Pakistan Team Discussion

[AsadRM]

He resigned because the PCB's new ethics code doesn't allow him to hold two positions concurrently.

Interesting...

Will he leave Islamabad United and SSGC too? I'm aware that he was given an ultimatum by Ehsan Mani to leave one job; either the PCB one or the SSGC one.

 

[CerealKiller]

Interesting...

Will he leave Islamabad United and SSGC too? I'm aware that he was given an ultimatum by Ehsan Mani to leave one job; either the PCB one or the SSGC one.

Yeah, think he'll leave SNGPL, but don't know about IU. I *think* the ethics code extends to only positions within the board itself, and not the PSL.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

Agreed. You can chuck in '11 Akhtar and '07 Inzamam in there as well. Surprisingly, ever since 1992, we've had every single World Cup feature a senior player making their last ever appearance for Pakistan. It was started by Imran Khan in 1992, but no other cricketer could even come close to emulating what he did.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Azhar Ali could lose Pakistan Test captaincy to Mohammad Rizwan

One for you to mull over lads.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

Surprisingly, ever since 1992, we've had every single World Cup feature a senior player making their last ever appearance for Pakistan. It was started by Imran Khan in 1992, but no other cricketer could even come close to emulating what he did.

Who do you guys reckon is going to continue this trend in 2023? Amir? Wahab? Hafeez? I seriously doubt that either Wahab or Hafeez will actually even make it to 2023 WC. Amir, I'm almost certain he will. Even though he was nearly dropped from the 2019 one. Maybe, if we don't pick any of them, we'd be able to break the "curse"(?).

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

Azhar Ali could lose Pakistan Test captaincy to Mohammad Rizwan

One for you to mull over lads.

I don't know how I feel about that. Azhar Ali has been a bad captain. Whether it's his current run as the Test captain, or his 2015-16 run as the ODI captain. A great example of his poor decision-making skills would be the first Pak-Eng Test that Woakes and Buttler won for England from an unfavorable position, to say the least. All because of how lacking in aggression his captaincy was towards the end of the game.

And at the same time, I'm not sure if Rizwan is the player to go with here. He's definitely not as experienced as others in the side, only after the 2019 WC has he become a permanent fixture in Pakistan's squad. But he has been quite impressive in terms of his leadership abilities in domestic cricket, with the recent National T20 Cup victory being the glaring example. I think Pakistan should ABSOLUTELY give him the chance to lead. How much worse can he be from Sarfaraz and Azhar? Besides, it's not as tho there is an obvious option in the team and Rizwan is taking their spot. Pakistan, currently has no one to lead them in Tests that's both proven to be a good captain, and has stability in their performances.

Unless you wanna hand over the captaincy Yasir Shah

 

[CerealKiller]

I don't know how I feel about that. Azhar Ali has been a bad captain. Whether it's his current run as the Test captain, or his 2015-16 run as the ODI captain. A great example of his poor decision-making skills would be the first Pak-Eng Test that Woakes and Buttler won for England from an unfavorable position, to say the least. All because of how lacking in aggression his captaincy was towards the end of the game.

And at the same time, I'm not sure if Rizwan is the player to go with here. He's definitely not as experienced as others in the side, only after the 2019 WC has he become a permanent fixture in Pakistan's squad. But he has been quite impressive in terms of his leadership abilities in domestic cricket, with the recent National T20 Cup victory being the glaring example. I think Pakistan should ABSOLUTELY give him the chance to lead. How much worse can he be from Sarfaraz and Azhar? Besides, it's not as tho there is an obvious option in the team and Rizwan is taking their spot. Pakistan, currently has no one to lead them in Tests that's both proven to be a good captain, and has stability in their performances.

Unless you wanna hand over the captaincy Yasir Shah

Agree. The only other option would be Babar, but do you really wanna burden him with captaincy in all three formats? There are no alternatives to Rizwan in his position, so he is guaranteed to be in the team for 2-3 years at least, so he's a good option.

Who do you guys reckon is going to continue this trend in 2023? Amir? Wahab? Hafeez? I seriously doubt that either Wahab or Hafeez will actually even make it to 2023 WC. Amir, I'm almost certain he will. Even though he was nearly dropped from the 2019 one. Maybe, if we don't pick any of them, we'd be able to break the "curse"(?).

I think it might just be Wahab again in 2023. He would be 38, but he has proved his fitness for LOs.

 

[Yash.]

I think it might just be Wahab again in 2023. He would be 38, but he has proved his fitness for LOs

It could be Afridi. Who knows when he comes back from retirement once again

 

[Neptune]

Who do you guys reckon is going to continue this trend in 2023? Amir? Wahab? Hafeez? I seriously doubt that either Wahab or Hafeez will actually even make it to 2023 WC. Amir, I'm almost certain he will. Even though he was nearly dropped from the 2019 one. Maybe, if we don't pick any of them, we'd be able to break the "curse"(?).

One of the main reasons Amir was even picked for the 2019 WC was because he was a "big match player". And the selection worked, he was pakistans best bowler if i remember correctly. I think the selectors might do this again for the 2023 WC and that time he might not have the same success

 

[Yash.]

And the selection worked, he was pakistans best bowler if i remember correctly

As far as I remember, it was Shaheen Shah Afridi

 

[Neptune]

Just checked and you are correct. Shaheen played 3 less matches and took only 1 less wicket. However amir took 17 wickets in 8 matches which is very good too

 

[AsadRM]

Azhar Ali could lose Pakistan Test captaincy to Mohammad Rizwan

One for you to mull over lads.

I believe this unnecessary debate will bring more pressure to Azhar Ali. He has to be completely backed till the New Zealand tour and maybe given an extended run till the home series against South Africa in January 2021.

If his individual and captaincy is good (at the minimum) he should be backed till the SA series in January. If not, then bring in a new captain against South Africa, providing him the advantage of starting his captaincy journey from a home series. The next assignment of the Pakistan Test team is the tour of Zimbabwe in April 2021. 2 Tests against South Africa in Pakistan and 2 Tests against Zimbabwe should ensure a smooth transition performance-wise too.

Now the real question is who will be his replacement? Shan Masood should be the right option for now (only if he performs well in New Zealand). He's articulate, smart, fit, educated, experienced captain, and above all a guy who'll lead by example. He leads Multan Sultans very well and Southern Punjab too. Rizwan is too inexperienced. And Babar should not be burdened with the captaincy of 3 formats this early in his career.

Shan Masood should captain till 2022/23, with Rizwan/Babar as his deputy, and then be replaced by them or Shadab, but Shadab needs to do a lot of work to be considered for that role. Shaheen Afridi's captaincy skills should also be developed as he is going to be the mainstay of Pakistan for the next decade or so.

 

[AsadRM]

This is what my ideal squad in the 2021-23 time period would look like keeping in mind the ODI World Cup, World Test Championship, and 2 World T20s.

Key:
/ -> backup or develop for that role

Tests:

1. Shan Masood
2. Abid Ali/Imam/Abdullah Shafiq/Omair bin Yousuf
3. Haider Ali/Omair bin Yousuf/Imran Butt
4. Babar Azam
5. Saud Shakeel/Hassan Mohsin/Abdul Wahid Bangalzai
6. Rizwan
7. Shadab Khan/Zafar Gohar (2nd spin-bowling AR in subcontinent/A pace-bowling allrounder overseas for God's sake)
8. Zahid Mahmood/Yasir Shah/Faisal Akram (if Zahid and Yasir are too old, back the young Faisal Akram)
9. Shaheen Afridi (rest him in the not-so-important series to manage his workload)
10. Abbas/Ahmed Bashir
11. Naseem Shah/Musa Khan/Akif Javed

Rizwan, Masood, Babar, Abbas, and probably Yasir will be the most experienced players, and youngsters like Haider, Omair, Naseem will help form a versatile lineup.

ODIs:

1. Imam/Abdullah Shafiq/Omair bin Yousuf
2. Haider Ali/ any other dynamic opener (maybe Fakhar if he improves)
3. Babar Azam
4. Rizwan/ Rohail (on flat decks Rohail should be the go-to-man courtesy of his improvisation)
5. Saud Shakeel/Qasim Akram/Shadab (the Hafeez/Shoaib Malik role)
6. Shadab Khan/ Hassan Mohsin (Shadab has to play, be it at #5 or #6)
7. Khushdil Shah/Hussain Talat
8. Zafar Gohar/ Faisal Akram (considering the WC is in India, we'll need a proper spinner who can spin the ball well)
9. Shaheen Afridi (rest him in the not-so-important series to manage his workload)
10. Rauf/Hasnain/Musa Khan/Naseem Shah (if he stays fit)
11. Wahab/Amir/Hassan Ali (need a bit of bowling experience in the WC too)

Strong batting till #8 with 4 pace bowling options and 3 spin options. Babar to anchor the innings while Haider, Rohail, Shadab, Hassan Mohsin, Khushdil, and Talat have the power-hitting prowess.

T20Is:

1. Babar Azam
2. Abdullah Shafiq/Zeeshan Malik
3. Haider Ali
4. Hafeez/Danish Aziz/Hassan Mohsin
5. Shadab Khan (VC)
6. Rohail Nazir/Azam Khan
7. Khushdil Shah/Hussain Talat
8. Zafar Gohar/Faisal Akram/Ammad Butt (4th pace bowling option if the need be)
9. Shaheen Afridi (rest him in the not-so-important series to manage his workload)
10. Wahab Riaz/Amir/Rauf
11. Rauf/Hasnain/Musa Khan

3 spinners, 3 pacers, and strong aggressive batting till #8.

I spent a lot of time on this, so feel free to add your suggestions.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

You gotta be kidding me.

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2020-21 - Pakistan bowler Hasan Ali injures himself again, after returning to Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

 

[CerealKiller]

You gotta be kidding me.

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2020-21 - Pakistan bowler Hasan Ali injures himself again, after returning to Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Next thing on Wasim Khan's list has to be the medical department. They already fukced up Akhtar, Junaid and Umar Gul