Why not consider Sahibzada Farhan as wicketkeeper after Mohammad Haris’s poor run?

[Cricket Warrior]

With Mohammad Haris continuing his poor run of form both with the bat and behind the stumps, Pakistan may need to rethink their wicketkeeping options moving forward. While Sahibzada Farhan hasn’t been in outstanding form himself lately, he brings a level of consistency and maturity that could benefit the team—especially as a top-order option.

Farhan has experience as a part-time wicketkeeper and could be a valuable dual-role player if given proper backing. His ability to open the innings adds another layer of flexibility to the lineup, something Pakistan have been lacking with Haris’s struggles. In a format where every position matters is it time to test Sahibzada Farhan as a potential wicketkeeper-opener for Pakistan and play a proper batter at the position where Haris is batting like Khushdil Shah?

 

[ads101]

Part time wicketkeeper who should focus on opening. We need a reliable opening partnership that’s a bigger priority.

Also Haris’s keeping already is not good enough let alone someone who could be worse.

I also don’t think there’s a wealth of players banging down the door to get into the team right now. So might as well stick with Haris for a while.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Part time wicketkeeper who should focus on opening. We need a reliable opening partnership that’s a bigger priority.

Also Haris’s keeping already is not good enough let alone someone who could be worse.

I also don’t think there’s a wealth of players banging down the door to get into the team right now. So might as well stick with Haris for a while.

it means we have to play with 10 players for a while because Haris is good for nothing!

 

[shamaan]

How well can Farhaan keep ?

 

[AZulfi]

Why do people want to force him to keep wickets when he clearly does not want to? He should focus on his batting. I think he's very vulnerable against balls pitched just outside off. Slogging is fine in pp but Farhan needs to work on hitting the balls into gaps as well.

 

[BouncerGuy]

I think it is a great opportunity for Farhan to cement his place in the team if he can keep wickets... I know, he does not want to, but it surely is an opportunity to cash in... It will make him an important guy in the sqaud because there is no competition atm among keepers... Haris has been pathetic, azam is nowhere... Nafay is also not there yet.

 

[amvbfm]

Certainly not. Wicketkeeping is the most specialized job in the game. You can ask a batter to bowl or a bowler to bat but you can't just ask anyone to keep. Asking a part timer to keep will never end well.

 

[shamaan]

Who says Farhaan doesn't want to keep wickets????

 

[cricketmania22]

Who says Farhaan doesn't want to keep wickets????

He himself said that. He said if he keeps wickets his batting suffers. I guess he doesn’t have the fitness to keep and bat.

 

[shamaan]

He himself said that. He said if he keeps wickets his batting suffers. I guess he doesn’t have the fitness to keep and bat.

Can you send me the link please.

 

[Obaidd]

Who says Farhaan doesn't want to keep wickets????

Rashid Latif

 

[DeadlyVenom]

This wouldn't solve the wicket keeper problem.

It would keep the wicket keeper problem and make a new opening batsman problem.

 

[Obaidd]

Asking Sahibzada to keep wickets would be unfair. It would be an example of how not to deal with a squad balance issue at the national level.

Firstly because Sahibza doesn’t own his place in the team currently. Putting even more pressure on him to keep would be unfair. I think most specialist batsman don’t ‘want’ to keep. When they do it’s out of necessity or boredom and they soon grow out of it.

Secondly, we should consider what our actual issue is. Keeper doesn’t need to be your best batter and open especially since we have no shortage of openers. For me given our dearth of good keeper-batters we should play our wk at 7. We need a good keeper who’s a decent batter. Haris unfortunately is neither of those.

Format: T20
Role: Wk and bats at 7
Options: Haris, Rizwan, Azam, Usman, Haseebullah, Nafay.

Till end of Asia Cup: Haris
Post Asia Cup: Haseebullah or Nafay or any other young guy for the role I described.

 

[sweep_shot]

Yes.

Farhan should keep. Haris is out of form and should be dropped.

 

[prash88]

Farhan himself is a walking wicket. Good pace bowling lineups ll pick him up in the first 12 balls. Matter of time before the call to kick him out comes up in this forum....

 

[cricketmania22]

Can you send me the link please.

It was said during PSL playoff match by one of the commentators.

 

[shamaan]

It was said during PSL playoff match by one of the commentators.

Fair enough.

 

[Kianig89]

Why not bring Rizwan back and swallow your ego. we dont have a choice

 

[BouncerGuy]

Why not bring Rizwan back and swallow your ego. we dont have a choice

Nay.. I think that is not fair.. Rizwan has not performed to show that he can come back... Farhan really needs to step up. If farhan cannot keep, then the selectors should be blamed that they did not take a backup keeper with the squad.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Usman Khan seems to be a better option than Haris atm.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Because he's not a Wicket keeper

 

[MenInG]

Has to do something with the bat too...

 

[shamaan]

You can't pick part time keepers if you have mystery spinners.

 

[mazkhan]

I have a much more simpler solution bring back rizwan

 

[Major]

Rizwan should come in.

 

[Rana]

Rizwan should come in.

For what? It’s Pakistan T20 cricket team,

We need cricketers, not circus performers.

 

[Major]

For what? It’s Pakistan T20 cricket team,

We need cricketers, not circus performers.

Yeh, thats why clowns like harris need to be dropped

 

[Rana]

Yeh, thats why clowns like harris need to be dropped

No, that’s why the clown Rizwan was booted out…and the results have been improving.

No need to change something that isn’t broken. But mediocre cricket fans from SNGPL who idolise Misbah ul Haq will not understand this. Freshies love to create problems where there are none.

Please support Afghanistan like you said you would before the Tri series began.

 

[gazza619]

Haris is out of form and should be dropped.

Haris has never been in form lol

 

[gazza619]

Has to do something with the bat too...

Not needed. His name is not Rizwan and that makes him qualify for selection

 

[Major]

No, that’s why the clown Rizwan was booted out…and the results have been improving.

No need to change something that isn’t broken. But mediocre cricket fans from SNGPL who idolise Misbah ul Haq will not understand this. Freshies love to create problems where there are none.

Please support Afghanistan like you said you would before the Tri series began.

You can keep living in denial and pray that harris performs in a one off game.

Point is he is garbage and its now time to replace him with rizwan

 

[Rana]

Not needed. His name is not Rizwan and that makes him qualify for selection

Ab aaya na line pe?

 

[Rana]

Point is he is garbage and its now time to replace him with rizwan

No. This isn’t SNGPL. This isn’t Misbah and Waqar running the show.

The next in line for keeper+bat role is Usman Khan or Khwaja Nafay.

Rizwan is finished.

 

[gazza619]

Ab aaya na line pe?

It was sarcasm

 

[Rana]

It was sarcasm

Do I care?

 

[Major]

No. This isn’t SNGPL. This isn’t Misbah and Waqar running the show.

The next in line for keeper+bat role is Usman Khan or Khwaja Nafay.

Rizwan is finished.

Rizwan is incoming.

 

[Rana]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1964780578882158772

 

[Wasim Ghulam]

No need to change something that isn’t broken

last time i checked , Cricket Teams thrive if selection is driven by performance and merit , Not by team results.

are we teaching our kids that they dnt need to learn basic batting skills that would allow them to hold a bat against good bowlers when they are asked to bat out of comfort zones? Rather present yourself as single position , conditions specific ( Roads ) limited player to get yourself selected in national team of 250 million plus people?

I get you dnt like Rizwan , But call spade a spade , In this case M harris being garbage

 

[Rana]

last time i checked , Cricket Teams thrive if selection is driven by performance and merit , Not by team results.

are we teaching our kids that they dnt need to learn basic batting skills that would allow them to hold a bat against good bowlers when they are asked to bat out of comfort zones? Rather present yourself as single position , conditions specific ( Roads ) limited player to get yourself selected in national team of 250 million plus people?

I get you dnt like Rizwan , But call spade a spade , In this case M harris being garbage

Who do you replace Harris with?

 

[Wasim Ghulam]

Who do you replace Harris with?

His lack of Replacement atm should nt stop you from calling him garbage

 

[sweep_shot]

Haris has never been in form lol

He scored a nice century against Bangladesh and also played well against South Africa in 2022 World T20. Other than that, I didn't see him play any good knock.

He should be dropped definitely.

 

[Rana]

His lack of Replacement atm should nt stop you from calling him garbage

So who should replace him? Say it.

 

[Wasim Ghulam]

So who should replace him? Say it.

I bashed Usman Khan for being mediocre. the way Haris has performed , i'm inclined to prefer his mediocrity over complete trash like harris

 

[heddie19]

Are you upset Babar has been asked to report for a red ball camp whilst the Pakistan T20 team has moved on without him?

He will be playing the real form cricket, while you can keep licking over Sahibzada, Agha and Haris stats. As I said earlier. Babar on one leg is better than all these railu katta cricketers

 

[Rana]

He will be playing the real form cricket, while you can keep licking over Sahibzada, Agha and Haris stats. As I said earlier. Babar on one leg is better than all these railu katta cricketers

Chalo that’s good to know you have finally embraced what’s important.

Soon you will also understand, I was right about his association with Rizwan.

 

[Rana]

I bashed Usman Khan for being mediocre. the way Haris has performed , i'm inclined to prefer his mediocrity over complete trash like harris

Which is fair.

 

[heddie19]

Chalo that’s good to know you have finally embraced what’s important.

Soon you will also understand, I was right about his association with Rizwan.

I never completely disagreed with the 'Rizwan Association' part. His growth curve did start to go down after that. I also don't like the fact that they're always clubbed together by the media. Babar is a different individual and Rizwan is another. They should be considered individually not as a tag team.

 

[Rana]

Babar is a different individual and Rizwan is another. They should be considered individually not as a tag team

I get that. But for a long time, they operated together as a tag team and not individuals. Babar was too naive to understand how he was being played here. At some point, Babar thought he needs to cling on to Rizwan as well. It’s Rizwan and their agent who have used Babar to promote Rizwan’s career….and Babar has tried to get the favour returned through Rizwan as well in his own time of need. So you can see why they are termed as one and the other.

Its a shame really. We had a special player in Babar Azam. @CerebralPatriot mentioned a great analogy from Breaking Bad to describe the mistakes of Babar Azam.

 

[heddie19]

I get that. But for a long time, they operated together as a tag team and not individuals. Babar was too naive to understand how he was being played here. At some point, Babar thought he needs to cling on to Rizwan as well. It’s Rizwan and their agent who have used Babar to promote Rizwan’s career….and Babar has tried to get the favour returned through Rizwan as well in his own time of need. So you can see why they are termed as one and the other.

Its a shame really. We had a special player in Babar Azam. @CerebralPatriot mentioned a great analogy from Breaking Bad to describe the mistakes of Babar Azam.

Talha Aisham. Again, I partially agree with you that they did cling to eachother whenever they needed support and it could be due to their agency. But Shaheen is having the same agent and his story is different. Many believe Babar took his captaincy and vice versa. Also more than 70% of the team is working with Talha/Saya Corp that includes newly found permanent member such as Faheem, Abrar, Sufyan etc. So I really don't know what is the cause. The way Zaka Ashraf acted upon it and made Inzi the scapegoat was monkey business too.

 

[heddie19]

Talha Aisham. Again, I partially agree with you that they did cling to eachother whenever they needed support and it could be due to their agency. But Shaheen is having the same agent and his story is different. Many believe Babar took his captaincy and vice versa. Also more than 70% of the team is working with Talha/Saya Corp that includes newly found permanent member such as Faheem, Abrar, Sufyan etc. So I really don't know what is the cause. The way Zaka Ashraf acted upon it and made Inzi the scapegoat was monkey business too.

I get that. But for a long time, they operated together as a tag team and not individuals. Babar was too naive to understand how he was being played here. At some point, Babar thought he needs to cling on to Rizwan as well. It’s Rizwan and their agent who have used Babar to promote Rizwan’s career….and Babar has tried to get the favour returned through Rizwan as well in his own time of need. So you can see why they are termed as one and the other.

Its a shame really. We had a special player in Babar Azam. @CerebralPatriot mentioned a great analogy from Breaking Bad to describe the mistakes of Babar Azam.

And it is true that Babar was a world-class talent, the way he is going down pains my heart. He is someone who always needed support which PMIK,RR,MA,Sarfraz,Misbah etc. gave him. Right now, he is isolated socially and mentally and is unable to come back stronger.