Why does Imam-ul-Haq get so much hate?

[CricketAnalyst]

We all know why whole Pakistan has issues with him.
He is a

product of nepotism

club level player playing for the national team just because of his selector uncle who does part time as a nanny accompanying or joining him on the tours.

Fears the short bowl due to his technique. Its pretty easy to get him out bowling short to him.

Has zero calibre against conventional swing and bounce.

Not a player that can play on all sides after the field restrictions are removed 3rd man, long off and mid-wicket are the places where he continues to knock the ball for a single and accumulate score.

Has to hit in the air so keeps back his shots if the fielders are present near the boundary.

Most importantly there are 70+ players in the country performing in first class who are better than him yet he surpasses due to being a nephew of a chief selector.

Club level player averaging 61 at an acceptable strike-rate after 17 games?

That too games where the average score isn't very high or on tougher wickets?

This sort of thread is baffling to me. Even if people hate him so much, you would think they would have the common sense to wait till he has a bad series, rather than making it so transparent by criticizing him even when all his performances have been excellent.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Solid temperament , decent enough technique for ODIs , limited in strokes , that's pretty much sums up Imam ul Haq atm , if he works like Shan Masood I am pretty sure he will be gold in couple of years.

 

[shariqnoor]

But Imam is "very slow".

 

[Farhan93]

But Imam is "very slow".

View attachment 87299

His strike rate is in 70s excluding Zimbabwe series. Other openers in the world are touching Sr of 100 during the same time. He doesn't have enough shots even a mentality to up his strike rate to 90

 

[Farhan93]

Club level player averaging 61 at an acceptable strike-rate after 17 games?

That too games where the average score isn't very high or on tougher wickets?

This sort of thread is baffling to me. Even if people hate him so much, you would think they would have the common sense to wait till he has a bad series, rather than making it so transparent by criticizing him even when all his performances have been excellent.

Stop mentioning averages again and again. Khurrum manzoor would have avg of 50+ in current ODI conditions. It's all about the strike rate for gods sake understand the simple fact

 

[shariqnoor]

His strike rate is in 70s excluding Zimbabwe series. Other openers in the world are touching Sr of 100 during the same time. He doesn't have enough shots even a mentality to up his strike rate to 90

I hope you would use the same benchmark for guys like Babar Azam, Tamim Iqbal, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis who all have SR in the 70s in the last 2 years excluding Zimbabwe.

 

[Abdullah719]

But Imam is "very slow".

View attachment 87299

He rotates the strike very well, but his boundary hitting rate is amongst the worst in the world. He takes almost 16 balls to hit a boundary which is easily the worst when it comes to top order batsmen.

 

[shariqnoor]

Stop mentioning averages again and again. Khurrum manzoor would have avg of 50+ in current ODI conditions. It's all about the strike rate for gods sake understand the simple fact

So you would rather prefer a 6 off 2 balls than 84 off 100. Because the former has a SR of 400 and the latter only a pitiful 84. But yeah like you said averages don't matter.

 

[Pakhs]

He is here to stay got a fair technique for ODI cricket and will score runs atleast in this format. Shan masood had chances in the past which he did not take and will have further chances in future specially after the WC once Hafeez and Malik retire.

 

[shariqnoor]

He rotates the strike very well, but his boundary hitting rate is amongst the worst in the world. He takes almost 16 balls to hit a boundary which is easily the worst when it comes to top order batsmen.

So now we have a problem with why Imam does not score boundaries despite his SR being equivalent to guys like Root and Williamson?

 

[shariqnoor]

So you would rather prefer a 6 off 2 balls than 84 off 100. Because the former has a SR of 400 and the latter only a pitiful 84. But yeah like you said averages don't matter.

300*

 

[Farhan93]

I hope you would use the same benchmark for guys like Babar Azam, Tamim Iqbal, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis who all have SR in the 70s in the last 2 years excluding Zimbabwe.

None of them are world beaters. Tamim has improved in recent years or should I say he started playing according to the requirements in flat conditions . Imam is avg at best. Not good enough to play modern ODI crickt

 

[Abdullah719]

So now we have a problem with why Imam does not score boundaries despite his SR being equivalent to guys like Root and Williamson?

I was just stating a fact. I don't think the SR is sustainable with that style of play, a larger sample size over a longer period of time should give us a better idea.

 

[Farhan93]

So you would rather prefer a 6 off 2 balls than 84 off 100. Because the former has a SR of 400 and the latter only a pitiful 84. But yeah like you said averages don't matter.

In modern day flat conditions none should be acceptable. Strike rates matter most. I would prefer an opener with an avg of 37 and strike rate of 91 rather than some one avging 60+ and having SR of 80.
Not a Khurrum's fan but he is a stroke maker atleast and would surely do better than Imam in Current flat conditions.

 

[Pakhs]

In modern day flat conditions none should be acceptable. Strike rates matter most. I would prefer an opener with an avg of 37 and strike rate of 91 rather than some one avging 60+ and having SR of 80.
Not a Khurrum's fan but he is a stroke maker atleast and would surely do better than Imam in Current flat conditions.

I am afraid you have no knowledge of cricket. Average of 37 for ODI opening batsmen over someone who is averaging 60+ lol.

 

[shariqnoor]

In modern day flat conditions none should be acceptable. Strike rates matter most. I would prefer an opener with an avg of 37 and strike rate of 91 rather than some one avging 60+ and having SR of 80.
Not a Khurrum's fan but he is a stroke maker atleast and would surely do better than Imam in Current flat conditions.

So why aren't you vehemently advocating throwing out Babar from the team because the criteria that you have set, Babar doesn't match up to those at all.

 

[Farhan93]

Strike rate of less than 85 isn't good enough nowadays people should start realising it soon . Players with Strike rates between 85-89 need to improve too.

 

[Farhan93]

I am afraid you have no knowledge of cricket. Average of 37 for ODI opening batsmen over someone who is averaging 60+ lol.

I understand that conditions are flat you aren't getting it. With a strike rate of 80 on flat tracks you hamper your teams chances of scoring 320+ runs despite avging 60. That's where openers like hales, Jason Roy would be more useful with avg of 37 and strike rate of over 90 they set the momentum and then even players like Malik and Hafeez can take you to 300 but with players like Imam (SR in 70s) you can't do that unless Fakhar fires and he can't in every match

 

[Pakhs]

I understand that conditions are flat you aren't getting it. With a strike rate of 80 on flat tracks you hamper your teams chances of scoring 320+ runs despite avging 60. That's where openers like hales, Jason Roy would be more useful with avg of 37 and strike rate of over 90 they set the momentum and then even players like Malik and Hafeez can take you to 300 but with players like Imam (SR in 70s) you can't do that unless Fakhar fires and he can't in every match

Wake up and smell the coffee. they hardly chased 266 with Imam contributing 85 at a better rate than required and you want him (or his replacement) to contribute only 37.

 

[Farhan93]

Wake up and smell the coffee. they hardly chased 266 with Imam contributing 85 at a better rate than required and you want him (or his replacement) to contribute only 37.

With Azhar and Fakhar opening in CT we chased targets against Eng, SL and SA so imam isnt doing anything extraordinary. In fact his slow starts put pressure on Fakhar and he loses his wickets Early because he has to attack. With Better opener than Imam Fakhar's innings will also last long and our chances of posting /chasing big totals would only increase

 

[Farhan93]

Wake up and smell the coffee. they hardly chased 266 with Imam contributing 85 at a better rate than required and you want him (or his replacement) to contribute only 37.

LOL. Imam won't get anywhere near England's current squad having openers like Roy and Hales both have avgs in late 30s but are way way better modern day openers than Imam because of their strike rate

 

[Pakhs]

With Azhar and Fakhar opening in CT we chased targets against Eng, SL and SA so imam isnt doing anything extraordinary. In fact his slow starts put pressure on Fakhar and he loses his wickets Early because he has to attack. With Better opener than Imam Fakhar's innings will also last long and our chances of posting /chasing big totals would only increase

So now you are saying Azhar is better than Imam in ODIs? seriously are you trolling?

 

[Pakhs]

LOL. Imam won't get anywhere near England's current squad having openers like Roy and Hales both have avgs in late 30s but are way way better modern day openers than Imam because of their strike rate

Didnt know Roy and Hales are available for selection.?

 

[Khan12]

74 strike rate is better then 82 and 37 is better then 60. I don't even know why people even bother replying to these posts.

 

[Cric1234]

People are looking at his current stats thinking he's great but it's misleading as it gets he will cost Pakistan matches in the future similar to Azhar and other opening batsmen with lower strike rates.
The last match is about as good as it gets once the target is higher the pitch tougher etc you will see how good he really is.

 

[Cric1234]

Babar is already there to anchor the innings at a higher average Imam will look out of place if Fakhar doesn't score his game doesn't suit any chase over 300 and any chase under 250 where the pitch is helping the bowlers in this instance expect him to get bogged down without any release shot.

 

[srh]

He is here to stay got a fair technique for ODI cricket and will score runs atleast in this format. Shan masood had chances in the past which he did not take and will have further chances in future specially after the WC once Hafeez and Malik retire.

what? As far as I know Shan Masood has not debut for Pakistan in ODIs yet. So how can you say that he has chances?

 

[Pakhs]

what? As far as I know Shan Masood has not debut for Pakistan in ODIs yet. So how can you say that he has chances?

What i meant was he got chances to establish himself in international cricket before but average 26 in 15 matches and that's including a decent series against SA. He will get further chances after the WC or even maybe a little before too thanks to his stellar domestic performances.

 

[srh]

What i meant was he got chances to establish himself in international cricket before but average 26 in 15 matches and that's including a decent series against SA. He will get further chances after the WC or even maybe a little before too thanks to his stellar domestic performances.

again what chances he got in ODIs? he got 0 chance in ODIs although he is strongest in this format but uncle had other idea selecting an inferior ODI type batsman (Imam) who happens to be his nephew over a superior ODI type batsman (Shan); there is no way to sugarcoat nepotism

 

[Pakhs]

again what chances he got in ODIs? he got 0 chance in ODIs although he is strongest in this format but uncle had other idea selecting an inferior ODI type batsman (Imam) who happens to be his nephew over a superior ODI type batsman (Shan); there is no way to sugarcoat nepotism

Shan also has links in the PCB and plenty of cricketers has alleged in the past he manages to get extra time in nets etc due to his links. The fact is his LOI domestic record was not good enough until recently and now that he has put performances in this format he has been picked in the squad by same uncle.

 

[Chokli]

What i meant was he got chances to establish himself in international cricket before but average 26 in 15 matches and that's including a decent series against SA. He will get further chances after the WC or even maybe a little before too thanks to his stellar domestic performances.

you can't use test performances to justify how he'll perform in odis

 

[Pakhs]

you can't use test performances to justify how he'll perform in odis

Well he is in the squad for ODIs as well now that he has put in some performances in that format of the game.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

Stop mentioning averages again and again. Khurrum manzoor would have avg of 50+ in current ODI conditions. It's all about the strike rate for gods sake understand the simple fact

Really, you should read my comment history sometime.

Literally nobody on this forum cares about Strike Rate more than I do. Literally no one.

That said, first of all Imam has played almost exclusively in low or middle-scoring matches throughout his career. He has played very little on wickets were 300 or more is par.

Secondly, Imam isn't any worse on SR than guys like Babar Azam or Shoaib Malik or Hafeez etc, so this seems very baseless.

He's not scoring fast, but he's never scoring so slow that he's hurting the team. Additonally, most of his slow scoring has come in chases where there has never really been that much concern about the required rate anyway.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

As expected, goes for 5.

 

[MenInG]

“There is an undue pressure on Imam-ul-Haq, he is a talented kid" : Wasim Akram

Voicing his support for opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq, Pakistan legendary fast bowler and former captain, Wasim Akram, has said that the youngster is under ‘undue pressure’ despite performing at the international level.

“There is an undue pressure on Imam, he is a talented kid,” said Wasim, while talking to local media. “Recommendations cannot work at this stage, as we are talking about the Pakistan cricket team. Imam has come through a system, he has performed at U19, in domestic and even in South Africa, where nobody performed except Babar [Azam],” said Wasim.

Being a relative of Pakistan cricket chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imam is always under the radar and is trolled by fans as he is considered a product of nepotism in Pakistan cricket.

“There is just unjustified pressure on Imam, he is a young guy, who is a good fielder and a team man, and he is only going to get better,” added Akram. The opening batsman played a blistering knock of 86 runs against Proteas in the first ODI, and is just 95 runs short of reaching 1,000 runs in ODI.

Talking about the selection process, the former captain informed that nowadays one needs to carry on with the squad, and will only make change if necessary, otherwise there won’t be any consistency.

With the series 1-0, Pakistan will now face off against South Africa in the second ODI of the series in Durban on Tuesday, January 22.

https://www.brecorder.com/2019/01/2...believes-imam-ul-haq-is-under-undue-pressure/

 

[MenInG]

As expected, goes for 5.

Why was it expected?

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Why was it expected?

High
Low
High(ish)
Low
Low
Low
High
Low
Low
High
Low

 

[imshally81]

Why was it expected?

Law of average

 

[srh]

View attachment 87315

High
Low
High(ish)
Low
Low
Low
High
Low
Low
High
Low

nice reply to [MENTION=93712]MenInG[/MENTION]

 

[ExpressPacer]

What do former cricketers and experts see in Imam that we at Pakpassion fail to identify. I mean, after all, they made him the Man of Series yet a lot of posters want him to face the boot, the ones that accept him are quick to throw their knives at him as soon as there is a rare failure.

What will it take for Imam to justify his position in the team and be accepted by the majority? I thought posters on PP are educated and would understand the dynamics of cricket better than the average Pakistani fan but I have realised that education does not take you so far. It is common knowledge that it is not easy to accelerate against the new ball, especially when you're facing the likes of Steyn, Rabada and Philander on their hunting ground at full venom.

Who do we have in Pakistan who can replace him? Please tell me because I'm at a loss of words. Shan Masood? The same guy you lot wanted out of the team before he was selected...

 

[Cric_lover4487]

I don’t see any reason why Imam cannot be part of team in which Sararaz, Hafeez and Malik are regulars. He is not Anwar/Butt 2.0 but a hardworking player with limited natural ability. Who are his replacements? Shan Massod? Ahmad selfie shahzad? Thanks NO Thanks

 

[MenInG]

Mickey Arthur on Imam-ul-Haq:

I think you need to get Imam in the team, he's a very good player who has developed his game considerably. He's a confidence player, I'd get him back. I'd play Haris at 6, he was found out a bit by the short ball but I've seen what he can do at this level. Adelaide won't bounce like the Gabba, it'll be more subcontinental. He can give you a lot of overs"

 

[Amjid Javed]

Excellent effort from imam again.

 

[ZamanFan]

Well played in Adelaide with scores 2 and 0. Despite his club leve technique and test average of 25, happens to be a preference over players like Abid Ali. Shows the rotten corrupt system of PCB where a nephew of a former player is given priority over top performers.

 

[Hawkeye]

Excellent effort from imam again.

Not sure why you're tagging me in every thread for Imam's failure.

I've never said he's a quality bat. I'm his biggest critic in T20s and ODIs. But right now, Shan Masood is the much bigger failure.

Imam has 10 Tests, Shan has played 17 Tests, almost the twice, and still averages less than Imam!

I don't think Imam is the solution either, just that comparatively he needs as many chances as Shan Masood has gotten.

Abid and Sami have more potential than these two.

 

[Hasan123]

I think Imam can be a good test player. I would not give up on him yet. He needs to improve though. But with Misbah as a batting coach I worry about how he will progress.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Last 7 tests - 224 runs @ 17.23

Just - 1 x 50

Needs to be dropped for SL series

 

[Abdullah719]

Last 7 tests - 224 runs @ 17.23

Just - 1 x 50

Needs to be dropped for SL series

Imam should have been allowed to continue playing in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Should have gone with Azhar, Abid and Shan as the openers for Australia and taken another middle-order batsman.

A full season of QEA might have helped Imam a lot. Instead, he played just one innings, spending the rest of the time playing some ODIs vs SL, being on the bench for the T20I team and now being on the bench for the 1st Test, and playing in the 2nd Test without making any runs. The home season has been completely wasted for him.

 

[hadi123]

His test record has been poor. In ODI's he's good.

Hopefully Sami Aslam scores well in the next round of QEA trophy and puts himself in the hat for the next squad selection.

 

[Sir Alex]

His test record has been poor. In ODI's he's good.

Hopefully Sami Aslam scores well in the next round of QEA trophy and puts himself in the hat for the next squad selection.

He is over rated in ODIs. Against top 7 teams (Ind Eng WI Aus SL NZ SA) the guy avg 42 but at a pathetic strike rate of just 75.

 

[hadi123]

He is over rated in ODIs. Against top 7 teams (Ind Eng WI Aus SL NZ SA) the guy avg 42 but at a pathetic strike rate of just 75.

He's good enough for Pakistan's standards. No alternatives

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I cannot believe that fans are STILL hating on him. The guy is barely 23 years old and in his 16 ODI's that he has played; he averages 63 at a strike rate of 82 with four hundreds, 3 fifties and nearly a thousand runs. These are amazing numbers for ANYONE and he's shown throughout the Test series that he's one of our best batsmen.

Who do you guys want? Imran Nazir? Umar Akmal? Nasir Jamshed? Asif? Rafatullah? Awais Zia?

He's starting to come into his own, at 23 years old, what else can we expect from someone like him?

He's a good player and hopefully with time he follows his uncle's footsteps in being a great ODI player, however he's not quite there yet in test.

I have to say i was impressed by his performance in the Asia Cup that took place in Dubai and also most notably his highest achievement to date the series vs SA (Odi Only).

My biggest problem with him is that he's a little too mouthy and just needs to focus on himself rather than lecture others. For example didn't like how in the opening round of the QeA trophy he scored a hundred against Sindh then criticised the opposition on their tactics and then calling himself an "automatic selection".

 

[MenInG]

Lets see how he does today - looked clueless against Naseem and dropped.

 

[MenInG]

Lets see how he does today - looked clueless against Naseem and dropped.

And gone - not a T20 player - why is he in PSL?

 

[Pakpak]

Lets see how he does today - looked clueless against Naseem and dropped.

And gone the next over.

 

[Pakpak]

And gone - not a T20 player - why is he in PSL?

Lot of these freeloaders are. Connections I'd think.

 

[Local.Dada]

Imam is not as bad as he is made out to be here. He has some talent but at the same time I won't deny that his family name helps him in getting a lot more leeway. I infact rate him as a very good ODI bat and surprised he hasn't translated that into test success at least in SC conditions or UAE

I used to remember a lot of mercurial Pak cricketers batsmen or bowlers coming in with a bang and then disappearing into obscurity. I am not talking about guys like Umar Akmal or Amir who have themselves to blame and got enough rope but some other player I have followed in the past. However Imam gets a lot more protection for obvious reasons.

 

[msb314]

And gone - not a T20 player - why is he in PSL?

Lot of these freeloaders are. Connections I'd think.

I think it’s unfair to judge him in his first game and that too in a Mickey Mouse 15 over game..

 

[Pakpak]

I think it’s unfair to judge him in his first game and that too in a Mickey Mouse 15 over game..

He takes a while to settle in ODIs, where people have a problem with his SR. There is no way he should be in T20s.

 

[Hawkeye]

Good batter for Tests.

Not suitable for tamasha mickey mouse cricket, T20s.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"> Century on ODI debut<br> Second-highest opening partnership in ODIs alongside Fakhar Zaman 304<br> Second-fastest to 1000 ODI runs 19 innings<br> An ICC <a href="https://twitter.com/cricketworldcup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cricketworldcup</a> century at Lord's<br><br>Happy birthday, Imam-ul-Haq <a href="https://t.co/ZVbfqSHYcl">pic.twitter.com/ZVbfqSHYcl</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1337663483081535492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[ask_analyse_act]

He is one of the best option for Pak that i see to replace Azhar Ali at no.3 for many years..

Basically as an opener which will also help to bat no.3 .. He will be perfect to do the hashim amla role of opening in ODIs and no.3 in tests..

Pak think tank just need to be proactive and get him ready to replace Azhar ali.
From this NZL series onwards they should play him at no.3 and make Azhar ali open the innings.

Having Imam and Babar at 3 and 4 in tests would be a great investment..
For a team to be good in tests in the batting department the no.3 and 4 should do the bulk of scoring just like Younis and Yousuf did

 

[Hasan123]

I like him. I think he will be around for a while in tests and ODIs. He isn't perfect but for our standards and what he has done at international level, he has earned his position. In tests he has a lot to do. Can definitely see him outperforming Shan and Abid if he gets a run like they have had.

 

[shamaan]

He is one of the best option for Pak that i see to replace Azhar Ali at no.3 for many years..

Basically as an opener which will also help to bat no.3 .. He will be perfect to do the hashim amla role of opening in ODIs and no.3 in tests..

Pak think tank just need to be proactive and get him ready to replace Azhar ali.
From this NZL series onwards they should play him at no.3 and make Azhar ali open the innings.

Having Imam and Babar at 3 and 4 in tests would be a great investment..
For a team to be good in tests in the batting department the no.3 and 4 should do the bulk of scoring just like Younis and Yousuf did

Do you see him serviving on sena wickets that has pace and swing ?

 

[shamaan]

I like him. I think he will be around for a while in tests and ODIs. He isn't perfect but for our standards and what he has done at international level, he has earned his position. In tests he has a lot to do. Can definitely see him outperforming Shan and Abid if he gets a run like they have had.

Hopefully he has worked on the short ball thats big weekness for him

 

[watson367]

Because of Uncle Inzi.

 

[Bullet Drive]

Because he's selfish.

 

[Rana]

Because he's selfish.

What’s wrong with being a selfish batsman?

 

[Bullet Drive]

What’s wrong with being a selfish batsman?

Cost the team.

Out of 14 50's he's made

I think all of them were under a run a ball.

 

[watson367]

What’s wrong with being a selfish batsman?

He plays at a 65 sr for the first 50 balls, then gets out. Then all the other batsmen have to play catch up to get to a par score.

 

[Rana]

He plays at a 65 sr for the first 50 balls, then gets out. Then all the other batsmen have to play catch up to get to a par score.

Im not really sure that is a fair analysis. He has a career strike rate of 80, which is still a lot for an old school opener like him. He might have had games where he is struck at 65-70 due to the situation but I dont think he is as slow as 65, thats very much Misbah peak first 70 ball level

 

[Rana]

Cost the team.

Out of 14 50's he's made

I think all of them were under a run a ball.

What about when he contributes to the side scoring 280-300+ but the bowlers are incapable of defending the total due to a lack of penetration?

I just feel this word ‘selfish life gets thrown around too much without much substance because I am not sure what ‘selfless’ players we have in our ranks who can stay at the crease for as long as he can to take the innings deep for Pakistan?

 

[Mamoon]

Said it on his debut and will say it again. Imam is more than good enough for our pathetic standards and he should be the first-choice opener in both Tests and ODIs.

The amount of hate he gets is laughable and how much we overestimate our talent pool.

 

[Bullet Drive]

Said it on his debut and will say it again. Imam is more than good enough for our pathetic standards and he should be the first-choice opener in both Tests and ODIs.

The amount of hate he gets is laughable and how much we overestimate our talent pool.

Tests? WTH!

 

[Mamoon]

Tests? WTH!

Better investment than Shan, Abid and Fakhar.

 

[ads101]

Tests? WTH!

I think he'll eventually play all 3 formats. He's even showing signs of adapting in PSL and domestic T20 where he has increasingly good averages even though it shouldn't be his forte. If he can adapt to that, adapting to tests should be even easier to him as it suits his style of play more.

In Imam's first 4 tests, he averaged 43.50. He fell away in the next few tests. But 11 tests really isn't a big enough sample size. Given his age, the fact he's regularly playing international cricket so will be exposed to high level competition and access to the best coaching and facilities in Pakistan, he has far more room for improvement.

There's no need to rush him in tests necessarily, but it's going to happen sooner than later. Perhaps best to wait until he starts raining in the runs in first class. Which again is only a matter of time, I'm sure it's harder to open in ODIs and average 50 at a SR 80 than it is to score in first class domestic, regardless of whether Imam's a selfish player or not. Selfish or not, he's shown ability to grind out an innings in international cricket, which is something most of our players struggle to do.

 

[ads101]

Better investment than Shan, Abid and Fakhar.

Agree. Really the only investments better than him are Babar and Shaheen. No one else comes close. You can't automatically put guys like Haider Ali, Abdullah etc. yet, they haven't proven themselves or held down a place yet. Until they do that, Imam remains our 3rd best investment. It's one thing being talented, but it's something else to actually be able to hold down an international place and not be found out.

 

[watson367]

Im not really sure that is a fair analysis. He has a career strike rate of 80, which is still a lot for an old school opener like him. He might have had games where he is struck at 65-70 due to the situation but I dont think he is as slow as 65, thats very much Misbah peak first 70 ball level

His SR against Aus is 64.8, NZ is 59.17, India is 42.22. Sample size is pretty small but he is nothing but a glorified minnow basher. He has a high ceiling but, so far has been a selfish batsmen who scores soft runs.

 

[Bullet Drive]

Better investment than Shan, Abid and Fakhar.

True, but that isn't saying much at all.

Omair Bin Yousuf, Abdullah Shafique are better.

 

[shamaan]

Better investment than Shan, Abid and Fakhar.

He cant play the shorter ball and fishes outside offstump but i would be willing to give a chance in tests and back up for odis