[VIDEOS] Why does Shadab Khan keep getting selected?

[Major]

It surprises me how it takes one psl for every cricket stake holder to forget that Shadab Khan could not spin the ball on spinning tracks of India during the 2024 World Cup.

He keeps coming back in the team for what exactly?

When will PCB recognize that he cant spin the ball and its time to move on from him.

 

[mominsaigol]

Sheddy is a psl basher just like azam Khan, but their seems to be more heat on azam for some reason.

After asia cup and world cup I stopped advocating for him.

 

[160KPH]

His T20 numbers are incredible and he was performing in T20s even when he had regressed in ODIs.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Shadab is only in the team due to the dosti yari culture. Once Babar is removed from captaincy Shadab will also lose his spot in the team.

 

[160KPH]

Sheddy is a psl basher just like azam Khan, but their seems to be more heat on azam for some reason.

After asia cup and world cup I stopped advocating for him.

It’s the exact opposite. His best T20 performances have all come on the biggest stages.

In T20 WC’s:

25 @ 166 SR with the bat
15.15 average with the ball at an ER of 6.18

4/26 against Australia in the 2021 T20 WC SF

1/20 and 20(14) against England in the 2022 T20 WC

 

[160KPH]

Shadab is only in the team due to the dosti yari culture. Once Babar is removed from captaincy Shadab will also lose his spot in the team.

He’s been the best performer in T20 WC’s that Pakistan has had in the past like 10 years.

 

[160KPH]

Even as a batsmen in the top 7, he has the 2nd highest SR in the entire history of our Pakistani batting in T20 international tournaments with 5+ teams.

 

[160KPH]

So to sum up:

In T20 international tournaments, that have 5+ teams, Shadab Khan has the 2nd highest batting SR (153.19) of any Pakistani batsmen batting in the top 7 ever. This comes at a decent average of 24.

Out of all the Pakistani players who have ever taken 5 wickets across their career in T20 intentional tournaments, Shadab Khan has the 2nd lowest economy rate (6.14), the 2nd lowest average (14.85), and the 4th lowest SR (14.5).

So I guess the question just confuses me. Why is our best ever all round performer in international T20 tournaments in the T20 side? Perhaps because he’s our best performer.

 

[PakEngFan]

It’s the exact opposite. His best T20 performances have all come on the biggest stages.

In T20 WC’s:

25 @ 166 SR with the bat
15.15 average with the ball at an ER of 6.18

4/26 against Australia in the 2021 T20 WC SF

1/20 and 20(14) against England in the 2022 T20 WC

Why are you bringing stats again?

 

[kingusama92]

Shadab has a good track record, performed in the PSL, offers all-rounder capabilities, and is a gun fielder.

He's an obvious selection.

His performances in ODIs shouldn't take away from his general value in T20s. I think Shadab and Imad will form a nice all-rounder duo for Pakistan in June.

 

[160KPH]

Why are you bringing stats again?

One funny thing is that Shadab has almost the exact same economy rate as Imad in these tournaments (6.13 vs 6.14) but Shadab takes almost double the wickets. Imad has a bowling average of 26.28, Shadab has 14.85. Imad has a bowling SR of 25.7, Shadab’s is 14.5.

Imad has only batted in 3 innings in these tournaments but the batting record is also not even close, Shadab hits 21 @ 152 SR. Imad hits 5.5 @ 84 SR. Imad averages 15 @ 131 even if you include all of the meaningless bilateral series. Shadab has a higher SR in tournaments than Sharjeel Khan, Fakhar, Shoaib Malik, Hafeez, etc.

Shadab’s batting in tournaments is literally better than Imad’s batting in tournaments and bilateral series combined. Shadab has almost the exact same ER but takes double the wickets.

But for some reason Imad is talked about as if he is the savior of Pakistani cricket and Shadab is a failure. The truth is that Shadab in tournaments has performed like lion and Imad Wasim has performed like a little kitten.



Also I didn’t even begin to discuss how Shadab is our best fielder while Imad didn’t even have the fitness to field for all 20 overs in the PSL final.

 

[mominsaigol]

It’s the exact opposite. His best T20 performances have all come on the biggest stages.

In T20 WC’s:

25 @ 166 SR with the bat
15.15 average with the ball at an ER of 6.18

4/26 against Australia in the 2021 T20 WC SF

1/20 and 20(14) against England in the 2022 T20 WC

I'm saying I stopped advocating for him after the asia cup and world cup lol.

 

[160KPH]

I'm saying I stopped advocating for him after the asia cup and world cup lol.

I was responding to you saying:

Sheddy is a psl basher just like azam Khan, but their seems to be more heat on azam for some reason.

This is clearly not true based on Shadab’s performance in T20 international tournaments. If even those performances Shadab is just a PSL basher then Imad is about 100x more just a PSL basher.

 

[mominsaigol]

I was responding to you saying:

This is clearly not true based on Shadab’s performance in T20 international tournaments. If even those performances Shadab is just a PSL basher then Imad is about 100x more just a PSL basher.

Where did imad come from?

I view shadab as a psl basher currently yes because I've seen his 2023 form and I don't believe his 2024 form is any different.

Obviously if you're gonna go all the way back to 2017-2022, then yes he got yuvi's wicket, he played crucial knocks here and their etc etc.

But I stopped his advocating, I stick to the present man. He has multiple series and a wc to turn his 2023 fortune around.

But I will say the fact he's the worst bowler 3rd(2nd and 1st being nawaz and Joe root) and in the top 5 worst batsmen excluding tail enders in wc and asia cup last year is a huge hige worrying sign.

And I will call those performances out, if he goes back to 2021-2022 performances, then no complaint.

 

[160KPH]

Where did imad come from?

I view shadab as a psl basher currently yes because I've seen his 2023 form and I don't believe his 2024 form is any different.

Obviously if you're gonna go all the way back to 2017-2022, then yes he got yuvi's wicket, he played crucial knocks here and their etc etc.

But I stopped his advocating, I stick to the present man. He has multiple series and a wc to turn his 2023 fortune around.

But I will say the fact he's the worst bowler 3rd(2nd and 1st being nawaz and Joe root) and in the top 5 worst batsmen excluding tail enders in wc and asia cup last year is a huge hige worrying sign.

And I will call those performances out, if he goes back to 2021-2022 performances, then no complaint.

You’re mixing up the ODI performances and T20 performances though.

Shadab has never been a great ODI bowler aside from the very beginning of his career. On the other hand, he’s been very successful in T20 for most of his career. I agree there was an overall dip in his form around 2023 after some injuries he sustained but he’s performed in the biggest tournaments and he looks to be fully healthy now and bowling pretty well again.

The reason I brought up Imad is because Imad is a spin bowling all rounder who has performed not even half as good as Shadab in T20 international tournaments in batting or bowling, but has arguably performed better in PSL. So if someone is going to get the title as just a “PSL basher” I’m not sure why it would apply to Shadab and not to Imad.

 

[mominsaigol]

You’re mixing up the ODI performances and T20 performances though.

Shadab has never been a great ODI bowler aside from the very beginning of his career. On the other hand, he’s been very successful in T20 for most of his career. I agree there was an overall dip in his form around 2023 after some injuries he sustained but he’s performed in the biggest tournaments and he looks to be fully healthy now and bowling pretty well again.

The reason I brought up Imad is because Imad is a spin bowling all rounder who has performed not even half as good as Shadab in T20 international tournaments in batting or bowling, but has arguably performed better in PSL. So if someone is going to get the title as just a “PSL basher” I’m not sure why it would apply to Shadab and not to Imad.

Bro, I'm tired of this mixing up argument.

Yes their different formats and yes history has shown that being a goat test player doesn't translate to being a goat odi player ot t20 and vice versa.

But form does matter. Shadab wasn't nearly as bad in odi in his career as he was in 2023.

YK is a test great but a weak odi bat, but he wasn't so bad that he had literal tail enders or people who weren't even full fledged batsmen out perform in cups.

Shadab was so bad that many tail enders outperformed him batting wise and bowling wise only Joe root and nawaz is worse, Joe root who ain't even a bowler.

It's a major major major red flag irrespective of formats.

 

[160KPH]

Bro, I'm tired of this mixing up argument.

Yes their different formats and yes history has shown that being a goat test player doesn't translate to being a goat odi player ot t20 and vice versa.

But form does matter. Shadab wasn't nearly as bad in odi in his career as he was in 2023.

YK is a test great but a weak odi bat, but he wasn't so bad that he had literal tail enders or people who weren't even full fledged batsmen out perform in cups.

Shadab was so bad that many tail enders outperformed him batting wise and bowling wise only Joe root and nawaz is worse, Joe root who ain't even a bowler.

It's a major major major red flag irrespective of formats.

If your argument is that Shadab had a dip in perform then I agree that his bowling overall took a dip recently.

Although considering Shadab Khan was batting at #8 in the ODI WC, he still averaged 24 @ 100 SR. I’m opening to being proven wrong but I don’t remember that many #8’s/tailenders performing way better than that.

But also my original post was in response to your original post:

Sheddy is a psl basher just like azam Khan, but their seems to be more heat on azam for some reason.

After asia cup and world cup I stopped advocating for him.

I was merely saying that Shadab Khan is in no way a “psl basher” and certainly can’t be compared to someone like Azam Khan.

Also the other posts were in response to the post that began this thread which was asking why Shadab was selected. My argument was that Shadab was selected because he’s been one of our best performing all rounders in T20 WC’s and he’s coming off of a a great PSL.

 

[mominsaigol]

If your argument is that Shadab had a dip in perform then I agree that his bowling overall took a dip recently.

Although considering Shadab Khan was batting at #8 in the ODI WC, he still averaged 24 @ 100 SR. I’m opening to being proven wrong but I don’t remember that many #8’s/tailenders performing way better than that.

But also my original post was in response to your original post:

I was merely saying that Shadab Khan is in no way a “psl basher” and certainly can’t be compared to someone like Azam Khan.

Also the other posts were in response to the post that began this thread which was asking why Shadab was selected. My argument was that Shadab was selected because he’s been one of our best performing all rounders in T20 WC’s and he’s coming off of a a great PSL.

Idm shadab being selected. I even said merit wise he should have been the captain as well and captaincy wise he was far superior to babar in the Afghanistan series and even in psl.

Bro my arguments aren't connected in this case lol like you're connecting them . It was just a comment man, not trying to start an argument.

But about the no 8, these were his batting position in all games (Note the games I didn't list is because he didn't bat in those games and he didn't play one game in the cup, because usama got selected)

Nedtherlands: 8
india: 7
Afghanistan: 6
South africa: 7
England: 8

He batted no 8 2x only, 2x at no 7 and one time at no 6.

 

[hafizexpress]

So to sum up:

In T20 international tournaments, that have 5+ teams, Shadab Khan has the 2nd highest batting SR (153.19) of any Pakistani batsmen batting in the top 7 ever. This comes at a decent average of 24.

Out of all the Pakistani players who have ever taken 5 wickets across their career in T20 intentional tournaments, Shadab Khan has the 2nd lowest economy rate (6.14), the 2nd lowest average (14.85), and the 4th lowest SR (14.5).

So I guess the question just confuses me. Why is our best ever all round performer in international T20 tournaments in the T20 side? Perhaps because he’s our best performer.

All of your comments are wonderfully put. Why WOULDN'T Shadab get selected? Why does he deserve to get dropped? He was great in the last two t20 world cups and people need to get over recency bias from his ODI form. Shadab has every right to be selected in the t20 squad. He's also the winning captain of PSL, a tournament in which he performed consistently. So even barring Shadab's superb international record, he merits a spot in the squad even purely based on the last PSL which seems to be the criteria for a lot of the selection of the current squad.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Shadab deserves a spot in the team simply because of his all-round abilities and t20 is a format perfectly suited for all-rounders. He is a gun fielder, good bowler ( t20s), and more than a handy batter. His place is well justified because of his form in PSL. He won PSL 9 leading from the front.

 

[mominsaigol]

All of your comments are wonderfully put. Why WOULDN'T Shadab get selected? Why does he deserve to get dropped? He was great in the last two t20 world cups and people need to get over recency bias from his ODI form. Shadab has every right to be selected in the t20 squad. He's also the winning captain of PSL, a tournament in which he performed consistently. So even barring Shadab's superb international record, he merits a spot in the squad even purely based on the last PSL which seems to be the criteria for a lot of the selection of the current squad.

I don't mind shadab being selected. He deserves it.

 

[160KPH]

Idm shadab being selected. I even said merit wise he should have been the captain as well and captaincy wise he was far superior to babar in the Afghanistan series and even in psl.

Bro my arguments aren't connected in this case lol like you're connecting them . It was just a comment man, not trying to start an argument.

But about the no 8, these were his batting position in all games (Note the games I didn't list is because he didn't bat in those games and he didn't play one game in the cup, because usama got selected)

Nedtherlands: 8
india: 7
Afghanistan: 6
South africa: 7
England: 8

He batted no 8 2x only, 2x at no 7 and one time at no 6.

Oh I see, I just looked at one innings and he was at 8 so I thought he had batted there all tournament but you’re right. What I mean to say though is that I think his batting form has stayed pretty consistent. His career stats in ODI are 25 @ 85 SR so if anything he was averaging nearly the same in the ODI WC, but going at a higher rate. He is both a better bowl and batter in the T20 format and also an absolutely gun fielder and his best numbers have been in T20 World Cups.

He probably has a spot guaranteed based on his all round ability and then I think the other spot is probably gonna come down to team combination and competition between Usama Mir/Imad Wasim/Abrar Ahmed. Imad Wasim obviously also adds a bit of batting that the other two don’t and Iftikhar + Saim can contribute some overs so maybe Imad is the right complement for Shadab.

 

[daytrader]

Shadab is a tournament player and is an inspiration in the field. Often lifting the team with his fantastic fielding efforts when theres no other hope. Star boy deserves all the chances he's getting. My only criticism of him is that I wish to see him play more FC and test Cricket.

 

[mominsaigol]

Oh I see, I just looked at one innings and he was at 8 so I thought he had batted there all tournament but you’re right. What I mean to say though is that I think his batting form has stayed pretty consistent. His career stats in ODI are 25 @ 85 SR so if anything he was averaging nearly the same in the ODI WC, but going at a higher rate. He is both a better bowl and batter in the T20 format and also an absolutely gun fielder and his best numbers have been in T20 World Cups.

He probably has a spot guaranteed based on his all round ability and then I think the other spot is probably gonna come down to team combination and competition between Usama Mir/Imad Wasim/Abrar Ahmed. Imad Wasim obviously also adds a bit of batting that the other two don’t and Iftikhar + Saim can contribute some overs so maybe Imad is the right complement for Shadab.

That's AlrightE, just to let you know thr world cup was a panick struck affair mainly due to injuries, fitness issues, Babar is at fault for the same winning 11 combo amd tbh so are pur players on stubborn insistence to play cpl when unfit.

Our original combo didn't have iftikhar in the plans or even Abdullah and saud, they were last minute drafts. During our 1st NZ game the plan was

1) Fakhar
2) Imam
3) Babar
4) agha
5) Rizwan
6) Shadab
7) Nawaz
8) Wasim Jnr/Usama
9) Shaheen
10) Naseem
11) Rauf

But due to aghast poor form, Falhar fitness issues, Rizwan wanting to bat higher up, Chacha being included due to fan cries and naseem being injured it was changed to

1) Fakhar/Imam
2) Abdullah
3) Babar
4) Rizwan
5) Saud
6/7/8) Chacha/ Nawaz/ Shadab/Usama( They alternated every game)
9-10) Shaheen/ Hasan ali/ Wasim jnr/
11) Rauf

 

[mominsaigol]

Oh I see, I just looked at one innings and he was at 8 so I thought he had batted there all tournament but you’re right. What I mean to say though is that I think his batting form has stayed pretty consistent. His career stats in ODI are 25 @ 85 SR so if anything he was averaging nearly the same in the ODI WC, but going at a higher rate. He is both a better bowl and batter in the T20 format and also an absolutely gun fielder and his best numbers have been in T20 World Cups.

He probably has a spot guaranteed based on his all round ability and then I think the other spot is probably gonna come down to team combination and competition between Usama Mir/Imad Wasim/Abrar Ahmed. Imad Wasim obviously also adds a bit of batting that the other two don’t and Iftikhar + Saim can contribute some overs so maybe Imad is the right complement for Shadab.

Shadab is a gun fielder, my concern is bowling and batting but he's come good for t20.

 

[160KPH]

That's AlrightE, just to let you know thr world cup was a panick struck affair mainly due to injuries, fitness issues, Babar is at fault for the same winning 11 combo amd tbh so are pur players on stubborn insistence to play cpl when unfit.

Our original combo didn't have iftikhar in the plans or even Abdullah and saud, they were last minute drafts. During our 1st NZ game the plan was

1) Fakhar
2) Imam
3) Babar
4) agha
5) Rizwan
6) Shadab
7) Nawaz
8) Wasim Jnr/Usama
9) Shaheen
10) Naseem
11) Rauf

But due to aghast poor form, Falhar fitness issues, Rizwan wanting to bat higher up, Chacha being included due to fan cries and naseem being injured it was changed to

1) Fakhar/Imam
2) Abdullah
3) Babar
4) Rizwan
5) Saud
6/7/8) Chacha/ Nawaz/ Shadab/Usama( They alternated every game)
9-10) Shaheen/ Hasan ali/ Wasim jnr/
11) Rauf

Gotta admit, it’s kind of funny how in some way Hasan Ali always makes it back to the team

Feels like this guy is never in our LOI plans but through some injury or last minute change he always makes it back into tournaments haha

 

[BouncerGuy]

Shadab is a gun fielder, my concern is bowling and batting but he's come good for t20.

Yeah. His form in PSL is clear enough to make his eligible for a spot in the t20s. No doubt about it.

 

[mominsaigol]

Gotta admit, it’s kind of funny how in some way Hasan Ali always makes it back to the team

Feels like this guy is never in our LOI plans but through some injury or last minute change he always makes it back into tournaments haha

Tbf as time went on, I've gotten a bit more relaxed over the wc 2023.

Don't get me wrong, it's still 100% everyone's fault. But I've gotten relaxed when it comes to events themselves.

Babar is at fault for naseem shah yes, but shaheen is mostly pcb's fault on expectations of him being a star with a broken finger. His delivery yesterday was world class, irrespective of who he's bowling too so it seems he's back in form, but the broken finger is pcb fault.

Fakhar is himself to blame for cpl knowing full well he xpuld have used the rest to fix his hamstring.

It also doesn't help that imam was causing problems on twitter with haris and chacha jealousy due to his own frustrations with Declining form.

Plus Insanullah who was pur main in the 2nd string got injured, zaman khan was poor in asia cup.

Only thing that was wrong was not selecting abrar, and diacarding tayyab for some reason but haris himself was pretty poor in emerging acc cup deapite the bowlers being 18 year old trundlers so I get why he was in reserve.

2023 isn't ALL BABAR'S fault that I previously believed. Pcb with shaheen, Fakhar's own stubborness, A bit of ego from babar regarding nawaz, unforseen 2nd string injuries. They all cumulated to a downfall.

Good thing is pur 2024 team is actually strong, like really strong, it was the best team they could have sent minus 2 nitpick.

1) Ali > zaman, No clue why zaman was selected, Ali was better wickets and economy wise and zaman has nothing else to offer over Ali.

2) tayyab > Azam, Don't know why tayyab isn't in kakul camp, they discarded him randomly last year, in psl he avg 42 with a sr of 151. Ik azam is a keeper but we don't need 3 keepers in the squad. Also if the case if made that tayyab isn't international standard because he failed against Afghanistan, Just FYI azam did worse in that series and worse in psl or Amy international game he's been given.

 

[160KPH]

@mominsaigol agree with most things you said.

Babar is at fault for naseem shah yes, but shaheen is mostly pcb's fault on expectations of him being a star with a broken finger. His delivery yesterday was world class, irrespective of who he's bowling too so it seems he's back in form, but the broken finger is pcb fault.

Our policy of rotating bowlers is absolutely horrible bro. Shaheen ends up playing in all formats and in all series and he was rushed so quickly back from his injury. I was scared that he would never he the same after how badly his injury return has been handled.

There’s no way he should have played in the 2023 WC. He was clearly not ready and his pace was so dramatically down. After that he went and played the Australian Test series and it was still clear he was not 100% back yet. And then PCB seems to have had the idea to rest him in the 3rd Test for some reason, I have no clue how that helps after how much we bowled him in the first 2 matches and rushed him back.

You can tell the overall management of the fast bowlers is bad because all 3 of our frontline pacers got injured. Naseem Shah was out and Rauf even had a strain I believe that had him out for the rest of the Asia Cup?

Look at how well India managed Bumrah’s return. They had him return at just the right time and he was performing at the absolute peak of his powers upon return.

Fakhar is himself to blame for cpl knowing full well he xpuld have used the rest to fix his hamstring.

Fakhar situation is frustrating to me because he’s one of my favorite players and he was playing some of the best cricket of his entire life earlier in the year. And then he just went on this horrible string of bad performances and was even failing against minnows team. PCB should have given him a rest somewhere in the string of bad form. As soon as he got rest and went home and rehabbed and spent time with his old coach he returned in amazing form almost immediately.

Only thing that was wrong was not selecting abrar, and diacarding tayyab for some reason but haris himself was pretty poor in emerging acc cup deapite the bowlers being 18 year old trundlers so I get why he was in reserve.

Agree with this as well. Unfortunately, we keep trying to play these T20 type bowlers in ODI. When in T20 you can get by with just having incredible variation, in ODI and Test you actually need consistency and to be able to turn the ball. Shadab and Nawaz were never big turners of the ball and Usama Mir was way too undisciplined in that tournament.

I miss the days when spin would win us matches and when we used to absolutely choke the other team in the middle overs with spin. So many matches of Hafeez, Saed Ajmal, and Afridi spinning us to victory. Although in recent times we just have not had that level of spinner come through. I actually used to think Zafar Gohar would he that kind of player for us, but not sure what ended up happening to him. Hopefully we finally found that type of player in Abrar Ahmed.

1) Ali > zaman, No clue why zaman was selected, Ali was better wickets and economy wise and zaman has nothing else to offer over Ali.

I believe because we already have so many new ball bowlers so maybe they’re looking for some variety and for some bowlers to bowl in the death? I’m not sure, in my opinion, Ali should clearly get a shot. Abbas Afridi also performed amazing against the full strength New Zealand side earlier this year.


I think our 2023 WC was a massive failure across the board. The lack of good spin options for the middle overs destroyed us, Shaheen being at like 20% fitness, as well as Naseem being out and Rauf also getting injured right before the tournament. Fakhar lost form at the worst time and then finally regained it. And I agree, Babar’s captaincy did not help.

 

[mominsaigol]

@mominsaigol agree with most things you said.


Our policy of rotating bowlers is absolutely horrible bro. Shaheen ends up playing in all formats and in all series and he was rushed so quickly back from his injury. I was scared that he would never he the same after how badly his injury return has been handled.

There’s no way he should have played in the 2023 WC. He was clearly not ready and his pace was so dramatically down. After that he went and played the Australian Test series and it was still clear he was not 100% back yet. And then PCB seems to have had the idea to rest him in the 3rd Test for some reason, I have no clue how that helps after how much we bowled him in the first 2 matches and rushed him back.

You can tell the overall management of the fast bowlers is bad because all 3 of our frontline pacers got injured. Naseem Shah was out and Rauf even had a strain I believe that had him out for the rest of the Asia Cup?

Look at how well India managed Bumrah’s return. They had him return at just the right time and he was performing at the absolute peak of his powers upon return.


Fakhar situation is frustrating to me because he’s one of my favorite players and he was playing some of the best cricket of his entire life earlier in the year. And then he just went on this horrible string of bad performances and was even failing against minnows team. PCB should have given him a rest somewhere in the string of bad form. As soon as he got rest and went home and rehabbed and spent time with his old coach he returned in amazing form almost immediately.

Agree with this as well. Unfortunately, we keep trying to play these T20 type bowlers in ODI. When in T20 you can get by with just having incredible variation, in ODI and Test you actually need consistency and to be able to turn the ball. Shadab and Nawaz were never big turners of the ball and Usama Mir was way too undisciplined in that tournament.

I miss the days when spin would win us matches and when we used to absolutely choke the other team in the middle overs with spin. So many matches of Hafeez, Saed Ajmal, and Afridi spinning us to victory. Although in recent times we just have not had that level of spinner come through. I actually used to think Zafar Gohar would he that kind of player for us, but not sure what ended up happening to him. Hopefully we finally found that type of player in Abrar Ahmed.

I believe because we already have so many new ball bowlers so maybe they’re looking for some variety and for some bowlers to bowl in the death? I’m not sure, in my opinion, Ali should clearly get a shot. Abbas Afridi also performed amazing against the full strength New Zealand side earlier this year.


I think our 2023 WC was a massive failure across the board. The lack of good spin options for the middle overs destroyed us, Shaheen being at like 20% fitness, as well as Naseem being out and Rauf also getting injured right before the tournament. Fakhar lost form at the worst time and then finally regained it. And I agree, Babar’s captaincy did not help.

I don't know what happened to zafar gohar.

In 2015-2017 I was on a forum where I posted and listed 7 players who I think could be the future of Pakistan (It aged badly lol)

1) Zafar gohar(I claimed he'd be our next saeed ajmal but with a legal action, no clue what happened)

2) Rizwan( I use to forward him in 2015, although I changed my mind now, tbf he's a gun keeper atleast)

3) Sami aslam (Shame what happened cause I felt he was once in a generational talent, in domestic constantly avg 50 and 100 sr)

4) Babar Azam (Honestly I just wish he batted at no 3 in all formats, I use tonforward him too, Still do to some extent, but am disappointed he didn't reach the standards inexpected)

5) Fawad Alam (I actually thought he'd become mainstay after 2015, but he did for a while in test, in odi 2016 he faiked and it was clear he was a stark bunny, was highly impressed by him in 2014, even though he wasn't really a youngster)

6) Abid Ali (I didn't forsee a heart attack sadly)

7) Their was one more fast bowler I forwarded but I forgot his name, he also faded into obscurity.

 

[160KPH]

I don't know what happened to zafar gohar.

In 2015-2017 I was on a forum where I posted and listed 7 players who I think could be the future of Pakistan (It aged badly lol)

1) Zafar gohar(I claimed he'd be our next saeed ajmal but with a legal action, no clue what happened)

2) Rizwan( I use to forward him in 2015, although I changed my mind now, tbf he's a gun keeper atleast)

3) Sami aslam (Shame what happened cause I felt he was once in a generational talent, in domestic constantly avg 50 and 100 sr)

4) Babar Azam (Honestly I just wish he batted at no 3 in all formats, I use tonforward him too, Still do to some extent, but am disappointed he didn't reach the standards inexpected)

5) Fawad Alam (I actually thought he'd become mainstay after 2015, but he did for a while in test, in odi 2016 he faiked and it was clear he was a stark bunny, was highly impressed by him in 2014, even though he wasn't really a youngster)

6) Abid Ali (I didn't forsee a heart attack sadly)

7) Their was one more fast bowler I forwarded but I forgot his name, he also faded into obscurity.

I remember those times.. so many players came and went quickly.

I remember always feeling that Fawad Alam never got treated fairly. He was scoring bucket loads of runs in domestic cricket. I guess at that time period we weren’t really looking for middle order batsmen. Misbah and Younis were holding it down in Test, but I still always felt like Fawad should’ve gotten a longer run because he put the hard work in.

I remember Shoaib Maqsood coming into the side and he hitting 2 back to back 50s against Steyn and Morkel. Then he also just sort of fizzled out.

 

[mominsaigol]

I remember those times.. so many players came and went quickly.

I remember always feeling that Fawad Alam never got treated fairly. He was scoring bucket loads of runs in domestic cricket. I guess at that time period we weren’t really looking for middle order batsmen. Misbah and Younis were holding it down in Test, but I still always felt like Fawad should’ve gotten a longer run because he put the hard work in.

I remember Shoaib Maqsood coming into the side and he hitting 2 back to back 50s against Steyn and Morkel. Then he also just sort of fizzled out.

Fawad was unfair

Maqsood deserved a boot though. He was good but got caught up too much on modelling himself after inzi then playing like him

 

[Nikhil_cric]

He is a good T20 bowler/all-rounder.

Mostly was a rubbish ODI spinner. There never was a "decline".

 

[PakEngFan]

One funny thing is that Shadab has almost the exact same economy rate as Imad in these tournaments (6.13 vs 6.14) but Shadab takes almost double the wickets. Imad has a bowling average of 26.28, Shadab has 14.85. Imad has a bowling SR of 25.7, Shadab’s is 14.5.

Imad has only batted in 3 innings in these tournaments but the batting record is also not even close, Shadab hits 21 @ 152 SR. Imad hits 5.5 @ 84 SR. Imad averages 15 @ 131 even if you include all of the meaningless bilateral series. Shadab has a higher SR in tournaments than Sharjeel Khan, Fakhar, Shoaib Malik, Hafeez, etc.

Shadab’s batting in tournaments is literally better than Imad’s batting in tournaments and bilateral series combined. Shadab has almost the exact same ER but takes double the wickets.

But for some reason Imad is talked about as if he is the savior of Pakistani cricket and Shadab is a failure. The truth is that Shadab in tournaments has performed like lion and Imad Wasim has performed like a little kitten.



Also I didn’t even begin to discuss how Shadab is our best fielder while Imad didn’t even have the fitness to field for all 20 overs in the PSL final.

Shadab has outperformed Imad in all ICC events whether it be t20s or 50 overs, and it's not even close .1 is rubbish according to poster the other is a mental beast and a match winner.

 

[Savak]

When it comes to choosing bw Shadab and Imad, Babar will always choose Shadab. Hope Imad gets a fair gig going forward

 

[ads101]

Both Shadab and Imad should play. In t20s both are good enough with the ball to hold their own as well as add batting strength. It is unlikely abrar will add more value than either of them in t20s. Yes it is nice in theory to have a spinner who turns the ball more. But I don’t think it makes the team stronger.

In ODIs, it’s more of a debate. Both aren’t great with the ball, Imad mostly had value as a lower order batsman. You could bring abrar out there instead of Shadab.

 

[shaz619]

Shadab is a saviour that is why

 

[ahmadharis1]

He's a perfectly fine T20 option when you can just bowl whatever you want and because of the nature of the game you get wickets, but he is horrendous in ODIs

 

[mominsaigol]

Shadab has outperformed Imad in all ICC events whether it be t20s or 50 overs, and it's not even close .1 is rubbish according to poster the other is a mental beast and a match winner.

Imad handles pressure better then any of our other players irrespective of winning and losing, you have to admit that.

Babar literally ends up shouting and screaming of the team is losing and everyone else panicks?

Only rizwan hasn't shown to panic so far but he's always hugging the opposition and having trouble with the side screen.

 

[Major]

People who are calling him to be good.

HE DOESNT SPIN THE BALL

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Problem with playing Shadab is that it basically means you can’t play a specialist leg spinner, and if you do then you’re just making that batting order much weaker.

There’s absolutely NO NEED for 2 leg spinners in the XI, take either one of Abrar or Shadab out of the team and replace them with a genuine batsman.

 

[Human786]

He was good at 1 time but his bowling has fallen apart completely ! c @BouncerGuy Keto just now appeared

 

[PakEngFan]

Imad handles pressure better then any of our other players irrespective of winning and losing, you have to admit that.

Babar literally ends up shouting and screaming of the team is losing and everyone else panicks?

Only rizwan hasn't shown to panic so far but he's always hugging the opposition and having trouble with the side screen.

Yes and pigs can fly.

 

[mominsaigol]

Yes and pigs can fly.

If it helps you believe imad is the best at handling pressure then yes, pigs can fly

 

[PakEngFan]

If it helps you believe imad is the best at handling pressure then yes, pigs can fly

Make sense for once. It's I know it's impossible but I believe you would one day.

 

[mominsaigol]

Make sense for once. It's I know it's impossible but I believe you would one day.

I always make sense, I'm one of the Smartest people you've ever met, bruh you should count your lucky blessings that you've met someone who's willing to share his deep knowledge and impart his High IQ with you.

Rather then being hostile you should learn a thing or 2 from me lol.

Trust me mate, Imad is a big match winner, you saw it in the psl you'll see it again soon enough. Bookmark this post for that day.

 

[Local.Dada]

The other leg spinning options or spin options in general I have seen play for Pak recently are more or less in the same range as him give or take. Add his batting ability and fielding he moves ahead of the rest. Abrar is a good find so far but haven’t seen much of him except some moments from that bazball series i beleive.

 

[PakEngFan]

I always make sense, I'm one of the Smartest people you've ever met, bruh you should count your lucky blessings that you've met someone who's willing to share his deep knowledge and impart his High IQ with you.

Rather then being hostile you should learn a thing or 2 from me lol.

Trust me mate, Imad is a big match winner, you saw it in the psl you'll see it again soon enough. Bookmark this post for that day.

I haven't met you for a start. So you are yet to makes sense. You smart? That's news to me. If you are smart than I don't want to be smart.

 

[MenInG]

Maybe this?

 

[Mohraheem]

We can say the same about Ifthikhar

 

[MenInG]

And a wicket also

 

[aukhan]

Shadab is babar’s friend and that is the only criteria for his selection. He has been miserable for years now. fake allrounder

 

[FearlessRoar]

Shadab Khan is back in form; he took 2 wickets for 15 runs in 3 overs against New Zealand in the 2nd T20I in Rawalpindi.

 

[Mohraheem]

Shadab Khan is back in form; he took 2 wickets for 15 runs in 3 overs against New Zealand in the 2nd T20I in Rawalpindi.

Pretty good bowling loved it! Good to see him back.

 

[pakistani pride]

Until he bowls to proper batsmen.

 

[Major]

Shadab Khan is back in form; he took 2 wickets for 15 runs in 3 overs against New Zealand in the 2nd T20I in Rawalpindi.

no he is not back in form.

He bowled rubbish against a rubbish team. He was over pitching and bowling short. The wicket he got of Sodhi was a terrible delivery that short pitched.

A good team would had bashed the hell out of him

 

[mominsaigol]

Shadab Khan is back in form; he took 2 wickets for 15 runs in 3 overs against New Zealand in the 2nd T20I in Rawalpindi.

Mate he was bowling full tosses even today?

 

[Savak]

He has changed his bowling action and he now bowls like a part timer. The control, loop, guile is all gone. He is now just pushing through with the ball and his action and this is resulting in him either bowling half trackers or full tosses. Not sure if he is carrying an injury.

There is a massive difference b/w his bowling action and bowling quality from 2017 to 2019. He would flight the ball and invite batters to hit him over the top, but he used to give the ball a chance to spin and would bring his googly into play as well.

It was from 2020 onwards where i began to notice his bowling trajectory become flatter and he was more concerned with bowling economically rather than risk getting hit to pick up wickets. He will be eaten alive by any good batting side.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Shadab Khan is back in form; he took 2 wickets for 15 runs in 3 overs against New Zealand in the 2nd T20I in Rawalpindi.

Some PakPassion experts disagree hardly.

We have been blessed with another thread.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

5 is the right number of Shadab. 7 or 8 is too low. What is the point of him playing up the order in PSL and scoring those runs if he is going to bat down the order for Pakistan? Iftikhar and Imad can be more effective at 6 and 7 respectively.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Shadab Khan is the only batter playing with a 200+ strike rate against New Zealand in the 3rd T20I.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Shadab Khan is the only batter playing with a 200+ strike rate against New Zealand in the 3rd T20I.

Now, don't expect anything from him for the remaining matches ultimately he cemented his place in the World Cup based on just one good inning... both Fakhar and Shadab get selected on the same criteria.

 

[mominsaigol]

Now, don't expect anything from him for the remaining matches ultimately he cemented his place in the World Cup based on just one good inning... both Fakhar and Shadab get selected on the same criteria.

Tbf, Bowling wise he sucks but I have changed my mind about him.

Batting wise he's the only actual hitter we have, yes ik sad state of affairs really, but he's the only Pakistani player who has the @&@&#& to actually do something.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Tbf, Bowling wise he sucks but I have changed my mind about him.

Batting wise he's the only actual hitter we have, yes ik sad state of affairs really, but he's the only Pakistani player who has the @&@&#& to actually do something.

But the problem is that we can't select him as a specialist batter... he has to perform with the ball since he is playing as an all rounder otherwise we will be playing with one bowler short.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1782378820743450816

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Some superb effort from Shadab Khan against New Zealand in the 4th T20I

https://imgur.com/KfqwcD4

 

[FearlessRoar]

Shadab Khan, the stellar all-rounder and outstanding fielder of Pakistan cricket, is often hailed as the 'beast' in T20 cricket, known for his versatility. But why did he not bowl today?

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Shadab strikes in his first over today but why Babar held him for so long. Will this folly cost us the match?

 

[RidiculousMan]

One of the best spin all rounders in the world in this format. Be it batting, bowling or fielding.

 

[RidiculousMan]

5 is the right number of Shadab. 7 or 8 is too low. What is the point of him playing up the order in PSL and scoring those runs if he is going to bat down the order for Pakistan? Iftikhar and Imad can be more effective at 6 and 7 respectively.

I hope if there's something Babar and co have learned from this series is that Shadab deserves a permanent spot in that middle order. He is one of the few guys who doesn't eat up balls. Either he will get out cheap early or he will play a blitz knock at a very healthy strike rate.

 

[hassan918]

Shadab Khan can make good contributions in all 3 departments. This is his perfect throw tonight that resulted in a run out.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I hope if there's something Babar and co have learned from this series is that Shadab deserves a permanent spot in that middle order. He is one of the few guys who doesn't eat up balls. Either he will get out cheap early or he will play a blitz knock at a very healthy strike rate.

Fakhar at 4 followed by Shadab at 5 is honestly the best you can do in the middle order this point. Shadab has the second highest SR for Pakistan ever. And Fakhar has struck at 149.35 in T20Is this year.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Fakhar at 4 followed by Shadab at 5 is honestly the best you can do in the middle order this point. Shadab has the second highest SR for Pakistan ever. And Fakhar has struck at 149.35 in T20Is this year.

I was waiting to see Azam Khan in this series but that ship has sunk. Pun intended.

Pakistan should just pick the best 15 they want for WT20 in Ireland and England series. No time to lose.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Shadab is bowling quite well after his comeback. If he keeps his rythm then there's no need to carry Usama Mir into the World Cup... he is just a waste of resource. We can add any specialist batsman in his place.

 

[gazza619]

A number 7 batter at best, a decent fielder and a part bowler who can sometimes chip in with 2/3 good overs. That is Shadab Khan i know.

The moment he becomes a top 4/5 batter is when he fails, and will always fail.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Here are the top wicket takers from the last two T20 World Cups.

Will Shadab Khan be able to keep himself on this list in upcoming world cup?

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Very poor spell from Shadab today looked greatly out of touch conceded 54 in 4 overs for Pakistan. The perfect candidate for match ka mujrim today.

 

[topspin]

@PakEngFan

You still think Shadab is better than Imad?

 

[aukhan]

Imad was ousted just to protect shadab when he was VC.
This good for nothing full toss specialist should be discarded for good but i think he will become Shoaib Malik of this generation.

Pathetic as always

 

[Savak]

Shadab Khan flopped in the ODI Asia Cup 2023, flopped in the ODI WC 2023.

He has clearly been struggling for a long time and is the principle reason why our bowling in the middle overs is pathetic. He has got to be kicked out on his back side and be made to earn his place in the team. He cannot play as a batsman alone.