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"We aim to play fearless cricket in Australia" : Misbah-ul-Haq

Abdullah719

T20I Captain
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Apr 16, 2013
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Misbah presser on Australia squad announcement:

"Australia, England, SA, your performances here are noticed. I want us to go to Australia and play good, competitive and aggressive cricket, that is the only way to beat Australia there. Our strategy is also based on that, we want to have some surprise packages in our team so we can challenge Australia, whether that's T20 or Test cricket"

"Naseem Shah and Musa Khan's pace and attitude towards fast-bowling is something worth seeing"

"We believe in these players and insha'Allah they are our future. If you go to Australia and compete then it's fire against fire. You need those type of bowlers and talent, like we are on the receiving end with pace, we should challenge them in the same way"

"Some experienced players have been brought back in based on domestic performances"

"Our domestic matches have been considered and we had discussions with the coaches and selectors, and also the two captains, and after that the squad has been assembled"

"We aim to play fearless cricket in Australia and win"

"There's no such thing that we are selecting a young team and we'll return tomorrow and make excuses. We are confident in these players and we believe this is the way forward. We trust that these players will go and perform"

"A lot of things have been said in the media regarding captaincy and Sarfaraz. The chairman, Wasim Khan and myself had a lot of discussion on this matter, we looked at all these things and analysed them. The final constitutional decision regarding captaincy is with the Chairman. There are all kinds of strange theories in the media but it's a simple thing, like the Chairman also said: Over Sarfaraz's form, and the pressure he was playing under, it was on the basis of that that the decision to remove Sarfaraz from captaincy was taken. We have always backed him, he is a good enough player, he has done a lot for Pakistan and he has performances as captain also, but this decision was taken on the basis of his recent form. Regarding a comeback, it's straightforward. Domestic cricket is happening, it's just a matter of regaining his form. Once that happens, the doors are open. There is no conspiracy against him, this is a clear message for Sarfaraz as well as everyone else"

"Pakistan's last series was in SA and our standout batsman was Shan Masood. His form is a concern but he hit a hundred in his last FC game so he is back in form in the long format. Considering how he played on bouncy pitches in SA, there will be similar conditions in Aus and hopefully he does well. He is a good back-foot player so keeping all this in mind, he has been kept in the team. We also have other options like Abid Ali who has come in. There's healthy competition, there's many openers who are scoring runs. Imam has also hit a hundred and is batting well, thus these players were given preference"

"Some decisions, you have to take no matter what, you can't rest on your laurels. If you look at the problems we have, we don't have backups because we didn't take a chance, we were always scared of losing series. So these decisions we've taken, we've brought in youngsters who are performing. These players have talent and you can tell they can take the team forward. The 140+ pace and aggression which is missing, and our bowling is in downfall so to put energy in it again, we need to take these steps. Until you don't take a decision and move forward, you won't get results"

"Usman Qadir is playing and in T20, there is a spark in his bowling. He has some experience of playing in Australia in the BBL. All the white ball cricket he's played, he has some zip in his bowling. He has an advantage due to height and he has variations, a good flipper, googly, leg-spin is also good. Considering that we're facing an issue with our wrist-spin backup and his experience in Australia, we picked him in the team and we're also keeping the T20 World Cup in Australia in mind"

"Musa and Naseem are playing FC cricket, they are fit enough for 4-day and Test cricket. Hasnain's fitness and conditioning towards the longer format, based on what the physio and trainer have told us: we need to work on him after the Australia tour and build him up gradually towards bowling 12, 14, 16 overs, even before playing FC cricket. According to the physio, if we put him in FC cricket before readying him, he can get a long-term injury after playing 1-2 matches. After the Australia tour, he will come back and do some work for 4-6 weeks and gradually he will become fitter for the longer format"

"We have a backup for Shadab and we're working on him. We are all working on his issue with his action and in the last two matches, his bowling was a bit better and there was some nip in his bowling. He is a valuable player for us, he's a livewire in the field and he can bat, and we're working on improving that as well. We brought Usman Qadir so we are also working on someone alongside Shadab"

"With Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan's biggest problem in T20s even at the domestic level, if you want to score 170-180 then you need 2-3 batsmen who can strike at 140-150. Unfortunately, in our domestic circuit, there's no batsman besides Fakhar Zaman and Asif Ali who can strike at that rate. Ahmed and other batsmen all have SRs around 120 thus we struggle to make 150+. So due to these reasons, Asif is also getting a chance besides Fakhar. Out of 6 batsmen, we want at least 2 who have SRs at this level"

"Ahmed got chances, he couldn't perform but we will monitor his performances going forward. We have time for the World Cup so we will review our team make-up"

"The doors aren't closed for anyone, we are backing youngsters. We also want to go to Australia and see that regardless of whether these guys play or not, even when they bowl in the nets in those conditions, you can get a good idea of which players can be useful for the T20 World Cup going forward. There's a lot of time until the World Cup so any player can make it to the squad"

"I haven't heard anything (about Usman Qadir applying for Australian nationality). He is playing cricket in Pakistan and is here. If he is playing here and if we feel he can be a future prospect, we will back him"

"There is no such thing (feedback from PCB regarding Salman Butt). We have picked 3 openers, they all have very good performances in domestic cricket and they have also performed at the international level. So we will see them and then others will be given chances as well when possible"

"We are thinking positively. We have backup plans. Rizwan hasn't been injured in the last 2-3 years so we're hoping he won't get injured here, plus we don't want to put pressure on him. We do have backup plans, but it's a small tour so we didn't think of taking a 2nd WK"

"Sharjeel has I think gotten permission to play club cricket. Once he plays, we'll see what happens. Regarding other players, there are many players close to selection. Rahat Ali is bowling well and has performed but at the end of the day we wanted to pick 5 pacers in the squad of 15-16. So some players were narrow misses. We will see where we need other players going forward"

"I wouldn't say we dropped Nawaz but we added an extra fast-bowler due to Australian conditions so he missed out on selection. For our white-ball cricket or any cricket, he's a very good player. In Australian conditions, you don't require too much spin backup but obviously he is in our plans going forward"

"Shan Masood has performed well recently, Imam has done well in domestics recently and Abid also made 250 so those players who are performing in domestic cricket and also have performances are the international level are being preferred. Salman Butt is also there, once one of these players goes out of contention then he can be considered"

"With Fawad Alam, we are taking one extra middle-order batsman in Iftikhar. Most teams have left-handers so once he comes into the team, we have an off spin option. Last season Fawad had more runs than Iftikhar but Iftikhar also had 3 tons and had a higher average, plus he performed as a bowler. Australia have left-handers also so that was also part of the equation"

"(Faheem dropped) In this series we're given preference to specialists, even in T20s. Pacy and young bowlers have been preferred due to their energy and we are trying to have an aggressive lineup in bowling so that we can give as good as we get"

"It's clear that we will try to play cricket in a similar way to Australia. When you make a team or go anywhere, winning is the first priority and that's what we're thinking of as well. You do leave things to Allah but we aren't thinking at all that we lose in Australia so let's just get by this series as we always lose. Our strategy is to play aggressive cricket, that will give us the best chance of winning"

"Imam if you look at his T20 stats, he's amongst the top players in the National T20 Cup with 2 MOTMs. In PSL also, he performed in the latter stages. If you look at other openers, they have a similar SR but lower averages. No other openers have really performed exceptionally with a high SR thus we kept him as a 3rd option. Fakhar and Babar are our first choice. With someone like Rizwan Hussain, he's batting in the middle-order so there isn't clarity about his batting position"
 
Fawad Alam again ignored? That too in favor of Ifti? Are you kidding me, Misbah? Jeez, what has Fawad done to get in the bad books of every selector ever for PCB?
 
Generally a good squad - Faheem dropped for a good reason and a message for him to improve.

Also Misbah clarifying the Sarfaraz situation very nicely.
 
Lol at Misbah talking about fearless cricket. We have every right to laugh at him saying that given his background but i will hold off from too much criticism and will whole heartedly give him atleast a year to two years into the role
 
clear liking and dislking in this squad
stupid reason to keep fawad out
 
Almost explained every selection which he was asked for pretty well.
 
No explanation for picking IK sr? What are his recent domestic numbers like - this season and last?
 
No explanation for picking IK sr? What are his recent domestic numbers like - this season and last?

Valid question, wonder why no journalist asked that. He might be in the squad as cover for Abbas, someone who can keep it wicket to wicket and tight. As I dont see both Abbas and Imran Khan both playing in the same XI.
 
Valid question, wonder why no journalist asked that. He might be in the squad as cover for Abbas, someone who can keep it wicket to wicket and tight. As I dont see both Abbas and Imran Khan both playing in the same XI.

These ******* journalists are too busy lobbying for the likes of Butt to think of any decent questions.
 
No explanation for picking IK sr? What are his recent domestic numbers like - this season and last?

He didn't specify but he said is average was higher and he got 3 tons.

Good explanations though must admit.
 
No explanation for picking IK sr? What are his recent domestic numbers like - this season and last?

Imran Khan has like 50 wickets in the last two seasons and the ongoing one combined, at around an average of 30. Most of the performing bowlers in FC cricket are averaging in the low 20s (or lower) during this period.

All he said was that IK is being taken as backup for Abbas, so one would assume that they won't play together, at least.
 
have to compare average age of Micky Arthur squad and this then tell this guy thay who is playing young squad.
 
We are going to get smashed. That bowling attack is too inexperienced. Amir and Wahab have left us crippled.
 
have to compare average age of Micky Arthur squad and this then tell this guy thay who is playing young squad.

Which youngsters played under Mickey in tests are missing from here except maybe Shadab?
 
Were better than Tahat, and Imran kahn seniors. Yasir shah should not have beem taken buy Misbah has bowed down to media pressure.

But we still got smashed. Hopefully the young guns in Shaheen, Naseem and Musa can create some spark. Mickey coldnt even give a chance to a single decent young pacer with pace in tests other than Shaheen throughout his tenure.
 
You are missing my point. He says We are selecting young team whivh im fact is wrong.

In terms of bowling it is young with just couple of exceptions while our batting might not be that young except Babar and Imam but still they are not much experienced except Asad and Azhar. He already said that being young team will not be any excuse for bad performance.
 
But we still got smashed. Hopefully the young guns in Shaheen, Naseem and Musa can create some spark. Mickey coldnt even give a chance to a single decent young pacer with pace in tests other than Shaheen throughout his tenure.
Yes but he did not receive any from the one being there for 6 years. Atleast he has given Shaheen to the predecessor . Now coming to the younger players, I think only one of Musa and Naseem will play test while other one be warming the bench but still have to give it to Misbah.Yasir will play which will be a disaster.
 
In terms of bowling it is young with just couple of exceptions while our batting might not be that young except Babar and Imam but still they are not much experienced except Asad and Azhar. He already said that being young team will not be any excuse for bad performance.


yes But Iftikhar in Aus will not work, he will be good for UAE though.His biggest task will be agaainst Sri tests where we need Young spinner instead of this oldie and a couple of bats who can play spin well.We should not be making another Zulfi.
 
Yes but he did not receive any from the one being there for 6 years. Atleast he has given Shaheen to the predecessor . Now coming to the younger players, I think only one of Musa and Naseem will play test while other one be warming the bench but still have to give it to Misbah.Yasir will play which will be a disaster.

Bhatti should play over Yasir in my opinion if we need a specialist spinner. Again as I have said time and time again Mickey got lucky with PSL and thus Shaheen happened. I am sure Shaheen would have been nowhere near the Pakistani team if it was upto Mickey to find bowlers (Not saying that predecessors did better as in reality we didnt have a lot of pacers coming through in this decade until last 3-4 years. But still the only players Mickey played outside of PSL were Imam, Faheem, Abbas, Usman Salahuddin and Mir Hamza.
 
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Micky had no young pacer to pick from. He gave chances to Hamza the inly young with good record.0
 
Bhatti should play over Yasir in my opinion if we need a specialist spinner. Again as I have said time and time again Mickey got lucky with PSL and thus Shaheen happened. I am sure Shaheen would have been nowhere near the Pakistani team if it was upto Mickey to find bowlers (Not saying that predecessors did better as in reality we didnt have a lot of pacers coming through in this decade until last 3-4 years. But still the only players Mickey played outside of PSL were Imam, Faheem, Abbas, Usman Salahuddin and Mir Hamza.
Micky was not the selectors but developed more players in three years than what Misbah did in 6 years.
 
[MENTION=130037]Titan[/MENTION]24 Bhatti should only play this series. Zafar Gohar should be tried against Srilanka. Iftikhar has a role to play if shafiq fails in first test. He has been selected so he has to play when other fails.
 
But we still got smashed. Hopefully the young guns in Shaheen, Naseem and Musa can create some spark. Mickey coldnt even give a chance to a single decent young pacer with pace in tests other than Shaheen throughout his tenure.
You don't realize how bad this might be for either of Naseem or Musa. Australia is a lion's den, and these kids might get slaughtered there. Having played single digit FC games won't help when Steve Smith is nearing a triple ton and these lads are bowling their 25th over of the innings.

Pakistan cricket is in a shocking state right now.
 
Got smashed with Amir and Wahab playing last time too.
Yeah well, we have got smashed with Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib in one team too :))

I'm not against Naseem or Musa getting picked. But Shaheen, Naseem and Musa have played a combined total of 20 FC games I believe? That's a shockingly inexperienced bowling attack for a team touring down under.

One of Amir or Wahab could have been there, had it not been for selfish reasons.
 
Everytime a captain or a coach comes in and makes these statements that itself is a bad omen for the team.

For atleast the past 20 years, from the time we were one of the prime contenders to beat Australia in Test Matches to being white washed consecutively for 4 series in Australia. I must say 'the fearless brand' of cricket that we claim we want to play but hardly ever do is most exemplary in what we do down under.

If anyone has any doubt they can check our 4th inning stats
 
Yeah well, we have got smashed with Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib in one team too :))

I'm not against Naseem or Musa getting picked. But Shaheen, Naseem and Musa have played a combined total of 20 FC games I believe? That's a shockingly inexperienced bowling attack for a team touring down under.

One of Amir or Wahab could have been there, had it not been for selfish reasons.

That Sydney test was in the bag. We should've won that second test match. The umpire didn't give Langer out. But the worse was the Sydney test in 2010.
 
Yeah well, we have got smashed with Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib in one team too :))

I'm not against Naseem or Musa getting picked. But Shaheen, Naseem and Musa have played a combined total of 20 FC games I believe? That's a shockingly inexperienced bowling attack for a team touring down under.

One of Amir or Wahab could have been there, had it not been for selfish reasons.

Wahab is simply too old to be effective in Tests. His bones won't take it.

Amir isn't 100% suited to Australian conditions.

I personally don't agree with Misbah picking the yoingsters. This can do serious damage to the future of Pakistan cricket.

But I do agree with what Misbah said. Pakistan need fast bowlers in Australia. These kids are the fastest even at their age.

Ehsan Adil does have decent pace and is tall. Same with Sameen.

Naseem has had a good season but he is coming back from injury and he is 16!

Musa Khan is averaging 68 with the ball at 4+ economy.

These two are arguably the best young bowlers in Pakistan and here we have Misbah who could be ruining their careers before they even start.

Although I do trust Waqar. He was at the camp and saw all the bowlers.
 
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Just hope we don't play boring tuk tuk Cricket Misbah played. Aussies will be aggressive as always so we gotta meet fire with fire:wy
 
A bit concerned about the Musa pick. He has potential and pace, but his stats look underwhelming this season. Probably would have been better to pick Sameen or Ehsan Adil.

Hopefully Yasir does not start. Kashif merits selection with his excellent bowling average and can bat too.
 
Fawad Alam again ignored? That too in favor of Ifti? Are you kidding me, Misbah? Jeez, what has Fawad done to get in the bad books of every selector ever for PCB?

It has to be one of the governor generals of the PCB at this point.
 
So I have been reading all about bowling in other threads. But what about batting? Any young prospects?
 
So I have been reading all about bowling in other threads. But what about batting? Any young prospects?

A couple of young guys are doing well in QeA trophy. Haider Ali is one of the highets run scorers, he is the current opener for Pak U19. Omair Bin Yousuf made a century, he is the Sindh opener.

What about upcoming Australian tour? How's batting looking?

Babar and Haris are probably our best. Shan is good against the short ball. It's really a bunch of guys who still have to prove themselves.
 
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A couple of young guys are doing well in QeA trophy. Haider Ali is one of the highets run scorers, he is the current opener for Pak U19. Omair Bin Yousuf made a century, he is the Sindh opener.



Babar and Haris are probably our best. Shan is good against the short ball. It's really a bunch of guys who still have to prove themselves.

I worry for Harris against the short ball
 
Yeah well, we have got smashed with Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib in one team too :))

I'm not against Naseem or Musa getting picked. But Shaheen, Naseem and Musa have played a combined total of 20 FC games I believe? That's a shockingly inexperienced bowling attack for a team touring down under.

One of Amir or Wahab could have been there, had it not been for selfish reasons.

Broad and Anderson also got smashed when last touring Australia , wahab and Amir are and been bang average in tests, it's a win win situation, let's face it pakistan ain't winning the series there but at least these young quicks will gain alot of experience as we go through the transition
 
What Misbah Said?

What Misbah Said: "Australia, England, SA, your performances here are noticed. I want us to go to Australia and play good, competitive and aggressive cricket, that is the only way to beat Australia there. Our strategy is also based on that, we want to have some surprise packages in our team so we can challenge Australia, whether that's T20 or Test cricket"

Response: I generally agree with this sentiment. That said, what does "surprise packages" mean?

What Misbah Said: "Naseem Shah and Musa Khan's pace and attitude towards fast-bowling is something worth seeing" "We believe in these players and insha'Allah they are our future. If you go to Australia and compete then it's fire against fire. You need those type of bowlers and talent, like we are on the receiving end with pace, we should challenge them in the same way"

Response: I agree with this line of thinking. Apart from having "Pace and Attitude" is Misbah aware of these plays overall talent? Are these players prepared and able to bowl 20 Overs a Day?

What Misbah Said? "Some experienced players have been brought back in based on domestic performances"
"Our domestic matches have been considered and we had discussions with the coaches and selectors, and also the two captains, and after that the squad has been assembled"

Response: Who and Why? What constitutes good domestic performances? When in the past players have been selected based on domestic performances, did they succeed? If they did succeed, then why? If they didn't succeed, why? What constitutes success?

What Misbah Said:"We aim to play fearless cricket in Australia and win" "There's no such thing that we are selecting a young team and we'll return tomorrow and make excuses. We are confident in these players and we believe this is the way forward. We trust that these players will go and perform"

Response: I agree with this line of thinking. As a coach and selector, Misbah needs to be accountable for results and performance. I think the fans aren't stupid. They know that even with our best players Australian Tours were often disastrous.

What Misbah Said: "A lot of things have been said in the media regarding captaincy and Sarfaraz. The chairman, Wasim Khan and myself had a lot of discussion on this matter, we looked at all these things and analysed them. The final constitutional decision regarding captaincy is with the Chairman. There are all kinds of strange theories in the media but it's a simple thing, like the Chairman also said: Over Sarfaraz's form, and the pressure he was playing under, it was on the basis of that that the decision to remove Sarfaraz from captaincy was taken. We have always backed him, he is a good enough player, he has done a lot for Pakistan and he has performances as captain also, but this decision was taken on the basis of his recent form. Regarding a comeback, it's straightforward. Domestic cricket is happening, it's just a matter of regaining his form. Once that happens, the doors are open. There is no conspiracy against him, this is a clear message for Sarfaraz as well as everyone else"

Response: I generally agree with Misbah here? The media in Pakistan focuses less on reporting and intellectual discourse and more on gossip. That said, Misbah and Waqar have generally done everything in their power to not play Sarfraz. Waqar's justifications in particular have often been ridiculous. In this instance though, Sarfraz has no leg to stand.

What Misbah Said: "Pakistan's last series was in SA and our standout batsman was Shan Masood. His form is a concern but he hit a hundred in his last FC game so he is back in form in the long format. Considering how he played on bouncy pitches in SA, there will be similar conditions in Aus and hopefully he does well. He is a good back-foot player so keeping all this in mind, he has been kept in the team. We also have other options like Abid Ali who has come in. There's healthy competition, there's many openers who are scoring runs. Imam has also hit a hundred and is batting well, thus these players were given preference"

Response: I generally agree. Shan looked good in South Africa without ever threatening to drag Pakistan into strong positions. Shan is polished and does have talent. But he's never demonstrated an ability to be more than average. I often think he is hobbled rather than enhanced by his connections. In 47 First Class Matches Imam ul Haq averages 35. In 10 Test Matches he averages 28. There is nothing to suggest that he's a Test Cricketer. He's certainly not a top 3 test opener in Pakistan. I'm not a fan but Ahmed Shehzad is better.

What Misbah Said: "Some decisions, you have to take no matter what, you can't rest on your laurels. If you look at the problems we have, we don't have backups because we didn't take a chance, we were always scared of losing series. So these decisions we've taken, we've brought in youngsters who are performing. These players have talent and you can tell they can take the team forward. The 140+ pace and aggression which is missing, and our bowling is in downfall so to put energy in it again, we need to take these steps. Until you don't take a decision and move forward, you won't get results"

Response: I generally agree but there doesn't seem to be a coherent strategy around these decisions. The idea seems great, but there seems to be very little thought or process behind the execution.

What Misbah Said: "Usman Qadir is playing and in T20, there is a spark in his bowling. He has some experience of playing in Australia in the BBL. All the white ball cricket he's played, he has some zip in his bowling. He has an advantage due to height and he has variations, a good flipper, googly, leg-spin is also good. Considering that we're facing an issue with our wrist-spin backup and his experience in Australia, we picked him in the team and we're also keeping the T20 World Cup in Australia in mind"

Response: I don't agree with Misbah. I think that Usama Mir and Zahid Mahmood are better T20 prospects than Usman Qadir.

What Misbah Said: "Musa and Naseem are playing FC cricket, they are fit enough for 4-day and Test cricket. Hasnain's fitness and conditioning towards the longer format, based on what the physio and trainer have told us: we need to work on him after the Australia tour and build him up gradually towards bowling 12, 14, 16 overs, even before playing FC cricket. According to the physio, if we put him in FC cricket before readying him, he can get a long-term injury after playing 1-2 matches. After the Australia tour, he will come back and do some work for 4-6 weeks and gradually he will become fitter for the longer format"

Response: I generally agree with the thought process on Hasnain.

What Misbah Said: "We have a backup for Shadab and we're working on him. We are all working on his issue with his action and in the last two matches, his bowling was a bit better and there was some nip in his bowling. He is a valuable player for us, he's a livewire in the field and he can bat, and we're working on improving that as well. We brought Usman Qadir so we are also working on someone alongside Shadab"

Response: Agree

What Misbah Said: "With Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan's biggest problem in T20s even at the domestic level, if you want to score 170-180 then you need 2-3 batsmen who can strike at 140-150. Unfortunately, in our domestic circuit, there's no batsman besides Fakhar Zaman and Asif Ali who can strike at that rate. Ahmed and other batsmen all have SRs around 120 thus we struggle to make 150+. So due to these reasons, Asif is also getting a chance besides Fakhar. Out of 6 batsmen, we want at least 2 who have SRs at this level"

Response: Misbah needs to look deeper into the SR Metric. He seems to be late to the party on Ahmed Shehzad. Also, Pakistan need more batsman who can strike above 130-140 as 150 seems too high a jump.

What Misbah Said: "Ahmed got chances, he couldn't perform but we will monitor his performances going forward. We have time for the World Cup so we will review our team make-up"

Response: He should be monitoring all players closely not just Ahmed. We know exactly who Ahmed Shehzad is. Unless there is a fundamental change in his approach to batting and the improvement to prove it, picking Shehzad is repetitive.

What Misbah Said: "The doors aren't closed for anyone, we are backing youngsters. We also want to go to Australia and see that regardless of whether these guys play or not, even when they bowl in the nets in those conditions, you can get a good idea of which players can be useful for the T20 World Cup going forward. There's a lot of time until the World Cup so any player can make it to the squad"

Response: The doors shouldn't be closed on anyone but everyone should know exactly where they stand. Secondly, there seems to be a lot of time before the T20 World Cup but experimentation demonstrates a clear strategy. Misbah should already know his Best XI and Best 15. Depending on different circumstances he should integrate players into that Best XI and Best 15. Misbah doesn't know his Best 11 or 15. He doesn't know how he is going to configure either.

"I haven't heard anything (about Usman Qadir applying for Australian nationality). He is playing cricket in Pakistan and is here. If he is playing here and if we feel he can be a future prospect, we will back him"

What Misbah Said: "There is no such thing (feedback from PCB regarding Salman Butt). We have picked 3 openers, they all have very good performances in domestic cricket and they have also performed at the international level. So we will see them and then others will be given chances as well when possible"

Response: Salman Butt doesn't understand the gravity of spot-fixing. He seems arrogant rather than humble. He also doesn't belong in the test team on merit.

What Misbah Said: "We are thinking positively. We have backup plans. Rizwan hasn't been injured in the last 2-3 years so we're hoping he won't get injured here, plus we don't want to put pressure on him. We do have backup plans, but it's a small tour so we didn't think of taking a 2nd WK"

Response: Rizwan should be Pakistan's undisputed number 1. But who is our No.2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10....?

What Misbah Said: "Sharjeel has I think gotten permission to play club cricket. Once he plays, we'll see what happens. Regarding other players, there are many players close to selection. Rahat Ali is bowling well and has performed but at the end of the day we wanted to pick 5 pacers in the squad of 15-16. So some players were narrow misses. We will see where we need other players going forward" "I wouldn't say we dropped Nawaz but we added an extra fast-bowler due to Australian conditions so he missed out on selection. For our white-ball cricket or any cricket, he's a very good player. In Australian conditions, you don't require too much spin backup but obviously he is in our plans going forward"

Response: Did Misbah communicate his reasons to Nawaz?

"Shan Masood has performed well recently, Imam has done well in domestics recently and Abid also made 250 so those players who are performing in domestic cricket and also have performances are the international level are being preferred. Salman Butt is also there, once one of these players goes out of contention then he can be considered"

What Misbah Said: "With Fawad Alam, we are taking one extra middle-order batsman in Iftikhar. Most teams have left-handers so once he comes into the team, we have an off spin option. Last season Fawad had more runs than Iftikhar but Iftikhar also had 3 tons and had a higher average, plus he performed as a bowler. Australia have left-handers also so that was also part of the equation"

Response: Fawad Alam doesn't get selected because we value stroke play that pleases the eye over scoring runs. In Pakistan we don't know how to identify, evaluate, or develop batsman. Fawad is a victim of looking ugly when he bats. His non-selection in both ODIs and Tests ensures mistrust in this system. That mistrust creeps into almost every cricketer. That mistrust further prevents players from playing freely and achieving their athletic potential.

What Misbah Said: "(Faheem dropped) In this series we're given preference to specialists, even in T20s. Pacy and young bowlers have been preferred due to their energy and we are trying to have an aggressive lineup in bowling so that we can give as good as we get"

Response: Why is Faheem the only player talked about when it comes to the All Rounder? What about Amad Butt, Hammad Azam, and other equally capable if not better All Rounders? Rather than pick Faheem Ashraf based on a few PSL performances, allow Faheem to play a full domestic season in all formats and see if there's any improvement.

What Misbah Said: "It's clear that we will try to play cricket in a similar way to Australia. When you make a team or go anywhere, winning is the first priority and that's what we're thinking of as well. You do leave things to Allah but we aren't thinking at all that we lose in Australia so let's just get by this series as we always lose. Our strategy is to play aggressive cricket, that will give us the best chance of winning"
"Imam if you look at his T20 stats, he's amongst the top players in the National T20 Cup with 2 MOTMs. In PSL also, he performed in the latter stages. If you look at other openers, they have a similar SR but lower averages. No other openers have really performed exceptionally with a high SR thus we kept him as a 3rd option. Fakhar and Babar are our first choice. With someone like Rizwan Hussain, he's batting in the middle-order so there isn't clarity about his batting position"

Response: Rizwan Hussain is an opener who is batting in the middle order because there aren't enough teams in our Domestic T20 competition. We have more talent than teams, so many good players are having to play out of position. This domestic system brings some good things, but its also stifling talent in the shorter formats by not giving players opportunities. Nevertheless, the fact that Misbah doesn't know Rizwan's best position nor has he made an attempt to find out demonstrates how little he knows about the talent in our domestic system. Do Your Homework!!!!
 
That Sydney test was in the bag. We should've won that second test match. The umpire didn't give Langer out. But the worse was the Sydney test in 2010.

Those two defeats stick in the craw.

Going back further, there was the Original Sydney Debacle under Intikhab Alam's captaincy where we suffered an astonishing collapse in the 4th innings chasing 159 which puts even Sydney 2010 to shame - https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...n-3rd-test-pakistan-tour-of-australia-1972-73

It's all well and good talking in a presser about taking it to the Australians, but I've seen over the years how Pakistani sides crumble time and again the moment the Australians put us under pressure. They've always had a mental edge, and I don't see that changing on this tour.
 
Misbah presser on Australia squad announcement:

"Australia, England, SA, your performances here are noticed. I want us to go to Australia and play good, competitive and aggressive cricket, that is the only way to beat Australia there.

If you go to Australia and compete then it's fire against fire.

"We aim to play fearless cricket in Australia and win"

Mian Misbah........ bass yeh kaafi hain!

Anymore aggression and the Aussies will have to run for their lives!
 
Mian Misbah........ bass yeh kaafi hain!

Anymore aggression and the Aussies will have to run for their lives!

Yes, because they have sent the jolly green giant loose against them. :irfan
 
Absolutely. Not that Misbah knows anything about playing aggressive cricket but Pakistan really can't do any worse than they have in two and a half decades in Australia . Also this is only a 2 test series. If they give it their all at Adelaide you can nick a test and get away with a drawn series.
 
Aggression needs to be backed up with a plan. Quick running between wickets, turn one into twos, hit the bad balls etc...etc...

Till a few months back this was an unbeatable T20 side.
 
Whenever Pakistan says this it means they are going to play cowardly cricket
 
there is not a milligram of respect left in me for misbah.... the guy is litrally the most shameless person i have seen.... given all in all power, this idiot thinks pakistan national team is a lab where he can test the junk like akmalz and shahzadz and irfanz and asif aliz .... litrally struggling for words that relate to my anger and be civilized but this gutter does not deserve anything ....
 
Fighting fire with fire....... More like a flame-thrower vs matchstick!

The batsman need to stand up and take the game to the 5th day.
 
There is no connect between all those words and actual actions.

It does not look like there was any plan at all.
 
Like I said a millions of times. Misbah is a good talker. He knows what to say to get his fans smiling. Outside of that his actions reflect nothing to what he says. Misbah would make a great politician.
 
Make opposition to play fearless cricket thats your strategy.
Well done :salute.
 
Having followed Pakistan cricket for about 30 years, I can count at leas thirty occasions where the use of the word ‘fearless cricket’ has lead to maulings across all three formats.
Fearless cricket usual results in shameless cricket
 
This sweet talk will keep the Misbah cheerleaders happy for another series.
 
A man who never played fearless as captain how can he use this word as coach
 
It was so fearless, we decided to give them 300 runs starts in the 1st innings of each Test match.
 
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