[VIDEOS] Are the think-tank not getting the best out of Asif Ali?

[Saj]

I was speaking with a member of the IU coaching staff and he felt that Asif Ali is not being utilised properly by the Pakistan team management, they aren't getting the best out of him and is getting a rough deal from them?

Thoughts?

 

[Mueez]

Could be the case.

I mean there must be a reason why he performs in the PSL and can’t replicate it in the international arena.

One thing is for sure, he can hit those big big sixes.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

PSL is t20 while WC is 50 overs. He simply doesn't have the engine to mold his style according to the situation. 20 ball 30s aren't going to be any useful if he arrives in at 100-4 in 25 overs.
He was trapped in so easily in the Asia Cup with bouncers.
The successful no 6 batters have much more in their arsenal than just slogging. Aus have Maxwell, who builds his innings steadily if he has to come in early. David Miller has shown appetite for 100s, England have Buttler, who is possibly the most talented batter of his generation(strictly speaking about white ball cricket)
West Indies have Russell, who is very very much an anomaly and a freak of nature.

 

[Sher Khan]

It’s not the management’s fault. The issue is he is not yet developed the ability to construct an innings together. He has only one attribute right now and that is his six hitting ability. His entire batting is shaped around his six hitting ability and thus we see him getting caught out a lot whilst looking for a six.

The only place for such a batsman is at number 7, but even then currently that is an extremely risky option as their is a lack of genuine allrounders in the current Pakistan squad. If Pakistan had a few genuine allrounders batting higher up the order, only then can we accommodate Asif Ali at 7.

So the answer is no the management is not wasting Asif Ali. Asif Ali needs to learn quickly how to construct an innings and work on his shot selection.

 

[JibranAnsari]

He is a slogger good for 30 35 deliveries , his list A average is 28 and the average deliveries he faces every innings is 26. So dont think its coaches fault.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

You can do whatever you want he will always be a miss or hit.

A once in 5 innings player. Can we afford such a specialist in this weak batting line up?

Shahid Afridi at the least used to be a decent bowler contributing to the team in any case.

 

[Bleedgreen4ever]

I was speaking with a member of the IU coaching staff and he felt that Asif Ali is not being utilised properly by the Pakistan team management, they aren't getting the best out of him and is getting a rough deal from them?

Thoughts?

What to do you expect from a player who averages below 30 in list A?

It's not his fault he is selected it's ours.

The guy is a GOLD player for T20I but that's it.

 

[Shafi]

As much as I dislike Umar Akmal but Asif Ali is a complete garbage. I would rather take an extra bowler than him. Asif can't score over 20 against any decent team. A bowler with little ability to bat can score 5-10 runs plus some crucial wickets to restrict opposition for less target to chase.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

As much as I dislike Umar Akmal but Asif Ali is a complete garbage. I would rather take an extra bowler than him. Asif can't score over 20 against any decent team. A bowler with little ability to bat can score 5-10 runs plus some crucial wickets to restrict opposition for less target to chase.

yes exactly, think-tank is too weak to make this simple calculation...

 

[Titan24]

Its not only Asif Ali, most of the players are not fully utilized by the current team management. Even a team of all stars can be made mediocre with poor plans and it has been evident from the last couple of years that Pak current team management is pretty poor with any such sort of thing. Whatever we have won is mainly due to individual brilliance of players.

To the posters saying that PSL is a T20 tournament and he is good for few deliveries I dont disagree but then what was the reason he didnt come good even in T20s against SA?

Hassan Ali took 25 wickets in 13 matches with 3 4 wickets haul in PSL and he bowl some outstanding deliveries in the very first over of most matched. He didnt had a great ODI year for Pakistan but was suddenly looking a different bowler under Mohammad Akram. His stats were outstanding for any league and a good ball is a good ball no matter the format or the opposition and same is the case with a good shot and good innings.

Stats for some of the players in PSL like Asif Ali, Hassan Ali and Faheem Ashraf were really good and they will be considered good by any standards and in any league.

I have always been of opinion that current lot of player have much more potential then they have achieved as a team in international cricket.

 

[Titan24]

After Glenn Philips in CPL: 29 and Andre Russel (Shared with Nicholos Poran) in BPL :28, Asif Ali in PSL: 26 has hit most sixes in any concluded franchise based T20 league (BBL, BPL, CPL) in 2018-19 season.

 

[Slim]

Nah, not really. Asif Ali is just plain rubbish and club level. Hes a poor mans Afridi who cannot bowl and score more than 6 runs which tells you that even calling him a poor mans Afridi is an over statement.

The team management doesnt holds his bat whens hes batting that he skies the ball every time to the midwicket for a catch.

Hes useless.

 

[Rana]

They are happy to label Imam ul Haq as an opener and discard any chance of another dasher to utilise the power play overs. What do you expect from such a management?

 

[hitthestump]

What do they expect Asif Ali to do? He is a mediocre lower order player capable of hitting a few sixes, which unsurprisingly is more or less the role he already plays. Maybe you could try him as opener but that's about it.

 

[MMHS]

It’s quite logical that there will be a difference in opinion between IU management & PCT management. One is T20 franchise, other is National cricket team management, for whom T20 should hold very little importance. This should also sum up Asif Ali, the player perfectly.

 

[MenInG]

Asif Ali clearly has some confidence issue. He can hit balls all day in practice am sure but cant do in game situations...

 

[Hasan123]

He has no idea how to construct an innings in ODIs.

 

[badsha001]

asif ali, umar akmal, fakhar zaman and babar azam are must needed in open/top order if pakistan wants to have any chance of chasing down 300+ targets

 

[SensiblePakFan]

He has the most sixes in the psl, no doubt that he has the ability, just needs game time.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Could be the case.

I mean there must be a reason why he performs in the PSL and can’t replicate it in the international arena.

One thing is for sure, he can hit those big big sixes.

I didn't see him perform particularly well in the PSL either. He had one or two knocks where he blasted some quick runs, but those were generally against struggling bowling where there was no pressure because the openers had already done the damage. He seemed to struggle in tight games especially against the quicker bowlers in death overs.

No doubt he is a lovely clean hitter of the ball, but he needs the ball to be pitched into his zone, and at the world cup the bowlers aren't going to oblige.

 

[gazza619]

Asif Ali needs to prove his metal in ODIs and to be fair he has had his chances.

I would not trust him if the team was 100-4 in 25 overs.

 

[saeedhk]

Nope. He only has himself to blame. It’s not like he’s scoring 100s in domestic and getting out cheaply in international. He is just not a batsman. I still wonder why he is in the squad. He is a proper hack, who can hit 1 or 2 sixes. He doesn’t have the technique or mindset to build an innings.

 

[saeedhk]

Also, this guy doesn’t bowl. He would’ve never even made it into Zimbabwe team. He is a liability. And people compare him with Afridi, who could bowl 10 overs and win you matches. He is one lucky guy to be still playing.

 

[barah_admi]

The guy has only had 8 opportunities to bat in ODI cricket and tsill strikes at a very good 130 with a 50 under his belt.

The international team just need to understand he is a lower order slogger and Pakistan is dearly missing that. If the guys above him (Imam, Fakhar, Babar, Malik and co) can build a solid platform, he is the perfect guy to come in during the last 10 overs or so and score a quick 30-50. Every modern side has one but Pakistan, with Arthur at the helm just do not understand how to handle him.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Only in Pakistan, poor coaching will be blamed for the failures of a 27 year old batsman.

 

[Chokli]

The guy has only had 8 opportunities to bat in ODI cricket and tsill strikes at a very good 130 with a 50 under his belt.

The international team just need to understand he is a lower order slogger and Pakistan is dearly missing that. If the guys above him (Imam, Fakhar, Babar, Malik and co) can build a solid platform, he is the perfect guy to come in during the last 10 overs or so and score a quick 30-50. Every modern side has one but Pakistan, with Arthur at the helm just do not understand how to handle him.

Players like him don't come off consistently, no hitter does.

Which is why more often than not you have hitters that can bowl a few overs to balance out the side.

No international team plays a hitter solely in a batsman or all rounders slot.

You're acting like he's going to come in every match and score 40(24), 56(33), 33(12).

No.

If he isn't doing all of that in Domestic Cricket, why in the blue hell would he be successful in International Cricket with much MUCH superior bowlers?

 

[MenInG]

A very tough situation for Asif but I have full faith in his abilities.

 

[TeamPak95]

It's a bit confusing for his case. From the outside looking in, you'd question why would he be selected for England if he wasn't selected for SA and AUS; he wasn't selected for SA because of form. At the same time, he has the situation with his daughter. So I guess my question is that was Asif not playing these past series' because of bad form, or because of the situation with his daughter? Either way, we need a player like Asif in the lower order, but if he doesn't score in this England series then that'd be it for his chances for the WC.

 

[hadi123]

It's a bit confusing for his case. From the outside looking in, you'd question why would he be selected for England if he wasn't selected for SA and AUS; he wasn't selected for SA because of form. At the same time, he has the situation with his daughter. So I guess my question is that was Asif not playing these past series' because of bad form, or because of the situation with his daughter? Either way, we need a player like Asif in the lower order, but if he doesn't score in this England series then that'd be it for his chances for the WC.

I don't think his non-selection was anything to do with his daughter, as he played in the PSL. I think his omission was cricketing reasons only.

 

[topspin]

A very tough situation for Asif but I have full faith in his abilities.

Same here +1

 

[Chokli]

With the issues surrounding his daughter, he should be with her

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Shouldnt have been selected for the worldcup because of the trauma he is facing currently , may Allah give her daughter a speedy recovery.

 

[Sunny_majoka]

He should have been our openner. With fakher. Why management is not thinking about this

 

[giri26]

Leaving his personal trauma aside, Asif has achieved what he is capable of in ODIs so far. He is a T20I hitter who has a mediocre LA record with a decent sample size. He isn't cut out for longer formats. He can be a pinch hitter who once in a while will score a 50 of 25 balls but those will be few and far in between against good teams.

 

[MenInG]

big chance for Asif Ali to do something here - needs to make it count

 

[angrypathan]

Asif Ali is not getting the best out of Asif Ali

 

[MenInG]

big chance for Asif Ali to do something here - needs to make it count

Dont think he's thinking right

 

[Saj]

Dont think he's thinking right

Shouldn't be with the squad if that's the case.

Awful running between the wickets today by him.

 

[Slim]

Useless player gonna be useless.

 

[hadi123]

Can't blame the think tank for what he done today. Basic schoolboy error. No excuses for that.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Can't blame the think tank for what he done today. Basic schoolboy error. No excuses for that.

The think tank could have read my posts earlier up this thread. Same goes for Fakhar. These guys aren't batsmen, they are brainless sloggers who will get found out at the top level. No surprise that the two genuine batsmen in Babar and Haris made all the runs.

 

[shaz619]

The think tank could have read my posts earlier up this thread. Same goes for Fakhar. These guys aren't batsmen, they are brainless sloggers who will get found out at the top level. No surprise that the two genuine batsmen in Babar and Haris made all the runs.

Problem is there is no power hitter who can belt the ball like Asif Ali even though he is so inconsistent so it is worth maybe having him around otherwise who else is there? but it does seem a lot of our batting in the WC will be dependent on the top / middle order

 

[Chokli]

Problem is there is no power hitter who can belt the ball like Asif Ali even though he is so inconsistent so it is worth maybe having him around otherwise who else is there? but it does seem a lot of our batting in the WC will be dependent on the top / middle order

So we should walk into a match with someone that doesn't bowl, fields poorly and in batting has a less than 10% chance of scoring something significant? Only because he can hit a six or two?

Also in place of a bowler or proper batsman?

In T20s we can afford him but in ODIs? Really mate? Especially when we already have Faheem + Sarfraz as the passengers?

 

[gazza619]

He has blown it away.

Also got Babar Azam run out.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

No place at all. Our batting is too brittle to be able to afford a bat who fires once in 5 innings.

People forget that Afridi at the least used to bowl and field well.

 

[Ilan Bluestone]

Shouldn't be with the squad if that's the case.

Awful running between the wickets today by him.

I think the thought process is we need someone similar to Sharjeel as we have a lack of power hitters in the team, but the problem is he is a leg side player who has little ability on the offside, and he does not make up with the limitation with running between the wicket and fitness.

Other teams have power hitters who know how to play on both sides of the ball, and who know how to turn off the gear when there are balls that one is not able to hit out of the park.

There is a bit of we aren't letting him get in a position to succeed, and he simply is not a great finisher to begin with at the international level due to his limitations.

53 LA innings with 3 fifties and one ton is pretty mediocre, even if it is for a power player.

I hope after the WC we move on, and use players who can play all around the park who have power and give them a set position.

There must be players who can hit sixes who have better discipline at the crease.

 

[Justcrazy]

He himself has look at his shot selection . He cannot hit International bowlers all the time , needs to learn to give them respect , and wait for right ball to hit. If he can get this right , he can be good number 6 provided there are batting all rounder bowling all rounders at 7 and 8

 

[FastBowlingAllrounder]

He has the potential. Just don't think he is in the right headspace...

What Pak management needs to do here is to understand that he can't sustainably bat higher than 6. Every now and then when we have a good platform he can come in at 5 and hit them around but 6 is his slot.

And for everyone talking about how he should be able to bowl or do something else, everyone said that Husain Talat was the man, Faheem was the man, Shadab was the man, but they all turned out to be decent in one facet and kind of crap in their other facet. So it is better if you have an Asif Ali who only bats and bats hard. You can have Faheem/Shadab and Imad coming in after him for "balance". We need to realise that with our current stocks, Asif is the guy who can solve our slow batting woes and we need to play around his strengths and weaknesses if we want to be posting the 330 scores Sarfraz talked about.

 

[Red Devil]

I think he will come good on this tour. We need to persist with him. The pitches are so flat with short boundaries and bowlers are pacy with minimal lateral movement.

Basically the conditions are tailor-made for someone like Asif. He just needs a bit of confidence.

 

[Chokli]

I think he will come good on this tour. We need to persist with him. The pitches are so flat with short boundaries and bowlers are pacy with minimal lateral movement.

Basically the conditions are tailor-made for someone like Asif. He just needs a bit of confidence.

Lol hasn't come good in domestic Cricket and he'll come good in international cricket

 

[Chokli]

He has the potential. Just don't think he is in the right headspace...

What Pak management needs to do here is to understand that he can't sustainably bat higher than 6. Every now and then when we have a good platform he can come in at 5 and hit them around but 6 is his slot.

And for everyone talking about how he should be able to bowl or do something else, everyone said that Husain Talat was the man, Faheem was the man, Shadab was the man, but they all turned out to be decent in one facet and kind of crap in their other facet. So it is better if you have an Asif Ali who only bats and bats hard. You can have Faheem/Shadab and Imad coming in after him for "balance". We need to realise that with our current stocks, Asif is the guy who can solve our slow batting woes and we need to play around his strengths and weaknesses if we want to be posting the 330 scores Sarfraz talked about.

You're under the impression he'll score every single match.

He's a poor man's Afridi

 

[giri26]

To be really frank, looking at his domestic record in all three formats, the maximum Pakistan can get from him is quick 20's and 30's with an occasional 50. I think that is exactly what the management is getting out of him. He is not a top order batter and you don't want someone averaging in 20's opening the batting then you will find yourself 10/1 most often than not.

 

[Rifaqat]

Tried and tested failure

 

[FastBowlingAllrounder]

You're under the impression he'll score every single match.

He's a poor man's Afridi

I am neither expecting him to nor saying he will score every match. All I am saying is that he is our best shot at an attacking batsman other than Fakhar right now.

 

[MMHS]

Frightening thoughts - even without getting the best out of it, he already has every ingredients to play Josh Buttler role. God bless other teams, if think-tank unleashes the best out of him .... Viv & Bevan combo role may be awaiting ......

 

[Chokli]

Frightening thoughts - even without getting the best out of it, he already has every ingredients to play Josh Buttler role. God bless other teams, if think-tank unleashes the best out of him .... Viv & Bevan combo role may be awaiting ......

Why are these so called fans so obsessed with Asif Ali? They want him on the basis that he fills the role of a hitter, how dumb are they? NO TEAM plays a player solely as a hitter, NO TEAM.

What are they expecting from him? Is a 30(20) or 25(12) really that worth it at number 6? It be one thing if he was capable of a 109(60) but he is NOT.

If a team does play them then that player provides value other ways such as bowling for 3 or 4 overs.

NAME ME ONE hitter in any other team that plays a hitter solely as a batsman.

 

[Haroon786]

He's the Pakistani Josh Buttler, or in other words, a China version of Shahid Khan Afridi.

 

[aukhan]

At his best he will score 30 runs.

Poor Man's Afridi.

 

[Sycamore]

If all management wanted was an Asif Ali, why not go for Umar Akmal. He will get you those 20-30s and even score a 50 odd.

 

[MenInG]

Asif Ali will become a passenger if he doesnt do anything special - not sure if he will be put in for 2nd ODI

 

[Pakhs]

He is not getting the best out of himself. Or maybe he is simply not that good.

 

[iPakistani]

Asif Ali will become a passenger if he doesnt do anything special - not sure if he will be put in for 2nd ODI

Our batting looked so weak in the 2nd ODI. 2 wickets down and the next batsman are Sarfraz, Asif and Imad. These guys can hit a maximum of 100 between them I reckon and that's not good enough.

 

[Chokli]

Asif Ali will become a passenger if he doesnt do anything special - not sure if he will be put in for 2nd ODI

He'll always be a passenger in the ODI side.

If he scores a 60(43) in one match he'll get a ride in the team for multiple matches solely on those innings.

Players like him who can't bowl or field don't provide any value to a weak team like Pakistan.

Take his Mzani Super League scores for example, scored in one match and failed in all of the rest.

 

[mon858]

He'll always be a passenger in the ODI side.

If he scores a 60(43) in one match he'll get a ride in the team for multiple matches solely on those innings.

Players like him who can't bowl or field don't provide any value to a weak team like Pakistan.

Take his Mzani Super League scores for example, scored in one match and failed in all of the rest.

very well assessed, i second this opinion. another way to describe this scenario is on average (which isn't even true at the moment based on stats), his output will be similar to Imad Wasim as a batsman, but without adding anything as a bowler, experience (aka Malik/Hafeez), or fielder (avg vs shadab).

this may sound extreme but for similar batting output I would consider playing someone like Anwar Ali over him based on his current performances/stats. or just play a proper batsman instead.

 

[Chokli]

very well assessed, i second this opinion. another way to describe this scenario is on average (which isn't even true at the moment based on stats), his output will be similar to Imad Wasim as a batsman, but without adding anything as a bowler, experience (aka Malik/Hafeez), or fielder (avg vs shadab).

this may sound extreme but for similar batting output I would consider playing someone like Anwar Ali over him based on his current performances/stats. or just play a proper batsman instead.

Agreed.

Anwar Ali is a lost cause now, he was bowling awful in the PSL... At around 100-110kph, very low from his usual 120-130kph.

If he could bowl upwards of 130, it would be a no brainier to select him but his pace has dropped drastically.

But if he can work his batting and on swinging and seaming the ball he can still be useful as a bowler who can pitch in for 3 or 4 overs, if he lost his pace.

 

[MMHS]

Why are these so called fans so obsessed with Asif Ali? They want him on the basis that he fills the role of a hitter, how dumb are they? NO TEAM plays a player solely as a hitter, NO TEAM.

What are they expecting from him? Is a 30(20) or 25(12) really that worth it at number 6? It be one thing if he was capable of a 109(60) but he is NOT.

If a team does play them then that player provides value other ways such as bowling for 3 or 4 overs.

NAME ME ONE hitter in any other team that plays a hitter solely as a batsman.

He was never that good. I have seen players with good/great FC stats failing in International cricket, but can't recall anyone to do other way - shine in Internationals with a poor FC stats.

I don't think bowling few overs was ever an option, it's not that easy; but had he been 8-9 years younger (I guess he is officially 28 now), I would have suggested to start wicket keeping - even decent keeping skills would have instantly made him the LO MVP of this PAK side. Umar Akmal had that route given to him in dishes, but his nose wasn't sharp enough to smell it.

 

[Red Devil]

I think he will come good on this tour. We need to persist with him. The pitches are so flat with short boundaries and bowlers are pacy with minimal lateral movement.

Basically the conditions are tailor-made for someone like Asif. He just needs a bit of confidence.

Called it.

 

[MenInG]

He is improving by leaps and bounds but still needs to get to a hundred by end of this series.

 

[gazza619]

Why the hell is Asif Ali not playing today when we need a hack. Can somebody please explain?

 

[Ram Shekhar]

Need to score big to stand a chance and you drop one of the guys who can hit big.. what kind of sorcery is this?

 

[Saj]

I'm not sure he was mentally right to be at the World Cup.

I saw him a few times and he didn't look right.

 

[topspin]

I'm not sure he was mentally right to be at the World Cup.

I saw him a few times and he didn't look right.

Agreed I will reserve my judgement, until he's in a better state of mind. It's sad to see a lot of posters bash in this tournament after the tragic loss of his daughter.

 

[asfandyar]

Need to score big to stand a chance and you drop one of the guys who can hit big.. what kind of sorcery is this?

Hitting big: 164 all out in 10 overs

Hitting long: 290 all out in 50 overs

Hitting big and long: 350 all out in 50 overs

Asif belongs to the first category.

 

[Savak]

Asif Ali unlike Afridi does not have his bowling and fielding to fall back on in case he fails with the bat, unless he is consistent with the bat he will mostly be out of the team

 

[Savak]

I'm not sure he was mentally right to be at the World Cup.

I saw him a few times and he didn't look right.

His style of play is also risky and not conducive to consistent Cricket. Unfortunately you can't be averaging low with the bat and offer nothing with the ball and on the field, the main reason Afridi had a long career was he was able to mask his inconsistent displays with the ball with his batting, poor batting with his bowling and at times a combined poor display with the bat, ball with excellent fielding and presence.

 

[MenInG]

Duck for Asif in practice T20 game vs CA XI

 

[Danyaalr01]

He's not being used badly, he's just not cut for international. Misbah should realise this now and give Khushdil Shah a go for a year. Khushdil can also bowl.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

His own think tank to be blame.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Vulnerable early on against pace , can't play spin , have a usual habit of brain **** , How can it get worse than this? Just on his day he can hit few sixes doesn't mean he should be given a chance in Playing XI.

 

[Danyaalr01]

Vulnerable early on against pace , can't play spin , have a usual habit of brain **** , How can it get worse than this? Just on his day he can hit few sixes doesn't mean he should be given a chance in Playing XI.

Another domestic and PSL basher. Having a player in the team just for batting at the end and hitting isn't good enough. Usually a middle or lower order hitter can bowl or keep, e.g. Maxwell, Stoinis, Neesham, Pandya, Stokes, Buttler, Russel, De Grandhomme etc.

Khushdil should be given a chance ahead of Asif. Khushdil's bowling should be worked on and improved, the problem is that Pakistan don't have a spin bowling coach. If Khushdil can bowl then he can quite useful, if his batting is good.