Why are Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz automatic selections?

[unemployedgm]

Why are Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz Automatic Selections for the shorter formats?

1. Mohammad Amir is a shell of the bowler he was prior to being banned. Since coming back he's been average at best. I personally view him as a defensive limited overs bowler. He's consistently picked to be an attacking option. (Complacency Risk)

2. Wahab Riaz is a luxury bowler. Although he can at times scare the opposition with his pace, he simply is not a skilled wicket taker. (Complacency Risk)

What should Misbah do?

Misbah should have done this already but I'm sure he hasn't. He should create a player profile for each position in the Playing XI. For example, in T20 Cricket there are three ways whereby a Fast Bowler can induce a wicket in the first power play.

1. Control: By exerting control a bowler and a bowling can induce the batsman into a false shot

2. Skill: A bowler can get a batsman out by using his technical skills such as swing or controlled seam. By doing so, he can induce an edge or a false shot.

3. Sequence: A bowler and a captain can proactively achieve wickets through well coordinated sequencing.

As a general observation our bowlers and captain react to the outcomes of deliveries. The next delivery or field change is prompted by what happened just now. There is no well-coordinated plan of attack. The result is inconsistency.

 

[MenInG]

Think if they dont get wickets and the younger ones do, this will not be the case...

 

[Boiz Played Well]

I think Amir is still fairly effective in the powerplays, compared to the options we have right now. In terms of keeping it tight. He hasn’t been taking many wickets but it’s partly down to whoever is bowling on the other end relieving whatever pressure he builds up.

His mid-inning and death bowling, however, hasn’t really been top-notch of late. Both in international and when he played for Essex this summer. He goes for runs and often doesn’t set the right field for his bowling. Like he tends to bowl his medium pace at full lengths with his no long off and gets hit for boundaries there quite regularly.

 

[Canistani Hero]

It was so predictable for Pakistan to play the 3 most senior pacers..would have been a breath of fresh air to blood Musa or give Hasnain a chance without being forced to do so..especially given 3 left armers are all the same angle across..

 

[Canistani Hero]

Amir for me is invaluable due to his economy. Wahab as a bowler is consistently hit or miss and I'm just not convinced his ability to hit big occassional merits a spot. I would like to see Amir as the leader of the pack with youngins like Musa and Hasnain for company..hopefully Amad is moulded into the fast bowling A/R we so desparately need

 

[Mercurial]

Amir, yes, because of his economy rate, which is unbelievable.

Wahab, a big no. He should retire.

 

[Boiz Played Well]

It was so predictable for Pakistan to play the 3 most senior pacers..would have been a breath of fresh air to blood Musa or give Hasnain a chance without being forced to do so..especially given 3 left armers are all the same angle across..

They just went for the “experience” of learning from Irfan and Wahab. The art of regular no-balls and no yorkers in the twilight of their careers. And as net bowlers. Too soon for debuts.

 

[Mercurial]

You have answered your question regarding Amir in your post. He is a defensive limited overs bowler, no wonder his economy is brilliant, you just can't even think of dropping him from the T20I XI.

 

[hitthestump]

His stats belie the reality that Amir turns it on in ICC tournaments. It's obv frustrating but it is what it is - he's a big game player and Pakistan have precious little of those at the moment. This makes him a certain pick for the t20 WC.

Wahab is no worse at fast bowling than any of his competition. He has extra pace and the ability to hit a long ball which they don't. Unless someone starts bowling really well he's also a certain pick.

 

[topspin]

You have answered your question regarding Amir in your post. He is a defensive limited overs bowler, no wonder his economy is brilliant, you just can't even think of dropping him from the T20I XI.

Precisely this in re: Amir.

As for Wahab, 2019 WC should have been his last show for Pakistan.

But you can always trust Misbah to be the saviour for seniors like him.

 

[Energy]

Amir is an automatic choice, and deserves to be. He will lead our bowling into the T20I WC next year. We need to groom the support bowlers. Shaheen, Hasnain should be given as much exposure as we can and Hassan Ali needs to be brought back into rhythm.

Else, we will be stuck with Wahab and Irfan.

 

[ayemgilani86]

You have answered your question regarding Amir in your post. He is a defensive limited overs bowler, no wonder his economy is brilliant, you just can't even think of dropping him from the T20I XI.

yes but you need your main spearhead to take wickets as well not just bowl defensively

 

[tyron_woodley]

Pace. that's the only reason.
amir for skills.
wahab for pace.
no one else in the country is as fast on average. I said average not a one off 150 plus ball per over.

yes husnain musa are fast too. naseem maybe. but none are 138 plus on average.

 

[Captain caveman]

Amir doesn't bowl fast, doesn't try to take wickets, just bowls defencively and doesn't concede too many runs usually.

Wahab bowls fast, tries to take wickets, bowls attackingly and concedes many runs, usually.

A perfect useless combination!

 

[tyron_woodley]

australian team also picks players with pace over skill.

 

[Captain caveman]

australian team also picks players with pace over skill.

Pace is pace yaar!

 

[tyron_woodley]

Pace is pace yaar!

lol yea. it's more to do with casual fans. Speed seems like an attraction to casuals. That's why. All about marketing.

 

[Savak]

Amir's wrists need to be checked, i believe Saj has also pointed out that Amir has hidden his real age and was very lucky to go into Juevinile prison in 2011, he is already bowling like a guy in his early to mid 30's where he has decided to cut down his pace in exchange for cutters.

In Cricket you need wickets up front to win you games, economy is pointless if the opposition sees you off. I suspect Amir is a lot older than his official age.

 

[Danyaalr01]

australian team also picks players with pace over skill.

Like Who. Wahab has zero skill, just pace. He can't swing, seam or bowl accurately. He is the definition of a spray gun, his stats show that too. Wahab performs only once in a blue moon.

Starc swings the ball at a higher pace and is more accurate than Wahab.

To compare the 2 is just disrespectful. Australia only play guys with pace and little skill, like Stanlake, in t20is, never in any other format. Pakistan have stuck with Wahab in LOI cricket and, had he not retired, he would have been playing test cricket too.

 

[Danyaalr01]

lol yea. it's more to do with casual fans. Speed seems like an attraction to casuals. That's why. All about marketing.

Exactly. Wahab's pace is useless. If just pace was so effective then Wahab should have been in the top 10 bowlers in the world. The reality is that he isn't even top 50.

 

[Kroll]

Amir is the golden child and WR fits into the old is gold model favoured by Misbah.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Exactly. Wahab's pace is useless. If just pace was so effective then Wahab should have been in the top 10 bowlers in the world. The reality is that he isn't even top 50.

unfortunately what you said is true. wahab used to have so much potential. Really don't know why this man fizzled out. Umesh has turned his career around. I don't see why wahab couldn't. Both were similar in speed and are known for their strong sturdy bodies.
I miss that wahab of 2015. I do have a soft spot for wahab but pace isn't everything. You need skill but casual fans don't seem to understand that. They like to see passion with aggressive fast bowling. Ok that's fine but wahab these days offers no bounce, no swing and no seam. It's really frustrating.

 

[Danyaalr01]

unfortunately what you said is true. wahab used to have so much potential. Really don't know why this man fizzled out. Umesh has turned his career around. I don't see why wahab couldn't. Both were similar in speed and are known for their strong sturdy bodies.
I miss that wahab of 2015. I do have a soft spot for wahab but pace isn't everything. You need skill but casual fans don't seem to understand that. They like to see passion with aggressive fast bowling. Ok that's fine but wahab these days offers no bounce, no swing and no seam. It's really frustrating.

If you can't move th ball then pace is useless. I read something where it said that a 130kph bowler who can seam and swing the ball is quicker than a 145kph bowler who bowls gun barrel straight. This is because for the guy who is slow and seams it, you only know the direction of the ball once it's bounced, whereas for the quick guy who doesn't move it, you can pick your spot to hit as soon as he releases it.

 

[Danyaalr01]

Amir is the golden child and WR fits into the old is gold model favoured by Misbah.

If we have to have one experienced bowler in LOI then I would pick Amir. But Shaheen is ging to very quickly replace him. The other experienced bowlers are Wahab, Irfan, Rahat and many other TTFs. At least Amir can bowl at a low economy.

His pace was definitely up in the 2nd t20i, but will he be able to maintain that for 10 overs?

 

[coy0607]

Amir has a solid T20 record in the last 2 years: 21 wickets in 15 matches, average of 18, economy of 7 - that is good!

Wahab on the other hand has 2 wickets in 4 matches, with an economy above 8. This perception that he is inconsistent is incorrect, he is horrible!
Wahab is worse with the ball than Afridi was with the bat. Wahab is just well connected and is a senior player, and he and his 'aggression' continue to haunt us

 

[coy0607]

Amir doesn't bowl fast, doesn't try to take wickets, just bowls defencively and doesn't concede too many runs usually.

Wahab bowls fast, tries to take wickets, bowls attackingly and concedes many runs, usually.

A perfect useless combination!

at least Amir is mildly successful in his goal of being economical

I can't remember the last time Wahab actually took 3-4 wickets

 

[Danyaalr01]

Amir has a solid T20 record in the last 2 years: 21 wickets in 15 matches, average of 18, economy of 7 - that is good!

Wahab on the other hand has 2 wickets in 4 matches, with an economy above 8. This perception that he is inconsistent is incorrect, he is horrible!
Wahab is worse with the ball than Afridi was with the bat. Wahab is just well connected and is a senior player, and he and his 'aggression' continue to haunt us

It's the Mohali of 2011 and Adelaide 2015 performances that have gotten stuck in some fans memories. They think that Wahab is capable of bowling like that everytime. The reality is that he is a mediocre fast bowler who is liked in Pakistan only because he bowled with pace in a time when Pakistan had no fast bowlers. His stats are embarrassing. SOme people will say "well stats aren't everything" but when the stats are that bad then they usually mean that the bowler isn't good.

 

[Danyaalr01]

at least Amir is mildly successful in his goal of being economical

I can't remember the last time Wahab actually took 3-4 wickets

Pace is pace yaar. Lol. Pace is more important than wickets and economy.

 

[unemployedgm]

You have answered your question regarding Amir in your post. He is a defensive limited overs bowler, no wonder his economy is brilliant, you just can't even think of dropping him from the T20I XI.

He is a defensive t20 bowler picked and played with the false perception of being a wicket taking bowler. That’s problematic.

 

[unemployedgm]

It's the Mohali of 2011 and Adelaide 2015 performances that have gotten stuck in some fans memories. They think that Wahab is capable of bowling like that everytime. The reality is that he is a mediocre fast bowler who is liked in Pakistan only because he bowled with pace in a time when Pakistan had no fast bowlers. His stats are embarrassing. SOme people will say "well stats aren't everything" but when the stats are that bad then they usually mean that the bowler isn't good.

Agreed.

1. Wahab is actually not that fast.
2. He is bowler devoid of skill.

 

[Junaids]

Because it’s Misbah.

He picks youngsters to sit on the bench as camouflage for picking a bunch of grandpas in the actual team.

It’s what he does. And if he drops them it will be to bring in Sohail Khan or possibly even Waqar Younis or the late Fazal Mahmood to open the bowling.

He could have picked Sameen Gul, Zafar Gohar and Ehsan Adil.

He picked Imran Khan and his boy Bhatti, as well as two kids to sit on the bench.

 

[Mercurial]

He is a defensive t20 bowler picked and played with the false perception of being a wicket taking bowler. That’s problematic.

How come problematic? His economy rate is world class.

 

[Mercurial]

yes but you need your main spearhead to take wickets as well not just bowl defensively

You have Shaheen. Few others in domestic cricket as well for sure.

 

[Mercurial]

Just checked Amir's economy rate, it is fast approaching 7. If he continues to be a medium pacer, then I won't be surprised if it falters above 7.5, which won't be good for a defensive fast bowler. But so far his place is safe.

 

[ayemgilani86]

Amir's wrists need to be checked, i believe Saj has also pointed out that Amir has hidden his real age and was very lucky to go into Juevinile prison in 2011, he is already bowling like a guy in his early to mid 30's where he has decided to cut down his pace in exchange for cutters.

In Cricket you need wickets up front to win you games, economy is pointless if the opposition sees you off. I suspect Amir is a lot older than his official age.

good point