What does the future hold for Haider Ali?

[MenInG]

The story so far:

1. Amazing U19 record and lots of talent as mentioned by his coaches and experts

2. A T20I debut and a fifty to go with it.

3. All the shots in the book and a reasonably good National T20 Cup

But what does the future hold for him?

Is he good enough to sustain and improve his performances or is he destined to disappear in the long list of players with good potential but who just couldnt make it.

What does he need to improve?

 

[Rana]

Too hard to say with Pakistan cricket. Fantastic prospect and as long as he stays out of the bad books of the media, stays out of trouble and is focused on becoming the best he can, he will go well for Pakistan.

The kid has more attitude than most of the softies that have been coming out of Pakistan. This could make or break his career if he can’t handle himself

 

[Bullet Drive]

This leg side slog he plays all the time is worrying.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Needs to curb some of his aggressiveness that overpowers his game at times as today in a semi final his team lost 2 quick wickets yet he went for a big shot and got out with over 10 overs to go.

Should work on his game and shot selection as he shows a lot of promise but yet has a lot of rashness in his game which let's his game down many times than none.

Game awareness is something he needs to really focus and work on as he can't keep on going for shots which are not on and get out putting himself and the team down.

 

[amvbfm]

Has the talent and versatility to be a permanent fixture in all three squads but needs to temper his natural aggression and put a price on his wicket. Despite all the hype he needs to work hard and learn from his mistakes. If he learns to control his natural tendencies he can easily be the next Babar Azam else he might end up as the next Imran Nazir.

 

[Saj]

Some concerns and some praise at this stage.

He is a wonderful stroke-maker. He has a wide array of shots. His basic technique and batting base looks pretty solid. He can on his day tear apart any attack in the matter of a few overs.

However, I want him to start concentrating on 4 day cricket too and become a proper batsman, where his technique and his ability to play proper shots and long innings will be tested.

The hope is that he becomes another Babar Azam, but the fear is that he becomes another Imran Nazir.

 

[ElRaja]

hes batting at a s/r of around 160, you cant sustain a high average at that level, even if he can average 30 odd in t20is with that s/r hes doing great for pak.

pak already have babar azam as the anchor, he needs to stay aggressive and not worry about failing every now and again, when he comes off he'll win the game.

the only worry is if he takes this aggression into longer form cricket, hopefully he adjusts given his decent first class record, but wont know for sure until hes 10, 15 more first class games.

 

[Titan24]

I think he has all the talent and as I have shared my views before I think he is the best batting talent to play for Pakistan since Babar Azam's debut. Yes he does play some expensive strokes in T20 but, to be honest I dont mind that in the format and thats the kind of batsman Pakistan's T20 team needed and he got the debut. From T20 cricket one can only judge strokeplay of the batsman but, not the complete batsmanship unless the batsman is given a role to stick around and play 15 overs or so.

He performed well in FC season where he averaged 49 with proper cricketing strokes and a century in the final. Everybody knew he was talented but I guess it was in PSL where he showed another dimension of his game which was lacking in Pakistan's national team which really got the eyes rolling. There are not many batsman in recent times who have shown so different gears with a solid technique and that too at a young age.

Yes he will have to keep one thing in check that he doesnt let one format rub off on the other one and continues to maintain the difference between all.

Umer Akmal had big attitude issues which were visible even in his younger days when he wanted to sit out because his brother wasnt selected. Imran Nazir averaged 33 in FC cricket and only ended with 9 100s as he never had a solid defensive technique. So I dont think both are comparable with Haider but I understand the fears.

Its not just the storkeplay, its the solid defense as well which is impressive about Haider. There will be ups and downs like in the career of any young player but, as far as he is learning and trying to improve I think will be fine.

 

[DandyFellow]

He should be opening for the ODI team as soon as possible. He can be a gun Odi opener and if we play him alongside Imam or Shan as opener with Babar as one down and Rizwan as two down this would be the perfect top 4 for the Odi team for the next world cup.

 

[Ertugrul_Bey]

Turning into another Ahmed Shahzad. Quick intervention needed by batting coach MY or else it will be another wasted talent.

 

[Bewal Express]

There will be lots of ups and downs but if he has the desire and work ethic he will be fine. He has an excellent role model in Babar to emulate but ultimately he will succeed or fail on his own volition. On a technical issue, he needs to work on pulling the ball because its an area the quicker oppositions will target.

 

[naseem]

It's t20.....guys....he will hopefully play first class and ODIs soon.....that will help him to improve his game.
He looked little too aggressive at times and tried to slog but so all other batsmen.....

 

[naseem]

Imran Nazir or UA has many shortcomings...many attitude problem..... I Nazir may have mistreated at times but ultimately they are a good case study for youngsters around the world to learn what not to do and how not to think / behave

 

[Extra_Cover]

Haider Ali is hands down the most flamboyant strokemaker since Umar Akmal for Pakistan.

I have no doubt in his ability and playing wider array of shots around the ground.

My only concern at this stage is too much T20 cricket for him and who is his mentor? I would strongly urge PCB management to ensure Haider Ali is given the guidance to perform in QEA this year. Also I want PCB to allocate a mentor for him who can not only keep him grounded but make him mentally strong so he can cope with when things are tough. I would want someone like Asad Shafique or Azhar Ali work with Haider Ali to help him be mentally strong in tough times.

Also PCB should actively monitor his fitness and diet plans. I have seen Haider not being the brightest of fielders and being such a young player this is concerning. I hope PCB is investing in his future as there are all signs pointing to this can be a wonderful investment for PCB.

 

[angrypathan]

Hopefully the future holds a lot more first class cricket for him.

 

[GreenKhan]

It’s difficult to judge the potential of a young talent merely on the back of T20s. The nature of that format is such that you have to play at a very fast click and sometimes shot selection and even technique gets compromised.

Will be Interesting to see how he copes in the one day competition and whether he can build an innings and further to that the 4 day game as well .

 

[MMHS]

Imran Nazir or UA has many shortcomings...many attitude problem..... I Nazir may have mistreated at times but ultimately they are a good case study for youngsters around the world to learn what not to do and how not to think / behave

Imran Nazir was the dumbest player I have ever seen or heard of, but he was mismanaged lot as well. I give an example from past .... sometimes in early 2000s, therefore lost most of the memories. But, it was a club game in Dhaka League and his side was chasing something like 250 or less and the fielding side had two foreign pacer recruits (I forgot names but both International, one may be Pakistani). So, his coach and Captain gave him lots of tips on how to approach the innings and how he can dominate the bowling after 10-12 overs .... in fact, his Coach wanted to send him at 3, which he declined. Now, he started the first over with 14 in first 5 balls, then there was a wide on last ball and he could have stolen a single as well, which he declined - then last ball skied to mid-on's throat, dragging from a feet & half outside off, with a cramped feet. He came back to pavilion and his coach was damn upset - he wanted an explanation of the shot .... Nazir kept telling him -"bhai, uo gen marneka tha... Allah ka margi nahin tha ke boundary ho, warna it was a six written on the ball..... iss tarah ke gen ko crowd ke beech may uda dena chahie ...". His team lost by 10-12 runs with at least 6 overs remaining.

But, that guy had unreal ability against pace - made a scintillating 131 at Barbados in 3.5 hours, made couple of fantastic 70s against that SAF attack and he would have been MoM for that series decider at Gabba had Shoaib not blew Aussies. Haider has one BIG, similar problem like Nazir - for a top order, he plays too much in air. I hope, he has better head on his shoulders and better mentors to keep him outside T20s - he has early success in the shortest format means offers are going to come from T20 leagues, unless he can resist that for next 3 years - he might not play 2027 WC, when he is likely to be at his peak; Nazir didn't make 2011 WC either.

 

[Khan12]

Haider Ali is hands down the most flamboyant strokemaker since Umar Akmal for Pakistan.

I have no doubt in his ability and playing wider array of shots around the ground.

My only concern at this stage is too much T20 cricket for him and who is his mentor? I would strongly urge PCB management to ensure Haider Ali is given the guidance to perform in QEA this year. Also I want PCB to allocate a mentor for him who can not only keep him grounded but make him mentally strong so he can cope with when things are tough. I would want someone like Asad Shafique or Azhar Ali work with Haider Ali to help him be mentally strong in tough times.

Also PCB should actively monitor his fitness and diet plans. I have seen Haider not being the brightest of fielders and being such a young player this is concerning. I hope PCB is investing in his future as there are all signs pointing to this can be a wonderful investment for PCB.

Haider Ali is pretty good fielder of what i have seen of him. Took an excellent catch yesterday too.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Needs to curb some of his aggressiveness.

In T20s? Then we wonder why our national team is behind the rest of the world. His aggressiveness has made him Northern’s MVP, sometimes it doesn’t work, most of the time it does - the real issue today was Imad.

I maintain that in T20s, it’s better every batsman in your team averages 25(14) rather than 50(40). That’s how you consistently reach scores of 180+. Batting depth and high strike rate.

Imad’s innings today choked that, but Haider maintained a high strike rate that should have brought Northern’s lower order into play. Rohail barely got to bat, and Tanvir, Amir didn’t bat either. In fact, even Rauf and Musa should have gotten the 20th over. 4(2) innings from both of them would have sufficed. That’s how you bring depth into play, whether or not one of your 11 batsmen makes 50+ (and usually at least one will, so that propels your score by another 20 runs).

In terms of Haider’s development, though, obviously I want to ensure he does not bring this same game to ODI cricket. From what I’ve seen, he does have different gears. What he needs to do now is work with Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan on his strokes and technique and show a completely different style of play in ODI and FC cricket.

 

[Savak]

He's had a disappointing tournament given the hype he is carried. Also he is becoming more of a slogger compared to when he first started his career. He is already showing dangerous signs of going the Umar Akmal route

 

[The Viper]

Haider has different gears for the different formats. I don't think he is a one dimensional slogger as some have suggested. He impressed in last years FC competition and he showed patience in the 50 Over format during the Under-19 WC. It is important that he stays grounded, but he has the ability to adapt to each format.

 

[Hasan123]

We just need to let him develop and not put too much pressure on him. He is going to have a rocky patch so need to be prepared for that and not call for his head. I really hope he plays a lot of first class cricket as this is what will improve his batting and he has a good mentor to help him improve technically. He is definite starter for T20s and I would have him in the ODI squads at the very least. Wouldn't rush him into tests just yet.

 

[Saj]

Final stats from the National T20 Cup:

294 runs in 8 innings. Average of 36 and a strike rate of 166.

Decent numbers but critics would want more than 2 50s.

The aim has to be for him to in future become a match winner rather than an occasional impact player.

 

[Markhor]

I'm astounded at some of the comments here seeing comparisons between Haider Ali and Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad and Imran Nazir, labelling him a slogger etc.

How many matches has he played ? Didn't he play the U19 World Cup only this year ? I understand the mental scarring from the past as Pakistan's track record of developing young batsmen is awful, but to expect Haider to already be close to the finished article is ludicrous !

I don't think you can judge a batsman from T20s, it's not a format where you'll get a proper idea of someone's defensive technique, their game on bowler friendly pitches etc. Most batsmen when under pressure for quick runs are most comfortable hitting through the leg-side so Haider favouring that area doesn't overly worry me, given I saw some good offside strokeplay in what few clips of the PSL I've seen. He's not comparable to Khushdil Shah whose boundaries against pace are almost entirely on the leg-side.

What I like about Haider Ali is he backs himself. There's no need to curb his attacking instincts in white ball cricket, game awareness will hopefully come with experience and he should learn from his dismissal yesterday in the semi-final vs SP when Northern needed him to bat to the end. However that can be a problem in red ball cricket, the few innings I saw of Haider Ali in last season's QEA Trophy, he seemed a bit loose outside off-stump. He might get away with it on flat Pakistani pitches where batsmen can easily hit through the line - but not in places like England (where some were demanding his Test debut), New Zealand and South Africa. Haven't seen enough of his game against the short ball to comment.

What's needed is for the coach and selectors to draw up a plan for him. My firm belief is all youngsters should be properly groomed through the ranks - not blindly rushed into internationals like Naseem Shah was. He should play every game for Pakistan A in their tour of New Zealand, and all the QEA Trophy matches he's available for with Northern. If he performs then consider a Test debut vs South Africa at home, but at 5 or 6 where he can bat without pressure, with the long-term goal being a promotion to 3. As for white ball cricket, give him a consistent run in the top order.