We need to relax, having problems after Misbah and Younis retired was the inevitable reality!

[ExpressPacer]

To criticize the team after getting white-washed by a #7 ranked Sri Lankan's at our adopted "home" would be understandable, but some fans, on PP and other Social Media fans alike are going overboard with their critique and judgement. There's no reason or need to be hurt or to "lose all hope in Pakistan cricket" after a series loss. It happens to every other team, all the time.

Personally, I frankly would have been shocked if no such problems didn't come about. As I previously stated in the title, losing some of your best batsmen isn't a hard thing to overcome immediately. This was our first series with a new captain, new players and under-confident youngsters.

I expect things to get better with the addition of some good, young players. There were quite a few positives in this series. Shan Masood will most likely be discarded forever. Harris Sohail coming to the Test format and in style. Asad Shafiq (hopefully) finding some form before more important assignments and most importantly, the skipper doing well with the gloves and with the bat.

We need to calm down and wait. Every team has to go through this at some stage.

 

[sachin100]

the responses r because of sky high expectations following ct win and sl coming from worst thrashing ever.

 

[ExpressPacer]

the responses r because of sky high expectations following ct win and sl coming from worst thrashing ever.

Of course. But Pakistan exactly weren't the number 1 ranked team either, at least not anymore. Just like the No.2 team beating the No.1 team, the #7 team beating the #6 team should be digestible too.

 

[coy0607]

this really isn't about Younis and Misbah, this series was such a disappointment because of the other poor decisions

1. I get Sami Aslam has been pouring in runs and earned a spot in the 11, but Masood really has no business anywhere near the national team.

2. Going in without 2 spinners and a genuine all-rounder in the first test was bad, doing the same thing in the second test was a total disaster- unacceptable

3. Pakistan top orders approach to the batting is horrible, playing at 2 RPO is unacceptable, you can't possibly be successful doing that

 

[ask_analyse_act]

this really isn't about Younis and Misbah, this series was such a disappointment because of the other poor decisions

1. I get Sami Aslam has been pouring in runs and earned a spot in the 11, but Masood really has no business anywhere near the national team.

2. Going in without 2 spinners and a genuine all-rounder in the first test was bad, doing the same thing in the second test was a total disaster- unacceptable

3. Pakistan top orders approach to the batting is horrible, playing at 2 RPO is unacceptable, you can't possibly be successful doing that

They are still adamant and backing their decision of going with one spinner is the best attack and blame the batting. Yes batting was at shambles. Even the lankan batting was bundled out cheaply twice against just one spinner. But how can that justify this poor decision of playing one spinner in UAE

 

[Napa]

To criticize the team after getting white-washed by a #7 ranked Sri Lankan's at our adopted "home" would be understandable, but some fans, on PP and other Social Media fans alike are going overboard with their critique and judgement. There's no reason or need to be hurt or to "lose all hope in Pakistan cricket" after a series loss. It happens to every other team, all the time.

Personally, I frankly would have been shocked if no such problems didn't come about. As I previously stated in the title, losing some of your best batsmen isn't a hard thing to overcome immediately. This was our first series with a new captain, new players and under-confident youngsters.

I expect things to get better with the addition of some good, young players. There were quite a few positives in this series. Shan Masood will most likely be discarded forever. Harris Sohail coming to the Test format and in style. Asad Shafiq (hopefully) finding some form before more important assignments and most importantly, the skipper doing well with the gloves and with the bat.

We need to calm down and wait. Every team has to go through this at some stage.

Your problem is nepotism the system. You have Masood in the 11, when his FC avg is only 33 due to his father being a PCD board member. If you can't get rid of nepotism (and Masood isn't the only example), you are not going to develop new young talent. The Indian team was ridden with nepotism in the 1990s with Dungarpur in control, and the team was very bad during that decade.

 

[Sirris]

the responses r because of sky high expectations following ct win and sl coming from worst thrashing ever.

Being able to chase down 136 isn't a sky high expectation. Expecting the management to drop non-performing players isn't sky high expectation. Expecting the openers to bat with a positive attitude isn't too much to ask for.

No one in their right mind was seriously expecting Sarfaraz and Asad to take us home from 58/5.

 

[Sirris]

this really isn't about Younis and Misbah, this series was such a disappointment because of the other poor decisions

1. I get Sami Aslam has been pouring in runs and earned a spot in the 11, but Masood really has no business anywhere near the national team.

2. Going in without 2 spinners and a genuine all-rounder in the first test was bad, doing the same thing in the second test was a total disaster- unacceptable

3. Pakistan top orders approach to the batting is horrible, playing at 2 RPO is unacceptable, you can't possibly be successful doing that

Exactly!

Misbah and Younis would have been missed if we were 100 all out in each innings. But that wasn't the case.

The issue is the players who are going through a bad patch or players who are just not good enough for test cricket are being selected over and over again while wether the captain nor the coach are willing to admit to their mistakes.

 

[Markhor]

What's frustrating about these defeats is that its not like we're getting hammered - often we've lost in games where we could've easily got a result. The only two Tests we've been battered during the last 18 months was Old Trafford and that dead rubber in Sydney.

We lost at Edgbaston having led by 103 runs after the 1st innings after collapsing on the final day when we ought to have drawn.

We lost in Sharjah in a low scoring game thanks to sloppy batting and complacency, and a good spell from Holder.

We lost in Brisbane after coming so close to pulling off a record 4th innings chase. If we hadn't collapsed in the 1st innings, and a couple more contributions from the senior batsmen we could've won that game.

We lost in Melbourne in a rain affected game after collapsing on the final day having held our own with the bat in the 1st innings.

We lost in Barbados on a crumbling pitch against a fired up Shannon Gabriel on the fifth day, in a match where we should've had a bigger 1st innings lead having batted too slowly.

Abu Dhabi we really should've won - inexcusable not to chase 136. We would've been chasing a lot less had we picked a second spinner. Then in Dubai we come close to chasing down 300. All of these losses were avoidable !

We find ourselves in good positions only to throw it away time and again. This team is not as bad as its being made out, but this flakiness under pressure is alarming and bizarre given we prevailed in a series of massive pressure games in the Champions Trophy !

 

[Hasan123]

Biggest problem in this series wasn't actually not having YK and Misbah, it was the tactical errors. A 2nd spinner should have been chosen and we also should have kept Azhar as an opener in place of Shan. Shan strike rate was pathetic in the 2nd test 2nd innings. Azhar strike rate also isn't the best but the reason Shan played that slow was because he was afraid of getting out and potentially losing his wicket.

The tactical errors really cost us in this series. I hope there are some changes in the side and I also hope Arthur and Sarfraz pick a team based on conditions.

 

[aloo paratha]

Some thought that these 2 were deadweight and that we'd do better without them.

 

[Savak]

Misbah would definately have gone with 2 specialist spinners but his batting was not missed much. Younis Khan was the real loss and his ability to play spin well was missing.

 

[waleed88]

People thought winning in the UAE was piece of cake.

People also said that the youngsta beauties will outperform the oldies, that they bring nothing to the side.

Even before they retired there were claims that the youngster they are making them sit out can do so much better than MisYou, that their average was built because of the zero venom tracks of the UAE.

That their reflexes have finished.

All of that will be realized the more we go forward, this is just the beginning,

We might struggle like SL when they did without Mahela and Sanga.

They have finally come out of it, we underestimated our opponents.

 

[IndYeah1]

Apart from Azhar Ali, there is no decent test batsman to come out of Pakistan in the last 5 to 6 years. That's scary bad. From a Pakistani perspective, that is. Not from an opposition perspective. If India-Pakistan resume cricket anytime soon, the beatdown that gets dished out is going to be the silver lining.

 

[babajee]

Apart from Azhar Ali, there is no decent test batsman to come out of Pakistan in the last 5 to 6 years. That's scary bad. From a Pakistani perspective, that is. Not from an opposition perspective. If India-Pakistan resume cricket anytime soon, the beatdown that gets dished out is going to be the silver lining.

Watch out for Haris Sohail. Will be disappointed if he doesn’t finish his career with a 50+ average.

 

[IndYeah1]

Watch out for Haris Sohail. Will be disappointed if he doesn’t finish his career with a 50+ average.

Isn't that what was said about Sami Aslam when he was u19 captain? And about Shehzad being more talented than Sachin? And Babar Azam being the next Virat?


I think Haris and Babar are decent prospects and should turn out OK for Pak. But that's by no means a guarantee.

 

[babajee]

Isn't that what was said about Sami Aslam when he was u19 captain? And about Shehzad being more talented than Sachin? And Babar Azam being the next Virat?


I think Haris and Babar are decent prospects and should turn out OK for Pak. But that's by no means a guarantee.

Who knows

Maybe Shehzad is more talented than Sachin
Maybe Babar Azam is the next Virat

Let us come back in 10 years and then make a judgement

 

[CanadianG00se]

Who knows

Maybe Shehzad is more talented than Sachin
Maybe Babar Azam is the next Virat

Let us come back in 10 years and then make a judgement

This reminds me of Silencer (Chatur) from movie 3 Idiots

 

[ManFan]

If MA and Co. are serious for Pakistan Test Cricket, they have a chance in the next 12 months to make or break this team. In the next year, Pakistan has 11 Tests to play. ( 1 Ireland, 2 Zimbabwe, 2 England, 3 NZ, 3 SA ) 6 out of those 10 are in seaming conditions and 8 overseas despite Zimbabwean pitches being slow and sluggish like the UAE. This means Pakistan has to have two distinct set of teams to win both outside and within Asia.
Asia XI:
Shehzad
Fakhar
Azhar
Haris
Sarfraz
Salahuddin
Hasan Raza
Yasir Shah
Hasan Ali
Mohammad Abbas
Shaheen Shah Afridi

Outside Asia XI:
Imam
Fakhar
Azhar
Haris
Sarfraz
Salahuddin
Yamin
Amir
Shah
Hasan
Abbas
Shaheen Shah Afridi

That's two teams with two quality all-rounders, a right-left combination for Asia, plenty of spin for Asia and pace for Outside Asia and defense oriented yet attacking batsmen at the top. Thoughts? [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION]

 

[khurram39]

Yes its a reality but loosing from a side who recently lost three home tests is questionable.

 

[JibranAnsari]

True this , and people tend to forget that we lost a test against west indies early this year and also lost a test against them in sharjah last year.

Many of our players are just starting their careers like abbas , hassan , shan and sami. Our bowling combination was flawed for UAE pitches , we could have done well with another regular spinner. Pakistan need to play regular test cricket though , the gap of 7 months is way too much.

 

[Shafi]

Your problem is nepotism the system. You have Masood in the 11, when his FC avg is only 33 due to his father being a PCD board member. If you can't get rid of nepotism (and Masood isn't the only example), you are not going to develop new young talent. The Indian team was ridden with nepotism in the 1990s with Dungarpur in control, and the team was very bad during that decade.

People keep blaming Shan. How about Sami and Babar? Babar is the worse among 3. All 3 should be discarded for ever.

 

[Shafi]

People thought winning in the UAE was piece of cake.

People also said that the youngsta beauties will outperform the oldies, that they bring nothing to the side.

Even before they retired there were claims that the youngster they are making them sit out can do so much better than MisYou, that their average was built because of the zero venom tracks of the UAE.

That their reflexes have finished.

All of that will be realized the more we go forward, this is just the beginning,

We might struggle like SL when they did without Mahela and Sanga.

They have finally come out of it, we underestimated our opponents.

I predicted 2-0 loss in test, also 4-1 lost to ODI and 2-1 loss in T20. But it does not mean we have to to bring back Younis and Misbah. We should introduce new players couple of years early to settle them and need to drop 1 senior at a time not 2-3

 

[Shafi]

Misbah would definately have gone with 2 specialist spinners but his batting was not missed much. Younis Khan was the real loss and his ability to play spin well was missing.

Sarfraz's test captaincy reminds me Musfiq's captaincy.

 

[amvbfm]

Losing the likes of Misbah and YK would've been a big blow to any team in the world, let alone a generally rudderless one like Pakistan. But that in no way was the reason for what happened. It had more to do with the hubris generated by the CT victory where almost everyone took Pakistan's victory in this series as a foregone conclusion. Even a majority of posters here on PP echoed that sentiment in their posts.

Pakistan went into the series without any concrete plan and didn't learn anything from their defeat in the first test. SL didn't play extraordinary cricket, they simply made better plans and executed them with lesser incompetence (and for me Pakistan's incompetence had more to do with complacency than anything else). With better tactics and strategy we could've easily won this series with the same squad. Decisions like playing a single spinner in both tests, and that too when you were playing with 4 bowlers and the fitness of your pacers was doubtful, chopping and changing the batting order to accommodate Masood, persisting with Babar when Usman was available as an alternative, all reek of either criminal complacency or utter ineptitude on the part of the management.

Misbah and YK were just one part of the winning equation, it was our spinner who were always the major architects of our dominance in the UAE. It has been a long time since our pace battery won us any matches, and yet it was decided to choose pace as the primary plan of attack on dead or spinning wickets and that too against an Asian team.

So no, this at least had nothing to do with the exit of Misbah and YK.

 

[waleed88]

I predicted 2-0 loss in test, also 4-1 lost to ODI and 2-1 loss in T20. But it does not mean we have to to bring back Younis and Misbah. We should introduce new players couple of years early to settle them and need to drop 1 senior at a time not 2-3

Point is people said our 'deserved' youngsta beauties had so much talent, that we will be world beaters with these immense domestic talents in the side. They will make us million dollars and we will be playing modern cricket under them, rather than these oldies who play at a strike rate of 30.

People call Pakistan pedestrian, attritional, unimaginative, boring because of Misbah.

Maybe that brand was more out of neccessity than requirment, maybe it was the pitch in the UAE that made them play slow cricket. Which is not being adjusted to by our new batsmen.

There is no doubt we should move forward and I am in favor of that. This was a post taking a dig at alot of PP posters whose favorite players just failed big time here.

 

[Buffet]

How many series Pakistan would have lost if Pakistan had played with the same bowling attack in the last 10 years in UAE?

Everyone understand that it's not easy to replace two good batsmen so quickly, but you got to give yourself the best chance to win with whatever resources you have. 4 bowlers picked in this series won't win too many matches. Need to play 2 spinners in UAE.