Time for Pakistan team management to learn that in the UAE - Spin is king

[Markhor]

The moment I saw we picked 6 pacers in the Asia Cup squad - I felt we were repeating the mistake of the Sri Lanka Test series last year. Surely after 8 years of playing in our adopted home of the UAE we'd have learnt by now these slow surfaces don't encourage seamers.

3 of the top 5 wicket-takers in this Asia Cup have been spinners meanwhile, our much vaunted pace attack have failed in this Asia Cup bar the desperately unlucky Shaheen Afridi. Unless you have a top quality ODI bowler like Jasprit Bumrah, you're better off going with spin heavy attacks in the UAE as it's the spinners in this tournament who've been able to choke the opposition batting.

That doesn't mean play anyone who can roll their arm over - we need a SPECIALIST spinner. The current team management have an obsession with spin bowling ARs but Shadab is not good enough to be the frontline spinner, and Nawaz isn't good enough period.

Enough nonsensical bravado about how we must "protect our fast bowling heritage" - you play ACCORDING TO CONDITIONS in this sport. I'm not going to go to the Wanderers this winter and play two spinners. It's about adapting your strategy to the pitches and our failure to do so here may cost us the Asia Cup, as well as both series against Australia and New Zealand.

The squad selection must change from now on in the UAE.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Six Pacers in the squad was a nonsensical selection by Inzi. Zafar Gohar could have been added to the squad.

 

[Asif321]

No we need only players who can pass yo-yo
Cricket will soon be in olympics we are preparing for the gold

 

[Markhor]

Six Pacers in the squad was a nonsensical selection by Inzi. Zafar Gohar could have been added to the squad.

What I don't understand is why give Mohammad Asghar and Bilal Asif central contracts if they're not in the squads ?

What's the purpose of having Junaid Khan keep a seat warm on the bench when we already have three left arm seamers ?

 

[Savak]

The captain, coach and chief selector signed off on the team selection for the Asia Cup. Who will put their hand up to admit responsibility?

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

What I don't understand is why give Mohammad Asghar and Bilal Asif central contracts if they're not in the squads ?

What's the purpose of having Junaid Khan keep a seat warm on the bench when we already have three left arm seamers ?

Agree with thread.

But Bilal is also an all rounder i guess.

we should look for genuine spinners like Raza/Zafar.

 

[Hasan123]

Just made a thread on this. Absolutely riddicoulous selection by Inzi and Arthur. The success of the other teams spinners has made our selection even more embarssing.

I was told Shadab and Nawaz are good enough to be front line spinners. If they are the best we have as front line spinners we should shut down QEA and domestic cricket. They are support spinners , they don't have any business leading us as front line spinners. They are in the team for there all round abilities not there bowling.

 

[the_outsider]

You shouldn't forget that India's pacers have also outbowled Pakistan's pacers by a mile. In fact India's pacers have more wickets than India's spinners.

So it's not just a lack of spinners. The bowlers who have played have also bowled poorly. Shaheen is the only Pak bowler who has bowled well in this tournament.

 

[Savak]

You shouldn't forget that India's pacers have also outbowled Pakistan's pacers by a mile. In fact India's pacers have more wickets than India's spinners.

So it's not just a lack of spinners. The bowlers who have played have also bowled poorly. Shaheen is the only Pak bowler who has bowled well in this tournament.

Indian pacers aren't doing anything extra ordinary, they are bowling wicket to wicket, they are bowling to their fields and their goal is to just bowl dot balls and they are focusing on pressuzing the batsmen to throw away their wickets while our pacers are running in, striving to take wickets but are not looking to keep things tight and are not bowling to their fields.

 

[hafizexpress]

The UAE has been their home for almost a decade now and Pak still haven't figured this out!
It's like ever since Ajmal got banned Pak just doesn't wanna be serious with spin

 

[ARK Rafay]

Ajmal and Rehman were the King. Man those days!

 

[mak36]

What I don't understand is why give Mohammad Asghar and Bilal Asif central contracts if they're not in the squads ?

What's the purpose of having Junaid Khan keep a seat warm on the bench when we already have three left arm seamers ?

Asghar actually lost his central contract recently (without having played a game) and to make matters worse they didn't give another spinner a central contract in his place.

Bilal (finally) seems to be in their plans for tests but like I said elsewhere he would have been useful in this tournament. He doesn't seem to be in their plans for LOIs though.

The biggest travesty is Zafar. He has been bowling a lot of overs this season so any doubts about injury are extinguished and his stats say he is bowling as well as he ever has. That spell Vs PZ should have been enough for Mickey and co to realise his value.

But that's okay, we have defensive options like Nawaz and Imad (if he can pass a fitness test that is) available. Nawaz can do a holding job in places where it turns like the UAE but otherwise is a dud. Imad is a non-spinning spinner wherever he goes.

Coming to the squad, the apparent justification is they wanted to select the squad that will be groomed for WC19. I can't say I buy that logic. It's all well and good planning but you still need to respect the conditions and adjust your squad accordingly. The core group should obviously stay the same but what harm would there have been in selecting a specialist spinner ahead of one of the benched players?

 

[Markhor]

Asghar actually lost his central contract recently (without having played a game) and to make matters worse they didn't give another spinner a central contract in his place.

Bilal (finally) seems to be in their plans for tests but like I said elsewhere he would have been useful in this tournament. He doesn't seem to be in their plans for LOIs though.

The biggest travesty is Zafar. He has been bowling a lot of overs this season so any doubts about injury are extinguished and his stats say he is bowling as well as he ever has. That spell Vs PZ should have been enough for Mickey and co to realise his value.

But that's okay, we have defensive options like Nawaz and Imad (if he can pass a fitness test that is) available. Nawaz can do a holding job in places where it turns like the UAE but otherwise is a dud. Imad is a non-spinning spinner wherever he goes.

Coming to the squad, the apparent justification is they wanted to select the squad that will be groomed for WC19. I can't say I buy that logic. It's all well and good planning but you still need to respect the conditions and adjust your squad accordingly. The core group should obviously stay the same but what harm would there have been in selecting a specialist spinner ahead of one of the benched players?

Even in England there is room to play a quality specialist spinner. Look at the havoc Kuldeep Yadav caused in the recent ODI series vs England.

 

[Buffet]

Is it something to learn?

 

[pakistani pride]

Even in England there is room to play a quality specialist spinner. Look at the havoc Kuldeep Yadav caused in the recent ODI series vs England.

Which India lost? Yadav got exposed last 2 ODIS.

 

[fitCricFan]

Why would that be a surprise? We have been playing in the UAE for the past decade

 

[the_outsider]

Indian pacers aren't doing anything extra ordinary, they are bowling wicket to wicket, they are bowling to their fields and their goal is to just bowl dot balls and they are focusing on pressuzing the batsmen to throw away their wickets while our pacers are running in, striving to take wickets but are not looking to keep things tight and are not bowling to their fields.

I know. And that's how they are squeezing out wickets. By being accurate with their line and length. Pakistan pacers, on the other hand, have been giving two boundary balls every over. How can you build pressure like that?

 

[FastBowlingAllrounder]

Our bowling has completely deteriorated in this tournament.

Pacers should be bowling tight wicket to wicket stuff, but don't know what they're trying to do.

No idea why we don't have two genuine spinners. We need to find a specialist spinner, groom that spinner using an actual spin-bowling coach-not Azhar Mahmood- and then have Shadab play the support spinner role.

I said the same thing in another thread, we cannot expect Shadab and Nawaz to carry as. Don't think Nawaz is worth LOI, or at least not yet and Shadab should be the support spinner, not the front-line spinner. He has got potential and can become the front-line spinner, but as of now, we need a genuine spinner with Shadab providing support.

Maybe even consider bringing Yasir back into the mix, regardless of what his stats from 2012 or '14 say.

 

[Markhor]

Which India lost? Yadav got exposed last 2 ODIS.

India lost that series because of their batsmen.

Yadav and Chahal were their leading wicket-takers in the ODI series.

Point is even in England specialist spinners can be a threat yet we're making no attempt to groom one even in favourable conditions in the UAE.

 

[Ummii]

Questions shouldn't be why we don't choose spinners for these tracks? Question should be WHY they didn't choose spinners after playing in UAE 10+ years. It shows unprofessionalism of Pakistan team management. Simply they are not smart enough.

 

[Hawkeye]

But [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] , I still remember you ferociously defending the likes of Mickey and Mahmood saying it's only the players at fault.

Heh.

The reality is, both the head and bowling coach are clueless, at least in this tournament. Why would any coach select an all out pace attack in the slow and low desert?

 

[MMHS]

35 saal may learning puri nahin hua - ek do match uzzar hone se keya farak parta?

Aalll is well guys, aalll is well - just need to win on Wednesday.

 

[Mamoon]

Good spin is king. You need quality spinners to utilize the conditions. Having spinners for the sake of it will not make a difference.

Pakistan can play five Shadab Khans but the end result will be the same. A world class spinner is the need of the hour.

 

[mak36]

Even in England there is room to play a quality specialist spinner. Look at the havoc Kuldeep Yadav caused in the recent ODI series vs England.

Oh, absolutely.

Like I said I don't buy the logic. At the very least there should be a specialist spinner in the squad. But it seems the management disagrees and is wedded to the 4+1 strategy come hell or high water.

 

[Asif321]

Sarfraz was true chasing in Dubai also isn’t so easy if they’ve got early wickets looking at India’s chase

 

[mak36]

Well if they didn't learn it from the Asia Cup debacle, they will have learnt it from this test, that's for sure.

Bilal Asif take a bow.

 

[Markhor]

To go into another series in UAE totally underequipped in the spin department is criminal. When Yasir Shah is our only specialist spinner in an ODI series then it's unsurprising we're getting smacked.

I know the team management's defence is they won't play a specialist spinner in English conditions so why pack the squad with spinners ?

Well even England play two spinners in Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid at home. India have won series away with Kuldeep and Chahal.

Specialist spinners can be matchwinners in one day cricket even on unfavourable surfaces. And I hope they don't trot out the excuse there aren't any quality spinners in domestic because that's bull.

 

[Green Patriot]

It is weird how any average cricket fan knows this but not one person from the selection committee seems to understand.How ignorant and brainless can you get.

 

[Hasan123]

The revolutionary will never learn.

 

[Ahson8]

Laughs in Zafar Gohar

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Yasir shouldn't even be called a spinner.

 

[hadi123]

They need to be GOOD spinners

 

[Bilal7]

It is weird how any average cricket fan knows this but not one person from the selection committee seems to understand.How ignorant and brainless can you get.

What you guys don't get is that winning this series by choking the Aussies with spin will only set us up to fail in England. We need our pacers to be the match-winners and therefore each match we play, we should play at least three pacers.

Also, Haris and Malik need to get into bowling form too because they will most likely be the spin options we have during the WC, apart from Shadab who has been rested.

Please tell me what would be the point of fielding a three-man spin attack during this series and leaving the likes of Abbas, Junaid and Faheem in Pakistan?

 

[Chokli]

What you guys don't get is that winning this series by choking the Aussies with spin will only set us up to fail in England. We need our pacers to be the match-winners and therefore each match we play, we should play at least three pacers.

Also, Haris and Malik need to get into bowling form too because they will most likely be the spin options we have during the WC, apart from Shadab who has been rested.

Please tell me what would be the point of fielding a three-man spin attack during this series and leaving the likes of Abbas, Junaid and Faheem in Pakistan?

but surely they should have chosen someone else instead of yasir shah?

 

[Bilal7]

but surely they should have chosen someone else instead of yasir shah?

Ideally someone younger, yes. But apart from Umer Khan, I don't recall any Pakistani spinner doing anything impressive recently.

 

[Chokli]

Ideally someone younger, yes. But apart from Umer Khan, I don't recall any Pakistani spinner doing anything impressive recently.

since shah is useless, i think they should definitely go with your idea of playing all fast bowlers + imad, malik and haris for spin

 

[Green Patriot]

What you guys don't get is that winning this series by choking the Aussies with spin will only set us up to fail in England. We need our pacers to be the match-winners and therefore each match we play, we should play at least three pacers.

Also, Haris and Malik need to get into bowling form too because they will most likely be the spin options we have during the WC, apart from Shadab who has been rested.

Please tell me what would be the point of fielding a three-man spin attack during this series and leaving the likes of Abbas, Junaid and Faheem in Pakistan?

It is not about playing an attack of 3 spinners and sidelining the pacers.It is about selecting a better prospect than Yasir Shah as the spin option.And to yearn for an ideal spin prospect will only help us in our stint at the worldcup.

And this isnt the first occasion that we have messed up in the spin options in the UAE so please dont give me the 'this time its all about the greater good' (worldcup) story either.

 

[Hasan123]

What you guys don't get is that winning this series by choking the Aussies with spin will only set us up to fail in England. We need our pacers to be the match-winners and therefore each match we play, we should play at least three pacers.

Also, Haris and Malik need to get into bowling form too because they will most likely be the spin options we have during the WC, apart from Shadab who has been rested.

Please tell me what would be the point of fielding a three-man spin attack during this series and leaving the likes of Abbas, Junaid and Faheem in Pakistan?

Your defence of Inzi is getting beyond a joke. The end of the WC will be In July, the pitches could be drier meaning you may need to play 2 spinners. We are in desperate need of spinners. Even the South African coach was talking about playing 2 spinners in the WC. Australia are playing 2 spinners and they did in India. The 2 favourites for the WC are able to fit 2 spinners into their team. So don’t tell me spin won’t be the important.

You will need pacers in the UK, but you will also need spinners. Instead of looking to defend Inzi you should be looking at what’s in front of you. Inzi does make mistakes in case you didn’t know.

 

[Sadozai]

To go into another series in UAE totally underequipped in the spin department is criminal. When Yasir Shah is our only specialist spinner in an ODI series then it's unsurprising we're getting smacked.

I know the team management's defence is they won't play a specialist spinner in English conditions so why pack the squad with spinners ?

Well even England play two spinners in Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid at home. India have won series away with Kuldeep and Chahal.

Specialist spinners can be matchwinners in one day cricket even on unfavourable surfaces. And I hope they don't trot out the excuse there aren't any quality spinners in domestic because that's bull.

While justifying yasir's selection in the squad inzi said in the press conference "we might need to play 2 wrist spinners in WC". So it's not as if they don't know that they'll need 2 specialist spinners in the WC, they just don't wanna give chances to young spinners so that they could carry their favorites to the WC

What you guys don't get is that winning this series by choking the Aussies with spin will only set us up to fail in England. We need our pacers to be the match-winners and therefore each match we play, we should play at least three pacers.

Also, Haris and Malik need to get into bowling form too because they will most likely be the spin options we have during the WC, apart from Shadab who has been rested.

Please tell me what would be the point of fielding a three-man spin attack during this series and leaving the likes of Abbas, Junaid and Faheem in Pakistan?

How? by not bowling during the match or by bowling 1 over per inning?

 

[Bilal7]

Your defence of Inzi is getting beyond a joke. The end of the WC will be In July, the pitches could be drier meaning you may need to play 2 spinners. We are in desperate need of spinners. Even the South African coach was talking about playing 2 spinners in the WC. Australia are playing 2 spinners and they did in India. The 2 favourites for the WC are able to fit 2 spinners into their team. So don’t tell me spin won’t be the important.

You will need pacers in the UK, but you will also need spinners. Instead of looking to defend Inzi you should be looking at what’s in front of you. Inzi does make mistakes in case you didn’t know.

It is not about playing an attack of 3 spinners and sidelining the pacers.It is about selecting a better prospect than Yasir Shah as the spin option.And to yearn for an ideal spin prospect will only help us in our stint at the worldcup.

And this isnt the first occasion that we have messed up in the spin options in the UAE so please dont give me the 'this time its all about the greater good' (worldcup) story either.

Imad Wasim is one of our frontline spinners. He's probably going to play most of our WC matches and he's in the squad. I'm not defending Shah's selection, I've made it clear that a younger spinner would have been ideal. However, it is false to say that Inzamam only selected one spinner in the team. He selected two and any more would have been overkill given that Shadab Khan is a guaranteed starter at the WC.

 

[Bilal7]

While justifying yasir's selection in the squad inzi said in the press conference "we might need to play 2 wrist spinners in WC". So it's not as if they don't know that they'll need 2 specialist spinners in the WC, they just don't wanna give chances to young spinners so that they could carry their favorites to the WC



How? by not bowling during the match or by bowling 1 over per inning?

The captain and management should obviously be bowling them more. Shadab and Imad are our frontline spinners.

 

[Sadozai]

The captain and management should obviously be bowling them more. Shadab and Imad are our frontline spinners.

one isn't a wicket taking option & the other is totally out of form

 

[Hasan123]

Imad Wasim is one of our frontline spinners. He's probably going to play most of our WC matches and he's in the squad. I'm not defending Shah's selection, I've made it clear that a younger spinner would have been ideal. However, it is false to say that Inzamam only selected one spinner in the team. He selected two and any more would have been overkill given that Shadab Khan is a guaranteed starter at the WC.

Imad Wasim is going to dart the ball. He won't take advantage of any spinning conditions. Shadab bowling hasn't developed at all so picking Yasir instead of a spinner who could be useful was a very poor decision.

You really believe that Imad Wasim will cause problems to the likes of Kohli,Buttler ,Bairstow,Finch,Williamson,and Guptill?

 

[Green Patriot]

Imad Wasim is one of our frontline spinners. He's probably going to play most of our WC matches and he's in the squad. I'm not defending Shah's selection, I've made it clear that a younger spinner would have been ideal. However, it is false to say that Inzamam only selected one spinner in the team. He selected two and any more would have been overkill given that Shadab Khan is a guaranteed starter at the WC.

Imad is not a wicket taker.We need a wicket taker and Shadab's form has plummeted really badly and so we should have tried a new prospect as Yasir Shah is a TTF in Odis.Spinners will be key in England as much as pacers.

We messed up in the spin selections and that too in UAE so no need to deny it.
Oh and btw no where did i say that Inzi selected only one spinner.However he did make a huge mess in whatever he selected and no point in denying that.

 

[Sher Khan]

Theirs no doubt spin is the king in the UAE. But you still need quality spinners to exploit the conditions. Their is a lack of quality spinners in the Pakistan team. Yasir shah and Imad Wasim have been worked out by batsmen. You can’t bowl non turners at the stumps all day.