Pakistan Rise to Number 1

[vic_orthdox]

this is a top article - is probably a little inflammatory for no reason to india but still worth the read Pakistan Are Better Than India - Dennis Does Cricket

Any time when "Dennis Does Cricket" / "I co-opt Richie Benaud for my own gags" is linked is a bad time.

 

[TheJediBrah]

This summer could be the first time in years that a touring side challenged as at home.

Should be exciting

 

[Prince EWS]

This summer could be the first time in years that a touring side challenged as at home.

Should be exciting

I still worry for their batting a little bit; a lot of them play with really low, late hands which is something that, while primarily an asset in Asia, can still work pretty well in England, but isn't something you can away with in conditions with more bounce. They might be good enough to adapt which would be fantastic, but I'm not convinced yet.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I still worry for their batting a little bit; a lot of them play with really low, late hands which is something that, while primarily an asset in Asia, can still work pretty well in England, but isn't something you can away with in conditions with more bounce. They might be good enough to adapt which would be fantastic, but I'm not convinced yet.

If the pitches are anything like the ones we prepared for India in 2014 they may be very slow and medium-bouncing enough to not bother them that much tbh

 

[Victor Ian]

This is a glorious recapturing of the title for the greens. It has been ashamedly blinking blue for a number of years now and it's great to have another green country exerting their dominance.

 

[Zinzan]

Trying to think if this is the most even the top 7 has been at one time.... Not suggesting the gap is negligible, but relatively speaking.

 

[StephenZA]

This is a glorious recapturing of the title for the greens. It has been ashamedly blinking blue for a number of years now and it's great to have another green country exerting their dominance.

I make a vigorous protest to this statement....

 

[Daemon]

Pakistan won't win a game in Aus imo. They won't lose as badly as others have but I can't see any of their bowlers being effective consistently enough at all.

 

[Adders]

Plenty said the same thing about them in England tbf.

 

[DriveClub]

Plenty said the same thing about them in England tbf.

Australia more punishing for touring teams, don't know why

 

[Zinzan]

Plenty said the same thing about them in England tbf.

They actually had some history of performing in England leading into that particular series though.

 

[hendrix]

Pakistan won't win a game in Aus imo. They won't lose as badly as others have but I can't see any of their bowlers being effective consistently enough at all.

They actually had some history of performing in England leading into that particular series though.

Yeah, in particular Amir could have a really rough time - he's not exactly a tall bowler and his pitch-it-up swing could be cannon fodder much in the way that Boult's was. Similarly, Yasir doesn't really seem to use bounce to get his wickets.

Wahab should go all right. Maybe Rahat? He's bloody inconsistent though and can't field for ****.

 

[91Jmay]

Yasir might be a dark horse if the pitches go up and down, which Aus pitches tend to on Day 4/5.Although getting there could be the issue.

 

[weldone]

Wahab is the perfect bowler for Australian roads. Amir's bowling in the England series hasn't really been the pitch-it-up-and-swing type, his length has generally been shorter than required in England. Yasir's bowling may be effective in Australia as 91Jmay says. I'll be more worried about Pak batting than their bowling in Australia, like PEWS says. To do well in Australia you must be able to score 400 regularly - and I doubt if Pakistan has the batting to do that regularly against Aussie pace attack.

 

[Daemon]

Plenty said the same thing about them in England tbf.

Not really, I don't think anyone thought Pakistan couldn't take 20 wickets in England. People expected Amir to rip through England at least once in fact.

Rahat and Sohail will be major liabilities in Australia imo. Amir doesn't get much bounce but he bowls good lines so he should be fine. He's not going to pitch it up and search for swing too often if the England series was anything to go by. If Wahab doesn't get carried away then he should be fine too. Yasir I have no idea.

 

[Prince EWS]

Wahab is the perfect bowler for Australian roads. Amir's bowling in the England series hasn't really been the pitch-it-up-and-swing type, his length has generally been shorter than required in England. Yasir's bowling may be effective in Australia as 91Jmay says. I'll be more worried about Pak batting than their bowling in Australia, like PEWS says. To do well in Australia you must be able to score 400 regularly - and I doubt if Pakistan has the batting to do that regularly against Aussie pace attack.

Yeah I think their bowling will be okay. Amir and Wahab will be threatening, Yasir should be more successful than most touring spinners and Sohail/Rahat/Imran (I think I'd pick Imran in Australian conditions) should be solid even if not gun. I sort of fear for their lack of a fifth bowler given games in Australia are usually so high-scoring and Wahab would be best used as a strike bowler rather than having to bowl lots of overs, but if Yasir can bowl long spells without getting smashed it may nullify that problem a bit.

I think their batting lineup is really good now and well-suited to score runs everywhere other than Australia and possibly South Africa, but unfortunately for them Australia is where this series is being played. Misbah, legend as he is, kind of proved me wrong a bit in England though, so you never know.

 

[harsh.ag]

What's up with Junaid?

 

[honestbharani]

What's up with Junaid?

Busy playing for the Honest Hunks in the Current FC Draft

 

[OverratedSanity]

What's up with Junaid?

He's terrible now.

 

[Top_Cat]

Wahab gonna get smashed in Oz tbh. Love his heart and the guy has pace but doesn't do enough off the seam. Been proven time and again, visiting bowlers who do well bowl line and length not one then the other.

Amir the key for the bowlers but agree the batting has to fire too. Am wondering which random visiting youngster sets the world alight too. That's always a highlight for any home summer for me.