Why is Asad Shafiq given the golden boy treatment in ODIs?

[BakuGM]

I can't blame him, he will never be better than his 27 average. The real culprits are team management, biased media and blind fans, all of whom called for his inclusion.

The same rule applies to tests. He has a mediocre FC average which he steadily progresses towards each time he doesn't play in UAE or SL.

Pot calling the Kettle black, look at your signature which says it all.

 

[endymion248]

Pot calling the Kettle black, look at your signature which says it all.

1-Umar Amin is not in test team.

2-Umar Amin is 4 years younger than Shafiq and he was among the top scorers in last 3 seasons in a row. He is showing improvement which we can't say about 28 year golden "boy".

 

[aukhan]

1-Umar Amin is not in test team.

2-Umar Amin is 4 years younger than Shafiq and he was among the top scorers in last 3 seasons in a row. He is showing improvement which we can't say about 28 year golden "boy".

Are you Shakeel Sheikh?

 

[shah_1]

ODI Legend

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

It was a sensible innings

 

[srh]

Told you guys. There is no reason to play him in ODIs if he is not playing at #3. He is even worst ODI batsman than YK.

 

[endymion248]

Showing that he struggles both against swing and spin.

 

[TheMaster]

He's in just because he's a sheep of Misbah

 

[endymion248]

It was a sensible innings

Who cares he only scores 5 runs as long as it is not a brainfart?

I can't believe he bats at 4 when Akmal is at 6.

 

[endymion248]

You are the same gut who thought Younis Khan is a good ODI player because he averages 50+ in tests. You probably want us to waste another 10 years of no3 position on a test specialist.

 

[farazaidi]

you are mistaking me for another poster. In any case, your comparison is invalid as Shafiq/Haris will be playing at no.6 in this lineup !

Oh and btw, dont worry too much about the sfarishi brigade as Amin will be back soon enough !

 

[nam]

Hes a good batsmen with a healthy average of 40 at number 3,, should be given a continuous run at that position rather than pathetic hafeez.


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[nam]

1-Umar Amin is not in test team.



2-Umar Amin is 4 years younger than Shafiq and he was among the top scorers in last 3 seasons in a row. He is showing improvement which we can't say about 28 year golden "boy".

Improvement? Look at his international record he has wasted his chances and have far worse record that shafiq


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[farazaidi]

1-Umar Amin is not in test team.

2-Umar Amin is 4 years younger than Shafiq and he was among the top scorers in last 3 seasons in a row. He is showing improvement which we can't say about 28 year golden "boy".

Wrong. He topped the scoring charts in only one season i.e. 2012-13 after which he was straight away drafted in the national team. Just like what happened in 2009-10, one good season and he was in the team.

Please see the top performers with the bat season by season.

2012-13 top performer

2011-12 Nowhere to be found

2010-11 24th rank

 

[maddgenius]

Misbah keeps Asad in the team since he knows he is the most capable guy to be the successor to the throne of Kingdom of tuk tuk after the King retires


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[asifp]

cant belive he keeps on getting chances, while Fawad is not even given one go

 

[endymion248]

you are mistaking me for another poster. In any case, your comparison is invalid as Shafiq/Haris will be playing at no.6 in this lineup !

Oh and btw, dont worry too much about the sfarishi brigade as Amin will be back soon enough !

Yes, I always confuse you with saeed sohail.

Wrong. He topped the scoring charts in only one season i.e. 2012-13 after which he was straight away drafted in the national team. Just like what happened in 2009-10, one good season and he was in the team.

Please see the top performers with the bat season by season.

AFAIK, he topped last QeA trophy and the President's trophy before that. Last tourneys are the most important part in selecting a player.

Besides, I don't say that he is a finished article. He struggles to score due to a mental block which applies to both domestic and international. He is talented enough to score in any country in the world against the best attacks and he is not one of those domestic bullies exposed at international level. Since he has been earmarked as among the best in Pakistan by several experts like moyo, there is no point in letting him rot in domestic.

 

[farazaidi]

Yes, I always confuse you with saeed sohail.



AFAIK, he topped last QeA trophy and the President's trophy before that. Last tourneys are the most important part in selecting a player.

Besides, I don't say that he is a finished article. He struggles to score due to a mental block which applies to both domestic and international. He is talented enough to score in any country in the world against the best attacks and he is not one of those domestic bullies exposed at international level. Since he has been earmarked as among the best in Pakistan by several experts like moyo, there is no point in letting him rot in domestic.

how did you came to that conclusion? by watching him struggle against Bangladesh? lol

he has had a consistent run in the team and got zero result. Not a single 50 against his name which can give a glimmer of hope. His stats are so pathetic that fans had to clutch on to the 26 runs and pull shot over mid-wicket.

Fact is, he is not even good enough to be a domestic bully. He has played so many games on talent alone and dont have a solitary innings to prove he belongs here. You call it mental block only? I dont agree with this assessment but for the sake of argument, lets assume that is the only problem he has. So is that easiest problem? we've seen with Umar Akmal that a similar problem isnt resolved despite of 4 years of international cricket. It can never be resolved until the player himself face those daemons in the head.

 

[maddgenius]

No matter how talented Asad shafiq is..
He is a proven failure in LOI's.
Sohaib and Haris are far better than Shafiq and should be preferred over Shafiq.

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[pakistanigoneaussie]

Hes a good batsmen with a healthy average of 40 at number 3,, should be given a continuous run at that position rather than pathetic hafeez.


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Where did you get that from ? He averages 35 at 3 with a strike rate of 70. I agree it's the only position he has shown promise but there are better options now plus he has played almost 50 Odis

 

[farazaidi]

IMO, Fawad or Hammad should've been there inplace of Shafiq but I do not understand this adulation with Umar Amin

 

[AZ]

I guess Hafeez going back to opening may be on the cards, has been pathetic at 3.

Asad may slot in there, personally would rather see Haris being given a chance first.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

He's Back

For better or worse I hope this is the Defining Chapter

He should play the entire series at his favoured position at 3

If he succeeds great , if he fails it should be the end of his odi career for some time

He is incredibly fortunate to be selected over the likes of haris and Babar

After almost 50 Odis shafiq is yet to produce a match winning performance against a non minnow side

 

[Pete Rose]

He has the game to be Pakistan's best batman in odi's. His chance to step up.

 

[junaid.ahmed]

bcz wiki like him

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

He has the game to be Pakistan's best batman in odi's. His chance to step up.

That is more hope than a logical inference

For the teams sake I hope you are right

Many people merited selection over him

 

[Pete Rose]

That is more hope than a logical inference

For the teams sake I hope you are right

Many people merited selection over him

Hope is always there, even when you have stats on your side. But to reduce player selection to a "sort-by-average" exercise simplifies the selection process.

 

[QasimAli]

He's Back

For better or worse I hope this is the Defining Chapter

He should play the entire series at his favoured position at 3

If he succeeds great , if he fails it should be the end of his odi career for some time

He is incredibly fortunate to be selected over the likes of haris and Babar

After almost 50 Odis shafiq is yet to produce a match winning performance against a non minnow side

Yep couldn't agree much more with this with WC around the corner i am not sure about throwing babar etc in the mix perhaps that core under 19 group bit fresh post WC they should all have a better time. 5 years ago i thought he would lead PAK TEST and ODI team but his consistency is killing his career ! Think its make of break time for him. Annoyingly i believe Misbah is not being a leader and batting 3, but a youngster should grab that spot its the best time to bat in ODI cricket !

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Hope is always there, even when you have stats on your side. But to reduce player selection to a "sort-by-average" exercise simplifies the selection process.

It goes beyond stats, can you say shafiq is a big hitter ? Can you honestly say he has shown an aptitude for rotating strike besides one test match


Can you honestly say Haris Sohail did not merit a chance ? Or even Babar Azam

I could make such justifications for crap like Amin or farhat

 

[tauseef_mahmood]

I really like Asad Shafiq as batsman, and I have always wished that he plays good innings.
But seriously looking at the performance at international level I believe that selecting both Asad and Umar on basis of the T20 tournament, is short sighted and lack of professionalism on part of PCB.
but at the end, you have to wish them good luck.

 

[tauseef_mahmood]

I really like Asad Shafiq as batsman, and I have always wished that he plays good innings.
But seriously looking at the performance at international level I believe that selecting both Asad and Umar on basis of the T20 tournament, is short sighted and lack of professionalism on part of PCB.
but at the end, you have to wish them good luck.

 

[Pete Rose]

It goes beyond stats, can you say shafiq is a big hitter ? Can you honestly say he has shown an aptitude for rotating strike besides one test match


Can you honestly say Haris Sohail did not merit a chance ? Or even Babar Azam

I could make such justifications for crap like Amin or farhat

I think you fall back to the stats approach again for the latter part of your rhetorical questions. Big hitting, I think he can certainly do better than Fawad

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

I think you fall back to the stats approach again for the latter part of your rhetorical questions. Big hitting, I think he can certainly do better than Fawad

Oh I agree with you completely that he can hit the ball than fawad, but does his big hitting compensate his other failings in Odis - no

Let see if there's improvement, one thing we can agree with is that I hope they play him where he is most comfortable

 

[Pete Rose]

Oh I agree with you completely that he can hit the ball than fawad, but does his big hitting compensate his other failings in Odis - no

Let see if there's improvement, one thing we can agree with is that I hope they play him where he is most comfortable

One-down: he has to take it.

 

[Mamoon]

Some perspective is required regarding Shafiq's lowly ODI average:

He has done brilliantly at number 3 in LA and in ODIs, although he hasn't set the world alight, he has been pretty decent and comfortably better than he has been at any other position.

Looking at his numbers and watching him play as well as the majority of his best performances, its clear that he loves batting at 3 and is the only position where he can fit in the team but still, he has been given only 17 of his 45 innings at 3.

His overall record is pretty misleading and he definitely has the ability to average around the 40 mark at number 3 and pace his innings well. He has always been a tidy player but recently, he has further improved his technique so I can understand the faith of the selectors. However, all that counts for nothing if he doesn't bat at 3.

 

[fawad_wellwisher]

46 ODIs at an average of 26 and 69 S/R is a joke of a stat. Those who are backing still don't get it -- it is ultimately the number of runs and how quickly you score that counts. Nothing else matters.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Some perspective is required regarding Shafiq's lowly ODI average:

He has done brilliantly at number 3 in LA and in ODIs, although he hasn't set the world alight, he has been pretty decent and comfortably better than he has been at any other position.

Looking at his numbers and watching him play as well as the majority of his best performances, its clear that he loves batting at 3 and is the only position where he can fit in the team but still, he has been given only 17 of his 45 innings at 3.

see thats a problem right there. I have been saying for a couple of years now that Shafiq was indeed harsly done by when he was kicked of 3 to accommodate the Team Man even though he averaged 37 in the previous series. Couple of things though:

1. He has been given plenty of chances since then over much better players. If after almost 50 games you can not produce a match winning innings then something is wrong, Fawad, Maqsood and Akmal all have despite being mucked around with regarding positions and additional responsibility.

2. He has a strike rate of 70 at 3, which is just lethal in a team that has Shezhad, Misbah and Fawad ( for the first 20 balls.

3. He has been selected before after brilliant List A seasons, after test tons , yet it has amounted to nothing. His best innings remains that 65 against England back in 2012


Now he might do well, i hope he does, but that does not change the fact he doesn't merit selection at all. If we went back to him in the hypothetical scenario that Babar or Haris failed than fair enough. His selection now however is got to do with favoritism (including karachi quota) and hope.

 

[Poison]

Kid is brilliant, he will come good eventually. Must must be persisted with.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

[MENTION=9053]Poison[/MENTION] i know you dont mean it seriously , but he is 28 years old and time is running out

I hope his impact to this series will be akin to Fawad's impact in the Asia Cup.

 

[Poison]

I mean it absolutely seriously. I really rate Shafiq, got a lot of heart and technical ability. Should be batting 5 in Tests and 3 in ODIs for a long time.

 

[Pete Rose]

[MENTION=9053]Poison[/MENTION] i know you dont mean it seriously , but he is 28 years old and time is running out

I hope his impact to this series will be akin to Fawad's impact in the Asia Cup.

It will mean more if it does happen. World of difference between the quality of attacks. Off topic, fawad will have a very tough series.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

It will mean more if it does happen. World of difference between the quality of attacks. Off topic, fawad will have a very tough series.

cant dispute that

However fawad did well in Australia against Australia, where Ryan Harris was chewing us up for breakfast

Did decently in England as well

I would expect him to do the same now

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

I mean it absolutely seriously. I really rate Shafiq, got a lot of heart and technical ability. Should be batting 5 in Tests and 3 in ODIs for a long time.

i meant the Kid comment, Shafiq is another Steven Smith when it comes to appearances and mannerisms

 

[Pete Rose]

cant dispute that

However fawad did well in Australia against Australia, where Ryan Harris was chewing us up for breakfast

Did decently in England as well

I would expect him to do the same now

We'll see plodding along at a strike rate of 60 odd every one can manage.

 

[GreenKnightRises]

This Joker simply gets a free ride everytime and consistently fail each and every occasion. This Guy is no better than MYK. Yk could atleast handle short pitched delivery, but this fellow is an utter failure

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

We'll see plodding along at a strike rate of 60 odd every one can manage.

Harsh comment, his strike has improved plus given shafiqs odi history thus far such a comment is a bit rich.

Fawad scored a 60 at a strike rate of 90 at perth. Next highest strike rate by any batsman was 65 by u akmal

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/406206.html

I know you dont like him. He looks awful at the crease, but he has done little wrong in his career when it comes to performances

 

[coy0607]

Shafiq like a lot of other batsmen in our team is good enough to be a difference maker, but his temperament/approach sucks..

Guys like Fawad, Umar Amkal, Maqsood play their natural game and have success.. those who don't and go into a shell and just dont do well

 

[Pete Rose]

Harsh comment, his strike has improved plus given shafiqs odi history thus far such a comment is a bit rich.

Fawad scored a 60 at a strike rate of 90 at perth. Next highest strike rate by any batsman was 65 by u akmal

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/406206.html

I know you dont like him. He looks awful at the crease, but he has done little wrong in his career when it comes to performances

Well shafiq did well similarly in hist first odi series in England while Fawad was doing his snooker impersonation against swann in the same series.
We'll see how he goes,he's no chanderpal. I expect a lot of broken hearts to on this forum tbh.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Well shafiq did well similarly in hist first odi series in England while Fawad was doing his snooker impersonation against swann in the same series.
We'll see how he goes,he's no chanderpal. I expect a lot of broken hearts to on this forum tbh.

i had a feeling you would mention fawads crappiness against swann in a t20 of all things

Couple of games later Fawad played at 4 for the first and only time in his life. Scored a run a ball 39, his 2 boundaries coming against Swann. He played him very well.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/england....html?batsman=47099;innings=2;view=commentary

big sweep from Alam, playing it a lot more competently than he managed in the T20, picking the gap at deep square

Now a 39 is meaningless in the bigger scheme of things, but i point it out to show that the guy learns.

I also agree shafiq was good that series. I was very excited by him, wasn't afraid to play his shots plus was smart. Since then who knows whats happened, but he has regressed in ODIS. Fawad never fell that low

 

[Pete Rose]

i had a feeling you would mention fawads crappiness against swann in a t20 of all things

Couple of games later Fawad played at 4 for the first and only time in his life. Scored a run a ball 39, his 2 boundaries coming against Swann. He played him very well.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/england....html?batsman=47099;innings=2;view=commentary


Now a 39 is meaningless in the bigger scheme of things, but i point it out to show that the guy learns.

I also agree shafiq was good that series. I was very excited by him, wasn't afraid to play his shots plus was smart. Since then who knows whats happened, but he has regressed in ODIS. Fawad never fell that low

Time will tell. I don't rate him at all. And I think stats while useful are not a substitute for the game. Happy to be proven wrong in Fawad - bubblegummer shoes- Alam's case.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

i have never said stats are a subsitute. If they were i would be lobbying for more chances for Azhar ali and Sharjeel Khan

I do however think in Pakistan stats need to be given more weight. More often than naught the best domestic performers will be your best players especially for batsman. True every now and then there may be an Imran Farhat or Asif Mujtaba that comes along, but that doesn't mean you stop giving preference to all domestic performers, especially those who have done well in First Class cricket

 

[Adil_94]

Shafiq will be an inferior No 3 version of Shehzad.

 

[Mamoon]

see thats a problem right there. I have been saying for a couple of years now that Shafiq was indeed harsly done by when he was kicked of 3 to accommodate the Team Man even though he averaged 37 in the previous series. Couple of things though:

1. He has been given plenty of chances since then over much better players. If after almost 50 games you can not produce a match winning innings then something is wrong, Fawad, Maqsood and Akmal all have despite being mucked around with regarding positions and additional responsibility.

2. He has a strike rate of 70 at 3, which is just lethal in a team that has Shezhad, Misbah and Fawad ( for the first 20 balls.

3. He has been selected before after brilliant List A seasons, after test tons , yet it has amounted to nothing. His best innings remains that 65 against England back in 2012


Now he might do well, i hope he does, but that does not change the fact he doesn't merit selection at all. If we went back to him in the hypothetical scenario that Babar or Haris failed than fair enough. His selection now however is got to do with favoritism (including karachi quota) and hope.

Tbh, I wouldn't have picked him in the squad now and neither do I believe he should have been dropped in the first place or displaced from the number 3.

Its a bit like Umar Akmal in Tests. He was dropped unfairly, but in the 2012-2013, he didn't do enough to win his place back in the Test team.

Shafiq regressed in Tests in 2013 and he didn't show anything that merited a place in the ODI team but when you look at it objectively, he did fairly decently at number 3 and that's already established and if he's picked again, he should play there. Lets see how far he goes with his average and SR in this position and if can replicate his domestic record.

As far as match winning knocks are concerned, how would you rate his knock in the 2011 World Cup vs Australia? I personally think it was a tremendous innings, even though it doesn't look very pretty on paper and his performances generally in the 2011 World Cup shows that he has the ability to deliver in pressure.

Yes I concede that a top order of Shehzad, him, Misbah is a problem but I'm willing to give him one final go in ODIs.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

His 40 odd against Australia was very good, that pitch was double paced and lee was on fire. He was just overshadowed by U akmal at the time

I still reckon that was UA's best odi innings

To score in that situation, at the pace against those bowlers was brilliant . Obviously abdul Razzaq chipped in at the end as well. All three had a part to play


The reason I like shafiqs 65 v ENG the best was becuase it was against a tought attack, was done at a good pace , looked comfortable against pace and spin. Plus he had to deal with azhar Ali being his batting partner.

 

[Mamoon]

Yes the one vs England was the best knock when it comes to quality of batting. He really missed out on a hundred that day.

 

[Haz95]

lol the technique obsessed posters are at it again
Maqsood is a far better option at 3
Since there are better #3s, There is no room for tuk tuk shafiq
Maqsood, Fawad, Sohail, Akmal
This is our future middle order lads.

 

[steelo green]

Yes the one vs England was the best knock when it comes to quality of batting. He really missed out on a hundred that day.

Question, what would be your ideal line up?

 

[Mamoon]

From the selected squad or generally?

 

[steelo green]

From the selected squad or generally?

Generally.

From what I ascertain it would be something along the lines of:

Shehzad (although I know you want to find his replacement)
Amin
Shafiq
Hafeez
Akmal
Maqsood
Fawad
Riaz
Irfan

I don't know who you want as the other spinner and seamer though.

 

[Pete Rose]

lol the technique obsessed posters are at it again
Maqsood is a far better option at 3
Since there are better #3s, There is no room for tuk tuk shafiq
Maqsood, Fawad, Sohail, Akmal
This is our future middle order lads.

Maqsood will be tested with the short ball and found wanting as his career shows so far.

 

[Mamoon]

Generally.

From what I ascertain it would be something along the lines of:

Shehzad (although I know you want to find his replacement)
Amin
Shafiq
Hafeez
Akmal
Maqsood
Fawad
Riaz
Irfan

I don't know who you want as the other spinner and seamer though.

Shafiq doesn't fit into my best XI.

I would personally have not selected him because I believe both Amin and Masood are better options for number 3. However, I can understand the POV of the selectors and where they are coming from. Some decisions are nonsensical, but this pretty reasonable IMO.

Hafeez will go back to open and Amin/Shafiq would contend for the number 3 spot. Now personally, I'd have picked Haris instead of Shafiq and play him ahead of Amin (who would be in the squad too) because he's better than both and I think he's capable of playing at 3/4/5 so you could make a case for Maqsood at number 3 as well who has been pretty decent at that position.

However, the assertion that Shafiq is a TTF in ODIs is pretty premature. Now, the definition varies from individual to individual but for me, a TTF is someone who has been give loads and loads of chances in his favorite position/role and still fails to deliver. Shafiq's stats make for a sorry reading, but putting things in perspective, he has done a reasonable job at number 3. Both average and especially SR have to improve, but can he be given some more time? yes.

The selectors consider Haris a contender for the number 4/5/6 position and forget Haris. Even if there is a Brian Lara in Pakistan domestic right now who is competing for these positions, he simply won't get a look in due to various reasons.

Is Haris better than Misbah? yes

Is Haris better than Fawad? yes

Is Haris better than Maqsood? yes

Is Haris better than Umar? can't answer yes or no.

That's like asking if I'd have Pujara in my ODI team or Raina. The reason why I'm giving this example is, I rate Pujara very highly and think he's a brilliant bat. I also believe he can be as good as Amla if he opens in ODIs and play a similar role for India - average of 50 odd at an excellent SR but would I prefer that over the dynamism Raina brings? nope.

Haris might end up averaging more than Umar at a similar SR on paper, but he will not bring what Umar does and doesn't have the same ability to switch gears and shift momentum.

So, who can Haris dislodge in the middle order right now?

Fawad? yes he's one dimensional, yes he's heavily reliant on his partner but his performance has been remarkable and he has shown how to properly anchor the innings in ODIs.

Misbah? I'd show him the door today but he's not going anywhere till the World Cup.

Maqsood? Haris is better, but Maqsood is one of the finest batsman in the country. Replacing a good batsman with a very good one doesn't strengthen the team.

Umar as explained above.

I don't necessarily agree with the methodology of the selectors here, but I definitely understand where they are coming from and what the thinking process is.

 

[Haz95]

Maqsood will be tested with the short ball and found wanting as his career shows so far.

and Shafiq will score a 50 once every 200 innings

 

[GreenKnightRises]

Time has already proved Shafiq an utter failure as a Batsman after his 40+ innings

Give this Guys a short pitch delivery, he is bound to give a catching practice to the Square Leg Boundary . Basically a Poor man's Suresh Raina(Considering Short Pitched deliveries alone ) and not to mention his cross batted Leg Before Dismissals and Dolly-Molly Keeper catches

 

[Pete Rose]

and Shafiq will score a 50 once every 200 innings

One is fact the other is a petulant response.

 

[Mamoon]

My team before the World Cup:

Shehzad
Amin
Hafeez
Fawad vc
Misbah c
Maqsood
Umar +
Afridi
Wahab
Junaid
Irfan/Raza (depending on the pitch; pace and bounce - Irfan; spin and sluggish - Raza)

My future team/post World Cup:

Umar +
Babar
Amin
Fawad c
Maqsood vc
Haris
Hafeez
Wahab
Ehsan
Amir
Raza

Top 3 of Umar/Babar/Amin are interchangeable.

You can go with Umar-Babar, Umar-Amin, Babar-Amin.

 

[steelo green]

Shafiq doesn't fit into my best XI.

I would personally have not selected him because I believe both Amin and Masood are better options for number 3. However, I can understand the POV of the selectors and where they are coming from. Some decisions are nonsensical, but this pretty reasonable IMO.

Hafeez will go back to open and Amin/Shafiq would contend for the number 3 spot. Now personally, I'd have picked Haris instead of Shafiq and play him ahead of Amin (who would be in the squad too) because he's better than both and I think he's capable of playing at 3/4/5 so you could make a case for Maqsood at number 3 as well who has been pretty decent at that position.

However, the assertion that Shafiq is a TTF in ODIs is pretty premature. Now, the definition varies from individual to individual but for me, a TTF is someone who has been give loads and loads of chances in his favorite position/role and still fails to deliver. Shafiq's stats make for a sorry reading, but putting things in perspective, he has done a reasonable job at number 3. Both average and especially SR have to improve, but can he be given some more time? yes.

The selectors consider Haris a contender for the number 4/5/6 position and forget Haris. Even if there is a Brian Lara in Pakistan domestic right now who is competing for these positions, he simply won't get a look in due to various reasons.

Is Haris better than Misbah? yes

Is Haris better than Fawad? yes

Is Haris better than Maqsood? yes

Is Haris better than Umar? can't answer yes or no.

That's like asking if I'd have Pujara in my ODI team or Raina. The reason why I'm giving this example is, I rate Pujara very highly and think he's a brilliant bat. I also believe he can be as good as Amla if he opens in ODIs and play a similar role for India - average of 50 odd at an excellent SR but would I prefer that over the dynamism Raina brings? nope.

Haris might end up averaging more than Umar at a similar SR on paper, but he will not bring what Umar does and doesn't have the same ability to switch gears and shift momentum.

So, who can Haris dislodge in the middle order right now?

Fawad? yes he's one dimensional, yes he's heavily reliant on his partner but his performance has been remarkable and he has shown how to properly anchor the innings in ODIs.

Misbah? I'd show him the door today but he's not going anywhere till the World Cup.

Maqsood? Haris is better, but Maqsood is one of the finest batsman in the country. Replacing a good batsman with a very good one doesn't strengthen the team.

Umar as explained above.

I don't necessarily agree with the methodology of the selectors here, but I definitely understand where they are coming from and what the thinking process is.

Fair squad. We need a new opener and I would take the gamble on Amin there but for the post part we have the same idea.

 

[Haz95]

One is fact the other is a petulant response.

its not a fact tho. Sohaib was the only batsman who did well vs South Africa in a series where the short ball was used a lot.

 

[Strike Rate]

and he is back again

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

not supportive but rather him than YK

Plus i dont see how he can survive another poor series

so either he will come good or we will be done with him.

 

[Strike Rate]

lets hope he finally prove all of us wrong by performing after 50+ failures in odis

 

[Mamoon]

Azhar pushed for his selection.

 

[Strike Rate]

not supportive but rather him than YK

Plus i dont see how he can survive another poor series

so either he will come good or we will be done with him.

come good against Bangladesh after 50+ ODI failures? and back to failures again when facing tough oppositions after BD

 

[Barragan]

The golden boy is back. )

He likes spin, so expecting him to do well against them, but that will only hamper us in the future.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

come good against Bangladesh after 50+ ODI failures? and back to failures again when facing tough oppositions after BD

after this we have SL and England who are both decent bowling sides at home.

so dont stress that much.

If he fails again what else does he have left?

not like waqar and azhar will favour him forever

nor will asad blackmail the team, at leas the admits his failing

 

[Bashira_taeli]

Screw you PCB

 

[Strike Rate]

after this we have SL and England who are both decent bowling sides at home.

so dont stress that much.

If he fails again what else does he have left?

not like waqar and azhar will favour him forever

nor will asad blackmail the team, at leas the admits his failing

Agree with you but i hope Asad will not get the treatment Mailk enjoyed for years under Misbah if he fails.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Agree with you but i hope Asad will not get the treatment Mailk enjoyed for years under Misbah if he fails.

let see, you can only hope not

 

[FreeBird]

Asad Shafiq is the only reason I will watch the ODI and tests.

There's e is nothing else attractive in this team anymore.

I hope he plays a couple of long innings

His batting style is pleasing to the eye and there is no better fielder than him in all three formats.

 

[FreeBird]

If treated right, Asad Shafiq is potentially the Rahul Dravid of Pakistan.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Asad Shafiq is the only reason I will watch the ODI and tests.

There's e is nothing else attractive in this team anymore.

I hope he plays a couple of long innings

His batting style is pleasing to the eye and there is no better fielder than him in all three formats.

yasir and fawad are both superior fielders

plus if style is what you want go look at Umar Lara Amin

Its about time asad repays the faith that he has been shown