Why need powerhitters when our top order should bat at a RR of 6-7?

[msb314]

I have seen a lot of threads recently asking for power hitters in the squad such as Aamir Yamin, Hammad Azam, Anwar Ali etc. but do we really have a a need for them?

If I look at our top order - Hafeez, Sharjeel, Babar, Malik, Umar Akmal, Rizwan, Imad are all perfectly capable of batting at a SR of 90+.

I say lets aim to bat at a RR of 5.5-6 from the get go - anything more would be a nice bonus in the PP but we should not take our peddle off the gas like we did in the 3rd ODI.

Aim to attack the spinners in the middle overs for a boost and soon we will be scoring 300+ without too much difficulty.

As an example - lets look at the 1st ODI between Pakistan and Zimbabwe at Lahore in 2015.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/868727.html

Granted it was weak opposition but Hafeez and Azhar easily batted at a SR of 100. Whilst Malik and Haris played risk free cricke to give us a mammoth total of 375/3. None of Hafeez, Azhar, Malik or Haris are known to be powerhitters as such.

Just have to be more assertive from the start and maintain a good RR around 6 and we will be doine fine in ODI's.

 

[Yaasir]

Definitely agreed. Problem is Hafeez and Babar are both extremely slow starters and play a lot of dot deliveries early in their innings. Which means if Sharjeel gets out cheaply, our run rate is going to be around 3-4 runs an over against any quality bowling and fielding attack.

 

[Messiah]

Define "capable" I don't think any of them have career strike rate close to 90. Everything seems nice and simple in ur head. Reality is a whole different ball game

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

We need 5 Sharjeels to make this work.

Our lower order sucks. In the last 20 overs we need to be aiming for 170 minimum.

Thats why I suggested Hafeez in the lower order.

Everybody wants to play in the top order and get away from this responsibility and leave it to out of depth hacks like Rizwan.

 

[Messiah]

^ actually imad and Rizwan has surprisingly high strike rate. But we have too many slow players still

 

[narayanjan]

Read this article it should tell you how the game has changed and how after 2005 consistently chases down totals.

When the chase is on, you can bet on India - Livemint
https://apple.news/AkOU9BSfJNiayyZlnkWfelA

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

It's not just about power, the Aussie openers were hitting boundaries off balls which were barely more than defensive pushes. If that had been Pakistan batsmen they would have been dot balls for sure. Placement and timing are also key skills when it comes to batting.

Then of course add to that, the Aussies are much more powerful hitters as well. When they want to hit sixes they do it with full intent. For us we have the sight of Rizwan scuttling around at number trying to score singles at no 6.

 

[Pete Rose]

Pakistan has a problem in all three stages of batting: up front, middle over, and the end overs.

The modern odi game has evolved in three phases
70's-80's: slow upfront to conserve wickets (2/3 runs an over), steady middle overs (3 to 4 an over), aggressive end (6 to 8 an over)
90's - 00's aggressive upfront with pinch hitters (7 to 8 an over), steady middle overs (3 to 4 an over), aggressive end (8 to 10 an over)
last 5 years: aggressive upfront (7 to 10 an over), aggressive middle overs (5 to 6 an over), aggressive end (8 to 12 an over).

For a batting team looking for talent, finding guys to go well up front and middle orders is easier than finding big hitters. I would suggest that Pakistan first revamp its batting talent at the top and middle overs first before worrying about the rest.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Pakistan only has three areas of their game where they need to improve. Batting, bowling and fielding. If they can get some improvement in those areas I would guess we would see some better results down the line. Then of course off the pitch the administration could be better at board level.

 

[JibranAnsari]

We need both power at the top of the order and in the late order. Azhar , hafeez , shafiq , akmal , rizwan and nawaz are not cut out for modern day cricket.

Sharjeel
Latif/shahzeb
Babar
Haris
Malik
Sarfraz
Blank
Imad/Hammad (according to pitch)
Hassan
Amir
Blank

 

[Hawkeye]

We need both power at the top of the order and in the late order. Azhar , hafeez , shafiq , akmal , rizwan and nawaz are not cut out for modern day cricket.

Sharjeel
Latif/shahzeb
Babar
Haris
Malik
Sarfraz
Blank
Imad/Hammad (according to pitch)
Hassan
Amir
Blank

Malik/Sarfraz DO NOT belong in the modern LOI era. It's thinking like this that's keeping us in the 90s.

We'd NEVER become a top ODI side.

 

[Pollack]

India doesn't have power hitter as much.Still it does better.We have to call back yuvraj for that.So requiring power hitters should not be the only excuse.

 

[Madplayer]

^ actually imad and Rizwan has surprisingly high strike rate. But we have too many slow players still

Every player can have surprisingly high strike rate if they score 8(10) or 22(18).

 

[JibranAnsari]

Malik/Sarfraz DO NOT belong in the modern LOI era. It's thinking like this that's keeping us in the 90s.

We'd NEVER become a top ODI side.

saud shakil is another option and the guy can be given chances on potential. We don't care about domestic performances anyway , we can not become a top side anyway in the next five years. Steps are needed to be taken though , there is no room of sub 80 sr batsmen anymore. Pakistan hasn't been producing any quality cricketers for quite some time now but the best we can do at the moment is give guys chances who know how to hit it. Shahzab hasan , khalid latif might not be the solution but playing them means that we are serious about entering into the modern age. Playing guys only because they can occupy crease and give us some stability does not work anymore. If it was upto me I would play sarfraz in top 4 , his strike rotation ability is better than most of our batsmen and can go on to score big as well. I agree with you though that he isn't a big hitter but he can not be bogged down.

 

[srh]

Babar is too slow and waste PP. His strike rate is usually around 50 at that time

 

[JaDed]

We need 5 Sharjeels to make this work.

Our lower order sucks. In the last 20 overs we need to be aiming for 170 minimum.

Thats why I suggested Hafeez in the lower order.

Everybody wants to play in the top order and get away from this responsibility and leave it to out of depth hacks like Rizwan.

5 Sharjeels could also mean 5*28 that is 140-5,You need at best 2 Sharjeels one top and one middle.

 

[Seamer]

I would like to see this top 6 on next tour and ct, hopefully it can do better than what we currently have

1. Sharjeel Khan
2. Shahzeb Hasan
3. Babar Azam
4. Sarfaraz
5. Maqsood
6. Hammad Azam

 

[Hawkeye]

saud shakil is another option and the guy can be given chances on potential.

Saud Shakeel is a decent prospect but not for LOIs. He lacks the big shots, too.

Ideal for Tests.

 

[JibranAnsari]

Saud Shakeel is a decent prospect but not for LOIs. He lacks the big shots, too.

Ideal for Tests.

He is a wristy player , his numbers don't do him justice.

 

[Hawkeye]

He is a wristy player , his numbers don't do him justice.

I know he's a wristy player, and I don't go after the numbers.

I actually like him, he's elegant and plays good strokes. But, with so many accumulators in the side, he may not be ideal.

But is a prospect that cannot rot in domestics, so should be given a chance and replace one of the other accumulators.

He cannot be batted anywhere lower than 5, though.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Because it only looks good when you put it like that. These guys are mental midgets and start panicking. They can't find the gaps and have 0 strength. We need to get guys like Nauman Anwar and Awais Zia into the team. Full of hacks.

 

[sarmad1983]

We lack rotation of strike; not a power hitter

So much talk about number 6 or number 7 spot needing a power hitter like afridi/razzaq; what we really need is rotation of strike; we play way too many dot balls in LOI compared to better teams. thoughts??

 

[Justcrazy]

Saud Shakeel is being wasted in Domestic level. Babar , Harris and Saud should be 3 , 4 and 5.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Saud Shakeel is being wasted in Domestic level. Babar , Harris and Saud should be 3 , 4 and 5.

Haris will be back for next series 100%.

 

[Seamer]

The odi team will look much better if the top 5 looks like this:

1. Sharjeel Khan
2. Shahzeb Hasan
3. Babar Azam
4. Haris Sohail
5. Saud Shakeel

 

[blackanhyellow]

The problem is, our players have a hard time even going at 6 an over.

Sure they can do it during the first 10 overs when the field is up, because they tuk tuk and then boom boom.

However during the middle overs the run rate slows down because they have a hard time placing gaps and running singles.

Too many dots mean that making 6 runs an over is hard, because then you have to take the occasional risk rather than wait for bad balls to hit.

So we have the same problem that we have had for the last 5+ years, too many dot balls!

 

[Syed1]

Haris will be back for next series 100%.

Sir how do you know?

 

[Syed1]

You are still going to need power hitters at 6 or 7 even if you play at a good click throughout the innings.

 

[Bilal7]

Like it or not, our team is missing Shahid Afridi. Our lower order has cost us the series by not giving the innings any sort of boost and in fact, bringing the RR down.

Sharjeel, Azhar/Khalid/hack #2, Babar, Akmal and Sarfaraz will form a dynamic and quality-filled top five but after them we need a proper finisher and a power hitter at the two remaining positions. Imad Wasim might be good enough to bat at #7 but we desperately need a quality #6 batsman. Someone with a SR above 90, ability to finish off the innings while also being able to handle significant pressure.

 

[Bilal7]

The odi team will look much better if the top 5 looks like this:

1. Sharjeel Khan
2. Shahzeb Hasan
3. Babar Azam
4. Haris Sohail
5. Saud Shakeel

How good is this Saud Shakeel? Does he display the same promise that Babar does?

 

[Ellipsism]

The odi team will look much better if the top 5 looks like this:

1. Sharjeel Khan
2. Shahzeb Hasan
3. Babar Azam
4. Haris Sohail
5. Saud Shakeel

Too many grafters.

 

[Pete Rose]

You are still going to need power hitters at 6 or 7 even if you play at a good click throughout the innings.

We don't plant at good click for 90% of our games. I would fix the top order first, if it became a choice of either or