Will Pakistan keep their left and right opening combination in the World Cup?

[mesmerizer85]

Well we know how other teams like IND have benefited with left/right combo.. I have a feeling we will see Fakhar and Imam open who will get out quickly to opposition bowlers.. What do you think?

 

[Forum363]

Well I think the reason ‘you have a feeling’ is because Imam and Fakhar are our current openers so that is who we will see.

However if Imam does badly in a few matches we may see Abid make an appearence in the England series.

 

[j_kazmi]

I think people just want Imam out of the team so they’re getting these ‘feelings’.

 

[mesmerizer85]

I think people just want Imam out of the team so they’re getting these ‘feelings’.

Nobody is being targeted. Imam can come one down, I just said we need a left right combination to have some pressure on the bowling team in the initial overs which are the most crucial IMO.

 

[Arsalan Pro]

While a Right-Left combo is ideal, it isn't mandatory. You should always play your best 2 openers available irrespective of their batting hand on these positions, be it 2 righties or lefties.

The problem here is we are not playing our 2 best options, Fakhar and Abid, though one could argue that Imam has performed on various occasions in the previous year with the ODI team but his runs aren't impactful enough for this modern era and we can only have one slow scoring anchor in the Top 3 and that is Babar who is our best batsman. Otherwise we will struggle to score big and will require extremely good finishers to up the ante in the last few overs, which unfortunately we don't have currently.

Coming to the actual point, it is good to have the entire batting lineup filled with alternative batting hands if they make the best XI, as this makes bowler struggle for line and could give freebies.

My Lineup for WC with all players available:

Abid Ali R
Fakhar Zaman L
Babar Azam R
Haris Sohail L
Sarfraz Ahmed R
Mohammad Hafeez R
Imad Wasim L
Shadab Khan R
Mohammad Amir L
Hasan Ali R
Shaheen Afridi L

 

[ads101]

Been saying this for months. But it's not happening. I'd even prefer Imam-Babar with Fakhar coming down at 3 to get right-left opening at top even though Babar-Fakhar with Imam at 3 is better.

I don't think it'll happen. It's taken too long from them to even try it, and it's in a T20. Plus Imam failed (though I don't think this is a true reflection of his ability to play 3 in an ODI).

With Fakhar and Babar's immense success as an opening partnership in T20s, and Babar and Fakhar's relative dip in performances in ODIs in 2018/19, I felt they should have at least tried it.

 

[mesmerizer85]

We all can see Babar is doing well Alhamdulilah while opening with Fakhar in T20s. So it can be tried in ODIs too. And possibly Imam shifted down to play during the middle overs with Haris Sohail but maybe that might slow down the scoring rate further...

 

[gazza619]

For me the batting order has got be:
Fakhar
Abid
Babar
Haris
Sarfraz
Hafeez

 

[slice]

Fakhar Zaman vs Imam ul Haq

Please dont give me the old but he is an "impact player" and a "match winner" who can win matches "on his day".
I just went through the individual scores of both of these batsmen and it really appears that Fakhar isnt that much of an impact player after all...even when he does "fire" its not really that much of an excuse to put up with his unreliability.Also,I personally never felt really comfortable with his technique ,especially as an opener.Imam on the other hand,is far more solid and has more batting sense.
Fakhar has a strike rate advantage over Imam but again its not that significant.

Here are their scores from their past matches (ODIs) covering Asia cup 2018, Australia and England series and this World cup.

Fakhar:
24(27),0(9),0(6),31(44),1(4),3(11),138(106),2(4),57(50),0(3),19(23),22(16),36(40),62(75),0(3),44(50),9(10),0(2)

Imam:
50(69)*,2(7),80(104),10(20),83(105),17(27),0(5),46(72),42(68),35(44),151(131),6(20),32(35),2(11),44(58),7(18),53(75),44(58),19(29),36(51)

 

[mastersaan10]

so replace fakhar with who???????

 

[mastersaan10]

fakhar played the best odi innings by a pakistani since 2000 easily, no one can come close to that knock

 

[Abdullah]

U need 2 openers so this is not a debate.
They compliment each other well

 

[slice]

so replace fakhar with who???????

find a more decently solid batsmen in the domestics,move hafeez up the order,,anything...but fakhar as an opener is rather shaky

 

[slice]

U need 2 openers so this is not a debate.
They compliment each other well

no,the point is that he aint the opener which pakistan need

 

[slice]

fakhar played the best odi innings by a pakistani since 2000 easily, no one can come close to that knock

we are talkign about the curretn state of affairs,post ct 17

 

[khan_aa]

yes, lets drop fakhar who is a solid opener and a good fielder and non lazy or without discipline issues with akmal, shehzad and other pakistani railu kattas

 

[Abdullah]

no,the point is that he aint the opener which pakistan need

Ye and khuram manzoor, Ahmed shehzad, Kamran akmal, abid Ali are.
We get it

 

[slice]

Ye and khuram manzoor, Ahmed shehzad, Kamran akmal, abid Ali are.
We get it

Abid ali could get a look in,shan masood didnt look too bad but fakahr is basically a walking wicket.And no,Ahmed shehzad i wasnt suggesting.Just read the horrendous numbers of fakhar which i posted.

 

[slice]

yes, lets drop fakhar who is a solid opener and a good fielder and non lazy or without discipline issues with akmal, shehzad and other pakistani railu kattas

fakhar is anything but a solid opener.