"We will try to play five bowlers because we need to take 20 wickets to win" : Sarfaraz Ahmed

[Abdullah719]

"We will try to play five bowlers because we need to take 20 wickets to win" : Sarfaraz Ahmed

Sarfaraz Ahmed speaking on TV ahead of the Test match against Ireland:

"The team's confidence has improved, the batsmen did well while the bowlers had a good outing and everyone got good practice"

"Our hopes are high and I have confidence that the team will try to perform well. We have less experience but the boys have a lot of talent but I'm confident we'll do well as a team insha'Allah"

"We tried to play our best combination in the last warm-up match. We will try to play five bowlers because we need to take 20 wickets to win but we'll first assess the conditions in Ireland then decide on the combination"

"Shadab bowled brilliantly. We will miss Yasir Shah as he is an experienced bowler, but Shadab has done well and bowled long spells, he's responded well and I have hopes that he'll do well for us"

"Asad Shafiq played well, we require our middle order of Haris, Babar and Asad to play long innings so Asad played a brilliant knock. It's a good sign for us that our main player is in good form ahead of the series"

(Azhar's form) "Nothing to worry about. Azhar Ali has put up brilliant performances for Pakistan in tough times and I am confident that he'll continue to do that in the near future"

"If we talk about practice matches, Amir hasn't taken any wickets at all but his rhythm is coming back and he's bowling well. I am hopeful that he tries to perform well and bowls well if he gets a chance"

"Ireland is a strong team in their conditions, they have a lot of experience in these conditions and most of their players regularly play county cricket. We'll try to give them a good fight and try to win this match"

"It's a good sign for cricket that Ireland are now playing Test cricket, it's a big thing for them and it's a big match for them"

"I just want to tell our supporters to make dua for us. We'll try to play at an optimum level and make Pakistan win"

 

[Ami]

Yes...why not.
Shadab and Faheem at 7 and 8 will more than compensate for the lack of batsman....

 

[ManFan]

Playing five bowlers against IRE might work but not against ENG.

The more batsmen, the merrier.

 

[ManFan]

Yes...why not.
Shadab and Faheem at 7 and 8 will more than compensate for the lack of batsman....

Faheem is a slog-type player as of now... he cannot endure long intervals of off-stump bowling. There will be no short T20 tripe for him to hook and hoick.

#'s 1-5 are set.

The question is in whether or not they play FZ at #6, followed by Sarfraz and Shadab ... OR ... Sarfraz at #6, followed by Fahim and Shadab.

 

[AFM]

Playing five bowlers against IRE might work but not against ENG.

The more batsmen, the merrier.

Not at all. The warms up revealed that bowling is our weaker suit. We need 5 bowlers to get 20 wickets. And put responsibility on the top order to score the bulk of the runs. If there is a collapse, an extra batsman at 6 won't make much of a difference.

 

[shokz1408]

It's true, we will need the bowlers to take the wickets. I was thinking that makes us even more limited in terms of our batting, however it could strengthen it if some of those bowlers are decent all rounders, as they often give us runs late in the innings.

 

[Brilliance]

Azhar
Imam
Haris
Asad
Babar
Sarfaraz
Shadab
Hasan
Amir
Abbas
Rahat

 

[fluke]

we will try to fight and win the game against ireland

lol what does it mean ? do he himself having any threats before the start

 

[Markhor]

I'm not convinced Ashraf is a Test quality AR yet - a few slogs in LOI cricket doesn't mean he's the next Stokes or Pandya, and his bowling vs Northants was poor.

If we're to play five bowlers in Test cricket, that fifth bowler needs to be a batting AR who can play at 6, not a bowling AR so we're not weakening what's already a fragile batting unit.

The lack of a Test-ready batting AR in domestic cricket right now (Hussain Talat could be that player but his FC record needs to improve) means I'd prefer going with four bowlers and six specialist batsmen.

With Yasir we could afford to have four bowlers, but whether we do that here depends how much Sarfraz/Arthur trust the inexperienced Shadab to hold up an end so we can rotate our pacers from the other end. If we want five bowlers then you'd have to play Shadab at 7 which would be a major gamble.

 

[PakSarZameen]

I'm not convinced Ashraf is a Test quality AR yet - a few slogs in LOI cricket doesn't mean he's the next Stokes or Pandya, and his bowling vs Northants was poor.

If we're to play five bowlers in Test cricket, that fifth bowler needs to be a batting AR who can play at 6, not a bowling AR so we're not weakening what's already a fragile batting unit.

The lack of a Test-ready batting AR in domestic cricket right now (Hussain Talat could be that player but his FC record needs to improve) means I'd prefer going with four bowlers and six specialist batsmen.

With Yasir we could afford to have four bowlers, but whether we do that here depends how much Sarfraz/Arthur trust the inexperienced Shadab to hold up an end so we can rotate our pacers from the other end. If we want five bowlers then you'd have to play Shadab at 7 which would be a major gamble.

If we look at Fahim's FC statistics, he is actually supposed to be more of a Test player than a ODI player.

 

[Syed1]

I'm not convinced Ashraf is a Test quality AR yet - a few slogs in LOI cricket doesn't mean he's the next Stokes or Pandya, and his bowling vs Northants was poor.

If we're to play five bowlers in Test cricket, that fifth bowler needs to be a batting AR who can play at 6, not a bowling AR so we're not weakening what's already a fragile batting unit.

The lack of a Test-ready batting AR in domestic cricket right now (Hussain Talat could be that player but his FC record needs to improve) means I'd prefer going with four bowlers and six specialist batsmen.

With Yasir we could afford to have four bowlers, but whether we do that here depends how much Sarfraz/Arthur trust the inexperienced Shadab to hold up an end so we can rotate our pacers from the other end. If we want five bowlers then you'd have to play Shadab at 7 which would be a major gamble.

I didn't follow the Northants match closely, but posters suggested that Ashraf looked threatening with the ball and also had two catches dropped off him. Atleast did better than Amir.

Also you are not going to address the elephant in the room: a certain someone's crappy selections which has put us in this predicament with lack of options in the squad.

 

[Slim]

Ashraf is definitely not test quality, tbh i find him as a bits and pieces cricketer so far. If given the chance hopefully he performs well and proves naysayers wrong.


We however in any case need to play 5 bowlers and need to be flexible in our approach unlike the SRL or WI series.

 

[Justcrazy]

Five bowling options is right move , but the lower order need to be contributing some runs.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

May Allah save us if we opt to go in to the match with only 4/5 genuine bats.

Sarfraz at 6 in these conditions? Are you serious? Would have been acceptable in the UAE but on these wickets? On that Irish green top? Good luck then.

 

[troodon]

With 5 bowlers, batting will be very weak. Sarfraz cannot be counted as a batsman. He is a dud.

There will be too much pressure on Babar to score runs and he himself is struggling in Test format.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

With 5 bowlers, batting will be very weak. Sarfraz cannot be counted as a batsman. He is a dud.

There will be too much pressure on Babar to score runs and he himself is struggling in Test format.

The tail is long because Shadab, Amir and Hasan can bat.

 

[troodon]

The tail is long because Shadab, Amir and Hasan can bat.

You cannot expect them to score runs. If they score, it is a bonus.

Your main batsman have to do the bulk of the scoring job and that batting lineup looks very weak. Will fold for 150 easily if Pak find themselves for 20/3.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

As said before we will miss Hussain Talat. Why didnt they take him when they had an allrounder strategy in plans.

Faheem bowled with pace in warm ups and hopefully he is saving his best for the international games. Hard working guy!

 

[Josh]

Hussain Talat should have been given a test against Ireland if not England.

 

[Saj]

Playing five bowlers against IRE might work but not against ENG.

The more batsmen, the merrier.

Yes good poiint, against England it may have to be 3 seamers and the leggie, with Haris Sohail bowling a bit.

 

[FreePalestine]

I am worried by this. Would prefer a four man attack with six batsmen.

 

[coy0607]

Fantastic, aggressive decision!

He's absolutely right, this bowling is very weak and we absolutely need 5 bowlers to win. Going in with 4 bowlers would've been a defensive move

 

[coy0607]

May Allah save us if we opt to go in to the match with only 4/5 genuine bats.

Sarfraz at 6 in these conditions? Are you serious? Would have been acceptable in the UAE but on these wickets? On that Irish green top? Good luck then.

What difference would a sixth batsmen make?
Would a Sami Aslam or one of the debutants over Faheem really have changed the game so much?!

It's not like we have Kohli sitting on the bench

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

What difference would a sixth batsmen make?
Would a Sami Aslam or one of the debutants over Faheem really have changed the game so much?!

It's not like we have Kohli sitting on the bench

Even 30/40 runs on a green top like that could make a great difference as I do not expect high scores at Dublin. Someone like Saad Ali (proven to be able to survive on the toughest of wickets) has 10 times the batting temperament than a Shadab or Faheem.

Had it been in the UAE then I would have agreed with you 100%.

 

[moghul]

5 bowler is a far better strategy than Misbah era's 3.5 bowlers.

 

[world cup captain]

We have to play 5 bowlers as Sarfraz was killing Shadab despite playing 5 bowlers in the warm up. Imagine what would have if we play 4 bowlers. Otherwise, there would be no difference between Misbah and Sarfraz's team selection.

 

[Square Drive]

5 bowlers is the way to go in Tests. Not doing so will run our main bowlers into the ground, as we have seen before. Plus 2 of our 5 bowlers can bat properly, and the likes of Amir and Hasan are no mugs with the bat. Add Yasir to the list once he's back. This is the way forward.

Need Fahim and Shadab to be averaging 30 with the bat and I think they can both pull it off. Having 10-15 runs less (a specialist bat averaging 40-45) but another solid bowling option is worth it, as it keeps your frontline bowlers fresher. I would have preferred Yamin over Fahim for the longest format, but let's stick with what we have here.

However, if Fahim and Shadab are unable to find form with the bat, it may turn out to be a problem against England. Having said that, Saad/Usman/Fakhar all have zero match practice at the moment as well, so I'd be willing to take the gamble of playing both A/Rs as they will contribute in another disciple as well, even if they do fail with the bat.

In any case, I would play 5 bowlers against Ireland for sure, and then go from there. If it backfires, then reconsider but I like the idea of 5 bowlers. Haris as a 6th option makes the bowling look even better.

 

[Sarfarazian92]

Shukar.

My biggest fear with Pak's test team has always been playing with 4 bowlers. Our pacers aren't fit enough to bowl 20 overs a day (as evidenced by the Australian tour).

 

[giri26]

"Ireland is a strong team in their conditions, they have a lot of experience in these conditions and most of their players regularly play county cricket. We'll try to give them a good fight and try to win this match"

Is Sarfaraz trying to big Ireland up to provide them confidence? I thought Ireland were the ones who would need to put up a good fight to try and make a match of it. I am thinking is one of those translation blunders?

 

[The_Odd_One]

If Sarfraz wants to play 5 bowlers then play both Shadab and Faheem otherwise batting will be too weak.

 

[Titan24]

I'm not convinced Ashraf is a Test quality AR yet - a few slogs in LOI cricket doesn't mean he's the next Stokes or Pandya, and his bowling vs Northants was poor.

If we're to play five bowlers in Test cricket, that fifth bowler needs to be a batting AR who can play at 6, not a bowling AR so we're not weakening what's already a fragile batting unit.

The lack of a Test-ready batting AR in domestic cricket right now (Hussain Talat could be that player but his FC record needs to improve) means I'd prefer going with four bowlers and six specialist batsmen.

With Yasir we could afford to have four bowlers, but whether we do that here depends how much Sarfraz/Arthur trust the inexperienced Shadab to hold up an end so we can rotate our pacers from the other end. If we want five bowlers then you'd have to play Shadab at 7 which would be a major gamble.

Lol! Next Pandya?? What has Pandya done in his test career that upcoming players will look upto him?

Now a days player makes 1 good century or one good innings he is considered next legend.

 

[Mamoon]

Quantity doesn't necessarily make up for quality, since most of our options are rubbish. However, considering the fact that our options are rubbish, we have little choice but to play five bowlers.

Surely our bowlers can somehow take two wickets apiece.

Now this would weaken an already weak batting lineup, but on green pitches, I don't believe an extra batsman is going to make a difference.

 

[Zahid87]

Quantity doesn't necessarily make up for quality, since most of our options are rubbish. However, considering the fact that our options are rubbish, we have little choice but to play five bowlers.

Surely our bowlers can somehow take two wickets apiece.

Now this would weaken an already weak batting lineup, but on green pitches, I don't believe an extra batsman is going to make a difference.

Agree. Struggling to see who the 5th bowler or 6th batsmen would be. People are not exactly banging on the door to be selected.

So in that sense, probably better to have a 5th bowler - at least it will allow us to rotate options during a game. A 6th batsmen would be a waste...what use is sending in another bat who will struggle on a green top.

 

[Mamoon]

Agree. Struggling to see who the 5th bowler or 6th batsmen would be. People are not exactly banging on the door to be selected.

So in that sense, probably better to have a 5th bowler - at least it will allow us to rotate options during a game. A 6th batsmen would be a waste...what use is sending in another bat who will struggle on a green top.

It appears that Amir, Hasan, Abbas, Rahat and Shadab will be the five man attack. However, they might drop Rahat for Ashraf in order to bolster the batting lineup.

On green pitches, 25-30 quick runs by a slogger like Ashraf can be important.

In terms of batting, the following names are a certainty:

Azhar
Haris
Babar
Imam
Shafiq

Imam will get the nod ahead of Sami because of his performance in the warmups.

I do like the idea of Fakhar at 6. I think it is a left-field move that might turn out to be a success. Our dour batting lineup needs someone down the order to change the tempo of the innings and take on the new ball.

Fakhar seems cut for that role, because I do not see him succeeding as an opener in Tests.

I also don't think our usual modus operandi, i.e. go at 2 runs per over and hope to conserve your wickets will pay-off on this tour. On green pitches, you have to taken the game to the opposition and score quick runs, before the inevitable happens.

Quicker batsmen like Haris, Babar, Sarfraz and perhaps even Shafiq might outperform Azhar on this tour. We can expect Christchurch type knocks from him on this tour, where his 4 hour 31 on a green pitch did absolutely nothing for the team.

 

[dhonixi]

Lmao. Talking about giving fight to Ireland.

 

[Mamoon]

"We will try to give them a good fight"



Our players are embarrassing on the mic.

 

[ads101]

Poor decision. The conditions will suit our pacers. It's our batting who will be unsuited.

We keep bolstering our bowling at the expense of our batting and then wonder why our batting is never strong lol. Just that mentality, we don't care enough about batting. A 5th bowler is no guarantee that the bowling attack will be stronger especially since he'll be the fifth worst bowler in the team. 4 bowlers are enough to manage the workload, we have part timers to in Haris, Azhar, Fakhar too.

Yet a batsman down definitely does effect batting strength. Subbing in a guy who averages 10/15 instead of 40, that's 30/25 runs less on average you'd knock off the total. The only way it doesn't affect batting strength is if our batsmen are so good, that those lower down wouldn't need to bat anyway. Which is very unlikely. Even our tail's batting matters, as everyone in the team bats, is the way cricket works, which is why batting is always more important than bowling.

I wonder who the fifth bowler will be. I assume Hasan, Abbas and Amir will play. So fifth is gonna be Rahat or Fahim. Rahat makes our batting far too weak. Fahim isn't trusted with even 10 overs in ODIs and bats at no.8 in ODIs without a notable performance yet. Is a passenger in ODIs, and hope he doesn't end up the same thing in tests.

I'm quite irritated neither Saad or Usman even had a practice game to acclimatise to the conditions and push for a place. I think Mickey's doing the same thing again, he's always very reluctant to bring in new players too quickly. Usually someone has to get injured or fail so spectacularly (e.g. Shehzad) that he's forced to call up someone new. Or like how he doesn't play a 2nd spinner simply because there was no 'experienced' other spinner in the squad. Goes with who he already knows for better or for worse. Which in some ways I sort of get, because Mickey doesn't exactly know Pakistani domestic cricket or even past Pakistani performances all too well, so he can't put his trust in it.

 

[Amoeba]

So it seems the team selected for the Northants game with Hasan coming in for either Faheem or Amir is what they are going for.

I feel they are underestimating Ireland. Some decent experienced county players and in their conditions may give us a fright.

Our tail is far too long as it is. Now it starts at 6 or 7. We could easily go from 4 down to all out in the space of a session.

 

[Abdullah719]

"Ireland is a strong team in their conditions, they have a lot of experience in these conditions and most of their players regularly play county cricket. We'll try to give them a good fight and try to win this match"

Is Sarfaraz trying to big Ireland up to provide them confidence? I thought Ireland were the ones who would need to put up a good fight to try and make a match of it. I am thinking is one of those translation blunders?

I had to listen to it to a couple of times, but that is what he said.

"Hum koshish karain ge un ko achi fight dain, aur ye match jeetne ki koshish karain ge"

 

[Donal Cozzie]

"We will try to give them a good fight"



Our players are embarrassing on the mic.

Know your place Mamoon. We are the elites of Test cricket so much so we're too exclusive to be on the rankings. Until you reach such an elevated state of cricket talent you wont understand

 

[Kaka4pope]

Fakhar at 6 I think is a genuine option, he can play strokes, albeit quite often - however its good to have a an upturn in strike rate from batters at 6/7.

Fakhar/Haris part-time spin is recognisable option to contain an end and allow quicks to recover.

Azhar, Imam, Haris, Asad, Babar, Fakhar, Sarfraz, Shadab, Amir, Hasan, Abbas

 

[Bilal7]

Against Ireland, I want to see this team:

1) Imam-ul-Haq
2) Sami Aslam
3) Haris Sohail
4) Asad Shafiq
5) Babar Azam
6) Sarfaraz Ahmed (c) (wk)
7) Shadab Khan
8) Fahim Ashraf
9) Mohammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Mohammad Abbas

It's risky, given that our batting lineup is inexperienced (especially with Azhar also sitting out) but we need to make some bold moves to give the guys the confidence they need to tackle the English in a few weeks time.

The batsmen will have no place to hide; either they score runs or they get humiliated by Ireland. We'll know exactly where they stand in a situation like this. Furthermore, this will also allow Fahim and Shadab to gain experience playing as all-rounders.

Against England, I would go for a more conservative team:

1) Imam-ul-Haq
2) Sami Aslam
3) Azhar Ali
4) Haris Sohail
5) Asad Shafiq
6) Babar Azam (bring in Usman or Talat if Babar fails against Ireland)
7) Sarfaraz Ahmed (c) (wk)
8) Fahim Ashraf/Shadab Khan (depending on form and the overhead and pitch conditions)
9) Mohammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Mohammad Abbas (Bring in Rahat if Abbas is ineffective against the Irish)

Azhar should play against England, regardless. He's been one of our top batsmen for some time. I'm hesitant of just dropping Usman or Talat into a game against England because it's tough to make your debut in seaming English conditions, therefore let's hope Babar (and the rest of the batsmen) does not force the coach's hands.

 

[Bilal7]

Poor decision. The conditions will suit our pacers. It's our batting who will be unsuited.

We keep bolstering our bowling at the expense of our batting and then wonder why our batting is never strong lol. Just that mentality, we don't care enough about batting. A 5th bowler is no guarantee that the bowling attack will be stronger especially since he'll be the fifth worst bowler in the team. 4 bowlers are enough to manage the workload, we have part timers to in Haris, Azhar, Fakhar too.

Yet a batsman down definitely does effect batting strength. Subbing in a guy who averages 10/15 instead of 40, that's 30/25 runs less on average you'd knock off the total. The only way it doesn't affect batting strength is if our batsmen are so good, that those lower down wouldn't need to bat anyway. Which is very unlikely. Even our tail's batting matters, as everyone in the team bats, is the way cricket works, which is why batting is always more important than bowling.

I wonder who the fifth bowler will be. I assume Hasan, Abbas and Amir will play. So fifth is gonna be Rahat or Fahim. Rahat makes our batting far too weak. Fahim isn't trusted with even 10 overs in ODIs and bats at no.8 in ODIs without a notable performance yet. Is a passenger in ODIs, and hope he doesn't end up the same thing in tests.

I'm quite irritated neither Saad or Usman even had a practice game to acclimatise to the conditions and push for a place. I think Mickey's doing the same thing again, he's always very reluctant to bring in new players too quickly. Usually someone has to get injured or fail so spectacularly (e.g. Shehzad) that he's forced to call up someone new. Or like how he doesn't play a 2nd spinner simply because there was no 'experienced' other spinner in the squad. Goes with who he already knows for better or for worse. Which in some ways I sort of get, because Mickey doesn't exactly know Pakistani domestic cricket or even past Pakistani performances all too well, so he can't put his trust in it.

Actually, playing just the five specialist batsmen and forcing them to score most of the runs is a good way to strengthen the batting in the long-term. It's easy to just play the extra batsman but then each batsman is happy with doing the bare minimum and leaving the other guys to score the bulk of the runs.

We will have to play six batsmen against England no matter what, but the test against Ireland is a good opportunity to put some pressure on our lineup. If the likes of Imam, Babar and Haris score tons under pressure, it will give us a big boost against England.

Playing four pacers also allows us to see who's bowling well and who isn't. With Amir and Hasan guranteed to play the remaining matches (barring injury), playing Fahim, Abbas and Rahat together will ensure that we pick the best of the three as our first-change against England.

 

[msb314]

It appears that Amir, Hasan, Abbas, Rahat and Shadab will be the five man attack. However, they might drop Rahat for Ashraf in order to bolster the batting lineup.

On green pitches, 25-30 quick runs by a slogger like Ashraf can be important.

In terms of batting, the following names are a certainty:

Azhar
Haris
Babar
Imam
Shafiq

Imam will get the nod ahead of Sami because of his performance in the warmups.

I do like the idea of Fakhar at 6. I think it is a left-field move that might turn out to be a success. Our dour batting lineup needs someone down the order to change the tempo of the innings and take on the new ball.

Fakhar seems cut for that role, because I do not see him succeeding as an opener in Tests.

I also don't think our usual modus operandi, i.e. go at 2 runs per over and hope to conserve your wickets will pay-off on this tour. On green pitches, you have to taken the game to the opposition and score quick runs, before the inevitable happens.

Quicker batsmen like Haris, Babar, Sarfraz and perhaps even Shafiq might outperform Azhar on this tour. We can expect Christchurch type knocks from him on this tour, where his 4 hour 31 on a green pitch did absolutely nothing for the team.

Why not just go with 4 bowlers + Haris?

Playing both Abbas and Rahat is a waste and one of them needs to be dropped.

I would argue the opposite that the extra 20-30 runs from an extra batsman in a low scoring game might make a big difference.

 

[Hasan123]

Against Ireland, I want to see this team:

1) Imam-ul-Haq
2) Sami Aslam
3) Haris Sohail
4) Asad Shafiq
5) Babar Azam
6) Sarfaraz Ahmed (c) (wk)
7) Shadab Khan
8) Fahim Ashraf
9) Mohammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Mohammad Abbas

It's risky, given that our batting lineup is inexperienced (especially with Azhar also sitting out) but we need to make some bold moves to give the guys the confidence they need to tackle the English in a few weeks time.

The batsmen will have no place to hide; either they score runs or they get humiliated by Ireland. We'll know exactly where they stand in a situation like this. Furthermore, this will also allow Fahim and Shadab to gain experience playing as all-rounders.

Against England, I would go for a more conservative team:

1) Imam-ul-Haq
2) Sami Aslam
3) Azhar Ali
4) Haris Sohail
5) Asad Shafiq
6) Babar Azam (bring in Usman or Talat if Babar fails against Ireland)
7) Sarfaraz Ahmed (c) (wk)
8) Fahim Ashraf/Shadab Khan (depending on form and the overhead and pitch conditions)
9) Mohammad Amir
10) Hasan Ali
11) Mohammad Abbas (Bring in Rahat if Abbas is ineffective against the Irish)

Azhar should play against England, regardless. He's been one of our top batsmen for some time. I'm hesitant of just dropping Usman or Talat into a game against England because it's tough to make your debut in seaming English conditions, therefore let's hope Babar (and the rest of the batsmen) does not force the coach's hands.

Hussain Talat isn't even in the squad ) )

 

[Hasan123]

I would go with 5 bowlers as well. Usman and Saad should have been given the warm up games so we can see what they can do. The fact they haven't is the clearest indication that they won't play at all.

 

[dauntless]

As long as trundler Abbas is not playing it's alright. He always pick tailenders wicket. Trundler of highest level.

 

[HuzaifaE]

5 bowlers is a must, I have no idea what everyone wanting 4 bowlers seems to be on. Amir can't bust a gut to save his life, Shadab is new, and Rahat and Abbas aren't marathon runners and fitness buffs by any measure. 5 is just needed to ensure everyone has the legs to actually bowl to their ability. If your top order crumbles, then it crumbles - your extra batsman won't VVS Laxman your way to safety if the others failed to do so. Just hope your long tail wags and make sure you have the man power to bowl relentlessly.