TalhaSyed
ODI Debutant
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2006
- Runs
- 10,987
- Post of the Week
- 4
Going around this forum, you would think the Pakistani team sheet read:
1. Inzamam ul Haq
2. Sarfraz Ahmed (C) *
3. Grant Flower
4. Micky Arthur
5. Azhar Mahmood
6. Inzamam ul Haq
7. Sarfraz Ahmed
8. Grant Flower
9. Micky Arthur
10. Azhar Mahmood
11. Inzamam ul Haq
It is absolutely ridiculous!
Let's get some things straight:
The Selection
These are our best players. Fact. You may not like it - but that's the bottom line.
The only player who may have been hard done by to miss out was Usman - however, we had to limit our squad to 15 so someone had to miss out. Their is no secret tree on which fast bowlers and world class batsmen grow in Pakistan where the selectors could go and pick a few off.
No - selecting tried and tested failures like Ahmed Shezad or the Akmal brothers would not have helped this team - there is a reason they have earned the reputation of being tried and tested failures.
This is it. This is our best team whether you like it or not.
The Captaincy
Sarfraz is far from a perfect captain. However - a few things to note here.
We can either take a massive step backwards and give someone like Hafeez or Malik captaincy, or....well there is no or...Sarfraz is our best choice.
More importantly - Sarfraz is not bowling half trackers, Sarfraz is not bowling short and wide hit me balls, Sarfraz is not forcing the other batsmen to play rubbish shots and not rotate the strike etc. etc. etc.
Don't get me wrong - their is alot Sarfraz can do to improve his own game and captaincy, however, blaming him because the other 10 players in the team look clueless is absolutely ridiculous.
The Coaching Staff
Again - Azhar Mahmood is not bowling on the field.
Grant Flower is not batting on the field.
Micky Arthur is not the one looking like he wants to be anywhere else in the world - other than the cricket field.
These are international players and it's not the managements job to teach these guys how to play cricket. If these players are disinterested and don't show any passion - it is not the coaching staffs job to get them pumped up. If you don't have passion to play for your nation in the world cup then what the hell are you doing in this profession?!?
The coaching staff are their to strategize and come up with tactics - however, if the players are not even executing the basics correctly - you can forget about strategy and tactic.
The players
Now - let's come onto the real issue here - the players.
I am sorry - I know this will annoy alot of posters on here, specially after the performance yesterday against West Indies - but I believe in every single one of these players. Every single one of these players has proven at one stage or another what they are capable of and what they can do.
The problem is - so far we have been seeing what they have been doing and it is simply no where near what they are capable of doing. The players need to take responsibility for their own game and get their own heads on straight. Until that happens you can bring any selector, any captain and any coach - the team will fail.
This is the time.
This is the time for the team to rise up.
I'm talking about the 25 players who will actually take to the field in this tournament inshallah and not the back room staff and people back in Lahore at the PCB HQ.
Forget the past 12 months and forget the dreadful results we have had to endure.
It's time to look forward, and for our players to look to fulfil their potential.
This is an opportunity for the players to immortalise themselves in the Pakistani cricket Hall of Fame and they have to realise that.
This is a once in a life time opportunity for many of these players and they have to look to realise that.
These players are representing millions of Pakistanis around the world and they need to realise that.
I refuse to believe that this is the best these players can do because I have seen them all perform far far better than this. If anyone says otherwise they are either lying or they have a memory of a gold fish.
It's time for us to back this team and more importantly it's time for this team to back themselves.
Stop hiding behind the captain, selectors and management and look to make a name for yourself. Step into the spot light and make this moment yours. Just like Wasim did in 92, Afridi did in 09 and Hassan & Fakhar did in 17.
It's time these players gain an appreciation of the enormity of the task at hand, regain their focus and look to step up and perform for Pakistan.
1. Inzamam ul Haq
2. Sarfraz Ahmed (C) *
3. Grant Flower
4. Micky Arthur
5. Azhar Mahmood
6. Inzamam ul Haq
7. Sarfraz Ahmed
8. Grant Flower
9. Micky Arthur
10. Azhar Mahmood
11. Inzamam ul Haq
It is absolutely ridiculous!
Let's get some things straight:
The Selection
These are our best players. Fact. You may not like it - but that's the bottom line.
The only player who may have been hard done by to miss out was Usman - however, we had to limit our squad to 15 so someone had to miss out. Their is no secret tree on which fast bowlers and world class batsmen grow in Pakistan where the selectors could go and pick a few off.
No - selecting tried and tested failures like Ahmed Shezad or the Akmal brothers would not have helped this team - there is a reason they have earned the reputation of being tried and tested failures.
This is it. This is our best team whether you like it or not.
The Captaincy
Sarfraz is far from a perfect captain. However - a few things to note here.
We can either take a massive step backwards and give someone like Hafeez or Malik captaincy, or....well there is no or...Sarfraz is our best choice.
More importantly - Sarfraz is not bowling half trackers, Sarfraz is not bowling short and wide hit me balls, Sarfraz is not forcing the other batsmen to play rubbish shots and not rotate the strike etc. etc. etc.
Don't get me wrong - their is alot Sarfraz can do to improve his own game and captaincy, however, blaming him because the other 10 players in the team look clueless is absolutely ridiculous.
The Coaching Staff
Again - Azhar Mahmood is not bowling on the field.
Grant Flower is not batting on the field.
Micky Arthur is not the one looking like he wants to be anywhere else in the world - other than the cricket field.
These are international players and it's not the managements job to teach these guys how to play cricket. If these players are disinterested and don't show any passion - it is not the coaching staffs job to get them pumped up. If you don't have passion to play for your nation in the world cup then what the hell are you doing in this profession?!?
The coaching staff are their to strategize and come up with tactics - however, if the players are not even executing the basics correctly - you can forget about strategy and tactic.
The players
Now - let's come onto the real issue here - the players.
I am sorry - I know this will annoy alot of posters on here, specially after the performance yesterday against West Indies - but I believe in every single one of these players. Every single one of these players has proven at one stage or another what they are capable of and what they can do.
The problem is - so far we have been seeing what they have been doing and it is simply no where near what they are capable of doing. The players need to take responsibility for their own game and get their own heads on straight. Until that happens you can bring any selector, any captain and any coach - the team will fail.
This is the time.
This is the time for the team to rise up.
I'm talking about the 25 players who will actually take to the field in this tournament inshallah and not the back room staff and people back in Lahore at the PCB HQ.
Forget the past 12 months and forget the dreadful results we have had to endure.
It's time to look forward, and for our players to look to fulfil their potential.
This is an opportunity for the players to immortalise themselves in the Pakistani cricket Hall of Fame and they have to realise that.
This is a once in a life time opportunity for many of these players and they have to look to realise that.
These players are representing millions of Pakistanis around the world and they need to realise that.
I refuse to believe that this is the best these players can do because I have seen them all perform far far better than this. If anyone says otherwise they are either lying or they have a memory of a gold fish.
It's time for us to back this team and more importantly it's time for this team to back themselves.
Stop hiding behind the captain, selectors and management and look to make a name for yourself. Step into the spot light and make this moment yours. Just like Wasim did in 92, Afridi did in 09 and Hassan & Fakhar did in 17.
It's time these players gain an appreciation of the enormity of the task at hand, regain their focus and look to step up and perform for Pakistan.