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The Shopping List: What three things do Pakistan's team need to contend for the 2023 World Cup?

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Markhor

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This World Cup campaign has shown whilst there is a promising young core of players for Pakistan, there are still personnel gaps in the side that prevent it from becoming a consistent top 3 team.

If I'm the Coach or Chief Selector, these are the three things at the top of my shopping list that I believe are needed to compete in 2023:

1) A quality right arm pacer who can swing the new ball.
2) A gun spinner - a wicket-taker in the middle overs.
3) A reliable middle order batsman - we are a top heavy batting lineup at the moment.

I could also mention a new wicketkeeper batsman, a late order hitter or a seam bowling AR.

What's on your shopping list ?
 
New captain
Specialist spinners
Aggressive opener
All rounder who bats in the top 6 and can contribute with the ball.
 
An offie who bowls doosra without chucking
Gun wrist spinner
Agressive opener
Finisher
 
Hasan123 said:
New captain
Specialist spinners
Aggressive opener
All rounder who bats in the top 6 and can contribute with the ball.
Click to expand...

New keeper batsman got to be there ? Surely Sarfraz can't continue the way he's batting, or do you think he'll return to his 2014-16 form without burden of captaincy ?
 
New spinners. (Try Zafar Gohar/Asghar)
New middle order barsmen (Saud,Khushdil,rizwan)
New opener (maybe try Sharjeel again)
New pacer to replace wahab (try Haris Rauf)
 
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Another dashing opener
A new keeper/bat
A middle order bat
A power batsman
A quality Spinner
 
Need to bring back Mohammed Rizwan who was scoring runs against Australia. He has the capacity to improve his game further.

Also need to find a proper spinner. There are a few options (Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Asghar, Omar Khan, Usama Mir, Zafar Gauhar, Ibtisam). Shadab is clearly not good enough and has regressed.

There were some good potential all round options in Nasir Nawaz and Amad Butt but they haven't been developed properly. In terms of fast bowlers, we need to look at supplementing Amir and Shaheen with Hasnain, Musa, Abbas Afridi, Harris Rauf and Naseem Shah. Wahab is not going to be around for next WC so should only focus on T20s now. Sameen Gul should also be given a chance.

Definitely need to look at finding some proper batsmen too. I like Haidar Ali, Abid Ali, Saad Ali but none of them are power players like Bairstow, Roy or Sharma. We may have to persist with Fakhar for a while. Nabi Gul and Khush Dil Shah both are promising and should be given chances to develop.

Choices for captaincy are also limited but it looks like Imam ul Haq is the best of a poor bunch for now.
 
Unfortunately quality isn't there. Gap is widening. India will be unstoppable at home. This was our opportunity.

Pakistan isn't winning a WC for at least a decade now.
 
Markhor said:
New keeper batsman got to be there ? Surely Sarfraz can't continue the way he's batting, or do you think he'll return to his 2014-16 form without burden of captaincy ?
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A new keeper is a given . Doesn't even need mentioning.

Sarfraz will only decline further with age.
 
Get a pool of 20-25 players and groom them over the next 4 years. And don't let Hafeez, Malik, sarfaraz be part of that poool.
 
big_gamer007 said:
Get a pool of 20-25 players and groom them over the next 4 years. And don't let Hafeez, Malik, sarfaraz be part of that poool.
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I think we can all drop Malik’s name the dude is retired :)) It’s like saying Afridi and Misbah shouldn’t be apart of the pool come on guys.

But yeah I agree been saying this too we need to groom some young guys we have 4 years on hand so who cares if we lose a couple series here and there. We just gotta drop oldies like Hafeez and Sarfraz though. No point in playing them. Also need to select youngsters and give them a full chance like Babar has gotten because look he came in right after the 2015 WC the very next series and was groomed for 4 years and look at the results. Obviously we need to pick talented players and guys who are hard working but if we give them 4 years to develop I am sure they will come good. Also need to take into account context when selecting players. We can’t have an accumulator like we did Sarfraz batting at #6. Further 90% of players selected should be under 28-30.
 
2023 is a long way away but if, theoretically all the young players we have in place continue to improve and are around in 4 years time then the gaps need filling are :

Pace bowling all rounder who can bat anywhere from 5-7

A front line spinner to compliment shadab, preferably an offie

A hard hitting middle order batsman

That's the shopping list.
 
Make Imam the red ball cricket captain

Imad the white ball cricket captain

Both of them are not the ideal captains, they are not great cricketers but they are good ones and Pakistan doesn't have great cricketer in their line up. One potential great , Babar should continue to concentrate on his batting, don;t burden him with extra responsibility and he is not a captaincy material either.
 
Aggressive opener but that doesn't mean a tullaybaz like Fakhar
Good no 6 batsman
Quality spinner
 
GLORY OF '92 said:
Unfortunately quality isn't there. Gap is widening. India will be unstoppable at home. This was our opportunity.

Pakistan isn't winning a WC for at least a decade now.
Click to expand...

Pakistan fans need to stop being so pessimistic. A decade is a very long time to give up hope altogether.
 
1. A quality spinner.
2. A pacer who can bowl well in the middle overs.
3. Two middle order batsmen similar to Stokes and Buttler. Both can bat aggressively, hit sixes every 2-3 overs and also bat for a long period of time.
4. An aggressive opening batsman. Fakhar has looked out of touch and if he doesn’t start performing soon, we must find someone else.
5. Groom Babar Azam to become a good captain.
6. Fitness!!!
 
Sort out their fitness. Anyone who can’t score 18 in the yo-yo test should not be picked from now on. Set fitness criteria in domestic cricket too so that players know what they need to do.
 
1. Release old baggages e.g. Wahab, Sarfraz, Hafeez and Malik, if not then forget about winning 2020 and 2023 WCs.

2. Select proper players according to their domestic stats, on merit, rather than one off PSL e.g. Hasnain.

3. Scout for power hitting batsmen in the country.
 
Pakistan should do well in 2023 WC because its held in India. Spin will play major part. Key would be grooming 1 or2 spin A/R.
 
Pakistan definitely needs two really good spinners. Shadab is good but Pakistan should try to get someone like Ajmal. Also, they probably need a better spinner than Imad. Pace department looks pretty set.
 
1. Campaign Management - Choose the matches you can win, prepare the strategy to win them & stay with the plan. For example, look at the NZ campaign. The easy matches they could win, they won big to keep their NRR above the waters. So when the tougher matches came, they needed to do minimal work to qualify.

2. Develop ability to gain control - When Pak team loses plot, they lose complete control. Example is the West Indies game. When the Windies bowlers started bounces Pak batsmen, none decided to dig the heels & gain the control back. Hire some sports psychologist to help.

3. Remain incognito - Avoid being seen in public when the tournament is on & definitely not get caught munching burgers, sipping milkshakes, & most definitely, not get caught smoking. All these can backfire badly.
 
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1, Get rid of deadwood (players, coaches, management and any stakeholders with a negative influence on teh game)
2. Identify, promote & nurture talent from teh grounds up, on Merit, not sifarish
3. Build a great work ethic around fitness and but your butts to work
 
Change of mindset. This is a team that often plays the opposition and not the game.
 
1) Find a spinner
2) Find a second spinner
3) Find a solid keeper-batsman

Zafar Gohar, Zeeshan Malik, and some other guy. How about evergreen Yasir Shah?
 
Pakistan won the last 5 games in the WC because they relied on the younger players in the team with the exception of Amir and Wahab. So we need to find two good pacers to replace these two players. Beside these two we need to find a wicketkeeper/batsman (Sarfaraz) and a middle order batsman (Hafeez). These four players are a must....

For the rest we should give chances to new openers as well as spinners to find genuine back ups.
 
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1.) Need to find and groom a couple of wicket taking spinners to pair with Shadab, next World Cup is in India. Umer Khan, Zafar Gohar, and Mohammad Asghar should all be in the mix.

2.) Our batting lineup is very top heavy, need to find a couple of middle order bats who have hitting ability. Try Saud Shakeel, Khusdhil Shah?

3.) Fakhar looks like he's on a downhill slide, need openers to potentially replace him if he doesn't recover.

4.) Wahab won't be around in 2023, Amir may or may not be bowling well. There is a very solid crop of pacers coming through from U19 level, they need to be groomed and be ready by 2023. Hasnain, Nasim Shah, and Shaheen are all extremely bright prospects.

5.) We probably need a wicketkeeper bat to replace Sarfraz. Rizwan?
 
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1.Reliable aggressive opener
2.Middle order finisher who doesnt panic.
3.Spin allrounder.
4.Strike spinner.
5.Good new ball swing/seam pacer.
6.Better catching and fitness.

Finally ,have a plan on how to win.
Traditionally during their best years pak plan was bat first make 250.Defend it with excellent bowling.No longer all that applicable because 250 is easy nowadays and pak bowling is not what it used to be.Reverse swing is also gone.
Next phase pak plan was largely score decent totals with misbah and rest and strangle opposition with ajmal,hafeez and afridi.Also no longer applicable.Pak needs to find a new winning formula that is suited to and matches the abilties of the available players.
 
A proper captain.
A gun wicketkeeper batsmen.
A proper wicket taking spinner.

There are lots of other things that are needed but these to me should be the priority.
 
Captain - have no good choices currently
Opener - Sharjeel
Spinner - Zafar Gohar will come good
Middle Order Bat (Finisher)- Khushdil and Iftikhar Ahmed are options
 
1). An attacking captain.
2). A top-order that can play spin.
3). A potent off-spinner with a reliable partner (SLA or Leg-Break).
 
Not sure why everyone is looking at 2023... Our main goal is to build a solid team with proper players not bits and pieces t20 players.

knock down series after series improve our rankings, play more with NZ/Aus/Eng/SA and minimum with SL/Zim/Bang/ireland etc.... next 2 years pak will be a solid team if we does that and you will be ready for 2023 if keep doing that..
 
Has anyone taken into account that the 2023 world cup will be held one year before elections in India?

I am not sure that Pakistan will be allowed to play on Indian soil at that time given that the Modi votebank is motivated by anti-Pakistan jingoism.

Its best to focus on the World T20 in Australia next year instead.
 
SM1989 said:
Has anyone taken into account that the 2023 world cup will be held one year before elections in India?

I am not sure that Pakistan will be allowed to play on Indian soil at that time given that the Modi votebank is motivated by anti-Pakistan jingoism.

Its best to focus on the World T20 in Australia next year instead.
Click to expand...

Then the tournament will be relocated as it happened with last year’s Asia Cup.
 
Remove unpredictably tag.
Focus on winning bilateral series more.
Get rid of hafeez and induct khushdil/akmal
 
moghul said:
Make Imam the red ball cricket captain

Imad the white ball cricket captain

Both of them are not the ideal captains, they are not great cricketers but they are good ones and Pakistan doesn't have great cricketer in their line up. One potential great , Babar should continue to concentrate on his batting, don;t burden him with extra responsibility and he is not a captaincy material either.
Click to expand...

While Imad has the maturity and qualities to be a good captain. Imam is too young and immature to be given something so huge. He hasn't even locked down his place in the test side and has a major weakness outside the off-stump. He could be a good captain eventually but 6-7 years down the line
 
SM1989 said:
Has anyone taken into account that the 2023 world cup will be held one year before elections in India?

I am not sure that Pakistan will be allowed to play on Indian soil at that time given that the Modi votebank is motivated by anti-Pakistan jingoism.

Its best to focus on the World T20 in Australia next year instead.
Click to expand...

Yeah umm it's the World Cup?

There's not even a question that Pakistan will play. Its ridiculous to say otherwise. And its Indias job to ensure Pakistan gets high level security
 
Considering the World Cup is in India, Pakistan need at least one quality spinner. Ideal situation in 4 years time would be that this crop of players has grown and gotten better as players. And there's no reason why that shouldn't happen. Guys like Imam, Fakhar Babar, Shaheen have had starts to their careers that not many players in Pakistan's history have had. It's now on them to establish themselves as the top players of their generation.

So I would say that Fakhar, Imam, Babar, Haris, Imad, Shaheen, Shadab, Hasnain are a few players that need to be backed all the way to the next WC. Other players are bound to come around aswell likely from PSL but the growth and development of these players in particular should not be compromised at all costs.

Other than that a quality spinner is needed to compliment Shadab and Imad. If Shadab improves his batting and does become a proper all-rounder than Imad can move upto 6, Shadab to 7 and that would allow greater flexibility in bowling options.

Also feel PCB should decides in a year or two whether they want Sarfraz to lead at the next WC or someone else. If its going to be someone else start grooming them by giving that person teh vice-captaincy
 
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RedwoodOriginal said:
Considering the World Cup is in India, Pakistan need at least one quality spinner. Ideal situation in 4 years time would be that this crop of players has grown and gotten better as players. And there's no reason why that shouldn't happen. Guys like Imam, Fakhar Babar, Shaheen have had starts to their careers that not many players in Pakistan's history have had. It's now on them to establish themselves as the top players of their generation.

So I would say that Fakhar, Imam, Babar, Haris, Imad, Shaheen, Shadab, Hasnain are a few players that need to be backed all the way to the next WC. Other players are bound to come around aswell likely from PSL but the growth and development of these players in particular should not be compromised at all costs.

Other than that a quality spinner is needed to compliment Shadab and Imad. If Shadab improves his batting and does become a proper all-rounder than Imad can move upto 6, Shadab to 7 and that would allow greater flexibility in bowling options.

Also feel PCB should decides in a year or two whether they want Sarfraz to lead at the next WC or someone else. If its going to be someone else start grooming them by giving that person teh vice-captaincy
Click to expand...

Very sensible and a good post.
 
jeetu said:
Pakistan should do well in 2023 WC because its held in India. Spin will play major part. Key would be grooming 1 or2 spin A/R.
Click to expand...

Pakistan’s record in ICC comps held in Asia is far worse. They have never gone beyond the semis. Asia is not their happy hunting ground especially when you consider at present: the lack of quality spinners and the deficiency of our batsmen against spin. Pakistan’s best batsmen (Babar and Haris) are far better players of pace and enjoy the ball coming on to the bat.

Unless we can improve our batting against slow bowling and produce a spin attack at least nearly as good as the one in the 2011 WC (with Afridi, Hafeez and Ajmal), I don’t think we will be able to even compete, so I have no expectations until the enhancements in this team are apparent or until 2027 WC.
 
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My shopping list:

1) Higher fielding standards (including wicket keeper)
2) An aggressive middle-order batting all-rounder

Those two are our largest evident weaknesses from this tournament and point #1 has been a weakness for most of my lifetime.
 
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