• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

Pakistan Thread

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
And Liam 'ud better hurry-up with the West Indies Thread otherwise I'll be in there like a shot...
 

Mr Mxyzptlk

Request Your Custom Title Now!
The West Indies aren't important enough for their own thread.

What's that? They're hosting the event? ...Oh...my mistake.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
So Kenya and Bangladesh are barred from having their own threads?
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Jungle Jumbo

International Vice-Captain
Richard said:
So Kenya and Bangladesh are barred from having their own threads?
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!
If that isn't an incentive to spread more of the gospel, I don't know what is
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Sorry, mate, stolen ya thunder. :mellow:
I'm sure Rich would say the same about the SA thread...
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
15 I would take

1. Inzamam-ul-Haq
2. Mohammad Yousuf
3. Rana Naved
4. Shoaib Akhtar
5. Mohammad Asif
6. Shoaib Malik
7. Imran Farhat
8. Yasir Hameed
9. Mansoor Amjad
10. Shahid Afridi
11. Rao Iftikhar Anjum
12. Kamran Akmal
13. Abdul Razzaq
14. Younis Khan
15. Yasir Arafat
 

adharcric

International Coach
Although I'd prefer Shoaib Malik at #3, he will have to open because Younis Khan is useless at #6 when you need guys who can accelerate, just like Mohammad Kaif is for India. Farhat and Butt are both flashy left-handed openers who often throw it away, I'd say slightly more responsible and slightly less explosive versions of Gambhir. Hameed should be in there. Kaneria won't find a place in the final XI so he's not really an issue.

S Butt or I Farhat
S Malik
Y Khan
M Yousuf
Inzamam-ul-Haq*
S Afridi
K Akmal+
A Razzaq
Naved-ul-Hasan
S Akhtar
M Asif
Reserves: Y Hameed, Y Arafat, M Amjad, M Sami
 
Last edited:

IndianByHeart

U19 Vice-Captain
Pakistan's OD team has three problems.

1 They are still struggling to find reliable pair of openers.
2 Lack of quality spinner in the team.
3 lack of quality pack up pacers.

Openers
As far as openers are concerned, i think Malik might be the solution for one of the openers, while for the other one its going to be between Farhat and Butt.While Farhat has done well recently, i'm still biased towards Butt and feel that Pakistan won't do with Butt what they have done with Nazir,Hameed,Umer etc.Butt may have been dropped from the pointless OD matches at AbuDhabi, but the selectors have said that he will consdered for Eng tour!!
Another thing to note is that the selectors have included 3 discarded openers in Hameed,Umar and Hafeez for Pak A tour, so whoever do good on A tour might get a chance to make a comeback in the team, and i have a feeling the Hameed will make it.

Spinners
Some of you guys have included Mansoor Amjad in the squad.A World Cup is not a tournament in which any young player can be drafted in, a player need to have some experiance of international cricket before he can be considered for such a tour.The fact that Inzi is still sticking with Danish shows that there will be no place for Mansoor Amjad.Inzi though do realise this weak area of Pak team, and therefore is keen to have a leggie (Danish) and a left arm spinner (Abdul Rehman) in the team.If Rehman does well then he might make it to the squad.

Back up pacers
There are 3 good frontline pacers in Akhtar,Asif and Rana, problem is with the backups.Considering that pacers are getting injured frequently, good backup pacers are vital.I think there will be place for two more pacers from the likes of Sami,Rao,Gul and Arafat.While Sami has been a great dissapointment, still i feel he will somehow make it to the team.The other one could be between Rao and Arafat.

My 15 would be.

Butt
Malik
Younis
Inzi(C)
Yousuf
Razzak
Akmal
Afridi
Akhtar
Rana
Asif

--Yasir Hameed
--Sami
--Rao(if he continue to do well) otherwise Yasir A
--Abdur Rehman or Tahir Khan.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Personally I'd give serious consideration to Afridi opening.
I find that anyone seriously willing to discard Salman Butt in ODIs in favour of Imran Farhat crazy. Butt CAN play, at least in one-dayers. Give him time, I'm near enough certain he'll end-up being a superb ODI opener.
I don't think Younis Khan should be in the team, so right now I'd go something like...
Salman
Afridi
Shoaib Malik
Inzamam
Mohammad Yousuf
Abdur\l Razzaq
+Kamran Akmal
Mr. X
Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan
Mohammad Asif
Shoaib Akhtar
Clearly, most places are assured - as I say, I certainly hope Salman can make himself bulletproof before the tournament. I've often been of the opinion that the only point in playing Afridi in ODIs is if he's going to open. Shoaib Malik is clearly capable of batting anywhere in the top four, but I've always felt Inzy and Yousuf should be at four and five respectively. Razzaq and Akmal are useful to have coming in hopefully with 10 or so overs left.
Aside from Asif, though, it's not impossible the attack might get caned. Shoaib can be unhittable and unplayable at the same time of times, but he can also be easily both when on the wrong day.
 

IndianByHeart

U19 Vice-Captain
Richard said:
Personally I'd give serious consideration to Afridi opening.
I find that anyone seriously willing to discard Salman Butt in ODIs in favour of Imran Farhat crazy. Butt CAN play, at least in one-dayers. Give him time, I'm near enough certain he'll end-up being a superb ODI opener.
I don't think Younis Khan should be in the team, so right now I'd go something like...
Salman
Afridi
Shoaib Malik
Inzamam
Mohammad Yousuf
Abdur\l Razzaq
+Kamran Akmal
Mr. X
Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan
Mohammad Asif
Shoaib Akhtar
.
Just 4 specialist batsmen(butt,Malik,Inz,Yousuf), and with Afridi opening the innings and a wkt likely to fall early (especially against the likes of Aus,SA) this team is unlikely to cross 200 total on most Onedayers!

Younis Khan is a good OD player if he bats at one down and not at number six slot.If he is atall to be replaced then he should be replaced by a batsmen rather than a bowler.
 

adharcric

International Coach
Richard said:
Personally I'd give serious consideration to Afridi opening.
I find that anyone seriously willing to discard Salman Butt in ODIs in favour of Imran Farhat crazy. Butt CAN play, at least in one-dayers. Give him time, I'm near enough certain he'll end-up being a superb ODI opener.
I don't think Younis Khan should be in the team, so right now I'd go something like...
Salman
Afridi
Shoaib Malik
Inzamam
Mohammad Yousuf
Abdur\l Razzaq
+Kamran Akmal
Mr. X
Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan
Mohammad Asif
Shoaib Akhtar
Clearly, most places are assured - as I say, I certainly hope Salman can make himself bulletproof before the tournament. I've often been of the opinion that the only point in playing Afridi in ODIs is if he's going to open. Shoaib Malik is clearly capable of batting anywhere in the top four, but I've always felt Inzy and Yousuf should be at four and five respectively. Razzaq and Akmal are useful to have coming in hopefully with 10 or so overs left.
Aside from Asif, though, it's not impossible the attack might get caned. Shoaib can be unhittable and unplayable at the same time of times, but he can also be easily both when on the wrong day.
I'd also say Butt will be back because Farhat is a lot like Gambhir - fritters away starts after some explosive strokeplay. But the lineup you've listed is quite weak, especially when one of the 5 specialist batsman has a 50% chance of getting out very early. Razzaq is not good enough to bat at #6. As for Younis, he can only play if he's batting at #3, otherwise he's useless. If Afridi opens, Younis has to play to provide some stability.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
IndianByHeart said:
Just 4 specialist batsmen(butt,Malik,Inz,Yousuf), and with Afridi opening the innings and a wkt likely to fall early (especially against the likes of Aus,SA) this team is unlikely to cross 200 total on most Onedayers!

Younis Khan is a good OD player if he bats at one down and not at number six slot.If he is atall to be replaced then he should be replaced by a batsmen rather than a bowler.
Younis Khan is a poor ODI player wherever he bats.
Have you any inspired suggestions as to who should replace him? Bazid Khan? Top-order batsman, last I looked.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
adharcric said:
I'd also say Butt will be back because Farhat is a lot like Gambhir - fritters away starts after some explosive strokeplay. But the lineup you've listed is quite weak, especially when one of the 5 specialist batsman has a 50% chance of getting out very early. Razzaq is not good enough to bat at #6. As for Younis, he can only play if he's batting at #3, otherwise he's useless. If Afridi opens, Younis has to play to provide some stability.
But Younis only rarely does provide any stability. A place simply cannot afford to be used on him, let alone at three - Malik simply must bat in the top four.
I'd say Razzaq is perfectly good enough to bat six - if he starts looking poor, just move Akmal up 1 place.
 

adharcric

International Coach
Richard said:
But Younis only rarely does provide any stability. A place simply cannot afford to be used on him, let alone at three - Malik simply must bat in the top four.
I'd say Razzaq is perfectly good enough to bat six - if he starts looking poor, just move Akmal up 1 place.
Putting Razzaq that high would give Pakistan a genuine tail, which isn't good considering the batting depth India and Australia have (even South Africa, then, with Hall coming in so late). Malik should be in the top 4 I agree, but let's be realistic, Younis won't be dropped because he's the next captain. So might as well make best use of him at #3 and push Malik up to open. Besides, it's not like Butt and Farhat are consistent enough an opening pair to be given the full reins up top. So make those two compete for one spot, with Malik at the other. Then Younis, Inzy and Yousuf. Afridi is a must at #6. Then Razzaq/Akmal at 7 & 8. These days you should have batting down to 8, not 7. India have Pathan or Powar (actually more like Dhoni or a specialist bat with Pathan coming at #3), Australia have Lee or Hogg ... and those teams not only have stronger top-orders than Pakistan, but the aforementioned #8s are all better bats than a Rana Naved coming in at 8.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Sadly there's not much to be done - the best Pakistani bowlers aren't up to much with the bat.
But equally - you're foolish if you weaken your batting just because "you need more batting". Younis is no use. He doesn't strengthen the batting - in fact, he weakens it. To have Younis instead of Salman is akin to lunacy. I'd not be too averse to the idea of a Butt-Malik opening partnership, but I never find Afridi too likely to do much down the order against decent attacks.
I happen to rate Abdur\l Razzaq very highly with the bat. I feel he needs to come in with a brief other than just to try and smite everything out of the park.
I don't feel Akmal is much use at eight, either.
 

Top