What will it take for Pakistan to reach the final of the World Test Championship 2025-27?

[mominsaigol]

WTC 23-25 , Pakistan fixtures were easiest but they finished at bottom of the table.

In next cycle they have easier schedule amongst all the teams. Let's see what will they do

How was it the easiest? This cycle is easy sure, but I wouldnt call 3 games vs Australia in Australia + 3 games vs England + 2 vs WI easy.

Sri Lanka was easy and Pakistan should have beaten Bangladesh but beating Aus in Aus is a nightmare for any team. A much stronger team india loat 3-1 and would have lost 4-1 if not for rain.

The matches at home were all doctored and toss dependent.

No test cycle where you face aus and England is easy lol

 

[jnaveen1980]

Australia, England, NZ, SA, India taking break from test cricket

 

[Rajdeep]

What does Pakistan need to do?

Win games.

Will they reach a final? Absolutely not. Not for the next decade.

Being a genuine cricket fan, I really want a WTC final between India and Pakistan at Lords.

 

[mominsaigol]

Being a genuine cricket fan, I really want a WTC final between India and Pakistan at Lords.

Hahahaha sure. Save it for someone stupid

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

How was it the easiest? This cycle is easy sure, but I wouldnt call 3 games vs Australia in Australia + 3 games vs England + 2 vs WI easy.

Sri Lanka was easy and Pakistan should have beaten Bangladesh but beating Aus in Aus is a nightmare for any team. A much stronger team india loat 3-1 and would have lost 4-1 if not for rain.

The matches at home were all doctored and toss dependent.

No test cycle where you face aus and England is easy lol

Bro if i am not wrong had pakistan beaten bangladesh which they always do they messed that one big time also win their first test match in south africa which they were so close to probabaly would have been in the final?

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Every year when I see the WTC schedule, it looks a very simple & easy route to qualify but then I remember that this team has zero test class fast bowler let alone 2 which is the minimum requirement to win overseas.

 

[amvbfm]

The scheduling could not be much better but that rarely means much with Pakistan. They will contrive unfathomable ways to disappoint. Still a few things that could make things more predictable:
- Leadership: Now that Agha has shown that he is a decent leader, he should be made the all format captain of the team. Shan has to go as he is just not good enough to be in the team as a batsman. But I don't see it happening unless Pakistan lose the SA series.
- Not tinker with the home game strategy: the dustbowl strategy at home has yielded better results than any Pakistan has employed in recent times. We shouldn't alter it in any way. If anything we should double down and add more spin options. Add Mubasir/Minhas or Kashif Bhatti/Asif Afridi as playing Jamal as an allrounder or second/third seamer is pointless. Zahid must not play. He is a dud, get in Faisal or Sufyan instead.
- Batting: the achilles' heel. Shan must go to balance the side. Replace him with a youngster like Huraira, Saim, Azan or Maaz. Not much else can or should be changed.
- England and Windies away: Abbas is a must. He might be aging and at the fag end of his career but there is no one better suited to conditions in those two countries. Add to it his immense county experience and it would be a travesty if he is not considered for those series. Shaheen despite his indifferent form should be our spearhead, with Khurram having precedence over Naseem.
- Consistency in selection: at least for this 2 year period refrain from wholesale chopping and changing. Identify and back a core group of 20-25 players selected based on an overarching strategy for each series and the entire cycle. Although that last seems to be a lot to ask of a setup like Pakistan.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

The hardest away tour is in England, and it's a place where Pakistan have done well in the past.

Winning it may be a stretch too but for goodness sake we shouldn't be finishing 8th or 9th.

 

[mominsaigol]

Pakistan have the easiest route to wtc final. But il they'll botch it. Its inevitable

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

Pakistan have the easiest route to wtc final. But il they'll botch it. Its inevitable

Bro as long pakistan keeps on making spin tracks with sajid and noman i am really confident they will make pakistan win most matches at home snd england your pakistan always does well there i think pakistan next series is at home vs south africa spin tracks and pak has some decent batsmen who can play spin well likes of saud agha kamran pak will not loose as long these guys put some runs because sajid and noman will take care of the rest.

 

[mominsaigol]

Bro as long pakistan keeps on making spin tracks with sajid and noman i am really confident they will make pakistan win most matches at home snd england your pakistan always does well there i think pakistan next series is at home vs south africa spin tracks and pak has some decent batsmen who can play spin well likes of saud agha kamran pak will not loose as long these guys put some runs because sajid and noman will take care of the rest.

Naw they lost to WI. Those pitches are rigged and doctored and toss dependant.

Pakistan got lucky with england for the following reasons.

A) England didnt expect pitch changes hence they didnt bring on any spinners. Saqib is hardly a spinner.

B) Pakistan won both tosses.

They lost one game to WI as soon as they lost the toss.

Pakistan needs to curate uae spin pitches, not oven baked pitches, secondly they need players who can play spin.

Only agha and saud can, Saim is weak against spin, KG is decent but not the best. Babar, Rizwan, Shan, Abdullah are hilarious.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Naw they lost to WI. Those pitches are rigged and doctored and toss dependant.

Pakistan got lucky with england for the following reasons.

A) England didnt expect pitch changes hence they didnt bring on any spinners. Saqib is hardly a spinner.

B) Pakistan won both tosses.

They lost one game to WI as soon as they lost the toss.

Pakistan needs to curate uae spin pitches, not oven baked pitches, secondly they need players who can play spin.

Only agha and saud can, Saim is weak against spin, KG is decent but not the best. Babar, Rizwan, Shan, Abdullah are hilarious.

Rizwan scored the highest runs in that Test match for Pakistan.

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

Naw they lost to WI. Those pitches are rigged and doctored and toss dependant.

Pakistan got lucky with england for the following reasons.

A) England didnt expect pitch changes hence they didnt bring on any spinners. Saqib is hardly a spinner.

B) Pakistan won both tosses.

They lost one game to WI as soon as they lost the toss.

Pakistan needs to curate uae spin pitches, not oven baked pitches, secondly they need players who can play spin.

Only agha and saud can, Saim is weak against spin, KG is decent but not the best. Babar, Rizwan, Shan, Abdullah are hilarious.

Ya bro i agreed with your points but still this will be pak best chance i think you are right they can look to create uae type spin pitches that will make pak formidable at home as long you get some runs from your batsmen i think abdullah is decent at spin if i am not wrong this guy has double 100 in sri lanka spin pitches.

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

Rizwan scored the highest runs in that Test match for Pakistan.

Bro does pak play bangladesh in july t20 series?

 

[mominsaigol]

Rizwan scored the highest runs in that Test match for Pakistan.

Which one? Vs England he Avg 19. Are you referencing WI?

 

[mominsaigol]

Ya bro i agreed with your points but still this will be pak best chance i think you are right they can look to create uae type spin pitches that will make pak formidable at home as long you get some runs from your batsmen i think abdullah is decent at spin if i am not wrong this guy has double 100 in sri lanka spin pitches.

Usman Khawaja scored 200 vs Sri lanka recently despite his prime self never once scoring 200 in test match cricket.

Everyone has seen his current self's Halat.

 

[shaz619]

Every year when I see the WTC schedule, it looks a very simple & easy route to qualify but then I remember that this team has zero test class fast bowler let alone 2 which is the minimum requirement to win overseas.

Khurum Shezad can be a decent hand, we got no choice but to back those who play red ball actively and not pick ‘names’ for the sake of it. Abbas & Hassan Ali are past it but play red ball cricket actively, whoever is doing well in FC cricket needs a look asap.

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

Khurum Shezad can be a decent hand, we got no choice but to back those who play red ball actively and not pick ‘names’ for the sake of it. Abbas & Hassan Ali are past it but play red ball cricket actively, whoever is doing well in FC cricket needs a look asap.

But does pak really need fast bowlers in their home pitches they will only need them in england in this wtc cycle most of their series is in pak with spin pitches noman and sajid will take care everything.

 

[shaz619]

But does pak really need fast bowlers in their home pitches they will only need them in england in this wtc cycle most of their series is in pak with spin pitches noman and sajid will take care everything.

I think you do need some variety in the bowling attack or you risk being overexposed strategically, I don’t think we should take spinning pitches for granted, in the last series West Indies beat Pakistan to, it’s a very high risk endeavour. The Batting is not up to the mark, but you do need a couple of Test quality pacers and a pace bowling A/R in your squad. We have some solid foundations now and a formula to win at home, but should continue to seek further improvement and strengthen the squad.

 

[shaz619]

I don’t think people realise how well SA planned & maximised their strengths, even with a favourable schedule, it’s not a sure thing to qualify, we Pakistan fans should know that best. I am hopefully we will do better compared to the Babar/Ramiz run, but to qualify for the final, Pakistan need to be perfect, in Tests you will seldom benefit from other results going your way.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Which one? Vs England he Avg 19. Are you referencing WI?

West Indies

 

[cricfan432]

Better players of spin and better spinners(already have but how long nomi will go, third spinner lacking)

 

[RidiculousMan]

If Spin is not the way to go then Pakistan will need to make seam friendly pitches and play players like Abbas, Mir, Hasan and Khurram.

 

[mominsaigol]

West Indies

This and Au are the series he did well in, but the spinners aren't high quality.

Sajid and Noman are good spinners that can use these pitches. Infact they were better then abrar on said pitches. However yes these doctored pitches made them the 2nd coming of Shane Warne and murli.

In comparisons warrican, Saqib mehmood etc are terrible. Problem is the pitch made them look good but pakistan is genuinely poor in test cricket.

Saud Shakeel isnt that great either. Hes a decent test batter but thats about it. Not taking anything away from rizzu but he isnt that great at spin. He's very good at surviving in test though,

Primarily due to his insistence of playing on the legside. In test cricket it works as he can avoid the offside all day along

 

[JaDed]

Changing their name to Australia

 

[RidiculousMan]

Bro does pak play bangladesh in july t20 series?

Yes. Starting from 20th July. 3 T20Is and then from 31 July Pakistan go to West Indies to play T20Is there.

 

[mominsaigol]

Yes. Starting from 20th July. 3 T20Is and then from 31 July Pakistan go to West Indies to play T20Is there.

Didn't we literally just play Bangladesh in t20?

 

[BouncerGuy]

Pakistan should change the captain first and drop non-performers from the side. Naseem and Shaheen etc should be kept away from this side now... Abbas should be the spearhead for them along with sajid and noman as spinners. Try to find some good fast bowling all rounder also.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Didn't we literally just play Bangladesh in t20?

We'll play again.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Khurum Shezad can be a decent hand, we got no choice but to back those who play red ball actively and not pick ‘names’ for the sake of it. Abbas & Hassan Ali are past it but play red ball cricket actively, whoever is doing well in FC cricket needs a look asap.

He's decent but in my opinion he's not good enough to be a 300+ test wicket prospect. We had Akhtar as the last super star bowler who had the potential of 200 or so wickets but his injuries didn't let him do that. After that we are just swiping left when it comes to fast bowlers & there's no one on the horizon who's gonna do anything for us. I've seen the FC cricket too, there's no one there as well who looks like a future super star test class bowler.

Ali Raza is the closest thing to having a decent test fast bowler but with the amount of leagues and money being elsewhere, it'll be extremely lucky that he sets his sights on test cricket.

 

[shaz619]

He's decent but in my opinion he's not good enough to be a 300+ test wicket prospect. We had Akhtar as the last super star bowler who had the potential of 200 or so wickets but his injuries didn't let him do that. After that we are just swiping left when it comes to fast bowlers & there's no one on the horizon who's gonna do anything for us. I've seen the FC cricket too, there's no one there as well who looks like a future super star test class bowler.

Ali Raza is the closest thing to having a decent test fast bowler but with the amount of leagues and money being elsewhere, it'll be extremely lucky that he sets his sights on test cricket.

The barrel is very dry no doubt and this century our best hopes were on Amir & Asif if we’re setting the bar high. Given the situation with our fast bowling resources this century, any pacer getting to 200 wickets or so would be a lofty achievement. Akhtar achieved close to his max potential with his physical deformity, insane loads he put his body under and also when judged relative to 90% off super-human / express pacers. I think I don’t really look at the milestones anymore either, more of, hmm, who is showing they at least understand the fundamentals of Test cricket & have the hunger to do well in the format, Shehzad might not go down in history but it’s more about coming in, being reliable & consistent. It’s unfortunate but our quick bowling legacy is a bit out of reach when you look at how we now thrive on the spin strategy and nature of the pitches we like, popularised by Misbah. Similarly, we’re going to need a few solid hands like Shehzad who can complement our approach.

 

[mominsaigol]

The barrel is very dry no doubt and this century our best hopes were on Amir & Asif if we’re setting the bar high. Given the situation with our fast bowling resources this century, any pacer getting to 200 wickets or so would be a lofty achievement. Akhtar achieved close to his max potential with his physical deformity, insane loads he put his body under and also when judged relative to 90% off super-human / express pacers. I think I don’t really look at the milestones anymore either, more of, hmm, who is showing they at least understand the fundamentals of Test cricket & have the hunger to do well in the format, Shehzad might not go down in history but it’s more about coming in, being reliable & consistent. It’s unfortunate but our quick bowling legacy is a bit out of reach when you look at how we now thrive on the spin strategy and nature of the pitches we like, popularised by Misbah. Similarly, we’re going to need a few solid hands like Shehzad who can complement our approach.

Pcb honestly ruined alot of test careers thats the issue.

The likes of Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and a few others were clearly more comfortable with test cricket.

Umar Akmal could have been an all format star, but Shehzad should have just played test cricket.

Ahmed Shehzad technique wise and shot selection wise was and still is > most of our current test batters babar included.

His issue is that he pre meditated everything against pace and as a result this shots went straight to the fielder. Whenever he tried to do anything funky against pace he'd get out. Otherwise a decent player of spin.

Had they let him just play test he could have become a fantastic test cricketer but instead pcb had this obsession of making him an all format opener.

Pcb to this day makes the same mistake, Babar is clearly not an all format player and should stay away from test and t20. He should only play odi and league cricket.

Similarly saud shakeel has no business in odi, he should only play test cricket. Etc etc.

Shaheen has no business in test either.

 

[sweep_shot]

Pakistan have a good chance of making it to final. Apart from the away England series, rest are winnable.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

The barrel is very dry no doubt and this century our best hopes were on Amir & Asif if we’re setting the bar high. Given the situation with our fast bowling resources this century, any pacer getting to 200 wickets or so would be a lofty achievement. Akhtar achieved close to his max potential with his physical deformity, insane loads he put his body under and also when judged relative to 90% off super-human / express pacers. I think I don’t really look at the milestones anymore either, more of, hmm, who is showing they at least understand the fundamentals of Test cricket & have the hunger to do well in the format, Shehzad might not go down in history but it’s more about coming in, being reliable & consistent. It’s unfortunate but our quick bowling legacy is a bit out of reach when you look at how we now thrive on the spin strategy and nature of the pitches we like, popularised by Misbah. Similarly, we’re going to need a few solid hands like Shehzad who can complement our approach.

Agree with almost everything you've said.

The issue with test cricket is that you only become a good bowler after playing a few years of competitive cricket as you understand your body limits, grounds around the world, different playing conditions, & more importantly learn the art of setting up batters.

That is why I set 200 wickets as a benchmark number because an ordinary bowler will rarely reach that mark & greats do it before they've reached their peak & then improve a bit before having the natural regression.

Australia & RSA almost have three test class greats each in their teams, Eng, NZL, WI & India have at least one if not two who are very good, & even Bangladesh has a couple who can change their test fate.

Meanwhile Shehzad is military medium & injury prone & with the pitches that we are preparing at home, he won't have any major role in the team. We forget that all our greats were monsters at home & we need someone to do that if we wish to succeed. That is why I feel we need a pacer who can reverse swing the ball at pace & play the enforcer role while Shehzad can be a modern day Aqib Javed.