Pakistan Team Discussion

[Na Maloom Afraad]

These are the squads I'd select for the England tour if I was Inzi bhai

Tests
Mohammad Hafeez
Shan Masood
Azhar Ali
Younis Khan
Misbah-ul-Haq
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz Ahmed
Mohammad Aamir
Wahab Riaz
Yasir Shah
Junaid Khan

Backup players

Sami Aslam
Babar Azam
Imad Wasim
Imran Khan
Rahat Ali
Fawad Alam
Mohammad Rizwan

It's a long tour, so taking 18 players won't do any bad, especially considering that the 4 Tests are squeezed together in little more than a month. Rizwan can be the back-up keeper, and he also averages 43 in FC cricket. I took Imad Wasim ahead of Babar as his batting is a real bonus, and he might play in the first Test if Yasir isn't fit by then.
I would've liked to take Haris Sohail as well, but it's better not to risk him in Tests yet, as he's coming from two knee surgeries. The other selections explain themselves.

ODIs
Azhar Ali
Sami Aslam
Mohammad Hafeez
Babar Azam
Sarfraz Ahmed
Shoaib Malik
Imad Wasim
Mohammad Aamir
Mohammad Asghar / Yasir Shah
Wahab Riaz
Junaid Khan

Backup players
Haris Sohail
Anwar Ali
Mohammad Asghar / Yasir Shah
Sharjeel Khan
Hasan Ali
Mohammad Rizwan

Yasir hasn't been that good in LOs, so he could lose his spot to Asghar, but he probably deserves another chance. Could be either way. I don't understand why Zafar Gohar has been dropped after playing just one match. There are no other good backup seamers ( apart from Irfan, but he's had enough chances) , so Hasan Ali gets that spot. I would've loved to take Aamer Yamin instead of Anwar Ali, but for some reason he's in the Pakistan A squad and not in the senior one. I guess Anwar will get selected again on the basis of being the closest thing to a pace-bowling all-rounder we can find, despite having a bowling average of 50. Sharjeel will be the backup opener. We probably should've won the New Zealand series, but we choked at crucial moments and let the tail wag. These mistakes shouldn't be repeated if we want to win this one.

T20s
Sharjeel Khan
Sami Aslam
Sarfraz Ahmed
Babar Azam
Shoaib Malik
Mohammad Rizwan
Imad Wasim
Mohammad Aamir
Mohammad Asghar
Wahab Riaz
Junaid Khan

Backup players
Yasir Shah
Hasan Ali
Anwar Ali
Khalid Latif / Iftikhar Ahmed
Mohammad Hafeez

Don't think I need to explain anything here, apart from the fact that the selection of Latif / Iftikhar is due to the fact that sadly there aren't any better middle order batsmen. Hafeez shouldn't play, but he still makes the squad as cover.

What do you guys think? @Na Maloom Afraad @Rehan_24 @ARKRafay @sami ullah khan @Sami Kumar @cricket_icon @send2yaari
I selected only players that are part of the training camp. I took 17-18 players because our team is famous for being injury-prone and calling up replacements would be difficult.

Yes, we need Junaid Khan more than ever now. Also, I don't know why, but I feel like Sami Aslam is a better choice than Shan Masood despite their statistics. But, dropping Zulfiqar Babar isn't such a good idea. He's an old jolly fella, but He's still a better spinner than most of the young guys we have in our circuit. Few of them like Zafar Gohar, or Kamran Ghulam are really talented. But, they still have a really long way to go. And if we play on spin favouring wickets (which I highly doubt will be produced by the local groundsmen), we will be needing Babar. There's also this guy named Karamat Ali, even though He has no significant statistics, I saw him bowl in the 2014 U19 World Cup, and He was really impressive. He was one of the highest wicket takers that tournament. And I think our pace trio of Wahab, Aamir and Junaid is going to rock the green pitches. My only concern is if our senior batsmen i.e. Misbah-Ul-Haq and Younis Khan don't play well and add at least a hundred runs together, we'll end up collapsing.

As far as the ODIs are concerned, I suppose this should be our line-up:-

1. Azhar Ali
2. Sarfaraz Ahmed
3. Mohammad Hafeez
4. Haris Sohail
5. Babar Azam
6. Shoaib Malik
7. Imad Wasim
8. Wahab Riaz
9. Mohammad Aamir
10. Yasir Shah
11. Junaid Khan

Not to mention we'll have 3 spinners, 3 fast bowlers and 2 back-up bowlers (Azhar Ali & Haris Sohail).

Sharjeel Khan and Fakhar Zaman can form a helluva opening pair if Inzy bhai doesn't blow it. Also, Anwar Ali is quite effective with both the ball and the bat regardless of his untimely yet constant match-costing factors, like high economy, or too many dots at the end of the innings when He tries to hit every ball and doesn't connect on a lot of them. But, He can still turn things around in a space of an over with his batting and is an effective new ball bowler. Also, I would pick Rumman Raees ahead of Wahab Riaz, because Wahab does pick 2-3 wickets in almost every T20 He plays. But, He is extremely expensive. Whereas, this tour can be the perfect opportunity for Rumman Raees and be the start He needs for his career. I would even give Mohammad Asghar an edge over Yasir Shah. And, I'm sorry. But, no Hafeez.

My Twenty20 Xi against England:-

1. Sharjeel Khan
2. Fakhar Zaman
3. Babar Azam
4. Shoaib Malik
5. Sarfaraz Ahmed
6. Anwar Ali
7. Imad Wasim
8. Mohammad Amir
9. Rumman Raees
10. Mohammad Asghar
11. Junaid Khan

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

I just realised, their was a time when we had Imran Khan and Wasim Akram in the same playing xi, and Azhar Mahmood and Abdul Razzaq in the same playing xi. And, now. We don't have a single all-rounder who can even come close to them. Which is just sad, and painful. Mostly painful.

 

[CerealKiller]

As far as the ODIs are concerned, I suppose this should be our line-up:-

1. Azhar Ali
2. Sarfaraz Ahmed
3. Mohammad Hafeez
4. Haris Sohail
5. Babar Azam
6. Shoaib Malik
7. Imad Wasim
8. Wahab Riaz
9. Mohammad Aamir
10. Yasir Shah
11. Junaid Khan

I don't think they'll put Sarfraz in the opening position yet, but this lineup is also quite possible to feature.

• Sharjeel Khan

• Fakhar Zaman

• Babar Azam

• Shoaib Malik

• Sarfaraz Ahmed

• Anwar Ali

• Imad Wasim

• Mohammad Amir

• Rumman Raees

• Mohammad Asghar

• Junaid Khan

Fakhar Zaman is in the A squad, and Rumman Raees is in neither. Why do you have Anwar so high?

 

[CerealKiller]

I just realised, their was a time when we had Imran Khan and Wasim Akram in the same playing xi, and Azhar Mahmood and Abdul Razzaq in the same playing xi. And, now. We don't have a single all-rounder who can even come close to them. Which is just sad, and painful. Mostly painful.

Exactly. We don't even have a pure pace-bowling all-rounder that comes close to being international standard. Hopefully Hasan Mohsin from the U-19 squad wipl be that guy.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

I don't think they'll put Sarfraz in the opening position yet, but this lineup is also quite possible to feature.

Fakhar Zaman is in the A squad, and Rumman Raees is in neither. Why do you have Anwar so high?

Anwar can bat. Who else do You think can replace him as a batsman at the 6th spot? I'm playing him primarily as a match finisher and a guy who can bowl just 2 overs upfront, nothing else.

Rumman Raees should've been in the squad. It's sad, it really is. Fakhar Zaman should've also been there.

Exactly. We don't even have a pure pace-bowling all-rounder that comes close to being international standard. Hopefully Hasan Mohsin from the U-19 squad wipl be that guy.

He needs a couple of seasons of PSL and County Cricket, and He'll be the guy.

 

[CerealKiller]

Anwar can bat. Who else do You think can replace him as a batsman at the 6th spot? I'm playing him primarily as a match finisher and a guy who can bowl just 2 overs upfront, nothing else.

To be able to do the finishing job and bat at 6 he would have to come in after the 16th/17th over, which, looking at our recent batting performances, isn't very likely. If you really want him in the team, you should have him at 7 or 8. But that would mean dropping either Imad Wasim or one of the 4 main bowlers, and you surely don't wanna do that. Rizwan is good enough to come in at 6.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

To be able to do the finishing job and bat at 6 he would have to come in after the 16th/17th over, which, looking at our recent batting performances, isn't very likely. If you really want him in the team, you should have him at 7 or 8. But that would mean dropping either Imad Wasim or one of the 4 main bowlers, and you surely don't wanna do that. Rizwan is good enough to come in at 6.

See, T20 isn't much of a game where You'll need batting till the end. You need power hitters who can fire from the word go, and Rizwan is certainly not that. He takes time to set in.

Let's suppose, the openers play out the first 6 overs. The number 3 and 4 batsmen play the next 5, then one of them gets out and comes in the number 5 batsman. They play four overs together. It makes it 6+5+4=15, so Anwar Ali can be at the crease for the last five overs. And obviously, He won't be on strike on all the balls. So let's reduce that to a maximum probability of 15 balls. Don't You think He can give You 35 runs in 15 balls at the end? Plus, You'll get an awesome fielder in him.

I know what You're gonna say, You'll say "what if we have a top-order collapse?" Well, if that's the case, then I suppose Rizwan will do a better job. But, Anwar Ali can be taught to handle situations like that in our so called "academy". If that happens, He will be the perfect man to bat at Number 6 in Twenty20s.

 

[CerealKiller]

See, T20 isn't much of a game where You'll need batting till the end. You need power hitters who can fire from the word go, and Rizwan is certainly not that. He takes time to set in.

Let's suppose, the openers play out the first 6 overs. The number 3 and 4 batsmen play the next 5, then one of them gets out and comes in the number 5 batsman. They play four overs together. It makes it 6+5+4=15, so Anwar Ali can be at the crease for the last five overs. And obviously, He won't be on strike on all the balls. So let's reduce that to a maximum probability of 15 balls. Don't You think He can give You 35 runs in 15 balls at the end? Plus, You'll get an awesome fielder in him.

I know what You're gonna say, You'll say "what if we have a top-order collapse?" Well, if that's the case, then I suppose Rizwan will do a better job. But, Anwar Ali can be taught to handle situations like that in our so called "academy". If that happens, He will be the perfect man to bat at Number 6 in Twenty20s.

Well, you managed to change my stance a bit, but what about his bowling? His 2 overs aren't really needed, and he's a liability at the death.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

Well, you managed to change my stance a bit, but what about his bowling? His 2 overs aren't really needed, and he's a liability at the death.

Let Me re-post my Twenty20 Xi.

1. Sharjeel Khan
2. Fakhar Zaman Mohammad Hafeez
3. Babar Azam
4. Shoaib Malik
5. Sarfaraz Ahmed
6. Anwar Ali
7. Imad Wasim
8. Mohammad Amir
9. Rumman Raees Wahab Riaz
10. Mohammad Asghar
11. Junaid Khan

We have Junaid Khan, Mohammad Aamir, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Asghar & Wahab Riaz. Five genuine bowlers. We have 2 left-arm orthodox bowlers and 3 left-arm fasties. As I said earlier, the 2 overs Anwar's gonna get our going to be out of the first 3 i.e. the first and the third. The main reason to do so is because, openers are looking to set at that time, they just won't charge at him from the first ball. And, even though giving him 2 overs upfront, or any over at all isn't necessary, it will allow our left-arm trio and our main bowlers to bowl the death, and the most important overs of the game, and they'll be at the strongest points of our bowlers. If I was Sarfaraz, here's how I would rotate our bowlers.

1st Over - Anwar Ali
2nd Over - Mohammad Aamir
3rd Over - Anwar Ali
4th Over - Mohammad Aamir
5th Over - Wahab Riaz
6th Over - Junaid Khan
7th Over - Wahab Riaz
8th Over - Junaid Khan
9th Over - Imad Wasim
10th Over - Mohammad Asghar
11th Over - Imad Wasim
12th Over - Mohammad Asghar
13th Over - Imad Wasim
14th Over - Mohammad Asghar
15th Over - Junaid Khan
16th Over - Wahab Riaz
17th Over - Mohammad Aamir
18th Over - Wahab Riaz
19th Over - Mohammad Aamir
20th Over - Junaid Khan


The final scorecard

BOWLER ———————————————— OVERS THEY'LL BOWL —— PROBABILTY OF MAXIMUM RUNS THEY'LL CONCEDE
Anwar Ali ————————————————————— 2.0 ————————————————————————————— 25 RUNS ——————————————
Mohammad Aamir ———————————————— 4.0 ————————————————————————————— 30 RUNS ——————————————
Wahab Riaz ———————————————————— 4.0 ————————————————————————————— 35 RUNS ——————————————
Junaid Khan ——————————————————— 4.0 ————————————————————————————— 35 RUNS ——————————————
Imad Wasim ———————————————————— 3.0 ————————————————————————————— 30 RUNS ——————————————
Mohammad Asghar ——————————————— 3.0 ————————————————————————————— 35 RUNS ——————————————

25 + 30 + 35 + 35 + 30 + 35 = 190. Considering where T20 has gone, and also that this is the probability of the maximum runs they can possible concede. I think we're well within our winning space.

 

[CerealKiller]

Let Me re-post my Twenty20 Xi.

1. Sharjeel Khan
2. Fakhar Zaman Mohammad Hafeez
3. Babar Azam
4. Shoaib Malik
5. Sarfaraz Ahmed
6. Anwar Ali
7. Imad Wasim
8. Mohammad Amir
9. Rumman Raees Wahab Riaz
10. Mohammad Asghar
11. Junaid Khan

We have Junaid Khan, Mohammad Aamir, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Asghar & Wahab Riaz. Five genuine bowlers. We have 2 left-arm orthodox bowlers and 3 left-arm fasties. As I said earlier, the 2 overs Anwar's gonna get our going to be out of the first 3 i.e. the first and the third. The main reason to do so is because, openers are looking to set at that time, they just won't charge at him from the first ball. And, even though giving him 2 overs upfront, or any over at all isn't necessary, it will allow our left-arm trio and our main bowlers to bowl the death, and the most important overs of the game, and they'll be at the strongest points of our bowlers. If I was Sarfaraz, here's how I would rotate our bowlers.

1st Over - Anwar Ali
2nd Over - Mohammad Aamir
3rd Over - Anwar Ali
4th Over - Mohammad Aamir
5th Over - Wahab Riaz
6th Over - Junaid Khan
7th Over - Wahab Riaz
8th Over - Junaid Khan
9th Over - Imad Wasim
10th Over - Mohammad Asghar
11th Over - Imad Wasim
12th Over - Mohammad Asghar
13th Over - Imad Wasim
14th Over - Mohammad Asghar
15th Over - Junaid Khan
16th Over - Wahab Riaz
17th Over - Mohammad Aamir
18th Over - Wahab Riaz
19th Over - Mohammad Aamir
20th Over - Junaid Khan


The final scorecard

BOWLER ———————————————— OVERS THEY'LL BOWL —— PROBABILTY OF MAXIMUM RUNS THEY'LL CONCEDE
Anwar Ali ————————————————————— 2.0 ————————————————————————————— 25 RUNS ——————————————
Mohammad Aamir ———————————————— 4.0 ————————————————————————————— 30 RUNS ——————————————
Wahab Riaz ———————————————————— 4.0 ————————————————————————————— 35 RUNS ——————————————
Junaid Khan ——————————————————— 4.0 ————————————————————————————— 35 RUNS ——————————————
Imad Wasim ———————————————————— 3.0 ————————————————————————————— 30 RUNS ——————————————
Mohammad Asghar ——————————————— 3.0 ————————————————————————————— 35 RUNS ——————————————

25 + 30 + 35 + 35 + 30 + 35 = 190. Considering where T20 has gone, and also that this is the probability of the maximum runs they can possible concede. I think we're well within our winning space.

Well, this strategy isn't that bad, but it wouldn't always work, right? 90% of the time what you plan on paper doesn't happen.
And also, didn't Anwar get enough chances? He's in the team since 2 and a half years, and I can remember only one or two match winning performances from him. Even though I have to admit that your strategy makes sense on paper, I don't think Anwar will ever be able to develop his batting well enough to be able to bat at 6. And don't get me started on his bowling.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

Well, this strategy isn't that bad, but it wouldn't always work, right? 90% of the time what you plan on paper doesn't happen.
And also, didn't Anwar get enough chances? He's in the team since 2 and a half years, and I can remember only one or two match winning performances from him. Even though I have to admit that your strategy makes sense on paper, I don't think Anwar will ever be able to develop his batting well enough to be able to bat at 6. And don't get me started on his bowling.

I know strategies don't work out exactly as they're planned, but this is the basic one. Pakistan Cricket 101.

We'll surely have in and out form players, injuries and strategic problems on-field. But, that's how it works. The points I was trying to make, that should be basic or 101 for Pakistan are:-

1. Have insane openers who can fire from the word go
2. Have a middle order capable of recovering from a collapse (and surely, Malik and Sarfaraz have done that several times for us)
3. Have a pathan who can play at Number 6 and hit the ball really hard, and also be our sixth and opening bowler
4. Have our best bowlers bowl the last 6 overs of the game

But saying "I don't think Anwar will ever be able to develop his batting skills to be able to bat at No.6" is just harsh. You're underestimating a Pathan, and You know that. And I agree, He's been in the team for 2 and a half Year now. He was given chances, but what where they basically? Afridi making him play at No. 8 for god sake? Misbah dropping him for Bilawal Bhatti? Him being given the new ball without aggressive field sets?

These are the basic things we lack, I remember Virender Sehwag say during our match against New Zealand at the 2016 WTO - "Pakistan doesn't lose because they make a huge mistake, they lose because they make a lot of small mistakes". Which is 100% true.

 

[Sami Kumar]

These are the squads I'd select for the England tour if I was Inzi bhai

Tests
Mohammad Hafeez
Shan Masood
Azhar Ali
Younis Khan
Misbah-ul-Haq
Asad Shafiq
Sarfraz Ahmed
Mohammad Aamir
Wahab Riaz
Yasir Shah
Junaid Khan

Backup players

Sami Aslam
Babar Azam
Imad Wasim
Imran Khan
Rahat Ali
Fawad Alam
Mohammad Rizwan

It's a long tour, so taking 18 players won't do any bad, especially considering that the 4 Tests are squeezed together in little more than a month. Rizwan can be the back-up keeper, and he also averages 43 in FC cricket. I took Imad Wasim ahead of Babar as his batting is a real bonus, and he might play in the first Test if Yasir isn't fit by then.

Our top order looks weak. Shan Masood's average of 34 in 79 FC matches is not good enough. Azhar is a beast when it comes to test cricket, but he hasn't, so far, proven himself on foreign pitches. He will be tested on the pitches of England. I have faith in our bowlers. It's good to see Yasir's name in the playing XI again. The Aamir-Junaid combination can absolutely rip apart England's batting.

 

[CerealKiller]

Our top order looks weak. Shan Masood's average of 34 in 79 FC matches is not good enough. Azhar is a beast when it comes to test cricket, but he hasn't, so far, proved himself on foreign pitches. He will be tested on the pitches of England. I have faith in our bowlers. it's good to see Yasir's name in the playing XI again. The Aamir-Junaid combination can absolutely rip apart England's batting.

Masood has the experience of playing club cricket in England, and he did well recently in Tests.

 

[cricket_icon]

Our top order looks weak. Shan Masood's average of 34 in 79 FC matches is not good enough. Azhar is a beast when it comes to test cricket, but he hasn't, so far, proven himself on foreign pitches. He will be tested on the pitches of England. I have faith in our bowlers. It's good to see Yasir's name in the playing XI again. The Aamir-Junaid combination can absolutely rip apart England's batting.

Is Juniad Khan fit? I feel he has dropped off from his first few months in cricket and isn't as good anymore. Amir is still rebuilding. These are not two guys that will strike feat into any English batsman.

Yasir Shah if fit and ready, will be the real problem. English batsmen have a habit of finding shadows against spin that do not exist.

 

[Sami Kumar]

Is Juniad Khan fit? I feel he has dropped off from his first few months in cricket and isn't as good anymore. Amir is still rebuilding. These are not two guys that will strike feat into any English batsman.

Yasir Shah if fit and ready, will be the real problem. English batsmen have a habit of finding shadows against spin that do not exist.

I agree. Yasir will be more of threat to the English batsmen than Junaid or Amir will be. Both Amir and Junaid have played most of their matches on flat pitches and have maintained pretty good averages, so I expect them to bowl exceptionally well in England.