"You can say that breaking the opening partnership with Babar Azam has caused some damage": Mohammad Rizwan

[MenInG]

Reading (and deleting) some of the posts here, I do wonder how people conduct themselves in real lives!

Don't worry, no answer is needed for this.

 

[Cric1234]

They have opened in two tournaments and Pakistan ended up in the semifinal and final. They are respectable outcomes.

That also shows us that the real problem with the team lies elsewhere. Pakistan has a weak middle & lower-order and breaking up this opening pair doesn’t make it stronger because Rizwan cannot bat in the middle-order either and Babar batting at 3 doesn’t solve the middle & lower-order crisis.

A total failure in the group stages from them a lucky escape it’s just made things worse.

The same problems will surface this time around and this time luck won’t favour Pakistan so much unless there’s some good performance from Babar Rizwan Fakhar and Iftikhar the more experienced players.

Apart from the odd good match from Fakhar it’s looking unlikely the more experienced players will win matches for Pakistan and that is what matters ultimately.

 

[Markhor]

They have opened in two tournaments and Pakistan ended up in the semifinal and final. They are respectable outcomes.

That also shows us that the real problem with the team lies elsewhere. Pakistan has a weak middle & lower-order and breaking up this opening pair doesn’t make it stronger because Rizwan cannot bat in the middle-order either and Babar batting at 3 doesn’t solve the middle & lower-order crisis.

Correlation is not causation in the latter case. Babar and Rizwan posted tailender numbers in 2022.

The low scoring game against Zimbabwe was tailor made for their brand of safe accumulation but they bottled it, and left us on the brink of a humiliating exit. Without the twin flukes you referenced at the time, they would've been on the first PIA flight home.

Both Babar and Rizwan did everything in their power to send Pakistan crashing out of the tournament in the group stage.

The only reason they played this semifinal in the first place is because of two flukes: the washout farce between South Africa and Zimbabwe and Netherlands’ fluke win over South Africa.

After a million chances, they were bound to come good at some point, and the New Zealand fielders and bowlers gave them 100% assistance today.

Now this pair’s arrogance will shoot up again and they will act as if they did a huge ahsaan on the nation by performing today.

Now our points of agreement. Saim Ayub had ample opportunities and has nobody to blame but himself.

I concur with your previous stance quoted below just after that tournament which is adopt a formula of two attacking openers followed by Babar and Rizwan as the backstops in case of early wickets. Alternatively we have one of Babar and Rizwan open with the other shoring up the awful middle order.

I would open with Haris and Fakhar in the next T20I series. If Fakhar is not fit, I would open with Haider.

Get two attacking openers and ask them not to worry about getting out, just go out there and take advantage of the PP. No average and ranking flexing allowed.

Have Babar and Rizwan at 3 and 4, and if they think they are the best in the business they should be able to consolidate if Pakistan finds itself two down early on.

Teach Babar and Rizwan a lesson. Unfortunately, it won’t happen because in our minds, Babar and Rizwan is the greatest combo in history.

The failure of Saim Ayub doesn't invalidate the criticisms the Babar-Rizwan pair received.

Of the openers with the highest T20I SRs from the top 10 ICC ranked teams since Jan 1st 2020 (min. 10 innings) - Babar and Rizwan rank 26th and 28th in the list. The solution to the failure of one aggressive opener is to replace him with another - not tear up the template. But what to expect from a captain as confused and visionless as Babar Azam who cannot build a coherent team even after 5 years of complete authority.

 

[shaz619]

147 is an excellent SR.

Who is Will Jack’s equivalent in Pakistan who has not been selected?

If they picked players purely on averages he wouldn’t make the side. The culture here from the grass root level is completely different and you will find 360 players in most big county city’s, but for them to enact their plan to set the bar for modern batting, they look more at the team needs, flexibility/utility and the numbers are not used out of context or as the be and end all like in the past.

 

[shaz619]

Yes there was no problem with our openers in the 2022 wc because we played a Final

Pak were fortunate to make it out the group stages thanks to Mo. Harris.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

In an Interview former Pakistan cricketer Imran Nazir picked Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan as his opening duo of the Men in Green for the T20 World Cup 2024, he said:

"We can only talk about the players from the 15-man squad, not those who are already out. If I talk about Fakhar [Zaman], I think he is one of those batters [for opening]."

"If you cannot set the tune [of the match] in the first six overs, neither you can chase the target, nor you can score a big total. For a long time, we have the same players opening the innings, Saim [Ayub] got the chance but he could not do much. I would go with Fakhar opening the innings alongside Rizwan and Babar would come at number three."

 

[emranabbas]

 

[mominsaigol]

View attachment 144587

So basically these 2 average 50 for 2 wickets in 9 overs .

 

[shah_1]

His statement undermined the captain and coach at that time. Players need to adopt instead of crying

 

[BouncerGuy]

No other [artnership has worked so far. I'm not saying that they should carry on opening but If you have Saim as an opener who proved to be a bits-and-pieces player, then I will gladly take Babar/rizwan as an opener.

 

[Rana]

@Ahmed216

Kaptaana deserves credit for Saim’s development????!

 

[Rana]

Question to Mohammad Rizwan about whether breaking up the Babar-Rizwan opening partnership in T20Is has caused damage

"You can say that this has caused some damage, and you will see a few more of such cases"

The people of Pakistan are wondering why we broke something which was working fine

"People may not like what they are seeing about breaking up this opening partnership

@mominsaigol
@topspin
@Dr_Bassim
@emranabbas
@TheSultan
@CerebralPatriot
@Ali Active
@shaz619

Remind me, how much credit does Rizwan deserve for Saim’s development?

 

[mominsaigol]

@mominsaigol
@topspin
@Dr_Bassim
@emranabbas
@TheSultan
@CerebralPatriot
@Ali Active
@shaz619

Remind me, how much credit does Rizwan deserve for Saim’s development?

None

 

[TheSultan]

@mominsaigol
@topspin
@Dr_Bassim
@emranabbas
@TheSultan
@CerebralPatriot
@Ali Active
@shaz619

Remind me, how much credit does Rizwan deserve for Saim’s development?

All I see is an anda

 

[topspin]

@mominsaigol
@topspin
@Dr_Bassim
@emranabbas
@TheSultan
@CerebralPatriot
@Ali Active
@shaz619

Remind me, how much credit does Rizwan deserve for Saim’s development?

Rizwan fans are a special bunch. Masking his failures by crediting him for the success story of another player.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Rizwan should not open and that is something the whole world is saying. Not sure why PCB management is so keen to let him open again and again.

Rizbabar is done now. Saim is there, let him open with whoever but riz