Would you have Sami Aslam in the team just to see off the new ball?

[Moiza]

There is an argument of having sharjeel in the team instead if sami since the former scorer much much faster than Sami. But what many seem to ignore is the fact that Sami has done an impressive job of shielding our middle order from the new ball which they are quite bad at playing so the having sharjeel in the team will deprive us from this. The ball in Australia does not do as much as it would do in some other places but seeing off the new ball is still quite a task in front of starc and hazelwood. So keeping all the things in view would you keep Sami in the team just for his ability to not get out early?

I definitely would. I think Sami has great temperament and his judgement outside the off stump is one of the best so even if he might not score a lot he will surely shield the middle order from the new ball and set us up for a bigger total at the end of the day. Plus I remember how we used to be with hafeez opening and playing sharjeel in the test team as an opener will probably send us back to those days.

 

[Pete Rose]

yes

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Yes but he does need to improve his scoring rate. He's unfairly bashed by some here. Very good Test opener.

 

[Red Devil]

Solid opener, bats very maturely, and puts a price on his wicket. And he's only 21, so has very high ceiling.

Would be absolutely mad to drop him just for his slow strike rate.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Sharjeel is a gamble I'd be willing to take.

 

[shaz619]

Solid opener, bats very maturely, and puts a price on his wicket. And he's only 21, so has very high ceiling.

Would be absolutely mad to drop him just for his slow strike rate.

It would be suicide to drop him imagine the dent it would be on his confidence as well, what message would we be sending? that hey you can score runs in England but that doesn't mean a thing! we're more then happy to go back to your Hafeez's, Farhats and Taufeeq's etc first time in years we've found an opener with immense potential, it would insane not to ensure his development at the international level. He deserves a long rope and should be invested in the same manner shafiq and azhar were. It would take a mentally deformed selector to want sharjeel ahead of sami, even if the reasons are for short term gains am still against it given the long run implications and sami must play

 

[Red Devil]

It would be suicide to drop him imagine the dent it would be on his confidence as well, what message would we be sending? that hey you can score runs in England but that doesn't mean a thing! we're more then happy to go back to your Hafeez's, Farhats and Taufeeq's etc first time in years we've found an opener with immense potential, it would insane not to ensure his development at the international level. He deserves a long rope and should be invested in the same manner shafiq and azhar were

Exactly.

Also, it's not like he's not scoring any runs at all. He scored a very good 90 odd in his second last Test! Obviously he has his shortcomings but you can't expect a 20-year-old to be a completely accomplished Test player lmao.

 

[Farhansk]

Sami is the sort of opener we have been dreaming for ages. He has the perfect temperament required to succeed at this level.

Apart from technique and skills, Many Legends of the past thrived on their commendable determination and temperament as well, Gavaskar, Boycott and my all time favorite Rahul Dravid to name the few.

 

[Fahdi]

Has lots of potential and has put up solid innings at an age of 21. Has out performed his predecessor Hafeez thoroughly outside Asia. He has proved has the temperament needed for the top level. He really needs to work on his scoring rate as at the end of the day the runs scored are what count but we need to give him some time.

 

[Hawkeye]

Exactly.

Also, it's not like he's not scoring any runs at all. He scored a very good 90 odd in his second last Test! Obviously he has his shortcomings but you can't expect a 20-year-old to be a completely accomplished Test player lmao.

Top bat in England, on his very first tour.

Scored a 90 on green NZ wickets where everyone else fell like flies.

The kid is doing what VERY VERY few in the history have done, let alone from Pakistan. Scoring top, difficult runs abroad, that too as an opener facing the new ball.

He's not just there to 'see off' the ball, but he scores when set. But the added advantage because of his defence + temperament is we also get to see off the ball.


But

We also have to give Sharjeel one chance. Maybe if we don't drop Sami, then someone else and move Azhar down.

 

[Bewal Express]

Not a fan, I think he is going backwards quicker than an Italian Warship, but he should still play as he has got decent stats. In the longer term he has no future batting like a night watchman, he needs to go back to solid defence with positive stroke play.

 

[Rayyman]

What else is an opener supposed to do. Score runs?

 

[Inswing]

he is just 21 and babar too they have just stepped into international arena and facing NZL and AUS bowlers in their backyard isnt something easy to do give them time just like we have invested in asad and azhar we can have another decent duo in form of sami and babar, we are not india who will produce batsman like nair , pujara etc so just be patient and let them learn im quite sure they both are mature unlike our suppastaaah ahmed shehzad and umar akmal

 

[hadi123]

come on man he's 21. He should be in the team for a long time the reason we aren't blessed with batsmen like India is we don't give enough chances to youngsters. If Aslam gets a few failures he'll be dropped, we'll give someone else a chance, they might start brightly and then be dropped too after a few failures and the cycle will continue and we won't find good batsman. ASLAM HAS TO STAY

 

[Saj]

I have faith in Sami. I have more faith in him than his rivals for a Test opening spot.

He has some areas to work on but I feel he will improve with time.

 

[Zohaib Shah]

We should have him open with Sharjeel. Azhar at 4. Harris Sohail at 5.

Sharjeel
Sami Aslam
Babar Azam
Azhar Ali
Harris Sohail
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz

 

[Moiza]

We should have him open with Sharjeel. Azhar at 4. Harris Sohail at 5.

Sharjeel
Sami Aslam
Babar Azam
Azhar Ali
Harris Sohail
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz

Kaptaaan jee is missing and so is the 4th innings legend

 

[Barragan]

He is better than just a "see off the new ball" batsman.

I don't mind him playing very carefully at the beginning, but he should learn to up the tempo, once settled and the ball is less effective.

 

[Zohaib Shah]

Kaptaaan jee is missing and so is the 4th innings legend

This is after they retire obviously.

 

[Moiza]

This thread is not to discuss how Sami is and is not. It is purely intended to discuss whether you will have in team to see off the new ball or not? Do you put a price on seeing off the new ball?



Answer this supposing Sami scores a duck in every innings but gets us through the first 15 overs!!

 

[Zohaib Shah]

This thread is not to discuss how Sami is and is not. It is purely intended to discuss whether you will have in team to see off the new ball or not? Do you put a price on seeing off the new ball?



Answer this supposing Sami scores a duck in every innings but gets us through the first 15 overs!!

The problem with this is that lets say if he does get us through the first 15 overs. Other batsmen will play against the old ball and than if he gets out after that where will he be once the team decides to use a new ball? In Test cricket we will need more from him than just seeing off the new ball. He needs to stay there and take singles at most. Allow other batsmen to score off the boundaries. If he scores some here and there thats totally fine to. He needs to assure we get good starts without any panic in difficulty. Adaptability should be his next thing to focus on.

 

[Zohaib Shah]

But yeah he would be a great partner to Sharjeel. If Sharjeel is at the other end scoring boundaries, he can focus on covering the wickets so we don't lose early wickets. Would probably frustrate the opposition. His game with a partner like Sharjeel would be more bearable. All he needs to focus on is taking singles or blocking good deliveries.

 

[FlickedOffHips]

He's just turned 21. shown plenty of potential to me. PAK should persevere with him. should turn into the reliable opener Pakistan have lacked in the last few years.

 

[AlphaFighter]

Nope. Getting Sharjeel in will be a much more positive move.

 

[Buffet]

Seeing off the new ball is not a problem. It's actually a very job given Pakistani batting. Problem is not trying to score after you have seen off the new ball and batting is lot easier. If you don't score much then 2nd new ball comes without having a decent total.

So I would play him for sure for Pakistan for seeing off the new ball. He does a very good job for that. He needs to improve on scoring after seeing off the new ball. Also, you need to compare him with alternative.

 

[wasimjunior]

Top bat in England, on his very first tour.

Scored a 90 on green NZ wickets where everyone else fell like flies.

The kid is doing what VERY VERY few in the history have done, let alone from Pakistan. Scoring top, difficult runs abroad, that too as an opener facing the new ball.

He's not just there to 'see off' the ball, but he scores when set. But the added advantage because of his defence + temperament is we also get to see off the ball.


But

We also have to give Sharjeel one chance. Maybe if we don't drop Sami, then someone else and move Azhar down.

This.

Sami is class and the future. Only thing is he does need to show more confidence and put the loose deliveries away.


Sharjeel will be offering catching practice. Has no off side game and we want to expose him to starc lol

 

[Ab Fan]

He is young. Give him some time and matches.

Will learn on not throwing away his wicket after doing all the hardwork.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Off course.

Aggressive t20 fans vouching strongly for Sharjeel in tests.

 

[Da_Future_Knick]

HUGE Sharjeel fan but I can't see why everyone is calling for him in tests.

He just recently cemented his place in our LOI side, let him focus on that then slowly bring him in if necessary. Better options available for tests right now.

 

[TQ89]

Yeah he can see of the first 15 overs & can score off as well. After a long time, our fans have hope in some opener.

If we can tolerate garbage batsmen like hafeez,farhat, butt for two decades we surely can tolerate this dude for a millenia

 

[jeetu]

Unless Pakistan have the greatest middle order in the history of cricket, it can't afford a non scoring opener.
No team can.

 

[KB]

I think there are a lot of good things about him. Yes, as others have noted, he will need to work on rotating the strike. Also at Brisbane in the second innings he was out driving the ball but he was still leaning back, rather than the weight coming forwards, which is clear sign that he was thinking about the short ball.

But on the other side of the ledger, we should not forget that he is only 21 and is still a batsman in the making. He has a good defence and he has also shown that he can survive through tough periods. He doesn't give up or get rattled. He gives the impression that he is mentally quite strong.

 

[MenInG]

I think there are a lot of good things about him. Yes, as others have noted, he will need to work on rotating the strike. Also at Brisbane in the second innings he was out driving the ball but he was still leaning back, rather than the weight coming forwards, which is clear sign that he was thinking about the short ball.

But on the other side of the ledger, we should not forget that he is only 21 and is still a batsman in the making. He has a good defence and he has also shown that he can survive through tough periods. He doesn't give up or get rattled. He gives the impression that he is mentally quite strong.

Excellent. The mentally rattled part is correct and the Australian tour should help him become a better batsman for Pakistan

 

[Hamza_]

Sami Aslam is our most promising young test Batsman with solid temperament. It will be criminal to drop him

 

[msb314]

I would rather play Sami Aslam than Sharjeel (who should stick to T20's)

 

[mz123]

1-Sami Aslam
2-Azhar Ali
3-Babar Azam
4-Haris sohail
5-Asad shafiq
6-Usman Salahuddin/Saud shakeel
7-Sarfaraz Ahmed
8-Mohammed Amir
9-Wahab Riaz
10-Yasir Shah
11-Mohammad Asif/Asghar (depending on pitch and condition)

I reckon this test team can be one of the best ones in the world !!!

 

[Hamza_]

1-Sami Aslam
2-Azhar Ali
3-Babar Azam
4-Haris sohail
5-Asad shafiq
6-Usman Salahuddin/Saud shakeel
7-Sarfaraz Ahmed
8-Mohammed Amir
9-Wahab Riaz
10-Yasir Shah
11-Mohammad Asif/Asghar (depending on pitch and condition)

I reckon this test team can be one of the best ones in the world !!!

Younis Khan and Misbah have ageing reflexes and they are playing due to grit and willingness. But everyone has to step down one day and this I think should be the last tour for the both veteran players. Haris Sohail and Sharjeel should come in the with Shafiq moving up at #5.

Sami Aslam
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam
Haris Sohail
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz Ahmed
Sharjeel Khan
Mohammad Amir
Wahab
Yasir Shah
Asghar/Ehsan Adil

 

[mz123]

Younis Khan and Misbah have ageing reflexes and they are playing due to grit and willingness. But everyone has to step down one day and this I think should be the last tour for the both veteran players. Haris Sohail and Sharjeel should come in the with Shafiq moving up at #5.

Sami Aslam
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam
Haris Sohail
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz Ahmed
Sharjeel Khan
Mohammad Amir
Wahab
Yasir Shah
Asghar/Ehsan Adil

hmm, sharjeel at 6 is not a bad idea....

 

[Abdullah719]

In response to OP, yes. But both openers can't play in the same manner whereby we score 10 runs in the first 15 overs.

Still an upgrade on the likes of Hafeez who would get out, and quickly.

 

[Bewal Express]

Seeing off the new ball is not a problem. It's actually a very job given Pakistani batting. Problem is not trying to score after you have seen off the new ball and batting is lot easier. If you don't score much then 2nd new ball comes without having a decent total.

So I would play him for sure for Pakistan for seeing off the new ball. He does a very good job for that. He needs to improve on scoring after seeing off the new ball. Also, you need to compare him with alternative.

I Agree seeing off the new ball is important on wickets that do a bit or your up against good bowlers, but on flat wickets it's actually easier to score against the new ball. The other problem is that when you have seen off the new ball and still don't do anything you put your team under immense pressure, as after 70 overs you will only have 170 on the board and the new ball looming. There has to be balance and Sami has yet to find it.

 

[Haz95]

Sharjeel in whites is not gonna be what people are expecting...Sehwag and Warner are exceptions rather than the norm- the more common example of batsmen like Sharjeel playing tests would be to have a look (better) batsmen like Hales or Guptill who too have failed in whites. Sami is a gem of a player and has played innings away which some Pakistani 'legends' have yet to do, dropping him for a flat track bully suited to modern day ODIs woud be a recipe for a disaster.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

I ll be more than happy if he plays the way he played in Edgbaston Test first innings. I will take his 75+ at a SR of 45 plus outside Asia against AUS, SA, NZ & ENG.

If he can play Edgbaston like innings than we will have a great chance to win. InshaAllah.

 

[Wasim_Waqar]

I question the aptitude of anyone that questions Sami Aslam's place in the team and his ability.

 

[Hasan123]

His position in the team is safe, should be kept away from the odi team though.

 

[Bewal Express]

I ll be more than happy if he plays the way he played in Edgbaston Test first innings. I will take his 75+ at a SR of 45 plus outside Asia against AUS, SA, NZ & ENG.

If he can play Edgbaston like innings than we will have a great chance to win. InshaAllah.

Agreed, he looked very good.

 

[Rana]

Sami Aslam's pointless defensive approach

If he's going to be detrimental in Pakistan's efforts to generate any momentum on such flat pancakes, also not even attempting to rotate the strike then I'm not even sure where Pakistan is going with this guy! Needs to show a lot more intent out there because this approach is absolutely pointless. He got out after an age with Pakistan only 18-1, like seriously?

 

[Syed1]

Bhai he is a night watchman just like his mentor and hero Azhar Ali, expect innings like these anything more should be taken as a bonus

 

[LordJames]

It's a Test Match and he blunted the ball. Did his job and unfortunately got out

 

[AlphaFighter]

The oppositions dream, just like Misbah. Keeping Sharjeel on the bench is a cowardly defensive move but that is Misbah ul Haq for you

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Bhai he is a night watchman just like his mentor and hero Azhar Ali, expect innings like these anything more should be taken as a bonus

Your hate for Azhar is OTT.

 

[Rana]

It's a Test Match and he blunted the ball. Did his job and unfortunately got out

Bro tell me one legendary blunter of the ball? No HOF opener is known simply for blunting the ball, they all look to score runs where runs are on offer.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Bhai he is a night watchman just like his mentor and hero Azhar Ali, expect innings like these anything more should be taken as a bonus

Nah, Azhar is a far better batsman.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Sami knows where his offstump is and that's it. No stroke game.

 

[LordJames]

Bro tell me one legendary blunter of the ball? No HOF opener is known simply for blunting the ball, they all look to score runs where runs are on offer.

He is doing his job unlike Hafeez and Shan Masood etc and knows where his offstump is against pacers.

1) Strike Rotation is a problem
2) Release shot is a problem

But he is a classical Test Opener. Basics are right for a Coach to work with

 

[Sin Nombre]

He is certainly not an opener for modern day cricket outside the UAE.

 

[Bewal Express]

Sami hasn't got the balance right between attack and defence. I was criticised earlier for saying that the guy is going backwards, people said wait until he bats on flat wicket and today in perfect batting conditions he struggled, the guy just looks scared.

 

[LordJames]

He is certainly not an opener for modern day cricket outside the UAE.

And who in the Sqaud will you replace him with? Sharjeel? Do you think he is a Test Opener?

 

[Hasan123]

Bhai he is a night watchman just like his mentor and hero Azhar Ali, expect innings like these anything more should be taken as a bonus

The funny thing is you want Salahudin to replace Misbah or Younis when they retire when his strike rate is 44 at domestic level. That is vs some poor bowlers. Don't expect it to improve at international level.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Failure in the 2nd innings and Sharjeel comes in.

 

[Rana]

And who in the Sqaud will you replace him with? Sharjeel? Do you think he is a Test Opener?

Who ever thought Sehwag would end up being one of the best openers with his static technique?

 

[Mamoon]

He will go absolutely nowhere with this approach. Now wait for the usual suspects to pop out with their condescending rubbish and repeat the same generic dialogues 'you don't understand Test cricket', 'stick to T20s' bla bla bla etc., which is ironic because they are the one's who don't understand the game.

Sami has plenty of ability as a Test opener - he is equipped to survive the new ball - a rare quality in Pakistan, but this is a game of character, heartless cowards cannot survive.

 

[LordJames]

Who ever thought Sehwag would end up being one of the best openers with his static technique?

Sharjeel is no Sehwag or Warner

 

[Rana]

Azhar does not look convincing at all either out there

 

[Rana]

Sharjeel is no Sehwag or Warner

Lol Warner was no one because he was drafted right into the side before he even played a single domestic game! You can only know who is who once you give them a chance to show themselves

 

[LordJames]

Sami has got the ability and Technique for a Test Opener.


It will be wrong to drop him.

I agree that improvements need to be made.

 

[Bewal Express]

Sami has got the ability and Technique for a Test Opener.


It will be wrong to drop him.

I agree that improvements need to be made.

I have discussed his technical defencies before but the simple one to correct is too much croaching, he needs to stay more upright.

 

[RehanG]

Should be dropped next time for Sharjeel, dont see him making any runs in next innings either.

 

[Pete Rose]

I don't think he should be dropped at all.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

He should be dropped for Sharjeel because the latter can slog.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

I just don't see how he's going to score runs. He's leaving and blocking every ball hoping for overpitched deliveries right in his zone. Nothing's going to happen like that.

Australia will come at him even harder 2nd innings.

 

[Syed1]

Sami and Sharjeel are the two extremes of batsmanship. Can't we find someone in the middle? Someone who can actually bat and score runs and defend when needed?

 

[Dr_Bassim]

This is my point exactly.

Sami is a limited batsmen, accepted,but at least he's young and can develop his strokes. Even if he can't, he can survive the new ball.

Sharjeel is the opposite polarity. The most he can survive is 30 balls and score 30-40 odd runs. In Test Cricket that is not good enough unless you are Virender Sehwag, and Sharjeel doesn't have that sort of defense or technique to pile up triple centuries in test.

The desperation stems from the fact that Sami is so limited that people are accepting a slogger over the limited batsmen.

I still think Sami is worse off the two evils.

But Pakistan should be on the lookout for a better opener than Sami at the moment.

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

His job is not to just see off the new ball, so no I wouldn't have him in the team for that.

At the end of the day, runs matter. If he's not scoring any, then he should be dropped. At the moment, he's averaging 15 from 3 innings at a s/r of 25.

That's just poor by any standards. If he can't do anything in the second innings, he should make way for Sharjeel, since he seems to be the only option we have in the squad.

 

[JibranAnsari]

Be patient guys , He needs some time. Only three paksitani batsmen were able to score a 50 in NZ and he was one of them. It will take him some time but will soon be good enough at test level. We don't want that musical chair again.

 

[Square Drive]

Fantastic prospect and he's been scoring.

Played in England, NZ, and now Australia and if he does put up a couple of 70+ scores this series, he's undroppable in my view.

Keep in mind that Sharjeel just barely made a spot in the LOI sides his own.

Sami is here to stay.

 

[New Yorker]

His job is not to just see off the new ball, so no I wouldn't have him in the team for that.

At the end of the day, runs matter. If he's not scoring any, then he should be dropped. At the moment, he's averaging 15 from 3 innings at a s/r of 25.

That's just poor by any standards. If he can't do anything in the second innings, he should make way for Sharjeel, since he seems to be the only option we have in the squad.

Doesn't compute at all.

You replace Aslam with another player if you think a. Aslam has failed over his *career* as an opener b. The other player will do a better job c. The other player is a better long term prospect.

None of these are true.

 

[yasir]

I have been watching test cricket for 30 years, never seen an opener who is so good at seeing off new ball, which has been our biggest problem in all those years when playing in west... We want to go back to the middle of 20/2 in 10 overs?? - we use to loose the test match within 15 overs...

Azhar and Sami are giving us chance to play long innings, 120+ overs, Expecting Sharjeel to be a Warner in Australia is pipe dream, come on PPers can do better than that

If Younis and Misbah cannot capitalize in 40th over against Birth who bowls barely at 130, problem is with them not Sami. Sami and Azhar blunting Strac and HW is our best chance, don't compare our openers to westerner, even than they both are better at blunting new ball than any other pair, what exactly is wrong with that ???

 

[shaz619]

I have been watching test cricket for 30 years, never seen an opener who is so good at seeing off new ball, which has been our biggest problem in all those years when playing in west... We want to go back to the middle of 20/2 in 10 overs?? - we use to loose the test match within 15 overs...

Azhar and Sami are giving us chance to play long innings, 120+ overs, Expecting Sharjeel to be a Warner in Australia is pipe dream, come on PPers can do better than that ������

If Younis and Misbah cannot capitalize in 40th over against Birth who bowls barely at 130, problem is with them not Sami. Sami and Azhar blunting Strac and HW is our best chance, don't compare our openers to westerner, even than they both are better at blunting new ball than any other pair, what exactly is wrong with that ??? ������

I agree with that, Sami deserves a long rope; he's young and has time on his hand to develop a variety of attacking strokes. It is arguable that the toughest art for an opener in particular is leaving well, knowing your off stump and blunting the new ball; in that regard Sami has done half the job already. He has also displayed enough potential for us to further invest in him, bare in mind that he's been blooded in at a time where we've had our toughest tours in years! when Azhar/Shafiq were invested in they had the luxury of honing their craft in the UAE; sure you learn/evolve playing in a variety of conditions but in the early stages of ones development home comfort is ideal for your initial exposure at the Test Level.

 

[saeedhk]

Seeing off the new ball will take you nowhere. Scoring runs are essential in today's test cricket. Yes, Aslam can see off the new ball but he is a very petrified batsman who struggles to score runs. Aslam is just not brave enough to succeed at the top level. I would boot him out of the team.

 

[Syed1]

I have been watching test cricket for 30 years, never seen an opener who is so good at seeing off new ball, which has been our biggest problem in all those years when playing in west... We want to go back to the middle of 20/2 in 10 overs?? - we use to loose the test match within 15 overs...

Azhar and Sami are giving us chance to play long innings, 120+ overs, Expecting Sharjeel to be a Warner in Australia is pipe dream, come on PPers can do better than that

If Younis and Misbah cannot capitalize in 40th over against Birth who bowls barely at 130, problem is with them not Sami. Sami and Azhar blunting Strac and HW is our best chance, don't compare our openers to westerner, even than they both are better at blunting new ball than any other pair, what exactly is wrong with that ???

What good is all that blunting when you get out for a single digit score?

Surely scoring runs is the only way to win a match. Never seen a team win a match just by blunting the ball.