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[VIDS/PICS] Pakistan announce 20-man initial squad for 2-match Test series vs South Africa

Boycottisno2 said:
Age
Tabish Khan 36
Nauman Ali 34
Sajid Khan 27
Haris Rauf 27
Mohammed Nawaz 26
Saud Shakeel 25
Salman Ali Agha 27
Kamran Ghulam 25
Imran Butt 25
Abdullah Shafique 21

which country in the world gives debut to 34/36 year olds...... i ask everyone to tell me when have England Australia New zealand South Africa and India have given debut to a 34/36 year olds .... or is it a 34/36 year olds retire from the above named countries.....
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Adam Voges at 35.
Bryce Mcgain at 37
Shaun Udal at 36
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
[MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] I’m wondering if you can forward the recommendation to the PCB that A tours should be arranged as much as possible, but never at the expense of first class cricket? It seems like a fairly obvious thing but it’s completely roadblocked Hussain Talat, Imran Butt, Abdullah Shafique, and Zeeshan Malik from developing their techniques in real cricket.
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Especially as the level competition provided was really poor. We are none the wiser at what are the strengths and weaknesses of these guys
 
Ok with this initial 20-man squad, just questioning Abdullah's selection if domestic performance takes precedence. Just like how Imran saw something in Wasim, Waqar and Inzamam so maybe perhaps M. Wasim sees that 'something' in Abdullah? He probably won't get a game anyways as the opening combo is most likely gonna be Abid-Imran/Azhar.

It was pretty harsh to drop Zafar as he'd be more useful in spin-friendly conditions + he's scored pretty well in his lone test in NZ. Tabish's selection, to me, is just to let cricketers in the country know to take domestics seriously as putting up numbers will be rewarded with your selection. Tabish, unfortunately, probably won't play anyways as the premier fast bowlers are Shaheen and Hasan, with the third being Faheem + 2 spinners in Yasir-Nauman/Sajid. Long-term wise, I don't really know how long Pak are gonna carry Tabish within the test ranks as, domestic performance wise, he should've been selected long ago.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
Five trash, five low IQ. Dropped the best bowler after giving him one innings in the worst conditions for a spinner on earth.
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Tbf, this squad announcement has wider implications than just short term results.
You know me; I am not in favour of most of the players selected, but the ones who I would like to see in the team are not ready yet.

We have to make peace with the fact that turning Pakistan into a competitive side is going to be a long term process, and for that the culture needs to change and the players' trust in the system needs to revive.

By rewarding domestic performers, this selection has illustrated a clear pathway for everyone, and therefore, this will result in higher motivation and effort from the players going forward.

Guys like Shahnawaz, Naseem, Haider, Abdullah Shafiq are future stars. However, until they are ready, the hardworking journeymen need to be selected so that the right precedent is set and a linear formula for player's career mobility is established.

On Zafar, he will very likely come in soon. He isn't going anywhere, I am sure.
 
Boycottisno2 said:
Age
Tabish Khan 36
Nauman Ali 34
Sajid Khan 27
Haris Rauf 27
Mohammed Nawaz 26
Saud Shakeel 25
Salman Ali Agha 27
Kamran Ghulam 25
Imran Butt 25
Abdullah Shafique 21

which country in the world gives debut to 34/36 year olds...... i ask everyone to tell me when have England Australia New zealand South Africa and India have given debut to a 34/36 year olds .... or is it a 34/36 year olds retire from the above named countries.....
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Lets take a breath. The 34/36 year olds haven't actually debuted yet, not ones selected by Wasim's at least.

This is just the first 20, not even the final 16 that they're going to select in a few days. I highly doubt Nauman and Tabish would debut any time soon, there's others ahead in the rotation. I expect they'll both be cut when they announce the slimmed down team next week
 
Pacy with wisdom said:
Tbf, this squad announcement has wider implications than just short term results.
You know me; I am not in favour of most of the players selected, but the ones who I would like to see in the team are not ready yet.

We have to make peace with the fact that turning Pakistan into a competitive side is going to be a long term process, and for that the culture needs to change and the players' trust in the system needs to revive.

By rewarding domestic performers, this selection has illustrated a clear pathway for everyone, and therefore, this will result in higher motivation and effort from the players going forward.

Guys like Shahnawaz, Naseem, Haider, Abdullah Shafiq are future stars. However, until they are ready, the hardworking journeymen need to be selected so that the right precedent is set and a linear formula for player's career mobility is established.

On Zafar, he will very likely come in soon. He isn't going anywhere, I am sure.
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For many years, the Pakistan test squad has been a closed glass house, especially batting wise, with the occasional scraps thrown to the odd domestic performer.

Today's squad was the first time where there was clarity given on why people were and were not picked.

At the end of the PCB staff will do it's full preparation, but performances come from the players and results are from Allah.

However, as fans, to have that clarity of purpose that Wasim articulated was really refreshing, of how the team is being built. In previous times, whenever a squad was announced, there was an element of "WTH is going on here?!?". The vibe from today's squad announcement was clearly not that, which is why a lot of people are happy with this start by Wasim.

InshAllah I hope the results improve from here on in.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
Five trash, five low IQ. Dropped the best bowler after giving him one innings in the worst conditions for a spinner on earth.
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Yeah dropping Zafar isn't the best call. Dont agree with selecting Tabish at this stage. Rauf & Abdullah's selections seems premature.

I'm fine with the rest of the calls though.
 
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KingOfPakBreakfast said:
For many years, the Pakistan test squad has been a closed glass house, especially batting wise, with the occasional scraps thrown to the odd domestic performer.

Today's squad was the first time where there was clarity given on why people were and were not picked.

At the end of the PCB staff will do it's full preparation, but performances come from the players and results are from Allah.

However, as fans, to have that clarity of purpose that Wasim articulated was really refreshing, of how the team is being built. In previous times, whenever a squad was announced, there was an element of "WTH is going on here?!?". The vibe from today's squad announcement was clearly not that, which is why a lot of people are happy with this start by Wasim.

InshAllah I hope the results improve from here on in.
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InshaAllah, brother.

I am absolutely content with this squad, as I see a clarity of purpose and the long term implications attached to it.
What this will mean is that all the upcoming young talents will have to justify this criteria.
Our failures in the past have partly been because we have been hell bent in fast tracking talented players before they are ready.

Such objective selection will make sure that the new talents will have to produce performances, and in the process will not only rise up as mature performers, but will also understand the worth of representing at the highest level.

Secondly, the whole point of dropping a player is to make sure he eradicates the flaws that stopped him from performing in international cricket.
Instead these players would previously be lost in the system and would be on their own if they were to make any improvements.
we have had guys like Sohaib Maqsood picked and dropped countless times, yet there has been no growth in their play.

Therefore the move of keeping players who have been dropped part of the system by handing them over to the NHPC, is unprecedented for our system.
 
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[MENTION=152972]Pacy with wisdom[/MENTION] the fact that he also called each of the players dropped before the conference is also unprecedented, for years players have found out through the TV.

Meanwhile in terms of selections, Haider Ali found out about his callup to the England series when his dad showed him a meme on Facebook.
 
Ahson8 said:
Yeah dropping Zafar isn't the best call. Dont agree with selecting Tabish at this stage. Rauf & Abdullah's selections seems premature.

I'm fine with the rest of the calls though.
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Tbh Zafar has never been that good as much as he has been hyped on the forum.
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
[MENTION=152972]Pacy with wisdom[/MENTION] the fact that he also called each of the players dropped before the conference is also unprecedented, for years players have found out through the TV.

Meanwhile in terms of selections, Haider Ali found out about his callup to the England series when his dad showed him a meme on Facebook.
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Yup, we need a cultural change, and that is exactly what we are seeing the foundations of. Long may it continue, InshaAllah.
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
[MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] I’m wondering if you can forward the recommendation to the PCB that A tours should be arranged as much as possible, but never at the expense of first class cricket? It seems like a fairly obvious thing but it’s completely roadblocked Hussain Talat, Imran Butt, Abdullah Shafique, and Zeeshan Malik from developing their techniques in real cricket.
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I have no problem with A tours and in fact I believe they are really important to help domestic cricketers make the step up to international cricket. However, I dislike an A tour full of t20 games. You learn nothing about the quality of a player in such games. If the likes of Abdullah and Harris had played the first class season instead of those meaningless t20s with New Zealand A, there would have been an actual basis to select them.

As it happens, none of the back ups on the NZ tour got properly tested and Mohammed Wasim had little evidence to select those players, apart from blind faith. Blind faith is what he's ended up using to select both Abdullah and Harris Rauf but who knows, someone like Hussnain could have outperformed Rauf had both played first class cricket. but we simply don't know if they really are good enough. Now both Abdullah and Harris will be dropped from the final 16 but, had they been given the chance in first class cricket, they may have outperformed those actually selected.

What's really worrying is that Wasim is having to resort to some pretty old pacers to make up the numbers. No doubt Shaheen and Hasan are the nucleus of the bowling attack, but the cupboard is well and truly empty behind them.

I'm disappointed for Zafar Gohar. It is not fair to judge him on that awful track.

Otherwise overall good selections.
 
It's going to interesting to see whom they will drop to make squad of 16.

If guys like Tabish, Abdullah Shafique, Sajid Khan and Nouman Ali is dropped, then there was no point of coming up with 20 men squad.
 
Is the chief selector Mohammed wasim the same person who almost snatched victory by making century in his debut test against new Zealand?
 
I think overall decent pool, one of the better squads in recent times. That said I can't but feel bad for Zafar Gohar exclusion. He scored 71 runs coming down the order and looked good when rest of batting mostly failed. There is no way you could expect him to pick wickets on that pitch. I really want this musical chair selection to stop in the future. Look at Cameron Green for e.g, Australia gave him a whole series (4 Tests) at the very least. If you pick a player, then give him a decent run, hopefully whoever debuts next is given atleast a few test matches on the trot.
 
Going forward the best strategy for Pakistan would be to select the best performers in the FC season. No more fast tracking youngeters just keep a consistent method of selection and the players will focus on improving their game as opposed to other theatrics to get selected.
 
Mamoon said:
I actually like Nawaz and I think he is criminally underrated on this forum. He is no Jadeja but he is not as bad as people think.

He has been treated like a complete second class citizen compared to Imad and Shadab, but I actually think he is a better cricketer than Shadab.

He cannot be a worse bowler and he has better ability with the bat. He certainly falls short when it comes to doing theatrics in the field though.

I hope he can make it to the 16 man squad. Would like to see him play as the second spinner in this series.

It is understandable that he has been sidelined in LOIs because Imad is our best all-rounder and two SLAs can be counterproductive, but he needs more opportunities in Test cricket.
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Nawaz should have been given a consistent run during our years in the UAE, and also in the series against SL and BD.

He averages around 37 with the bat in domestic, and roughly under 30 with the ball. He's not on a level to be compared with Jadeja, but Naqaz is still young. The more he plays, and the more he bowls as well, the better it will be for him.

Should be our spin-bowling all-rounder for this series.
 
I can see pakistan playing 2 pacers and 2 spinners in both tests. Possibly with faheem as a 5th bowler and all rounder. The 2 main pacers can then be used in short and aggresive spells.
 
Pakistan and South Africa set to resume Test rivalry

• Both sides met for the first time in 1995 and last in 2019 at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg

• South Africa came out as winners in the last Test match between the two teams in Karachi

• All formats captain Babar Azam has featured in three Tests against South Africa and scored at an average of 36.83; while Shaheen Shah Afridi has taken nine wickets in two Test matches

• “The series against South Africa is an important one, and I am sure the players selected in the squad have the potential and hunger to give best results in the series,” says head coach Misbah ul Haq

• “Pakistan is a dangerous side at home; we will have to come up with a proper strategy to beat them at their own backyard,” says South Africa head coach Mark Boucher

Lahore, 16 January 2021:

Pakistan men’s national cricket team will be hoping to make the best out of the two Test-match series against South Africa, which commences from 26 January at the National Stadium in Karachi. This will be Pakistan’s first home Test against South Africa in more than 13 years. South Africa who last visited Pakistan in 2007 and won the two Test-match series 1-0, will aim to continue their winning streak over the host country.

Both sides met for the first time in 1995 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, which the home team won on the fifth day by 324 runs. In the 26 contests so far, South Africa have won 15, while Pakistan have been victorious on four occasions. The last Test between the both sides was in January 2019 in Johannesburg which the home team won by 107 runs.

Pakistan have hosted seven Test matches at their home soil (Pakistan) in which the hosts have won one, lost two and four have remained drawn. In the only Test match hosted at National Stadium in Karachi in October 2007, South Africa defeated Pakistan by 160 runs, becoming only the second team in history to beat Pakistan at the venue.

In the current Pakistan Test squad, Azhar Ali has faced the opponents in 10 Test matches scoring481 runs at an average of 25.31. Captain Babar Azam has scored 221 runs at an average of 36.83 from three Test matches with two half-centuries.

Among the bowlers, left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has featured in two Test matches against South Africa, taking nine wickets. All-rounder Faheem Ashraf in his one outing against the tourists took six wickets.

Among the South African touring party, captain Quinton de Kock has scored 251 runs in three Tests against Pakistan at 62.75. Former captain Faf du Plessis follows with a tally of 246 runs in seven Tests at 27.33,

Among the bowlers, Kagiso Rabada leads the pack with 17 wickets that he picked up in the last series between the two sides at 18.70.

Pakistan head coach Misbah ul Haq said: “South Africa have never been an easy side to beat, but them playing after 13 years in Pakistan will be an advantage for us, and we have a great chance to improve our record against them.

“The two Test matches in the ICC World Championship are very important for us and we will try to get maximum points out of it to improve our position on the table.

“Playing at home ground is always encouraging for the players, and it reflected in our performances in the series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh last year.

“The series against South Africa is an important one, and I am sure the players selected in the squad have the potential and hunger to give best results in the series.”

South Africa head coach Mark Boucher said: “Pakistan is a dangerous side at home; we will have to come up with a proper strategy to beat them at their own backyard.

“The wickets here in Pakistan are batting friendly, and we are relying on our batsmen to score runs. Their confidence will be high after scoring runs against Sri Lanka. Our fast bowlers will have to work very hard to get wickets.

“Pakistan bowlers will have home advantage, so this series will be a test for our batsmen, but once they are successful in occupying the crease, they will be able to score freely.

“We are excited to play in Pakistan again, and expect a great series ahead with all focus on the game.”
 
Loralai said:
This is a good step forward. I would have liked to see Usman Salahuddin included - he is more compact and technically better than Salman Ali Agha. Agha cannot play the short ball and will struggle away from Pakistan.
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i Salahuddin is a middle order bateman we already have saud kamran babar fawad in that middle order so it would make no sense to pick another hence why he went with an batting all rounder down the order
 
shaz619 said:
Some very radical selections which are so sudden, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this from any Pakistan selector; hopefully things pan out for Wasim regardless as he seems a level headed bloke who is tries his best to maximise the resources and use statistics as well.

Tabish Khan - ‘Officially’ 36 , can someone explain why he has been selected and the type of pace bowler he is ?

Also, info on the new spinners and what they bring ?
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He has been selected as a like for like replacement for abbas he has been performing for many years in domestic and bowls lots of overs

The two new spinners had the best average in the last addition of qaid e azam both went at average off less than 25
 
Ellipsism said:
Shaheen and Hassan aside it looks very average.

Rauf has played 2-3 FC games and doesn’t have the bowing IQ nor the consistency to succeed at test level.

I would’ve preferred Waqas Maqsood over Tabish if they were going for an experienced domestic performer, however, I don’t rate either of them.

Haven’t seen much of Nauman or Sajid, but Nawaz is trash.
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Nawaz is a decent all rounder if he plays he will bat at 7 similar to what shadab did in england and what fahim did in new zealand.
 
Markhor said:
Decent squad though there's always a few surprises with every CS.

Haris Rauf and Abdullah Shafiq have no business in a Test squad with 3 and 1 FC matches respectively. I understand giving recognition to Tabish Khan but what can he offer at age 36 ? Would've preferred Waqas Maqsood if we're picking a veteran seamer.

Mohammed Nawaz is a nothing bowler unless it's a square turner. And I worry about Imran Butt's technique vs seam, he's just had one good domestic season in the last few years.

Nevertheless this squad will be whittled down to 16 so best to reserve judgment then.
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Nawaz is thier as a batting all rounder one of him or agha will be dropped for the final 16
 
My team for the karachi test would be.i would drop haris,abdullah,nuaman and tabish from the 16 man squad

Abid ali
Azhar ali
Saud shakeel
Babar
Fawad
Rizwan
Nawaz/agha salman
Sajid khan
Hassan ali
Yasir shah
Shaheen
 
shamaan said:
My team for the karachi test would be.i would drop haris,abdullah,nuaman and tabish from the 16 man squad

Abid ali
Azhar ali
Saud shakeel
Babar
Fawad
Rizwan
Nawaz/agha salman
Sajid khan
Hassan ali
Yasir shah
Shaheen
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Yeah this will pretty much be the playing XI. The only difference can be Faheem in place of Nawaz/ Agha Salman
 
shamaan said:
My team for the karachi test would be.i would drop haris,abdullah,nuaman and tabish from the 16 man squad

Abid ali
Azhar ali
Saud shakeel
Babar
Fawad
Rizwan
Nawaz/agha salman
Sajid khan
Hassan ali
Yasir shah
Shaheen
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Playing 2 seamers specially when HAsan Ali is prone to injury would be idiotic. You can either drop Sajid khan for faheem or Nawaz/agha need be replaced with faheem. 3 seam options are necessary to manage the work load of seamers
 
shamaan said:
My team for the karachi test would be.i would drop haris,abdullah,nuaman and tabish from the 16 man squad

Abid ali
Azhar ali
Saud shakeel
Babar
Fawad
Rizwan
Nawaz/agha salman
Sajid khan
Hassan ali
Yasir shah
Shaheen
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Faheem at 7, agree with the rest
 
Some decent calls there, but I don't understand dropping Zafar Gohar after one bad game on a pitch that New Zealand didn't even play a spinner on.

Bowling looks very weak aside from Shaheen and Hasan, don't understand what Haris Rauf is doing there.

We really shouldn't be picking players who haven't played at least two full seasons of FC cricket, we don't want to be rushing players into Test cricket the way Naseem was rushed in.
 
1. Abid Ali
2. Azhar Ali
3. Saud Shakeel
4. Babar Azam (c)
5. Fawad Alam
6. Muhammad Rizwan (wk)
7. Yasir Shah
8. Numan Ali
9. Hassan Ali
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi
11. Tabish Khan
 
Shoaibbtt said:
1. Abid Ali
2. Azhar Ali
3. Saud Shakeel
4. Babar Azam (c)
5. Fawad Alam
6. Muhammad Rizwan (wk)
7. Yasir Shah
8. Numan Ali
9. Hassan Ali
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi
11. Tabish Khan
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Lol tabish khan and then yasir at 7.
 
Khan12 said:
Lol tabish khan and then yasir at 7.
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Don’t knock it till you’ve tried them. Spinners will play a vital role on these wickets especially Yasir with Numan being a good partner. If Tabish gets 5w in the first innings he’s done his job.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Don’t knock it till you’ve tried them. Spinners will play a vital role on these wickets especially Yasir with Numan being a good partner. If Tabish gets 5w in the first innings he’s done his job.
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Tabisb will struggle to let alone getting a 5fer the guy is awful. I will take Abbas over him anyday. You cant have yasir at 7 thats an awfully long tail.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
1. Abid Ali
2. Azhar Ali
3. Saud Shakeel
4. Babar Azam (c)
5. Fawad Alam
6. Muhammad Rizwan (wk)
7. Yasir Shah
8. Numan Ali
9. Hassan Ali
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi
11. Tabish Khan
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Batting is to short for the karachi test no need for more than 2 pacers as its spin friendly but decent decision in pindi test
 
To ensure the health and safety of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, player support personnel and their families, the Pakistan Cricket Board has arranged a chartered flight that will transport them to Karachi on Tuesday afternoon. This group of 50 people on Tuesday will enter the bio-secure bubble in a local hotel.

While the players and support staff in Karachi are already observing isolation at their homes, players from other parts of the country will arrive in Lahore later today before departing for Karachi on Tuesday where the first Test will begin on 26 January.

Upon arrival in Karachi on Tuesday, the entire group will undergo a third round of testing before they are allowed to resume training on Thursday, 21 January.

Apart from members of the Pakistan squad and their families, National High Performance coaches, Mohammad Yousuf and Saqlain Mushtaq, will also travel on the chartered flight. The two will join Grant Bradburn to follow the last leg of the Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament, which concludes on 31 January.

As Pakistan squad for the three T20I series will enter the bio-secure bubble in Lahore on 3 February, the National High Performance coaches will oversee preparations of the T20I squad until the team management assumes charge following the second Test, starts in Rawalpindi on 4 February. The visit to Karachi is part of starting the preparations well in advance so that they can make best use of the time.

Meanwhile, all the players and player support personnel have cleared their second testing, while the third tests will be conducted in Karachi on Tuesday.
 
When someone from media asked Babar the question who is the best upcoming talent that can be next Babar Azam he said he likes Abdullah Shafiq a lot from all talent available so he wants him in side. I was also surprised how wasim selected a non performer in batting its Babar's own choice he has said in meeting with Wasim keep who want to keep just give me Abdullah Shafiq.
 
Pakistan men's national cricket team will start their training tomorrow at the National Stadium Karachi at 1pm after they were tested Covid-19 negative for the third time.

Previously, the players and support staff cleared their second tests, conducted on 16 January.

The first Test match between Pakistan and South Africa will commence at the National Stadium from 26 January.

Pakistan team will be holding daily practice sessions till 25 January.
 
b.lesner said:
When someone from media asked Babar the question who is the best upcoming talent that can be next Babar Azam he said he likes Abdullah Shafiq a lot from all talent available so he wants him in side. I was also surprised how wasim selected a non performer in batting its Babar's own choice he has said in meeting with Wasim keep who want to keep just give me Abdullah Shafiq.
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Thats great then. He is definetly suited more for tests and odis. Good to see babar have a say.
 
Karachi’s historic National Stadium will play host to the first Pakistan-South Africa Test on Pakistani soil in more than 13 years when play begins on Tuesday, 26 January. The National Stadium Karachi is considered Pakistan’s fortress of Test cricket but South Africa remains one of only two teams to have beaten the home side in the 42 matches hosted at the venue.

South Africa won here by 160 runs to take what turned out to be a decisive 1-0 lead in the last series to be played between the two teams in Pakistan. Current Pakistan batting coach Younis Khan scored a century in the second innings of the match while debutant spinner Abdur Rehman took eight wickets in the match.

Former Pakistan players are looking forward to an exciting series with both teams possessing some world-class talent that promises to produce exciting cricket.

Younis Khan –Total of 990 runs in 14 Tests against South Africa: “After the Test tours by Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the tour of South Africa is a magnificent occasion indeed. National Stadium is my home ground and I have played here for a long time, the conditions and pitch will suit Pakistan. South Africa also have some quality players which makes for a competitive series.

“Young Pakistan players who will play Test cricket on home soil will have a lot to gain from this experience, they will learn the nuances of the longest format and their confidence will also grow.”

Mohammad Yousuf batting coach NHPC –Seven Tests against South Africa, 357 runs: “South Africa’s trip is a big milestone for cricket in the country, Pakistanis love cricket and it is their greatest passion. There is a lot of interest in Test cricket and I have some very fond memories of playing Test cricket all over the country.

“I am confident that the fans will enjoy a great series as both teams will enter the series with adequate preparation and planning. South Africa possess experienced players but we have the advantage of playing at our home grounds. The Pakistan squad is well aware of the conditions at the National Stadium and even the new players inducted in the squad have rich experience of playing first-class cricket at the venue.”

Umar Gul –Six Tests, fifteen wickets against South Africa: “This is a significant series in terms of homecoming of cricket as South Africa is one of the top cricketing nations. I remember the 2007 Karachi Test which South Africa won against us as I was part of the Pakistan team. I am backing the Babar Azam-led team to win this Test and better our record against South Africa at one of our favourite Test venues.”

Abdur Rehman –Eight wickets in 2007 Karachi Test on debut: “South Africa playing again at the National Stadium has brought back some wonderful memories of my debut Test in 2007. For me performing against them in my debut Test was nothing short of a dream coming true. In the present squad, spinners Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan have considerable experience of first-class cricket.

“The trio has played a lot of cricket this season at this venue and know well about the conditions and the pitch. The spinners along with Yasir can really trouble South Africa; Yasir will be the linchpin of the bowling attack.”

Faisal Iqbal –Four Tests, 119 runs against South Africa: “In these challenging times, the tour of South Africa is an extremely encouraging step. I strongly believe that the successful delivery of PCB’s domestic season even with the Covid-19 challenges helped a lot with this tour.

“I was part of the team that played the 2007 series against South Africa and at present it is a matter of pride for me that I am one of the selectors that has chosen the squad for this tour besides my role as head coach of Balochistan.”

Taufeeq Umar –Six Tests, 730 runs against South Africa: “South Africa’s tour is a very encouraging development and I am looking forward to what should be a keenly contested series. This series will help bring more Test cricket to Pakistan. Both teams are balanced and we are in for a thrilling series, I wish Pakistan the very best, I believe we have the squad that can prevail in the Test series.
 
Pakistan squad practising ahead of 1st Test in Karachi IMG-20210121-WA0020.jpgIMG-20210121-WA0013.jpgIMG-20210121-WA0012.jpgIMG-20210121-WA0017.jpgIMG-20210121-WA0016.jpgIMG-20210121-WA0015.jpgIMG-20210121-WA0014.jpgIMG-20210121-WA0019.jpgIMG-20210121-WA0018.jpgIMG-20210121-WA0011.jpg
 
Great pictured. Younis Khan looks as if he still has many thousand test runs in him even at this age.
 
Younis looks fit no doubt...so my question to is when is the 16 man squad being announced as match is like 5 days away???
 
[MENTION=93712]MenInG[/MENTION] do you have complete pic for the whole outfield of NSK, just wanted to see how good or bad does the outfield looks?
 
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So it looks like Imran Butt is a sure starter


In the above pics you’ve

Yasir first slip
IMRAN second slip
Babar third slip

So the likely playing 11

Abid
Imran *DEBUT*
Azhar
Babar *c*
Fawad
Mohammad *+*
Faheem
Yasir
Hassan
Nauman/ Sajid *DEBUT*
Shaheen
 
Babar_Azam_fan said:
So it looks like Imran Butt is a sure starter


In the above pics you’ve

Yasir first slip
IMRAN second slip
Babar third slip

So the likely playing 11

Abid
Imran *DEBUT*
Azhar
Babar *c*
Fawad
Mohammad *+*
Faheem
Yasir
Hassan
Nauman/ Sajid *DEBUT*
Shaheen
Click to expand...

I'd go with

1. Azhar
2. Imran
3. Saud
4. Babar (c)
5. Fawad
6. Rizwan (wk)
7. Faheem
8. Yasir
9. Hassan
10. Sajid
11.Shaheen
 
Azar wont open so Imran Butt definately playing. If Faheem plays i think will go for Nawaz to cover the batting if he doesnt then they will go with Sajid or Nauman. Rest are guaranteed
 
I hope Sajid Khan and Kamran Ghulam both are part of the playing XI. Kamran Ghulam deserves it more than Saud Shakeel.
 
Whenever people say x player will.play based off the pictures, it's often wrong.

I sure hope so this time, dear God no, don't let that club cricketer Imran Butt play.
 
Wasn’t the 20 Man squad to be narrowed down to 16 four days after the 20 were announced. Any ideas which 4 are being left out?
 
HappyWarsFan said:
Whenever people say x player will.play based off the pictures, it's often wrong.

I sure hope so this time, dear God no, don't let that club cricketer Imran Butt play.
Click to expand...

Club cricketer or not, he was the leading scorer in FC cricket last year so he has earned his chance.
 
The squad has been made, and we can't change any of that now. However, it leads me to wonder if there are aspects of the game that we are forgetting, areas where we are not directing enough attention. You see, South Africa is likely to enter the first test match with the following combination:

Dean Elgar (LHB)
Aiden Markram (RHB)
Rassie Van Der Dussen (RHB)
Faf du Plessis (RHB)
Quinton de Kock (LHB)
Temba Bavuma (RHB)
Wiaan Mulder (RHB)
Keshav Maharaj (RHB)
Tabraiz Shamsi (RHB)
Kagiso Rabada (LHB)
Anrich Nortje (RHB)/Lungi Ngidi (RHB)

They will most likely go in with this XI for two reasons: they have only two recognized spinners and secondly, they won't make their tail too long.

Looking at the batting styles (LHB or RHB), I can already see that Yasir Shah will be a guaranteed starter because he can take it away from all the right handers. However, there is a chance that he won't play if we instead opt for Nauman Ali. The emphasis made by a lot of people, including me, about the inclusion of Sajid Khan might not make too much sense considering how many batsmen are right handed. If the management thinks like that, they would be thinking down the wrong track. Yasir and Sajid are a must because spinning the ball both ways is very valuable.

In Karachi, our bowling attack should be composed of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Yasir Shah, and Sajid Khan.

Now our batting.

Rabada averages 22.15 vs RHB and 19.43 vs LHB.

Anrich Nortje averages 21.36 vs RHB and 31.81 vs LHB.

Ngidi averages 15.07 vs RHB and 32.87 vs LHB.

Keshav Maharaj averages 26.33 vs RHB and 23.21 vs LHB. However, Maharaj has taken 51 wickets against positions 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 alone, meaning that he's not that threatening.

What you'll notice is that in some cases, there is quite a large deviation between the bowling averages of South African bowlers when determining batting style.

Therefore, I'd walk into the Karachi test with:

Imran Butt
Abid Ali
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam (c)
Fawad Alam
Saud Shakeel
Mohammad Rizwan
Yasir Shah
Sajid Khan
Hasan Ali
Shaheen Shah Afridi

That should give us enough bowling and enough batting to post large totals.
 
HappyWarsFan said:
Whenever people say x player will.play based off the pictures, it's often wrong.

I sure hope so this time, dear God no, don't let that club cricketer Imran Butt play.
Click to expand...

I think any opener will be an upgrade over shan masood. Imran butt is a good fielder. And we all know how aweful abid ali is so got to try new opener
 
El Generico said:
Club cricketer or not, he was the leading scorer in FC cricket last year so he has earned his chance.
Click to expand...

Those pitches last season were very, very flat though where nearly every domestic batsman made merry.

Prior to that Imran Butt hadn't averaged above 40 in a single QEA Trophy in 8 years.
 
UzmanBeast said:
The squad has been made, and we can't change any of that now. However, it leads me to wonder if there are aspects of the game that we are forgetting, areas where we are not directing enough attention. You see, South Africa is likely to enter the first test match with the following combination:

Dean Elgar (LHB)
Aiden Markram (RHB)
Rassie Van Der Dussen (RHB)
Faf du Plessis (RHB)
Quinton de Kock (LHB)
Temba Bavuma (RHB)
Wiaan Mulder (RHB)
Keshav Maharaj (RHB)
Tabraiz Shamsi (RHB)
Kagiso Rabada (LHB)
Anrich Nortje (RHB)/Lungi Ngidi (RHB)

They will most likely go in with this XI for two reasons: they have only two recognized spinners and secondly, they won't make their tail too long.

Looking at the batting styles (LHB or RHB), I can already see that Yasir Shah will be a guaranteed starter because he can take it away from all the right handers. However, there is a chance that he won't play if we instead opt for Nauman Ali. The emphasis made by a lot of people, including me, about the inclusion of Sajid Khan might not make too much sense considering how many batsmen are right handed. If the management thinks like that, they would be thinking down the wrong track. Yasir and Sajid are a must because spinning the ball both ways is very valuable.

In Karachi, our bowling attack should be composed of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Yasir Shah, and Sajid Khan.

Now our batting.

Rabada averages 22.15 vs RHB and 19.43 vs LHB.

Anrich Nortje averages 21.36 vs RHB and 31.81 vs LHB.

Ngidi averages 15.07 vs RHB and 32.87 vs LHB.

Keshav Maharaj averages 26.33 vs RHB and 23.21 vs LHB. However, Maharaj has taken 51 wickets against positions 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 alone, meaning that he's not that threatening.

What you'll notice is that in some cases, there is quite a large deviation between the bowling averages of South African bowlers when determining batting style.

Therefore, I'd walk into the Karachi test with:

Imran Butt
Abid Ali
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam (c)
Fawad Alam
Saud Shakeel
Mohammad Rizwan
Yasir Shah
Sajid Khan
Hasan Ali
Shaheen Shah Afridi

That should give us enough bowling and enough batting to post large totals.
Click to expand...

I reckon perhaps batting first might be good, as you really don't want to be the team batting last. A spinner will be killer on this pitch for the last 2 days.
 
Markhor said:
Those pitches last season were very, very flat though where nearly every domestic batsman made merry.

Prior to that Imran Butt hadn't averaged above 40 in a single QEA Trophy in 8 years.
Click to expand...

The general batting even in this season of QeA at NSK has been pretty good, well up until the teams play their respective second innings. Tough choice whether to believe that your bowling will fire in that first innings i.e. bowl the opposition out cheaply or the batsmen have a real good day in the office.
 
Where is Naseem?He should have played at home,last time he played got a hat-trick
He is hard done here
 
ufcfan said:
Where is Naseem?He should have played at home,last time he played got a hat-trick
He is hard done here
Click to expand...

Hard done?

He's averaging 40+ with the ball.

He has demonstrated no wicket-taking skills nor bowling intelligence.

His change of action has made him 10x worse than he was.

The best decision was made to drop him, he needs to go into domestic and work on himself.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
I reckon perhaps batting first might be good, as you really don't want to be the team batting last. A spinner will be killer on this pitch for the last 2 days.
Click to expand...

That should be the ideal situation, but the pitch will still have something for the quicks on Day 1, and South Africa have some really good quicks. If we bat first, we have to pile runs, at least 400 to set the game towards us. Should look to bowl them out as quick as possible.

The issue with making a dust bowl, is the fact that batting becomes more dangerous, and if the team that wins the toss bats first, it can practically be game over unless you bundle them out quickly.

This is why I'd suggest a rather sub-continent style wicket, one that resembles Indian wickets, which have a solid surface for the first few days but tend to offer some good support to spinners. A dust bowl might work against us if we are unable to win the toss and bat first.
 
UzmanBeast said:
That should be the ideal situation, but the pitch will still have something for the quicks on Day 1, and South Africa have some really good quicks. If we bat first, we have to pile runs, at least 400 to set the game towards us. Should look to bowl them out as quick as possible.

The issue with making a dust bowl, is the fact that batting becomes more dangerous, and if the team that wins the toss bats first, it can practically be game over unless you bundle them out quickly.

This is why I'd suggest a rather sub-continent style wicket, one that resembles Indian wickets, which have a solid surface for the first few days but tend to offer some good support to spinners. A dust bowl might work against us if we are unable to win the toss and bat first.
Click to expand...

It just fully depends, on who SA go with. I reckon Rabada is a definite with Nortje playing second fiddle and perhaps they have Mulder in there as a 3rd seamer or go in with Shamsi. For me i reckon bowl first is the given trend but make sure when you bat on day 2 you take full advantage and ensure you score so well that you don't have to bat again and if you do it's for a low score.

InshAllah this match goes well but i don't wanna say big anyone up until the test match is finished, then i can talk.
 
Markhor said:
Those pitches last season were very, very flat though where nearly every domestic batsman made merry.

Prior to that Imran Butt hadn't averaged above 40 in a single QEA Trophy in 8 years.
Click to expand...

Are there any stats on which openers did average over 40 during those years of dire pitches? A bit harsh to judge Butt by his FC stats alone, he started playing FC when he was 17 and that too as an opener on awful wickets. Its fair to give him a chance based on his improved performance last year imo.

I really want all three of Saud, Imran and Ghulam to play but the only way to fit them in is with the following lineup:

Azhar
Imran
Babar
Saud
Ghulam
Fawad
Rizwan

Misbah will play it safe and only play one of them and looks like it will be Imran.
 
BigShak said:
Are there any stats on which openers did average over 40 during those years of dire pitches? A bit harsh to judge Butt by his FC stats alone, he started playing FC when he was 17 and that too as an opener on awful wickets. Its fair to give him a chance based on his improved performance last year imo.
Click to expand...

The opener who did so the most often was Abid Ali
 
Imran Butt ;like asif butter and that random dogar guy who debuted in srilanka; used to play in misbah’s departmental team. No wonder all these awful players keep getting selected for Pakistan
 
People were too excited by Wasim's picks and forgot the Misbah factor.

There won't be more than two debuts next week.

No way that Faheem is not playing and no way that Saud Shakeel is debuting.

Alongside Imran Butt one of Sajid/Nauman will get a go in Karachi.
 
Prince of Pakistan said:
People were too excited by Wasim's picks and forgot the Misbah factor.

There won't be more than two debuts next week.

No way that Faheem is not playing and no way that Saud Shakeel is debuting.

Alongside Imran Butt one of Sajid/Nauman will get a go in Karachi.
Click to expand...

Sounds about right as well, media are raging as to why Azhar is opening when you have 2 openers in Imran and Abdullah (most likely to be dropped).
 
Shoaibbtt said:
It just fully depends, on who SA go with. I reckon Rabada is a definite with Nortje playing second fiddle and perhaps they have Mulder in there as a 3rd seamer or go in with Shamsi. For me i reckon bowl first is the given trend but make sure when you bat on day 2 you take full advantage and ensure you score so well that you don't have to bat again and if you do it's for a low score.

InshAllah this match goes well but i don't wanna say big anyone up until the test match is finished, then i can talk.
Click to expand...

InshAllah this game will go in our favor, and we can develop some youngsters and see some players perform.
 
Azzurri said:
Imran Butt ;like asif butter and that random dogar guy who debuted in srilanka; used to play in misbah’s departmental team. No wonder all these awful players keep getting selected for Pakistan
Click to expand...

😂 dogar senior guy has been replaced by another of misbah department mate ifthikar senior, but to be fair iftikhar isn't too bad only that he is well past his retirement age by a good 10 yrs so beggers belief of introducing these 40 yr old in intl cricket.

Asif butler 😂we all waited and waited for this power to unleash for Pakistan never did
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Sounds about right as well, media are raging as to why Azhar is opening when you have 2 openers in Imran and Abdullah (most likely to be dropped).
Click to expand...

They way things have been for Azhar since last year he isn't ever opening again. Also Azhar opening means that Babar Azam has to bat at 3 which is another reason for the team management to keep Azhar at 3.

Misbah is very conservative and very much against changing batting numbers. That's why I don't see Saud playing at all after Fawad's 100. Unless someone gets injured again.

Guys like Saud, Kamran Ghulam will have to remain patient and keep performing in domestic.
 
Prince of Pakistan said:
They way things have been for Azhar since last year he isn't ever opening again. Also Azhar opening means that Babar Azam has to bat at 3 which is another reason for the team management to keep Azhar at 3.

Misbah is very conservative and very much against changing batting numbers. That's why I don't see Saud playing at all after Fawad's 100. Unless someone gets injured again.

Guys like Saud, Kamran Ghulam will have to remain patient and keep performing in domestic.
Click to expand...

We'll see what happens but you are right that some guys may and may not get chances, bowling wise Sajid and Hassan will add some depth into our batting so that's good news also.
 
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