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Which players will replace Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik once they retire?

mesmerizer85

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I would say get good batsmen from the domestic with best averages and strike rates as it will greatly strengthen our batting line. These two had just averages hovering in the 30s for all these years..
 
Saud Shakeel,for one should be in the squad now. Haris Sohail should become a permanent fixture in the squad post their retirement. Can't think of any other exciting batting talent in Pakistan. Let's see how Saad Ali bats , he should ideally replace Papa Shafiq in tests too
 
By the time Malik and Hafeez retire these youngsters will probably be in their 30s...
 
From the looks of it saud shakeel is not getting much attention at domestic level, and there is a strong chance Shan masood will be fast tracked due to some connections. Alas we will never get players on merit
 
Top 7:

Fakhar Z
Sharjeel K
Babar A *
Haris S
Saud S
Hussain T
Sarfraz A+

Only problem is 5 lefties in top 6.

Haris, Saud and Talat form the 5th bowling option.
 
I don't see Hafeez retiring on his own.

Malik will retire tho, different breed.

I am counting for some U19 debuting for Pakistan when time comes.
 
I don't know how the batting line up will fit together in the future, and given the number of top order players I could definitely see someone like Fakhar dropping down the order.

However pretty sure the two that will come up the ranks/be backed who aren't part of the team already are Sami Aslam and Saad Ali. Both have been prolific for long periods of time (Sami more so in U19 but is stepping it up in domestic, with early while short success in tests too).

I think Umar akmal if he returns to form will also get call up in LOI as a replacement for an experienced middle order bat.
 
I'm sure the PCB will go for talent and select Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad..........lets sure hope not
 
How to replace two TTFs? how about we just pick to players who are better.
 
The title makes it sound like it'll be their choice.

Steyn, Rabada and Ngidi will see to it this winter. Unfortunately, Pakistan selection policy is to respond to disasters instead of preventing them in the first place.
 
Hafeez will replace Malik when Malik is dropped and Malik will replace Hafeez when Hafeez is dropped.

It’s the circle of life:bm
 
1.Imam Ul Haq
2.Sharjeel Khan
3.Fakhar Zaman
4.Babar Azam
5.Haris Sohail
6.Hussain Talat
7.Mohammad Rizwan
8.Imad Wasim
9.Mohammad Amir
10.Shaheen Afridi
11.Hasan Ali

damn, no more Malik/Hafeez, end of an era.
 
They will hang on for many years to come....
The people who will replace these two are not in FC yet :)
 
I think Pakistan needs half a decade-decade even of,

1. Babar Azam+Harris Sohail 3 and 4

2. Babar Azam+Sohaib Maqsood at 3 and 4

3. Babar Azam and Umar Akmal at 3 and 4.
 
The title makes it sound like it'll be their choice.

Steyn, Rabada and Ngidi will see to it this winter. Unfortunately, Pakistan selection policy is to respond to disasters instead of preventing them in the first place.

I'm really counting on the SA pace battery here. There's no other way to get rid of these guys.
 
1.Imam Ul Haq
2.Sharjeel Khan
3.Fakhar Zaman
4.Babar Azam
5.Haris Sohail
6.Hussain Talat
7.Mohammad Rizwan
8.Imad Wasim
9.Mohammad Amir
10.Shaheen Afridi
11.Hasan Ali

damn, no more Malik/Hafeez, end of an era.

6 tailenders in an 11 sounds promising.
 
Haris will replace Hafeez. Despite his 50 the other day, how confident are you that he will be picked up over Imam when Imam returns?Haris scored 50s earlier too and he has been fit but wasn't in team until Imam was injured.

Any decent player can replace Malik. In the last 3 years, Malik played 22 games against AUS, ENG, Ind, NZ, SA home and away. He scored 564 runs in 21 innings and averages 32 with an SR of 79.

That's an abysmal SR for a middle order batsman that's trying to close the games. That's too low of an average for a top order batsman (top 4). So where does he fit exactly? Is he in the team to stabilize and score heavily or is he a finisher that goes berserk at the end of the innings? He is neither. Is he an allrounder? Well.. In these 22 games, he bowled in 13 games and picked exactly 2 wickets for an average of 142.5 with an ER of 6.26. SO, any decent middle order batsman can replace him.
 
There are some solid options available to replace these two oldies. Saud Shakeel and Haris Sohail are definitely the front runners, to a point where both these players should already be playing in the team. Saif Badar, Hussain Talat, Hammad Azam at No.5, maybe moving Shadab Khan to No.5 even.
 
I guess, more appropriate is - what's going to be PAK probable XI in 2023 WC. Replacement of H/M is a vague word because these are bits & pieces "all-rounders" pretending to be top/middle order batsmen. Had 03-09 not taken place, both of them would have fought for a No. 6-7 spot, and that's where they belongs, unless PAK was forced to play 50%+ games in UAE.

Sitting 52 months from 2023 WC in IND, it's risky to predict squad, but I would like to see a squad like this

1. Zeeshan
2. Babar
3. Saud
4. Open Spot (May be still Haris - he'll be 34, with poor fitness track)
5. Open Spot (May be Umar - he'll be 32 then)
6. Open Spot (May be Badar)
7. Ruhail+
8. Shadab
9. Gohar
10. SS Afridi
11. Open spot - Amir/Hasan/Arshad/Naseem
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fahim, Amad, Irfan (he'll be 33), Saad Ali, FZ (33 almost), Amin (33), Ahsan (Danyel), Mohsin, Talat, Raza Hasan

I think, lots of open spots available for youngsters, if they are trusted. Most critical is to find 2-3 proper middle orders, Sarfraz's replacement and a genuine finger spinner for WC in IND.

And, off course - A NEW CAPTAIN.

I hope, that changeover starts from August 2019, instead to being in usual panic mood - no more game for players, almost certain to struggle in 2023 WC, after 2019 WC.
 
Well with Babar and Haris at 3/4, I would like a right-hander at #5. Unfortunately pretty much all of the young batsmen are LHB (Sami, Imam, Saud, Saad, Talat, etc.). I really hope Umar Akmal can get fit, he would be perfect after Babar and Haris at #5.
 
I cant understand why arent these 2 oldies retiring themselves.

There every other post on twitter has Pakistan Zindabaad in it then why when the time has come they are actually walking the talk ?

Its pretty clear that these 2 are the culprits why we aren't progressing fast in odis. Haris got a single chance and showed class why he is better batsmen than these 2 combined. Similarly Saud should come as well.
 
Well with Babar and Haris at 3/4, I would like a right-hander at #5. Unfortunately pretty much all of the young batsmen are LHB (Sami, Imam, Saud, Saad, Talat, etc.). I really hope Umar Akmal can get fit, he would be perfect after Babar and Haris at #5.

Zeeshan can bat at five.
 
I cant understand why arent these 2 oldies retiring themselves.

There every other post on twitter has Pakistan Zindabaad in it then why when the time has come they are actually walking the talk ?

Its pretty clear that these 2 are the culprits why we aren't progressing fast in odis. Haris got a single chance and showed class why he is better batsmen than these 2 combined. Similarly Saud should come as well.

Funnily enough when Imam is back to full health he will again slot in as opener and then Harry will be the one making way in Pak's next ODI for Hafeez to come back at 4. The issue is as much with Malik/Hafeez and Sarf, Mickey and Inzi.
 
Why is it so hard for somebody to realize that Bobby can do as good of a job while opening as he is doing at number three. He is a natural opener. He has opened all throughout youth cricket. He even opens in T20s.


A top three of Fakhar, Babar and Haris is very strong. Then we can have Malik at 4, followed by Talat or Saud or Saad at 5 and Sarf/Asif at 6/7 (interchangeable).
 
The title makes it sound like it'll be their choice.

Steyn, Rabada and Ngidi will see to it this winter. Unfortunately, Pakistan selection policy is to respond to disasters instead of preventing them in the first place.

They could feign injuries and back out of tour.....
 
Why is it so hard for somebody to realize that Bobby can do as good of a job while opening as he is doing at number three. He is a natural opener. He has opened all throughout youth cricket. He even opens in T20s.


A top three of Fakhar, Babar and Haris is very strong. Then we can have Malik at 4, followed by Talat or Saud or Saad at 5 and Sarf/Asif at 6/7 (interchangeable).

Because as per Law of Inheritance, Selection Act, 2018, one opening slot is a legal right of NEPHEW. Anybody trying to infringe his constitutional legal right may face a law suit for damages.

IMO 1-2 is the best & only place for babar to bat
 
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We need one who can spin the ball as well as one of them will act as our 6th bowler...
It will be

Fakhar
Imam
Babar
Haris
Sarfraz
Asif
Faheem
Imad
Shadab
Hasan
Afridi..

Plus Saud (ppl seem to.be raving about him and apparently he can bowl

Talat
Shinwari
Junaid/Amir
 
We need one who can spin the ball as well as one of them will act as our 6th bowler...
It will be

Fakhar
Imam
Babar
Haris
Sarfraz
Asif
Faheem
Imad
Shadab
Hasan
Afridi..

Plus Saud (ppl seem to.be raving about him and apparently he can bowl

Talat
Shinwari
Junaid/Amir

This team will go from 150/2 to 210 all out real quick
 
Saad is a test batsman.

I am aware. Except the thread asks which players "will" replace Hafeez & Malik, and not which players should replace them. You know how things work in Pakistan cricket - if a batsman does good in one format, they pick him for the rest as well. His lack of suitability for that format is discovered the hard way.

Zeeshan and Saud, hopefully.

Where does Talat slot in?
 
I am aware. Except the thread asks which players "will" replace Hafeez & Malik, and not which players should replace them. You know how things work in Pakistan cricket - if a batsman does good in one format, they pick him for the rest as well. His lack of suitability for that format is discovered the hard way.



Where does Talat slot in?

Nowhere until he fixes his grip.
 
I was going to start a thread like this, because i see a big problem once these two retire, which will probably be after the World Cup (esp. Hafeez).

Its not their talent that we'll miss, as neither were top class and there are others in Pakistan that are better than them, but its their experience and leadership qualities that we will miss the most.

Both have played A LOT of games for us and both have been captains of the side, with Hafeez being very useful for his tactical acumen and Malik for his man-management of the younger players (lots do look up to him). These qualities do not come just like that. And a key to a successful team is how many leaders you have.

Like it or not but the stuff we don't see that contributes to the wins of this team are the 477 ODI caps between them, which no other player (with the exception of one who i'll come to in a sec) has and it going to impact on Safaraz captaincy (he won't have experienced heads to call on) as well as the younger players as there will be no one else to look up to in the team.

I'm hoping that there will be others who will stand-up to become leaders in the team, such as Fakhar, Babar and maybe Amir. But they still haven't got to that level of experience yet.

For now I would say that Haris is the obvious replacement at 4 and big hitting rookie out there that deserves a shot such as Saif Badar but not Asad Ali (although he may improve, you never know).

The other player I mentioned who has a very high number of caps that could work is Umar Akmal, but I would never want a guy like him in this team again.

Its such a shame that this guy who we've invested over 116 ODI caps and 82 T20 caps with has become the biggest waster of talent in this generation. If only his attitude were like guys like Fakhar, Shadab, Hasan Ali, Babar, he would probably still be playing and performing. but instead takes his place for granted, no intention to be fitter and learn new things, or perfect the things he already knows.

In an fantasy world where Umar Akmal is the model professional cricketer, he would be replacing Malik / Hafeez, but alas reality hits home and we will have to find someone else.

For Umar Akmal's sake, if he can sort his attitude and really grind in the domestics, like Malik did for years before his recall in 2015
 
I guess picking players just on the basis of domestic performance is not going to help us much.
In fact selectors should keep an eye on Pak-A or other teams that tour abroad and get to play on foreign conditions.
Whichever batsmen standout and perform consistently should also be in line to be fast tracked into the international team.
 
As people are pointing out before the WC, we should start experimenting with players like Saud Shakeel, Saad, Shan and also watch out for their performances in the PSL. The time is now or never. Swap bits and pieces batsmen from the middle order with these youngsters , and you know who I am talking about
 
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1.Imam Ul Haq
2.Sharjeel Khan
3.Fakhar Zaman
4.Babar Azam
5.Haris Sohail
6.Hussain Talat
7.Mohammad Rizwan
8.Imad Wasim
9.Mohammad Amir
10.Shaheen Afridi
11.Hasan Ali

damn, no more Malik/Hafeez, end of an era.

This team is the one - just swap Imad with Rizwan obviously in the batting order. Also if Hasan Ali develops strike rotation and defence he will be very competent no.9 ahead of Amir and Shaheen.

If Haris Sohail's career is finished because of injuries then bring in Saud Shakeel. I'd also keep Babar Azam at 3 and perhaps bring Fakhar down at 4 so he can capitalise on more spin and softer ball - assuming Sharjeel returns from where he left off.
 
This team is the one - just swap Imad with Rizwan obviously in the batting order. Also if Hasan Ali develops strike rotation and defence he will be very competent no.9 ahead of Amir and Shaheen.

If Haris Sohail's career is finished because of injuries then bring in Saud Shakeel. I'd also keep Babar Azam at 3 and perhaps bring Fakhar down at 4 so he can capitalise on more spin and softer ball - assuming Sharjeel returns from where he left off.

Where is Junaid Khan?
 
Zeeshan malik, saud shakeel should be in the squad after the world cup.

why don't more youngsters take up keeping. like if you are a decent bat but not getting opportunity in the team, just keep. not like we had dhoni behind the stumps, Sarfraz would drop catches also.
 
These two will have to be forced to retire..otherwise they are going nowhere.
 
I dont like the thread title. Are we saying that the team needs to bear their burden until they retire?
 
I feel like Hussian Talat will be continued with I feel like PCB think he a special talent I'm not saying he should be the replacement I just feel like PCB will stick with him also depending on PSL goes if a middle order batsman has a good tourney than he might be the guy that will replace Hafeez or Malik as well after World Cup
 
Shaun Masood is much better player than both of them already. The way Shaun played in test against SA, Malik and Hafeez has never played like that ever in their entire career.

You need technically strong batsmen in the team to beat top teams. After Babar, Shaun has much better technique, no other batsman can handle pace and bounce. Pakistan is wasting time on these useless seniors...These guys (Malik and Hafeez ) cannot play pace, bounce or moving ball. They chickened our from test cricket for a reason :facepalm:
 
I dont like the thread title. Are we saying that the team needs to bear their burden until they retire?

Yes, you may take it that way :) If we all are lucky and prayers get answered then might see someone worthy in the team in one of their places before the World Cup.

I
 
1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Imam ul haq
3. Babar Azam (c)
4. Umair masood / Sarfraz Ahmed (wk)
5. Umar Siddiq
6. Saud Shakeel
7. Khushdil Shah
8. Shadab Khan
9. Hasan Ali
10. Shaheen Shah
11. Sadaf Hussain
12. Saad Ali
13. Haris Rauf
14. Mohammad Asghar / Zafar Gohar
15. Adil Amin
16. Mohammad Musa
 
I would not be surprised if Sharjeel is back soon and Fakhar moves to the middle order.

Sharjeel
Imam
Babar
Haris
Fakhar
Sarfaraz
 
both are needed untill world cup its too late now to kick them before world cup
it will deteriorate our batting line up more
 
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