Your starting XI and squad for the 1st Test versus South Africa

[Barragan]

1. Shan Masood
2. Azhar Ali
3. Babar Azam
4. Saud Shakeel
5. Fawad Alam
6. M Rizwan
7. Faheem Ashraf
8. Yasir Shah
9. Sajid Khan
10. Hasan Ali
11. Shaheen Afridi

No other options for the opening slot, whilst Sajid Khan and Saud should be a must.

Prepare spin tracks.

 

[Ahmed216]

My 11

Imran Butt
Abid Ali
Azhar Ali
Babar azam
Usman Salahuddin
Kamran Ghulam
Rizwan
Zafar
Hasan Ali
Sajid(picked over yasir becoz his ball leaves left hander,both yasir and zafar turn it in to left hander)
Shaheen

Pakistan I think will lose to SA because we are the new minnows

 

[silent ischemia]

Abid
Azhar
Babar
Ghulam
Saud
Rizwan
Nawaz
Yasir
Shaheen
Hassan
Arshad Iqbal

 

[Shoaibbtt]

My opinion is that we must make gradual small changes for this playing XI and not look to go full Juzbaati. Only look to crop the major weakest links which are at this point let's be honest are evident in Shan Masood, Haris Sohail and Naseem Shah. Yasir Shah is an optional drop for me, possibly substitute him for Zahid Mehmood.

Spin will play a major factor so might want to rest Faheem for an extra spinner but look to play Faheem in the Pindi game.

My starting XI for Karachi:

1. Abid Ali
2. Imran Butt
3. Azhar Ali
4. Babar Azam (if he's not fit then Saud Shakeel/Kamran Ghulam)
5. Fawad Alam
6. Muhammad Rizwan (wk)
7. Zafar Gohar (deserves a chance and frankly got too much flack)
8. Zahid Mehmood (keep legspin in there)
9. Shaheen Afridi
10. Muhammad Abbas
11. Hassan Ali/Waqas Moqsood/Tabish Khan/Taj Wali

 

[Usman]

If Azhar and Rizwan can open, send Saud at 3, Babar at 4, Kamran Ghulam at 5 and Fawad at 6 and rest of the team. If Rizwaan prefer to come down in order than give Sharjeel a chance, Babar at 3, Kamran at 4, Fawad at 5 and Rizwan at 6 and rest of the team.

Nobody has the capability to keep wickets in a test match and open the batting/bat up the order. That is especially the case with Pakistan given that our bowlers are so bad that we are regularly in the field for 150 overs plus.

Unless there is new keeper who can take over the gloves from Rizwan, Rizwan cannot bat higher than 6.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Let’s make use of form and employ a good spinner’s track.

1. Azhar Ali
2. Abid Ali
3. Kamran Ghulam
4. Babar Azam (c)
5. Saud Shakeel
6. Fawad Alam
7. Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
8. Zafar Gohar
9. Hassan Ali
10. Sajid Khan
11. Shaheen Afridi

I like the idea of having two spinners, though I'd also say that we need a few more overs of pace. On subcontinent pitches, if we are playing two spinners, it means that we have to prepare a dust bowl for South Africa. I like the inclusion of Kamran Ghulam, probably one of the few people who is averaging 50+ in our FC system.

Now, South Africa won't bat very well in conditions that are very condusive to spin, so we can lighten up the batting a bit and go in with this lineup as well:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Abid Ali
3. Kamran Ghulam
4. Babar Azam
5. Saud Shakeel
6. Mohammad Rizwan
7. Zafar Gohar
8. Yasir Shah/Sajid Khan
9. Hasan Ali
10. Shaheen Afridi
11. Irfanullah Shah/Ehsan Adil/Mir Hamza

The place I'm coming from is the fact that if we play two spinners, we should also look to revamp the pace bowling at the same time. Give the fast bowlers a chance to grow into their roles. Hasan Ali is capable enough to bat a bit. I'd also like Yasir Shah to be included in home games, as he is really good in these conditions and can be a good mentor for the young spinners we bring into the team.

However, my lineup also depends on the pitch itself. I wouldn't expect the pitch to spin right off the bat, it should start spinning late on Day 2 by my understanding of Pakistani pitches. In that case, two fast bowlers won't be enough because if by chance South Africa bat first, they'll post a larger total than we'd want them to, which is why 3 pacers is a necessity.

What we ought to find is a batting-all rounder who can bowl some good overs of spin, but unfortunately, Iftikhar didn't turn out well and Shadab is injured.

Either team could get the job done, just depends on the pitch that's produced. I hope that whoever is our head coach for the series wraps their head around the fact that we need to exploit the weaknesses of our opposition.

 

[coy0607]

Really don't understand why so many people want Abid Ali to continue

He's a 33-year old, out of shape batsmen who despite being given a consistent run as opener, has only ever looked comfortable against a SriLanka B-team.

Even domestically he is an average batsmen who had 1 good season last year. First Class average of 36

 

[Khan12]

Really don't understand why so many people want Abid Ali to continue

He's a 33-year old, out of shape batsmen who despite being given a consistent run as opener, has only ever looked comfortable against a SriLanka B-team.

Even domestically he is an average batsmen who had 1 good season last year. First Class average of 36

Abid along with shan should be the first ones getting the boot.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Really don't understand why so many people want Abid Ali to continue

He's a 33-year old, out of shape batsmen who despite being given a consistent run as opener, has only ever looked comfortable against a SriLanka B-team.

Even domestically he is an average batsmen who had 1 good season last year. First Class average of 36

Change one of the openers for now and then in the next series look for another in place of Abid, too many changes all at once is a recipe for disaster. Change is good, but not too many in my view.

The main weakest links are Shan, Haris and Naseem that need dropping (Naseem is more of a polite request to play more domestic cricket). 3 to 4 changes for the starting XI against SA is more than sufficient.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

I like the idea of having two spinners, though I'd also say that we need a few more overs of pace. On subcontinent pitches, if we are playing two spinners, it means that we have to prepare a dust bowl for South Africa. I like the inclusion of Kamran Ghulam, probably one of the few people who is averaging 50+ in our FC system.

Now, South Africa won't bat very well in conditions that are very condusive to spin, so we can lighten up the batting a bit and go in with this lineup as well:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Abid Ali
3. Kamran Ghulam
4. Babar Azam
5. Saud Shakeel
6. Mohammad Rizwan
7. Zafar Gohar
8. Yasir Shah/Sajid Khan
9. Hasan Ali
10. Shaheen Afridi
11. Irfanullah Shah/Ehsan Adil/Mir Hamza

The place I'm coming from is the fact that if we play two spinners, we should also look to revamp the pace bowling at the same time. Give the fast bowlers a chance to grow into their roles. Hasan Ali is capable enough to bat a bit. I'd also like Yasir Shah to be included in home games, as he is really good in these conditions and can be a good mentor for the young spinners we bring into the team.

However, my lineup also depends on the pitch itself. I wouldn't expect the pitch to spin right off the bat, it should start spinning late on Day 2 by my understanding of Pakistani pitches. In that case, two fast bowlers won't be enough because if by chance South Africa bat first, they'll post a larger total than we'd want them to, which is why 3 pacers is a necessity.

What we ought to find is a batting-all rounder who can bowl some good overs of spin, but unfortunately, Iftikhar didn't turn out well and Shadab is injured.

Either team could get the job done, just depends on the pitch that's produced. I hope that whoever is our head coach for the series wraps their head around the fact that we need to exploit the weaknesses of our opposition.

You’re coming from a good place, I just don’t think any of those 3 number 11s deserve a Test callup right now. If we produce a dust bowl, which we should, it’s entirely possible to stick to two pacers and 2 spinners plus we have part timers available in Azhar, Saud, Kamran, and Fawad.

You are also assuming that Fawad will be dropped for Saud or Kamran, but that’s not realistic. Therefore, I would much rather include 6 batsmen so both Saud and Kamran can be blooded in, than 5 batsmen like in your lineup, so a relatively undeserving pacer can be blooded in (that too on an unsupportive pitch).

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Abid along with shan should be the first ones getting the boot.

I see Shan getting dropped but not Abid.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I like the idea of having two spinners, though I'd also say that we need a few more overs of pace. On subcontinent pitches, if we are playing two spinners, it means that we have to prepare a dust bowl for South Africa. I like the inclusion of Kamran Ghulam, probably one of the few people who is averaging 50+ in our FC system.

Now, South Africa won't bat very well in conditions that are very condusive to spin, so we can lighten up the batting a bit and go in with this lineup as well:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Abid Ali
3. Kamran Ghulam
4. Babar Azam
5. Saud Shakeel
6. Mohammad Rizwan
7. Zafar Gohar
8. Yasir Shah/Sajid Khan
9. Hasan Ali
10. Shaheen Afridi
11. Irfanullah Shah/Ehsan Adil/Mir Hamza

The place I'm coming from is the fact that if we play two spinners, we should also look to revamp the pace bowling at the same time. Give the fast bowlers a chance to grow into their roles. Hasan Ali is capable enough to bat a bit. I'd also like Yasir Shah to be included in home games, as he is really good in these conditions and can be a good mentor for the young spinners we bring into the team.

However, my lineup also depends on the pitch itself. I wouldn't expect the pitch to spin right off the bat, it should start spinning late on Day 2 by my understanding of Pakistani pitches. In that case, two fast bowlers won't be enough because if by chance South Africa bat first, they'll post a larger total than we'd want them to, which is why 3 pacers is a necessity.

What we ought to find is a batting-all rounder who can bowl some good overs of spin, but unfortunately, Iftikhar didn't turn out well and Shadab is injured.

Either team could get the job done, just depends on the pitch that's produced. I hope that whoever is our head coach for the series wraps their head around the fact that we need to exploit the weaknesses of our opposition.

Far too many changes dude, last thing we want is to go "change happy"

 

[coy0607]

Change one of the openers for now and then in the next series look for another in place of Abid, too many changes all at once is a recipe for disaster. Change is good, but not too many in my view.

Recipe for disaster? Are we not at disaster already?

Pakistan Test team is at rock bottom, this is the time for wholesale changes

 

[Ahmed216]

Really don't understand why so many people want Abid Ali to continue

He's a 33-year old, out of shape batsmen who despite being given a consistent run as opener, has only ever looked comfortable against a SriLanka B-team.

Even domestically he is an average batsmen who had 1 good season last year. First Class average of 36

Only becoz ppl think too many changes at once are not good

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Recipe for disaster? Are we not at disaster already?

Pakistan Test team is at rock bottom, this is the time for wholesale changes

What happens if changes applied fail? (that too a large number of them). Although i'm not a fan of Abid you gotta give him one last series even though he far from deserves it, who else is open to opening??? Omair Bin Yousuf? Sharjeel Khan? Imam ul Haq? Azhar Ali?

It's an amateur move to make all major changes at once. If you look at Pakistan cricketers as a whole they've always done better in home conditions as oppose to away conditions so give those players chance you are sure to know that will excel in these conditions.

For some of these players it's a learning experience, you can't expect players to hit the ground running. What happened when we added Usman Salhuddin, did he hit the ground running or Saad Ali for that matter? We must be patient with players and only look to make changes of the alarmingly bad performances which as i've said are Shan, Haris and Naseem.

 

[Mirpur express]

Abid
Azhar
Kamran Ghulam
Babar
Fawad
Rizwan
Faheem/Saud
Zaffar
Hassan
Yasir
Shaheen

 

[UzmanBeast]

Far too many changes dude, last thing we want is to go "change happy"

This is the third time we've been destroyed in an overseas test match by an innings. If changes are not made right now, then when will there be time to do so? When we are the 10th ranked test team?

Look, I understand that making a lot of changes can impact our own performance, but some changes are completely backed.

Firstly, Shan has to go. We've persisted with him for far too long and he hasn't given us the performances we needed. There is no opener in domestic cricket at the moment, so Azhar has to step up and open.

Next, we need someone to replace the No.3 slot which Azhar Ali occupied. This is where we need to make a pick between the likes of Usman Salahuddin and Kamran Ghulam. Kamran is younger and has just demolished bowlers in this edition, so he's in blazing hot form.

Now, at that point, I'd understand that you'd want to keep Fawad for a while longer, which is agreeable, so then Babar, Fawad, and Rizwan are the 4,5,6 batsmen.

Now we go to the all-rounder. We just brought Zafar Gohar into the team, and we should give him a good chance to see what he's made of. He should play as the all-rounder, whereas Yasir should play as the supporting spinner. The only issue is that SA got dominated by India when they had the right-left arm spin duo of Jadeja-Ashwin. Yasir and Zafar spin the ball the same way, so it won't be very effective, particularly because Yasir's googly barely spins. Still, it's better than nothing, so that's fine.

Now, the bowling attack needs to be changed, and you have to agree with my dropping of Naseem Shah. That is perfectly called for given that he's averaging 40+ in test cricket. Abbas can stay but he has to sort out his pace and bowling style ASAP. Rizwan needs to get used to standing up to the wicket, and our players need to grow some brains and stand a fair few feet closer to the stumps so that catches don't go down.

So I'd change the XI to: (Asterisk shows new players added)

Abid Ali
Azhar Ali
Kamran Ghulam*
Babar Azam (c)
Fawad Alam
Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
Zafar Gohar
Yasir Shah*
Hasan Ali*
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Mohammad Abbas

I agree that the previous XI had a bit too many changes. Thanks for the input.

 

[UzmanBeast]

You’re coming from a good place, I just don’t think any of those 3 number 11s deserve a Test callup right now. If we produce a dust bowl, which we should, it’s entirely possible to stick to two pacers and 2 spinners plus we have part timers available in Azhar, Saud, Kamran, and Fawad.

You are also assuming that Fawad will be dropped for Saud or Kamran, but that’s not realistic. Therefore, I would much rather include 6 batsmen so both Saud and Kamran can be blooded in, than 5 batsmen like in your lineup, so a relatively undeserving pacer can be blooded in (that too on an unsupportive pitch).

I understand that, but given how incompetent our management is, and given the nature of Pakistani pitches, they won't spin until the later part of Day 2. That's why it's important to have at least 50 overs of pace bowling on the team so that the spinners don't get picked off on day one. Either way, like I said, the final XI should depend on the pitch.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

This is the third time we've been destroyed in an overseas test match by an innings. If changes are not made right now, then when will there be time to do so? When we are the 10th ranked test team?

Look, I understand that making a lot of changes can impact our own performance, but some changes are completely backed.

Firstly, Shan has to go. We've persisted with him for far too long and he hasn't given us the performances we needed. There is no opener in domestic cricket at the moment, so Azhar has to step up and open.

Next, we need someone to replace the No.3 slot which Azhar Ali occupied. This is where we need to make a pick between the likes of Usman Salahuddin and Kamran Ghulam. Kamran is younger and has just demolished bowlers in this edition, so he's in blazing hot form.

Now, at that point, I'd understand that you'd want to keep Fawad for a while longer, which is agreeable, so then Babar, Fawad, and Rizwan are the 4,5,6 batsmen.

Now we go to the all-rounder. We just brought Zafar Gohar into the team, and we should give him a good chance to see what he's made of. He should play as the all-rounder, whereas Yasir should play as the supporting spinner. The only issue is that SA got dominated by India when they had the right-left arm spin duo of Jadeja-Ashwin. Yasir and Zafar spin the ball the same way, so it won't be very effective, particularly because Yasir's googly barely spins. Still, it's better than nothing, so that's fine.

Now, the bowling attack needs to be changed, and you have to agree with my dropping of Naseem Shah. That is perfectly called for given that he's averaging 40+ in test cricket. Abbas can stay but he has to sort out his pace and bowling style ASAP. Rizwan needs to get used to standing up to the wicket, and our players need to grow some brains and stand a fair few feet closer to the stumps so that catches don't go down.

So I'd change the XI to: (Asterisk shows new players added)

Abid Ali
Azhar Ali
Kamran Ghulam*
Babar Azam (c)
Fawad Alam
Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
Zafar Gohar
Yasir Shah*
Hasan Ali*
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Mohammad Abbas

I agree that the previous XI had a bit too many changes. Thanks for the input.

The thinking on your side is fine and it's certainly food for thought. I mean i don't see any other good openers out there that would take the lead and so Azhar would be a fine choice allowing for a vacant no. 3 slot which i would allocate to Saud Shakeel over Kamran reason being is this is his first season i've seen him and Saud has performed in the 2019/20 edition (didn't play a lot but had a good average of 75) and this edition as well. Overall i'd agree with the changes you've made and feel that's perhaps a sufficient amount as it gets rid of the weak link in Shan, Naseem and Haris. Pacers wise we are spoiled for choice in Hassan/Waqas Moqsood/Taj Wali/Tabish Khan.

 

[shah_1]

Imam
Azhar
Saud
Babar
Fawad
Rizwan
Zafar
Yasir
Hasan Ali
Waqas Masood
Shaheen

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Imam
Azhar
Saud
Babar
Fawad
Rizwan
Zafar
Yasir
Hasan Ali
Waqas Masood
Shaheen

Imam has done zilch to merit re-entry into the team.

 

[Khan12]

Imam has done zilch to merit re-entry into the team.

Shouldn't be hard for him to average more then 2.

 

[Bigboii]

"Relatively easier".

Lol at losing to Zimbabwe. Kuch zyada hi ho gaya. And what if you lose? It's not like that'll be part of the Test championship. Atleast a few youngsta beauties will get some valuable int'l exposure.

with Misbah no they wont

 

[Square Drive]

Very good selection, to be honest. I knew you had it in you.

Same. His best/better posts come when we're at an absolute low.

I even asked him for his Test XI for that reason on his intro thread but he never replied

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Shouldn't be hard for him to average more then 2.

hahaha cheeky guy nearly spilt my coffee there. I don't know i'd like to see a fresh face in Omair Bin Yousaf or perhaps the more sensible choice in having Azhar open and then allow for a free slot in number 3 for Saud Shakeel or Kamran Ghulam.

 

[aloo paratha]

Abid
Azhar
Kamran
Babar
Fawad
Saud
Rizwan
Sajid
Hasan
Yasir
Shaheen

This is a good XI for Karachi. For Pindi you could bring Abbas or maybe debut Waqas Maqsood in place of Sajid Khan. Bench should be:

Imam
Salahuddin
Faheem
Abbas
Waqas
Zafar

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Abid
Azhar
Kamran
Babar
Fawad
Saud
Rizwan
Sajid
Hasan
Yasir
Shaheen

This is a good XI for Karachi. For Pindi you could bring Abbas or maybe debut Waqas Maqsood in place of Sajid Khan. Bench should be:

Imam
Salahuddin
Faheem
Abbas
Waqas
Zafar

2 spinners and 2 seamers?? Is that not a bit risky?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

1. Shan Masood
2. Abid Ali
3. Azhar Ali
4. Babar Azam
5. Fawad Alam
6. Mohammad Rizwan
7. Faheem Ashraf
8. Hasan Ali
9. Yasir Shah
10. Mohammad Abbas
11. Shaheen Shah Afridi

 

[aloo paratha]

2 spinners and 2 seamers?? Is that not a bit risky?

I suppose you could drop Saud or Fawad and play Faheem instead. I don't think 3 pacers are necessary in Karachi though.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

1. Shan Masood
2. Abid Ali
3. Azhar Ali
4. Babar Azam
5. Fawad Alam
6. Mohammad Rizwan
7. Faheem Ashraf
8. Hasan Ali
9. Yasir Shah
10. Mohammad Abbas
11. Shaheen Shah Afridi

Seriously you'd keep Shan after that disaster?

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Just cancel the series due to the new variant being rampant in SA.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I suppose you could drop Saud or Fawad and play Faheem instead. I don't think 3 pacers are necessary in Karachi though.

Nah i think Karachi would suit Fawad and he might be key there so i'd keep him. I don't know a third seamer can always be good, you can perhaps rest Faheem for a spinner as i think a spinner will be good on day 4/5. Pindi pitch though i'll take Faheem any day.

 

[mahmed]

My Squad for SA series goes as following:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Imam ul Haq
3. Babar Azam
4. Fawad Alam
5. Kamran Gulam / Usman Salahuddin
6. Saud Shakeel
7. Mohammed Rizwan
8. Faheem Ashraf / Zahid Mahmood
9. Sajid Khan
10. Hassan Ali
11. Shaheen Shah


12. Usman Salahuddin
13. Zahid Mahmood
14. Waqas Maqsood
15. Nauman Ali

People are talking about Zaffer Gohar, he is a good bat but not good at SLA bowling. I would go with offspin or Leg spin instead of SLA, Saud and Gulam can bowl decent SLA. Make changes from this squad based on Pitch conditions.

 

[omairsiddiqui]

Would Shan even want to be picked? By picking him in this kind of form, you are torturing him. Put him out of his misery and let him go and play List A cricket, something he's good at.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Seriously you'd keep Shan after that disaster?

yup

 

[UzmanBeast]

The thinking on your side is fine and it's certainly food for thought. I mean i don't see any other good openers out there that would take the lead and so Azhar would be a fine choice allowing for a vacant no. 3 slot which i would allocate to Saud Shakeel over Kamran reason being is this is his first season i've seen him and Saud has performed in the 2019/20 edition (didn't play a lot but had a good average of 75) and this edition as well. Overall i'd agree with the changes you've made and feel that's perhaps a sufficient amount as it gets rid of the weak link in Shan, Naseem and Haris. Pacers wise we are spoiled for choice in Hassan/Waqas Moqsood/Taj Wali/Tabish Khan.

Given that it's Misbah's last series, he'll be under a lot of pressure from the media, and that could be just what is needed to bring in some youngsters and performers into the team.

Moreover, Mohammad Wasim is the chief selector now. I hope he's as competent as we are making him to be. He was the coach of Northern before if I'm not mistaken, the last thing I'd want to see him do is bring out players from Northern, which is a pretty mediocre domestic side with not much talent sticking out.

 

[Abdullah Rabbani]

Imam
Abid
Azhar
Babar (c)
Shakeel
Ghulam
Rizwan (wk)
Gohar
Hasan
Yasir
Shaheen

Not vouching or advocating for any of the new players here. All I am saying is that this the team that I will pick if I get a call from PCB today and they inform me that I am the new chief selector and head coach.

Very reasonable squad

 

[gazza619]

All the posters who have picked Shan need to strongly reflect on what they are doing on this forum.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Given that it's Misbah's last series, he'll be under a lot of pressure from the media, and that could be just what is needed to bring in some youngsters and performers into the team.

Moreover, Mohammad Wasim is the chief selector now. I hope he's as competent as we are making him to be. He was the coach of Northern before if I'm not mistaken, the last thing I'd want to see him do is bring out players from Northern, which is a pretty mediocre domestic side with not much talent sticking out.

He looks calm from when i've seen him on Game On Hai and when he was called on a show as a guest with Waheed Khan.

I mean i don't know what's hard about being a selector, it's the easiest job you could ever ask for. Talk to local coaches, watch some domestic games and then look at some stats. Seriously what's hard???? Shut the door and disconnect your phone.

Misbah deserves a hiding, but to be fair this is PCB's mismanagement they should've never hired someone who was a recent member/leader of that squad.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

My Squad for SA series goes as following:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Imam ul Haq
3. Babar Azam
4. Fawad Alam
5. Kamran Gulam / Usman Salahuddin
6. Saud Shakeel
7. Mohammed Rizwan
8. Faheem Ashraf / Zahid Mahmood
9. Sajid Khan
10. Hassan Ali
11. Shaheen Shah


12. Usman Salahuddin
13. Zahid Mahmood
14. Waqas Maqsood
15. Nauman Ali

People are talking about Zaffer Gohar, he is a good bat but not good at SLA bowling. I would go with offspin or Leg spin instead of SLA, Saud and Gulam can bowl decent SLA. Make changes from this squad based on Pitch conditions.

I don't think Imam deserves a go in my books he's not done anything to merit a recall. Plus swap the position of Fawad from 4 to no. 5 and that's a decent squad. Wishing the best for that bunch in SA series inshAllah.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

yup

Well might not be a bad idea seeing as for the next 2 years Pakistan will be playing mainly at home, visit to Zimbabwae and visiting Asian conditions. It's a brave call though to not make any changes, at the least i would exclude Haris Sohail on the basis of a suspected injury he's harboring.

 

[UzmanBeast]

He looks calm from when i've seen him on Game On Hai and when he was called on a show as a guest with Waheed Khan.

I mean i don't know what's hard about being a selector, it's the easiest job you could ever ask for. Talk to local coaches, watch some domestic games and then look at some stats. Seriously what's hard???? Shut the door and disconnect your phone.

Misbah deserves a hiding, but to be fair this is PCB's mismanagement they should've never hired someone who was a recent member/leader of that squad.

Not really, the job of a chief selector is incredibly hard. You have to know the domestic system like the back of your hand, and you need to communicate with coaches regularly. You also have to watch players in action, and determine whether those performances were as good as they are made to be. If someone has a 50 average in domestic cricket, you can't just select him because you don't know the conditions when he came to bat. If he did so on flat wickets, and averages poorly on wickets that offer something, it would not be wise to select him.

Misbah had no experience of coaching and neither did he know the domestic system. If he had, he would have introduced Saud Shakeel and Usman Salahuddin into the team against SL and BD.

Being a chief selector is not an easy role, in fact, it's very difficult. You have to consider everything, and you need reasons. You are constantly attacked by the press. You need to make the big decisions to drop players, and bigger decisions when you pick players.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Not really, the job of a chief selector is incredibly hard. You have to know the domestic system like the back of your hand, and you need to communicate with coaches regularly. You also have to watch players in action, and determine whether those performances were as good as they are made to be. If someone has a 50 average in domestic cricket, you can't just select him because you don't know the conditions when he came to bat. If he did so on flat wickets, and averages poorly on wickets that offer something, it would not be wise to select him.

Misbah had no experience of coaching and neither did he know the domestic system. If he had, he would have introduced Saud Shakeel and Usman Salahuddin into the team against SL and BD.

Being a chief selector is not an easy role, in fact, it's very difficult. You have to consider everything, and you need reasons. You are constantly attacked by the press. You need to make the big decisions to drop players, and bigger decisions when you pick players.

I still it's an easy job, what's hard about having weekly meetings with the respective coaching staff of local teams, watching a few games on YouTube with your feet up and then looking up the respective stats of the players?? I'm sorry bro it's just my opinion on it. You just have to drown out the noise of any people that might try and persuade/bribe you to make changes to the squad.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Well might not be a bad idea seeing as for the next 2 years Pakistan will be playing mainly at home, visit to Zimbabwae and visiting Asian conditions. It's a brave call though to not make any changes, at the least i would exclude Haris Sohail on the basis of a suspected injury he's harboring.

Haris Sohail should be dropped from the test squad altogether. He's got one fifty in the last 2 years against a pathetic Bangladesh attack and the last truly credible knock he played was back in 2018 against NZ in UAE.

With Pakistan's next overseas test series against Zimbabwe Pakistan can take the chance of bringing in someone new in-place of him, until he regains form in domestic.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Haris Sohail should be dropped from the test squad altogether. He's got one fifty in the last 2 years against a pathetic Bangladesh attack and the last truly credible knock he played was back in 2018 against NZ in UAE.

With Pakistan's next overseas test series against Zimbabwe Pakistan can take the chance of bringing in someone new in-place of him, until he regains form in domestic.

I've hardly seen him play in domestic cricket and he was the biggest question mark on this tour for me. The fact he didn't play the practise game against NZ-A was the biggest question mark for me. I'd want to know about his fitness reports as well leading up to playing in the XI and prior to selection because it's not fair to let someone waltz into a team without playing any proper domestic cricket.

 

[UzmanBeast]

I still it's an easy job, what's hard about having weekly meetings with the respective coaching staff of local teams, watching a few games on YouTube with your feet up and then looking up the respective stats of the players?? I'm sorry bro it's just my opinion on it. You just have to drown out the noise of any people that might try and persuade/bribe you to make changes to the squad.

Yeah I respect your opinion, but there's a lot of stuff that a chief selector does that we aren't aware of as spectators, which is why Misbah should never have given the dual-roles.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Yeah I respect your opinion, but there's a lot of stuff that a chief selector does that we aren't aware of as spectators, which is why Misbah should never have given the dual-roles.

If PCB had a rule in place to not allow recent captains to be in the selection committee that would've been perfect, Misbah just took full advantage of the situation. All i want now is for some boys to get a chance for the next few series on Asian soil conditions as that will be the test for the next 2 years.

 

[jupiter2007]

1 Imam Ul Haq
2 Abid Ali
3 Azhar Ali
4 Babar Azam
5 Kamran Ghulam
6 Fawad Alam
7 Mohammad Rizwan
8 Yasir Shah
9 Hassan Ali
10 Sohail Khan
11 Shaheen Afridi

Abid Ali? Why?
Why would you pick Kamran Ghulam ahead of Saud Shakeel and Usman Salahuddin?
Why Sohail Khan? why not younger pacer?

 

[Iddy]

Need to drop Abid, Shaan and Haris (who I expected so much from and I'm really disappointed). Also drop Naseem. Whilst Faheem has done ok in New Zealand, he just is not good enough or consistent. I would bring in Imam, Saud, Ghulam, Hasan Ali and keep Zafar for now. My XI:

Imam
Azhar
Babar
Saud
Ghulam
Fawad
Rizwan
Zafar
Hasan
Abbas
Shaheen

 

[Iddy]

Imam has done zilch to merit re-entry into the team.

I think he can do better than Shaan and Abid who have been awful. Got to give him a decent run.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

1. Abid Ali
2. Imran Butt
3. Azhar Ali
4. Babar Azam
5. Fawad Alam
6. Kamran Ghulam
7. Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
8. Hassan Ali
9. Yasir Shah
10. Shaheen Afridi
11. Mohammad Abbas


12. Saud Shakeel
13. Zafar Gohar
14. Junaid Khan/Waqas Maqsood
15. Fahim Ashraf
16. Sajid Khan

Reserves: Agha Salman.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I think he can do better than Shaan and Abid who have been awful. Got to give him a decent run.

I reckon Imran probably deserves a shot before Imam does. The opening pair has always been a problem for Pakistan so we'll have to see. Apparently selection committee gets together on the 10th and we are expecting the announcement of the team by next Thursday.

 

[Darkrai]

1. Abid (If he fails the first match then Imam should replace him)
2. Azhar
3. Usman
4. Babar
5. Kamran
6. Saud
7. Rizwan
8. Zafar
9. Hasan
10. Yasir
11. Shaheen

I haven't seen Sajid or Zaid but it seems they are in good form based on this season's Quaid e Azam Trophy, but Zafar just made his debut and deserves to play the first match.

 

[gazza619]

Imam has done zilch to merit re-entry into the team.

I guess you didnt see his commentary stint in NZ. Apparently he was showing B McCullum on how to play swing bowling.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I guess you didnt see his commentary stint in NZ. Apparently he was showing B McCullum on how to play swing bowling.

You can talk a good game but he's not backed it up. What's his average again and what exactly did he do recently that he should be recalled in the playing XI?

 

[Shoaibbtt]

1. Abid (If he fails the first match then Imam should replace him)
2. Azhar
3. Usman
4. Babar
5. Kamran
6. Saud
7. Rizwan
8. Zafar
9. Hasan
10. Yasir
11. Shaheen

I haven't seen Sajid or Zaid but it seems they are in good form based on this season's Quaid e Azam Trophy, but Zafar just made his debut and deserves to play the first match.

Too many changes bro if i'll be honest. Way to of a jizbaati move.

 

[Darkrai]

Too many changes bro if i'll be honest. Way to of a jizbaati move.

I feel these are necessary changes. We need players who will perform not only in Pakistan but overseas as well. Half of our current players have shown time again they are either incapable or not ready. With these non-performing players, we have been hammered everywhere and our rating continues to decline and is about to reach the lowest ever. And the current lot have shown no signs of improvement. It seems they keep regressing with every series.

The new players in my XI deserve a chance based on their FC record. This is a perfect opportunity to try them out as it's a home series against a relatively good side.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I feel these are necessary changes. We need players who will perform not only in Pakistan but overseas as well. Half of our current players have shown time again they are either incapable or not ready. With these non-performing players, we have been hammered everywhere and our rating continues to decline and is about to reach the lowest ever. And the current lot have shown no signs of improvement. It seems they keep regressing with every series.

The new players in my XI deserve a chance based on their FC record. This is a perfect opportunity to try them out as it's a home series against a relatively good side.

What happens when they fail? You have to have a mixture of those players that need to still prove themselves. I think the evident failures need to be replaced and the official departure of Misbah & Waqar is a must.

I feel Fawad still deserves a chance to fully prove himself as he's only had about 3 tests in total which isn't a lot to be honest with one 100 to his name. I still maintain and inshAllah i'm proven right that he performs in Karachi. I understand were you are coming from about overseas but for the next 2 years majority of our tests are at home/Asian soil so best give those guys a chance.

If we look at Pakistan's dominance even when we were no.1 in tests it was because majority of our successes came from home as oppose to away.

Change is good but you must make the obvious changes which are Shan, Haris and Naseem at this point. Abbas i feel got a bad rap but even him being dropped i won't object to.

It's pretty rich giving players an easy time with selection in a home series when the last of the away series have been played i.e. in difficult conditions.

However, if you wanna give chances to some players then i think the Zimbabwae tour might be a good chance to experiment as we have 2 tests against them.

 

[Darkrai]

What happens when they fail? You have to have a mixture of those players that need to still prove themselves. I think the evident failures need to be replaced and the official departure of Misbah & Waqar is a must.

I feel Fawad still deserves a chance to fully prove himself as he's only had about 3 tests in total which isn't a lot to be honest with one 100 to his name. I still maintain and inshAllah i'm proven right that he performs in Karachi. I understand were you are coming from about overseas but for the next 2 years majority of our tests are at home/Asian soil so best give those guys a chance.

If we look at Pakistan's dominance even when we were no.1 in tests it was because majority of our successes came from home as oppose to away.

Change is good but you must make the obvious changes which are Shan, Haris and Naseem at this point. Abbas i feel got a bad rap but even him being dropped i won't object to.

It's pretty rich giving players an easy time with selection in a home series when the last of the away series have been played i.e. in difficult conditions.

However, if you wanna give chances to some players then i think the Zimbabwae tour might be a good chance to experiment as we have 2 tests against them.

You are saying the obvious changes that must be made are Shan, Haris, Naseem, and Abbas. Well, those are the only players I have replaced along with Fawad-who would be in the squad along with Faheem.

 

[UzmanBeast]

I reckon Imran probably deserves a shot before Imam does. The opening pair has always been a problem for Pakistan so we'll have to see. Apparently selection committee gets together on the 10th and we are expecting the announcement of the team by next Thursday.

Neither Imran nor Imam have fantastic FC stats, but Imran is ahead in the pecking order for sure. We can't discard him without giving him a change to prove himself. That being said, if Imran does play, it means that he'll open with Abid, because our management won't drop both openers. Abid has farmed runs on Pakistani pitches, so they'll hope that he does again.

Given that it's Misbah's last series, I'd predict him to play:

Imran Butt
Abid Ali
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam
Fawad Alam
Mohammad Rizwan
Yasir Shah
Zafar Gohar
Hasan Ali
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Mohammad Abbas

The problem is that since Fawad hit that century, he's merited a spot, and Rizwan and Babar have alsi confirmed their spots. That means that the only way the likes of Saud can play are if we drop Fawad or don't play Imran Butt and move Azhar to open. Alternatively, they might go with playing Saud either way and having two spinners and two pacers only.

It's a complicated situation at the moment.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

You are saying the obvious changes that must be made are Shan, Haris, Naseem, and Abbas. Well, those are the only players I have replaced along with Fawad-who would be in the squad along with Faheem.

Yep obvious changes with some new faces, and that's it for me, I wouldn't just punish all. Despite what people say there was some individual performances and it's better than what India did when they toured NZ. Players have struggled when touring NZ and they shouldn't be dropped straight away, experience builds with time and patience and so i would persist with some of the players in the current setup and not willy nilly make lots of drops.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Neither Imran nor Imam have fantastic FC stats, but Imran is ahead in the pecking order for sure. We can't discard him without giving him a change to prove himself. That being said, if Imran does play, it means that he'll open with Abid, because our management won't drop both openers. Abid has farmed runs on Pakistani pitches, so they'll hope that he does again.

Given that it's Misbah's last series, I'd predict him to play:

Imran Butt
Abid Ali
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam
Fawad Alam
Mohammad Rizwan
Yasir Shah
Zafar Gohar
Hasan Ali
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Mohammad Abbas

The problem is that since Fawad hit that century, he's merited a spot, and Rizwan and Babar have alsi confirmed their spots. That means that the only way the likes of Saud can play are if we drop Fawad or don't play Imran Butt and move Azhar to open. Alternatively, they might go with playing Saud either way and having two spinners and two pacers only.

It's a complicated situation at the moment.

Like i said lots of players have done terrible in NZ and we shouldn't act like away failures aren't anything new, our success in tests was for the majority of our wins being at home. I'd just say we can't be hasty with changes and the upcoming series is still big and we should give some guys chances/last chances. It'll be time for players to really step up and prove themselves. Experience comes with time and you should give multiple chances, for players to step up and prove themselves. InshAllah these guys get a slap behind the head when they get back and they start proving themselves in this home series.

This is a no joke series coming up so i hope some names prove themselves.

 

[shady]

1.Azhar Ali
2.Imam Ul-Haq
3.Saud Shakeel
4.Babar Azam (c)
5.Kamran Ghulam
6.Mohammad Nawaz (Would have been ideal tour to see if Shadab can bat at 6 but he's hurt)
7.Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
8.Hasan Ali
9.Yasir Shah
10.Mohammad Abbas
11.Shaheen Afridi

 

[Last Monetarist]

Azhar
Abid
Babar
Fawad
Kamran
Rizwan
Faheem
Hasan
Yasir
Shaheen
Nauman

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

1. Azhar Ali
2. Abid Ali
3. Kamran Ghulam
4. Babar Azam
5. Fawad Alam
6. Mohammad Rizwan (c) (wk)
7. Fahheem Ashraf
8. Zafar Gohar
9. Yasir Shah
10. Hasan Ali
11. Shaheen Shah Afridi
------------------------------------
12. Muhammad Abbas
13. Zahid Mahmood
14. Saud Shakeel
15. Usman Salahudin
16. Sarfaraz Ahmed

I am putting Mohammad Rizwan as captain because I believe he should be permanent captain For Pakistan in Test cricket.

Imam Ul-Haq was in the Test squad for NZ, despite being injured, and will probably be considered/ selected for this South Africa Test Series, but I never understood why he is still is in the test team since 2019. Imam Ul-Haq, although being a decent ODI player, is horrible in Test and T20, he was never good at Test, and I highly doubt he has performed in the last couple of Quad-E-Azam seasons too. Basically, he is worse than Shan Masood in Tests

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Not sure why people are calling for Imam. I think he’s a decent pick too but he needs to perform in first class first. Otherwise it will be the same mistake we’ve made many, many times.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Like i said lots of players have done terrible in NZ and we shouldn't act like away failures aren't anything new, our success in tests was for the majority of our wins being at home. I'd just say we can't be hasty with changes and the upcoming series is still big and we should give some guys chances/last chances. It'll be time for players to really step up and prove themselves. Experience comes with time and you should give multiple chances, for players to step up and prove themselves. InshAllah these guys get a slap behind the head when they get back and they start proving themselves in this home series.

This is a no joke series coming up so i hope some names prove themselves.

Yeah, for some, this series will be the last chance to merit a spot on the team.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Yeah, for some, this series will be the last chance to merit a spot on the team.

Yep I'm really hoping my personal favorites come good and inshAllah come the 14th when selection occurs i hope all of them get a good talking to. However, the other thing i have to say is that the last of test scheduling is a joke, 7 tests in 2021 is embarrassing!!!! I mean that is your problem right there as well lack of playing tests, there is bound to be ring rust if you don't play consistently. The fault is also not with the guys at times but the lack of planning and focus on t20 were is where the money is for the board, as a fan i'd rather watch tests than t20s.

 

[hitthestump]

1.Azhar Ali
2.Imam Ul-Haq
3.Saud Shakeel
4.Babar Azam (c)
5.Kamran Ghulam
6.Mohammad Nawaz (Would have been ideal tour to see if Shadab can bat at 6 but he's hurt)
7.Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
8.Hasan Ali
9.Yasir Shah
10.Mohammad Abbas
11.Shaheen Afridi

I quite like it. Mohammad Nawaz has looked great this year and is a genuine number 6 as well as back up spinner.

Only change i'd make is to keep Fawad in and leave Saud at home for another year. Saud is good but needs to be polished a bit more. Fawad needs the opportunity to build on his brilliant century and also could really smash a series at home where he's broken so many FC records.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

If pakistan are playing 3 quicks, the bowling attack should be Shaheen, Irfan, Hasan and Sajid maybe?

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I quite like it. Mohammad Nawaz has looked great this year and is a genuine number 6 as well as back up spinner.

Only change i'd make is to keep Fawad in and leave Saud at home for another year. Saud is good but needs to be polished a bit more. Fawad needs the opportunity to build on his brilliant century and also could really smash a series at home where he's broken so many FC records.

Hit the nail on the head about Fawad, he's a Karachi boy and should know that ground like the back of his hand so i'm expecting him to clobber the docile SA attack which only comprises of Rabada who even now is in doubt whether he will join the team (knock on wood).

I reckon Saud and Usman should be playing more county cricket, it's fair enough playing cricket at home but the world is bigger than home and to truly learn you must play in different conditions and that to against a different ball that might not always favour the batsmen i.e. Dukes.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

If pakistan are playing 3 quicks, the bowling attack should be Shaheen, Irfan, Hasan and Sajid maybe?

I reckon 3 quicks and 2 spinners (i'd rest Faheem for Karachi and play him in Pindi).

 

[Pakhs]

It would be almost the same team with Harris replaced by babar in batting and they need 2 spinners plus a part time spinner if possible. Whatever happened in NZ was always going to happen given the team it should not distract them for what they really need to do in the next 3/5 years which is play at home more often and win.

 

[Canistani Hero]

1) Imam
2) Azhar
3) Saud
4) Babar*
5) Ghulam
6) Fawad
7) Rizwan+
8) Gohar
9) Yasir
10) Hasan
11) Shaheen


12) Abid
13) Imran
14) Sajid
15) Faheem
16) Tabish
17) Abbas

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

The test championship is over for us. We get a bonus series to try our lads for the next cycle and for that, an intense clean-up job is required and necessary.

There's a new selector in place so it's also an opportune moment to get new coaching staff. We also need to bring in elite coaches and not second-tier globetrotters.

1. Azhar (must open else dropped)
2. Saud (must open)
3. Kamran Ghulam (good time to let him in)
4. Babar (one of the two automatic selections)
5. Rizwan (the second one)
6. Talat/Nawaz (Nawaz in turning conditions, Talat in conditions that favor seam/swing)
7. Agha Salman (the ideal time to get him in. underrated cricketer)
8. Shadab (Primary spinner)
9. Fahim (he makes it after his performance in New Zealand)
x. Hassan Ali (makes a comeback)
v. Shaheen (makes it although he needs to improve a lot)

In case we need an extra bowler, Talat or Nawaz can be dropped and an out and out bowler can be selected. Ammad Butt also makes a case as he is a hit-the-deck type bowler who can bat a bit. My pick of bowlers would be Sameen, Arshad Iqbal, & Shahnawaz.

The seam bowling all-rounders include Fahim, Amir Yamin, Muhammad Imran, and Talat. I'd play Talat more as he is a better batsman and Fahim makes it because he can bowl a lot more than the other two but I'll keep all four in the mix. Hammad doesn't make the cut as an all-rounder but he may make it purely as a batsman in some formats.

The spin-bowling all-rounders will be Mubasir Khan, Nawaz, Shadab, Agha, & a few others. There are many options here but I am not sure about the quality but I would still have one of these in the team instead of an out and out spinner like Yasir.

The backup spinners will include Muhammad Zahid, Yasir, & Sajid Khan. Nauman Ali didn't impress me despite his record but he can be tried as well.

The backup batsmen will be Usman Salahuddin, Israrullah, Nasir Nawaz, and a few others who I can't fully recall now.

The fast bowlers are the area where we are struggling the most. We have one in Tabish Khan but he should have been tried years ago. Abbas has run his utility at the international level as he requires a very particular set of conditions to be successful. Naseem with his new runup is not a tearaway and finds no place in any setup for me.

Sameen Gul, Arshad Iqbal, Muhammad Wasim, Shahnawaz are all raw but at least they are tall and can hit the deck hard. we need better bowlers but I don't see any great in the domestic circuit.

I know that the team is batting heavy but we need to stop losing tests before we can start winning. Since we don't have really good bowlers in the domestic circuit, picking the four best available options won't make us win matches so we need to make do where we pick two fast bowlers and a spinner while the others are all-rounders of sorts. That way we will at least be able to save matches that now we end up losing.

If a team plays 250 overs in a match, it rarely loses and that's what I want us to start with.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Yep I'm really hoping my personal favorites come good and inshAllah come the 14th when selection occurs i hope all of them get a good talking to. However, the other thing i have to say is that the last of test scheduling is a joke, 7 tests in 2021 is embarrassing!!!! I mean that is your problem right there as well lack of playing tests, there is bound to be ring rust if you don't play consistently. The fault is also not with the guys at times but the lack of planning and focus on t20 were is where the money is for the board, as a fan i'd rather watch tests than t20s.

In all fairness, I really like the number of T20 games we're playing, we should have a functioning playing XI by the time of the T20 WC, and we'll really be able to compete and potentially win. Before the WC, the likes of Haider Ali should have at least played 20 T20Is or so given that there are no injuries. Also, the PSL and National T20 Cup will help in preparing a lot.

The next WTC starts at the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022 if I'm not mistaken, but we'll go in with insufficient experience yet again. That's a cause for concern, and what it means is that our test players will have to maximize their participation in QEA Trophy.

2023 is the ODI WC, and we need to play more ODI cricket as well. Hopefully we fill our schedules with ODI and Tests in 2022 and before 2023 to get a solid team combination and string together some form before the WC.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

In all fairness, I really like the number of T20 games we're playing, we should have a functioning playing XI by the time of the T20 WC, and we'll really be able to compete and potentially win. Before the WC, the likes of Haider Ali should have at least played 20 T20Is or so given that there are no injuries. Also, the PSL and National T20 Cup will help in preparing a lot.

The next WTC starts at the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022 if I'm not mistaken, but we'll go in with insufficient experience yet again. That's a cause for concern, and what it means is that our test players will have to maximize their participation in QEA Trophy.

2023 is the ODI WC, and we need to play more ODI cricket as well. Hopefully we fill our schedules with ODI and Tests in 2022 and before 2023 to get a solid team combination and string together some form before the WC.

PCB should look beyond the QeA, players playing in QeA won't prove much for me and it won't prepare them for away conditions as majority of the games were played in Karachi this season and last season if i'm not mistaken.

I reckon what Pakistan should do is perhaps see if some players can play Plunkett Shield or Shield trophy cricket especially the bowlers, I mean Aaron Summers has joined the Pakistan Cup but what's stopping intermixing of our players within the domestic structure of other test playing nations???

I reckon if Pakistan was to champion this idea it would better prepare players for away conditions and I reckon it would strengthen our team in the long run or Pakistan increase the A series they play in away conditions as they don't book much. This year and last year is understandable due to the Covid crisis but it's something they should've done before. You can change the players but they will continuedly fail on away soil and this is something we must accept until you don't increase cricket on away conditions and prep for away conditions.

 

[UzmanBeast]

PCB should look beyond the QeA, players playing in QeA won't prove much for me and it won't prepare them for away conditions as majority of the games were played in Karachi this season and last season if i'm not mistaken.

I reckon what Pakistan should do is perhaps see if some players can play Plunkett Shield or Shield trophy cricket especially the bowlers, I mean Aaron Summers has joined the Pakistan Cup but what's stopping intermixing of our players within the domestic structure of other test playing nations???

I reckon if Pakistan was to champion this idea it would better prepare players for away conditions and I reckon it would strengthen our team in the long run or Pakistan increase the A series they play in away conditions as they don't book much. This year and last year is understandable due to the Covid crisis but it's something they should've done before. You can change the players but they will continuedly fail on away soil and this is something we must accept until you don't increase cricket on away conditions and prep for away conditions.

Most domestic circuits away won't allow our players to play using the common excuse of "developing our own youngsters". However, I liked the idea which Ramiz Raja has been stating a lot which is about drop-in pitches. Surely we can have those pitches available for the national team before a tour in a place like New Zealand. It would improve our performances so much if we could play our own practice games on those pitches before the tour, and then whilst on the tour, play even more practice games and really learn what the best approach would be on those wickets. You won't get the same amount of swing in the air when you bring the drop-in pitch to Asia, but you'll get accustomed to the seam and what the ball does off the pitch. If I'm not mistaken, it takes about $1 million for a drop-in pitch, and that's pretty expensive, but if we gain a lot of money from the PSL, surely it should be invested in state-of-the-art equipment like this.

 

[shamaan]

My xi/squad only players who am 50/50 is if fawad should start or one of kamran or saud to start

Imaam
Azhar
Kamran ghullam/fawad /saud
Babar
Saud/ghullam/ fawad
Rizwan
Gohar
Sajid
Fahim
Hassan ali
Shaheen

Fawad
Yasir
Sarfraz
Tabish

 

[shamaan]

I think Kamran Ghulam should be given a go at number 3. He’s performed well domestically and that’s the way selection should be based if you don’t have talent in the ranks. I’ve heard so much about Saud Shakeel but have never seen him bay. Wouldn’t mind him if his first class record is also good.

I think saud should bat at 5 against the older ball were he can play his shots