Why does Pakistan struggle to implement a rotation policy for their bowlers like SA and Australia?

[Savak]

I have thought long and hard about this and notice that the likes of England, Australia, SA have a clearly well laid out rotation policy for their pacers especially the 90 mph ones where they are rested from useless bilateral series, jamodis where fringe players are tested, these players are recalled for the major ICC events or test series.

Even Steyn in his hey day did not play every ODI or T-20 for South Africa, Australia has just rested Starc, Hazzlewood and Cummins.

Watching the low speeds of the Pakistani pacers in their second spells onwards, questions have to be asked why are our selectors and team management struggling to do this even though Amir even told Mickey Arthur to do this?

Only possible explanation for me which comes to mind is that our pacers are so inconsistent that they are not in a position to demand rest and neither is the team management concerned about the work load of any one particular bowler.

 

[Sunny_majoka]

We don't have back up Bowlers.
Even Our front line pacers are trundler.

We should immediately find solution or i am worried we will lose our energetic guns who are coming once in a blue moon like shaheen..

 

[MMHS]

We don't have back up Bowlers.
Even Our front line pacers are trundler.

We should immediately find solution or i am worried we will lose our energetic guns who are coming once in a blue moon like shaheen..

Shouldn’t that be easier for rotation? If you have few outstanding bowlers, the risk of rotation is bigger, but if 1st choice bowlers are average, then it should be easier to rotate them. I can explain it with an example - Klopp has sold Solanke for 19mn yesterday, because his first choice 3 forwards are so far ahead that doesn’t matter much who is back up; he’ll sacrifice FA Cup with academy boys and keep Mo, Mane, Firmino fresh for EPL & CL. For a mid table club, they can rotate squad, or other way changing personals doesn’t reduce their staring XI’s strength much.

I don’t think, it’s about the quality of 1st choice players or availability of backups; rather visionless, brain dead selection policy and playing safe attitude which results in playing available best XI even in a dead rubbers against ZIM. PAK cricket is heading to a nose dive, but that doesn’t mean still PCB should send a full squad against ZIM reserves. PCB can send a complete new set of U23 players and still that ZIM side would have lost 5-0, might not be with such brutal margin. Similarly, had PCB sent 3-4 new faces and 5 pacers with 2 new faces and each of them playing 3 games each against NZL - result couldn't had been worse than 0-5. It was royal hammering by Indian openers that forced PAK to change new ball pair and Shaheen-JK comfortably out performed other pacers that payed ahead of them in their only game. Had those 2 games against IND been remotely close, I can bet PAK’s starting XI won’t had been changed much.

Rotation or lack of it depends on the tour/tournament management- that’s captain & coach; but PCB’s selection panel can’t skip criticism. They are selecting squad as such that whatever new faces are picked for squad often won’t get a game. To simplify, if you pick an established player and a youngster as backup, tour management can neglect the youngster. Rather what should be done is for a particular series, completely rest couple of starters and pick 2 youngster as replacements- that’ll ensure that at least one spot will be filled by a new face always. That’s what every other team does - for example Aussies don’t pick Strac, Josh or Cummins at all for a series if the intention is not to play them. Imran used to do the same and in every series at least couple of new faces were picked and they used to get games. At present, what Ul Haq is doing is basically eye wash - more than a year since Saad had that unreal domestic season and already he is out of squad without playing a game.

 

[Zakaz]

Look at India, they play Bumrah in every single format and hes only improving while aussies rotate their bowlers and they are only getting worse. So this rotation theory doesn't always work

 

[MMHS]

Look at India, they play Bumrah in every single format and hes only improving while aussies rotate their bowlers and they are only getting worse. So this rotation theory doesn't always work

IND is playing JB in every game for the series he is picked, otherwise he is allowed to rest & relax. They don’t pick their prime fast bowler to waste time & energy on bench - rotation for him means complete lay off for the entire period. PCB sent Hafeez to ZIM and entire series a 38 years old, 18 years veteran wasted time on bench.

 

[JattMaula]

Look at India, they play Bumrah in every single format and hes only improving while aussies rotate their bowlers and they are only getting worse. So this rotation theory doesn't always work

Bumrah and Kaptaan, our two all format players have been rested periodically. That's why both have lost their T20 top ranking.

 

[Savak]

Pakistan seriously needs to adopt the policy of playing its bench team in T-20 games, meaningless ODI games, series.

Today's FTP's are jampacked and the Board should have played a second eleven against NZ in the T-20, ODI and Test series and got the main Pakistan players in South Africa atleast 4-6 weeks in advance. The main players also need to be given rest, respite and time to spend with their families given the jampacked international calendar and the fact Pakistan plays all its games outside Pakistan