The reasons for the decline of Sami Aslam

[Bewal Express]

The Sami Aslam that we saw at Edgebaston seems to have disappeared. He looked like an exemplary opener mixing attack and defence, and just looking good at the crease. 4 months on he looks strokeless and short of confidence. He scored runs against the Windies but looked poor and seems to be getting worse. This is a well worn path from young Pk openers- Farhat, Nazir, Tufeeq and Hameed all looked good at the start but declined pretty quickly, i hope this is not the beginning of the end of another young opener.

 

[Dios]

He averages 37 in Pakistani FC cricket. Was never going to set the world alight.

 

[SM1989]

Cowardly defensive and selfish batting

 

[Pete Rose]

The reasons for his decline are this thread assuming he has declined

 

[GLORY OF '92]

The reasons for his decline are this thread assuming he has declined

Watch this innings.

He is finished. Will be dropped after Australia.

 

[Pete Rose]

Watch this innings.

He is finished. Will be dropped after Australia.

I see it. He is not going through his shots. Absolutely no issues with that approach

 

[Bewal Express]

Its not just about stats, his batting has become poorer by the match. Seeing off the new ball is part of his job but he seems forgotten how to put the bad ball away.

 

[Ahson8]

Selfishness

 

[Ellipsism]

Watch this innings.

He is finished. Will be dropped after Australia.

How can a 20 year old be labelled as "finished"?

Typical Pakistani knee jerk reaction, he is the best Pakistani opener to play in the last half decade.

 

[Boi]

He'll come out a better player from all of this. You have to remember this is only his third series, and first one in extremely alien conditions. He has shown the technique and application, but he's young aswell and we need to show patience. You won't see Haseeb Hameed getting dropped from the England side after a rough few tests because they've identified him as a player who can develop in to something really good and are investing in him. The same needs to be done with Sami. But our impatient fans will never allow that. The only hope is Mickey.

 

[Abdullah719]

Selfishness

I don't see how not scoring runs benefits him or his stats.

 

[Boi]

Watch this innings.

He is finished. Will be dropped after Australia.

And that will be a huge mistake. You have to support a youngster when he's going through a rough patch. He deserves to be backed after the promise he has shown.

 

[Ellipsism]

Selfishness

I think we are watching different games because from what I've seen he's playing the ball on merit. The NZ bowlers have been bowling tight lines (something the Pak bowlers are incapable of doing) and Sami can't do anything about that bar defend.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

How can a 20 year old be labelled as "finished"?

Typical Pakistani knee jerk reaction, he is the best Pakistani opener to play in the last half decade.

Mentally he is a midget.

Can guarantee he will never succeed.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

I think we are watching different games because from what I've seen he's playing the ball on merit. The NZ bowlers have been bowling right lines (something the Pak bowlers are incapable of doing).

Blocking half volleys....

 

[Ellipsism]

Blocking half volleys....

What half volley?

 

[Bewal Express]

Selfishness

I dont think it is, i think his confidence looks shot despite still having decent stats. I think he croaches too much and needs to stay a little more upright at the crease but his defence is still good. He also needs to be positive and hit the bad ball.

 

[Boi]

Mentally he is a midget.

Can guarantee he will never succeed.

A mental midget would not have performed the way he did in England in those conditions in his debut series. A mental midget would've had the returns Hafeez had out there. Your logic is absurd.

 

[LordJames]

He is leaving the ball well on a Pitch which is assisting the seamers and he is still out there

Cut the kid some slack, he is blunting the Cherry

 

[LordJames]

He doesn't watch the ball when he ducks I give you that

 

[Abdullah719]

Mentally he is a midget.

Can guarantee he will never succeed.

The England commentators didn't seem to share that view after the Old Trafford Test.

 

[Bewal Express]

How can a 20 year old be labelled as "finished"?

Typical Pakistani knee jerk reaction, he is the best Pakistani opener to play in the last half decade.

I dont think he is finished but he has certainly got himself into a mental rut, and this is affecting his ability to hit the bad ball.

 

[pak4life]

He always looks nervous and frightened. It shows both in his fielding and batting. This stage might just be a step too much for him god help him, in Australia they will eat him alive.

 

[Ellipsism]

The England commentators didn't seem to share that view after the Old Trafford Test.

It's the typical Pakistani reaction, I don't understand what fans were expecting.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Hit few inches away from the area Hughes was hit.


Why the hell he isn't wearing a grill ?

 

[Sherlock]

I recently made a thread about Aslam and why he shouldn't be playing ODIs because of the constant need of rotating the strike and ticking the scoreboard over. It was basically Aslam playing shots in Tests that he wouldn't have done had he not played the couple of ODI games v England.

I know it could be construed as a bit far-fetched but his recent dismissals v WI and NZ have been a cause of great concern, especially outside off where he was so good v England in Tests.

That's just my 2 cents...

 

[PerfectionPersonified]

If he fails in Australia as well..he will be dropped . His best chance is australia syd and melbourne where pitches are roads these day

 

[Bewal Express]

If i wasnt starting the thread i would be critical of what can be seen as the knee jerk reaction to a few bad scores but i am desperate for the lad to do well, otherwise we are be going back to Shezad, or the never ending failure of Hafeez but the lad just doesn't look right at the crease.

 

[Wasim_Waqar]

I truly find it unbelievable to see what some of our so-called fans think about Sami. This is despite anything that might happen this afternoon.

Some of the content in this thread before now is precisely why some of our so-called fans are amongst the least understanding of the game subtleties.

I saw Sami play with rare temperament live at the ground in his debut innings.

I find it very scary to imagine what kind of conveyor belt people in this thread would facilitate if they were in charge of Pakistan cricket!

 

[KingKhanWC]

Over reaction. He is young, has a very good defence, excellent judgment when it comes to leaving the ball.

Sure his stroke play can improve but if we look around the world, NZ have Ravel and England have Hameed who have even less stroke play but are deemed good finds.

When the middle order has been below average he has little room for flamboyance. Give the kid a chance I say.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Very very good Test opener. Fans are just impatient. Has a few weaknesses but he is obviously working on them. Still very young

 

[90MPH]

It's more to do with mindset.

He's not a dashing player but doesn't play dodgy shots either or very few.

I will say though He needs to hit the half volleys - go through with shot more because they are defensive pushes that don't get value if the field is in.

 

[yasir]

Pakistani fans deserve openers like Hafeez and Shezad, who will be back in dressing room within 5 overs every time on these wickets.

Sami is so good for team like Pakistan. Asian young opener blunting match after match on western conditions, I have not seen that from any Pakistani opener in last 30 years. He is not prefect, needs to develop his game more but for 20/22 year old playing like that not in one but second series in 6 month. He has 15 years to develop, his temperament is already gold. Don't forget Pakistan did not got chance to settle in NZ, too much rain, no side match, from desert to green top first up, things cannot get worse than that, he still did more than OK. If we had tied match, even then this series would be cracker of series, right now saving match will be big achievement.

What exactly you are expecting from openers?? - Cook, the master opener is having bad series in India, he has been playing for decade, why you guys cannot cut a slack to poor Sami and Amir.

Pakistani fans themselves lack temperament for test, they want to get rid of Sami, Babar and Amir. Three of the best prospect for next decade. Cricket IQ is really low in

 

[shah_1]

Doing well so far

He is a limited batsman but this is the best we have got

 

[KingKhanWC]

Sacrificed his hundred for the team .

 

[Suleiman]

Selfishness

Nice one.

 

[khalil1986]

Sacrificed his hundred for the team .

Exactly maiden test hundred could have easily just got it in singles.

We really do have some pathetic fans.

 

[Itachi]

A question to pak ppers, don't you think Pakistan gives exposure to your players too early? FC is different and may be they struggle after the initial burst because of lack of experience to handle the pressure?

Decline/finished is too harsh word here. If he played FC a season or two more, he could have identified his weaknesses a bit more and hence learn the adjustment better?

 

[proud_pakistani]

Surprised to see such a thread after 2-3 test matches. Do people want him scoring a 90 odd every innings? He has started off his career very well, in foreign conditions in England and did well. How many of our openers have done well in England? We need to give him more time and confidence. He has the shots and gameplay. Question is really about his confidence and belief in his own ability.

 

[Speedster777]

He's doing well. Have some patience and give him time.

 

[proud_pakistani]

A question to pak ppers, don't you think Pakistan gives exposure to your players too early? FC is different and may be they struggle after the initial burst because of lack of experience to handle the pressure?

Decline/finished is too harsh word here. If he played FC a season or two more, he could have identified his weaknesses a bit more and hence learn the adjustment better?

The issue is that the pitches in FC are not conducive to developing good batsmen. The more they play FC the more they start developing bad habits which is why perhaps it is better to recognise the potentially good players early and draft them in. We have plenty of examples of players who are very experienced at FC level struggling in international cricket whereas players with lesser FC experience doing better. The only player in recent times who has done well is Misbah and he too is a limited player which shows that batting just does not develop in Pakistan FC. In the long run PCB really need to improve the wickets and prepare sporting pitches. Also, the pitches in the UAE may help our ranking but in the long run they are not great pitches to prepare yourself for other parts of the world. Pakistan needs to strive for true, fast pitches to really develop both their bowling and batting talent.

 

[The_Odd_One]

He has been outscoring his senior partner frequently, not sure what level of expectations some fans have. He is clearly better than Hafeez, Shehzad, and Shaan.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Selfishness. Playing for his spot.

 

[Bilal7]

He just scored a 90 and if that is what selfishness is, I'll take it. Seeing by how the other batsmen are struggling, I'm sure the posters calling him selfish are wishing he blocked a few more half-volleys.

Quality opener and, along with Haseeb Hameed, will be the best in the world in that position for the next 10-15 years, InshAllah.

 

[Belawal2014]

Selfishness. Playing for his spot.

Your honest assessment of him?

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Your honest assessment of him?

Yes. He's playing for himself, not the team.

 

[shah_1]

Yes. He's playing for himself, not the team.

I rather have him seeing Shan and Hafeez bat like headless chicken. He is better than Sharjeel

 

[Belawal2014]

Yes. He's playing for himself, not the team.

That's a pretty vague way to put it.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

I rather have him seeing Shan and Hafeez bat like headless chicken. He is better than Sharjeel

I didn't ask for him to be dropped.

 

[Bilal7]

I rather have him seeing Shan and Hafeez bat like headless chicken. He is better than Sharjeel

Sharjeel needs to bat in the second and third tests against Australia though. Can't let Hazelwood and Starc get on top of our batsmen and Sharjeel is someone who can be brutal on flat tracks.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

He may not be a finished articles yet but he is the next best thing since Salman Butt

 

[Ellipsism]

Sharjeel needs to bat in the second and third tests against Australia though. Can't let Hazelwood and Starc get on top of our batsmen and Sharjeel is someone who can be brutal on flat tracks.

Sharjeel would be dismissed with in deliveries once up against Hazlewood's immaculate line.

 

[Varun]

Delusional thread #63,547.

The guy looks competent and assured at the crease, and isn't this what Pakistan has been crying out for a long time now? A rock solid opening bat!

Can have a 15-year career from this point on.

 

[Mamoon]

He scores so slow it is almost impossible for him to score big. On average, he needs about 250 deliveries to get to three figures, which requires tremendous powers of concentration.

Nonetheless, he is the least of our worries - just needs to tweak his playing style a bit. Good, good player.

 

[Hawkeye]

Delusional thread #63,547.

The guy looks competent and assured at the crease, and isn't this what Pakistan has been crying out for a long time now? A rock solid opening bat!

Can have a 15-year career from this point on.

Just looked at the score card and damn, he scored 91 which is the HIGHEST from any Pak batsman in this entire series.

The duck eaters aren't able to cross 10s n 20s, we have people with no cricketing sense bashing the kid who's the one to score AT THE TOP against the new ball. )

Who on earth would've scored 90 on a tough tour like this from our openers? Or even the world's.

Thread fail and brain fail, least cricketing IQ.

 

[Bewal Express]

The lad showed that he could play with his excellent innings at Edgebaston but as I explained this is more of a technical and mental issue than statistical. He scored runs in the UAE but just didn't look good and over time it creates demons in your head. I didn't see the whole innings last night but the bits I did see, I def a saw a technical decline over a few matches. I hope he proves my analysis totally wrong and kicks on.

 

[Mainul]

Just made 91 and took his team to a position of draw when his teammates threw his hard work away and then this thread opens up.

I am just devastated to see this mentality.

As a cricket nation Pakistan is going downhill very fast.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Temperament is there, the ability to bat long times at crease is there. Just needs to improve strike rotation and at times show more intent as scoring runs but hes showing he can do a very good job as an opener.

 

[Ahson8]

I don't see how not scoring runs benefits him or his stats.

I think we are watching different games because from what I've seen he's playing the ball on merit. The NZ bowlers have been bowling tight lines (something the Pak bowlers are incapable of doing) and Sami can't do anything about that bar defend.

I dont think it is, i think his confidence looks shot despite still having decent stats. I think he croaches too much and needs to stay a little more upright at the crease but his defence is still good. He also needs to be positive and hit the bad ball.

The guy tweets his own stats all the time; it's obvious he's more concerned about his own runs rather than playing for the team.

Plays way too slowly; I'm disappointed because he played well in England, mixing attack and defence but now all he does is look to defend his way to a 50+ score to maintain his average.

 

[Ellipsism]

The guy tweets his own stats all the time; it's obvious he's more concerned about his own runs rather than playing for the team.

Plays way too slowly; I'm disappointed because he played well in England, mixing attack and defence but now all he does is look to defend his way to a 50+ score to maintain his average.

He threw his wicket away for the benefit of the team, not stats...

He could have easily blocked out another 30-40 delivers to get to his century, but he decided to hit out, even though a hundred was just a grasp away.

 

[Kakar]

Massive kneejerk. Should be an automatic selection for us in tests and should remain away from LOIs for the time being.

 

[Jabo]

He just started

You want to complain, then complain about Azhar, Shafiq and Younis.

 

[Abdullah719]

The guy tweets his own stats all the time; it's obvious he's more concerned about his own runs rather than playing for the team.

Plays way too slowly; I'm disappointed because he played well in England, mixing attack and defence but now all he does is look to defend his way to a 50+ score to maintain his average.

His style of play does not support the view that he is selfish. When the batsmen started going for their shots yesterday, they largely failed. The ball wasn't coming on to the bat all that well and the uneven bounce made it harder.

He is a fairly limited batsman as well, he doesn't have a wide array of shots. Several times yesterday he found the point fielder when he tried to hit the shorter deliveries.

The main thing that his game lacks is the ability to find gaps with a tight field, which is why he isn't an ideal option for ODIs as well. However, he has the temperament to withstand a period where he doesn't score without getting frustrated.

 

[The_Odd_One]

He scores so slow it is almost impossible for him to score big. On average, he needs about 250 deliveries to get to three figures, which requires tremendous powers of concentration.

Nonetheless, he is the least of our worries - just needs to tweak his playing style a bit. Good, good player.

Yes, he plays slow but he has been able to score in tougher places like England and NZ so early in his career which is a very good sign. Pakistan needs to persist with both Sami and Babar.

 

[SARJ_BD]

The only reason Pk do no get a good openers is because ppl criticize them very quickly and give less time to them to settle.
Criticizing Sami is not only an impatient act, but also destructive. How many match did he flop?

Pak do not have other option at all. If Pak start looking for other option then they would be repeating their old mistakes. Ppl who think such post will improve Sami Aslam's cricket are nth but harmful to Pak cricket.

 

[sshakir411]

Sami is here to stay but he needs to break away from his shell. I think batting with Azhar has a huge role in why he is so slow...the entire team is unable to pick up the pace because of the openers and I believe Azhar has a larger role to play in it. Our openers couldn't even put away full tosses from Santner when they were setting up the base for our chase. I think Sharjeel will have to come in to the test team and Azhar will move down...We really need someone who can play freely and not be timid. Pathetic attitude from our batsmen is ruining the younger generation.

 

[srh]

Yes. He's playing for himself, not the team.

agreed. he is one of the main reason Pakistan lost the 2nd test match. he played too selfish and waste lot of good overs where Pakistan would have scored easier

 

[Adil_94]

hes young lad his career will have ups and downs at this early stage. how many Greats were consistent by the age of 20 apart from Sachin. Sami has all the basics and the tools to be a good solid opener for us in Tests. Yes hes slow but if he sees off the new ball and churns out runs for us who cares.

 

[hadi123]

guys calm down, he is just 20 years old and he has already got a lot of runs outside Asia. But his dropped catches may well have cost us this match

 

[endymion248]

Why does everybody want him to score fast when he only plays test cricket? 40-50 SR is plenty.

 

[The_Odd_One]

He has 6 50s in his last 7 tests. 3 of them came in away tests when most of the other batsman in his team failed.

Not sure how can someone even say that with a straight face that he has declined.

 

[Slog]

No joke but he is the best test opener Ive seen debut for Pak post 2003

 

[from_da_lost_dim3nsion]

Selfless innings . Wen't for the win instead of going for his 100 .Can't complain about the guy !

 

[Suleiman]

Why does everybody want him to score fast when he only plays test cricket? 40-50 SR is plenty.

People want the same from Azhar. Ungrateful fans tbh. As someone said we deserve the Hafeez's and Farhats for their 60 SR 20s and 30s instead of 40 SR 50s and 80s.

 

[yasir]

I am very disappointed at PPers understanding of Cricket(its not just Science where they lack basics, Cricket itself is too much for many PPers), how can you complain about Sami. There are three bright spots for Pakistan this year, Sami, Babar and Amir... Pakistanis are complaining about these three the most, come on got to learn something about Cricket first

Sami is best debut opener I have seen in 30 years, he is in early twenties and playing tests in tough conditions (2 on green, wet and cloudy conditions in NZ, two in ENG against best seamers England has produced in decades), he has blunted better than well everybody else... People forget that Sami showed entire Pakistani team back in EB test how to play english seamers (close to body, leave off the length, wait for ball to come to you, don't fetch), that set the tone for us to come back to the series...

Here if he was not blunting, we could have lost this match in first session. How he was selfish?? - He throw away his wicket at 91 and did not went for 100. Its his fault that YK and Shafiq could not blunt for 15 overs?? - He had been doing that half a day on day 5 against fresh bowlers

 

[abughio]

he is wonderful player.. gritty innings today

 

[Square Drive]

Lol at these fans calling Sami selfish.

Only a selfish man would get out while attempting to hit at 91*, with a golden chance to get his maiden ton, right?

Tweeting his stats doesn't necessarily mean his selfish. Everyone has the right to be proud of their achievements to a certain level.

Pathetic fans.

 

[aloo paratha]

Can't state any reasons as I don't see any decline...

 

[Bewal Express]

[MENTION=1269]Bewal Express[/MENTION] probably got too excited and didn't wait for Sami to score. Still, a poor judgment and thread.

Please read my contributions on the thread, i acknowledged his good stats but the area that concerns me and where i have seen the decline is in his technique, failure to put the bad ball away and just his general demeanor at the crease.

 

[CricketingMinds]

Skills needed for an opener & comparing a few openers in Pak (score out of 10)


1. Ability to see off the new ball
- Azhar Ali (7/10)
- Sami Aslam (7.5/10)
- Hafeez (4/10)
- Shehzad (4/10)

2. Good defense
- Azhar Ali (7/10)
- Sami Aslam (7.5/10)
- Hafeez (6/10)
- Shehzad (4/10)

3. Ability to rotate strike
- Azhar Ali (3/10)
- Sami Aslam (3/10)
- Hafeez (6/10)
- Shehzad (4/10)

4. Put away bad balls for 4/6
- Azhar Ali (4/10)
- Sami Aslam (3/10)
- Hafeez (6/10)
- Shehzad (5/10)

5. Temperament
- Azhar Ali (8/10)
- Sami Aslam (8/10)
- Hafeez (5/10)
- Shehzad (4/10)

6. Build partnerships
- Azhar Ali (9/10)
- Sami Aslam (7/10)
- Hafeez (6/10)
- Shehzad (3/10)

7. Attitude (keenness to learn & Improve)
- Azhar Ali (8/10)
- Sami Aslam (8/10)
- Hafeez (6/10) - hardly ever admits that he failed or needs to improve.
- Shehzad (2/10) - thinks he is the Kohli of Pakistan

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Final Score

- Azhar Ali (46/70)
- Sami Aslam (44/70)
- Hafeez (39/70)
- Shehzad (26/70)