"The three players we sent in the Super Over were sent after careful thought" : Babar Azam

[MenInG]

Babar Azam speaking to the media:

"We have won the series and the performances were good from our guys in 2 games; Unfortunately we lost the match today but that is not a problem; We need to learn from our mistakes to see where we are lagging; We need to improve our fielding and catching; We need to work on our batting partnerships which didnt happen today, especially in the top order which is what we needed"

"We had a partnership between Wahab and myself but I am saddened by the fact that I could not finish the game"

"We learnt a lot from this match and we will try our best not make the same mistakes again"


Losing Super League points

"We are disappointed after losing points - we will give our 110% in next ODI games"

"We had some good performances by the players and I also learnt a lot from the boys; Any mistakes that I made as a captain, I will try not to make them again; You learn every day from your mistakes so you dont make the same mistake again; I speak to the coaches to see how I could have done things better so I have learnt a lot"


Super Over strategy

"The three players we sent in the Super Over were sent after careful thought; All these players are power-hitters as you have seen in T20s - these players are finishers and that was the plan behind sending them to bat in the Super Over; All these players, Fakhar,Khushdil, Iftikhar, are power-hitters and utilize the overs well; We sent in Khushdil and Iftikhar as we wanted a left-right combination - but unfortunately they couldnt finish the job"

"I am not disheartened and I will completely back the players; T20s are coming up and I have really enjoyed captaincy in that format"

 

[Syed1]

Careful thought )



Is this guy even capable of being a captain? Remember it's not a given that your best player will the best choice for captain. Example of Tendulkar.


Still young and can learn/improve but it's an uphill battle if the support staff includes Misbah and Waqar.

 

[Rana]

Guys I love Babar the batsman

I’m sorry but he isn’t smart enough for captaincy. The guy was playing cricket under PCB supervision during his childhood years when he should be studying hard at school.

 

[Mir jibran]

He is our tendulkar from the 90s
When ll we get our dada

 

[Darkrai]

I can see why they sent those three. One was the highest scorer is the recent T20 tournament, the second scored the fasted t20 100 by a Pakistan, and the third was in the team for his finishing.

Babar was struggling to hit 6s and Wahab is a tail-ender. If those 2 had failed people would have reacted even worse.

 

[Third_Umpire]

Then we need to fire those that thought up that plan.

 

[Zaz]

If this is what happens after careful thought i wonder what would happen if no thought was given....

 

[PakPremi]

Babar and Haider with their timing alone would have scored more runs than those sloggers.

 

[shah_1]

Brainless

 

[PakPremi]

Babar with his lakeer ka fakeer captaincy did not try out part time bowlers in the middle overs when Musa and Iftikhar were not working out. OK we lost as we shuffled players around but make good of the resources, try something different, you don't have to bowl oy the five nomi ated bowlers.

 

[Zaz]

Of all the batters in the team why would you send in the 3 batters with the least brains?

It was the most farcical display of batting ive ever had the displeasure to witness

 

[Saj]

Finishers?
Power-hitters?

I'll cut Khushdil some slack, but the other 2.....give me a break?

 

[Baigel]

Y’all really think Babar single handedly decided which batsman were to bat? Just because he’s defending the decision, in the public eye, does not mean he agrees with it

 

[shamaan]

I can see why they sent those three. One was the highest scorer is the recent T20 tournament, the second scored the fasted t20 100 by a Pakistan, and the third was in the team for his finishing.

Babar was struggling to hit 6s and Wahab is a tail-ender. If those 2 had failed people would have reacted even worse.

Babar and haider should have come in all they needed to get is around 10 runs but they looked like they wanted to get 36 runs

 

[Hasan123]

Babar and Wahab should have been involved in the super over. They had been in for a while and them knowing the conditions would have benefited us.

Also sick of this "power hitter". It's not just power you need to clear bouandires. It's positioning, balance, ability to pick up length,timing , and shot range. Iftikhar and Fakhar severely lack in these aspects. So it's useless talking about their power as they lack what I mentioned and bowlers can work them out eventually due to poor techniques.

 

[shamaan]

Babar and Wahab should have been involved in the super over. They had been in for a while and them knowing the conditions would have benefited us.

Also sick of this "power hitter". It's not just power you need to clear bouandires. It's positioning, balance, ability to pick up length,timing , and shot range. Iftikhar and Fakhar severely lack in these aspects. So it's useless talking about their power as they lack what I mentioned and bowlers can work them out eventually due to poor techniques.

I think it should have been babar and haider.

 

[asadee]

This is where lack of education and iq is evident

 

[Mercurial]

Nothing wrong with the batsmen chosen, it just wasn't our day.

 

[DandyFellow]

Batting has evolved from slogging towards timing and placement. It is about stroking 4s and 6s on good deliveries by playing smart cricket shots. In the team I would fancy Babar and Haider while Khushdil could have been the No. 3 if not Wahab but that would not have mattered that much.

 

[DandyFellow]

Nothing wrong with the batsmen chosen, it just wasn't our day.

Ten years ago this statement was true but too much T20 cricket has evolved batting from slogging towards timing and placement. One slogger is fine but the other two batsmen should have been Haider and Babar. There is a reason Hafeez has become the best T20 Pakistan player rn just through timing and placement.

 

[MMHS]

Babar has absolutely no control of the team and he is being used as a dummy here. He can be the dumbest captain ever, but the guy knows batting - can’t be that he had his approval to send three hacks in Super Over; who might struggle to touch the ball at pace over 130K.

The lineup that was sent, my hunch is that Pakistan was expecting ZIM to go with Sikandar ..... otherwise I don’t see any other thoughtfulness to send Iftekhar to face ball 1!!!!! They even sent Fakhar at non strikers end!!!!

 

[Majid Khan]

Batting has evolved from slogging towards timing and placement. It is about stroking 4s and 6s on good deliveries by playing smart cricket shots. In the team I would fancy Babar and Haider while Khushdil could have been the No. 3 if not Wahab but that would not have mattered that much.

This is spot on, batting has evolved and now more then ever you can no longer get away with just closing eyes and wildly slogging , playing pre-determined slogs whatever the line or length from the bowler , that approach worked in the 90s in that era where Pakistan regularly scored 100 in last 10 overs of an ODI innings through wild slogging off full tosses — but now the batsmen who score quickly are the ones who have the best shot selection along with attacking intent , and play every ball on merit , with conventional and unconventional strokes all around the wicket , and as you say with timing and placement.

 

[Abdullah719]

Meanwhile careful thought:

 

[Saj]

Agree with those who say the 3 should have been Haider, Babar and Khushdil.

 

[Mueez]

I expected better from you, Babar...

 

[Abdullah719]

Left-right combination in a Super Over )

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Agree with those who say the 3 should have been Haider, Babar and Khushdil.

Yep Haider and Khushdil to come out and Babar next in. However, looking at Khushdil he needs to expand his skills- i mean what was he trying to do by looking for a ball to play to the legside????? Ifti chachu well some mistakes speak for themselves.

 

[Zaz]

Agree with those who say the 3 should have been Haider, Babar and Khushdil.

About 12 runs wouldve been enough A couple of boundaries and a run a ball

The way the three were batting it was like one poster has said that they were looking for 36 runs

 

[Bewal Express]

HA should have been one of the 3

 

[coy0607]

I don't get it - why do people think Iftikhar, Khushdil, and Fakhar weren't the best options to face 6 balls?

Of the playing 11, those are the 3 best players to go out there. Khushdil and Iftikhar had been batting in the later half of the innings, that works in their favor as well.

Its just unfortunate that those 3 played terrible cricket when they got out there

 

[Hasan123]

I think it should have been babar and haider.

Haider would have been fine as 3rd batter. Wahab and Babar definitely should have been 2 of the 3.

 

[Abdullah719]

I don’t get it - why do people think Iftikhar, Khushdil, and Fakhar weren’t the best options to face 6 balls?

Of the playing 11, those are the 3 best players to go out there. Khushdil and Iftikhar had been batting in the later half of the innings, that works in their favor as well.

Its just unfortunate that those 3 played terrible cricket when they got out there

Khushdil and Iftikhar usually take some time to get set before they start hitting. Iftikhar didn’t really play any major knocks in this series and Khushdil was on debut so there was no evidence to suggest that this ploy will come off. Besides the useless pOwEr HiTtErS tag.

Haider can start in fifth gear, he’s shown that in T20s during the whole of 2020 and earlier also hit 3 fours in his first 4 or 5 balls when he came out to bat. Babar had just made a hundred and was batting fluently. That pair would’ve been the ideal choice.

In a Super Over, you don’t need to send the guys who hit the biggest sixes, which is what seemed to be the thought process today. You send out the guys who you will back to make the most runs in any given over of the innings. Wasting a ball is like a crime in a Super Over and Iftikhar and Khushdil went out there trying to slog every ball for six without any thought process.

 

[Rayyman]

Khushdil and Iftikhar usually take some time to get set before they start hitting. Iftikhar didn’t really play any major knocks in this series and Khushdil was on debut so there was no evidence to suggest that this ploy will come off. Besides the useless pOwEr HiTtErS tag.

Haider can start in fifth gear, he’s shown that in T20s during the whole of 2020 and earlier also hit 3 fours in his first 4 or 5 balls when he came out to bat. Babar had just made a hundred and was batting fluently. That pair would’ve been the ideal choice.

In a Super Over, you don’t need to send the guys who hit the biggest sixes, which is what seemed to be the thought process today. You send out the guys who you will back to make the most runs in any given over of the innings. Wasting a ball is like a crime in a Super Over and Iftikhar and Khushdil went out there trying to slog every ball for six without any thought process.

Agree with this. Good post.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

I was really surprised to not see Haider out there.

Easily the most fluent batsman in the country who doesn't need much time to smash them.

 

[Kroll]

I don't get it - why do people think Iftikhar, Khushdil, and Fakhar weren't the best options to face 6 balls?

Of the playing 11, those are the 3 best players to go out there. Khushdil and Iftikhar had been batting in the later half of the innings, that works in their favor as well.

Its just unfortunate that those 3 played terrible cricket when they got out there

Hindsight is always a great thing, I mean there was a chance they could have pulled it off. But I think we're lucky that we scraped though to the super over as Chisoro's big fat butt couldn't get down quick enough to stop Musa's final shot.

 

[Usman]

Two words: Haider Ali.

I'm sorry but Ifti has shown nothing to suggest he was up to the job.

Kushdil was on debut.

Fakhar hadn't even had a proper knock all series.

I would have also sent Babar and Wahab, because both wee the only ones firing today.

 

[Rana]

Asking Wahab to play the super over is pointless. The guy had lost his timing by the end of his innings. Muzarabani was on fire in his last few overs

 

[ritzy_123]

Finishers?
Power-hitters?

I'll cut Khushdil some slack, but the other 2.....give me a break?

Senseless decision TBH..!!

 

[QalandarFan]

Babar has absolutely no control of the team and he is being used as a dummy here. He can be the dumbest captain ever, but the guy knows batting - can’t be that he had his approval to send three hacks in Super Over; who might struggle to touch the ball at pace over 130K.

The lineup that was sent, my hunch is that Pakistan was expecting ZIM to go with Sikandar ..... otherwise I don’t see any other thoughtfulness to send Iftekhar to face ball 1!!!!! They even sent Fakhar at non strikers end!!!!

Pretty much Babar is just captain for namesake, Misbah is running this team and he’s running it into the ground. I have no hope for us untill Misbah is sacked and another foreign coach is brought in, no one in Pakistan has the IQ to coach an international cricket team. We should’ve just stuck with Mickey honestly.

 

[Green Patriot]

This is careful thought? I have no idea what thoughtless would mean then, in the Pakistani dressing room.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

Careful thought )



Is this guy even capable of being a captain? Remember it's not a given that your best player will the best choice for captain. Example of Tendulkar.


Still young and can learn/improve but it's an uphill battle if the support staff includes Misbah and Waqar.

If this is what happens after careful thought i wonder what would happen if no thought was given....

Babar with his lakeer ka fakeer captaincy did not try out part time bowlers in the middle overs when Musa and Iftikhar were not working out. OK we lost as we shuffled players around but make good of the resources, try something different, you don't have to bowl oy the five nomi ated bowlers.

This is where lack of education and iq is evident

Meanwhile careful thought:

“Careful thought”

I mean, just imagine the mental intellect?

Anyone with two brain cells of wisdom, would’ve said, “We blundered”, but he is still defending it.
Trying to cover up your low IQ and huge ego, by laughable statements? Well, nothing new here, at least, we are consistent.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

Nothing wrong with the batsmen chosen, it just wasn't our day.

Actually I got a better one.

Nothing wrong with Misbah the coach, it’s just that our batsmen are out of luck.

 

[Energy]

Seems like the learning process is full mode during a live scenario. We always learn a lot from losing matches, and that learning helps in losing more.

 

[Ucdkee]

The super over reminded me of my gully cricket days where all the big boys were deemed to be the go to batsmen when power hitting was required.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

They just needed 10 runs to be safe.
Should have sent babar and one badtameez batsman.
I am sure if hafeez was there he would have won this match for pakistan.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

They just needed 10 runs to be safe.
Should have sent babar and one badtameez batsman.
I am sure if hafeez was there he would have won this match for pakistan.

It feels so shameful when one says Hafeez would have been the safest option.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

He is a captain of a similar mold as Mohammad Yousaf, Abdul Razzaq, Shikhar Dhawan, Graeme Swann and Tamim Iqbal.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

Don't gang up on him. We all know Misbah's running the show. No way in hell would Babar not send himself and Haider for the Super Over.

 

[silentkiller187]

Musa should have come out before shaheen, he would have finished the game before the super over, that was a bigger mistake.

 

[Saj]

Seems the plan was to go for 36 runs, when 10 or 12 would have been enough.

Such basic flaws, it's incredible just how many glaring errors are being made, yet this is cricket at the highest level.

 

[shariqnoor]

Having two left-handed batsmen against a right hand bowler bowling cutters across the batsman is criminal thinking. And especially when both of those left-handers are leg-side hacks. If this is the level of careful thinking, then

 

[Colorblind Genius]

Seems the plan was to go for 36 runs, when 10 or 12 would have been enough.

Even if we go by this logic, was Chacha Ifti gonna give you 36 runs in an over?

 

[shamaan]

Haider would have been fine as 3rd batter. Wahab and Babar definitely should have been 2 of the 3.

I wouldn't have sent wahab it needs to be one of your main batters for me

 

[MenInG]

"I enjoy watching Shaheen Shah Afridi bowl for Pakistan" : Babar Azam

Speaking to the media today:

"We will try and play positive cricket and try and play a good combination; Shadab is not fit for the first T20I so we are hoping that he can regain his fitness and be back to play for Pakistan"

"You all got to see good cricket in ODIs, so we will aim to continue playing same style of positive cricket; We will back the boys and the results will be good"

"As I had said before, we tested our bench-strength in the ODI series and we will do the same in this series too - and this will not make sense against any other side"

"We tried to play different combinations and did the same in bowling and batting also; The idea is that we know where we stand with our bench strength incase its needed"

"Results maybe were not as we expected but these were young players and they performed well; It happens that once in one or 2 games, our performances can dip"

"We need to work on our fielding and also didnt finish well"

"Its not like that our confidence is down because we lost one game"

"Our team's confidence is very high and we are very positive and you will see good cricket in T20I cricket"

"All our younger players are coming up due to good performances in domestic cricket; Apart from Abdullah Shafique, all other players have been with us for a while; Our experimentation has been good and we have seen good results"

"When you give chances to new guys, then you have to back them also; We are hoping by doing this the players will feel confident about themselves"

"Pindi wickets do not help spinners, which is why we have gone in with 4 fast-bowlers and 1 spinner in the ODIs; We havent seen the wicket yet but when we do see the wicket, then we will choose the best team and make a good combination as needed"

"Just like we did before in ODI series, we will go with a good combination of seniors and juniors and try out new players as we needed"

"We will bring back Mohammad Hafeez in the T20Is; We asked Shoaib Malik to rest and in his place we brought in some new players to check them out; We can also try Abdullah Shafique if needed"

"On a personal basis, I would like to keep an eye on the points I need to get to number one position in T20Is but as a captain, the team is my priority; I do what is needed for the team and build my innings accordingly; When you achieve the goals for your team, then personal goals are achieved alongside as well"

"Its true that Shaheen has been playing cricket since the England series without a break but every team needs their main strike bowler and is that for us; Also for a bowler, the more matches he plays better he gets; Even Shaheen's mindset is to play as many matches as he can because he wants the experience; Fast-bowlers need to play consistently and we can see the improvement in him in the outstanding way he is bowling; I enjoy watching Shaheen Shah Afridi bowl for Pakistan"

"we cannot take Zimbabwe easy as they have some very good and experienced players, and we need to play with our strength"

 

[Hasan123]

I love Babar and believe he will do a good job as captain. But is very frustrating that he just says textbook stuff. Your average player from the Southern Hemisphere can analyse cricket from a technical or tactical perspective. Whereas Babar who is a world class player struggles to do that. It's not just Babar it applies to a lot of our players. They are very boring to listen to in interviews and at times it is difficult to watch when they are interviewed by the Southern Hemisphere media that they can't really articulate themselves properly. It's not just in English, even in their native tongue they struggle to analyse or adding anything insightful .

I wish Wasim Khan can get a system in place where our players can articulate themselves better and get them media trained. Even Indian players who don't speak English can articulate themselves better in their native tongue then Pakistan players can.

Babar is one of the best batters in the world. The media and fans will want to hear from him. They don't want hear " my coach gives me confidence , I try to play with no fear", etc.

 

[MenInG]

Seems Babar still not sure about batting in superovers!