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What do we make of Imam-ul-Haq's performances?

Better intent today.

That said, his real test will be the upcoming series.
 
Much, much better today.

I love how he's staying around for a long innings. You didn't see that from Azhar, Shehzad or Hafeez. It's not a joke to potentially have 4 centuries in 9 innings, even if the games are against Zimbabwe here. The others didn't cash in like this ever, other than Hafeez, and we know how he is against good teams.
 
For those criticising Imam, if someone told us in 2015 that we would get an opener who would have a strike rate of 85-90 and would score a bucket load of runs at such an early stage of his career, then we would've all gone gah gah over such a player. Imam is that player. Just because his opening partner is more flamboyant doesnt mean Imam is a bad player. He's had an impressive start to his career and deserves to be persisted with.
 
AssassinatedDevil said:
For those criticising Imam, if someone told us in 2015 that we would get an opener who would have a strike rate of 85-90 and would score a bucket load of runs at such an early stage of his career, then we would've all gone gah gah over such a player. Imam is that player. Just because his opening partner is more flamboyant doesnt mean Imam is a bad player. He's had an impressive start to his career and deserves to be persisted with.
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Let's be honest, it's a weak Zimbabwe attack. You're not going to learn anything here.

He could scores 100s here, but who knows what will happen when he comes across world class bowlers. That's when you'll be able to judge how good he is atm.
 
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Chief Destroyer said:
It's understandable why Mickey wants to persist with him. He wants to build an all-format team so players don't go out of practice and he can continue to monitor them throughout the year.

He'll do his best to open up his range. Personally, from the little I have seen of him, he can play textbook shots but there are too many balls wasted in between. I'm not sure whether that's due to physical limitation or just the way he was brought up.

His drive to play long innings is impressive which bodes well for the test format.
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4 100s in 9 games is going to keep in the team for at least a year or two.
 
Aman said:
Let's be honest, it's a weak Zimbabwe attack. You're not going to learn anything here.

He could scores 100s here, but who knows what will happen when he comes across world class bowlers. That's when you'll be able to judge how good he is atm.
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I am aware of that, but you can't fault him for performing against the opposition he is presented with. He has the capability to bat long, which we should credit him for. I'd much rather him score runs against any opposition he is presented with, even if it is a Zimbabwe C side.
 
Can't believe the criticism this kid is getting, yes its only Zimbabwe but bearing in mind this kid has only played for Pakistan for about 2 weeks or 10 ODIs and as we speak, he is on the verge of his 4th ODI century.. that is just 1 ton less than two of Pakistan's best ODI batsmen in the 90s in Aamer Sohail and Saleem Malik achieved in their entire career.

Not that it makes him a legend but he has serious potential that is for sure.
 
Majid Khan said:
Can't believe the criticism this kid is getting, yes its only Zimbabwe but bearing in mind this kid has only played for Pakistan for about 2 weeks or 10 ODIs and as we speak, he is on the verge of his 4th ODI century.. that is just 1 ton less than two of Pakistan's best ODI batsmen in the 90s in Aamer Sohail and Saleem Malik achieved in their entire career.

Not that it makes him a legend but he has serious potential that is for sure.
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That says more about the state of the game than Imam.
 
Much better from Imam today.

97 ball century.

Most importantly, dot ball % is down (33 balls).

Let's see some power now!
 
Much better hundred from Imam. It still remains to be seen how he does against quality sides though.
 
Aman said:
That says more about the state of the game than Imam.
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Agree about the state of game and weak opposition, but ... to get 4 centuries within your first 9 games especially under the added pressure of being selected by your uncle, to do that against any opposition says a lot about the character and potential of a young batsman.

And don't forget with the same 'state' of the game, barely a couple of years ago you were lucky if Pakistani top order batsmen got into double figures in consecutive matches , no matter who the opponent.
 
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Majid Khan said:
Agree about the state of game and weak opposition, but ... to get 4 centuries within your first 9 games especially under the added pressure of being selected by your uncle, to do that against any opposition says a lot about the character and potential of a young batsman.

And don't forget with the same 'state' of the game, barely a couple of years ago you were lucky if Pakistani top order batsmen got into double figures in consecutive matches , no matter who the opponent.
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Not the opposition, I meant ODI cricket favoring batsmen and becoming super boring to watch. I've been calling ODIs extended T20s for years and prefer games of 250-280, if not much lower.
 
The top 5-6 teams are pretty close together, after that there isn't much at all sadly.
 
Good rotation of strike today. Just need to keep those early dot balls to a minimum as stronger attacks won't allow you to make up for it later.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The talk has been about Fakhar Zaman, but Imam-ul-Haq has also impressed in this series:<br>Innings 5<br>Runs 395<br>Hundreds 3<br>Average 79<br>Strike rate 95.64<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZIMvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZIMvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1020982111996653568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
A very good innings today. Went at a good pace right from the start. Well done.

Credit where due. We should not blindly hate any player. He really did well today. However lets hope he does it often.
 
Madplayer said:
A very good innings today. Went at a good pace right from the start. Well done.

Credit where due. We should not blindly hate any player. He really did well today. However lets hope he does it often.
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Lets hope he can do it against the top teams.
 
This guy is converting starts into big scores... then people complained about i.ran nazir and kamran getting nice 30s..
pak fans are pathetic
 
obviously has the temperament to play an anchor role. But glaring flaws outside off. Seems to be nicking or missing consistently early in the innings
 
We will know where he stands after the series against Australia,NZ,and South Africa.
 
Great going young fella

He's what Shehzad or Azhar should have been, a steady opener with 40/85 stats.
 
Pros
1.He scores big.His conversion rate is brilliant.
2.His technique is pretty decent.I am not saying it's great but he can survive with that technique in ODI's.
3.He takes up the criticism well and I guess motivates him to perform better.So far he has been good but his real test will begin from now.


Cons
1.His strike rate is not good enough.He leaves a lot of deliveries.
2.He tries to go hard at the balls that are way outside off stump.Now this is good, isn't it? But have you noticed how many times he gets beaten when he tries hit those deliveries through cover or point region.
3.His List A record isn't great.His average and strike rate both are underwhelming.
4.His power hitting game is next to zero.
 
What do you guys think of Imam Ul Haq?

I want your opinion on Imam Ul Haq? do you think he will be a positive opener in the future? He smashed Zimbabwe, made a good century against Sri Lanka but can he do the same against the bigger teams? I know he is young and has lots of time to learn

your thoughts?
 
unimpressive, but seems to be doing the job.
I would continue with him for now.

I do think Shan Masood should get 1-2 games in this tournament. He's a prolific run getter in domestic, and has stepped up with his SR recently as well
 
coy0607 said:
unimpressive, but seems to be doing the job.
I would continue with him for now.

I do think Shan Masood should get 1-2 games in this tournament. He's a prolific run getter in domestic, and has stepped up with his SR recently as well
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Domestics are not the best guage, ahmed shezad who is a lot worse than imam internationally has bradmanesque stats.

As far as shan in concerned no way. Also he wont get in je was always a 100% (you scratch my back, and i...) player and daddy isnt in power anymore
 
Excellent. He's a fantastic batsman with a lot of potential. I actually think he might end up a better batsman than the much more popular Babar Azam.
 
What do we make of Imam-ul-Haq's performances? Overall, I don't know. However, if he fails next game vs India then we shouldn't be quick to nuke him on here and saying "he'll be found out by better teams" after the one game vs a better team. I'd say give him the Asia Cup and NZ to get a better idea (or AUS, I don't remember if we play ODIs with them or not).
 
TeamPak95 said:
What do we make of Imam-ul-Haq's performances? Overall, I don't know. However, if he fails next game vs India then we shouldn't be quick to nuke him on here and saying "he'll be found out by better teams" after the one game vs a better team. I'd say give him the Asia Cup and NZ to get a better idea (or AUS, I don't remember if we play ODIs with them or not).
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I agree with this 100 percent , also people are harsh granted he didn't play better teams yet but he still made his chances count and scored runs a lot of guys in the past were not able to Score runs Agaisnt teams that were not so strong either , his big test will be India since one it's a strong team and two it's a match Agaisnt your biggest rival so we will see how he does under true pressure but if he is to fail he still needs to be continued with atleast till the New Zealand series, since we do not play ODI match with Australia
 
Tbh I didn't watch the game and I am watching the highlights rn but they won't say much about Imam's performance as they'll mainly show the boundaries but I don't understand the criticism for yesterday. Yes, I agree he is slow and not a long term option but he doesn't deserve to be bashed scoring at a low strike rate when we were chasing such a lower score. He'll face bigger tests in the future.
 
Worry sign is hes scored at snails pace against minnow teams zimbabwe, HK etc... and despite big scores he will need to massively improve his game against better bowlers and sides.
 
Bilal7 said:
Excellent. He's a fantastic batsman with a lot of potential. I actually think he might end up a better batsman than the much more popular Babar Azam.
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honest question, what do you base that off? Babar has a better technique, a better shot range and most importantly more time at the crease, which is often the sign of a good batsmen.
 
hadi123 said:
Tbh I didn't watch the game and I am watching the highlights rn but they won't say much about Imam's performance as they'll mainly show the boundaries but I don't understand the criticism for yesterday. Yes, I agree he is slow and not a long term option but he doesn't deserve to be bashed scoring at a low strike rate when we were chasing such a lower score. He'll face bigger tests in the future.
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its the manner of he was playing. He was clearly struggling to rotate strike and he should have been out twice with better umpiring. regardless of how low the score is you shouldnt be going at a strike rate of 50 agianst hong kong.
 
His innings against HK looked bad in isolation but I keep saying batting second in UAE conditions are not easy. Imam is never going to be playing freely as Fakhar Zaman but I think he is consistent which will allow Pakistan to Atleast put runs on the board in most matches.
 
pakistanigoneaussie said:
its the manner of he was playing. He was clearly struggling to rotate strike and he should have been out twice with better umpiring. regardless of how low the score is you shouldnt be going at a strike rate of 50 agianst hong kong.
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Ok. You'd know better than me as I didn't watch the game live, I saw the highlights but obviously they don't tend to show the dot balls, just the boundaries. Let's see how he does against India.
 
Played a disastrous innings against Hongkong. It's simple he is playing to make his stats better but he won't survive much long and mark my words which I have been saying for past month. HE will be the reason of our ugly defeat against so called incapable India team and Afghanistan or Bangladesh.
 
pakistanigoneaussie said:
honest question, what do you base that off? Babar has a better technique, a better shot range and most importantly more time at the crease, which is often the sign of a good batsmen.
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Their cricketing intelligence and mindset. Babar is definitely more talented but talent is trumped by intelligence and grit most of the time.
 
Bilal7 said:
Their cricketing intelligence and mindset. Babar is definitely more talented but talent is trumped by intelligence and grit most of the time.
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okay so that begs the question, where has Imam displayed this intelligence? How do you quantify it?
 
pakistanigoneaussie said:
okay so that begs the question, where has Imam displayed this intelligence? How do you quantify it?
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It's not something you can quantify. However, you can see it if you know to look for it. Batsmen who do not throw their wickets away, rarely take the risky option and know how to respect the opposing bowlers, etc. are intelligent players.
 
Bilal7 said:
It's not something you can quantify. However, you can see it if you know to look for it. Batsmen who do not throw their wickets away, rarely take the risky option and know how to respect the opposing bowlers, etc. are intelligent players.
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what you say is smart could easily be called timid or more rather a clear lack of ability

Gavaskar was a genius, doesn't change the fact he would be a failure in modern odi cricket.

Imam may we have a good test career and i hope he does, but it is obvious he lacks the skills to play limited overs. Even a guy like Sami Aslam at least showed he had the game in domestic cricket. Imam has never shown it in any form of cricket, but hey has 'intelligence.'
 
pakistanigoneaussie said:
what you say is smart could easily be called timid or more rather a clear lack of ability

Gavaskar was a genius, doesn't change the fact he would be a failure in modern odi cricket.

Imam may we have a good test career and i hope he does, but it is obvious he lacks the skills to play limited overs. Even a guy like Sami Aslam at least showed he had the game in domestic cricket. Imam has never shown it in any form of cricket, but hey has 'intelligence.'
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Imam averages 70+ in ODI cricket and has a SR of 87 and four centuries. Your argument is null and void, just like this entire thread.

I don't care about List 'A' performances so don't bring those up.
 
Bilal7 said:
Imam averages 70+ in ODI cricket and has a SR of 87 and four centuries. Your argument is null and void, just like this entire thread.

I don't care about List 'A' performances so don't bring those up.
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literally the same arguments were made for Azhar, the de ja vu is amazing. Yes stats are important, so is the context of the stats and how that player is performing and what manner is he scoring his runs.

If it was just stats then people like Faheem and Asif Ali would be nowhere near the team
 
Posters who are defending Imam are missing the point. The issue isn't his average. The issue he is struggling to rotate the strike against rubbish attacks despite being settled at the crease. How is that not something to worry about? Regardless of what the score is to chase , rotation of strike is vital in cricket. If you are struggling to rotate the strike against Hong Kong after facing 40 plus balls that is a legitimate concern.

Due to his age I will give him a chance but if he struggles against NZ and South Africa with the same issues, I would drop him . Not interested in players who can minnow bash. But I hope in tests he is stuck with as he can be a brilliant test batsmen.
 
When I tuned in to watch the Hong Kong game, it seemed to me that Imam thought and played like he was up against a GOAT bowling attack at the peak of their powers.
 
I wonder how he will fare against top sides. He has had an easy ride till now.

Technically sound and ideal for Test cricket, but I feel he will get stuck in OD cricket the way Azhar Ali lost his place.
 
Madplayer said:
2 hundereds in 5 ODI innings. Some suggest he has done enough being a new player. Some say he is too limited given his track record in domestic cricket as well. Some believe this is his ceiling as far as strike rate is concerned.

What to make of these 100s of his? How to evaluate him as a player? To drop or not to drop? For me he is one of the most confusing players out there in terms of investing in.
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I was confused about him then. I am still confused now.
 
Shehzad 2.0.

He will be a liability 90% of time if fakhar fails at the other end.
 
I think he might have eye sight problems as well while fielding under lights.
 
A certified minnow basher. Imam Minnow Legend.

He does not have what is takes to make it big against big teams.
 
Never been in his favour. Cant seem to handle quality opposition. His domain is to scorr big 100s agaisnt the likes pf zimb.. srl..irl or afg.
 
MenInG said:
Did same vs Afghanistan when it looked like we were doing well
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He wont go far if he continues this way. Bashes minnows and throws it away while batting against the big boys. Its happening far too often.
 
This snail pace opener won’t work in odis he can play test that is okay
If we want to be in top 4 we can’t have imam as opener
We need a player who can rotate and doesn’t get stuck
 
mak36 said:
Coming to the topic of his test batting, he has two flaws he needs to iron out:

i) Like a lot of l/h he has an issue with the ball that swings back into him, which makes him an lbw candidate. Has got out that way a few times in his international career (in both ODIs and tests) as well as in domestic cricket.

ii) He has a habit of trying to play expansive drives early on in his innings. This often means he flashes at wide ones and gets caught behind. For a test opener that is a cardinal sin and he really needs to improve his shot selection in that regard.
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This still holds. His shot selection early on in his innings needs work. The issue is he doesn't rotate the strike and then puts pressure on himself and plays a poor shot.
 
mak36 said:
This still holds. His shot selection early on in his innings needs work. The issue is he doesn't rotate the strike and then puts pressure on himself and plays a poor shot.
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We saw this in the first ODI also. He really needs to start rotating the strike.
 
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