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[VIDEO] 'No time to experiment with Iftikhar Ahmed or Mohammad Haris' : Imam-ul-Haq

Salman4.

Salman4.

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Asked if Pakistan need an extra player in the middle order to provide impetus and power-hitting, like Iftikhar Ahmed or Mohammad Haris, in the remaining NZ games with the series now won, Imam responded:

“If I tell you honestly, I don’t think so, because we don’t have time to do experiments, and with Salman Agha, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, we have enough power-hitting options. It's just that we need to give them confidence. Sometimes it is very different to come at number five or six and play only six or seven overs, and it's quite possible that they may not have the stats like Babar, Fakhar and I would have"

"The way Salman Agha made 31, got a wicket and bowled so well so I think they needs to be gven more confidence"

"Nawaz and Shadab are also really good hitters and all-rounders, so I think we need to give these guys confidence. In my view we could have given chance to Mohammad Haris and Iftikhar Ahmed, if we had more matches although Babar might be thinking differently. There aren't that many matches left, in fact we have only two matches left, so it is important to go into a big tournament after giving confidence to your main players"

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If Agha & Shadab are power hitters, than I am George W Bush.

Dont even get me started on M Nawaz.
 
I cannot express how much I disagree. We don't need 3 fake all-rounders, we need an extra actual batter in there.
 
Think title needs to be changed, that’s not exactly what he said. He’s saying to emphasize momentum and confidence by letting the same individuals get as much match practice as possible when we’re so close to a tournament rather than experimenting at this stage.

Not saying I agree or disagree, but he’s not outright opposing their inclusion.
 
I wouldn't even be selecting Nawaz for white ball cricket based on recent form. Imad Wasim is my pick on Indian pitches where i would strongly consider opening the bowling with him.

There is no time nor reason to experiment with Mohammad Haris. He should be consigned to domestic for years based solely on that awful, awful shot he played in the t20's.

Iftikhar will be in the final squad and in the XI alongside Agha Salman. I don't think Haris Sohail will sort out his fitness and get enough match practice to own middle order spot before the WC comes which is the story of his career. Chacha is the natural replacement.
 
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How is chacha such favorite after one inning? He demonstrated he has the firepower but does he come good often?

With that being said, our current middle order is so bad that i will take chacha and imad on the journey to the worldcup. Imad mainly on his current batting and bowling form.
 
Also not sure if you guys agree with me but Fakhar should be told he should go straight to 3rd and 4th gear in opening to offset the snail pace imam will be starting his innings. In modern day cricket thats what teams like india and england will do.

We have enough consolidators to come one down that we cant afford to leave picking up the pace for the finishers.

With what talent pakistan has and the limitation of solid finisher pakistan should always aim to start with some fireworks and finish with fireworks when batting first.
 
Why questions are asked from players which should only be asked from the captain or team management. Its not imam's place to say that they dont have time to experiment , its job of the captain and the team management to say and decide.
 
And also people forget that imad has a SR of 110 in ODIs and is definitely needed in our team.
 
Chacha is too old now, he can score some runs against some mediocre bowling on flat wickets but not beyond that
, not against some quality opposition we going to face in WC, better give him a long and deserving rest.
 
Who gets picked should have nothing to do with Imam. Is he a selector now?
 
We are literally experimenting Right now with Abdullah @4 so what's he on about?
 
dumb statement, that is no imams concern
 
In this case, stop experimenting with Abdullah Shafique, put Rizwan at 4 and bring Iftikhar at 5.

Iftikhar Ahmed has been a team regular since 2019. He is solidifying player not experimenting player.
 
Should've just said its upto the team management.dont know why all these players have to give such statements these days
 
Suleiman said:
Think title needs to be changed, that’s not exactly what he said. He’s saying to emphasize momentum and confidence by letting the same individuals get as much match practice as possible when we’re so close to a tournament rather than experimenting at this stage.

Not saying I agree or disagree, but he’s not outright opposing their inclusion.
Click to expand...

He's outright lying.
Shan and then Abdullah at 4 is not experimenting?
 
Salman4. said:
He's outright lying.
Shan and then Abdullah at 4 is not experimenting?
Click to expand...

He’s not the captain. You’re talking as if it was his call lol. He can have the opinion he has because at the end of the day he’s not the one calling the shots if Shan plays or Abdullah plays…
 
I get the impression he is worried about Shan Masood or potentially Saim Ayub being tested in his position
 
Rana said:
I get the impression he is worried about Shan Masood or potentially Saim Ayub being tested in his position
Click to expand...

We have seen in 6 ODIs how Shan played at Imam's position. With an average of 18. Imam is thrice a player Shan is
 
heddie19 said:
We have seen in 6 ODIs how Shan played at Imam's position. With an average of 18. Imam is thrice a player Shan is
Click to expand...

But Imam was randomly dropped for Shan in the 3rd ODI last series

That insecurity will always remain now at the back of his mind
 
We have to experiment until we get the combination right. We can't go into the World Cup with a flawed squad just for the sake of continuity.
 
His answer should've been "It's none of my concern, you should ask this to the management/captain"
 
Signs of a weak captain:

When your players feel free to express selection matters and their personal batting positions on live tv
 
Although I like the fact that Imam has an original view point, he needs to understand when to say what.

Squad decisions are not a soap opera.
 
It is not good for Imam to be making such statements in public. However on the face of it the No. 4 spot is wide open and Iftikhar Or Haris Sohail can fit in there. I don't think Masood or Shafique are deserving of a place atm.

What is good to see though is that Pakistan are taking all their international games seriously and if they prepare well and select a good team they will most likely do well at the World Cup (if they participate)
 
Don't know why Kamran Ghulam was dropped for this series. He should have been given a proper chance at number 4.
 
Saj said:
Who gets picked should have nothing to do with Imam. Is he a selector now?
Click to expand...

I’m not sure why our players are running mouth? Some are talking they don’t like their spots, others are talking about who should and shouldn’t get a game.

Very unprofessional this and PCB needs to put a lid on it asap.
 
Galla said:
Should've just said its upto the team management.dont know why all these players have to give such statements these days
Click to expand...

Spot on.

They simply cannot stay quiet or avoid the question.
 
Please end the Ifthikar hype! He is old and we can’t invest on him! Let him become an umpire so he can get selected for every series/tournament.
 
Imam
Babar
Rizwan
Shadab
Shaheen

Cult of players who are destroying Pakistan cricket day by day.
 
Why is there no time? In fact 2 games are very good time to experiment - we have nothing to lose.
 
MenInG said:
Why is there no time? In fact 2 games are very good time to experiment - we have nothing to lose.
Click to expand...

Let’s say Shan plays instead of Imam and scores a 170 odd on a road…
 
Why is he answering this question in the first place? Who is doing media handling and training on these guys?
 
Being a Pakistani sports journalist has to be the easiest job ever. You can ask any question that could create a bit of controversy and a Pakistani cricketer will make your life a lot easier by going in depth and creating even more controversy.

Journalist - does the coach have any say in the selection for the xi.

Player - nah, if the coach speaks we slap him one.

Journalist - perfect, thanks.
 
Who are you by the way??? playing at a 80SR in powerplay? now you will tell who should be in team and who shouldn't ? Finally Iftikhar is settled and showed great hitting skills now sideline him? and play Salman Agha who is nobody? you gotta ask him what you smoking bro?
 
The PCB media guy once again failing to do his job.
 
If Babar, Bradburn or Mickey had said it, should have been fine (in the context they run the show), Imam isn't even the vc. Shouldn't have said it. Whoever asked him that is an idiot too.
 
gazza619 said:
If Agha & Shadab are power hitters, than I am George W Bush.

Dont even get me started on M Nawaz.
Click to expand...


Is that is the new team mantra? or is he trying to make a fool of us all.

If Salman Agha is the new power hitter, where was he during the PSL? Salman can be given more chances. However Mohd Nawaz is just a half decent spinner, he is not a strike bowler. He is not a power hitter at all. In fact his batting is inferior to Imad Wasim and bowling is slightly better.

Last year's t20 world cup, we neglected the middle order and persisted with Khushdil, Asif Ali, M Nawaz and Chacha. Apart from a couple of innings from Chacha . Others failed, we still made it to the final and there our weaknesses were exposed.
 
muqarrab said:
Why is he answering this question in the first place? Who is doing media handling and training on these guys?
Click to expand...

That's the point.

There will be a media manager with him, probably sat close to him, who is just sat there silently doing nothing.

Ridiculous really.
 
Suleiman said:
Think title needs to be changed, that’s not exactly what he said. He’s saying to emphasize momentum and confidence by letting the same individuals get as much match practice as possible when we’re so close to a tournament rather than experimenting at this stage.

Not saying I agree or disagree, but he’s not outright opposing their inclusion.
Click to expand...

Does he know that the 3 players he mentioned, are far from being power hitters. Iftikhar is actually a player that can hit big.
 
Not Imam’s place to answer that question.

This also goes on to show what kind of captain Babar is. If he was someone who commands authority in the team, players would be wary of stepping into his domain.

However, we all know Pak team is run more like a group of friends than a professional outfit. Kind of a free for all with a passive captain.
 
Saj said:
The PCB media guy once again failing to do his job.
Click to expand...

I've said before and I'll say it again. No one from the Pakistan team is media trained. Even the so-called media guy isn't media trained. Welcome to Pakistan cricket.
 
bilawal666 said:
I've said before and I'll say it again. No one from the Pakistan team is media trained. Even the so-called media guy isn't media trained. Welcome to Pakistan cricket.
Click to expand...

lol True.. you can it up a notch ...>>> management>>PCB>>...and so on uptil the higher ups:rp
 
I like Imam but he seems to have a big chip on his shoulder. It is quite unprofessional to be making such statements when Babar may very well want to try out Ifti in the next game.

Nawaz has done pretty much nothing since the Asia cup. He is still a handy player to have in the squad but cannot be carried in an ODI world cup. If Haris Sohail is out for good, then we certainly do need to move Rizwan up to #4, which opens up a spot at #5.

The ideal XI for the world cup should be:

1) Fakhar
2) Imam
3) Babar
4) Rizwan
5) Salman
6) Iftikhar
7) Imad
8) Shadab
9) Shaheen
10) Naseem
11) Haris
 
The Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique experiment seems to have failed, and the jury is still out on Agha and Nawaz. It's time to replace them with experienced and in-form batsmen like Imad Wasim and Iftikhar Ahmed. These game changers in the lineup can be expected to wreak havoc on Asian pitches, and what's even better is that they're not just brainless sloggers. It's a no-brainer, at least for me.
 
As per reports:

Abdullah Shafique's underwhelming performance in the two ODIs could also result in Iftikhar Ahmed being given an opportunity in the fourth ODI.

==

If this is true, Imam will look a bit silly although we can all heave a sigh of relief knowing that the Team Management is not totally stupid!
 
MenInG said:
As per reports:

Abdullah Shafique's underwhelming performance in the two ODIs could also result in Iftikhar Ahmed being given an opportunity in the fourth ODI.

==

If this is true, Imam will look a bit silly although we can all heave a sigh of relief knowing that the Team Management is not totally stupid!
Click to expand...

Indeed

Also very impressed with them for not throwing Rizwan in at 4 in the last game after his public rant in the presser. Much better organisation this time as compared to the helplessness we have witnessed in the T20 side
 
when, when will these ..... will learn to say next question or no comment or thats not my area of concern... har kisi ko kuch na kuch battar battar karna hai...

is slow snail paced parchi ko ye hi nhin pata k WC khailna bhi hai k nhin + 1000% ifti will be in the playing xi for WC...

all that r in pcb or some how affiliated to it come across mentally lacking...
 
Imam:

“If I tell you honestly, I don’t think so, because we don’t have time to do experiments, and with Salman Agha, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, we have enough power-hitting options. It's just that we need to give them confidence. Sometimes it is very different to come at number five or six and play only six or seven overs, and it's quite possible that they may not have the stats like Babar, Fakhar and I would have"


Pakistan Team Management to Imam - Zara arraam keejiyay

ba77a590-2550-4b45-bc48-e5a4d0037789.jpg
 
MenInG said:
Imam:

“If I tell you honestly, I don’t think so, because we don’t have time to do experiments, and with Salman Agha, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, we have enough power-hitting options. It's just that we need to give them confidence. Sometimes it is very different to come at number five or six and play only six or seven overs, and it's quite possible that they may not have the stats like Babar, Fakhar and I would have"


Pakistan Team Management to Imam - Zara arraam keejiyay

View attachment 119416
Click to expand...

Respect but then why did they give in to Rizwan’s demands of batting at 4??
 
MenInG said:
Imam:

“If I tell you honestly, I don’t think so, because we don’t have time to do experiments, and with Salman Agha, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, we have enough power-hitting options. It's just that we need to give them confidence. Sometimes it is very different to come at number five or six and play only six or seven overs, and it's quite possible that they may not have the stats like Babar, Fakhar and I would have"


Pakistan Team Management to Imam - Zara arraam keejiyay

View attachment 119416
Click to expand...

As per TV Comms:

"Imam out with a hamstring injury, slight little twinge"
 
MenInG said:
As per TV Comms:

"Imam out with a hamstring injury, slight little twinge"
Click to expand...

OK Imam story changed now:

Urooj on TV just said that Imam has been rested due to rotation policy, he has no injury!

Sounds even worse for Imam now.
 
Next they should ask his expert opinion on if he sees himself playing the WC... 🙂
 
MenInG said:
Why is there no time? In fact 2 games are very good time to experiment - we have nothing to lose.
Click to expand...

Exactly my thoughts.
Are we playing WC next week or something?

I think it was just a filmi dialogue in an effort to look cool.
 
MenInG said:
Imam:

“If I tell you honestly, I don’t think so, because we don’t have time to do experiments, and with Salman Agha, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, we have enough power-hitting options. It's just that we need to give them confidence. Sometimes it is very different to come at number five or six and play only six or seven overs, and it's quite possible that they may not have the stats like Babar, Fakhar and I would have"


Pakistan Team Management to Imam - Zara arraam keejiyay

View attachment 119416
Click to expand...

:))) well deserved benching for Imam. Needs to know his place! He is not Inzimam and never will be. Not even a player of Inzis calibre should get away with statements like this!

Well done by management
 
as-95 said:
:))) well deserved benching for Imam. Needs to know his place! He is not Inzimam and never will be. Not even a player of Inzis calibre should get away with statements like this!

Well done by management
Click to expand...

And it’s the same management who might have send him out to do the presser?

I am imagining the dressing room environment before the presser where captain and his friends trying to avoid the presser and telling each other, Yar tu chala jaa aaj, aaj meri tabbiyat nahi hai, aaj wo chala jaeyi, aaj uski baari hai, menay last time kia tha, abhi koi aur jaey - and finally they push one out of the room.
 
Hilarious :))

I would have loved to listen in on the team management meeting.
 
Though it sounded arrogant, he just spoke his mind without much thought. He knows his place in the team is sorted and there wouldn't be too much tinkering ahead of the World cup.
 
Duckworth Lewis said:
Though it sounded arrogant, he just spoke his mind without much thought. He knows his place in the team is sorted and there wouldn't be too much tinkering ahead of the World cup.
Click to expand...

Players like Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen are also guaranteed, yet you do not see them sitting out.
 
Asif321 said:
Imam tweeted “Allah is watching “
Click to expand...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“Life is an unexpected journey so never expect anything from anyone”. Be patient, Allah is watching❗️</p>— Imam Ul Haq (@ImamUlHaq12) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImamUlHaq12/status/1655128343077875716?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So much of this cryptic stuff!
 
To be fair on him, he did not deserve to be dropped especially if the first team is being played.

This series was to determine #4. #5 and #6.
 
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