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Tour match between Kent [209/4] and Pakistan [168] ends in a draw

Why do you rate them so highly?

I think even quite moderate left-handers - Andrew Strauss, Justin Langer, Mark Richardson, Mark Greatbatch - can have good Test careers because they can't easily be dismissed LBW by right-arm bowlers (who pitch pretty much everything outside leg-stump).

So Aamer Sohail was pretty successful despite being average in technique, because he was mentally tough.

The only left-handers who can't succeed in Tests are the ones who don't know where their off-stump is (Shan Masood) and the ones who can't play bouncers (Fakhar Zaman).

Imam-ul-Haq has a good technique. I think he will end his career with a Test average of 45 and equally importantly a mean number of balls faced per innings of 100.

But Sami Aslam is a great prospect too, because he doesn't sell his wicket cheaply outside off-stump. He will probably only end up averaging about 40, but will probably last an average of 120 balls per innings.

That stick-ability is really important: an opener who lasts an average of 120 balls stays in until the ball is 40 overs old, and makes batting easier for the middle order.

Babar Azam is the best of the lot. Technically he is fine, but he's not especially smart so he only learns by repeated mistakes - which is why putting him at Number 3 failed. It was the same story with Steve Waugh - he took 4 years of Test cricket to learn his game and score his first century. But once players like them learn how they keep getting out, they master how to avoid it.
 
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I suppose neptunium is working for Inzi right now. BTW, wasn't that delivery pitched outside leg on which Sami got out on?
 
Shafiq is such a pathetic players. Debuted long ago but still plays like debutant.
 
Imam atleast can score faster and positively. Really disappointed with Sami!!!

Huge accusation players in 60s and 70s played with a strike rate of around 40-60. Sami Aslam career strike rate is 31.39. His average is also not even that great.[around late 30s].


he is a confidence player, someone like Asad Shafiq who can play well when he has good confidence.. this guy showed a lot of promise and also one of the main reasons why Pak drew the series in 2016 in the UK...

Give him some more time... After that 2016 UK series, he was a bit in and out of the squad for various reasons which are detrimental to any players confidence. But players like him and Shafiq will falter down soon when kept in and out, they need continuous backing to perform consistently and especially when their chips are down... I remember Shafiq made a career-saving century for himself in Australia and then in England again, it came through the continuous backing.

Shafiq moved around the top order from 1-4 in ODIs and he is no more in ODIs now. If they do the same to Sami he will be no more a test player soon.
 
Shafiq batting at a S/R of 10. :28: Eventually he will give his wicket away.

Inzi must be relaxed sipping his tea watching Imam bat now that he has scored 40+ runs in the first game under tough conditions.
 
I think even quite moderate left-handers - Andrew Strauss, Justin Langer, Mark Richardson, Mark Greatbatch - can have good Test careers because they can't easily be dismissed LBW by right-arm bowlers (who pitch pretty much everything outside leg-stump).

So Aamer Sohail was pretty successful despite being average in technique, because he was mentally tough.

The only left-handers who can't succeed in Tests are the ones who don't know where their off-stump is (Shan Masood) and the ones who can't play bouncers (Fakhar Zaman).

Imam-ul-Haq has a good technique. I think he will end his career with a Test average of 45 and equally importantly a mean number of balls faced per innings of 100.

But Sami Aslam is a great prospect too, because he doesn't sell his wicket cheaply outside off-stump. He will probably only end up averaging about 40, but will probably last an average of 120 balls per innings.

That stick-ability is really important: an opener who lasts an average of 120 balls stays in until the ball is 40 overs old, and makes batting easier for the middle order.

Babar Azam is the best of the lot. Technically he is fine, but he's not especially smart so he only learns by repeated mistakes - which is why putting him at Number 3 failed. It was the same story with Steve Waugh - he took 4 years of Test cricket to learn his game and score his first century. But once players like them learn how they keep getting out, they master how to avoid it.

Nice read..:sendoff . True and I agree with ur insight.. Ppl jumping for sami's ouster here, but i dont know if zaman can open and bat thru the first hour of play and face 40 - 50 balls without losing his wicket especially in England, SA, Australia and NZL which is not easy...
 
50 for the supposed nepotist :inzi

50 run partnership as well Mr Technique :salute
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Imam Ul Haq has reached 50 off 89 balls (8 fours). Pakistan (<a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheRealPCB</a>) 103-3. 50 partnership with Asad Shafiq 11*.<br><br>Podmore bowling at Pavilion end, Thomas at Nackington Rd end.<br><br>Highlights of all the wickets & boundaries are here: <a href="https://t.co/kTYjcBXdmb">https://t.co/kTYjcBXdmb</a> <a href="https://t.co/frNe4Zk3F7">pic.twitter.com/frNe4Zk3F7</a></p>— Kent Cricket &#55356;&#57295; (@kentcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/kentcricket/status/990223856957820928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WICKET! NELSON STRIKES! Asad Shafiq b Ivan Thomas 17.<br>Pakistan (<a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheRealPCB</a>) 111-4. Babar Azam joins Imam Ul-Haq 54*.<br><br>Highlights of all the wickets & boundaries are here: <a href="https://t.co/kTYjcBXdmb">https://t.co/kTYjcBXdmb</a> <a href="https://t.co/UAtTN13zoR">pic.twitter.com/UAtTN13zoR</a></p>— Kent Cricket &#55356;&#57295; (@kentcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/kentcricket/status/990225915148996609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="ht" dir="ltr">WICKET! Haris Sohail lbw b Gidman 5. Pakistan (<a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheRealPCB</a>) 53-3.<br><br>Live scorecard: <a href="https://t.co/kTYjcBXdmb">https://t.co/kTYjcBXdmb</a> <a href="https://t.co/CcMKa1LqBX">pic.twitter.com/CcMKa1LqBX</a></p>— Kent Cricket �� (@kentcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/kentcricket/status/990194119657033728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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very unlike Haris stance. This shuffle he usually do while slogging in ods.
Can we watch the whole match/commentary?
and will here be a second innings?
 
This is a perfectly good first outing in tricky, cool early season conditions in England.

Runs don't matter - time in the middle does. The batsmen need to get used to batting against the moving Dukes ball with a slip cordon.

Sami Aslam lasted 60 minutes and 40 balls.
Azhar Ali lasted 52 minutes and 34 balls.
Haris Sohail lasted 40 minutes and 20 balls and was the only one who was awful.
Asad Shafiq lasted 80 minutes and 58 balls.

Imam-ul-Haq is already up to 148 minutes and 101 balls.

I'd like to replace the sixth batsman with Mohammad Abbas as a fourth quick by the time of the First Test in England.

And at this stage, Haris Sohail is the one who looks like his technique won't stand up to early season English conditions.
 
This is a perfectly good first outing in tricky, cool early season conditions in England.

Runs don't matter - time in the middle does. The batsmen need to get used to batting against the moving Dukes ball with a slip cordon.

Sami Aslam lasted 60 minutes and 40 balls.
Azhar Ali lasted 52 minutes and 34 balls.
Haris Sohail lasted 40 minutes and 20 balls and was the only one who was awful.
Asad Shafiq lasted 80 minutes and 58 balls.

Imam-ul-Haq is already up to 148 minutes and 101 balls.

I'd like to replace the sixth batsman with Mohammad Abbas as a fourth quick by the time of the First Test in England.

And at this stage, Haris Sohail is the one who looks like his technique won't stand up to early season English conditions.

Haris was our best batsman in our last test series and odi series in NZ and is a super player of fast bowling.

Unfair to judge based on one innings.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here's the 5th wicket... <a href="https://t.co/SwJC2CBDLO">pic.twitter.com/SwJC2CBDLO</a></p>— Kent Cricket &#55356;&#57295; (@kentcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/kentcricket/status/990233146019983360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Babar gone.
 
Thought these were the "best players of pace in the country" according to some posters.

Woeful batting display against an extremely average Division 2 County team.
 
So no chance of Saad Ali/Usman Salahuddin getting a few overs in? I thought they could swap players per innings in a practice match.
 
very unlike Haris stance. This shuffle he usually do while slogging in ods.
Can we watch the whole match/commentary?
and will here be a second innings?

Should be unless rain intervenes.

Kent's Twitter page will provide clips of wickets but no televised or online coverage - there's BBC radio commentary in the OP.
 
very unlike Haris stance. This shuffle he usually do while slogging in ods.
Can we watch the whole match/commentary?
and will here be a second innings?

You can watch highlights on Kent's twitter page and there's ball by ball radio commentary on the link posted in the OP
 
Thought these were the "best players of pace in the country" according to some posters.

Woeful batting display against an extremely average Division 2 County team.

Chill out - first practice game in these conditions. Most of the wickets have been gifted.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WICKET! Imam Ul-Haq lbw b Will Gidman 61.<br><br>Pakistan <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheRealPCB</a> 129-6. Shadab Khan joins Sarfraz 0*.<br><br>Live scorecard & highlights: <a href="https://t.co/kTYjcBXdmb">https://t.co/kTYjcBXdmb</a> <a href="https://t.co/zWCftzft2r">pic.twitter.com/zWCftzft2r</a></p>— Kent Cricket &#55356;&#57295; (@kentcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/kentcricket/status/990235062737174528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Imams wicket.
 
Reminder that this is not Kent's full strength bowling attack. Some of those guys are from their Second XI.

Need to sharpen up quickly and adjust to conditions otherwise Ireland will have their maiden Test win.
 
This is a second XI bowling lineup of a second division county team.

Ireland will be licking their lips if they’re watching this lot.
 
Looks like Ireland will have a great opportunity to become the first (?) team ever to win its first Test match.
 
Fawad is better than any of Babar and Shafiq!!! Poor squad selection will cost us whitewash against England and probably a defeat by newbie Ireland
 
Babar Azam playing with intent.. finally.

To be honest, it was going fine until Babar and Shadab started attacking too much.

The point of the three warm-up games is for the players to learn which balls to leave outside off-stump in early season English conditions.

In 2016, Pakistan won in dry late summer conditions at the two London venues, and lost heavily at the damper grounds.

This time around, the batsmen need to learn to stop playing any shot at all to the kind of ball that Babar edged today.

I grew up in Manchester. I used to bat and bowl in these conditions as a kid.

It's all about leaving the ball, not playing at it.
 
Fawad is better than any of Babar and Shafiq!!! Poor squad selection will cost us whitewash against England and probably a defeat by newbie Ireland

And fawad would have helped us avoided it?
 
You have to appreciate Imam here. Being bashed left right and center; everyone crying nepotism and he comes out and outclasses the entire team. Has scored what 4 times more than the next best guy? Credit should be given where due.
 
Fawad is better than any of Babar and Shafiq!!! Poor squad selection will cost us whitewash against England and probably a defeat by newbie Ireland

Fawad wasn't playing pace well so he was rightly excluded from the squad. Though I do agree Babar and Shafiq may not be much of an impact I think if we go with this XI

Azhar
Imam
Haris
Usman
Saad
Fakhar
Sarfraz
Shadab
Amir
Hasan
Abbas

We might have a chance.
 
You have to appreciate Imam here. Being bashed left right and center; everyone crying nepotism and he comes out and outclasses the entire team. Has scored what 4 times more than the next best guy? Credit should be given where due.

Absolutely, I remember people going off about Imam being selected and neptunium and now they are behind covers. Why bash a new guy coming in when someone like Shafiq is being backed by the management.
 
The two umpires here are interesting, by the way.

Jeremy Lloyds was born in Malaya before the Emergency, went to a very traditional English public (i.e. private boarding) school and was a modest cricketer for the two West Country counties before becoming a superb umpire who gave it away for "family reasons".

At the other end, Steve O'Shaughnessy was the bane of my life growing up as a Lancashire fan. He broke Percy Fender's 60 year old record for the fastest ever century, but against a team delivering comedy bowling to try to set up a declaration. But he was absolutely hopeless in real matches.
 
I'm am is a much better player then fawad

He absolutely is.

Fawad Alam has never shown me the slightest sign of being able to survive with a slip cordon in place.

And the two Tests in England are in May: there will be quick bowlers operating with 3 or 4 slips non-stop whenever Pakistan bats.
 
He absolutely is.

Fawad Alam has never shown me the slightest sign of being able to survive with a slip cordon in place.

And the two Tests in England are in May: there will be quick bowlers operating with 3 or 4 slips non-stop whenever Pakistan bats.

I agree fawad shouldn't be anywhere near our a team let alone our national team. He is hopeless against pace and would would have been a free wicket.
 
PP aunties in full force. The lads have been in ENG just a few days. Give them a break, its a practise match....
 
For those of you who have never been to England, the fact that it's not even May yet means that you need to double this score for it to mean anything.

Yes, 168 is disappointing.

But plenty of teams score 168 in April and go on to win. And to score 400+ when they play a month later.
 
This is a perfectly good first outing in tricky, cool early season conditions in England.

Runs don't matter - time in the middle does. The batsmen need to get used to batting against the moving Dukes ball with a slip cordon.

Sami Aslam lasted 60 minutes and 40 balls.
Azhar Ali lasted 52 minutes and 34 balls.
Haris Sohail lasted 40 minutes and 20 balls and was the only one who was awful.
Asad Shafiq lasted 80 minutes and 58 balls.

Imam-ul-Haq is already up to 148 minutes and 101 balls.

I'd like to replace the sixth batsman with Mohammad Abbas as a fourth quick by the time of the First Test in England.

And at this stage, Haris Sohail is the one who looks like his technique won't stand up to early season English conditions.

Absolutely agree! Perfect outing against Kent. 55 overs in these tricky conditions - this is great practice for the line up.

Loved the 13 by Sami Aslam and 17 by Shafiq. Lets not forget Amir played 16 deliveries too and showed a glimpse of what he can achieve with that four.

The series against Anderson, Broad etc. should be very interesting and closely fought!

168 is not a bad score either for an international team. As you said, its equal to 336 on any other ground. :ahmed
 
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Nobody is criticising Asad Shafiq's innings any more!

Only Imam-ul-Haq survived longer than his 85 deliveries, and only Imam and Hasan Ali scored more runs.
 
Nobody is criticising Asad Shafiq's innings any more!

Only Imam-ul-Haq survived longer than his 85 deliveries, and only Imam and Hasan Ali scored more runs.

Do you think Pakistan should choose to bowl if they win the toss?
 
Do you think Pakistan should choose to bowl if they win the toss?
In the Tests?

Possibly. I think that quick bowlers will take all 20 wickets in the Tests, and the best chance is to bowl on the first morning.

But in the two warm-ups and the Ireland Test, I think batting first gives the batsmen the biggest challenge and is therefore good.
 
For those of you who have never been to England, the fact that it's not even May yet means that you need to double this score for it to mean anything.

Yes, 168 is disappointing.

But plenty of teams score 168 in April and go on to win. And to score 400+ when they play a month later.

I love reading your detailed posts and have a lot of respect for your well researched comments.

In this instance, I am not sure I agree. Would you be able to substantiate the claim of 168 being a meaningful score in England during May?

To my memory, I don't remember the significance of such a low score. Though memory has failed me in the past.
 
I can't wait for the Ireland vs pakistan match to start. Maybe Pakistan will cause an upset and defeat Ireland but it is looking very unlikely.
 
I love reading your detailed posts and have a lot of respect for your well researched comments.

In this instance, I am not sure I agree. Would you be able to substantiate the claim of 168 being a meaningful score in England during May?

To my memory, I don't remember the significance of such a low score. Though memory has failed me in the past.

The issue is that it's not even May yet - it's April!

The wickets are soggy. Not green, just soft and soggy.

It means that bowlers get no bounce and batsmen struggle to survive against medium pace bowlers.

Just look at this season so far!

My county Lancashire is a strong team. And we are in our third match, and this is a full summary of our scores so far:

158 & 73
144 & 288
214-6

This is Kent's third game this month. And their scores so far are:

64 & 153
169 & 95-1
 
There you go, 168 all out against Div 2 team. Nothing has changed since I last saw them in NZL ODIs. Infact they seem to have regressed.
 
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