We have to drop a bowler for the Indian ODI series

[161]

We have struggled to get to 250 in this series .. and that will not nearly be enough in India where scores of 300 have almost become the norm in one day games.


Our traditionally weak batting has gotten even weaker for the following reasons:

1. Our openers are doing far worst than their usual bad stuff - positions one and two averaged an appalling 12.5 in this ODI series.
2. No more Inzi in the middle order.
3. No more Razzaq in the lower order.


In the end the only solution that we have is to drop a bowler and play an additional batsman. Playing 4 specialist bowlers is a luxury we can not afford.

We need to play three seamers and Afridi is a fixture in our team so unfortunately Rehman has to be dropped. He's bowled quite well but we desperately need another middle order batsman.

Fawad is the only extra middle order batsmen we have .. so he will have to replace Rehman and combine with Malik to bowl the remaining 10 overs.

[Islamabadi]

yes i agree...we can't afford to play 5 bowlers

[saj786]

we should leave asif out because at his pace and his lack of skill with the old ball he could get distroide

[161]

No way we can get a competitive score with our current batting.

Unless our bowlers perform miracles .. I don't see us winning jack in India unless we strengthen our batting.

[Waseem]

We have struggled to get to 250 in this series .. and that will not nearly be enough in India where scores of 300 have almost become the norm in one day games.


Our traditionally weak batting has gotten even weaker for the following reasons:

1. Our openers are doing far worst than their usual bad stuff - positions one and two averaged an appalling 12.5 in this ODI series.
2. No more Inzi in the middle order.
3. No more Razzaq in the lower order.


In the end the only solution that we have is to drop a bowler and play an additional batsman. Playing 4 specialist bowlers is a luxury we can not afford.

We need to play three seamers and Afridi is a fixture in our team so unfortunately Rehman has to be dropped. He's bowled quite well but we desperately need another middle order batsman.

Fawad is the only extra middle order batsmen we have .. so he will have to replace Rehman and combine with Malik to bowl the remaining 10 overs.

I agree, Indian batsmen will most probably score 30-50 more runs than SA in each game so we definitely need extra batsman but Akmal should definitely open the inning as he is useless down the order.

Maybe we should play Fawad instead of Misbah in first few games and if he bowls well, we can include Misbah and drop the 5th bowler.

Butt
Akmal
Younis
Yousuf
Malik
Misbah
Alam
Afridi
Akhtar
Rao
Gul


Malik and Fawad will need to bowl 10 overs which could be costly but it's worth the risk.

[sehsan]

I agree, Indian batsmen will most probably score 30-50 more runs than SA in each game so we definitely need extra batsman but Akmal should definitely open the inning as he is useless down the order.

Maybe we should play Fawad instead of Misbah in first few games and if he bowls well, we can include Misbah and drop the 5th bowler.

Butt
Akmal
Younis
Yousuf
Malik
Misbah
Alam
Afridi
Akhtar
Rao
Gul


Malik and Fawad will need to bowl 10 overs which could be costly but it's worth the risk.


I definetly agree with your team and thats what i am keep saying that we need to have extra batsman in just because our opners are useless. It would be tought to drop rehman after his excellents spells.

[161]

I agree, Indian batsmen will most probably score 30-50 more runs than SA in each game so we definitely need extra batsman but Akmal should definitely open the inning as he is useless down the order.

...

Butt
Akmal
Younis
Yousuf
Malik
Misbah
Alam
Afridi
Akhtar
Rao
Gul


Malik and Fawad will need to bowl 10 overs which could be costly but it's worth the risk.

Yes - that definitely is the best team we can put forward -

1. Kamran has to open to make space for an extra middle order batsman.
2. Butt is a better ODI opener then Nazir or Hameed.
3. Shoaib and Rao are the choices for first two seamers and Gul/Asif/Tanvir must fight it out for the final spot.

[rahulrulezz]

I agree, Indian batsmen will most probably score 30-50 more runs than SA in each game so we definitely need extra batsman but Akmal should definitely open the inning as he is useless down the order.

Maybe we should play Fawad instead of Misbah in first few games and if he bowls well, we can include Misbah and drop the 5th bowler.

Butt
Akmal
Younis
Yousuf
Malik
Misbah
Alam
Afridi
Akhtar
Rao
Gul

Malik and Fawad will need to bowl 10 overs which could be costly but it's worth the risk.


lol..being an indian, i will definitely like to see only 3 specialist bowlers against us..... unless u consider Afridi a bowler who can trouble Indian batting lineup... .dude, u need to have Rehman on Indian pitches... his bowling is superb ....

[161]

lol..being an indian, i will definitely like to see only 3 specialist bowlers against us..... unless u consider Afridi a bowler who can trouble Indian batting lineup... .dude, u need to have Rehman on Indian pitches... his bowling is superb ....

actually we might want to drop afridi instead of rehman.

afridi's bowling is the only thing that justifies his selection ...

however against india in recent years he is averaging 50+ bowling with a sky high economy rate.

[pakistanbest]

razzy should be in team

akmal
nazir
younis
yousuf
malik
misbah
afridi
razzaq
akhtar
gul
asif

[161]

razzy should be in team

akmal
nazir
younis
yousuf
malik
misbah
afridi
razzaq
akhtar
gul
asif


razzy will be playing in india - for the ICL that is.

[Boi]

I agree, Indian batsmen will most probably score 30-50 more runs than SA in each game so we definitely need extra batsman but Akmal should definitely open the inning as he is useless down the order.

Maybe we should play Fawad instead of Misbah in first few games and if he bowls well, we can include Misbah and drop the 5th bowler.

Butt
Akmal
Younis
Yousuf
Malik
Misbah
Alam
Afridi
Akhtar
Rao
Gul


Malik and Fawad will need to bowl 10 overs which could be costly but it's worth the risk.


first that would be my team aswell!!

Malik and Fawad only have to bowl 5 overs each so i dont think its a risk and anyway malik is an experience bowler and is a smart bowler so i dont see any risk in that

[PlanetPakistan]

Don't like the idea of dropping a bowler.

I suggest that we play solid openers at the top and not rely on 50-50 batsmen like Nazir and Akmal.

[tmac4real]

Don't like the idea of dropping a bowler.

I suggest that we play solid openers at the top and not rely on 50-50 batsmen like Nazir and Akmal.

but do pakistan have "solid" openers. That's the million dollar and one question.

[PlanetPakistan]

but do pakistan have "solid" openers. That's the million dollar and one question.
There is a guy called Yasir Hameed carrying an average of 37 yet the management is too impatient to give him a decent run.

[pakistani pride]

this is the same guy having a strike rate some where in the 60s i wonder what his sr is in the last 5 games he played ?

[Bobaran]

There is a guy called Yasir Hameed carrying an average of 37 yet the management is too impatient to give him a decent run.

Yasir Hameed may be one, but who is the other?

[161]

Don't like the idea of dropping a bowler.

I suggest that we play solid openers at the top and not rely on 50-50 batsmen like Nazir and Akmal.


We've never had and probably never will have solid openers.

Our ODI batting is built on the principle of batting deep down the order.

But now it's like we have 5 specialist .. a formula that will never work for us.

Either Rehman or Afridi must be dropped for Fawad Alam ... and who know he might not score anything as well.

Honestly we are really missing Razzaq's batting.

[PlanetPakistan]

We've never had and probably never will have solid openers.

Our ODI batting is built on the principle of batting deep down the order.

But now it's like we have 5 specialist .. a formula that will never work for us.

Either Rehman or Afridi must be dropped for Fawad Alam ... and who know he might not score anything as well.

Honestly we are really missing Razzaq's batting.
yaar you are not looking at it the right way!

You are expecting the part time bowlers like Malik and Alam to do with the job with the ball because the specialist batsman can't do the job?...and that too against some fine players of spin.

[PlanetPakistan]

Yasir Hameed may be one, but who is the other?
the guy in your avatar :D

[161]

yaar you are not looking at it the right way!

You are expecting the part time bowlers like Malik and Alam to do with the job with the ball because the specialist batsman can't do the job?...and that too against some fine players of spin.


if we keep scoring 220 every match it doesn't matter what our bowlers do.

regarding malik ... he's got a decent bowling record ... he may not be the best spinner ... but he's got enough experience to do OK.

when we stopped bowling malik and replaced him with hafeez is when our odi team really started going downhill.

[Hash]

The saffie bowlers are better than the Indian bowlers and the Indian pitches are better for batting than our pitches so we should be ok.

The only way we can make room for another batsman is if Kamran opens. So let's see if this can be done...

Salman Butt/Imran Nazir/challi walla
Kamran Akmal
Younis Khan
Mohammad Yousuf
Shoaib Malik
Misbah ul Haq
Fawad Alam
Shahid Afridi
Rao Iftikhar Anjum
Umar Gul
Shoaib Akhtar


The only way we can accomodate an extra batsman is by playing Fawad Alam in place of Abdur Rehman or Shahid Afridi. It would be incredibly harsh to drop Rehman after such a good series. Similarly, despite Afridi costing us the match yesterday, he did have a pretty good series, and whilst he does deserve a phainty he doesn't deserve to be dropped.

So do we do the harsh thing and drop Rehman?

Let's say we do. This means Malik and Fawad will have to share the fifth bowler slot. Say 5 overs each. Fawad will be new and we can't predict how well he will do. Malik has played 10 ODIs in India, has taken 7 wickets at an average of 37 (3 below his overall career average) and an economy of 5.8 (not too bad if you are only bowling 5 overs).

It is a risk, but is it a risk worth taking?

[Megadeth]

I don't think Pak needs to do the musical chair with the openers again.... consider this option you have of Tanvir opening..he's done very well down the order and is definitely not the typical tail ender...
Here r my recommendations for the india tour(ODIs)

1)Tanvir* and Akmal opening (the combo can't do any worse than the options you already have...Tanvir is a pretty good hitter... shud go after the bowling and Akmal should stick around...and if they click..they can ensure that the Pak gets to a blazing start)
3)Nazir
4)Younis
5)yousuf
6)Malik
7)Misbah
8)Fawad
9)Afridi*
10)Akhtar*(Asif comes in when akhtar decides he's had enough=injury)
11)Rao*

*=Bowls 10 overs each
Malik/Fawad can all take over the bowling quota if the main bowlers get hit around....and can surely bowl 10 overs between them for the 5th bowler

[PlanetPakistan]

The saffie bowlers are better than the Indian bowlers and the Indian pitches are better for batting than our pitches so we should be ok.

The only way we can make room for another batsman is if Kamran opens. So let's see if this can be done...

Salman Butt/Imran Nazir/challi walla
Kamran Akmal
Younis Khan
Mohammad Yousuf
Shoaib Malik
Misbah ul Haq
Fawad Alam
Shahid Afridi
Rao Iftikhar Anjum
Umar Gul
Shoaib Akhtar


The only way we can accomodate an extra batsman is by playing Fawad Alam in place of Abdur Rehman or Shahid Afridi. It would be incredibly harsh to drop Rehman after such a good series. Similarly, despite Afridi costing us the match yesterday, he did have a pretty good series, and whilst he does deserve a phainty he doesn't deserve to be dropped.

So do we do the harsh thing and drop Rehman?

Let's say we do. This means Malik and Fawad will have to share the fifth bowler slot. Say 5 overs each. Fawad will be new and we can't predict how well he will do. Malik has played 10 ODIs in India, has taken 7 wickets at an average of 37 (3 below his overall career average) and an economy of 5.8 (not too bad if you are only bowling 5 overs).

It is a risk, but is it a risk worth taking?
No.
Going by your batting line up you have Fawad Alam(a genuine batsman) coming in at #7, how much impact is he going to have there? it's a lot better to play some one who has more chance of taking wickets and can also bat at little bit(Tanvir).