The SHOCKING criticism leveled at Azhar Ali by SELFISH Pakistan fans

[shaz619]

You people seriously want to DROP the one batsman who displayed more FIGHT and HEART then the entire Pakistani Batting line up combined against India?

Here comes a man who has his deficiencies but did not let the situation consume him and went on to play one of the greatest knocks I've ever seen in a Pakistan/India contest but was let down by his team mates. He maintained a superior RR to start off with compared to Dhawan/Rohit, it was only when Hafeez came to the crease he got into a little bit of a rut which lead to his dismissal but that can entirely be blamed on Hafeez who should be banned from playing cricket based on his ineptness and cowardice.

Azhar Ali for majority of his knock was doing more then what was required and he really was supposed to flop right because his technique is not perfect but I would ask this warrior to bat for my life across all formats if it came to it. This man is by far the most gutsy and mentally strong cricketer to come out of Pakistan in recent times and it's time for the bacha party to wake up and RESPECT and APPRECIATE Azhar Ali.

 

[shaz619]

Am not even Azhar's biggest fan's but watching him bat against India you'd have thought a lot of you would have egg on your faces and would just say "you know what Azhar ali is not perfect but he wears his heart on his sleeve and gives his all" while Azhar was at the crease he gave Pakistan a chance against our greatest rival and you guys spit in his face? Pakistan fans are beyond selfish and ungrateful.

And I'd have thought an experienced poster like you [MENTION=16]Amjid Javed[/MENTION] would not be among the bacha party sadly they have brainwashed you as well

 

[Hamza_]

This is modern day cricket. Azhar is not required here, Hence the valid criticism. A purpose less thread.

 

[shaz619]

This is modern day cricket. Azhar is not required here, Hence the valid criticism. A purpose less thread.

We're not talking about your life or something here, this is all about understanding the value of Azhar's knock relative to all the other legendary batsman in the Pakistani team during the biggest game of their lives.

 

[Syed1]

You are right, he didn't let the situation consume him and instead he continued to play like it was a test match that Pakistan is trying to save.

50(65) while batting in the powerplays and chasing 289 off 41 overs. Mashallah. What would we ever do without this level of "grit and fight"

 

[shaz619]

You deserve to be hammered by India when you don't appreciate Azhar's knock, shameless fans

 

[Pollack]

Azhar's knock was not bad. If he stayed more he would have easily covered up. Not sure if he can do much than striking at run a ball or little over it. That is he is not going to single handedly win matches.When rest of the batsman cannot even score why blame someone is quality enough to score albeit at a slower rate.

 

[MilkyWay]

he took 14 balls to get 3 runs to get to his 50 and then got out... r u seriously joking? when we needed to be at 7/7.5 rpo he was doing 75/80 SR... and u seriously defending?

 

[Commander]

A lot of people think 'modern day cricket' means brainless and mindless hoicks to score as fast as possible. I think Azhar's knock was very good considering the circumstances and how the others played. If he had Sharjeel as his opening partner, we would have been fine

 

[ToeCrusher2]

Yeah, azhar bhai gave it his all, hope he has a long odi career for pakistan

 

[ToeCrusher2]

he took 14 balls to get 3 runs to get to his 50 and then got out... r u seriously joking? when we needed to be at 7/7.5 rpo he was doing 75/80 SR... and u seriously defending?

Rohit sharma took 19 balls to score 3 runs between overs 27 to 33, now beat that

 

[troodon]

ohh oh!

Shaz is upset.

Pak are no match for India which is superior in every possible way. Batting, bowling, fielding, performing in crunch situations, talent, application.... in every possible way, India is way ahead of Pak.

Azhar may have fared better than the rest, but he is not fit for modern day ODI cricket. He plays the same way irrespective of the situation. Its not his fault. He is not a natural stroke maker and cannot improvise to save his life.

Pak should look for alternatives soon. Come up with best youngsters and stick to them even if it means a few embarrassing series losses. This is the only way Pak can improve. You have to hit the bottom when you have to bounce back.

Players like Azhar Ali, Shehzad cannot be your openers in LOI cricket. They are too one dimensional and cannot rotate strike. Its the clear lack of ability. Get some new faces and start from the scratch.

 

[IndYeah1]

As an Indian, I respect Azhar Ali as a player. Sure he's not the greatest of ODI bats, but he's nowhere near the worst. You've got a lot of other bats in that lineup that he's comfortably better than. Don't understand why he gets so much hate.

An inconsistent batting lineup like Pakistan can use the solidity he offers, as long he's batting in the top 3 spots. Any lower and you can argue that his SR is not good enough. Its not his fault that he's not the swashbuckler that Pak fans are desperately wishing for.

In dreaming and wishing for that Pakistani Warner, you are abusing and belittling the decent player that you do have.

 

[Pollack]

A lot of people think 'modern day cricket' means brainless and mindless hoicks to score as fast as possible. I think Azhar's knock was very good considering the circumstances and how the others played. If he had Sharjeel as his opening partner, we would have been fine

+1. Also team combination has to be looked at. In Indian team he would be a match loser.While in Pakistan he doesn't have the luxury of Dhawan, Kohli, Dhoni ,Yuvraj, Kedar type modern day batsman. He has to conserve his wicket as well as score. Gets a lot of unfair criticism. Just my two cents even if not a Pakistani fan.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Huge Azhar (Test Batsman) fan. Lovely attitude off the field, no drama's.


The Criticism was absolutely Justified. At one point he was 37*(40) which was still slow given the match situation and than He started that Dot Ball Galore once again.


Besides Jadega only Yadav bowled well but Azhar & Co treated Bhuvi, Pandya as if they are World number 1 & 2 bowlers. Pitch was flat.


I hope he learns quickly and atleast Strike at 95 vs SA.

 

[MilkyWay]

Rohit sharma took 19 balls to score 3 runs between overs 27 to 33, now beat that

he was not chasing 7/8 runs an over to win.. u seriously dont see difference in those 2 situations?

 

[JibranAnsari]

Lol so 61-2 , pakistan needs 228 runs at 8.02 rpo and azhar scores 14 of his next 32 deliveries. He deserves a medal of honor.

 

[Pollack]

Lol so 61-2 , pakistan needs 228 runs at 8.02 rpo and azhar scores 14 of his next 32 deliveries. He deserves a medal of honor.

He was playing good. Just got stuck near his fifty when he played a lot of dot balls. Maybe you need to respect opposition as well. It is possible that India actually bowled well. Remember Rohit was also stuck at some point when it was required to accelerate. Sometimes one loses concentration out of nowhere.

 

[Major]

finally a sane thread.

I didn't even bother to argue with posters here who were bashing Azhar Ali.

Seriously, the only performer in the match gets bashed.

 

[Commander]

Lol so 61-2 , pakistan needs 228 runs at 8.02 rpo and azhar scores 14 of his next 32 deliveries. He deserves a medal of honor.

So what about the 2 who got out?

 

[Syed1]

A lot of people think 'modern day cricket' means brainless and mindless hoicks to score as fast as possible. I think Azhar's knock was very good considering the circumstances and how the others played. If he had Sharjeel as his opening partner, we would have been fine

Well he didn't have Sharjeel by his side so this quite a dumb point to make that he would have been fine had Sharjeel been there. Shouldn't he have played regarding the prevailing conditions and team selection or he will play for a hypothetical scenario where Sharjeel is blasting from the other end. And scoring 50(65) when you need to go at 7-8 rpo from the word go is a match losing effort which ever way you look at it.

 

[Major]

This is modern day cricket. Azhar is not required here, Hence the valid criticism. A purpose less thread.

so Rohit Sharma played a bad innings aswel

 

[sehwag fan]

Please could someone name a better batsman than Azhar Ali in Pakistan? He is miles better than hafeez, shehzad, akmals and even babar azam. Dont mention azams centuries against West indies

 

[Pollack]

Rohit sharma took 19 balls to score 3 runs between overs 27 to 33, now beat that

That is talent. :

 

[Hawkeye]

Azhar fan as well - but - he isn't suited to LOIs.

HOWEVER, yes, it is sickening to see blind hate for him. He didn't play a great knock, but relative to others like even Shehzad, it wasn't as bad.

 

[troodon]

so Rohit Sharma played a bad innings aswel

ROhit played a selfish innings. He was using this as practice match to get back into form.

If not for his tuk tuk, India would have scored 350 easily. Thankfully it was against Pakistan. If he does the same against Aus or Eng or SA, it would be a match losing knock.

 

[JibranAnsari]

So what about the 2 who got out?

They are equally bad but the partnership which really killed the match was between hafeez and azhar @ 3.51 runs per over for 8.3 overs in which azhar faced 25 balls and scored 13 when we required to score at 8.02 rpo and when azhar got out we needed 9.85 rpo.

That was a poor and selfish knock.

 

[JibranAnsari]

He was playing good. Just got stuck near his fifty when he played a lot of dot balls. Maybe you need to respect opposition as well. It is possible that India actually bowled well. Remember Rohit was also stuck at some point when it was required to accelerate. Sometimes one loses concentration out of nowhere.

Lol , our batsmen already respect the opposition a lot i dont need to.

Scored 14 of his last 32 deliveries when rrr was 8. Is it so hard to grasp?

 

[Buffet]

so Rohit Sharma played a bad innings aswel

Yes, his inning was a bad one because he has the same problem. He can't rotate the strike that well and mainly relies on big shots. Not everyday teams score 70-80 runs in the last few overs. One thing going for him is that he has big shots and if he plays long then he often makes up for his slow start. Ali doesn't have big shot so two different situations.

Ali may be least of Pakistani problem, but he is still a problem. He is not a solution to problem.

 

[Commander]

Well he didn't have Sharjeel by his side so this quite a dumb point to make that he would have been fine had Sharjeel been there. Shouldn't he have played regarding the prevailing conditions and team selection or he will play for a hypothetical scenario where Sharjeel is blasting from the other end. And scoring 50(65) when you need to go at 7-8 rpo from the word go is a match losing effort which ever way you look at it.

That is the best Azhar will give you and like I said, in the circumstances, if you compare his innings with the others, it was 10 times better. It is the team management's fault for not having a Sharjeel-like opener (maybe Fakhar Zaman) with him and persisting with a hack like Shehzad.

 

[Syed1]

This is the logic where Misbah has made a ODI career out of and as predicted Azhar is heir to Misbah's throne of tuk tuk.


What use is a garbage innings like 50(65) when it doesn't even bring you close to the target, or even allow other batsmen to chase the target.

 

[czar]

ROhit played a selfish innings. He was using this as practice match to get back into form.

If not for his tuk tuk, India would have scored 350 easily. Thankfully it was against Pakistan. If he does the same against Aus or Eng or SA, it would be a match losing knock.

Agree, was a very selfish innings especially after his 50. That's why inspite of such mammoth hitting in the end, India could set a target of only 320.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

You people seriously want to DROP the one batsman who displayed more FIGHT and HEART then the entire Pakistani Batting line up combined against India?

Here comes a man who has his deficiencies but did not let the situation consume him and went on to play one of the greatest knocks I've ever seen in a Pakistan/India contest

Don't even know what to say about this.

It wasn't even in the Top 5 knocks of THIS India-Pakistan 'contest'.

 

[super hitter]

As I said earlier, till 47, was playing like a fighter, and then the selfishness prevailed over his mind and took 14 more deliveries to get to 50

 

[blue_champion]

A bowling attack that got mauled and a batting that looked like they didn't want to be there and the criticism is leveled against a guy who got a 50??? Sure Azhar Ali is no Rohit,Dhawan,De kock, Amla,Hales etc but he has a role...he can hold one end and get a good score...what are the others doing?

He is definitely a better quality cricketer than Imad,Hafeez,Shehzad,Sarfaraz, Wahab,Hassan etc etc there you go that is half the Pakistani X1

 

[Third_Umpire]

What's more shocking is people defending his knock.

Nothing personal against him, he's a good guy. His knock yesterday wasn't terrible either, especially compared to what others did.

He is just not a LOI batsman. Hence the criticism of his knock and of his selection. In an ideal world, he would never play LOI cricket again.

 

[aniket1911]

I think OP is true to some extent. When he was batting, it seemed like he was honestly trying and we Indians respect such characters. However, as soon as he tried hitting it was obvious he wasn't cut for power game and shouldn't be in team if your lineup don't possess hard hitters down the order.

All in all, seems like a different version of misbah in making - trying to reduce the margin of defeat rather than winning it.

 

[Commander]

This is the logic where Misbah has made a ODI career out of and as predicted Azhar is heir to Misbah's throne of tuk tuk.


What use is a garbage innings like 50(65) when it doesn't even bring you close to the target, or even allow other batsmen to chase the target.

I always laugh at this logic that the guy who is playing 'slow' apparently does not allow the other batsmen to chase the target. Did he tie Shehzad up to play like he did? Or that awful shot that Babar Azam played?

Seriously, people will forgive someone who makes a 5 ball 10 with an amazing strike rate of 200! and then gets out but will blame those who tried their best with a half century in a pressure game.

 

[Syed1]

At any point during Azhar's innings did it seem like he is going to chase this target down? If you answered that question in the affirmative then it is obvious you only back Azhar because Misbah the saviour of Pakistan cricket recommended him.

 

[Syed1]

I always laugh at this logic that the guy who is playing 'slow' apparently does not allow the other batsmen to chase the target. Did he tie Shehzad up to play like he did? Or that awful shot that Babar Azam played?

Seriously, people will forgive someone who makes a 5 ball 10 with an amazing strike rate of 200! and then gets out but will blame those who tried their best with a half century in a pressure game.

What makes you think he tried? The only thing he tried was to get to his fifty (taking 14 balls to score 3 runs when he was on 47). Got out as soon as he got a 50.

Quite similar to what Misbah used to do.

 

[blue_champion]

At any point during Azhar's innings did it seem like he is going to chase this target down? If you answered that question in the affirmative then it is obvious you only back Azhar because Misbah the saviour of Pakistan cricket recommended him.

His role is for others to bat around him....he is no Warner but if he was out for 30(20) instead of 50(65) do you realistically believe Pakistan would have won?

 

[Syed1]

His role is for others to bat around him....he is no Warner but if he was out for 30(20) instead of 50(65) do you realistically believe Pakistan would have won?

No will have still lost, but atleast that would have given an impression that he was trying to chase the target rather than play for his fifty.

 

[Abdullah]

You deserve to be hammered by India when you don't appreciate Azhar's knock, shameless fans

He started off great . He was 36 off 39.
Absolutely brilliant.
But then u need to continue. You have ur eye in and should be set but then he made 11 off 26 which is unacceptable.

I would still take him over shehzad because he appreciates what is required

 

[shaz619]

[MENTION=140308]blue_champion[/MENTION] I've admitted Azhar's deficiencies and am not saying he is perfect but when people criticise him relative to the performances of others vs India then we have a problem.

For majority of his knock the man gave us a chance, now am not saying that Azhar Ali should play ahead of a dynamic opener like Sharjeel Khan if we have one but you have to admire the mans heart and fight while all the others QUIT on their stool against INDIA, now you are an opposing fan so I ask you this my brother, if all your players threw in the towel but say a Rahane was the only one to play a knock like Azhar would you throw knives at him? India/Pak games separate the warriors from the cowards and Azar was a warrior on that day he did not quit like the rest.

So it is beyond me that people want him out the team at this stage for the following reasons:

His knock against India gave us a chance while he was out there and displayed the warrior spirit. We have to value performances against India.

Azar is better then Shehzad and Hafeez

We do not have a better opener available at the moment and Fakhar will come in for Shehzad who deserves to be dropped

 

[Macho Mann]

im no azhar ali fan but he didnt perform half bad, he did score 50 out of 62 balls and held on to his own end, its not his fault that the rest of the players made under 20 runs

i guess the pressure with india got the best of an inexperienced lot especially

hope they dont repeat the same mistake tomorrow

 

[blue_champion]

No will have still lost, but atleast that would have given an impression that he was trying to chase the target rather than play for his fifty.

He was playing at a good S/r till Shehzad and Azam got out.Then Hafeez was totally struggling to get the ball off the square and yes he lost his momentum too but he is least of your worries right now. If you get another good opener to partner him, I see a lot of upside for him.

 

[Syed1]

He was playing at a good S/r till Shehzad and Azam got out.Then Hafeez was totally struggling to get the ball off the square and yes he lost his momentum too but he is least of your worries right now. If you get another good opener to partner him, I see a lot of upside for him.

We will see how Azhar does against Saffers. There is a reason why he has been constantly picked and dropped even during the time of his mentor Misbah the saviour.

 

[Specialisttailender]

You need to hold on to wickets and that is what he was doing until he threw it away. Beggars cant be choosers.

 

[blue_champion]

[MENTION=140308]blue_champion[/MENTION] I've admitted Azhar's deficiencies and am not saying he is perfect but when people criticise him relative to the performances of others vs India then we have a problem.

For majority of his knock the man gave us a chance, now am not saying that Azhar Ali should play ahead of a dynamic opener like Sharjeel Khan if we have one but you have to admire the mans heart and fight while all the others QUIT on their stool against INDIA, now you are an opposing fan so I ask you this my brother, if all your players threw in the towel but say a Rahane was the only one to play a knock like Azhar would you throw knives at him? India/Pak games separate the warriors from the cowards and Azar was a warrior on that day he did not quit like the rest.

So it is beyond me that people want him out the team at this stage for the following reasons:

His knock against India gave us a chance while he was out there and displayed the warrior spirit. We have to value performances against India.

Azar is better then Shehzad and Hafeez

We do not have a better opener available at the moment and Fakhar will come in for Shehzad who deserves to be dropped

If you had a opener like Sharjeel than I would open with Azhar and him rather than Shehzad.

Players like Sharjeel are hit or miss but yes teams need players like that at the top but also Azhar Ali has his place.

We don't need Rahane because Rohit is doing a similar job and Rohit edges out Rahane because once set Rohit is one of the best strikers of the cricket ball but still Rohit too plays sedate knocks with others around him keeping the momentum going.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Agree with Shaz, I'm not a fan of Azhar in ODI matches generally, he's a test specialist for me, but I don't really understand the criticism for yesterday's performance. He probably played as well as he was going to given his limitations. Certainly far better than most of his more fancied team mates.

 

[amvbfm]

We're not talking about your life or something here, this is all about understanding the value of Azhar's knock relative to all the other legendary batsman in the Pakistani team during the biggest game of their lives.

No use trying to convince people who don't understand the basics of the game. I ignore anyone who uses the word "modern day cricket" to justify the selection of hacks and charlatans like Shahzad, Hafeez etc. Yes odi cricket has changed but what people fail to understand is that there is still place for steady and consistent players like Azhar. The reason he is not suited to the current Pakistan team is not because of lack of ability or consistency but because we don't have any world class middle order bats, lower order power hitters and a good bowling attack.

Since a lot of the posters here belong to a generation which has grown up watching T20s they don't appreciate/realize that ODI cricket is NOT merely an extended version of the 20 overs game. And to an extent its not their fault either. Being bombarded by information (a lot of it useless) on a constant basis our attention spans have declined in general and with the advent of t20 cricket an average spectator gets bored if an over goes without a six. But ODIs aren't all about mindless bashing and defensive bowling. You can win ODIs even if not ALL of your bats score at more than 100. Its a team game and good teams win not just because of power hitting batsmen but because everyone plays their assigned role under coherent plans.

Coming to Azhar, the only issue I see with his batting is his failure to rotate the strike (and he has been improving on that front as well, which cannot be said about others in the team). He isn't a great player, but he performs wonderfully well under his limitations. The critics here lay all the blame on him instead of the hacks who have gone on to play hundreds of games because he doesn't play flashy cricket and relies on proper shots to get his runs. Unfortunately, he is playing at a time when we are critically low on talent and the failures of hacks like Hafeez, Shahzad, Malik, Akmals and mediocre bowlers like Wahab and Junaid are attributed to him because he doesn't conform to our fan's mental image of the mythical "modern ODI cricketer".

 

[amvbfm]

Lol so 61-2 , pakistan needs 228 runs at 8.02 rpo and azhar scores 14 of his next 32 deliveries. He deserves a medal of honor.

Nope, Hafeez is the one who deserves it. And perhaps we as fans deserve players like Hafeez if we cant appreciate good cricket.

 

[mhraja]

Azhar Ali isn't suited to ODIs and should stick with Test unless he develop ability to find gaps and rotate strike, then he can be considered to partner someone like Sharjeel.

However the criticism for India match is totally unjustified. Despite his limited abilities he showed the intent and tried to play shots. On the other hand it was Shahzad who have more shots in his armory but look lost and never showed any intent. What did the other batsman do? Hafeez with more than 15 years of International experience was even worst. Making Azhar Ali scapegoat won't solve any problems.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Shouldn't be playing ODI's,but what people are forgetting is that he was playing fine until Babar got out,then he went into his shell and tried to stay at his crease.Its insane to criticise your only batsman who showed an ounce of fighting spirit.

 

[Spidy201]

first 32 balls he scored 32 runs(power play), next 32 he scored 18 runs before getting out. it seems like he can get boundaries only if field is up
Fours in PP - 5
Fours outside PP - 1 that to of midfield by yuvraj.

He lacks power, can't hit boundaries if field is back. but problem is he can't rotate strike either.
In my opinion, he might be deserving member of Pakistan team(due to lack of options) but he is surely not an ODI player, quite similar to rahane.

 

[MRSN]

Lol so 61-2 , pakistan needs 228 runs at 8.02 rpo and azhar scores 14 of his next 32 deliveries. He deserves a medal of honor.

but but but he tried and showed fight?????

 

[Brodipet_baadshah]

Soo..a mere 50 wid less than 100 SR is being considered as the greatest innings of all time...speaks loads abt Pak crckt standards dese days..lolz

 

[Hamza_]

I mean this is an open forum, Facts are shared and It's a fact that Azhar is not suited to modern day cricket, Undermining facts brings shame and loss of credibility to our community and discussions.

 

[Syed1]

I mean this is an open forum, Facts are shared and It's a fact that Azhar is not suited to modern day cricket, Undermining facts brings shame and loss of credibility to our community and discussions.

Dude the only reason some of these guys back Azhar is because Misbah the saviour at one time recommended him.


Azhar doesn't even deserve to play domestic ODIs let alone international.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

first 32 balls he scored 32 runs(power play), next 32 he scored 18 runs before getting out. it seems like he can get boundaries only if field is up
Fours in PP - 5
Fours outside PP - 1 that to of midfield by yuvraj.

He lacks power, can't hit boundaries if field is back. but problem is he can't rotate strike either.
In my opinion, he might be deserving member of Pakistan team(due to lack of options) but he is surely not an ODI player, quite similar to rahane.

He doesn't lack power, he can hit big when he needs to. Problem is he isn't a natural batsman so strike rotation isn't there. He shouldn't be in the team, but on Sunday the loss was down to more experienced players not him.

 

[Abid Z]

No use trying to convince people who don't understand the basics of the game. I ignore anyone who uses the word "modern day cricket" to justify the selection of hacks and charlatans like Shahzad, Hafeez etc. Yes odi cricket has changed but what people fail to understand is that there is still place for steady and consistent players like Azhar. The reason he is not suited to the current Pakistan team is not because of lack of ability or consistency but because we don't have any world class middle order bats, lower order power hitters and a good bowling attack.

Since a lot of the posters here belong to a generation which has grown up watching T20s they don't appreciate/realize that ODI cricket is NOT merely an extended version of the 20 overs game. And to an extent its not their fault either. Being bombarded by information (a lot of it useless) on a constant basis our attention spans have declined in general and with the advent of t20 cricket an average spectator gets bored if an over goes without a six. But ODIs aren't all about mindless bashing and defensive bowling. You can win ODIs even if not ALL of your bats score at more than 100. Its a team game and good teams win not just because of power hitting batsmen but because everyone plays their assigned role under coherent plans.

Coming to Azhar, the only issue I see with his batting is his failure to rotate the strike (and he has been improving on that front as well, which cannot be said about others in the team). He isn't a great player, but he performs wonderfully well under his limitations. The critics here lay all the blame on him instead of the hacks who have gone on to play hundreds of games because he doesn't play flashy cricket and relies on proper shots to get his runs. Unfortunately, he is playing at a time when we are critically low on talent and the failures of hacks like Hafeez, Shahzad, Malik, Akmals and mediocre bowlers like Wahab and Junaid are attributed to him because he doesn't conform to our fan's mental image of the mythical "modern ODI cricketer".

Good post. Leave azhar alone for now. There are other grave concerns with this set up.

 

[shah_1]

Rohit sharma took 19 balls to score 3 runs between overs 27 to 33, now beat that

Rohit has the ability to hit big, he can recover from this but not Azhar ali

 

[MRSN]

I mean this is an open forum, Facts are shared and It's a fact that Azhar is not suited to modern day cricket, Undermining facts brings shame and loss of credibility to our community and discussions.

These people are not ready to accept their favorite players can be so crap. They keep finding ways to defend them. Strike rotation is a fundamental part of modern ODI cricket and Azhar Ali just doesn't have it. Its been ages since he had this problem and he has been regular part of test cricket for last 7 years and he still has same issues. Why do we expect change from him now? A fish can't climb a trea no matter how hard it tries and this is why we just need to keep it in watee i.e test cricket.

 

[KhalidRafi]

Wow. Some posters here...

Azhar Ali was actually playing quite positively and when he was in his 40s he was striking close to 100. Then Hafeez came to the crease and sucked all the momentum out of the game by playing dots, not rotating the strike and in turn pressurizing Azhar. Don't get why he gets criticism. He'll obviously slow down if the entire top-order is imploding around him.

 

[MRSN]

He doesn't lack power, he can hit big when he needs to. Problem is he isn't a natural batsman so strike rotation isn't there. He shouldn't be in the team, but on Sunday the loss was down to more experienced players not him.

Ugly hoicks is all he can. He is not a big hitter. Don't know where you have got that.

 

[MRSN]

Good post. Leave azhar alone for now. There are other grave concerns with this set up.

Well when there is a cleanup it should be overall.

 

[Hamza_]

These people are not ready to accept their favorite players can be so crap. They keep finding ways to defend them. Strike rotation is a fundamental part of modern ODI cricket and Azhar Ali just doesn't have it. Its been ages since he had this problem and he has been regular part of test cricket for last 7 years and he still has same issues. Why do we expect change from him now? A fish can't climb a trea no matter how hard it tries and this is why we just need to keep it in watee i.e test cricket.

Azhar is just limited. We have better players than him who can play at a better rate.

 

[Hamza_]

Well when there is a cleanup it should be overall.

+1, Every one in this team is a mujrim.

 

[gazza619]

Best thread. This is exactly what i said in one of the other threads when somebody was criticizing Azhar Ali. The guy played more than his ability and is one of the most improved Pakistani cricketers in recent times.
Couldnt agree more on Hafeez who is killing the momentum every time he comes in to bat.

 

[Savak]

The sad part was that this was Azhar Ali playing out of his skin and trying his utmost best and he only had 50 runs of 65 balls to show for it. That is just not good enough in modern cricket. This is a guy whose own PSL franchise benched him which is enough said. He should just stick to Test Cricket.

 

[Spidy201]

He doesn't lack power, he can hit big when he needs to. Problem is he isn't a natural batsman so strike rotation isn't there. He shouldn't be in the team, but on Sunday the loss was down to more experienced players not him.

he has 11 6s in 46 innings that's 0.24 per match, looks quite low for a powerful player. And the Batsman he is being compared with Rohit Sharma has 119 6s in 148 innings ie .8 six per match.

he lacks power & can't rotate strike, don't know why people are being criticized for criticizing him.

 

[IndYeah1]

he has 11 6s in 46 innings that's 0.24 per match, looks quite low for a powerful player. And the Batsman he is being compared with Rohit Sharma has 119 6s in 148 innings ie .8 six per match.

he lacks power & can't rotate strike, don't know why people are being criticized for criticizing him.

6s per innings? Really? That's an odd way to criticize a player. You do know that in cricket all the runs count, not just the 6s.

Sure, Azhar Ali is no Rohit Sharma. But why bash him for that. Compare him to the likes of Hafeez, even Shehzad. He's yards better than those losers. Pakistan should USE his abilities to the best benefit of the team, not be fixated on what he can't do. Fans are desperate for quality ODI batsmen who can score big and hit boundaries - I can understand that - the top teams all have at least 2-3 of such players while Pakistan seems to have only Babar, who's still developing. But given the situation, Ali is still a useful player. Focus on eliminating the dead-wood, not the limited but still useful players. Else you will be stuck in this same "rebuild" cycle forever.

Some Pakistani posted on twitter that Pak team has a losing record against the top 4 cricket teams for the last 12 years. This is not a new problem. Its a systemic one, and the reasons are obvious. Azhar Ali is not one of them.

 

[idrizzy]

Either way I agree with you. It seems like Malik was the only guy who wanted to purposefully accelerate while others tried to play in. Azhar was doing the 'playing in' part so others have to step on the gear - like Hafeez.

It's just the team dynamic is all wrong. Too many people who can stay in, not enough who can bat and push ahead.

 

[EliteCynical]

I think the attack on Azhar is unecessary. the only problem Pakistani batsmen have is lack of power hitting.

Let us take Azhar's case

Before posting, I searched for "39" in this thread but could not find what I was looking for.

So, Azhar ali played 39 (yes 39) dot balls

50 runs in 65 balls (including dot balls)

1s x 15 | 2s x 4 | 3s x 1 | 4s x 6 | 39 x 0

Now that is like 6.3 overs of no run. Some may think that it is inexcusable in modern day ODI Cricket.

Let us see overall how Pakistan did in the last game

Pakistan: 164/9 (33.4 = 202 balls)

1s x 57 | 2s x 12 | 3s x 1 | 4s x 15 | 6s x 2 | 0 x 115

That is 115 dot balls - 19.1 overs. Some might think how is that even allowed in modern day ODI cricket. This needs to be addressed asap. Grant flower needs to be fired, Azhar and co have to go etc etc.


Before jumping to any conclusions, let us take a look at India's innings

India: 319/3 (48.0 = 288 balls)
1s x 118 | 2s x 12 | 3s x 1 | 4s x 27 | 6s x 10 | 0 x 120

So that is again 120 dot balls - Same as Pakistan.

Agreed Pakistan would have probably played like 20 more dot balls had they played the full overs, but what I am trying to say is that it is the lack of power hitting which is causing problems for Pakistan. Something has to be done regarding that.

Had Azhar stayed till the end like Kohli, I am not sure if he would have been capable of hitting big sixes.

 

[proud_pakistani]

In the context of the game and how everyone else performed yes Azhar Ali played a decent knock. But to say this is the greatest knock you have seen is insanity.

I will say one thing Azhar is a real fighter and always tries very hard. It's unfortunate that this just doesn't come naturally to him. He needs to be groomed by someone like Dravid who was also considered a slow player but towards the end of his career he also has some good knocks where he played at a high stroke rate. So there is no reason Azhar can't develop into an ODI batsman. The main issue is everyone else also plays at a low strike rate. Any batting line up in the world can at max only afford 1 player like that which is why the criticism comes.

 

[amvbfm]

Well when there is a cleanup it should be overall.

Hahaha I've heard that cleanup line so many times as a fan of Pakistan cricket it has become a joke. You lose one match and you demand that the entire team and management be sacked.

Admit that you have a mediocre team, and India are far better in terms of talent and ability. The only way we can beat them is if we have self-belief and play intelligent cricket according to a specific plan. So spare me the "off with their heads" rhetoric.

And even if you do clean up who will you pick? Give me 11 new names fit to play for the team and who would make you win matches. I know you will say bring entirely new faces, give them an extended run blah blah. But I also know, the very people who are calling for a cleanup will be the first to call for the heads of the new team as soon they lose a series.

I do not say that Azhar is a good choice for opening but considering what we have he isn't the worst either. He is miles better than the supposedly "modern day cricketers" who leave the team 3/2 in the third over.

 

[Ankit007]

I find this thread quite good. OP is right.

I think Pakistani fans would have liked Malik's innings more than him.

Azhar tried his best. It was just not his type of game. He has his limitations but still did well. For me as well hafeez was main culprit. Took too much time and that put pressure on azhar too

 

[amvbfm]

Compare him to the likes of Hafeez, even Shehzad. He's yards better than those losers

Exactly!
Something I posted in another thread earlier today.

[table="width: 500"]
[tr]
[td][/td]
[td]Avg[/td]
[td]S/R[/td]
[td]4/inns[/td]
[td]6/inns[/td]
[td]Vs top 4[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Azhar[/td]
[td]38[/td]
[td]75[/td]
[td]3.3[/td]
[td]0.24[/td]
[td]32@70[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Shahzad[/td]
[td]33[/td]
[td]72[/td]
[td]3.4[/td]
[td]0.23[/td]
[td]32@67[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Hafeez[/td]
[td]33[/td]
[td]75[/td]
[td]3.2[/td]
[td]0.47[/td]
[td]26@69[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

 

[Abid Z]

Well when there is a cleanup it should be overall.

According to whom? Azhar is around 30 I guess and finally blossoming into a world class cricketer. Leave him alone for now and work on fixing one suit at a time. Bowling or batting. Batting is a problem but waqar was right in his assessment of shehzad that his career is effectively over since being hit. Hafeez has lost all confidence and we don't have a seaming all rounder. These are more urgent problems.

 

[amvbfm]

I think the attack on Azhar is unecessary. the only problem Pakistani batsmen have is lack of power hitting.

Let us take Azhar's case

Before posting, I searched for "39" in this thread but could not find what I was looking for.

So, Azhar ali played 39 (yes 39) dot balls

50 runs in 65 balls (including dot balls)

1s x 15 | 2s x 4 | 3s x 1 | 4s x 6 | 39 x 0

Now that is like 6.3 overs of no run. Some may think that it is inexcusable in modern day ODI Cricket.

Let us see overall how Pakistan did in the last game

Pakistan: 164/9 (33.4 = 202 balls)

1s x 57 | 2s x 12 | 3s x 1 | 4s x 15 | 6s x 2 | 0 x 115

That is 115 dot balls - 19.1 overs. Some might think how is that even allowed in modern day ODI cricket. This needs to be addressed asap. Grant flower needs to be fired, Azhar and co have to go etc etc.


Before jumping to any conclusions, let us take a look at India's innings

India: 319/3 (48.0 = 288 balls)
1s x 118 | 2s x 12 | 3s x 1 | 4s x 27 | 6s x 10 | 0 x 120

So that is again 120 dot balls - Same as Pakistan.

Agreed Pakistan would have probably played like 20 more dot balls had they played the full overs, but what I am trying to say is that it is the lack of power hitting which is causing problems for Pakistan. Something has to be done regarding that.

Had Azhar stayed till the end like Kohli, I am not sure if he would have been capable of hitting big sixes.

What people fail to understand is you don't need all your bats to score above 100 to get 300. Each player has his abilities and limitations and not playing within them might come off once in a while but more often than not they will get out trying. But if you have a plan and specific roles (and admittedly talent which we lack) even if two of your bats score at 80 for 25 overs (120 runs), the rest can get 180 in 150 (S/R 120). And those two bats are important because they lay the platform for the others to hit out.