Rana
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Who? I thought you didn’t consider me Muslim but your obviously not in your senses are you?
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Contact the PP Team
"You can say that breaking the opening partnership with Babar Azam has caused some damage": Mohammad Rizwan
- Thread starter MenInG
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What surely this is a joke. Siraj better than waqar. Even sensible Indians who believe that. Brings me to my point again these same posters bend over backwards to please their Indian masters. Here is a prime example if true.
CerebralPatriot
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Zeehan Ashraf and Mohammad Aklhaq should never be compared to Rizwan
You cannot compare two decent domestic batsmen with a legside hack who in a fair world wouldn’t even make it to the Waziristan U19 second XI
You cannot compare two decent domestic batsmen with a legside hack who in a fair world wouldn’t even make it to the Waziristan U19 second XI
But he will make the Karachi 11 and be their greatest wk of all time.
Rana
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Hun Das @PakEngFan the OG of Karachi is here now
topspin
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After the PSL final, you retracted this and acknowledged that Imad proved you wrong.
Now that you've gone back to square one, you've just proven that you always had anti-Imad agenda but were hiding it because you couldn't handle the backlash.
He started running to mods last time when I put him in his place. Since than he has stopped engaging in a discussion.
topspin
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What do you think of Imran Nazir as a batsman?
I said Imad deserved to be picked ahead of him because he performed. Imad performed and is rightfully selected. I believe Abdullah shafique is miles ahead of Usman Khan as a batsmen but because Usman Khan performed he deserves his chance.
Would have been a great t20 batsmen.
Rana
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Naa you don’t really believe that do you?
Are you ok?
topspin
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I agree. So the point is you have to be careful when it comes to relying on just stats. Imran Nazir didn't have the best stats but you could see that he had immense ability when you look at his hundred against Ambrose and Walsh. You need serious ability to play an innings like that. The problem was he was very poorly coached.
Yes but the players in question are bang average for domestic level. They can't even get into PSL teams. You must have seen Kamran akmals keeping these guys make him look the greatest wk of all time.
Rana
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I find it hard to believe you. I think you like anchors as openers.
I have said many times find players with potential and give them a go. Just like I am in favour of Saim. You find another one similar to him. Babar should drop down too.
topspin
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Imam-ul-Haq can't get into a PSL side but I bet you support him playing ODIs.
For me, no one should play for any white ball Pakistan team if they can't get selected for PSL because this is Pakistan's premier white ball competition.
We are talking about t20s not odis and no I am not in favour of Imam he should be replaced by Saim or Abdullah.
Rana
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You don’t like any of my recommendations? You laugh and make fun of my recommendations? How can I convince you?
Right, you won’t accept that I actually want Fakhar and Sharjeel.
You won’t accept that I will compromise on Saud and Sahibzada just so you can’t say they are over the hill.
Well, you want youngsters with Saim like Potential? Now let’s see you laugh at me when I say Ammad Alam and Khwaja Nafay… You probably hate them because they are from Karachi.
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I was in favour of ammad alam getting a go against NZ when we played in earlier. I like him but I don't think he will succeed. Khawaja nafay has potential but hasn't played much cricket.
Sharjeel is a ttf and a fixer. Fakhar was given a million chances at opening and flopped. You cry about rizwan having 3.
topspin
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If you've watched cricket long enough, you would know that it's widely accepted that ODIs have become an extension of 20 over cricket in recent times, so the fundamentals are very much the same.
I'm not saying that any ODI prospect should be judged merely by PSL but if they are to considered as a prospect in ODIs and/or T20Is, they should be able to nail down a spot in Pakistan's premier white ball tournament, PSL. If they can't do that, they'll never be good enough to play in any white ball format at international level.
Rana
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You asked for Saim like potential…I gave you names…now you say you like them but they won’t succeed
Why this pointless exercise?
Ammad is good but no way near Saim level same with Khawaja nafay. Saim has performed in all formats in domestic none of these guys have.
But according to you early you haven't seen enough of zeeshan Malik to comment to know whether he's better than rizwan or not. Now you are saying if they can't get into PSL they won't be good enough. So which one is it?
mominsaigol
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No babar is thinking more so along the lines of
Opening yummy, opening milestone gimmie gimmie
mominsaigol
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Abdullah Shafiq is miles ahead of usman khan as a batsmen? In which planet are you living in?
Wake me up when Usman Khan gets selected for a test squad let alone play some of the knocks which Abdullah has played.
mominsaigol
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This is the same board that claimed saim ayub isn't allowed in the odi world cup team because he's inexperienced yet allowed Abdullah a dude who has even less List A experience only 7 to play A WORLD CUP.
Abdullah had barely any test or list A experience, he was drafted in because Babar admired his technique and he's a part of the friend group
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I think we should be talking about Rizwan and Babar's opening stuff. These Abdullah and Imam chat is gonna derail the whole thing.
Has Usman been picked yet. If not wake me up when he does.
Rana
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Typical Zalmi agenda at it again.
mominsaigol
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Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH
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Azhar Mahmood has said they will try out different combos so lets see what happens weather permitting.
Dr_Bassim
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All the combos will have Rizwan and Babar playing so that they can thrash this miserable NZ C side with fans going goo goo gaa gaa.
Rana
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The combo is basically 1 different opener, and Babar+Rizwan at 2 and 3.
Those two will bat in top 3 regardless
Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH
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Lets hope for the best.
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Younis Khan speaking to reporters:
"Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, need to shift to the next gear when batting.
With the kind of shots which have been introduced and the ways powerplays are getting utilized, there is a lot of encouragement for batters to score a lot of runs, so it is the responsibility of the players to play aggressively and make maximum out of it.
The middle part of the innings in T20 is crucial where you have to score 8 to 9 runs in an over because in this phase if you lose the momentum of scoring runs then you have to cover up in the last overs.
If you maintain a run rate of 10 runs per over, then only can you achieve a target of 200 runs.
Sometimes I see players not stepping out of their comfort zone; they want to play in the same position they've been playing for a while. We were very flexible during our time, playing at any number as per the team's requirements.
I think every senior player should assist the captain; don't leave everything on one person's shoulders.
"Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, need to shift to the next gear when batting.
With the kind of shots which have been introduced and the ways powerplays are getting utilized, there is a lot of encouragement for batters to score a lot of runs, so it is the responsibility of the players to play aggressively and make maximum out of it.
The middle part of the innings in T20 is crucial where you have to score 8 to 9 runs in an over because in this phase if you lose the momentum of scoring runs then you have to cover up in the last overs.
If you maintain a run rate of 10 runs per over, then only can you achieve a target of 200 runs.
Sometimes I see players not stepping out of their comfort zone; they want to play in the same position they've been playing for a while. We were very flexible during our time, playing at any number as per the team's requirements.
I think every senior player should assist the captain; don't leave everything on one person's shoulders.
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RidiculousMan
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Every single word is spot on.
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pakistani pride
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YK is right, but he was a terrible white ball bat. Cost us 2 WCs (2007 final and mohali).
Never understood how he played so many games.
Never understood how he played so many games.
big_gamer007
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Easier said than done.
Insecurity with your position in team, selfish playing culture, 25+ years of bad coaching habits imbibed in your mind etc takes a lot of effort and support to get over.
It should start with PCB to create a healthy environment so players can express and not be shy of failures, only then will the players be willing to take risks.
Most fans on these forums haven’t played competitive sports at any level so they don’t understand these basic challenges which sportsmen face and are quick to blame the players. The players do deserve slack sometimes, but in countries like Pakistan the problems starts right at the top.
Mamoon
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It has had no positive effect for sure. If it did, we would have seen that 15 T20Is later.
Saim Ayub has a worse SR than Rizwan and he isn’t even close to him in terms of scoring runs.
Babar and Rizwan combo have its drawbacks and they are not perfect, but they are the best we have, they have proved to be the most successful opening pair ever for Pakistan in this format and Pakistan is a stronger team with them opening.
Their partnership vs India in the 2021 World Cup is the best thing any opening pair has ever done for Pakistan in this format.
One track mind fans cannot run away from these facts forever.
My recommendation would be that they should be reinstated as openers with immediate effect and Saim should be pushed to number 3.
15 T20Is were more than enough for Saim to prove his worth at the top of the order and he failed. You have to grab your opportunities quickly or the train will pass.
When Rizwan was promoted as opener for the first time in New Zealand few years ago, he didn’t wait 15 games to prove himself. He immediately performed and cemented his position. He didn’t give the captain and the coach the opportunity to reconsider and revisit their decision.
If Saim gets demoted, and the chances of that happening are considerable, he will only have himself to blame because he got a free run at the spot and he did nothing.
Saim Ayub has a worse SR than Rizwan and he isn’t even close to him in terms of scoring runs.
Babar and Rizwan combo have its drawbacks and they are not perfect, but they are the best we have, they have proved to be the most successful opening pair ever for Pakistan in this format and Pakistan is a stronger team with them opening.
Their partnership vs India in the 2021 World Cup is the best thing any opening pair has ever done for Pakistan in this format.
One track mind fans cannot run away from these facts forever.
My recommendation would be that they should be reinstated as openers with immediate effect and Saim should be pushed to number 3.
15 T20Is were more than enough for Saim to prove his worth at the top of the order and he failed. You have to grab your opportunities quickly or the train will pass.
When Rizwan was promoted as opener for the first time in New Zealand few years ago, he didn’t wait 15 games to prove himself. He immediately performed and cemented his position. He didn’t give the captain and the coach the opportunity to reconsider and revisit their decision.
If Saim gets demoted, and the chances of that happening are considerable, he will only have himself to blame because he got a free run at the spot and he did nothing.
mominsaigol
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Bro, while you have a point on some cases. You lose all credibility when you claim people have a ONE TRACK MIND.
Have you seen yours? Remember our 2023 vs 2019 wc argument?
You got stomped numerous times on why 2019 team is genuinely superior to 2023 team, infact you yourself admitted babar and imam 2023 versions are inferior to 2019 version due to form. Most of your arguments weren't even on topic, they were just cry baby faces and off topic arguments such as
Who asked 2018 Pakistan to lose to this and that, which is irrelevant to 2019 wc performance vs 2023 wc performance. Some of your arguments were nonsensical like
2023 team was better then 2019 team bit it wasnt better due to abrar not being included due to ego and babar and imam loaing form but have skills and they proved their skills bia losing form.
^^ Read your arhument and tell me how nonsensical it is.
The fact remains you argue 99% of the time based of personal feelings and likes and dislikes which is the cause of people having one track minds.
Alot of people have one track minds and you're one of them.
Saim may have been poor, but their are other options such as saud shakeel who's done miles better then rizwan at opening and could be given a run over rizzu since he has the same accumulative feel except he's superior on six hitting and taking singles and doubles.
Babar and rizwan since 2022 have been consistently poor. Their avg has dropped, in babar's case by 8 points. If he has another poor cup, it'll drop even further to 37-39. Rizwan is in the same boat with sr dropping at rapid rates and avg also dropping.
Ba/riz have genuinely been poor at opening for 2 years now, Babar has been a better no 3 ironically as shown in January. Your best course of action is to keep looking for new blood at opening with babar at no 3. Rizwan can come back to opening ONLY IF HE IMPROVES, which he hasn't been since 2 years now.
Usman Chadda
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Saud Shakeel in PSL9 - Ave 35.88 at 141.66 SR
Babar Azam in PSL9 - Ave 56.90 at 142.6 SR
Saud Shakeel is a good option for opening the batting, while Babar has been poor?
Rizwan had an average PSL9, that’s true.
I would agree with the premise you present, but then you go and promote an average player who was exposed horribly at international level in his last series.
Then, you are accusing other posters of having likes and dislikes lol
Rana
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Saud’s average and SR went down due to some games where he failed to fire. Generally, I thought he was the best left handed opener in the PSL.
Babar’s balls per six ratio: 33 balls
Saud’s balls per six ratio: 15
*Saud played 150 odd lesser deliveries than Babar and hit 3 more sixes than him. He is clearly a much bigger risk taker. Some of Saud’s sixes against pace were sublime. This was his first PSL as a player too. Babar has been on the job for many years and still hasn’t learned the art of T20 batting, that too as an opener.
Usman Chadda
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Despite Saud's balls per six ratio, his SR is below Babar at a much inferior average and not much consistency. Also, keep in mind he had one of the best ball strikers in LOI cricket in Jason Roy beside him, while Babar was sandwiched between Saim and Haris, who just weren't scoring consistently.
This is the issue with one track minds, it's all about sixes. Saud's balls per six ratio would stand out if his SR would be above 160-170, but for him to still end up with an inferior strike-rate to Babar means he is playing more dot balls in comparison to Babar.
Travis Head's balls per six ratio is less than Heinrich Klassen, yet he is considered the most dangerous out of Klassen, Abhishek Sharma and himself. Please pull out the statistics and you will find the same.
mominsaigol
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I was comparing saud to rizwan, rizwan's avg is 33 In psl and 122 SR. In his last NZ series his sr was 110. Saud to replace rizwan, not Babar.
Bro, Saud having a bad Australian series doesn't invalidate psl, nor does it invalidate his 200 he made against Sri Lanka or his performances in odi warm up world cup games despite batting out of position. Granted saud didn't replicate his warmup performance in the wc when we were in group stages.
I'm tired of explaining to everyone that having a bad series does not mean EXPOSED.
Exposed is what happens to babar everytime he plays spin and has to face hasaranga, Rashid, Mujeeb, Kuldeep etc etc.
mominsaigol
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The person I advocated to replace Babar was Abdullah shafiq and the person to replace rizwan, Saud shakeel. Don't get the 2 mixed up.
Abdullah in his first year already has a tournament 100 and a test 200, while Babar took 4 years deapite playing ct 2017 and asia cup, he dodnt get his first wc 100 until NZ. Afterwards he still hasn't scored a test 200.
Abdullah also had better technique, timing, footwork and he was the one who broke the streak of lack of six hitting in first 10 overs of which Pakistan hadn't done so in 60 odi games, and he also doesn't struggle against spin.
Lastly unlike Babar who has made it clear in multiple interviews he's only going to play as a t20 anchorer and a t20 opener,
Abdullah has
A) Made it clear that he wants to improve SR. By now batting at sr of 99 in List A as well as improving his Sr in t20 from 120 to 135 and constantly learning new skills and the ability to hit 6.
B) Abdullah is also happy to bat anywhere from 1 -4 unlike babar who wants to block pathways.
Babar is superior currently but Abdullah is far far superior in his first year then babar was in 2016-2017 during his debut, Bobby was lucky to face WI, otherwise Abdullah had he had a series against Sri lanka you'd be seeing a century galore as he's proven that in test against them.
The fact of the matter Is Abdullah in his first year is already closing the gap with current babar despite having far less opportunities to represent hinself.
His positivity, willingness to bat at no 3, and willingness to improve sr and 6 hits based of interviews makes him 10x better then babar and a better prospect to invest in.
As for saud, Saud replaces Rizwan, not Babar.
emranabbas
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I disagree. Sarfaraz actually has a significantly better win/loss ratio than Babar; he's far ahead in that aspect. Back then, we had many key players like Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Sharjeel Khan, Fakhar Zaman, and Sarfaraz, contributing to a team effort. Today, the focus seems to be primarily on Rizwan and Babar. It appears that Babar and Rizwan are striving hard to be seen as superstars, but they don't quite fit the bill. Moreover, it seems that only those who agree with them stay on the team.
Many fans aren't concerned with Babar and Rizwan's status; they just want Pakistan to win. However, these two are becoming significant hurdles for the team's success.
iPakistani
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Yeah Abdullah is closing the gap with Babar, a 24 year old Abdullah that averages 44 in test 34 in ODIs and 12 in T20s. The same guy that was barely getting picked by Lahore is closing the gap with Babar.
Babar at the same age of 24 had 10 centuries in ODIs alone, Abdullah has 12 in every single format combined, domestic AND international. Babar went and won a PSL singlehandedly for the worst franchise, winning Man of the tournament and Man of the match in the final.
It's one thing comparing technique shafique but it's ludicrous insinuating Abdullah's anywhere close to him.
mominsaigol
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It isn't ludicrous. Babar has gotten exposed and his so called hype died down as soon as he faced quality oppositions.
4 of those centuries were against West Indies aka the same opposition. Ik Zimbabwe amd a few minnows are in those 10.
iPakistani
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Why don't you paint the full picture?
13 series for Sarfaraz as captain:
1 T20 vs England away.
WI in UAE
WI away
World XI in Pak?
SL at home
New Zealand away
WI at home
Scotland away
Zimbabwe, Aus Tri series
Australia in UAE
NZ in UAE
1 T20 vs England away
Sri Lanka at home
8 series with minnows, 1 credible win away from home vs NZ.
Playing a bunch of C teams at home and beating them doesn't mean anything. That team was rubbish and if there was a WT20 at that time it would've shown us our true colours.
Babar 58% win percentage is actually credible since it's double the amount of series played, including a WT20 Semi, WT20 final and an Asia cup final. And if that's come from Pakistan relying on 2 players only then it just elevates their 'greatness' in the T20 format.
iPakistani
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Oh and which of Abdullah's hundreds came against great opposition on good pitches? A 200 and 160 vs the mighty Sri Lanka? Or are you going to count the centuries vs Eng and Aus on Rawalpindi highway?
Babar exposed or are you just deflecting? Abdullah's first 2 years, average 46, Abdullah last 2 years, average 31.
emranabbas
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Don't make me list all the top teams that thought it's not even worth sending a full strength team vs babars team I don't see anything more insulting than that.
Gosh even last series newzealand sent their boys
That's the level babar has taken then the pakistan team down
mominsaigol
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Abdullah has 7 List A's to his name before he was rapidly shoved into a WC last minute.
Babar had numerous years ro practise in under 19 and even them after all this time he's just achieved mediocrity.
Infact he's so medicore that afridi even called babar medicore and claimed that Babar who's close to 30 and has been playing for 7+ years now needs 3 to 3.5 years to develop.
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Babar Azam is not going anywhere.
We seem to be inventing new people to replace him every other day.
First it was Saim Ayub, then it was Azam Khan and list goes on.
mominsaigol
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2 Words: champions trophy.
Babar will now be captaining for 3.5 more years according to shahid afridi. Meaning he has toll 2027 or 2028 to win.
Babar in 4 years hasn't won Jack so he doesn't compare to sarfraz, YK or Imran Khan.
These 3 captains in terms of captaincy will always be superior to him by this metric alone. Infact the sad thing, Misbah and Babar had way way more opportunities to win cups then these 3 because they captained longer.
Misbah for 4 years and babar has also reached his 4th year. According to afridi he'll reach his 7th year in 2027 while The rest of the captains had barely any time. In sarfi's case it took him less then a year to win and he captained for only 3 years.
IK captained alot but he didn't exactly have that many tournaments, IK never had the luxury of t20 tournaments or champions trophy or The upcoming Olympics.
Younis Khan didn't even captain a year and he already has a trophy.
mominsaigol
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Ofcourse he's not going anywhere, pcb is more corrupt then any board in history. Babar gets rewarded with cupcakes, all that's left is a hello kitty song for him and everyone is set.
cricketmania22
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I’m not sure how someone who average 46 in tests and 58 in ODIs can be so mediocre?
Mamoon
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Not this crapola again.
If Babar and Rizwan opening combo was the problem, we would have seen the positive outcomes of them not opening together in the last 15-16 matches.
One track mind fans kept moaning about how this pair is holding the team back and what not, but what did the team achieve by breaking up this pair? Or are we going to run off for some other excuse now?
The last 15-16 matches (and it is not a small sample by any means) has dispelled the myth that the Babar-Rizwan opening partnership was a hurdle towards success.
Furthermore, what does 2019 vs 2023 has anything to do with this discussion? What is the point of going off-topic? I’m happy to discuss that in a separate thread but I don’t see the point of bringing that up in this discourse.
Are we running out of material to support our failed theory that the Babar-Rizwan partnership was holding the team back? They haven’t opened for 16 matches, so what is holding the team back now?
Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH
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YK is stating the obvious but overs 7-15 in the middle phase is costing us with the bat.
Better running between the wickets and scoring is needed otherwise we leave our self to much to do at the end.
Better running between the wickets and scoring is needed otherwise we leave our self to much to do at the end.
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Who said Azam Khan will replace Babar? That would be the most ridiculous suggestion of all time. But thats strawman. Babar should not be an opener, thats a fact but replacing him with a much worse Rizwan is criminal, it should be Usman Khan or Fakhar from the current squad.
Rana
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At least Saim was doing his best to get Pakistan to a proper score
ask_analyse_act
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Exactly and their taking pride in their perfrormances and saying that no team sends B or C team and it is against their first class.. NZL entire lineup of 11 was in IPL and they sent a team with Michael Bracewell as captain..Don't make me list all the top teams that thought it's not even worth sending a full strength team vs babars team I don't see anything more insulting than that.
Gosh even last series newzealand sent their boys
That's the level babar has taken then the pakistan team down
Ok we can forget it.. whats wrong beating Ireland... scored 180+ and lose with a bowling lineup that is considered to be top class..
ask_analyse_act
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They had players like Agha Salman and Tayyab Tahir but Chacha is been around with his quota box set for every single tour , series and games..
Dr_Bassim
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I don't think them playing together as openers was helping the team either for the last many matches.
They used to play 14 overs for 100 runs and expected 9 other batsmen to plunder 80 off the last 6 when they had reached their slow 50s.
They were obviously improving their stats but Pakistan wasn't really winning games then either.
My point is, Rizwan and Babar obviously don't play T20 the way it's supposed to be played. Why persist with them? If they were winning matches right, left and centre with this timid approach, you could call people out.
But mostly, they were too slow and expecting the bottom half to play at 12 an over to win the game or reach a respectable target.
How is that fair?
Why should they get to bat the way they want, even if they are losing games?
Yes, we havent found the opening combination yet, in 15 matches but why shouldnt we try for another 15 or 20 matches with different players.
Why should we go back to these 2 and lose again as they pad their own scores?
Where does it all end?
What is the final objective of keeping these 2 as openers?
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Usual suspects discussing anything but the topic.
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Mamoon
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Let me make it easy for you.
They are not perfect, but they are the best that we have in these circumstances. Ergo, Pakistan should continue with them.
They won’t open in a World XI, but they are not competing with the best T20 openers in the world for a place in the team. They are competing with other Pakistani openers who are worse than them.
Pakistan is scraping at the bottom of the barrel in terms of talent, and it has a two fold problem: the players that are perceived to be more aggressive and with more intent are actually slower than this pair, and those who do bat a little quicker than them don’t score absolutely any runs whatsoever.
Let’s compare the records as T20I openers of the selfish and slow Babar and Rizwan with the aggressive, dynamic, selfless match winner Fakhar Zaman:
Babar:
Avg 39, SR 131
Rizwan:
Avg 55, SR 130
Fakhar:
Avg 23, SR 136
These numbers clearly indicate that Fakhar is nowhere near as successful or as effective or as impactful as a T20I opener compared to Babar/Rizwan.
For all his so called aggressive play, clean ball striking, intent, selfless play bla bla, his SR is only 6 points greater which is nothing especially when you consider the fact that he is not even at the same ballpark in terms of scoring runs.
These are the uncomfortable facts that people hide from because it doesn’t support their fledging narrative.
Then you have Sharjeel Khan that fans have long vouched for and how Pakistan didn’t take advantage of their most aggressive and dynamic opener and why he should be in the team. Let’s see what we he did as a T20I opener.
Average 22, SR 133
So the aggressive, powerful, dynamic and brutal Sharjeel was as slow as Babar and Rizwan as T20I opener? What conclusion can you derive from this?
We have already seen the likes of Saim Ayub struggle to not only score runs but to score them any quicker than Babar and Rizwan.
I look around PSL and I look around domestic cricket and I don’t see any pair right now that will be an upgrade on Babar and Rizwan.
Delusional fans will vouch for Fakhar and Saim because they have the perception that they are aggressive and have intent, but you open with them and they will score less runs at a similar SR as their respective records show, so what do Pakistan gain?
You think Babar and Rizwan failed as a pair and it is time to look forward. That is fair enough, but then please nominate a pair that you think will do better than them right now. We can rule out Saim and Fakhar based on the stats above.
What have you got?
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On analyzing the 2nd T20I between Ireland and Pakistan, Ramiz Raja, while speaking on his YouTube channel:
"I don't think Saim Ayub gives you security, he shows flashes of brilliance. If you don't score 50 off 30 balls then breaking Rizwan and Babar's opening duo doesn't make any sense."
"I don't think Saim Ayub gives you security, he shows flashes of brilliance. If you don't score 50 off 30 balls then breaking Rizwan and Babar's opening duo doesn't make any sense."
emranabbas
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Brother Mamoon, your points are entirely valid, but they are specifically relevant to ODIs.
In T20, averages hold little significance as it's a fast-paced game driven by high-level strategy, where tactics can shift every two minutes.
Rizwan and Babar's strategy of cautiously settling in for five overs, playing it safe with run-a-ball scores during the powerplay when fielders are within the 30-yard circle, may result in a decent total but ultimately leads to a losing outcome. Transitioning to high-risk cricket after the 10th over, often resulting in quick dismissals, only serves to artificially inflate strike rates and averages without contributing to winning the game.
What T20 demands are batters like Fakhar, Sharjeel, or Saim who can launch into action from the start. A brisk 25 off 15 balls sets a solid foundation in T20 cricket. If eight batsmen can consistently score an average of 25 runs in just two overs each, it could propel us to a score of 200 or more.
With Rizwan and babar adopting a slow-paced approach until the 12th or 13th over, it restricts the remaining seven batsmen to just one over each to make an impact. When Rizwan Babar dominates the majority of the innings, it doesn't benefit Pakistan's overall performance.
However, I must note that there has been a shift in Babar's batting approach of late. If he maintain this style of play, I don't see anyone having an issue with him opening
there's not point looking at overall averages as they don't paint the full picture as there are performances from 8 years included and a lot of changed since then.
here are the up to date averages and strike rates from this year so we can judge by the current form
Consider that we're facing teams like Ireland and New Zealand's secondary squad. It's evident that Babar and Fakhar have enhanced their strike rates, whereas Rizwan persists with his high average and low strike rate.
mominsaigol
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Rizzu is okay as a chaser. Massive liability when Pakistan bats first. As I said Bobby and rizwan will cause Pakistan to lose 100% of its games if they bat first.
We can only win if we set the team to bat first and we chase.
IIRC there was an article on Cricinfo some time back that basically concluded that while Babar and Rizwan pace a chase perfectly while opening, they tend to leave runs on the table while batting first.
I think it makes perfect sense that while batting first, one of them should anchor while you have dashers from the other end. The other anchor should only come in if the first anchor gets out in the first 6 overs.
While chasing, Babar and Rizwan open all the time even if chasing 200+.
I think it makes perfect sense that while batting first, one of them should anchor while you have dashers from the other end. The other anchor should only come in if the first anchor gets out in the first 6 overs.
While chasing, Babar and Rizwan open all the time even if chasing 200+.
Oh bhai sahb - who needs an anchor in a T20. This ain’t a test match.
The concept of an anchor in a t20 is like saying a sprinter needs to conserve his energy in a 100m race
Depends on the pitch. If its a flat pancake like you see in the IPL or England, then the anchor becomes a liability.
But in World tournaments going deep, the pitches increasingly become slower and it becomes hard to hit from the word go. That's where you need your anchors. Every team has at least one. I think its the first time even England might be going in without either Malan or Root.
Fair argument. There are certain players like Root, Kohli, Stokes who can get you through those testing pressure conditions. The other thing these guys have our gears.
The problem is, Rizwan and Babar are useless in testing conditions too. There were some testing conditions in the last t20 World Cup - The india match, bangladesh match and the final where these two miserably failed.
So my point is - you don’t need “anchors”. Yes you do need adaptable players who can change roles based on the needs.
Babar and Rizwan are both flat track specialists and even on those tracks they plod along with the ceiling being a 130 odd strike rate
mominsaigol
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I agree with you. Completly, I'm making an observation about rizwan that's all
He is right. The opening partnership was hastily broken so a dashing and dynamic youngster can use the powerplay and score runs at a bullet's pace.
It's not happening unfortunately. But Pakistan are doing the right thing now and sticking with Saim, or bring Usman in his place.
DeadlyVenom
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They should stick with the kid for a long time before deciding to dump him.
mominsaigol
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Problem is babar's own form.
mominsaigol
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Let's stick with chacha as well, he's only 33 after all. He's apparently the famous finisher of Pakistan
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