab (He's the lone attacking spinner we have and also can bat)
09. Hasan (His form will be the best thing for this bowling. He can also hit big if needed)
10. Amir (Not the hero we want but the hero we need. He can pick at least 1-2 wicket/s (I hope so). He also dosen't leak runs and is the best death bowler we have)
11. Shaheen (All eyes is on this young lad. He can provide early breakthroughs and will be a surprise package)

I don't know about win, but I think this is the best team that we can play . . I'd pick the same team!

 

[Seamer]

Out of the 23 probables which have been announced I think this is the best team we can select:

1. Fakhar
2. Imam
3. Babar
4. Haris
5. Hafeez
6. Sarfaraz
7. Imad
8. Faheem
9. Hassan
10. Amir
11. Shaheen

12. Shadab
13. Asif
14. Junaid
15. Abid

 

[MMHS]

I thought the trick was that suddenly some unearthed talent will be hunted and about 8-9 new faces will be in PAK team which can win the cup for PAK .... or ICC will change their rule and allow about 8 players from other countries to represent PAK - which can indeed win the cup for PAK. For example, from the squad posted, keep Babar & Shaheen (I would have kept Amir, but Shaheen's stake is higher now until there is a stock market crash); replace rest 9 with say Sharma, Warner to open, Kohli, AB at 4, 5; Shakib at 6, Josh Buttler at 7, and 3 bowler - Cummins, Bumrah & Tahir ... that XI can definitely win the WC.

But, what I can see is that the mega trick lies in basically 3.5 shuffles (4th one comes with a pre-condition, hence 0.5) -

1. Bringing a batsman at 4, who in last 20 months (since CT), has batting stats of 19.92/74 against WC opponents (means excluding ZIM, with ZIM it raises to 23/80)

2. Playing a officially 38+ batsman at 6, who in his hay days has a stats of 27.50/50 in that spot (No. 6), where only he can serve)

3. Replacing a No. 8 "fast bowling all-rounder" with ODI stats (again, against WC opponents, ZIM reserves won't be there) of 14.60 batting/58.11 bowling average; with a genuine No. 11 having bowling stats of 32/5.1

3.5. If any of the openers don't perform, then replace one or both of them with 2 openers, one has 2 games with a debut century & a duck, other one with a career stats of 22/77.


Have to say a bit optimistic - my fear is PAK team might not be that talented.

 

[usam wani]

Out of the 23 probables which have been announced I think this is the best team we can select:

1. Fakhar
2. Imam
3. Babar
4. Haris
5. Hafeez
6. Sarfaraz
7. Imad
8. Faheem
9. Hassan
10. Amir
11. Shaheen

12. Shadab
13. Asif
14. Junaid
15. Abid

shadab is a must , and faheem should not be there even in squad.

 

[barah_admi]

What I have realised in past few years is that we have a useless coach and a useless chief selector. Our players have got the capability to compete with any team, but the balance of the side is always wrong. Sarfraz never bats at a fixed position like other captains do and thus he never takes responsibility with the bat. He should bat at 4 where he will take more responsibility and bail out the team when required. I'll give my combination for world cup . Suggestions to improve are welcome.
1.Fakhar
2.Imam
If anyone of them is not performing then we should replace him with Shan or Abid Ali
3. Babar
4.Sarfraz(C)
5.Haris
6.Hafeez(we need hafeez at this no. only) It will balance the side.
7.Shadab Or Imad
Now we need to play 4 pacers in England. And my first choice would be these 4
Start with Junaid and Shaheen,
and then Aamir and Hassan
Why Aamir? because he will bowl better than faheem and i'm sure he can contribute more with bat than faheem . And you know he is a big match player and I'm sure he will find his rythm back against India.
8.Hassan
9.Aamir
10.shaheen
11.junaid.
Aamir yamin can be a back up allrounder, And Rizwan should also be in the squad.

I personally think both Shadab and Imad should play, with 3 pacers (1 could be Faheem). Pakistan has a couple of quality spin bowling all rounders and I always believe teams should play their best players, regardless of so called conditions.

Speaking of which, the conditions in England are not really pace friendly, pitches are very flat, the weather will be quite and the boundaries brought in. Pace off the ball may be the way to go.

 

[Saj]

If firing on all cylinders and in top form, this is the XI that could challenge the best at the World Cup:

Imam
Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Malik
Sarfaraz
Shadab
Faheem
Amir
Hasan
Shaheen

 

[Hasan123]

If firing on all cylinders and in top form, this is the XI that could challenge the best at the World Cup:

Imam
Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Malik
Sarfaraz
Shadab
Faheem
Amir
Hasan
Shaheen

Would rather have a specialist spinner instead of Shadab. Also maybe a specialist batter instead of Faheem. Surely Hafeez or Umar Akmal would be a better option than a past it Malik.

 

[Saj]

Would rather have a specialist spinner instead of Shadab. Also maybe a specialist batter instead of Faheem. Surely Hafeez or Umar Akmal would be a better option than a past it Malik.

Specialist spinner such as?

Batsman instead of Faheem will leave you with 4 bowlers.

 

[Kroll]

There's no team that can win us the WC with our batting, I'm afraid. The sooner this bubble is popped, the better. There is absolutely no one in the team that can bat according to modern standards. FZ is good on his day (not world class) but inconsistent and he's all we have. Babar Azam will never be able to take on the opposition and take charge. He's a young prodigy but it seems as though he will always be that; a young prodigy that was never good enough to win matches single-handedly.

Our bowling can be world class but if we're not putting up good totals, its useless.

Yeah, the problem is we lack world class players except maybe Hasan Ali. Babar is good but hasn't been able to turn a match in our favour. To compound the issue, we have buday babay in Hafeez and Malik who are likely get spots.

 

[Hasan123]

Specialist spinner such as?

Batsman instead of Faheem will leave you with 4 bowlers.

Zafar Gohar ,Umer Khan ,Irfan jnr.

Faheem doesn't contribute with the bat so what kind of all rounder is he ?

 

[Ronaldo7]

Zafar Gohar ,Umer Khan ,Irfan jnr.

Faheem doesn't contribute with the bat so what kind of all rounder is he ?

He can give support if needed unlike bowlers.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Pakistan team has just too many weaknesses to be able to win the world cup but if I have to pick the playing XI, mine would be this:

1. Fakhar
2. Imam
3. Babar
4. Haris
5. Rizwan
6. Hafeez
7. Imad (c)
8. Faheem
9. Hassan (opening bowler)
10. Shinwari
11. Shaheen (opening bowler)


No place for Sarfraz, Malik, and Aamir. Both Rizwan and Haris are better batsmen. Aamir will be economical but his inability to take wickets has hurt Pakistan more. I would rather play Shinwari who can be expensive but able to pick wickets consistently.

But I know, the real playing XI will be this:

1. Fakhar
2. Imam
3. Babar
4. Hafeez
5. Malik
6. Sarfraz
7. Imad
8. Shadab
9. Hassan
10. Aamir
11. Shaheen

 

[Markhor]

It's simple, if we're to compete then don't waste your time giving Shoaib Malik a farewell tournament after failing consistently against top sides in ODIs for two years.

Fahim Ashraf is a glorified tail-ender with the bat and if he plays, should not be positioned higher than 9.

In the absence of a proven finisher, Mohammad Hafeez is best placed at 6. He'll consume less dots and can provide an experienced head in a chase as he did in Port Elizabeth v SAF.

Sarfraz Ahmed MUST bat at 5 where he can milk the spinners and rotate during middle overs. He averages 53 at that position yet he keeps floating up and down the order. He doesn't have the technique vs seam to bat in the top three, or the powerhitting ability to bat at 7 or 8.

 

[hadi123]

If firing on all cylinders and in top form, this is the XI that could challenge the best at the World Cup:

Imam
Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Malik
Sarfaraz
Shadab
Faheem
Amir
Hasan
Shaheen

I don't think Malik deserves to start ahead of Hafeez, as Hafeez was excellent in the SA series whereas Malik flops where it matters. Faheem is crap and shouldn't make the team, and Amir's ODI form is abysmal.

 

[Ilustcricket]

None

 

[harasraja]

1. Fakhar zaman
2. Babar azam
3. Haris sohail
4. Sarfraz ahmed
5. Mohammad hafeez
6. Imad wasim ( not a powerfull hitter, but is a player who can keep the momentum going when you need 7 or 8 per over, even more.

7. Asif ali (Keep him only for the finishing role. Let him do what he does best. Better than umar akmal for this job, bcz asif's range is superior.)

8. Shadab khan
9. Hassan ali
10. Shaheen shah afridi
11. Mohammad amir ( Playing for sussex before the england series and world cup ll do him a world of good hopefully. A in form amir in england ll be great.)

12. Imam ul haq
13. Abid ali
14. Usman khan shinwari
15. Mohammad husnain ( Need a bowler on the bench with some gas in the tank. Sadly couldnt I confince myself why I would want to pick junaid khan instead when usman, shaheen and amir are allready there, doesnt makes sense to me.

So that is the squad that I would want to send to england

 

[cricketerB94]

Fakhar
Imam
Babar
Haris
Hafeez
Sarfraz
Imad
Faheem
Shadab
Hasan
Shaheen

 

[Sajjad-007]

1. Fakhar zaman
2. Babar azam
3. Haris sohail
4. Sarfraz ahmed
5. Mohammad hafeez
6. Imad wasim ( not a powerfull hitter, but is a player who can keep the momentum going when you need 7 or 8 per over, even more.

7. Asif ali (Keep him only for the finishing role. Let him do what he does best. Better than umar akmal for this job, bcz asif's range is superior.)

8. Shadab khan
9. Hassan ali
10. Shaheen shah afridi
11. Mohammad amir ( Playing for sussex before the england series and world cup ll do him a world of good hopefully. A in form amir in england ll be great.)

12. Imam ul haq
13. Abid ali
14. Usman khan shinwari
15. Mohammad husnain ( Need a bowler on the bench with some gas in the tank. Sadly couldnt I confince myself why I would want to pick junaid khan instead when usman, shaheen and amir are allready there, doesnt makes sense to me.

So that is the squad that I would want to send to england

Good Squad. Where is ur middle order back up?

 

[hamaadravda]

Fakhar
Babar
Haris Sohail
Hafeez
Umar Akmal
Iftikhar
Sarfraz (c/wk)
Shadab
Hasan
Wahab
Shaheen

Reserves:
Imad
Amir
Imam
Abid Ali

 

[NoBallZombie]

1. Fakhar zaman
2. Babar azam
3. Haris sohail
4. Sarfraz ahmed
5. Mohammad hafeez
6. Imad wasim ( not a powerfull hitter, but is a player who can keep the momentum going when you need 7 or 8 per over, even more.

7. Asif ali (Keep him only for the finishing role. Let him do what he does best. Better than umar akmal for this job, bcz asif's range is superior.)

8. Shadab khan
9. Hassan ali
10. Shaheen shah afridi
11. Mohammad amir ( Playing for sussex before the england series and world cup ll do him a world of good hopefully. A in form amir in england ll be great.)

12. Imam ul haq
13. Abid ali
14. Usman khan shinwari
15. Mohammad husnain ( Need a bowler on the bench with some gas in the tank. Sadly couldnt I confince myself why I would want to pick junaid khan instead when usman, shaheen and amir are allready there, doesnt makes sense to me.

So that is the squad that I would want to send to england

You think Inzi is going to NOT select Shoaib Malik? And for him to be selected would mean one of the deserving blokes in your otherwise solid team gets knocked out. Also I am not sure I want Babar to open. He is our best bat and needs to be shielded to some extent. We lose him early and Haris "the nervous" Sohail is going to be a walking wicket.

 

[harasraja]

Good Squad. Where is ur middle order back up?

This team is perfect bro and if someone gets injured then you can call for replacement.

 

[harasraja]

You think Inzi is going to NOT select Shoaib Malik? And for him to be selected would mean one of the deserving blokes in your otherwise solid team gets knocked out. Also I am not sure I want Babar to open. He is our best bat and needs to be shielded to some extent. We lose him early and Haris "the nervous" Sohail is going to be a walking wicket.

I dont know what inzi is going to do, but in my opinion shoaib malik is a waste of space in england.

I am opening with babar, beacause he has shown in t20 that he can open and utilise the powerplay. We need someone who can take advantage of the powerplay

 

[shahidbhai]

I dont know what inzi is going to do, but in my opinion shoaib malik is a waste of space in england.

I am opening with babar, beacause he has shown in t20 that he can open and utilise the powerplay. We need someone who can take advantage of the powerplay

you already have Fakhr Zaman at the top leading the aggression, so you dont need 2...and depending on the pitch and situation (i.e chasing) we may not need to be going at 7's from the start.

I do agree that Babar is best suited at 3, him opening in t20's doesnt make him an opener for ODI's, in t20's a quick fire 30/40 from an opener would be considered pretty decent, but we need a lot more from Babar, he's our best batsman by far and we need him to make big runs for us. So ideally when a platform is set and the new ball is swinging a little bit less he can come in and build an innings and hopefully make some big tons during the World Cup.

Also just had a look at your team, most of it looks fine, but Asif Ali seems a bigger waste of space than Malik tbh. I mean you cant just put in Asif Ali because of the HOPE he can hit 6's this is ODI cricket, you need quality players. even at that lower order you need some one that can contribute in other ways. that position of 6-7 is usually held by all rounders like Razzaq and Afridi who contributed if they're power hitting didnt come through. but just to bring in Asif cuz he MAY hit a few 6's does not make any sense. its too early for him in ODI (keep him in t20's) till he's groomed further. Faheem Ashraf is the most likely in my humble opinion

 

[Titan24]

I agree with the OP that Pak team has been pretty poorly managed for sometime now with poor tactics, plannings and selections.

Whatever little success we have is due to individual brilliance of players, Team management and selection committee sometimes havent been able to do even the basics right let alone providing strategies.

 

[harasraja]

you already have Fakhr Zaman at the top leading the aggression, so you dont need 2...and depending on the pitch and situation (i.e chasing) we may not need to be going at 7's from the start.

I do agree that Babar is best suited at 3, him opening in t20's doesnt make him an opener for ODI's, in t20's a quick fire 30/40 from an opener would be considered pretty decent, but we need a lot more from Babar, he's our best batsman by far and we need him to make big runs for us. So ideally when a platform is set and the new ball is swinging a little bit less he can come in and build an innings and hopefully make some big tons during the World Cup.

Also just had a look at your team, most of it looks fine, but Asif Ali seems a bigger waste of space than Malik tbh. I mean you cant just put in Asif Ali because of the HOPE he can hit 6's this is ODI cricket, you need quality players. even at that lower order you need some one that can contribute in other ways. that position of 6-7 is usually held by all rounders like Razzaq and Afridi who contributed if they're power hitting didnt come through. but just to bring in Asif cuz he MAY hit a few 6's does not make any sense. its too early for him in ODI (keep him in t20's) till he's groomed further. Faheem Ashraf is the most likely in my humble opinion

Ok I ll bring it to you if you want it that badly.

Yes we do have fakhar at the top allready but is he providing us with the starts that we expected from him a year ago? The reality is that fakhar hitmen zaman has been exposed badly and isnt able to provide us with the fiery starts anymore.

I believe that fakhar zaman can fight it out when he has a partner at the other end who ll be playing at a good strike rate. Expecting fakhar to do it on his own ll be foolish.

Stop thinking about other teams like india, england, new zealand, australia. Yes their kohli's, smith's, williamson's, root's play one down. You are right they play them at 3 to protect them from the early overs where the ball ll be swinging, but dont forget those teams have warner's, dhawan's, rohit's, bairstow's, roy's, guptill's opening for them. Who provide them with good starts. So they can afford to play their most technically correct batsmen's at the no 3 position. Who do we have?
Fakhar zaman?????
Imam ul haq??????
Seriously dude??????????

Your best batsmen has to open, otherwise the top order ll fall like a bunch of cards, try to understand that and your second besr batsmen has to play at the one down position.

Only then you can challenge the best teams in the world....
Only then............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now we ll talk about shoaib darling malik

First tell me what his average is against pace bowling and then tell we what his average is in england.

Secondly what I want you too look at is what we are lacking. In the middle order you have got haris, hafeez and sarfraz, thats your middle order.

Now you have to make a lower order and you want to pick shoaib malik who is the worst player against pace bowling and on top of that has a average of 13 in england.

The lower order ll be made of your best allrounder and your best hitter. Your best allrounder is imad wasim and your best hitter is asif ali

Why? Why is asif ali the best hitter, bcz he can hit 2,3 sixes? No....!!!!!!!!

Asif ali is your best hitter, because....

1. His range of hitting is the biggest and best out of all.
2. His ballance while hitting is unmatchable in the country.
3. He is your best striker vs pace bowling.

My advice to you ll be, dont look for big names. Look for combinations. The best combination ll win us the world cup inshallah, not the so called best players.

 

[mesmerizer85]

From all of the above posts one thing is clear..Most people don't want Malik in the playing eleven..Unfortunately, he will be there for all matches...

 

[shahidbhai]

First of all, "Ok I ll bring it to you if you want it that badly"

no idea what this is all about ^ (made me laugh tho)

but regardless, lets get to the talking points here.

I agree, I am not a big fan of Fakhr Zaman either, I actually wrote a long piece on him on one of the threads, he has horrible footwork, bad shot selection, especially when playing the short ball, dont understand how many times he wants to miss hit a hook but seems to have done it soo many times the whole world now knows how to get him out.

I really thought Shan Masood would take over, I thought he did pretty well in South Africa, looked a good player, but he failed in the UAE against Australia which may have ruled him out, especially with Abid Ali and his 100. But regardless, I feel Fakhr is a favorite of Mickey which means he is in, that's why instead of fighting it, at this point all I can do is pray and hope that he fires in the top. Imam I feel is technically decent and has been working on his stroke making a little, which is making him look more like an ODI batsman, so him I am fine with. You have to also realize we have to make do with what we have currently and play the players that have had at least 10 international games under their belt since we didnt bother to develop players or plan properly since the last world cup.

Now on to the the Shoaib Malik topic, I never said anything about selecting Shoaib, in the playing 11, I was just addressing the waste of space comment. My playing 11 wont have Shoaib Malik, but just like Fakhr Zaman he is gonna be make the cut, so I am not fighting it. My point is Asif doesnt make the 15 in my opinion, him being hitter in the PSL doesn't qualify him to play in the ODI world cup. It doesnt translate like that. t20 cricket cannot be the benchmark for selecting for ODI's, this mentality is 100% inaccurate, but we fail to understand that. We are setting a wrong precedence on how cricket is to be played in this country. You begin to compromise technique and that is fundamental in the longer formats of the game. If we happen to end up being 100-5 in the 25th over and you are left with Asif Ali, you are done. You need proper batsman, not hitters who cannot contribute in the bowling department. Ideally you should develop ALL ROUNDERS who play the hitting role. Hafeez or Imad Wasim or even Faheem if developed further makes sense, but to make the 11 based on hitting is madness. In T20's sure! play him, the format is shorter and 1 hitter can change the game but you cannot expect Asif Ali to ever come in and save us a game from a difficult situation and post a par score, he couldnt for example rotate strike and play at 4-5 an over and get us to say 230-240 from horrible collapse. Having said that this would be my playing 11 :

1. fakhr zaman
2. Imam ul Haq
3. Babar Azam
4. Haris Sohail
5. Sarfraz Ahmed
6. Hafeez
7. Imad Wasim/Faheem Ashraf (depending on wicket)
8. Shadab Khan
9. Hasan Ali
10. Amir
11. Shaheen

 

[shahidbhai]

Ok I ll bring it to you if you want it that badly.

Yes we do have fakhar at the top allready but is he providing us with the starts that we expected from him a year ago? The reality is that fakhar hitmen zaman has been exposed badly and isnt able to provide us with the fiery starts anymore.

I believe that fakhar zaman can fight it out when he has a partner at the other end who ll be playing at a good strike rate. Expecting fakhar to do it on his own ll be foolish.

Stop thinking about other teams like india, england, new zealand, australia. Yes their kohli's, smith's, williamson's, root's play one down. You are right they play them at 3 to protect them from the early overs where the ball ll be swinging, but dont forget those teams have warner's, dhawan's, rohit's, bairstow's, roy's, guptill's opening for them. Who provide them with good starts. So they can afford to play their most technically correct batsmen's at the no 3 position. Who do we have?
Fakhar zaman?????
Imam ul haq??????
Seriously dude??????????

Your best batsmen has to open, otherwise the top order ll fall like a bunch of cards, try to understand that and your second besr batsmen has to play at the one down position.

Only then you can challenge the best teams in the world....
Only then............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now we ll talk about shoaib darling malik

First tell me what his average is against pace bowling and then tell we what his average is in england.

Secondly what I want you too look at is what we are lacking. In the middle order you have got haris, hafeez and sarfraz, thats your middle order.

Now you have to make a lower order and you want to pick shoaib malik who is the worst player against pace bowling and on top of that has a average of 13 in england.

The lower order ll be made of your best allrounder and your best hitter. Your best allrounder is imad wasim and your best hitter is asif ali

Why? Why is asif ali the best hitter, bcz he can hit 2,3 sixes? No....!!!!!!!!

Asif ali is your best hitter, because....

1. His range of hitting is the biggest and best out of all.
2. His ballance while hitting is unmatchable in the country.
3. He is your best striker vs pace bowling.

My advice to you ll be, dont look for big names. Look for combinations. The best combination ll win us the world cup inshallah, not the so called best players.

First of all, "Ok I ll bring it to you if you want it that badly"

no idea what this is all about ^ (made me laugh tho)

but regardless, lets get to the talking points here.

I agree, I am not a big fan of Fakhr Zaman either, I actually wrote a long piece on him on one of the threads, he has horrible footwork, bad shot selection, especially when playing the short ball, dont understand how many times he wants to miss hit a hook but seems to have done it soo many times the whole world now knows how to get him out.

I really thought Shan Masood would take over, I thought he did pretty well in South Africa, looked a good player, but he failed in the UAE against Australia which may have ruled him out, especially with Abid Ali and his 100. But regardless, I feel Fakhr is a favorite of Mickey which means he is in, that's why instead of fighting it, at this point all I can do is pray and hope that he fires in the top. Imam I feel is technically decent and has been working on his stroke making a little, which is making him look more like an ODI batsman, so him I am fine with. You have to also realize we have to make do with what we have currently and play the players that have had at least 10 international games under their belt since we didnt bother to develop players or plan properly since the last world cup.

Now on to the the Shoaib Malik topic, I never said anything about selecting Shoaib, in the playing 11, I was just addressing the waste of space comment. My playing 11 wont have Shoaib Malik, but just like Fakhr Zaman he is gonna be make the cut, so I am not fighting it. My point is Asif doesnt make the 15 in my opinion, him being hitter in the PSL doesn't qualify him to play in the ODI world cup. It doesnt translate like that. t20 cricket cannot be the benchmark for selecting for ODI's, this mentality is 100% inaccurate, but we fail to understand that. We are setting a wrong precedence on how cricket is to be played in this country. You begin to compromise technique and that is fundamental in the longer formats of the game. If we happen to end up being 100-5 in the 25th over and you are left with Asif Ali, you are done. You need proper batsman, not hitters who cannot contribute in the bowling department. Ideally you should develop ALL ROUNDERS who play the hitting role. Hafeez or Imad Wasim or even Faheem if developed further makes sense, but to make the 11 based on hitting is madness. In T20's sure! play him, the format is shorter and 1 hitter can change the game but you cannot expect Asif Ali to ever come in and save us a game from a difficult situation and post a par score, he couldnt for example rotate strike and play at 4-5 an over and get us to say 230-240 from horrible collapse. Having said that this would be my playing 11 :

1. fakhr zaman
2. Imam ul Haq
3. Babar Azam
4. Haris Sohail
5. Sarfraz Ahmed
6. Hafeez
7. Imad Wasim/Faheem Ashraf (depending on wicket)
8. Shadab Khan
9. Hasan Ali
10. Amir
11. Shaheen

 

[harasraja]

I actually dont understand the thinking and logic behind playing haris sohail at the no 4 position. Not only you, infact alot of people are thinking of this to play haris at 4.

You guys are ready to experiment with haris sohail and try him out at 4, but arent ready to move babar up the order and let haris remain at 3. I am sorry, but I really dont get that.

Playing at no 3 and 4 is not the same. These are 2 different positions and both the positions require different kind of mindsets and batting styles. As you get deeper into the innings, the strike rate requirements also get higher. 2 kind of players can play at the position 4:

1. The buzy players like sarfraz and rizwan.
2. Players who are able to change gears

The fact is that both babar azam and haris sohail struggle to change gears, but that doesnt matter as long as they are playing at the positions 1 to 3.

Yes both babar azam and haris sohail struggle to change gears, but that doesnt mean that they are the same kind of players or caracters.

Both the players are different caracters. I ll start with babar azam. Babar is a player who likes to play his strokes and dominate the opposition. He likes to show off his skills. Thats why he is succesfull as a opener in t20. I feel that babar can be as succesfull in odis as a opener as that he is in t20s, bcz his play wont be any different in odis as a opener as that it is in t20s. In t20 he plays confentional strokes, according to the ball and the same he ll be doing in odis as a opener. In my eyes it shouldnt be a problem for babar to adjust as a opener in odis, because simply his game wont be any different than it is in t20s. It wont be a big risk.

On the other hand we have haris sohail. Like babar, he also does struggle to change gears, but a different caracter. Haris sohail is a laid back caracter, doesnt like to dominate the opposition. He ll wait for the right balls and moments. The perfect caracter in my eyes to play at no 3 and the rest can bat around him. Experimenting with haris at 4 ll be a bigger risk than experimenting with babar as opener.

Playing haris at 4 ll be a big mistake and not playing him ll be a big mistake also. So the only option we are left with is opening with babar and haris at 3, bcz both should play and no 4 is too low for haris, not ideal.

Now coming too the asif ali story. Look it is simple every team has 1 or hitters lower down the order and they are needed in the modern game, its not the 90s anymore. We are not any different. We do need those hitters also, but its our bad that they are not coming in the form of allrounders. Faheem ashraf is not good enough as a batsmen neither are his bowling skills good enough to play him instead of a proper bowler.

Imad wasim is the only good enough allrounder we have and asif alu is the need of the hour. Try to understand that. Hitters down the order are needed in the modern game..

 

[harasraja]

I actually dont understand the thinking and logic behind playing haris sohail at the no 4 position. Not only you, infact alot of people are thinking of this to play haris at 4.

You guys are ready to experiment with haris sohail and try him out at 4, but arent ready to move babar up the order and let haris remain at 3. I am sorry, but I really dont get that.

Playing at no 3 and 4 is not the same. These are 2 different positions and both the positions require different kind of mindsets and batting styles. As you get deeper into the innings, the strike rate requirements also get higher. 2 kind of players can play at the position 4:

1. The buzy players like sarfraz and rizwan.
2. Players who are able to change gears

The fact is that both babar azam and haris sohail struggle to change gears, but that doesnt matter as long as they are playing at the positions 1 to 3.

Yes both babar azam and haris sohail struggle to change gears, but that doesnt mean that they are the same kind of players or caracters.

Both the players are different caracters. I ll start with babar azam. Babar is a player who likes to play his strokes and dominate the opposition. He likes to show off his skills. Thats why he is succesfull as a opener in t20. I feel that babar can be as succesfull in odis as a opener as that he is in t20s, bcz his play wont be any different in odis as a opener as that it is in t20s. In t20 he plays confentional strokes, according to the ball and the same he ll be doing in odis as a opener. In my eyes it shouldnt be a problem for babar to adjust as a opener in odis, because simply his game wont be any different than it is in t20s. It wont be a big risk.

On the other hand we have haris sohail. Like babar, he also does struggle to change gears, but a different caracter. Haris sohail is a laid back caracter, doesnt like to dominate the opposition. He ll wait for the right balls and moments. The perfect caracter in my eyes to play at no 3 and the rest can bat around him. Experimenting with haris at 4 ll be a bigger risk than experimenting with babar as opener.

Playing haris at 4 ll be a big mistake and not playing him ll be a big mistake also. So the only option we are left with is opening with babar and haris at 3, bcz both should play and no 4 is too low for haris, not ideal.

Now coming too the asif ali story. Look it is simple every team has 1 or hitters lower down the order and they are needed in the modern game, its not the 90s anymore. We are not any different. We do need those hitters also, but its our bad that they are not coming in the form of allrounders. Faheem ashraf is not good enough as a batsmen neither are his bowling skills good enough to play him instead of a proper bowler.

Imad wasim is the only good enough allrounder we have and asif alu is the need of the hour. Try to understand that. Hitters down the order are needed in the modern game..

 

[ritzy_123]

I actually dont understand the thinking and logic behind playing haris sohail at the no 4 position. Not only you, infact alot of people are thinking of this to play haris at 4.

You guys are ready to experiment with haris sohail and try him out at 4, but arent ready to move babar up the order and let haris remain at 3. I am sorry, but I really dont get that.

Playing at no 3 and 4 is not the same. These are 2 different positions and both the positions require different kind of mindsets and batting styles. As you get deeper into the innings, the strike rate requirements also get higher. 2 kind of players can play at the position 4:

1. The buzy players like sarfraz and rizwan.
2. Players who are able to change gears

The fact is that both babar azam and haris sohail struggle to change gears, but that doesnt matter as long as they are playing at the positions 1 to 3.

Yes both babar azam and haris sohail struggle to change gears, but that doesnt mean that they are the same kind of players or caracters.

Both the players are different caracters. I ll start with babar azam. Babar is a player who likes to play his strokes and dominate the opposition. He likes to show off his skills. Thats why he is succesfull as a opener in t20. I feel that babar can be as succesfull in odis as a opener as that he is in t20s, bcz his play wont be any different in odis as a opener as that it is in t20s. In t20 he plays confentional strokes, according to the ball and the same he ll be doing in odis as a opener. In my eyes it shouldnt be a problem for babar to adjust as a opener in odis, because simply his game wont be any different than it is in t20s. It wont be a big risk.

On the other hand we have haris sohail. Like babar, he also does struggle to change gears, but a different caracter. Haris sohail is a laid back caracter, doesnt like to dominate the opposition. He ll wait for the right balls and moments. The perfect caracter in my eyes to play at no 3 and the rest can bat around him. Experimenting with haris at 4 ll be a bigger risk than experimenting with babar as opener.

Playing haris at 4 ll be a big mistake and not playing him ll be a big mistake also. So the only option we are left with is opening with babar and haris at 3, bcz both should play and no 4 is too low for haris, not ideal.

Now coming too the asif ali story. Look it is simple every team has 1 or hitters lower down the order and they are needed in the modern game, its not the 90s anymore. We are not any different. We do need those hitters also, but its our bad that they are not coming in the form of allrounders. Faheem ashraf is not good enough as a batsmen neither are his bowling skills good enough to play him instead of a proper bowler.

Imad wasim is the only good enough allrounder we have and asif alu is the need of the hour. Try to understand that. Hitters down the order are needed in the modern game..

I agree I also feel that it's better we should open with Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman:

I think in my opinion we should go with this XI:

1) Fakhar Zaman
2) Babar Azam
3) Haris Sohail
4) Sarfaraz Ahmed (C) (WK) - [He can just come in the middle overs and maneuver the ball]
5) Muhammad Hafeez (He gives our side the balance we need and can play big shots)
6) Asif Ali (We do not have any hitter so we have to rely on him)
7) Imad Wasim
8) Shadab Khan/12) Faheem Ashraf (Depending on the pitch)
9) Muhammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Shaheen Shah Afridi

13) Junaid Khan
14) Abid Ali -(He can also keep wickets) - [But Inzi we knows is going to select Imam Ul Haq]
15) Shoaib Malik

 

[harasraja]

I agree I also feel that it's better we should open with Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman:

I think in my opinion we should go with this XI:

1) Fakhar Zaman
2) Babar Azam
3) Haris Sohail
4) Sarfaraz Ahmed (C) (WK) - [He can just come in the middle overs and maneuver the ball]
5) Muhammad Hafeez (He gives our side the balance we need and can play big shots)
6) Asif Ali (We do not have any hitter so we have to rely on him)
7) Imad Wasim
8) Shadab Khan/12) Faheem Ashraf (Depending on the pitch)
9) Muhammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Shaheen Shah Afridi

13) Junaid Khan
14) Abid Ali -(He can also keep wickets) - [But Inzi we knows is going to select Imam Ul Haq]
15) Shoaib Malik

Thanks brother. I just would like to play imad wasim at no 6 and keep asif ali just for the hitting part at no 7.

I feel that imad wasim's style is better suited for the number 6 position as he can keep up with the tempo. Asif ali is just bang bang. Haha thats what he does best, Its gear 1 or gear 5, but that doesnt matter, bcz that kind of a player is needed too in the modern game.

 

[shahidbhai]

Thanks brother. I just would like to play imad wasim at no 6 and keep asif ali just for the hitting part at no 7.

I feel that imad wasim's style is better suited for the number 6 position as he can keep up with the tempo. Asif ali is just bang bang. Haha thats what he does best, Its gear 1 or gear 5, but that doesnt matter, bcz that kind of a player is needed too in the modern game.

This is hilarious! Im sorry but it makes no sense to me...

I'll start with the opening position issue. Being an opener is a specialist position, let the players that are supposedly specialist open. Babar has been tried as an opener in t20's because its a shorter format of the game, losing an opener early in t20's isnt as much of an impact because you can still recover in t20's but losing a player like Babar early in ODI's will be devastating. I do agree its a more conservative approach but I feel a player like Babar would have enough say that if he really wanted to open he couldve made a case to Sarfraz and opened. I feel he himself feels most comfortable at 3 which is fine by me. His position at 3 isnt going to be the reason we win or lose this world cup. Haris is at 4 because he is technically sound and if there is a collapse he has the ability to help recover the team. He isnt a major risk because he has been part of the Pakistan circuit before and has played the last world cup as well, so he has experience at this level. Regarding his gear changing, again something not too concerned about, even if he plays at 6 rpo and bats till the 40th over we have enough batting after him with Hafeez, Sarfraz and Imad to cross 300. My main concern is that we collapse, and collapse too early, as long as we post par totals we should be fine, we have never been the kind of team to out bat teams and win just by the score we post in the first innings, our DNA has stayed the same in all our years playing cricket, we win because of our bowling, our batsman just have to post something defendable. I know this is not 90's cricket but we have to realize our batting talent is limited, outside Babar Azam everyone else is just average in comparison to other top teams. So we have to play according to our limitations, our main focus should be to play deep and have players that have the ability to play many deliveries.

This leads me to the point of Asif Ali, looking at other big hitters, even the best hitters that play at that lower order, also contribute in different ways, the likes of Maxwell, Andre Russel, Pandya, Mo Ali. They also bowl and are great fielders as well.

You simply cannot justify Asif Ali play on the basis that he has hitting capability and its the modern game and other teams have hitters, He is someone that has been tried in ODI's and failed. Its not his format..yet! He isnt refined enough and has no experience in English conditions. You HAVE TO play an ALL ROUNDER at that position that can hit. Not bring in someone that only has the potential to hit, say he gets out first ball, then what?! And the way he plays, he is a hit or miss kind of player, and players like these will most often fail instead of delivering. Picking him up from the PSL where the pitches were completely different, the bowlers were of a lower standard, the boundaries were shorter. Its not a fair assessment. If he was that good, he should have played in the ODI series in Australia. Faheem Ashraf is a much better option, I admit he does not have the same hitting ability as Asif, but on occasion he can make 30 of 20 and that can help us get those extra runs that we may swing the match, AND he can bowl 5 good overs and pick up wickets in the middle overs. Asif Ali makes no sense whatsever under the given circumstances.

 

[harasraja]

This is hilarious! Im sorry but it makes no sense to me...

I'll start with the opening position issue. Being an opener is a specialist position, let the players that are supposedly specialist open. Babar has been tried as an opener in t20's because its a shorter format of the game, losing an opener early in t20's isnt as much of an impact because you can still recover in t20's but losing a player like Babar early in ODI's will be devastating. I do agree its a more conservative approach but I feel a player like Babar would have enough say that if he really wanted to open he couldve made a case to Sarfraz and opened. I feel he himself feels most comfortable at 3 which is fine by me. His position at 3 isnt going to be the reason we win or lose this world cup. Haris is at 4 because he is technically sound and if there is a collapse he has the ability to help recover the team. He isnt a major risk because he has been part of the Pakistan circuit before and has played the last world cup as well, so he has experience at this level. Regarding his gear changing, again something not too concerned about, even if he plays at 6 rpo and bats till the 40th over we have enough batting after him with Hafeez, Sarfraz and Imad to cross 300. My main concern is that we collapse, and collapse too early, as long as we post par totals we should be fine, we have never been the kind of team to out bat teams and win just by the score we post in the first innings, our DNA has stayed the same in all our years playing cricket, we win because of our bowling, our batsman just have to post something defendable. I know this is not 90's cricket but we have to realize our batting talent is limited, outside Babar Azam everyone else is just average in comparison to other top teams. So we have to play according to our limitations, our main focus should be to play deep and have players that have the ability to play many deliveries.

This leads me to the point of Asif Ali, looking at other big hitters, even the best hitters that play at that lower order, also contribute in different ways, the likes of Maxwell, Andre Russel, Pandya, Mo Ali. They also bowl and are great fielders as well.

You simply cannot justify Asif Ali play on the basis that he has hitting capability and its the modern game and other teams have hitters, He is someone that has been tried in ODI's and failed. Its not his format..yet! He isnt refined enough and has no experience in English conditions. You HAVE TO play an ALL ROUNDER at that position that can hit. Not bring in someone that only has the potential to hit, say he gets out first ball, then what?! And the way he plays, he is a hit or miss kind of player, and players like these will most often fail instead of delivering. Picking him up from the PSL where the pitches were completely different, the bowlers were of a lower standard, the boundaries were shorter. Its not a fair assessment. If he was that good, he should have played in the ODI series in Australia. Faheem Ashraf is a much better option, I admit he does not have the same hitting ability as Asif, but on occasion he can make 30 of 20 and that can help us get those extra runs that we may swing the match, AND he can bowl 5 good overs and pick up wickets in the middle overs. Asif Ali makes no sense whatsever under the given circumstances.

Dude!!!!!!!!

Come out of the misbah era and that negative approach.

No one goes into a game thinking about what if a collapse happen?

What if we lose babar early?

What ll happen if we lose asif early?

If a team begins to think like this that what if....... This negative approach ll get you nowhere.

You must select a player according to the requirements of the batting position after looking at the style of batting he likes to play.

Try to think about a boxing match. You wont go into the ring thinking like what if this guy knocks me out or what if he breaks my nose. This negative approach wont win you anything.

You need to be positive at all times and all costs.

That you dont see babar azam as a opener is your concern. I wont even try to confince you anymore that why opening with babar ll balance our side even more, because you wont understand my point of view.

As far as asif ali is concerned. I want him to play at 7 with imad wasim playing at 6.

The job of a number 7 batsmen is basically hitting quick 30s or 40s and helping the score to go from 300 to 340.

I am fully aware of the fact that asif ali is not capable of building a innings and then finish it of. Yes he can make big scores, but that ll be all bang bang from ball 1 to the last ball and that is the job that ll be required from him.

I want asif ali to play the role shahid afridi used to play and we can afford playing asif ali at 7 instead of faheem ashraf or any other so called allrounder, because you have 4 proper bowlers in the team with imad, hafeez and haris fullfilling the last 10 over quota.

1. Fakhar zaman
2. Babar azam
3. Haris sohail
4. Sarfraz ahmed
5. Mohammad hafeez
6. Imad wasim

You got 6 batsmen there who ll build your innings. What else do you want? To play 10 misbahs or fawad alams who ll be tuk tukking through the 50 overs?

7. Asif ali

His job is simply to get a quick fire 20, 30, 40,50 or whatever.

8. Shadab khan
9. Hassan ali
10. Shaheen shah afridi
11. Mohammad amir/ usman shinwari

 

[Mueez]

The team that I expect we will field on 30th of May is:

1) Fakhar Zaman
2) Imam ul Haq
3) Babar Azam
4) Haris Sohail
5) Shoaib Malik
6) Mohammad Hafeez
7) Sarfraz C WK
8) Faheem Ashraf / Shadab
9) Hasan Ali
10) Usman Khan Shinwari
11) Shaheen Shah Afridi

12) Mohammad Amir

13) Abid Ali
14) Rizwan
15) Hasnain

In my opinion this is a pretty solid squad based on Pakistan’s resources.

 

[logicsupreme]

If firing on all cylinders and in top form, this is the XI that could challenge the best at the World Cup:

Imam
Fakhar
Babar
Haris
Malik
Sarfaraz
Shadab
Faheem
Amir
Hasan
Shaheen

This is a good squad! Depending on how well Hafeez recovers and plays in the warm up games and against Eng, he should be interchangeable with Malik.
Depending upon the pitch, Imad should be interchangeable with Faheem!

 

[shahidbhai]

Dude!!!!!!!!

Come out of the misbah era and that negative approach.

No one goes into a game thinking about what if a collapse happen?

What if we lose babar early?

What ll happen if we lose asif early?

If a team begins to think like this that what if....... This negative approach ll get you nowhere.

You must select a player according to the requirements of the batting position after looking at the style of batting he likes to play.

Try to think about a boxing match. You wont go into the ring thinking like what if this guy knocks me out or what if he breaks my nose. This negative approach wont win you anything.

You need to be positive at all times and all costs.

That you dont see babar azam as a opener is your concern. I wont even try to confince you anymore that why opening with babar ll balance our side even more, because you wont understand my point of view.

As far as asif ali is concerned. I want him to play at 7 with imad wasim playing at 6.

The job of a number 7 batsmen is basically hitting quick 30s or 40s and helping the score to go from 300 to 340.

I am fully aware of the fact that asif ali is not capable of building a innings and then finish it of. Yes he can make big scores, but that ll be all bang bang from ball 1 to the last ball and that is the job that ll be required from him.

I want asif ali to play the role shahid afridi used to play and we can afford playing asif ali at 7 instead of faheem ashraf or any other so called allrounder, because you have 4 proper bowlers in the team with imad, hafeez and haris fullfilling the last 10 over quota.

1. Fakhar zaman
2. Babar azam
3. Haris sohail
4. Sarfraz ahmed
5. Mohammad hafeez
6. Imad wasim

You got 6 batsmen there who ll build your innings. What else do you want? To play 10 misbahs or fawad alams who ll be tuk tukking through the 50 overs?

7. Asif ali

His job is simply to get a quick fire 20, 30, 40,50 or whatever.

8. Shadab khan
9. Hassan ali
10. Shaheen shah afridi
11. Mohammad amir/ usman shinwari

I am not a big fan of Misbah so am definitely not a fan of tuk tukking or anything of the sort. I just understand that our strength lies in our bowling and not batting, so we need proper batsman! Asif Ali is NOT a proper batsman, he is a slogger, a "LAPARU" who offers nothing else in cricket besides that, he probably doesnt even know how to play a forward defence to a spinner, and you cannot just come in and slog every ball, you might get away with that in the PSL but this is the WORLD CUP, this is england conditions, this is not local Pakistani bowlers he is facing on dead wickets. You simply CANNOT justify him making the team because he can make a quickfire 20 or 30, there is no place for someone like that in ANY team, no other team has gone with that approach and there is a reason for that! We won the champions trophy without a player like him. Im NOT saying we dont need someone who can accelerate the scoring or give us fast runs at the end but all im saying is Asif Ali is not the man! Afridi is a world apart! dont even try and make that comparison! I am die hard Afridi fan (as you can tell by my username) but Afridi could bowl 10 overs, take wickets, field, encourage players and has a wealth of international experience and has played all over the world. Asif Ali is a watered down version of Afridi who the board thought they could replace with the likes of Asif Ali, simply he is too immature at this stage. He is not refined has no international experience and is technically far too flawed to playing at this level. You cant just come in start swinging from ball 1, it doesnt work like that. Even if you could you are not gonna make it far just on that, you might make runs in 1 innings and get a quick fire 30 off 10, but you can never do that consistently, the world cup is 1 1/2 month ordeal, you are bound to be getting out on ducks doing that, Afridi was an exception because he had skills in other aspects of the game which Asif Ali doesn't.

He is not ready for this stage, there is no room to be playing his "laparu" style of cricket on the grandest stage. He needs to develop other apects of his game and then maybe he can be considered, but now is just NOT the time, with all due respect, hes OUT.

 

[harasraja]

I am sorry dude, but you are wrong. On what basis are you calling asif ali a slogger? On what basis? Do you even know the definition of a slogger/hack? Literally no one on pp ll agree with your statement about calling asif ali a slogger. Literally no one.

You can call it wrong shot selection, but you cant call him a slogger, because he is not. First improve your vision of how to see things and then cry out your emotions.

Again.......... if you are playing this:

1. Imam
2. Fakhar
3. Babar
4. Haris
5. Sarfraz
6. Hafeez
7. Imad

Then its obvious that there is no room to play asif ali and improve the lacking of power hitting down the order.

Pitches in england ll be flat. The ball ll be coming nicely onto the bat. Teams ll be scoring 400+ or close to 400 and on their bad days teams ll be making close to 340.

You are literally saying that you dont need a hitter down the order and we are chasing down 400 with just hafeez and imad down the order.

All I can say to you is goodluck and laugh about it

we ll need babar opening the batting for us on those flat pitches and we ll need the power hitting of asif ali down the order. It doesnt matter you like asif ali or not. We ll need him, remember that

 

[Sultan Baba]

1.Fakhar Zaman.
2.Umar Akmal.
3.Babar Azam.
4.Shoaib Malik.
5.Sarfraz Ahmad(wk)(c).
6.Mohammad Hafeez.
7.Imad Wasim.
8.Shadab Khan.
9.Faheem Ashraf.
10.Hassan Ali.
11.Shaheen Shah Afridi.

12.Haris Sohail.
13.Asif Ali.
14.Wahab Riaz.
15.Junaid Khan.

 

[Jeetlodil]

This is how I think Pakistan team should be

Fakhar
Imam
Babar
Harris Sohail
Umar Akmal
Sarfaraz Ahmed
Imad Wasim
Shadab Khan / Faheem
Amir
Hassan
Shaheen Shah

Wahab Riaz
Shadab / Faheem
Shoab Malik
Hafeez

Experience is invaluable provided basic talent is there

 

[Abdullah]

Haris needs to open the batting with fakhar and sarfaraz at 4.
Then we have a team combo

 

[Jeetlodil]

Haris needs to open the batting with fakhar and sarfaraz at 4.
Then we have a team combo

How does it feel to see sarfaraz walking in at 2 down. Sarfaraz at 4 is a joke. At best 5 and preferably at 6

 

[Pakistanian]

I feel like Malik should be in the squad, he's a big game player and an excellent fielder.

 

[usam wani]

I believe Imam is must as an opener unless he fails. we should have a back up. From the recent performances we have seen that when the wickets are tumbling he stays at the crease. He is good while chasing. And If we need a score of 300 Imam has to stay at the crease.

 

[shahidbhai]

I am sorry dude, but you are wrong. On what basis are you calling asif ali a slogger? On what basis? Do you even know the definition of a slogger/hack? Literally no one on pp ll agree with your statement about calling asif ali a slogger. Literally no one.

You can call it wrong shot selection, but you cant call him a slogger, because he is not. First improve your vision of how to see things and then cry out your emotions.

Again.......... if you are playing this:

1. Imam
2. Fakhar
3. Babar
4. Haris
5. Sarfraz
6. Hafeez
7. Imad

Then its obvious that there is no room to play asif ali and improve the lacking of power hitting down the order.

Pitches in england ll be flat. The ball ll be coming nicely onto the bat. Teams ll be scoring 400+ or close to 400 and on their bad days teams ll be making close to 340.

You are literally saying that you dont need a hitter down the order and we are chasing down 400 with just hafeez and imad down the order.

All I can say to you is goodluck and laugh about it

we ll need babar opening the batting for us on those flat pitches and we ll need the power hitting of asif ali down the order. It doesnt matter you like asif ali or not. We ll need him, remember that

The point is to field your best 11, a team that is balanced, a "Power hitter" (is not the solution to all of Pakistan's problems) a quick fire 20/30 will not win you games. this is ODI cricket! 50 overs! here you have to build innings and to do that you need to have proper batting technique! who in this world is taking a pure hitter at 7? who does nothing else!? WHO!? which team is doing that?! the answer is NO ONE! there is a reason for that! any team that has hitters are all rounders, who contribute in other ways to the team! So he does not make the cut!? nobody in his right mind would pick Asif Ali, i mean how could you justify that? he would come in a batsman at 7 with nothing else to offer? are you kidding me?!

jUst take a look at his record in ODI's he has played 11, his high score was 50 against Zimbabwe! i believe even UAE has beaten them! and mind you none of these were in English conditions

Runs Balls four six SR batting pos
46 25 4 2 184.00 5 caught 1 v Zimbabwe
DNB - - - - - - - 2 v Zimbabwe
DNB - - - - - - - 2 v Zimbabwe
50* 40 22 5 3 227.27 3 not out 1 v Zimbabwe
18 19 16 0 2 112.50 5 caught 1 v Zimbabwe
DNB - - - - - - - 2 v Hong Kong Dubai (DSC)
9 - 10 0 1 90.00 6 caught 1 v India Dubai (DSC)
7 - 6 0 1 116.66 7 caught 2 v Afghanistan Abu Dhabi
30 - 21 1 2 142.85 6 bowled 1 v India Dubai (DSC)
31 - 47 3 0 65.95 7 stumped 2 v Bangladesh Abu Dhabi
9 - 6 0 1 150.00 6 bowled 1 v New Zealand Dubai (DSC)


You simply cannot justify this guy!! SIMPLY CANNOT place Asif Ali as a batsman and take the position of 7! you have a better option of playing Abid Ali or some other batsman at the top or in the middle order like Rizwan even if you really need to buff up the batting or even add an extra bowling option, ideally you play an all rounder but Asif Ali is not the solution for ODI's, especially in ENGLAND and especially in a world cup squad!

And how about this, since you are soo confident , start a poll and see how many people include asif ali at 7 ?!

 

[javid]

Why is faheem ashraf considered as all rounder..... I think he is another hafeez in the making but in opposite direction

 

[AAli98]

Fakhar
Sharjeel
Baba
Haris
Malik
Rizwan
Asif
Imad
Hasan
Amir
Junaid

Won’t win it will finish 6th/7th as batting is county level!!

 

[harasraja]

The point is to field your best 11, a team that is balanced, a "Power hitter" (is not the solution to all of Pakistan's problems) a quick fire 20/30 will not win you games. this is ODI cricket! 50 overs! here you have to build innings and to do that you need to have proper batting technique! who in this world is taking a pure hitter at 7? who does nothing else!? WHO!? which team is doing that?! the answer is NO ONE! there is a reason for that! any team that has hitters are all rounders, who contribute in other ways to the team! So he does not make the cut!? nobody in his right mind would pick Asif Ali, i mean how could you justify that? he would come in a batsman at 7 with nothing else to offer? are you kidding me?!

jUst take a look at his record in ODI's he has played 11, his high score was 50 against Zimbabwe! i believe even UAE has beaten them! and mind you none of these were in English conditions

Runs Balls four six SR batting pos
46 25 4 2 184.00 5 caught 1 v Zimbabwe
DNB - - - - - - - 2 v Zimbabwe
DNB - - - - - - - 2 v Zimbabwe
50* 40 22 5 3 227.27 3 not out 1 v Zimbabwe
18 19 16 0 2 112.50 5 caught 1 v Zimbabwe
DNB - - - - - - - 2 v Hong Kong Dubai (DSC)
9 - 10 0 1 90.00 6 caught 1 v India Dubai (DSC)
7 - 6 0 1 116.66 7 caught 2 v Afghanistan Abu Dhabi
30 - 21 1 2 142.85 6 bowled 1 v India Dubai (DSC)
31 - 47 3 0 65.95 7 stumped 2 v Bangladesh Abu Dhabi
9 - 6 0 1 150.00 6 bowled 1 v New Zealand Dubai (DSC)


You simply cannot justify this guy!! SIMPLY CANNOT place Asif Ali as a batsman and take the position of 7! you have a better option of playing Abid Ali or some other batsman at the top or in the middle order like Rizwan even if you really need to buff up the batting or even add an extra bowling option, ideally you play an all rounder but Asif Ali is not the solution for ODI's, especially in ENGLAND and especially in a world cup squad!

And how about this, since you are soo confident , start a poll and see how many people include asif ali at 7 ?!

For the first time you are getting to the point. The whole point is to make a combination that can win you matches against the best, right?

Maybe I can afford asif ali in my team at no 7 and you can not, because our combinations are not the same.

Im thinking of a combination that can chase down any target. Especially in conditions that ll be batting friendly in england and ll allow you to play shots through the line.

I am just alot smarter than you and picking a batting side that ll dominate the opposition from ball 1 to the last ball and that ll be needed when we ll be chasing down 380 totals.

No one in his right mind ll be picking shoaib malik too in his side as you are doing. Plz have a look at malik's record in england and vs pace bowling. You can open a poll too and see how many people pick shoaib malik in their side, hilarious

 

[harasraja]

The point is to field your best 11, a team that is balanced, a "Power hitter" (is not the solution to all of Pakistan's problems) a quick fire 20/30 will not win you games. this is ODI cricket! 50 overs! here you have to build innings and to do that you need to have proper batting technique! who in this world is taking a pure hitter at 7? who does nothing else!? WHO!? which team is doing that?! the answer is NO ONE! there is a reason for that! any team that has hitters are all rounders, who contribute in other ways to the team! So he does not make the cut!? nobody in his right mind would pick Asif Ali, i mean how could you justify that? he would come in a batsman at 7 with nothing else to offer? are you kidding me?!

jUst take a look at his record in ODI's he has played 11, his high score was 50 against Zimbabwe! i believe even UAE has beaten them! and mind you none of these were in English conditions

Runs Balls four six SR batting pos
46 25 4 2 184.00 5 caught 1 v Zimbabwe
DNB - - - - - - - 2 v Zimbabwe
DNB - - - - - - - 2 v Zimbabwe
50* 40 22 5 3 227.27 3 not out 1 v Zimbabwe
18 19 16 0 2 112.50 5 caught 1 v Zimbabwe
DNB - - - - - - - 2 v Hong Kong Dubai (DSC)
9 - 10 0 1 90.00 6 caught 1 v India Dubai (DSC)
7 - 6 0 1 116.66 7 caught 2 v Afghanistan Abu Dhabi
30 - 21 1 2 142.85 6 bowled 1 v India Dubai (DSC)
31 - 47 3 0 65.95 7 stumped 2 v Bangladesh Abu Dhabi
9 - 6 0 1 150.00 6 bowled 1 v New Zealand Dubai (DSC)


You simply cannot justify this guy!! SIMPLY CANNOT place Asif Ali as a batsman and take the position of 7! you have a better option of playing Abid Ali or some other batsman at the top or in the middle order like Rizwan even if you really need to buff up the batting or even add an extra bowling option, ideally you play an all rounder but Asif Ali is not the solution for ODI's, especially in ENGLAND and especially in a world cup squad!

And how about this, since you are soo confident , start a poll and see how many people include asif ali at 7 ?!

Ok, my bad you havent picked shoaib malik, but dude this ll be a endless discussion. You dont have too convince me anything and I dont have to convice you anything. We cant confince each other either. So stick to your views and I stick too mine. This discussion js meaningless and wont have a end.

I just feel that asif ali ll be needed in england and babar azam has to open with haris sohail at 3. This is just for the world cup. After the world cup obviously things ll change.