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***Official*** England in Pakistan
- Thread starter James
- Start date
GladiatrsInBlue
Banned
No heated arguments please, and no point dragging India into it.
I said Pak pace was weak as it appears weak in the absence of a bowler like Akhtar and when we compare it to a world class attack of England.Likewsie English spin attack is weaker as compared to that of Pakistan.
No one should get offended by such facts as if Pak pace attack had been its strength then they would have been making pace friendly wickets and wouldn't have been thinking of playing with two leggies.
The chances of Pakistan playing with three spinners against England seems very bright to me, and i personally think it will be a good move by Pakistan.
Shoaib
Banned
Your post is full of rubbish because Pakistani pitches have never been pace friendly even when we had all time greats like Wasim Akram,Waqar Younis,Imran Khan,Sarfaraz Nawaz,Fazal Mahmood playing for our side.Pakistani pitches have been called grave yard for fast bowlers by legends like Dennis Lillee.
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GladiatrsInBlue
Banned
Things chances with time. The wkts in Pak indeed use to be graveyard for fast bowlers but lately they seems to have some life for fast bowlers.
Atleast one test pitch , in the last series between India and Pak, was very pace friendly.Also in very recent, the matches played between Pak A and Aus A hapened to be played on pace friendly wkts!!
So better check out the facts now.
Atleast one test pitch , in the last series between India and Pak, was very pace friendly.Also in very recent, the matches played between Pak A and Aus A hapened to be played on pace friendly wkts!!
So better check out the facts now.
GladiatrsInBlue
Banned
Anyway, does anyone think that Pak can come up with a better lineup than the one i have suggested (or more approprately Woomer has been suggesting)?
Does anyone thing that Afridi should be preffered over Mushtaq Ahmad in test matches?
Should Shabbir Ahmad (keeping in mind he will be in pressure coz of his bowling action) spearhead the bowling attack with Sami or either Gul or Naveed be given the big responsibility??
Should there be a room for a specialist off spinner in Arshad Khan?
Does anyone thing that Afridi should be preffered over Mushtaq Ahmad in test matches?
Should Shabbir Ahmad (keeping in mind he will be in pressure coz of his bowling action) spearhead the bowling attack with Sami or either Gul or Naveed be given the big responsibility??
Should there be a room for a specialist off spinner in Arshad Khan?
Hey, Shoaib buddy take it easy man...don't turn this msg. board into indo-pak crisis. His questions are resonable and pretty similar to what I have been speculating.
Regarding line-up, I don't think Salman is gonna lose his opening position for this series. He will probably open with Malik in Test, and with Afridi/Bazid in ODIs. I think this will be the 1st Test line-up.
Salman Butt
Shoaib Malik
Yonus Khan
Inzy
Mohd' Yosuf
Shahid Afridi/ (would prefer Hasan Raza)
Kamran Akmal
Rana/ Mushy
Umar Gul
Danish Kaneria
Akhtar (if fit)/ Shabbir
Regarding line-up, I don't think Salman is gonna lose his opening position for this series. He will probably open with Malik in Test, and with Afridi/Bazid in ODIs. I think this will be the 1st Test line-up.
Salman Butt
Shoaib Malik
Yonus Khan
Inzy
Mohd' Yosuf
Shahid Afridi/ (would prefer Hasan Raza)
Kamran Akmal
Rana/ Mushy
Umar Gul
Danish Kaneria
Akhtar (if fit)/ Shabbir
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Shoaib
Banned
I really agree with all of your selections & as far as Hasan Raza is concerned,an unofficial source has said that Hasan Raza will be a part of Pakistani team in the upcoming test series after his match winning 100 against Peshawar which saved the Pakistan XI from humiliation even though that match was abondoned due to the earth quake.venomous said:
aussie
Hall of Fame Member
where is Asim Kamal?, plus i dont think Gul will play over Sami just yet, my teamvenomous said:
Salman Butt
Shoaib Malik
Younis Khan
Inzy
Mohammad Y.Youhana
Asim Kamal
Kamran Akmal
Sami
Mishtaq/Shabbir or Rana - depends if woolmer goes for the 3rd seamer or the 2nd spinner
Shoaib
aussie
Hall of Fame Member
1. You sureGladiatrsInBlue said:
2. Ha, thats not true
3. Dont think Shoaib will be left out since are monitoring his fitness so that he can play againts england, were did you get they aren't happy with his fitness??, and NO i dont think Shoaib is past his best
4. Sami may be erratic but he is more likely to play as the 2nd seamer behind Shoaib for the 1st test at least.
GladiatrsInBlue
Banned
1, I'm going by Woolmer's word, he has suggested that Malik is going to open and his partner will either be Bazid KHan or Imran Farhat.aussie said:
2 If a fully fit and in form Akhtar is in side then they have a good pace attack, if not then its a very ordinary one, as we have all seen in Pak's recent tour of WI.
3, Shoaib do have a chance of playing for Pakistan but its a very slim one.Woolmer has been given complete authority by PCB in picking up a playing eleven in consultation with Inzamam and if Bob's recent statemets about Shoaib have not very encouraging.
4 Agreed with you on Sami, and i can safely say that Sami will prove to be a disaster for Pakistan.
GladiatrsInBlue
Banned
Problem with Salman butt is that he's badly out of touch and and its difficult to go in with a player that is not among runs. Malik is sure to open the innings but who is going to be the other player is the real question. Imran Farhat has been among the runs so he has a good chance, Bazid is regarded highly by Woolmer so he too can get the nod.One another candidate is "Shahid Yousuf", an uncapped player , but i don't think an unexperianced teenager will have maturity to excell against a team like England.venomous said:
Playing Afridi in the team would be like playing in with 6 bowlers (4 specialist + malika nd Afridi) and just 4 specialist batsmen, i think it can be a real bad idea as it can really weaken the Pak batting line up.
Hasan Raza should be in Pakistan team, but i don't see why Asim Kamal be dropped when he has done really well in test cricket.I can see Hasan Raza taking the place of Inzamam in the Pak test side in future, must say he's an excellent prospect.
GladiatrsInBlue
Banned
Shoaib said:
Shoaib.... WE can have this Indo-Pak Fast bowling debate when India take on Pakistan in Pakistan in comming future, but for now don't go into it, as its pointless.
The main issues for Pak team is as to who would be the two openers in Pak team? believe me if this is not sorted ot and if openers fell cheaply then it can be a disaster for Pakistan
Who would be the other spinners besides Kaneria in Pak team to help Pak team spin out England? ... I think Danish can do a good job but i'm not ceratin about Mushatq.
Also Shoaib, since you are such a die-hard fan of Pakistan team, can you kindly tell me something about the teenager "Shahid Yousuf"?? Is he good enough to perform at test level at such a young age?
GladiatrsInBlue
Banned
Woolmer in search of opening
pair to tackle English pacemen
By Waheed Khan
KARACHI: With the countdown having begun to the high-profile home series against England, the main concern of Pakistan cricket team’s coach Bob Woolmer is to find a pair of reliable opening batsmen to tackle the English pace attack confidently.
"I’ve to find two proper openers in the next two weeks. That for me is the most important aspect of how we approach this series," Woolmer told this correspondent.
And indeed if there has been one striking gray area in Woolmer’s tenure with the Pakistan team since June last year it has been his failure to find a dependable opening pair particularly at the Test level.
A number of openers among them Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed and Kamran Akmal have been tried but none have shown the required technique and concentration to cement his place in the side as a Test opener although all have shown flashes of brilliance with one or two outstanding innings.
According to Woolmer it is not that the above players are not good cricketers it is just that they are not playing like an opener is supposed to play. "They are very good players but not good openers. They lack the required technique and concentration for this pivotal spot," he said.
With the training camp for the England series due to commence from Friday (today), it’s obvious that Woolmer’s main emphasis would be on deciding upon the best possible pair to start the series with.
The word is that while Woolmer is convinced that Taufeeq Umar has the best technique and temperament to open the innings on a consistent basis, he is sadly woefully out of form.
"Woolmer backs Umar a lot but the left-hander is struggling for form and the idea is to go in with an in-form playing eleven," a source said.
At the moment, the line of thinking appears to be, let us persist with Shoaib Malik as an opener and find someone to partner him.The indications are that Salman Butt is also out of reckoning for the first Test because he is also struggling for form and the toss up might be between Imran Farhat and the uncapped Shahid Yousuf to partner Malik who has impressed everyone with the opening stints he has had in One-day Internationals and also in the second Test in the West Indies. The word is that Woolmer is particularly impressed with the form of Farhat and the hard work he is putting in on his fitness and batting. While he is convinced that Shahid Yousuf might also be Pakistan’s long-term answer to finding a reliable opener and could be tempted to try him out as Yousuf plays straight and not square on like most of the other openers. "The only thing is that Woolmer remains undecided if Yousuf is ready at the moment to accept the responsibility of opening with Malik against England," a source said.
Incidentally, Woolmer told a website on Thursday he is concerned that he would like two people to take that spot (opening) and make it their own. "Concerned in the sense that we are exposing our middle-order batting to the new ball too early, but there are greater concerns in life. I try not to use the word ‘worry’ too much; I find a solution to it. Hopefully the players themselves can start producing the type of performances Pakistan need against the new ball. It’s very important to understand that batting against the new ball is very different to batting against the old ball. You’ve got to play fewer shots in that situation for a period of time; you’ve to be more judicious in your shot selection against the new ball. In the Pakistan side we’ve to find someone prepared to bat for 50 overs," Woolmer stated
The word is also that with an in-form Hasan Reza having scored a lot of runs in recent months and Shahid Yousuf already impressing the coach with his talent, Woolmer might have a serious rethink on going in with Asim Kamal at number five after Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf in the middle order in the first Test.
"The only thing going in favour of Kamal is that he has scored and batted with a lot of courage in his last few Test matches and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is also inclined to push for him as normally no one likes to make too many experiments in the opening Test of a series," the source noted.
pair to tackle English pacemen
By Waheed Khan
KARACHI: With the countdown having begun to the high-profile home series against England, the main concern of Pakistan cricket team’s coach Bob Woolmer is to find a pair of reliable opening batsmen to tackle the English pace attack confidently.
"I’ve to find two proper openers in the next two weeks. That for me is the most important aspect of how we approach this series," Woolmer told this correspondent.
And indeed if there has been one striking gray area in Woolmer’s tenure with the Pakistan team since June last year it has been his failure to find a dependable opening pair particularly at the Test level.
A number of openers among them Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed and Kamran Akmal have been tried but none have shown the required technique and concentration to cement his place in the side as a Test opener although all have shown flashes of brilliance with one or two outstanding innings.
According to Woolmer it is not that the above players are not good cricketers it is just that they are not playing like an opener is supposed to play. "They are very good players but not good openers. They lack the required technique and concentration for this pivotal spot," he said.
With the training camp for the England series due to commence from Friday (today), it’s obvious that Woolmer’s main emphasis would be on deciding upon the best possible pair to start the series with.
The word is that while Woolmer is convinced that Taufeeq Umar has the best technique and temperament to open the innings on a consistent basis, he is sadly woefully out of form.
"Woolmer backs Umar a lot but the left-hander is struggling for form and the idea is to go in with an in-form playing eleven," a source said.
At the moment, the line of thinking appears to be, let us persist with Shoaib Malik as an opener and find someone to partner him.The indications are that Salman Butt is also out of reckoning for the first Test because he is also struggling for form and the toss up might be between Imran Farhat and the uncapped Shahid Yousuf to partner Malik who has impressed everyone with the opening stints he has had in One-day Internationals and also in the second Test in the West Indies. The word is that Woolmer is particularly impressed with the form of Farhat and the hard work he is putting in on his fitness and batting. While he is convinced that Shahid Yousuf might also be Pakistan’s long-term answer to finding a reliable opener and could be tempted to try him out as Yousuf plays straight and not square on like most of the other openers. "The only thing is that Woolmer remains undecided if Yousuf is ready at the moment to accept the responsibility of opening with Malik against England," a source said.
Incidentally, Woolmer told a website on Thursday he is concerned that he would like two people to take that spot (opening) and make it their own. "Concerned in the sense that we are exposing our middle-order batting to the new ball too early, but there are greater concerns in life. I try not to use the word ‘worry’ too much; I find a solution to it. Hopefully the players themselves can start producing the type of performances Pakistan need against the new ball. It’s very important to understand that batting against the new ball is very different to batting against the old ball. You’ve got to play fewer shots in that situation for a period of time; you’ve to be more judicious in your shot selection against the new ball. In the Pakistan side we’ve to find someone prepared to bat for 50 overs," Woolmer stated
The word is also that with an in-form Hasan Reza having scored a lot of runs in recent months and Shahid Yousuf already impressing the coach with his talent, Woolmer might have a serious rethink on going in with Asim Kamal at number five after Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf in the middle order in the first Test.
"The only thing going in favour of Kamal is that he has scored and batted with a lot of courage in his last few Test matches and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is also inclined to push for him as normally no one likes to make too many experiments in the opening Test of a series," the source noted.
GladiatrsInBlue
Banned
Asim might pay the price of not scoring a ton till now in test cricket, that can be his only weakness.Hasan Raza has been among the runs lately and can't be ignored for long for test recall.I think Asim may get the nod for the first test match, and if Asiam doesn't come good in the first one then Hasan Raza will replace him in the second match.aussie said:
On Sami... He will definately play for Pakistan ahead of Gul, which really is a shame, as Gul can easily out perform Sami if given a chance.The guy has better brains and better control than the tried and tested erratic Sami.
My pick would be Shabbir and Gul.