*Official* South Africa in Pakistan

[Woodster]

Salman Butt for me is the man that has to open the batting. He needs a little reassurance that he will hold that position down for a period of time. Can' t see Australia flitting around with various openers once they decide who takes over from Langer.

 

[gunner]

this is the best pakistani team currently

butt
hameed
younis
yousuf
malik
afridi
akmal
akhtar/tanvir/sami
gul
asif
danish

 

[Perm]

this is the best pakistani team currently

butt
hameed
younis
yousuf
malik
afridi
akmal
akhtar/tanvir/sami
gul
asif
danish

You'd seriously have Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Sami in a Pakistan Test team?

 

[shortpitched713]

Can' t see Australia flitting around with various openers once they decide who takes over from Langer.

Thats because whoever it is is likely to do at least a competent job for the forseeable future.

 

[Richard]

The tragedy of it is, there's an outside chance of Imran Farhat, Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez or Salman Butt (heck, even Shoaib Malik) doing a job for Pakistan too.

The fact that Farhat is the only one with a particularly good FC record and still looks average suggests it's unlikely, sure, but there have undoubtedly been times when chopping-and-changing has been done too often.

 

[Pup Clarke]

Still can't understand why they didn't persuavere with Salman Butt and Shoaib Mailk after both did well against England in winter 05.

 

[Richard]

Because they both did crap thereafter, and Malik should never have opened ITFP.

Nonetheless, they had done what several others hadn't even done, in having some element of success.

 

[gunner]

You'd seriously have Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Sami in a Pakistan Test team?

2 reasons,
the match is in subcontinent and the pitches will be very flat

another is that pakistran dont have an all rounder now that razzaq has retired so we need that 5th bowler and hafeez or malik aint good enough

 

[Pup Clarke]

another is that pakistran dont have an all rounder now that razzaq has retired so we need that 5th bowler and hafeez or malik aint good enough

Why do Pakistan need to play 5 bowlers?, surely Shoaib, Asif, Gul and Kaneria are good enough.

 

[Richard]

Not to mention Shabbir Ahmed.

 

[Perm]

Why do Pakistan need to play 5 bowlers?, surely Shoaib, Asif, Gul and Kaneria are good enough.

Because Shoaib and Asif, the former particularly, are strike-bowlers and you don't want to be bowling them for long spells of time. That would be my reasoning anyway, but I certainly wouldn't be selecting Shahid Afridi as an all-rounder in any Test side of mine. I'd make do with Hafeez and Malik to bowl a few.

 

[Perm]

Not to mention Shabbir Ahmed.

What's the story with him thesedays? I know you rate him very highly and all, but has he re-modelled his action successfully?

 

[Richard]

AFAIK he was back playing after his ban ended, and if he'd still been obviously having problems in the elbow department I reckon we'd be likely to have heard.

Nonetheless, the fact that the Samis and Mahmoods were picked ahead of him for the World Cup and again since suggests something's still amiss somewhere. I hope he's not lost to the game forever, because he does not deserve that.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

2 reasons,
the match is in subcontinent and the pitches will be very flat

another is that pakistran dont have an all rounder now that razzaq has retired so we need that 5th bowler and hafeez or malik aint good enough

And you propose that Mohammad Sami will have any impact on a flat pitch?

 

[PakPowered]

My team would be,

Butt
hameed
Younis
Yousuf
Malik
Misbah
Akmal
Tanveer
Gul
Danish
Asif

 

[BhupinderSingh]

Butt

 

[SJS]

Its interesting to see 'Butt' at the 'head' of the batting

 

[BhupinderSingh]

What else can I do other than laughing when many people are dying to see these Butts,Hameeds,Umars,Hafeezs,Farhats etc playing for Pakistan?

 

[neutralguy]

No I disagree, Its time for PCB to be Bold and take chance on its batting line up.....yeah, batting line up (even with fragile inzi) looks better than W/O inzi but it doesnt mean that Pak should not take a chance playing W/O inzi, well picture two scenarios

1) Batting line up does horrible W/o inzi against SA and he gets called in for India series scores a big 100 and chips in with 2 50's, then inzi plays against AUS and does Okay too.....Now i can bet my bottom$ on it if this is what happens, inzi is going to think....."Now is the perfect time to retire" as he is doing well with bat and would waana leave as good player.....Qs. is do we not have same problem next Apr as we have now, the Who we play in Now for Inzi???


2) Batting W/O inzi does reasonabily well against SA and same team gets sent to India and played against AUS, regardless of overall result (result of AUS series, as i think senior batsman or no senior batsman (inzi or no inzi) Pak will do well against India in India as it is always the desire/motivation to win of pakistanis against india that have always won them games and not the presense or absense of senior/better batsmen (as 10K>>Javed and Sachin>> Inzi (statistically speaking) )...comes next April and Pak is better placed as Pak now has a tried and tested batting line up that has gone through a tough season that hopefully have tought them self belief.


Now I think that for future of Pak cricket Scenario 2 is alot better than 1), and thats why Letting inzi stay out is the way to go.

But doesn't inzi the hero of pakistan deserves to score the remaining runs to overtake miandad in test matches. i think if inzi is given a chance , believe me he will for sure retire after australia or india series in a good way.
After inzi's disgraceful exit from the ODI's i think PCB should for once let this national hero go on his own terms. Inzi does not deserve this treatment from PCB.Shame on them.

 

[haroon510]

i sometimes worry that we might never see inzi playing again for pakistan... i can't imagin pakistani test bating line up without inzi...