[VIDEOS] Imam-ul-Haq - Essential or a liability in ODIs?

[YousafTheBeast]

For example, Imam-ul-Haq is still not highly rated by many Pakistani fans in spite of possessing a fantastic ODI record: 50 average, 83 SR and 9 centuries in 58 innings. He is well on his way to scoring 25+ ODI hundreds by the time he retires.

You couldn’t have been more wrong lol.

If you do respond to this, please don’t say “he’s the best opener for our standards”. You’re allowed to criticise him, just like you pick on players who make comments against India (Naseem for example)

 

[Amjid Javed]

Huge liability. But then again in all sports mamoon likes twerking for mediocrity

 

[W63L35]

His numbers are not too bad as comapred to other openers in ODI since 1/1/2022...

 

[shamaan]

Under huge pressure now.

 

[Saj]

I'm sure we'll still have the oh but look at his average and ranking brigade still singing his praises soon.

 

[PakHammer]

Abduallah and Fakhar opening against India would be a very sensible decision. Imam cant handle top tier attacks & needs to be benched. Scoring runs against the likes of Bangladesh, Afghanistan & New Zealand C will only get you so far.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

He needs to work on his pull shots else he will keep getting out this way.

I wont replace him with fakhar but yeah we can try Mohammad Haris on his place because he is the one who can give u a brisk start if he stays for 5 overs on the crease.

 

[Stewie]

He is a big liability. We need fearless cricketers at the top. He doesn’t strike as a fearless type of a batsman.

 

[BouncerGuy]

He is a big liability. We need fearless cricketers at the top. He doesn’t strike as a fearless type of a batsman.

I agree. His form is also a major concern now for Pakistan as we have no backup for him as well.

 

[Leeon1994]

Liability. Only good for test matches.

 

[mesmerizer85]

I guess most of his runs came in Pakistan/UAE which favoured him. Looks clueless and mediocre against top teams

 

[7sins]

Just bowl short to him and he will give you the wicket. Babar should open with shafique and put saud at no 3

 

[amvbfm]

Imam has done well during the past couple of years and deserved some leeway. But now he has used up that goodwill, at least for the time being since teams cannot afford to carry anyone on the basis of past performances in world tournaments. He is a good choice in conditions where par scores are around 250-280 and where he can take his time to settle or if you have someone like Fakhar firing from the other end. But in conditions like these Pakistan would be better off gambling with Fakhar because even if Imam succeeds he will give you a 70 ball 50 or 130 ball hundred. He just doesn't have the extra gear to accelerate towards the end. That would still not be bad if Pakistan had firepower in its batting order but with the current setup that just won't work. Abdullah can play Imam's role in a much better way. With the emergence of Abdullah, I also don't see a very bright future for him unless we totally waste Saim's talent.

 

[Mamoon]

You couldn’t have been more wrong lol.

If you do respond to this, please don’t say “he’s the best opener for our standards”. You’re allowed to criticise him, just like you pick on players who make comments against India (Naseem for example)

He is a million times better than Sharjeel and will accumulate a lot of batting records for Pakistan after Babar. You cannot drop a player with his record when you consider the alternatives.


Only way you can replace him is if Saim Ayub develops his game and scores some big runs in List A. He looked terrible against Afghanistan and please no imaginary names.

Please don't quote me if you don't have anything intelligent to say.

 

[ahmadharis1]

I'm not saying he would do better than Imam right now or deserves a spot more than him, but it's a shame Sahibzada Farhan hasn't been given a run opening in ODIs. He's got the numbers to back it up

 

[YousafTheBeast]

He is a million times better than Sharjeel and will accumulate a lot of batting records for Pakistan after Babar. You cannot drop a player with his record when you consider the alternatives.


Only way you can replace him is if Saim Ayub develops his game and scores some big runs in List A. He looked terrible against Afghanistan and please no imaginary names.

Please don't quote me if you don't have anything intelligent to say.

“a million times better than Sharjeel”




If you were an opposition player playing against Pakistan, you’d be more worried about Sharjeel than Imam.

One is an impact player, the other is a century maker after batting for 40 overs in the game.

I’ve moved on from Sharjeel, you won’t move on from Imam because you’re an Inzi fanboy.

 

[Mamoon]

“a million times better than Sharjeel”

View attachment 137534


If you were an opposition player playing against Pakistan, you’d be more worried about Sharjeel than Imam.

One is an impact player, the other is a century maker after batting for 40 overs in the game.

I’ve moved on from Sharjeel, you won’t move on from Imam because you’re an Inzi fanboy.

An "impact" player who fails 99% of the times and has embarrassing numbers against almost every major team.

This is Sharjeel's "impact" against the non-minnows:

23 ODIs, 27 average, 0 centuries.

What impact. Wow.

As an opposition player, I would happily play against a talentless, fat hack like Sharjeel knowing that one good ball and he is gone. On the other hand, I would be more wary of Imam because he has the hunger to grind and score runs. You cannot score the runs that he has without having the temperament to dig in.

He has been a consistent opener for years and a few bad games in succession and suddenly he is not good enough.

I'm happy to see that you have moved on from Sharjeel and are no longer an obsessed ex but I couldn't care less about Inzamam. However, I do care about the fact that Imam has been one of the better ODI openers Pakistan has had in the last 15-20 years and deserves his place in the team.

People like you have been on his backside since day 1 and never gave him credit because of his connection with Inzamam. Apparently, it is a crime to be related to a renowned cricketer. Sums up the Pakistani mentality. If his name was Imam Khan or Imam Azam he would get a lot more hate than he does now.

No more replies unless you come up with something intelligent.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

An "impact" player who fails 99% of the times and has embarrassing numbers against almost every major team.

This is Sharjeel's "impact" against the non-minnows:

23 ODIs, 27 average, 0 centuries.

What impact. Wow.

As an opposition player, I would happily play against a talentless, fat hack like Sharjeel knowing that one good ball and he is gone. On the other hand, I would be more wary of Imam because he has the hunger to grind and score runs. You cannot score the runs that he has without having the temperament to dig in.

He has been a consistent opener for years and a few bad games in succession and suddenly he is not good enough.

I'm happy to see that you have moved on from Sharjeel and are no longer an obsessed ex but I couldn't care less about Inzamam. However, I do care about the fact that Imam has been one of the better ODI openers Pakistan has had in the last 15-20 years and deserves his place in the team.

People like you have been on his backside since day 1 and never gave him credit because of his connection with Inzamam. Apparently, it is a crime to be related to a renowned cricketer. Sums up the Pakistani mentality. If his name was Imam Khan or Imam Azam he would get a lot more hate than he does now.

No more replies unless you come up with something intelligent.

The only crime committed was Inzi selecting his nephew for the Zimbabwe series.

Using such a small sample size of 27 ODI to come to a conclusion that Imam is better than Sharjeel.

Thanks for sharing Sharjeel’s stats vs non minnows, I would share Imam’s stats vs non minnows too but I can’t because even the top 5 teams he’s played against have been their b teams.

Let’s also not forget one has had the luxury of playing on the most batting friendly pitches in Pakistan.

 

[Saj]

Just bowl short to him and he will give you the wicket. Babar should open with shafique and put saud at no 3

It's an area of his game that desperately needs working on.

I can't believe that the lack of improvement in this area of his batting.

What are the batting coaches doing?

 

[Amjid Javed]

It's an area of his game that desperately needs working on.

I can't believe that the lack of improvement in this area of his batting.

What are the batting coaches doing?

Forget the batting coaches, what is imam doing to improve his game?

Still poor against short ball

In ODIs he just plays conventional cricket shots, no improvisation, no ramp shots, reverse hits, using angles etc. Most LOI batsmen work on scoring all round wicket.

Imam just plays his brand of safety 1st cricket that's why he has a pathetic strike rate of less than 70 in PPs.

But when you have Pakistan fans with their pom poms out like mamoon and others supporting such mediocrity its no wonder he keeps getting picked

 

[topspin]

Forget the batting coaches, what is imam doing to improve his game?

Still poor against short ball

In ODIs he just plays conventional cricket shots, no improvisation, no ramp shots, reverse hits, using angles etc. Most LOI batsmen work on scoring all round wicket.

Imam just plays his brand of safety 1st cricket that's why he has a pathetic strike rate of less than 70 in PPs.

But when you have Pakistan fans with their pom poms out like mamoon and others supporting such mediocrity its no wonder he keeps getting picked

Advocating for Imam in the Pakistan really is just like supporting Haverz for Arsenal.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Forget the batting coaches, what is imam doing to improve his game?

Still poor against short ball

In ODIs he just plays conventional cricket shots, no improvisation, no ramp shots, reverse hits, using angles etc. Most LOI batsmen work on scoring all round wicket.

Imam just plays his brand of safety 1st cricket that's why he has a pathetic strike rate of less than 70 in PPs.

But when you have Pakistan fans with their pom poms out like mamoon and others supporting such mediocrity its no wonder he keeps getting picked

I reckon his tempo in net practices for Test and ODI’s are very similar.

All of his shots are premeditated. If he wants to dab the ball to third man for a single, a juicy full toss outside off stump won’t stop him from doing so.

 

[Amjid Javed]

I reckon his tempo in net practices for Test and ODI’s are very similar.

All of his shots are premeditated. If he wants to dab the ball to third man for a single, a juicy full toss outside off stump won’t stop him from doing so.

Imam is just a modern day version or Rameez Raja. Who back in 90s was a mediocre batsmen who played more then he should, imam is just doing same now.

 

[gazza619]

I know the national debate at the moment is if we should play Imam or Fakhar against India.

I actually think both will fail against India. I would personally take a gamble with playing an extra bowler in Usama Mir who may make a bigger impact than the single digits which Imam/Fakhar will score.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Imam is the main culprit who is mounting pressure upfront on the team, comsuming too many dot balls in powerplay which is a criminal act these days specially in modern day cricket.

Management should give a chance to Fakhar Zaman atleast if he stays on a wicket so he can provide u a rapid start.

 

[bones]

Imam is the main culprit who is mounting pressure upfront on the team, comsuming too many dot balls in powerplay which is a criminal act these days specially in modern day cricket.

Management should give a chance to Fakhar Zaman atleast if he stays on a wicket so he can provide u a rapid start.

Well said.

I wanted Imam to succeed because you don't score runs against Australia unless you are half decent but that was a long time ago and his game has regressed instead of improved.

I'm not a big fan of Fakhar either because he hasn't worked on his game either, but his ability to find and clear the fence gives us some respite from the snail pace run rate they've always served up.

I hope Imam works on his game, learns how to be more brave, sorts out his short ball issue and then maybe can return to the team. Right now, he's not deserving of a spot.

 

[Bewal Express]

Imam is a solid player but he is limited in Stroke play and doesn't go on against the better teams. Move on and try others after the WC and whats remains of this WC,but Imams race is run

 

[Ab Fan]

Pakistan's best 4 are :-

Abdullah
Fakhar
Babar
Rizwan

You get a left handed aggressive batsman similar to Ishan Kishan, which is Fakhar Zaman.

 

[Caved12]

He was doing his job, but then you guys, ex cricketers, fans and everyone put too much pressure on him and asked him to score runs at a higher strike rate. As a result, Pakistan failed to play 50 overs quite a few times in this world cup and now we are out. Comparing your cricket with other teams and their players all the time and forcing everyone in Pakistan to play like those teams is simply madness. You can't change your cricket overnight and absolutely nothing Pakistan or Babar did in the last 2 years that suggested that we have moved on from the 90s style of scoring runs. Abdullah and Imam always threw their wickets away because they were trying to hit a six or were in a mood to change gears. Sorry this is madness and you can't play your cricket like this. Don't worry about what others are doing and just play your game based on your strengths and weaknesses. In this world cup, our batters have done nothing, but threw their wickets away after getting well set.

Kawa chala tha hans ki chaal apni bhi bhool betha

 

[YousafTheBeast]

He was doing his job, but then you guys, ex cricketers, fans and everyone put too much pressure on him and asked him to score runs at a higher strike rate. As a result, Pakistan failed to play 50 overs quite a few times in this world cup and now we are out. Comparing your cricket with other teams and their players all the time and forcing everyone in Pakistan to play like those teams is simply madness. You can't change your cricket overnight and absolutely nothing Pakistan or Babar did in the last 2 years that suggested that we have moved on from the 90s style of scoring runs. Abdullah and Imam always threw their wickets away because they were trying to hit a six or were in a mood to change gears. Sorry this is madness and you can't play your cricket like this. Don't worry about what others are doing and just play your game based on your strengths and weaknesses. In this world cup, our batters have done nothing, but threw their wickets away after getting well set.

Kawa chala tha hans ki chaal apni bhi bhool betha

His job is to score runs and make use of the PP. You can’t say that he’s an accumulator when we have Babar, Rizwan and Saud who are all capable of batting out the majority of the overs.

if you go back to the 2015 WC, England’s top 4 was Ian Bell, Moeen Ali, Gary Ballance, and Joe Root. They could barely play out the full 50 overs, their reaction wasn’t to become more defensive, but to become more aggressive.

They got rid of their openers and went with Roy and Hales. At that time no one knew what they were capable of doing at the international level. Morgan took a risk and it paid off.

Pakistan needs to do the same. No one knew that Abdullah would be capable of scoring a WC hundred, especially with zero List A experience.

For me personally, Imam isn’t even in the top 5 openers list in the country.(LOI)

 

[Kianig89]

Finally the leech was taken away and seepage stopped, if only these say Corp. Commodities were discarded earlier, Fakhar had mental.edge over AFGHANISTAN we messed it up

 

[Caved12]

Finally the leech was taken away and seepage stopped, if only these say Corp. Commodities were discarded earlier, Fakhar had mental.edge over AFGHANISTAN we messed it up

so the guy who was unable to score runs in the last 15 to 20 odis was somehow our saviour against Afghanistan?

Then why was Naseem saving us against Afghanistan in the past all the time?

I like Fakhar and I am glad that he scored some runs today, but he is wildly inconsistent and is not the answer to resolve our problems at the opening position.

 

[Swing]

Imam has to stay because Fakhar is not a reliable guy.

Ramiz made a very good point today about Fakhar staying out of form for a long time, it's because he's not technically sound. Batsmen with good technique get through dry phases by going back to the basics, playing in the V, waiting for the ball all that stuff. Fakhar struggles with that so you need Imam in the squad to take his place when he's play bad.

On the other hand, Imam is a special clown, one who loves to get out to short balls. He really needs to work on that.

 

[Caved12]

His job is to score runs and make use of the PP. You can’t say that he’s an accumulator when we have Babar, Rizwan and Saud who are all capable of batting out the majority of the overs.

if you go back to the 2015 WC, England’s top 4 was Ian Bell, Moeen Ali, Gary Ballance, and Joe Root. They could barely play out the full 50 overs, their reaction wasn’t to become more defensive, but to become more aggressive.

They got rid of their openers and went with Roy and Hales. At that time no one knew what they were capable of doing at the international level. Morgan took a risk and it paid off.

Pakistan needs to do the same. No one knew that Abdullah would be capable of scoring a WC hundred, especially with zero List A experience.

For me personally, Imam isn’t even in the top 5 openers list in the country.(LOI)

I am simply talking about what we could have done to win one more game out of the last five and still stay alive in this on going tournament. I am not trying to defend Imam or any other players. Just trying to figure out what went wrong and just thinking out loud with you guys here. Honestly speaking, it is useless to compare our cricket with England or any other team as our systems are totally different and where is England this year in this world cup? How many games have they won so far in this world cup?

 

[YousafTheBeast]

I am simply talking about what we could have done to win one more game out of the last five and still stay alive in this on going tournament. I am not trying to defend Imam or any other players. Just trying to figure out what went wrong and just thinking out loud with you guys here. Honestly speaking, it is useless to compare our cricket with England or any other team as our systems are totally different and where is England this year in this world cup? How many games have they won so far in this world cup?

England are WC and WT20 champions right now, can’t expect them to win every major tournament.

If our system is bringing out players that can’t change gears and only play for their personal milestones then it needs to be burnt down.

Pakistan can’t afford a player like Imam eating up all the balls with zero impact on the game when we have zero power hitters that can score 100 odd from the last 10 overs.

 

[ArabKnight]

Imam has to stay because Fakhar is not a reliable guy.

Ramiz made a very good point today about Fakhar staying out of form for a long time, it's because he's not technically sound. Batsmen with good technique get through dry phases by going back to the basics, playing in the V, waiting for the ball all that stuff. Fakhar struggles with that so you need Imam in the squad to take his place when he's play bad.

On the other hand, Imam is a special clown, one who loves to get out to short balls. He really needs to work on that.

Ramiz is a clown for hating on Fakhar.

The legend Fakhar has more talent in one bone than Ramiz’s & Imam’s whole careers combined.

 

[shamaan]

so the guy who was unable to score runs in the last 15 to 20 odis was somehow our saviour against Afghanistan?

Then why was Naseem saving us against Afghanistan in the past all the time?

I like Fakhar and I am glad that he scored some runs today, but he is wildly inconsistent and is not the answer to resolve our problems at the opening position.

He is a match winner of course he's going to be in consistent at times.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Born in the wrong era for sure. Very out-dated batting style. This is something i noticed even 3 or 4 years back. SOmehow he accumulated the runs which kept him relevant.

 

[Saj]

Fakhar said he could have played in some of the recent matches.

Yet they continued to pick Imam!

 

[Caved12]

He is a match winner of course he's going to be in consistent at times.

Seriously brother?

He plays one good innings and then disappears in the next 4.

Before his 81, he failed in 12 consecutive innings against teams like Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Netherlands.

 

[Farabi]

Seriously brother?

He plays one good innings and then disappears in the next 4.

Before his 81, he failed in 12 consecutive innings against teams like Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Netherlands.

This string was an exception not the norm. Fakhar career average is 45.

 

[Caved12]

England are WC and WT20 champions right now, can’t expect them to win every major tournament.

If our system is bringing out players that can’t change gears and only play for their personal milestones then it needs to be burnt down.

Pakistan can’t afford a player like Imam eating up all the balls with zero impact on the game when we have zero power hitters that can score 100 odd from the last 10 overs.

You see you are talking about the past and the future whereas I am trying to figure out what went wrong with Imam and other players and why were we unable to bat 50 overs almost every game in this world cup?

 

[Lampard]

Imam was unlucky not to got a chance. This might have been a good opportunity for him to score some runs and get back his confidence. No matter what every one says, we are missing his solid starts in this World Cup and the platform he provided to other batters to come in and play freely in the latter part of the innings that has disrupted our batting. Bangladesh’s bowling is the weakest out of all the teams so Fakhar scoring some runs is not a big deal but I hope he can score big in the next few matches too.

 

[Ahmed216]

Imam was unlucky not to got a chance. This might have been a good opportunity for him to score some runs and get back his confidence. No matter what every one says, we are missing his solid starts in this World Cup and the platform he provided to other batters to come in and play freely in the latter part of the innings that has disrupted our batting. Bangladesh’s bowling is the weakest out of all the teams so Fakhar scoring some runs is not a big deal but I hope he can score big in the next few matches too.

We missed his 'solid' starts in last WC too. And will miss them in next WC also if he continues playing.

 

[shortbread]

After watching today's innings, Imam has decided to relaunch his career as an all rounder!

 

[YousafTheBeast]

@Mamoon

Forget 25+ 100’s, we might never see parchi play for Pakistan in ODI’s again.

 

[Saj]

Pakistan look a better side without Imam.

Our ODI team does not need another batter with his sort of approach.

 

[Hawkeye]

Imam

What a fraud stat padder. If one blindly looks at his stats, you’ll see 50 average.

How deceiving and that shows he only plays for himself, never for the team, specially not against any good opposition.


It’s about time we permanently kick out all such batters from our cricket.

This is 2023 and not 1980s.

As long as we keep nurturing and giving chances to such pathetic batters, we’ll end up losing all major tournaments.

 

[tauseef_mahmood]

Imam

What a fraud stat padder. If one blindly looks at his stats, you’ll see 50 average.

How deceiving and that shows he only plays for himself, never for the team, specially not against any good opposition.


It’s about time we permanently kick out all such batters from our cricket.

This is 2023 and not 1980s.

As long as we keep nurturing and giving chances to such pathetic batters, we’ll end up losing all major tournaments.

He is not a bad player. Might need a bit of coaching and shot selection. I think he is an asset. Pakistan has a tradition of dissing player. People are saying Babar does not have a place in Pakistan team, really.

 

[tauseef_mahmood]

Imam is a solid player but he is limited in Stroke play and doesn't go on against the better teams. Move on and try others after the WC and whats remains of this WC,but Imams race is run

I think he doesnt do too bad against good teams ... he has done well against Aus and doesnt do too bad on foregin pitches.

 

[tauseef_mahmood]

Imam against "big" teams .... He belongs up there.

 

[tauseef_mahmood]

In away series.......

 

[tauseef_mahmood]

Now guys chill out a bit. That is how we lose good players. and players like afridi survived 300 odi matches with average below 30.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Imam against "big" teams .... He belongs up there.
View attachment 138708

How many of those “big games” were played against B and C teams?

 

[GLORY OF '92]

After watching today's innings, Imam has decided to relaunch his career as an all rounder!

I think Imam should retire. Simply.

 

[Bewal Express]

I think Imam should retire. Simply.

No need. He needs to up his game or he will be retired.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

No need. He needs to up his game or he will be retired.

I'm just worried aur koi uska chacha PCB mein nahin ajaye.

 

[160KPH]

Fakhar had a horrible year and deserved to be dropped and it seems like the drop did him some good - he looks better then ever.

Abdullah in for Fakhar made sense at the
time and now Fakhar has came back and shown he’s in form so now Fakhar in for Imam is the obvious choice too. Gonna be hard for Imam to earn a spot back now that Saim Ayub will also be knocking on the door. I’m not an Imam hater, I think he did well considering the choices we had at the time, but in form Fakhar and Abdullah are both better than Imam currently.

 

[Hawkeye]

He is not a bad player. Might need a bit of coaching and shot selection. I think he is an asset. Pakistan has a tradition of dissing player. People are saying Babar does not have a place in Pakistan team, really.

Like I said earlier, the stats are deceiving.

He mostly played against B and C teams when the opposition never fielded a full strength side.

Second, just look at that pathetic strike rate. You just proved my point he never plays for the team, only for stats.

Hafeez, criticized by many on this forum, has a strike rate of freaking 104. Legendary when you compare with Imams strike rate of 70s — let’s just say 82 strike rate is basically 70s in practice.

And Hafeez played a decade before Imam!

Going into a shell, wasting balls as an opener, in 2023? That means you’re going to lose matches for your team.

And you’re only playing to save your spot and score meaningless 50s.

 

[Bewal Express]

I'm just worried aur koi uska chacha PCB mein nahin ajaye.

Name recognition helps in PK cricket but I know its not fashionable to say it, but Imam had earnt his Place. He is pretty much like all the others, bang average, nothing good or bad.

 

[160KPH]

Name recognition helps in PK cricket but I know its not fashionable to say it, but Imam had earnt his Place. He is pretty much like all the others, bang average, nothing good or bad.

Yeah he wasn’t like a world class batsmen or anything but he scored consistently and won against the sides that were put in front of him. Hard to drop your player when he’s scoring and your winning - regardless of the side in front of you.

The truth is that Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, and Saim Ayub have higher ceilings than Imam so if they’re in form they’ll always be preferred.

 

[mazkhan]

I don't look at stats I watch the players and fakhar fits into the modern white ball game.

Imam doesn't he doesn't have the stroke play and is a just a nurdler, he doesn't have power hitting ability for an opener In powerplays which shows why we never hit any sixes until fakhar was recalled

 

[Nado_]

Imam is just not impactful enough for odis .

Babar he’s a bit timid at times but he’s still a good player it’s just the way he’s hyped we expect more from him. Imam was the major weak link, we’ve got a decent middle order with riz, Saud who can play spin and Ifti who can play pace. If we had another destructive lower order hitter like a Maxwell/Pandya etc then we would have a pretty decent rounded batting line up

 

[Bewal Express]

I don't look at stats I watch the players and fakhar fits into the modern white ball game.

Imam doesn't he doesn't have the stroke play and is a just a nurdler, he doesn't have power hitting ability for an opener In powerplays which shows why we never hit any sixes until fakhar was recalled

And that's why Babar stuck with him as long as he could. People have very short memories

 

[Raja Ishtiaq]

So true man

 

[ads101]

You can't have two players in a partnership who just sit back and don't rotate the strike. It creates too much pressure. Which is why Fakhar didn't work with Imam. I don't think it will work with Abdullah either, he isn't great at it, even though again I rate him as a batsman individually, though hopefully he will improve in that area. If you look at most big knocks with Fakhar and Imam they are usually done alongside Babar. Having a guy who can rotate strike alleviates pressure and stops the partnership from being pinned down. Babar is honestly very underrated for this skill, and is a reason why he makes good partnerships with other batsmen all the time.

Same way I'd like to see Rizwan bat with Fakhar in T20s with Babar at 3. See how Fakhar can bat with someone who can rotate strike at the other end and get some consistent runs without pressure.

Imam isn't a bad player, you just can't be with that record. He's just a limited player like a lot of the rest. Fakhar is limited in the same way, but he also has power and acceleration which Imam (or the other batsmen) don't have. So it is better if you can create a system where Fakhar can perform in opposed to Imam. The Imam-Fakhar partnership was bad last world cup and it is bad leading up to this world cup. The years we have wasted on this combo hoping it would eventually come good is insane.

 

[topspin]

The next World Cup is in South Africa

Cricket isn’t slowing down. You need these types of players. Not Hurrairas/Bangalzais/Haseebullahs/Shafiques

But we have been told "Imam is the most important player in the team".

 

[mominsaigol]

But we have been told "Imam is the most important player in the team".

No, we have been told by mickey that imam Is the top 5 batsmen on the planet

 

[mominsaigol]

For a brief while (with Rizwan at 4), even I was slightly under the illusion that he might have to bat through for this team.

Then seeing guys making runs for fun, and watching Imam just not caring about the team’s requirement changed my view entirely.

It’s a shame because Imam has been at the job for 5 years and still hasn’t improved his game to meet modern requirements. Far more talented/flamboyant openers have not been afforded as much opportunity he has been afforded and are discarded

Thing about imam is that he's ironically more talented then babar and rizwan.

When imam made his debut he was far superior to babar and rizzu on debut.

Rizzu on debut was useless, babar on debut couldn't even take singles, or hit anything properly besides one cover drive, babar is lucky to face Zimbabwe on debut lol.

Imam on debut had issues with aggressive stroke play and short ball but his single taking ability and his cuts and backfoot play against spin was far >>>>>>>>>> babar and rizzu on debut.

Since them however babar learned to take singles, developed that legside flick to inswing, developed the pull shot, and developed more drives for overpitched deliveries. Even rizzu developed that slog sweep and I side out.

Imam on debut is the same as now, literally zero difference?



Problem with imam is that I've never seen a player with zero growth mindset. He never bothered to improve anything, it took him 5 years to net practise against the short ball lol . Even on interviews he gets aggressive when people ask him to developed aggressive shots. He's the only player in history who's the same on debut as he is now, no improvements what so ever, so arrogant lol

 

[Rana]

Thing about imam is that he's ironically more talented then babar and rizwan.

When imam made his debut he was far superior to babar and rizzu on debut.

Rizzu on debut was useless, babar on debut couldn't even take singles, or hit anything properly besides one cover drive, babar is lucky to face Zimbabwe on debut lol.

Imam on debut had issues with aggressive stroke play and short ball but his single taking ability and his cuts and backfoot play against spin was far >>>>>>>>>> babar and rizzu on debut.

Since them however babar learned to take singles, developed that legside flick to inswing, developed the pull shot, and developed more drives for overpitched deliveries. Even rizzu developed that slog sweep and I side out.

Imam on debut is the same as now, literally zero difference?



Problem with imam is that I've never seen a player with zero growth mindset. He never bothered to improve anything, it took him 5 years to net practise against the short ball lol . Even on interviews he gets aggressive when people ask him to developed aggressive shots. He's the only player in history who's the same on debut as he is now, no improvements what so ever, so arrogant lol

Imam has developed an aggressive mindset in defending himself during press conferences

 

[Slim]

Imam has developed an aggressive mindset in defending himself during press conferences

Imam is so limited that his only aggressive shot is the “release shot” where he dances down the wicket to hit a boundary but mostly ends up being a single. Hes a batsman from the 90s era. Born in the wrong time.

 

[topspin]

No, we have been told by mickey that imam Is the top 5 batsmen on the planet

No not Mickey, according to Shariqnoor, Imam is the most important player in the team.

 

[Rana]

Imam against "big" teams .... He belongs up there.
View attachment 138708

Big teams? Besides India maybe, those teams are all B or C teams of those countries.

 

[topspin]

Imam against "big" teams .... He belongs up there.
View attachment 138708

Even if these runs were scored against first string attacks, you're overlooking that miserable strike rate. A strike rate of 82 for an opener where there's very little assistance for the new ball bowlers during the powerplay is really bad.

 

[Firebat]

With the return of Fakhar, rise of Abdullah and excitement around Saim, this guy is truly done. He doesn't make it into any other top team, let's move on!

 

[topspin]

It doesn't take a genius to realise that he was never going to be good enough to play at the highest level in white ball cricket.

If you can't even nail down a PSL contract and be a regular player for your franchise let alone dominate then you stand no chance of making it in both T20Is and ODIs.

I knew Abdullah Shafique would do fairly well in this World Cup from what I saw in the PSL earlier in the year. He scored 268 runs from his 10 games with a strike rate of 144 whereas Imam can't even make it.

If you can't prove yourself in your premier domestic T20 league, you have no chance of making it T20Is and ODIs.

ODIs is now merely an extension of T20Is, so if you're good in the shorter format, you're more than likely going to be an asset in ODIs. This isn't always case, for e.g. Haris Rauf but it's important to bear in mind that in the modern game the fundamentals in 20 over cricket and 50 over cricket are very much the same.

Do not be deceived by the 2 x most prominent posters of the Imam fan club.

 

[gazza619]

It doesn't take a genius to realise that he was never going to be good enough to play at the highest level in white ball cricket.

If you can't even nail down a PSL contract and be a regular player for your franchise let alone dominate then you stand no chance of making it in both T20Is and ODIs.

I knew Abdullah Shafique would do fairly well in this World Cup from what I saw in the PSL earlier in the year. He scored 268 runs from his 10 games with a strike rate of 144 whereas Imam can't even make it.

If you can't prove yourself in your premier domestic T20 league, you have no chance of making it T20Is and ODIs.

ODIs is now merely an extension of T20Is, so if you're good in the shorter format, you're more than likely going to be an asset in ODIs. This isn't always case, for e.g. Haris Rauf but it's important to bear in mind that in the modern game the fundamentals in 20 over cricket and 50 over cricket are very much the same.

Do not be deceived by the 2 x most prominent posters of the Imam fan club.

Good post. You are right, but unfortunately Imam is not going anywhere, just like his uncle.

 

[topspin]

Good post. You are right, but unfortunately Imam is not going anywhere, just like his uncle.

I hear you and there's a possibility that he'll still be lingering in the squad. For this to be a possibility, the way I see it:

1) First of all, let's assume Abdullah Shafique nails his spot as an ODI opener until the next ODI WC. I think he will.

2) We all know Fakhar isn't really 33 years of old. He's closer to 40. He doesn't have a long future in ODIs.

3) This presents an opportunity for Imam or Saim Ayub to take the vacant opening spot

4) The question is who will be given preference out of these two?

5) If it's Imam, he will can stat pad against this underpowered/minnow level bowling attacks

6) If it's Saim Ayub, can he take his opportunity?

The problem lies with Babar who was groomed by Misbah as captain. Babar is basically following the same template. Misbah loved Imam, when he was Head Coach, because he prefers defensive/low risk type players occupying the top 3 spots.

 

[pratiktc]

Imam has developed an aggressive mindset in defending himself during press conferences

It is needless *****liness and it shows that this issue is living rent free in his head.

One can see similiar attitude in Shreyas when asked about short ball problems.

Players should be deadbatting such questions instead of being goaded into clickbait answers.

 

[Savak]

It doesn't take a genius to realise that he was never going to be good enough to play at the highest level in white ball cricket.

If you can't even nail down a PSL contract and be a regular player for your franchise let alone dominate then you stand no chance of making it in both T20Is and ODIs.

I knew Abdullah Shafique would do fairly well in this World Cup from what I saw in the PSL earlier in the year. He scored 268 runs from his 10 games with a strike rate of 144 whereas Imam can't even make it.

If you can't prove yourself in your premier domestic T20 league, you have no chance of making it T20Is and ODIs.

ODIs is now merely an extension of T20Is, so if you're good in the shorter format, you're more than likely going to be an asset in ODIs. This isn't always case, for e.g. Haris Rauf but it's important to bear in mind that in the modern game the fundamentals in 20 over cricket and 50 over cricket are very much the same.

Do not be deceived by the 2 x most prominent posters of the Imam fan club.

T20 Cricket is good for developing your aggressive batting skills in ODI cricket. However bowling in ODIs still requires test match level bowling skills for the most part in the first 7-8 overs with T20 death bowling skills in the dead overs.