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[VIDEOS] Saud Shakeel performance watch in international matches

saud is the real number 4 in this team, he has a good balance of attack and defense, can play spin well, and if theres any truth to presumptions, being a short guy is likely to handle bounce ok too.

babar should be batting at 3, one to set the tempo of the innings, and two to allow him maximum batting time in the event pak bat first before worrying about his inevitable dismissal early on the next day if gets going.

abdullah, imam, babar, saud, two righties, two lefties, decent batsman a team like Pakistan can work with. kamran should get a go at 5, and suddenly you have a top 5 that averages 40+ in fc.

will this win you the wtc, nope, but at least it gives you a chance to have some consistency.
 
Saud analysing the 1st Test from his pov

"Drawing the game in a way was the same as winning it"

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Saud got off the mark after only 42 deliveries!

Now 6* off 67!
 
What a pathetic innings. There is nothing in the pitch yet he batted like it was a rank turner. Another mentally weak and timid player.
 
He came in with Pakistan under pressure and yes he got stuck early on but the bowling was good.

Main thing is he is still there as we try and keep ourselves in the game. This is a test match and he’s not a dominant player more an accumulator, accept that and also appreciate the fact that he continues to churn out the runs.
 
He's a better player that the Innings he has currently played however he's still at the creese.
 
He can play much more fluently but I think he was on instructions to keep his end tightened so Pakistan do not lose any more wickets after fall of 3 give away wickets. Expect him to play more openly.
 
Well, he is still there.

Needs to push on, because a strike rate of under 10 is unacceptable in any innings.
 
Saud could be a future Pak great in the making. He's patient, seems to have a decent technique, and seems to have time to play his shots when he wants to - he's in the Dravid / Pujara mould. He may be what Pakistan really needs as he can provide that stability around Babar - he's like a Dravid to a Tendulkar (for the easily triggered members, not comparing players just their roles).
 
Good solid stuff from Saud but needs to pick up the runrate now
 
Needs to rotate the strike better, its not helping team inns and its causing more pressure on quick scorers like Sarfraraz.

Also he needs to get a 100, not usual nice 50 and out.
 
Amazing find, should have been picked years ago.
 
Saud is batting too low at 5. His strike rate is perfect for a Number 3 than 5. Shan needs to go and put Saud at 3 and then KG at 5. Saud could be the next Azhar Ali but with a bit more natural elegance to his game.

Bigger tests to come on harder wickets but has been solid for now.
 
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Batter.

We played him way too late, he used to play alongside Imam at U19 level.

And he's 1000000x better batter than Imam! Yet didn't get a chance.
 
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Get Ghulam in and Pak will have a solid middle order.

Huairara and Salahuddin still waiting in the wings as well, so batting seems to be heading in the right direction.

Superb, classical Test knock by Saud.
 
Well done on maiden test 100, now make its 150 or 200.
 
Well done to the lad. He looks solid and today no loss of concentration like before. Let's hope its the start of many and he doesn't average the 34 I predicted.
 
Well done on maiden test 100, now make its 150 or 200.

He is a partnership player

I’ve noticed a few times that he seems to lose his concentration at the fall of a wicket at the other end and has to restart mentally
 
He is a partnership player

I’ve noticed a few times that he seems to lose his concentration at the fall of a wicket at the other end and has to restart mentally

He needs to re-set his inns as still a huge job to do here.
 
Saud is batting too low at 5. His strike rate is perfect for a Number 3 than 5. Shan needs to go and put Saud at 3 and then KG at 5. Saud could be the next Azhar Ali but with a bit more natural elegance to his game.

Bigger tests to come on harder wickets but has been solid for now.

Out comes the Shahid Afridi school of thought strike rate experts. There are plenty of them around it seems.
 
My question is we’re have they kept this guy? he’s 27 so no kid off the block

All them years people like Azhar Ali, Shan, Slipp catcher along with many others getting chance after chance this guy must feel gutted
 
Needs to start learning you can't tuk tuk for 2 hours every time a wicket falls. He went to triple figures 1.5 hours ago and somehow he's still only on 105.
 
My question is we’re have they kept this guy? he’s 27 so no kid off the block

All them years people like Azhar Ali, Shan, Slipp catcher along with many others getting chance after chance this guy must feel gutted

Have to say this is what I was wondering today.
He’s 27yrs old but has only played four tests.
Super technique and temperament for Test cricket, backed up by a good first class career— where has he been and why wasn’t he been picked earlier ?
 
Good 100 but where is the urgency to try and get the win? These guys are playing for a draw.
 
Tuk tuk from Saud. It is a pathetic innings. Batting at a strike rate of less than 40. If Azhar Ali batted like this, knives will be out for him, but because it is Saud Shakeel, who is the new flavour of the month, he is getting a pass.
 
Good 100 but where is the urgency to try and get the win? These guys are playing for a draw.

The others were intent on being proactive, Saud is not a naturally attacking batsman. I don’t know where he bats in domestic cricket but maybe he should be promoted to no.3? I don’t think it’s an awful knock, it’s Tests after all and the first Pakistani innings, there is plenty of time for a result. But I agree with you that he should have shown some more intent once set against the softer ball.

The expectations on Azhar were rightfully higher with him being a seasoned vet but he was a liability, it had been ages since produced a hundred
 
Dude’s doing alright

He’s killed off a session or two for Kiwis to bat and score enough runs
 
Pathetic lack of intent. He scored 15 runs in 3 hours until the 9th wicket fell. We've had enough cowards over the years who only play for their own averages. This guy needs to quickly learn that cricket is a team sport where the aim is to win or he'll face the fate as those cowards.
 
The others were intent on being proactive, Saud is not a naturally attacking batsman. I don’t know where he bats in domestic cricket but maybe he should be promoted to no.3? I don’t think it’s an awful knock, it’s Tests after all and the first Pakistani innings, there is plenty of time for a result. But I agree with you that he should have shown some more intent once set against the softer ball.

The expectations on Azhar were rightfully higher with him being a seasoned vet but he was a liability, it had been ages since produced a hundred

It was a decent knock but he should have been more proactive after getting his hundred.

No one is saying that he has to be attacking, but dude can bat at a strike rate of 50-60, at least, instead of batting at a strike rate of 30, which means that we are now on the back foot.

Azhar Ali may have retired, but his legacy lives on, thanks to Abdullah Shafique and Saud Shakeel.
 
Very poor intent post his 100. I can even forgive him for the slow start to his innings, but I really have no idea what he was doing post tea.

No idea what he was trying to achieve. Even if he batted at a half decent rate we would be in the lead now
 
Dude’s doing alright

He’s killed off a session or two for Kiwis to bat and score enough runs

That is also my take,I think Pakistan wanted a safety first approch and thay was only possible by wasting time. Not a good approach though from a home team who keeps claiming they will play more positive.
 
100 in 240 balls , acceptable after getting his first run on 42nd ball.

But after getting his hundred he had only scored 11 off next 70 deliveries before scoring two boundaries. His after tea session batting put pakistan on backfoot.
 
Cant say its selfish , selfish is when after getting 100 or 50 you play a rash shot. It was senseless.
 
He needs to learn how to up his strike rate and play to the situation

With pakistans ridicolous tail he should know they won't hang around so this is when he should have switched to a more odi mode and upped the scoring .

If there was more intention we may of had a 50-100 run lead.

No excuse after getting century playing like that milestone achieved now force the situation and press on the gas.
 
Hundred highlights

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Cant say its selfish , selfish is when after getting 100 or 50 you play a rash shot. It was senseless.

I'd say selfish is when you deliberately slow down before a milestone and then get out to a shot you weren't willing to play before the milestone.

This is also selfish. No care in the world for his batting partner or the team situation. No intent to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Partnership between Saud and Agha was 53 runs. The batsman new to the crease scored 41 of those. The batsman batting on a 100 and who had spent an entire day at the crease, only managed 11.

If he had batted at a normal tempo that partnership could've very easily been 80-90 runs. Instead his selfish batting meant the scoreboard was going nowhere, Agha was being put under more pressure by the bowlers and NZ were always just breaking that partnership away from being on top.
 
Waqar on TV commentary criticising Saud - saying he could have scored more in the same time
 
why do keyboard warriors on PP score 100 after 100 in international cricket with SR of 150? Yeah because they are day dreaming

Wake up people. The guy missed a few hundreds, got out when set a few times was criticized for it, can even say cost his team a game or 2. He has tried to rectify that mentally and put in a GUN hundred and he is still getting criticized? We have a bunch of 0 cricket IQ fans
 
why do keyboard warriors on PP score 100 after 100 in international cricket with SR of 150? Yeah because they are day dreaming

Wake up people. The guy missed a few hundreds, got out when set a few times was criticized for it, can even say cost his team a game or 2. He has tried to rectify that mentally and put in a GUN hundred and he is still getting criticized? We have a bunch of 0 cricket IQ fans

Because the game has evolved and moved on you don't bat at strike rate of 20 or 30 in test cricket anymore this isn't boycotts miandad era.

If you do due to the situation you make sure you make up for it , when agha was there and the tail was getting out and he got his hundred there was no excuse to go into his shell . Positive approach would have pakistan in a better position a 50-100 run lead would have put the pressure back on new Zealand for the 2nd innings . This is where out batsmen need to improve big time
 
why do keyboard warriors on PP score 100 after 100 in international cricket with SR of 150? Yeah because they are day dreaming

Wake up people. The guy missed a few hundreds, got out when set a few times was criticized for it, can even say cost his team a game or 2. He has tried to rectify that mentally and put in a GUN hundred and he is still getting criticized? We have a bunch of 0 cricket IQ fans

He should have at least scored at a better strike rate after getting his hundred. He got his hundred from 240 balls. Afterwards, he scored only 24 from 96 balls. This sort of cowardly and timid approach has no place in modern cricket. We aren’t living in the 1980s anymore, where a strike rate of 30 is acceptable.
 
I don't blame him - it is clear to me the instruction to bat out time came from Babar or Saqlain. Had they sent the message out, there's no reason why he wouldn't have looked more pro-active.

I like him and hope his form continues. I just hope the negative instructions don't follow him around.
 
Waqar on TV commentary criticising Saud - saying he could have scored more in the same time

Waqar just copies the opinion of the foreign commentators he sits with

He doesn’t really have a clue himself tbf
 
Waqar on TV commentary criticising Saud - saying he could have scored more in the same time

I kinda agree with him on this one... Unless we play brave cricket we are going nowhere. He played really slow on such track. If it had more bounce and turn or pace n bounce not sure where Saud would ha ve endup.

We need to have the mindset of playing brave cricket this is not 80s or 90s. England has already gave the blueprint of test/ODI/T20 format to the world...
 
Another play for yourself p
Typ

Another play for yourself type player, still early days hopefully he will improve
 
Saud is batting too low at 5. His strike rate is perfect for a Number 3 than 5. Shan needs to go and put Saud at 3 and then KG at 5. Saud could be the next Azhar Ali but with a bit more natural elegance to his game.

Bigger tests to come on harder wickets but has been solid for now.

Ideally yes Saud Should bat at 3 that's were he bats for his domestic team.
 
Selfish 100. Nz are all of a sudden on top.

Pretty sure they were on top when our garbage bowlers allowed a 100+ run partnership for the 10th wicket.

Good knock for Saud and scoring runs despite wickets falling around him. Yeah he could have scored faster but on the 2nd day, it was important for him to stay at the crease at all costs and he's done just that.

Pakistan only hope of ever winning this Test was bowling out NZ quickly in the 2nd innings for 150-200 runs and that remains the case still.
 
Tuk tuk from Saud. It is a pathetic innings. Batting at a strike rate of less than 40. If Azhar Ali batted like this, knives will be out for him, but because it is Saud Shakeel, who is the new flavour of the month, he is getting a pass.

When was the last time Azhar got a 100
 
Brilliant Innings by Saud yes he could have scored abit more quicker but nevertheless he put pakistan in a good position to atleast draw the tests.
 
Brilliant Innings by Saud yes he could have scored abit more quicker but nevertheless he put pakistan in a good position to atleast draw the tests.

Draw the test? We should be thinking of winning the test? We are the home team. Saud’s pathetic innings mean that a win is now unlikely, as we won’t get a first innings lead. We will be batting on the final day to save the test.
 
why do keyboard warriors on PP score 100 after 100 in international cricket with SR of 150? Yeah because they are day dreaming

Wake up people. The guy missed a few hundreds, got out when set a few times was criticized for it, can even say cost his team a game or 2. He has tried to rectify that mentally and put in a GUN hundred and he is still getting criticized? We have a bunch of 0 cricket IQ fans

I don’t think that’s the problem - funnily enough from 40-100 and even 80-100 when selfish players slow down he was actually playing at a really good pace. The question is why did he slow down so much after getting to 100.

I’m not accusing of him being selfish I just can’t understand the exaggerated go slow after. Sure you have to be a bit watchful when a wicket like Sarfaraz’ fell, but I don’t get why it was so extreme.

For me anyway it’s that bit that didn’t make any sense.

Can’t fault a century though - he played well overall
 
I think eventually he will be Pakistan's number 3 in Test cricket.

Obviously we'll see what he's made of in places like South Africa, Australia, England and NZ, but he looks like he can be a solid player at 3.
 
I think we’ve all been hearing his name on here for years now, so I understand the expectations from the lad.

Grats on the hundred and the consistency, but the inability to get going and being abnormally slow in terms of scoring runs is a valid criticism. Being at a SR of 17 after 75 balls is criminal.

He has more potential than Azhar Ali, and he should aim higher. No slight to Azhar, Azhar punched above his weight for someone who started off as a bowler and then became a batsman. Azhar achieved what he did mainly due to sheer willpower and resilience despite lacking in the strokeplay department

Saud needs to aim higher. He has the shots and the technique. He’s capable of scoring fast enough to move the game forward and not let it stagnate (*******: note I did not say score at a run a ball or faster, no one is saying to mimic bazball- but there is a standard to expect from test batsman in this day and age in terms of score rate)
 
Have mostly seen him attack spinners, he doesn't have much of an attacking game against pacers.
 
I think eventually he will be Pakistan's number 3 in Test cricket.

Obviously we'll see what he's made of in places like South Africa, Australia, England and NZ, but he looks like he can be a solid player at 3.

He would be a good option there but he cant just get bogged down all the time because in more testing conditions, just blocking you will just get out to a good ball. Simple improvement on strike rotation and you have a good player in making.
 
He would be a good option there but he cant just get bogged down all the time because in more testing conditions, just blocking you will just get out to a good ball. Simple improvement on strike rotation and you have a good player in making.

Yes, I agree, rotating the strike, especially with the fields that are set in test matches, should be his objective. He was too slow, particularly after getting his century.

He is not going to be the type of player who scores at a really high rate but he should be targeting something around 50.00.
(that’s the rate Steve Smith scored at in Aus’s recent mammoth total against SA and more or less the rate India went at against Bangladesh recently).
The hysteria over the way England play should not overcome us.
 
He would be a good option there but he cant just get bogged down all the time because in more testing conditions, just blocking you will just get out to a good ball. Simple improvement on strike rotation and you have a good player in making.

True.

Definitely something he needs to work and hopefully will improve in the coming months.
 
What I liked about him is that he seemed unflustered today.

Technique-wise he is compact. He plays the ball under his eyes, has good balance at the crease and knows where his off-stump is. But he seemed comfortable and relaxed which was nice to see. Usually Pakistani batsmen are mental midgets who succumb to any sort of pressure. But he seemed like someone who was okay to absorb pressure.

Good player of spin too. Will be interesting when he plays on seaming or bouncing tracks.

Why has it taken this long for him to get a look in though?
 
True.

Definitely something he needs to work and hopefully will improve in the coming months.

I think its just game management and match awareness as well, no harm in digging in and wanting to play a long inns but when batsmen at other end are wanting to score quick and are being starved of the strike etc.. its doesnt help. Simple thing like taking a single and letting other batsmen to get on with it just helps the flow of an inns better.

Interesting to see maybe if he would get a stint in county cricket, maybe they might be suitors now? It could help his game even more.

We have Australia and South Africa away in the next WTC Cycle so i think like most of our batsmen we will see if they can really swim or sink.
 
He should have been playing for 2 years...to think that we didnt have a place for him after Misbah/Yunus?
 
What I liked about him is that he seemed unflustered today.

Technique-wise he is compact. He plays the ball under his eyes, has good balance at the crease and knows where his off-stump is. But he seemed comfortable and relaxed which was nice to see. Usually Pakistani batsmen are mental midgets who succumb to any sort of pressure. But he seemed like someone who was okay to absorb pressure.

Good player of spin too. Will be interesting when he plays on seaming or bouncing tracks.

Why has it taken this long for him to get a look in though?

Selectors didn't rate him.

They were picking the likes of Azhar Ali ahead of him.
 
Looking at how well guys like Azhar Ali, Misbah, Younis, Fawad Alam (in his brief run) and now this player or even boring bowlers like Abbas etc have done, I wonder how much better Pakistan might have been as a test side if they focused on such players than the usual romanticism towards flashy and “match winning” players.
 
Selectors didn't rate him.

They were picking the likes of Azhar Ali ahead of him.

Same thing will happen with Kamran Ghulam he will now wait years and years while we recycle rubbish like Shan masood.
 
What I liked about him is that he seemed unflustered today.

Technique-wise he is compact. He plays the ball under his eyes, has good balance at the crease and knows where his off-stump is. But he seemed comfortable and relaxed which was nice to see. Usually Pakistani batsmen are mental midgets who succumb to any sort of pressure. But he seemed like someone who was okay to absorb pressure.

Good player of spin too. Will be interesting when he plays on seaming or bouncing tracks.

Why has it taken this long for him to get a look in though?

This is the difference between him and Azhar Ali. While Saud batted slow, he didn’t really give off the look of someone flustered or worried. Azhar always gave the impression he was batting on a minefield with a lot of trepidation - this also sent jitters to the dressing room
 
How am I hearing so much dissent about this innings from Saud?
He played it to perfection in my eyes and the brainless batting of Hasan and Naseem have let him down.
Have we forgotten how NZ batted last game and it proved to be correct. (Only held off by a last ditch 9th wicket partnership)
 
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Because the game has evolved and moved on you don't bat at strike rate of 20 or 30 in test cricket anymore this isn't boycotts miandad era.

If you do due to the situation you make sure you make up for it , when agha was there and the tail was getting out and he got his hundred there was no excuse to go into his shell . Positive approach would have pakistan in a better position a 50-100 run lead would have put the pressure back on new Zealand for the 2nd innings . This is where out batsmen need to improve big time

Low cricket iq
If agha , Hasan and naseem hadn't thrown it away. We would have got our 100 run lead, and NZ would be in a corner as they would have less time to force a result.
If we made 500 by tea, a NZ win isn't out of the equation . If we get it at lunch tomorrow, NZ win is pretty much out the equation.
We ain't not getting that 500 because of Saud!
We can't play bazball just yet mate- have you seen how most of our guys have got out in this innings :facepalm:
 
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Selectors didn't rate him.

They were picking the likes of Azhar Ali ahead of him.

It wasn't Azhar vs Saud but rather Haris Sohail vs Saud and its a shame what has happened to Haris's career because he was a great talent and while he did fine in ODI's, he underachieved big time in Tests. Eventually as he was fading, Pakistan sought to fix a decade old mistake in Fawad and sadly, Saud was held back again.

Saud is capable of playing that #3 role too I think and either positions, its a shame Pakistan held especially because he could have gained much needed experience earlier in his career playing in Australia/England/NZ from those 19' & 20' tours. Now, Pakistan is going to go into Australia next year with Saud/Agha/Abdullah never having played there and Imam having only played one. It could have been a more set & stable/experienced team if they got these guys into the lineup when they have should have & Pakistan could have been in position to take advantage with Babar at his peak.

I just find it funny that Saud first international match came in ODI's and while he did fine, its just more proof of Pakistan not knowing their own players best formats and what they are suited for.
 
125* in the first innings. Could he have batted better with Abrar?
 
I am pleased for Saud Shakeel that he scored his maiden Test century, but I have been left a bit cold by the innings in the context of the game.

For me a strike rate of under 40 in Test cricket is always a bit of a red flag — it’s an extremely conservative use of time and deliveries — to justify playing so slowly there has to be a payoff in the end, otherwise such an innings tends to get absorbed into the game as opposed to strongly affecting its outcome; and in this case the payoff would have been partnerships with lower order batters beyond Agha Salman.

Unfortunately, Pakistan went from 5/385 to 408 all out, with Saud left unbeaten at the other end having used up the best part of 350 deliveries and not particularly shown any propensity for playing a lead role with the lower order, managing the strike, or accelerating as needed.

So I’m left a bit puzzled by this innings and not really sure what to think about it, or how highly to rate it. (if at all.)
 
Saud should be batting at 3 he has the temperament and the technique to bat at that position.
 
Playing an excellent support role for Sarfaraz -
 
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