Aqib_mustafa
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Bro can this change assuming pakistan is back in top six of icc test ranking is it confirmed pak will be in division 2?
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Two-Tier Test system: Is it the way forward?
- Thread starter jnaveen1980
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The thing is while a 2 div structure sounds great, I don't think deep down Ireland and Afghanistan can afford to play tests or really care about it too much. So having them stack up a div 2 doesn't really help anyone.
Ideally the initial round would just be Div 1 India, England, Australia and South Africa.
Div 2
Pakistan Sri Lanka, Kiwis, Bangladesh and WIndies.
Now what could make or break this is if big 3 would allow themselves to get relegated. If they don't then the whole thing is pointless...but if they do then test cricket could get exciting again.
Ideally the initial round would just be Div 1 India, England, Australia and South Africa.
Div 2
Pakistan Sri Lanka, Kiwis, Bangladesh and WIndies.
Now what could make or break this is if big 3 would allow themselves to get relegated. If they don't then the whole thing is pointless...but if they do then test cricket could get exciting again.
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Yes perhaps but I'm not in favour of trying to artificially construct things to keep something intact for the sake of it. West Indies must themselves decide if they want to pursue test cricket as a collective rather than the other countries make decisions to try and keep them together.
This is the crux of the matter and why the two division proposal has failed in the past including back in 2017 when it was last raised. Why would turkeys vote for Christmas ?
The bottom six boards cannot financially sustain themselves without series with India (TV) and to some extent England (travelling fans/tourism), unless some form of compensation is agreed such as organising more white-ball cricket with the Division Two sides.
The idea has not been formalised into a detailed proposal. Nothing yet confirmed. For approval it needs a two-thirds majority amongst the Test playing nations - which is why it's failed in the past.
ICC’s proposal for new system of Test cricket knocked back at major meeting
Why cricket’s great revolution was shot down
www.foxsports.com.au
Personally I wouldn't be opposed to the 2016 proposal which was 7 teams in Division 1 and 5 teams in Division 2 - but I'd have two teams promoted and two teams relegated after a two year cycle.
Each Division 1 team would play 6 Test series (as they do currently in a WTC cycle) while each Division 2 team would play 4 Test series. If England were relegated, they could still play the Ashes (which has its own context) but the series wouldn't count towards the WTC.
Nikhil_cric
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There is some merit to having an FC system. Batters batting for long periods of time help hone their techniques and bowlers learn to bowl long spells etc.
Useful skills to have in ODI cricket at least.
Bewal Express
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Totally agree but if you have no FC, you aint spending millions on a competition that isn't needed
Bhaijaan
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Just leave Test cricket alone.
Let it breathe and exist as it has for more than a hundred years unhurried, pure, and unapologetically traditional. In today’s fast-paced world where everything must entertain instantly, Test cricket stands apart. It doesn’t beg for attention. It earns respect over time, through grit, craft, and quiet moments that build into unforgettable passages of play.
We already have enough formats catering to the demand for thrill and spectacle—ODIs, T20s, T10s, The Hundred, and even five-over tournaments in Hong Kong. They are designed for the modern appetite, and that’s fine. Let the administrators innovate there. Add lights, colors, countdowns, and gimmicks. But please, for the love of the game, let Test cricket be. It needs no tinkering—no tiers, no manufactured drama, no forced results. Its beauty lies in its raw, extended uncertainty and its demand for commitment, both from players and fans.
Test cricket is not for everyone. And that’s okay. Those who love it don’t ask for change. We’ve woken up early to watch the first ball of a morning session in New Zealand or stayed up deep into the night watching a hard-fought draw in Australia. We understand the rhythm, the pauses, the ebbs and flows. We see the contest in every delivery, not just in the scoreboard. And we cherish the silence between the roars.
So if West Indies are bowled out for 27 or someone nearly breaks Brian Lara’s record, let it be. The beauty of Test cricket is that it reflects life—it can be brutal, boring, brilliant, or bizarre. Records will fall, players will come and go, but the format will remain. These moments, good or bad, form part of the rich fabric of cricket’s history. That history is not meant to be perfect—it’s meant to be remembered.
Test cricket doesn’t need saving. It needs space. It needs trust. It needs to be left alone by those who don’t truly understand it, and loved by those who always have.
Let it breathe and exist as it has for more than a hundred years unhurried, pure, and unapologetically traditional. In today’s fast-paced world where everything must entertain instantly, Test cricket stands apart. It doesn’t beg for attention. It earns respect over time, through grit, craft, and quiet moments that build into unforgettable passages of play.
We already have enough formats catering to the demand for thrill and spectacle—ODIs, T20s, T10s, The Hundred, and even five-over tournaments in Hong Kong. They are designed for the modern appetite, and that’s fine. Let the administrators innovate there. Add lights, colors, countdowns, and gimmicks. But please, for the love of the game, let Test cricket be. It needs no tinkering—no tiers, no manufactured drama, no forced results. Its beauty lies in its raw, extended uncertainty and its demand for commitment, both from players and fans.
Test cricket is not for everyone. And that’s okay. Those who love it don’t ask for change. We’ve woken up early to watch the first ball of a morning session in New Zealand or stayed up deep into the night watching a hard-fought draw in Australia. We understand the rhythm, the pauses, the ebbs and flows. We see the contest in every delivery, not just in the scoreboard. And we cherish the silence between the roars.
So if West Indies are bowled out for 27 or someone nearly breaks Brian Lara’s record, let it be. The beauty of Test cricket is that it reflects life—it can be brutal, boring, brilliant, or bizarre. Records will fall, players will come and go, but the format will remain. These moments, good or bad, form part of the rich fabric of cricket’s history. That history is not meant to be perfect—it’s meant to be remembered.
Test cricket doesn’t need saving. It needs space. It needs trust. It needs to be left alone by those who don’t truly understand it, and loved by those who always have.
JibranAnsari
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Good that it happens, I understand the financial difficulties but either the nations which already play very little test cricket(6 7) matches a year stop playing tests altogether or embrace two tier to maintain a good test cricket schedule and competition.
BDfanforever
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Two-tier model for Test cricket - ECB wary, CA 'open'
The ECB is not keen on a two-tiered World Test Championship (WTC) in which relegation could lead to England not being in the same division as Australia or India, thus potentially depriving them of their two most lucrative rivalries.Speaking to BBC's Test Match Special on the opening day of The Oval Test between England and India last week, ECB chairman Richard Thompson said the value of bilateral cricket was dropping because of a "congested" calendar overwhelmed by T20 leagues, and that in most countries, Test cricket had taken a big hit. Thompson said that while a two-tier model for Test cricket was being discussed by the ICC, he was not sure if it was perfect.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/two-tier-model-for-test-cricket-ecb-wary-ca-open-1498241
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Nikhil_cric
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Very poor argument. In white ball cricket , lower ranked teams have beaten higher ranked in ICC events and caused chaos.
In Test cricket, you have teams getting beaten out of sight even at home like Zimbabwe who got dismantled in 3 days.
chakdeindian
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What did Pak do to deserve playing test cricket?..there are no players of test standards..they play very less test cricket compared to other countries. They are lingering at the bottom of points table..even when test were played there are hardly any crowds to watch it..and with what I have observed from Pak PP posters, they don't have IQ to understand test cricket..only big 5-India,aus,eng,NZ and SA need to play test cricket..
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Tiers in other formats would be good too in all honesty
Vikram1989
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That's completely garbage.all the bottom test tier group have systematically destroyed their test eco system for the sake of profits and limited formats.As longs as only odis are alternative, they are after odis.once t20s are in business, they happily ignored odis and went after t20s.They have accepted wholeheartedly to be in bottom tier of both test and odis.They will go mad if u place them in t20 bottom tier as profits will dry up .
Mamoon
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Yes, Pakistan should be banned from playing Test cricket as a punishment for defeating England in the series in October.
Mamoon
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Pakistan with 0 IQ beat England few months ago.
But you lot looked like a bunch of Albert Einstein clones when you got whitewashed by NZ at home.
Mamoon
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If Pakistan ends up in tier-2, it is simply because of PCB’s stupidity.
Even today, Pakistan beats every side in the world at home on spin tracks, and we saw that vs England.
That means that with the same set of players, Pakistan will regularly be ranked in the top 3/4 if PCB in schedules more Test matches on spin tracks.
Even today, Pakistan beats every side in the world at home on spin tracks, and we saw that vs England.
That means that with the same set of players, Pakistan will regularly be ranked in the top 3/4 if PCB in schedules more Test matches on spin tracks.
You do realise that Pakistan is supposed to play overseas as well right? PCB cannot organise 2 years worth of home Tests on spin friendly tracks.
Mamoon
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If Pakistan schedules more home Tests on spin tracks, it obviously wins a lot more, which improves their ranking points and it will help them stay in the top 3/4 consistently.
Why? Because apart from India and Australia, almost every team loses most of its series away from home so it balances out.
Therefore, PCB can virtually guarantee a respectable ranking in Test cricket with the same set of players simply by playing more Tests on spin tracks, and the question of Pakistan slipping to tier-2 doesn’t even arise.
In fact, they don’t even need to schedule a lot more matches than they already. They just need to change the pitches.
Since Jan 2020, Pakistan have played 18 home Tests which is a decent number, considering India have played 22, but at least 14 of those 18 Tests were played on dead wickets that crippled Pakistan when it should have been the other way around, and the W/L ratio would be drastically different as we saw vs England.
It’s very easy for Pakistan to be a competitive Test team on the back of home dominance. However, it is extremely difficult to be #1 or #2 when you are not winning away from home though, and Pakistan cannot do that for now, especially outside Asia excluding WI.
chakdeindian
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The Same Pak got whitewashed by Bangladesh in at home 0-2..got whitewashed by Aus and SA away..
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Mamoon
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Pakistan will continue to get whitewashed in Australia and South Africa just like India continues to get humiliated in New Zealand.
However, it’s actually easier for Pakistan to beat teams like England, South Africa and New Zealand on spinning tracks than beating Bangladesh, as Bangladesh have decent spinners and some of their batsmen also play spin well.
chakdeindian
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So delusional..last time Pak travelled NZ it got whitewashed 2-0..last time NZ travelled Pak it played 2 matches in lifeless karachi and both ended in draw..that too second match NZ were about to win with just 1 wicket to take however bad weather forced the match to stop.. and easily you will be able to beat Eng,SA and NZ in spin friendly tracks..are you in dope?..they have better spinners than you and your team will be biting the dust if they provide spin friendly tracks..there is not even a single decent spinner in pakistan..that's the reason all Pak pitches are roads..the only way Pak can win is opposition play recklessly like to how eng played.
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Mamoon
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Another Indian troll that cannot comprehend basic english. Maybe if you stop bobbling your head, you will understand the point of argument here.
Pakistan beat England in October 2024 on spin-friendly tracks. They will do the same vs New Zealand and also Australia. Sajid and Nauman are a handful on spin pitches for any overseas batsmen.
The reason Pakistan has been underwhelming at home in the last few years is because the pitches have played into the strengths of the opposition.
Pakistan produced dead wickets for England (2022), Australia and New Zealand and it backfired because these teams are stronger than Pakistan and on neutral pitches, Pakistan have little chance of beating them.
However, as we saw vs England in October, if Pakistan produces spinning tracks, they will win most of their home Tests which will give them a high ranking.
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Mamoon
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Nauman took 20 wickets @ 13 and Sajid took 19 wickets @ 19 vs England on spin-friendly wickets.
But but but but Pakistan don’t have the spinners to exploit spin-friendly tracks.
But but but but Pakistan don’t have the spinners to exploit spin-friendly tracks.
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YousafTheBeast
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Itni IQ phir b Imam best opener since Anwar lmao
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Josh
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England earns Good money when Pak visits. ENG vs Pak is usually full stadium in England. ECB will not want Pakistan in Tier 2
Mamoon
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Better than arguing that Sharjeel should be in the team in 2025.
And yes, Imam is Pakistan’s best ODI opener along with Fakhar of the last 20 years.
YousafTheBeast
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2019 + 2023, yes. Over Imam, ABSOLUTELY.
Hilarious how you bring in Fakhar every time we discuss Imam.
mominsaigol
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Azhar Ali was a better opener then Imam. I dont like Azhar Ali but from 2015-2017 he was actually a very solid opener avg 45 and striking at 85.
He performed in the embarrassing Bangladesh series and was the only one who didnt fail miserably, he had decent performances vs Sri Lanka, and a decent showing during CT as well.
He performed well in the wi series too. He had a poor captaincy record but his batting was fine.
He performed much better then Imam against bigger teams.
Imam had one very good innings vs England his 150+ which was a once in a blue moon knock but beyond that he is the definition of a minnow stat padder.
He doesn't damage minnows either excluding Zimbabwe. His other good innings was in 2019 vs Afghanistan where he and babar provided stability until the middle order collapsed and imad rescued Pakistan.
I watched all games azhar and Imam played in and Imam only produced 2 good innings out of the dozens he played.
Imam is better then Ahmed Shehzad, Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat and a few others though.
chakdeindian
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So one test series that too 3 match series sample size is enough to conclude that Pak can beat any other countries with spin friendly pitches..wah! What a genius!! Everyone know England has been off late playing bazball and their approach often has been hit or miss..if Pak have had played more such series in spin friendly pitches with wins to substantiate your claim, your point could have been considered..one fluke series win and that's it, consider Pak team as spin masters and can win in spin friendly condition...If next series they lose in spin track, then what would you say, play in Moon?..And I can very much understand your IQ when you said Yoga is a Scam..don't have to drop your IQ points for me dear as it has gone in negative..please take it back so that some sanity prevails .Another Indian troll that cannot comprehend basic english. Maybe if you stop bobbling your head, you will understand the point of argument here.
Pakistan beat England in October 2024 on spin-friendly tracks. They will do the same vs New Zealand and also Australia. Sajid and Nauman are a handful on spin pitches for any overseas batsmen.
The reason Pakistan has been underwhelming at home in the last few years is because the pitches have played into the strengths of the opposition.
Pakistan produced dead wickets for England (2022), Australia and New Zealand and it backfired because these teams are stronger than Pakistan and on neutral pitches, Pakistan have little chance of beating them.
However, as we saw vs England in October, if Pakistan produces spinning tracks, they will win most of their home Tests which will give them a high ranking.
Please don’t advise me any “excercise“ * bobbles head * especially yoga, the biggest rubbish scam sold by India to LGBQT queens and vegan idiots in the West.
As far as my IQ is concerned, my high IQ is certified by Mensa, and I have to drop at least 50 IQ points to convince myself to engage with the likes of you.
chakdeindian
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Nauman Ali age 38 and Sajid Khan age 32.. both performed only one series..At this age, our cricketers either would have retired or achieved greatness..but but but Pak found their greatest spinners of the world who can exploit any spin friendly condition..
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Mamoon
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@chakdeindian
Let’s be honest - you didn’t have a clue in the world that Pakistan beat England in October 2024 on spin friendly pitches, and after you got schooled, you started crying about but but it’s a fluke
Half an hour earlier you said Pakistan cannot beat England because they have better spinners, but when I schooled you, you changed the goalposts and said but but they play Bazball and are easy to beat
Let’s be honest - you didn’t have a clue in the world that Pakistan beat England in October 2024 on spin friendly pitches, and after you got schooled, you started crying about but but it’s a fluke
Half an hour earlier you said Pakistan cannot beat England because they have better spinners, but when I schooled you, you changed the goalposts and said but but they play Bazball and are easy to beat
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Mamoon
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Fat Fixer only had one good series in his entire ODI career, and it came on dead pitches where he kept throwing his wicket away after half-centuries while Warner was scoring 100s for fun. Apart from that, he has been terrible.
Post 2018, Imam has been better than him. The reason why I always mention Fakhar too because Fakhar and Imam is Pakistan’s most successful opening pair in ODIs since Anwar and Sohail.
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THREAD IS ABOUT TWO TIER SYSTEM.
NO MORE IRRELEVANT STUFF NOW..
NO PERSONAL REMARKS
Mamoon
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I agree that Azhar is a little underrated in ODIs, mainly because it ended very badly for him. He was sacked as captain and as a player right before the CT, a tournament that saw the emergence of Fakhar and after that tournament, Imam emerged and those two became Pakistan’s best opening pair in many, many years between 2018-2023, so it was a major improvement from Shehzad and Azhar.
Imam gets excessive hate and criticism and a lot of it has to do with him being Inzy’s nephew. If he wasn’t related, he would have been more protected.
He is not as bad as people make him to be. You can’t average 47 (even after a poor stretch in last 15-20 games) after 74 innings with 9 hundreds if you aren’t good.
He is good and what sets him apart from most Pakistani batsmen is appetite to score hundreds. He was on course to score 20+ ODI centuries before he was dropped and maybe he can still comeback considering he is still only 29, and apart from Saim, the opening position is still up for grabs because Fakhar is close to retirement and Shafique keeps failing frequently, while Haris is not an ODI player.
People hate him excessively because they have an inflated perception of Pakistan’s talent reserves. They think he blocked deserving players because of Inzy but that isn’t the case. He deserved to play for Pakistan between 2018-2023 on merit and if Inzy fast-tracked him, he justified it with his consistency.
Yes he has flaws in his batting too. Strike rotation and batting vs short-pitched bowling is weak, but he worked around his limitations well.
chakdeindian
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Sir..I'm very well aware of the series and what happened prior to that as well..even in first match of the series Pak got innings defeat..im sure you didn't read my full post..@chakdeindian
Let’s be honest - you didn’t have a clue in the world that Pakistan beat England in October 2024 on spin friendly pitches, and after you got schooled, you started crying about but but it’s a fluke
Half an hour earlier you said Pakistan cannot beat England because they have better spinners, but when I schooled you, you changed the goalposts and said but but they play Bazball and are easy to beat
I understand your problem and empathize..but pls don't further embarrass yourself by Posting more such comments..
mominsaigol
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England did not play recklessly, they got stomped end of story. They are a good SEN team and a poor Australia and Asian touring team unless flat tracks are given to them
That hasnt changed since their inception. They have always been poor in aus, and even during the extremly early days of Sa and India entering into cricket during Bradman era, their era players struggled with an indian and SA side that was virtually Nepal or Kenya level at the time.
Historically they have sucked against spin in general excluding a few players. Even Harry Brooks who has a freak tour in NZ, a place where even Australia has issues due to the insane seam dominated but was a bunny against spin in india and Pakistan
Mamoon
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You had no clue. Your denial will not change the reality. You are already exposed.
And yes, Pakistan got hammered in the first Test which was played on a flat deck. As soon as Pakistan pivoted towards spinning pitches from 2nd Test and picked two experienced spinners, they dominated England.
This is another example of the fact that you have no clue about the series so lack the context.
Pakistan will whitewash England and most other teams at home if they produced spinning pitches.
That is why if Pakistan slip into Tier-2, PCB should be ashamed of themselves for handicapping itself by dishing out flat decks to touring teams and losing/drawing matches they would have otherwise won.
Pakistan went to #1 in 2016 by deploying the same strategy in UAE, although that Pakistan team with players like Younis, Misbah, Azhar, Hafeez, Yasir was superior than this Pakistan team, the current on is still decent enough to maintain a top 3/4 ranking by producing favorable pitches at home like everyone else
Mesozoic
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Then why do they only schedule 3 tests and not 5?
chakdeindian
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I have been following PP forum for years and know how pathetic Pak were performing at home prior to this series..and this victory came as a consolation win..The PP posters overhyped this aberration same like 2017 CT which was followed by many humiliation defeats..nevertheless, there are many occassions in the past where Pakistan batters had succumbed terribly to spin and collapsed..just quoting a period where Pak was no 1 for hardly 2 months that too 8 years before and a series which was won after 3 years at home cannot be considered statistically..Eng, Aus and NZ have also performed well in spin friendly pitches in the past in Asian conditions, even against India..what you are claiming can be merely considered as wishful thinking.. nothing more than that..Pak over past decade is nothing more than a minnow in all formats who gets defeated by a team like USA..Let them first prove that they can play spin in smaller formats before thinking about test matches..
YousafTheBeast
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Saying Fakhar and Imam is Pakistan’s most successful opening pair doesn’t say much.
You could put anyone with Fakhar in that period where he was opening with Imam and it would be just as “successful”.
Mamoon
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It takes two to tango. The opening combinations have been a mess in the last two years and both Imam and Fakhar (injuries) have been missed.
mominsaigol
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Fakhar is the greatest or 2nd greatest depending on where you rank Saeed Anwar, player to ever open for Pakistan.
He's basically a one hit match winner on his day. As long as the batter at the other end is able to hold the bat and accumulate runs, they will automatically look good.
Imam went out of form as soon as Fakhar departed since that meant that he would have to take the responsibility of playing a good PP which he can't do.
Saim Ayub and Farhan should open if Fakhar isnt available.
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