The recipe for disaster, Pakistan's current T20 batting lineup is just too pedestrian for an explosive format

[mominsaigol]

I think this is also PakEngFan’s opinion. The issue is that the discussion always becomes very contentious and sometimes we all talk past each other.

And also me and him also just don’t rate Azam Khan which a lot of people seem to take issue with. Other than that I can’t speak for his other opinions aside from me and him being on the same side about Rizwan being a good Test WK batsmen.

Pakengfan is genuine, all arguments he makes is genuine. he's been extremely logical and solid on alot of occasions but we all say silly things, I remember my 70's batsmen being the best claim which I take back now) like his babar > Sheryas claim.

But he's a proper cricket fan same with you, everything you claim you genuinely believe in. Liking rizwan/misbah/babar doesn't put someone in an auto cult, It's when you defend them to such an extent even when their In the wrong that's what adds cult status.

I'd put myself as a cult if I was still mocking shadab, but his innings yesterday was good. Yes I don't like him, and he's an awful bowler. But his batting is the only thing that makes our t20 line up not look like we're here to play a test match.

 

[emranabbas]

I’m not sure why you think I would disagree. Our rotation policy is horrible and one of the big reasons why our primary 3 fast bowlers all got injured around the same time.

I’m just not as impressed with the replacements that are available as you are. We argued over Azam Khan’s selection one time on this forum, and you rate him, but to me he looks absolutely horrible against international bowling. Although like I said before, he probably would have gotten another chance in this series if it wasn’t for injury and I would have been okay with him getting to play this series. When you get opportunities, you have to really make use of them and Azam Khan has played 8 T20Is and not just not scored runs but also not looked good at all batting.

The other alternative to Rizwan is Usman Khan who also is not just not scoring runs, but also looks pretty bad against international bowlers. In PSL, he looks like Vivian Richards, in international cricket so far he looks so shaky at the crease. Despite this, I still think Usman Khan should have the opportunity to play every match in this series.

it doesn't work like this bro i remember the fan criteria 10 years ago was that we need to give any player 10-15 matches be he is written off but for usman the knives are out after 2 matches and that too when he's not playing at his specialist position

here are the scores of one of your favorites from the first 10 matches he played not going to name him

6,17,33* 16,6,24,4,2,1 at a S/R of 100 or less

if you use the same logic your using for azam and usman then this player should have been dropped as soon as he got in the team but instead he's been given a 90+ games and he still is a failure.

usman needs to be given a run for at least 10-15 games at number 3 and I'm sure you will find your travis head.

rizwan doesn't need to play rest of this series or vs Ireland by the world cup we will have our own travis head in the making.

 

[mominsaigol]

In terms of ODI rankings, I don’t disagree but you also have to take the conditions into account. I don’t think Afghanistan is better than England or Pakistan aside from in Asia due to their great spinners and our lack of any spin option. Hopefully Abrar can be a spinner for us across formats.

The T20 format is different. Our bowlers carry us quite a bit, but if Shaheen and Naseem are not in form then obviously we will fall down the pecking order.

This is only wc 2023 rankings. Not relevant for 2024.

But in 2023 wc England's bowling was just as bad as ours, it was a toothless attack and no more Liam plunket or Archer clearly exposed the awful bowling.

Afghanistan were low on confidence but once they found their stride, they nearly murked Australia, 9 times out of 10 they'd had beaten Australia that day if it wasn't for maxwell playing the innings of a lifetime.

Their batsmen were also explosive and their spin attack was gun, pace was on the weaker side.

England bats in wc were out of it. Bairstow and Stokes are finished, Butler was a done case in that cup, MALAN is the only thing that was keeping it stable but he even performed once in a blue moon. They only played well against Pakistan because pur bowling was toothless just like theirs.

Afghans had better batters while the likes of butler, Stokes, Root, bairstow were now passengers, clearly not their 2019 selves. And their spinners irrespective of conditions would have murked this unit. Only chance 2023 England have of beating Afghanistan is if malan kicks off and plays a Superman innings. Otherwise whole team was dead.

 

[mominsaigol]

it doesn't work like this bro i remember the fan criteria 10 years ago was that we need to give any player 10-15 matches be he is written off but for usman the knives are out after 2 matches and that too when he's not playing at his specialist position

here are the scores of one of your favorites from the first 10 matches he played not going to name him

6,17,33* 16,6,24,4,2,1 at a S/R of 100 or less

if you use the same logic your using for azam and usman then this player should have been dropped as soon as he got in the team but instead he's been given a 90+ games and he still is a failure.

usman needs to be given a run for at least 10-15 games at number 3 and I'm sure you will find your travis head.

rizwan doesn't need to play rest of this series or vs Ireland by the world cup we will have our own travis head in the making.

Bro, Cool it with the final statement. That's a massive claim, Travis head in the making .

 

[160KPH]

it doesn't work like this bro i remember the fan criteria 10 years ago was that we need to give any player 10-15 matches be he is written off but for usman the knives are out after 2 matches and that too when he's not playing at his specialist position

here are the scores of one of your favorites from the first 10 matches he played not going to name him

6,17,33* 16,6,24,4,2,1 at a S/R of 100 or less

if you use the same logic your using for azam and usman then this player should have been dropped as soon as he got in the team but instead he's been given a 90+ games and he still is a failure.

usman needs to be given a run for at least 10-15 games at number 3 and I'm sure you will find your travis head.

rizwan doesn't need to play rest of this series or vs Ireland by the world cup we will have our own travis head in the making.

Bro I agree with you. This is why I support Saim being backed for a long span of time. I truly believe he will come good. He’s performed good in FC, List A, and PSL.

I do not think Usman Khan should be dropped from the side after 2 matches. He has technical deficiencies but those can be masked in T20. Usman Khan should play this whole series and I believe Azam Khan should have played the whole series as well if he didn’t get injured.

But I’m just telling you my opinion. I just don’t see that much potential in Usman Khan and Azam Khan based on when the way I’ve watched them bat in intentional cricket. Also, the other opposition I have to Azam Khan that I do not have for Usman Khan is that Azam Khan has not kept his fitness in check. I think a certain level of fitness should be required, otherwise you shouldn’t be selected. Probably a certain level of catching ability too. I’m tired of losing winnable matches due to missed catches and sloppy fielding and it matters a lot in a short format like T20.

 

[160KPH]

usman needs to be given a run for at least 10-15 games at number 3 and I'm sure you will find your travis head.

Also I’m just telling you, Usman Khan can play 100 matches and he will not perform like Travis Head. Travis Head is on another level.

 

[mominsaigol]

Also I’m just telling you, Usman Khan can play 100 matches and he will not perform like Travis Head. Travis Head is on another level.

Yeah the travis head claim is weird. One is an opener who'll be viewed in the same class of Warner and gilchrist, the other is a uae run away .

 

[160KPH]

Yeah the travis head claim is weird. One is an opener who'll be viewed in the same class of Warner and gilchrist, the other is a uae run away .

Travis Head also played 161 FC matches and 138 List A matches. He put in the hard work to prove mold himself into a great player.

Not to mention, he’s already played legendary innings.

137(120) in a WC final
163(174) in the first innings to win Australia the WTC championship

His return completely revived Australia’s WC campaign. Even in IPL his last 2 innings were 89(32) and 102(41). He’s gonna go down as one of the most impactful players ever.. Usman Khan is just not even close to that level

 

[emranabbas]

I don’t want Rizwan opening in T20s either. His SR as an opener is too low.

Like I’ve said before, I’d much rather have Haris opening with Saim and Babar at 3. Haris could even be the wicket keeper if it ends up being that we drop Rizwan from the squad all together.

But if the alternative is Azam Khan who can’t even pass 10 runs in international cricket, then I’d gladly keep Rizwan.

Since you're open to a meaningful discussion, unlike many others who are part of the rizwan babar cult,

I’d like to explain the approach during the initial power play. In the first six overs, the rules allow only two fielders outside the 30-yard circle, creating a prime opportunity to score aggressively against the pace bowlers. By utilizing the pace of the ball, both openers should ideally target scoring at least 30 runs each during this phase.

This segment of the game sets the tone for the rest of the innings. Playing too cautiously, can boost the bowler's confidence. On the other hand, if the batsmen are more aggressive , it can pressure the bowler into making errors in their line and length.

Losing a couple of wickets isn't a major concern; being at 60/2 after six overs is still a strong position, considering we still have nine wickets in hand for the remaining overs.

Now, considering this strategy, do you think we need Babar or Rizwan opening if they aren’t going to play aggressively?

its the same strategy teams like Australia india england newzealnd have adopted too and winning games.

 

[emranabbas]

Bro I agree with you. This is why I support Saim being backed for a long span of time. I truly believe he will come good. He’s performed good in FC, List A, and PSL.

I do not think Usman Khan should be dropped from the side after 2 matches. He has technical deficiencies but those can be masked in T20. Usman Khan should play this whole series and I believe Azam Khan should have played the whole series as well if he didn’t get injured.

But I’m just telling you my opinion. I just don’t see that much potential in Usman Khan and Azam Khan based on when the way I’ve watched them bat in intentional cricket. Also, the other opposition I have to Azam Khan that I do not have for Usman Khan is that Azam Khan has not kept his fitness in check. I think a certain level of fitness should be required, otherwise you shouldn’t be selected. Probably a certain level of catching ability too. I’m tired of losing winnable matches due to missed catches and sloppy fielding and it matters a lot in a short format like T20.

with the emerge of irfan khan, usman khan and return of imad i don't think we need azam khan in the team now

 

[160KPH]

Since you're open to a meaningful discussion, unlike many others who are part of the rizwan babar cult,

I’d like to explain the approach during the initial power play. In the first six overs, the rules allow only two fielders outside the 30-yard circle, creating a prime opportunity to score aggressively against the pace bowlers. By utilizing the pace of the ball, both openers should ideally target scoring at least 30 runs each during this phase.

This segment of the game sets the tone for the rest of the innings. Playing too cautiously, can boost the bowler's confidence. On the other hand, if the batsmen are more aggressive , it can pressure the bowler into making errors in their line and length.

Losing a couple of wickets isn't a major concern; being at 60/2 after six overs is still a strong position, considering we still have nine wickets in hand for the remaining overs.

Now, considering this strategy, do you think we need Babar or Rizwan opening if they aren’t going to play aggressively?

its the same strategy teams like Australia india england newzealnd have adopted too and winning games.

No I don’t think Babar and Rizwan should open. Babar is more justifiable than Rizwan but Rizwan should 100% not open considering how low his SR has been, especially recently.

I agree with your approach for the power play. My ideal batting unit changes, but for top 4 I want something like:

Saim
Haris/different explosive opener
Babar
Fakhar/Usman

Openers need to have the license to go as hard as possible in power play and not worry about losing their wicket. If Haris does not work out then we can have

Saim
Usman Khan
Babar
Fakhar

But like I said, I just am not sure Usman Khan is going to be able to perform at the international level the way he does in PSL.

 

[160KPH]

with the emerge of irfan khan, usman khan and return of imad i don't think we need azam khan in the team now

I like Irfan Khan as well. Not the biggest hitter of the ball, but he played some good strokes and also picked the gaps well.

Not to mention he’s one of the fittest players in Pakistan and a great fielder.

 

[emranabbas]

No I don’t think Babar and Rizwan should open. Babar is more justifiable than Rizwan but Rizwan should 100% not open considering how low his SR has been, especially recently.

I agree with your approach for the power play. My ideal batting unit changes, but for top 4 I want something like:

Saim
Haris/different explosive opener
Babar
Fakhar/Usman

Openers need to have the license to go as hard as possible in power play and not worry about losing their wicket. If Haris does not work out then we can have

Saim
Usman Khan
Babar
Fakhar

But like I said, I just am not sure Usman Khan is going to be able to perform at the international level the way he does in PSL.

this could definitely work but we cant have both rizwan and babar in the top 3
that's my argument unless they play aggressively

 

[160KPH]

this could definitely work but we cant have both rizwan and babar in the top for that's my argument unless they play aggressively

Yeah I agree. They definitely can’t open together. I also don’t like the current set up where they are also both in the top 3 because then if we lose an early wicket we are right back where we began.

 

[mominsaigol]

Travis Head also played 161 FC matches and 138 List A matches. He put in the hard work to prove mold himself into a great player.

Not to mention, he’s already played legendary innings.

137(120) in a WC final
163(174) in the first innings to win Australia the WTC championship

His return completely revived Australia’s WC campaign. Even in IPL his last 2 innings were 89(32) and 102(41). He’s gonna go down as one of the most impactful players ever.. Usman Khan is just not even close to that level

Bro ik, Travis head is in the class of Warner and Gilchrist, infact in terms of impact and clutch he's arguably superior. Dude literally can demolish you on difficult pitches where even the worlds best bats struggle to read.

In IPL he isn't butchering trundlers, He's giving them an early retirement .

Dudes already an ATG.

Now I'm all for Usman khan hype, but I will draw the line, UK isn't even world class, heck he's not even quality atm. The only reason I want him is because I hope he can utilise that 146 sr which is what Pakistan needs.

Travis head is in a world of his own. Currently he's the best player in their unit, and he's easily on par with prime gilchrist and prime Warner, although Gilchrist being a wicket keeper would probs make it into an atg odi 11 tbf.

 

[PakEngFan]

Multiple times:



Incoming meltdown in 3… 2…

Oh what a surprise.

 

[RagingJ]

You can only have one anchor in the team and it should be Babar, and him moving down to 3 is probably a good step, but then they are going by his partnerships with Saim Ayub in PSL.

The problem with Pak is, there are too many similar batters, and then unconvincing "all rounders", having to package them all together into a batting squad will always be a problem.

The new guys that come in simply don't perform, considering there is a lack of depth in Pakistan for batting, they go back to their old semi "successful" routes.

With this newish batting squad, they should look to rejig the batting order.

The biggest focus needs to be on having the right players in the right positions, and then fitness/game awareness.

 

[emranabbas]

Babar and Rizwan both have been poor with their strike rates in the opening six overs, making it a cause of huge worry for the team.

Player	SR in powerplay (T20I)	Dot ball percentage in powerplays	Overall SR (T20I)	Batting Average
Babar Azam	117.6	42.6%	129.01	41.20
Muhammad Rizwan	115.7	45.1%	127.42	49.96

Brilliant who on earth plays at a strike of 115 and 117 in the power play

 

[Rana]

Brilliant who on earth plays at a strike of 115 and 117 in the power play

Who on earth? Babar and Rizwan do. Their fans believe we won’t make 140 if they don’t bat the way they do.

 

[mominsaigol]

Babar and Rizwan both have been poor with their strike rates in the opening six overs, making it a cause of huge worry for the team.

Player	SR in powerplay (T20I)	Dot ball percentage in powerplays	Overall SR (T20I)	Batting Average
Babar Azam	117.6	42.6%	129.01	41.20
Muhammad Rizwan	115.7	45.1%	127.42	49.96

45.1% and 42.6% dot all percentage

if you were to factor the math in, That means collectively they have 43% dot ball average.

So 16 deliveries are dot balls in the Powerplay. That leaves 20 deliveries. Factoring in sr and assuming both play 10 deliveries each that means in 6 overs, Babar and rizwan Collectively average 40 to 45 runs round about. 40 being lower end and 45 being higher end.

Man I'm a math wiz

Edit: Basically 40 runs scored in 36 balls.

 

[topspin]

Babar and Rizwan both have been poor with their strike rates in the opening six overs, making it a cause of huge worry for the team.

Player	SR in powerplay (T20I)	Dot ball percentage in powerplays	Overall SR (T20I)	Batting Average
Babar Azam	117.6	42.6%	129.01	41.20
Muhammad Rizwan	115.7	45.1%	127.42	49.96

The second and third columns perfectly sum up why Pakistan needs to move on from them in T20Is.

The excuse of “no one is better than them” is just lazy analysis. These are the same people who used to say “find me someone better than Misbah” in the early and mid 2010s but they got their answer in the 2017 CT, when they were left red faced after the triumph of a Misbah-less Pakistan team.

The success behind this was all about Pakistan being able to move forward after Misbah had finally stopped playing ODIs. His school of thought was dismantled for the greater good of Pakistan cricket.

He is now the very reason why Pakistan’s batting is unable to progress in T20Is. He came up with this opening pair and has managed to fool all his successors and the PCB that the presence of this duo in the top order hold the key for Pakistan to thrive to with the bat in the shortest format. Misbah is the greatest scam in the history of Pakistan cricket.

Occupying the crease for the whole powerplay and achieving a sub-120 strike rate is nothing worthy of mention.

 

[topspin]

45.1% and 42.6% dot all percentage

if you were to factor the math in, That means collectively they have 43% dot ball average.

So 16 deliveries are dot balls in the Powerplay. That leaves 20 deliveries. Factoring in sr and assuming both play 10 deliveries each that means in 6 overs, Babar and rizwan Collectively average 40 to 45 runs round about. 40 being lower end and 45 being higher end.

Man I'm a math wiz

Edit: Basically 40 runs scored in 36 balls.

Your Maths is correct.

I’ve worked if they face the same number of balls each during the powerplay i.e 18 deliveries each, it equates to scoring 42 runs off 6 overs. That is Bangladesh standard and they are an awful T20I side.

 

[mominsaigol]

Your Maths is correct.

I’ve worked if they face the same number of balls each during the powerplay i.e 18 deliveries each, it equates to scoring 42 runs off 6 overs. That is Bangladesh standard and they are an awful T20I side.

Honestly bro, their have been times and multiple times where sides have scored around 40 in 6 overs, Getting 60 is hard and can't be done in every games.

Problem is babar and rizwan don't have a 4th or 5th gear when playing quality sides. The fact that NZ has bracewell means that babar won't perform in this series lol, Bracewell is the thorn that will prevent babar to cash in on c sides.

If this was someone like Chapman, Rohit, Quinton etc then it's a different matter, because they have usually scored 40 of 36 on a few occasions, but when set they have no issue on striking a 50 in the next 20 balls or so.

With babar and rizwan it's usually 42 of 6, Then 70 of 10, then 100 of 15, and then 140 to 145 of 20. They never actually improve unless the attack is so garbage like the sa c string side.

Babar is probably praying for bracwell to get injured, as long as bracewell is here, it keans babar fails this series.

 

[mominsaigol]

The second and third columns perfectly sum up why Pakistan needs to move on from them in T20Is.

The excuse of “no one is better than them” is just lazy analysis. These are the same people who used to say “find me someone better than Misbah” in the early and mid 2010s but they got their answer in the 2017 CT, when they were left red faced after the triumph of a Misbah-less Pakistan team.

The success behind this was all about Pakistan being able to move forward after Misbah had finally stopped playing ODIs. His school of thought was dismantled for the greater good of Pakistan cricket.

He is now the very reason why Pakistan’s batting is unable to progress in T20Is. He came up with this opening pair and has managed to fool all his successors and the PCB that the presence of this duo in the top order hold the key for Pakistan to thrive to with the bat in the shortest format. Misbah is the greatest scam in the history of Pakistan cricket.

Occupying the crease for the whole powerplay and achieving a sub-120 strike rate is nothing worthy of mention.

I find it funny how Hashim amla, the man that people compare Babar to the most aka calling him an amla type player actually has a much higher Sr then Babar in t20 and could actually utilise the PP , well utilise to some extent, he wasn't a natural t20 player.

It's also funny why people compare Babar to amla, Amla bullied and dominated proper attacks and maintained a 49 avg and 88 SR consistently though his career.

Babar's avg fell from 60 to 56 the moment the world cup came . Babar's avg goes down and down in each world cup, In 2021 he averaged 50+ in t20, it fell to 41 after 2022 lol.

I've seen amla play, dude was a nightmare in his golden days.

Never understand why people compare the 2, Babar in odi and test is an alright accumulator and soft run scorer an and in t20 is atrocious that's all.

 

[Mohraheem]

Because people believe in useless player like Ifthikhar to explode who only does that 1 out of 55 matches

 

[mominsaigol]

Because people believe in useless player like Ifthikhar to explode who only does that 1 out of 55 matches

Chacha can't read wrist spin, and he can only bash weak bats. Him reactions are also slow against solid pace.

Tbf to chacha he tries to give it his all atleast. He plays for the team, it's just he's not good enough.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Babar was playing well in PSL against Spin but he again looked in trouble against spinners this series so far. this is more of a mental block rather than a technical issue for me TBH. Imad should play now. Time for babar to strengthen the batting lineup.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Fakhar Zaman could be an explosive batter top the order but Babar Azam ruining him just for his statpadding. Pathetic!

 

[Smbhayi]

Fakhar Zaman could be an explosive batter top the order but Babar Azam ruining him just for his statpadding. Pathetic!

Zaman avg 22 at 136 strike rate as an opener.. they know he's an explosive player that's why they're not dropping him and trying him every position, similar like India does with KL Rahul..

 

[The Bald Eagle]

If Fakhar had played on top then things would have been different. Usman Khan disappointed again today. Babar Azam the usual culprit.

 

[Major]

Haan je, so where are the critics of the Babar-Rizwan opening partnership.

Today RIzwan didnt even play.

So who is the scape goat?

I thought this team would become the worlds best with Imad, Amir, Usman Khan being back and Rizwan being removed.

This is why they should never had broken the partnership which was working. But PCB played into the media and immature fans.

 

[Markhor]

Haan je, so where are the critics of the Babar-Rizwan opening partnership.

Today RIzwan didnt even play.

So who is the scape goat?

I thought this team would become the worlds best with Imad, Amir, Usman Khan being back and Rizwan being removed.

This is why they should never had broken the partnership which was working. But PCB played into the media and immature fans.

This argument was raised in the match thread and I don't think it's fair. Firstly, that wasn't an easy pitch to accelerate on. NZL only got to 178 thanks to Pakistan's charity with extras. NZ were also struggling with timing their shots so it's not the best place to judge the merits of an alternative batting lineup.

Secondly, Rizwan and Babar had three years with an iron grip on the top order. We know their ceiling. I cannot understand why fans demand experiments in these meaningless series - only to still complain once experiments are made !

Thirdly, the Rizwan-Babar partnership was not working. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, both struggled badly producing tailender numbers. In the last match of this series, they batted together in the top 3 and consumed lots of deliveries, but left us 15-20 runs below par. The result was the same - a defeat.

Losing today does not detract from the principle that opening with two anchors is at the odds with the direction T20 cricket is going. Now 200 isn't even safe. Look at this IPL edition - I never thought we'd see 287 in 20 overs like the other week.

 

[mominsaigol]

Fakhar Zaman could be an explosive batter top the order but Babar Azam ruining him just for his statpadding. Pathetic!

Yes, I hope more people understand why he needs to open

 

[mominsaigol]

Haan je, so where are the critics of the Babar-Rizwan opening partnership.

Today RIzwan didnt even play.

So who is the scape goat?

I thought this team would become the worlds best with Imad, Amir, Usman Khan being back and Rizwan being removed.

This is why they should never had broken the partnership which was working. But PCB played into the media and immature fans.

I thought this team would become the worlds best with Imad, Amir, Usman Khan being back and Rizwan being removed.

No one claimed theyd be the worlds best, thats an exaggeration and you know it.

This is why they should never had broken the partnership which was working. But PCB played into the media and immature fans.

2022 wc and asia cup was enough to warrant breaking it up, any international unit on the planet would habe broken it up including minnow teams.

You're acting as if their were zero failures with the opening.

 

[Rana]

Haan je, so where are the critics of the Babar-Rizwan opening partnership.

Today RIzwan didnt even play.

So who is the scape goat?

I thought this team would become the worlds best with Imad, Amir, Usman Khan being back and Rizwan being removed.

This is why they should never had broken the partnership which was working. But PCB played into the media and immature fans.

Rizwan is the reason for Today’s loss

His curse will take years to overcome

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Rizwan is the reason for Today’s loss

His curse will take years to overcome

Le Rizwan to Rana: But yaar aj to mn absent tha

 

[Major]

This argument was raised in the match thread and I don't think it's fair. Firstly, that wasn't an easy pitch to accelerate on. NZL only got to 178 thanks to Pakistan's charity with extras. NZ were also struggling with timing their shots so it's not the best place to judge the merits of an alternative batting lineup.

Secondly, Rizwan and Babar had three years with an iron grip on the top order. We know their ceiling. I cannot understand why fans demand experiments in these meaningless series - only to still complain once experiments are made !

Thirdly, the Rizwan-Babar partnership was not working. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, both struggled badly producing tailender numbers. In the last match of this series, they batted together in the top 3 and consumed lots of deliveries, but left us 15-20 runs below par. The result was the same - a defeat.

Losing today does not detract from the principle that opening with two anchors is at the odds with the direction T20 cricket is going. Now 200 isn't even safe. Look at this IPL edition - I never thought we'd see 287 in 20 overs like the other week.

I respectfully disagree.

There were games where Rizwan and Babar had score 200 and 180+. The problem that i saw was not the upper order, but the lower orders terrible batting. We tried Harris, Ayub and every other cricketer that fans wanted, and all of them failed.

Their failiure was not be accepted, thus the Riz-Babar partnership was blamed for it and made the scape goat.
Like just recently, right after Usman khan failed to do anything in 2 games against NZ c, the fans whined that its cause of Rizwan not leaving his place. He left the no.3 and when Usman failed again, fans are asking for other players be tried at 3.

The issue you have stated about Rizwan and Babar strike rate was not caused by Babar and Rizwan but was caused by PCB. If PCB had kept a proper team management that came up with a game plan and helped these two to pace the innings, this problem would had been solved. Currently, whats happening is that a coach is being hired on adhoc basis after every series.


But there was alot of talks last year where Babar and Rizwan were discredited for their achievements because the teams were B and C level, now that new guys are in, the results have deteriorated where experienced campaigners like Imad and Ifti have failed but fans dont want to accept it.

Even Saim Ayub has proven to be a joke till now

 

[jnaveen1980]

Pakistan chased 90 runs in 13th over in the first T20I. So 179 was going to be tricky.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Your thoughts guy

https://twitter.com/x/status/1783829629784174831

 

[TeymurBlake]

With Saim Ayub being brought in, Fakhar Zaman kind of becomes a utility like player. No.4 isn't a bad position. However if Babar can continue in No.3, then Fakhar-Saim opening should be tried.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Pakistan team failed to score 180 even for once in the series at home. How come Shadab and Amir call this squad as a WC winning combination?

 

[The Bald Eagle]

As a famous saying in English goes, Where are the King horses when you need them the most? Same occur to us in World Cups.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1785637025879585148

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Thanks to Ifti and SSA for saving the otherwise DUCK day and where was Imad? Why didn't he come ahead of SSA?

 

[emranabbas]

Thanks to Ifti and SSA for saving the otherwise DUCK day and where was Imad? Why didn't he come ahead of SSA?

Its not upto imad when to come in

 

[mon858]

Can't believe in international games when SSA is not captain they can send him.above any proper all rounder or batsman. One or 2 six is not a big thing but it's also him wasting all the dot balls. Plus ifti didn't take single knowing its him on other end , with Imad he would have.
Are they still trying to push imad out of final t20 squad or playing eleven??

 

[PakEngFan]

Can't believe in international games when SSA is not captain they can send him.above any proper all rounder or batsman. One or 2 six is not a big thing but it's also him wasting all the dot balls. Plus ifti didn't take single knowing its him on other end , with Imad he would have.
Are they still trying to push imad out of final t20 squad or playing eleven??

Imad can't hit hence why Shaheen went ahead in most seenarios Imad would bat ahead of Shaheen.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Its not upto imad when to come in

O you mean Babar behind it.

 

[Bilal7]

There is plenty of explosive power in the current team, provided we can get everyone in form by the business end of the world cup.

Saim, Fakhar, Azam, Iftikhar, Shadab and Imad are all proven power-hitters that can put any bowler to the sword. Babar and Rizwan also possess the ability to speed up when needed. Then we also have Afridi who seems to be working on his batting with his susar.

 

[mominsaigol]

Haan je, so where are the critics of the Babar-Rizwan opening partnership.

Today RIzwan didnt even play.

So who is the scape goat?

I thought this team would become the worlds best with Imad, Amir, Usman Khan being back and Rizwan being removed.

This is why they should never had broken the partnership which was working. But PCB played into the media and immature fans.

If anything, based of today it just shows babar needs to be dropped and fakhar and rizwan shpuld open.

Nothing has established these 2 ro come back together.

 

[themens]

If anything, based of today it just shows babar needs to be dropped and fakhar and rizwan shpuld open.

Nothing has established these 2 ro come back together.

Drop your best player

I really have seen it all

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Usman khan must be given a chance in the next game

 

[The Bald Eagle]

There is plenty of explosive power in the current team, provided we can get everyone in form by the business end of the world cup.

Saim, Fakhar, Azam, Iftikhar, Shadab and Imad are all proven power-hitters that can put any bowler to the sword. Babar and Rizwan also possess the ability to speed up when needed. Then we also have Afridi who seems to be working on his batting with his susar.

Yep they have potetial but unfortunately they all never click together. Saim or Babar needs to be dropped from top spot to accomodate Fakhar as he has been explosive up the order too.

 

[Rana]

Yep they have potetial but unfortunately they all never click together. Saim or Babar needs to be dropped from top spot to accomodate Fakhar as he has been explosive up the order too.

You are all being fooled by Rizwan’s little show yesterday

Reality will return soon. Mark this post

Your openers should be Saim and Fakhar. No this and that.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

You are all being fooled by Rizwan’s little show yesterday

Reality will return soon. Mark this post

Your openers should be Saim and Fakhar. No this and that.

OK bro we shall see, good choice though but Saim is so inconsistent.

 

[Rana]

OK bro we shall see, good choice though but Saim is so inconsistent.

When he comes off, you will win games. Be patient

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Guys let's get back on topic plz

 

[mominsaigol]

You are all being fooled by Rizwan’s little show yesterday

Reality will return soon. Mark this post

Your openers should be Saim and Fakhar. No this and that.

I made a post somewhere, idk if you read but I told people that this mentality of 50 failures, 1 success needs to stop. Its beyond irritating.

Asif Ali has 2 wc wins, very important wins, that doesn't mean I want him back in the team.

You give players so many games, they'll perform 1 or 2x eventually, doesn't mean I want em back.

I said it before. Rizwan is fine when it comes to chasing. He's crap when it comes to batting first. With babar and rizwan, Pakistan is just another Sotub Africa but in reverse.

The difference is South Africa is a world class batting first side but a minnow chasing side.

Pakistan is only an average chasing side, not world class. They'll chase well against Sri Lanka, will scrap by against Afghanistan, will beat Ireland but Australia, England, India will shut them down 9 out of 10x.

Batting first Pakistan will lose everytime. They'll always score 10 RUNS SHORT, and will always mess up the bowling, on the off-chance te bowling clicks and Pakistan does reach the wire, Pakistan will still bottle it due to fielding and poor bowling at the death.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Usman khan must be given a chance in the next game

yea better to drop saim n give usman a chance to open the inning.. lets see how he uses the power play.

 

[mominsaigol]

yea better to drop saim n give usman a chance to open the inning.. lets see how he uses the power play.

Can usman khan field? He clearly can't keep

 

[BouncerGuy]

Can usman khan field? He clearly can't keep

If I am not wrong, he did fielding in PSL NO?

 

[mominsaigol]

If I am not wrong, he did fielding in PSL NO?

I don't remember tbh. His keeping was worse then azam Khan that's why I'm worried. I hope usman can field well, because his catching behind the stumps is hilarious. Can't believe we have a keeper worse then azam lol.

Azam Khan is a poor keeper in that he can't dive, and he can't even throw the ball at the stumps to avoid quick singles etc.

But tbf to azam, he's one heck of a clean catcher, his glove work is amazing and is actually better then rizwan's. It's a shame he never took care of himself, the whole it's genetic is an excuse.

These boys got good genes and good looks, but azam Khan is so poor with fitness its astonishing really, considering his lifestyle is more proactive then his bro.

If this man had rizzu level physique, Azam could he a great keeper due to his clean catching behind the stumps. But keeping is about jumping to avoid overhead boundaries, diving for catches, having quick reflexes throw to the stumps. Azam lacks all fo that.

 

[BouncerGuy]

I don't remember tbh. His keeping was worse then azam Khan that's why I'm worried. I hope usman can field well, because his catching behind the stumps is hilarious. Can't believe we have a keeper worse then azam lol.

Azam Khan is a poor keeper in that he can't dive, and he can't even throw the ball at the stumps to avoid quick singles etc.

But tbf to azam, he's one heck of a clean catcher, his glove work is amazing and is actually better then rizwan's. It's a shame he never took care of himself, the whole it's genetic is an excuse.

These boys got good genes and good looks, but azam Khan is so poor with fitness its astonishing really, considering his lifestyle is more proactive then his bro.

If this man had rizzu level physique, Azam could he a great keeper due to his clean catching behind the stumps. But keeping is about jumping to avoid overhead boundaries, diving for catches, having quick reflexes throw to the stumps. Azam lacks all fo that.

TBH, we cannot keep playing a player hoping that he would score 10 ball 30 or 15 ball 40. Saim in this case. I hope saim comes good because he has every shot in his book but he is just too careless and wants to look stylish. He does not care if he gets out while playing a stylish shot.

 

[mominsaigol]

TBH, we cannot keep playing a player hoping that he would score 10 ball 30 or 15 ball 40. Saim in this case. I hope saim comes good because he has every shot in his book but he is just too careless and wants to look stylish. He does not care if he gets out while playing a stylish shot.

Tbf I don't think its always ego, he's just clueless lol in shot selection.

 

[themens]

Babar Azam 4 sixes in 5 balls. You can't teach class

 

[mominsaigol]

Babar Azam 4 sixes in 5 balls. You can't teach class

Yes but you can spread mediocrity

 

[themens]

Yes but you can spread mediocrity

God forbid Babar spread mediocrity because the rest of these guys are all Hall of Famers

 

[mominsaigol]

God forbid Babar spread mediocrity because the rest of these guys are all Hall of Famers

The rest are medicore that's the point. It started with babar will end with him

 

[IMMY69]

Batting has always been our problem; our bowling that has rescued us and, at times, allowed us to excel.

If our bowlers were on form or of similar quality as previous times, I honestly feel we would be celebrating our team rather then castigating it every time the batting fails.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

The current batting line up is indeed a recipe for disaster. WC here we comeeeee...

 

[The Bald Eagle]

After the kind of start we got we should have easily touched 200 but for that you need a robust Middle order which we don't have.