Azhar Ali's long term potential?

[cars112]

I rate Azhar Ali extremely highly. To my mind he is the true successor to Younis Khan. Younis has proven himself to be a high class Test batsman all over the world, in all conditions with major contributions to wins and draws. I see Azhar becoming the same.

Thus far outside of UAE/Asia his averages are not great - under 40 in all countries except Zimbabwe. But with his technique and determination to bat for long periods I do believe that will change.

Where do you think Azhar will end up in the long term? Do you think I'm being optimistic and maybe it will be Asad, Nasir, Shehzad, Umar or Haris (all of them at this point young and largely unproven) who will become our best Test batsman in the next 10 years?

[Mamoon]

I think both Azhar and Asad will end their Test careers with a batting average of 50.

Azhar will score more runs overall and more hundreds as well but Asad will prove to be a better fighter and will come better in places like Australia, England and South Africa (which he already has).

[cars112]

I think both Azhar and Asad will end their Test careers with a batting average of 50.

Azhar will score more runs overall and more hundreds as well but Asad will prove to be a better fighter and will come better in places like Australia, England and South Africa (which he already has).

He hasn't even played in England or Australia yet (or maybe you meant just SA). Overall outside the subcontinent he averages 12 in WI, 33 in SA and 35 in NZ. Not that much better than Azhar tbh. However his hundred in SA was a gem nonetheless

However - I do agree that both should end their averages at 50 or close.

[eradicator]

Azhar has the potential to be the Pujara of the Pakistan team.

[Mamoon]

Azhar has the potential to be the Pujara of the Pakistan team.

No. Pujara is the next Dravid. Azhar is the next Younis Khan and Younis Khan is a level below Dravid.

[cars112]

Azhar has the potential to be the Pujara of the Pakistan team.

Azhar has a far better record than Pujara outside Asia. Also Azhar does not get to pile on the runs on familiar home pitches as Pujara is able to (not that I am blaming Pujara for that but it is a fact nonetheless due to the political realities).

[Mamoon]

He hasn't even played in England or Australia yet (or maybe you meant just SA). Overall outside the subcontinent he averages 12 in WI, 33 in SA and 35 in NZ. Not that much better than Azhar tbh. However his hundred in SA was a gem nonetheless

However - I do agree that both should end their averages at 50 or close.

I meant South Africa only.

Asad is a gutsy player who will end up scoring crucial and timely hundreds. He may not match Azhar in terms of quantity but he will surely get some quality hundreds.

[boomboomcheema]

I think both Azhar and Asad will end their Test careers with a batting average of 50.

Azhar will score more runs overall and more hundreds as well but Asad will prove to be a better fighter and will come better in places like Australia, England and South Africa (which he already has).

What about Umar Akmal ? Where do you see him compared to Asad n Azhar in next 10 years in Tests ?

[cricketindiafan]

As good as he is, is he a replacement for YK? Doubt that.

Can he average 45+? Looks difficult. Can't remember any batsman who had a FC average of 37-38 ending up with a test avg of 45+.

[cars112]

I meant South Africa only.

Asad is a gutsy player who will end up scoring crucial and timely hundreds. He may not match Azhar in terms of quantity but he will surely get some quality hundreds.

No doubting Asad's guts. He is a fighter.

[Mobashir]

No. Pujara is the next Dravid. Azhar is the next Younis Khan and Younis Khan is a level below Dravid.

Azhar Ali is an over rated FTB and that is what we saw in SA, in WI and England.
Care to give me his average over these 11 test matches? No need to tell me the number of hundreds, but maybe you can tell me how many fifties he has made in these 11 tests.

[cars112]

As good as he is, is he a replacement for YK? Doubt that.

Can he average 45+? Looks difficult. Can't remember any batsman who had a FC average of 37-38 ending up with a test avg of 45+.

I think Sanga's FC average excluding Tests is less than 40 but in Tests he averages 57.

[Mamoon]

Azhar has a far better record than Pujara outside Asia. Also Azhar does not get to pile on the runs on familiar home pitches as Pujara is able to (not that I am blaming Pujara for that but it is a fact nonetheless due to the political realities).

Pujara has only 2 games away from home so far.

He has the tendency of scoring big runs. 2 double hundreds already and a 150+ score.

It is clear that he is a much superior player to Azhar in all aspects.

[cars112]

Pujara has only 2 games away from home so far.

He has the tendency of scoring big runs. 2 double hundreds already and a 150+ score.

It is clear that he is a much superior player to Azhar in all aspects.

Mamoon you have to factor in the fact that India have a massive home/away differential in Test cricket. No other team's players look so strong at home but so pathetic away. So no matter how good Pujara looks so far at home - I would reserve judgement till he scores some runs away. For other teams' players we do not have to be so cautious but for India is a different matter.

I do believe Pujara struggled in the ODIs in Zimbabwe and, apart from one innings, in the 'A' series in South Africa.

[mastermind_quad]

Azhar Ali is an over rated FTB and that is what we saw in SA, in WI and England.
Care to give me his average over these 11 test matches? No need to tell me the number of hundreds, but maybe you can tell me how many fifties he has made in these 11 tests.

Common yaar ...you can say the same for Jamshed as well. Is he FTB???

IMO all the players mentioned in this thread didn't played enough matches to be termed as great or FTB etc.

[Mamoon]

Azhar Ali is an over rated FTB and that is what we saw in SA, in WI and England.
Care to give me his average over these 11 test matches? No need to tell me the number of hundreds, but maybe you can tell me how many fifties he has made in these 11 tests.

Who cares if he is a FTB or not.

How often do we get to play in SA, Australia and England?


averaged 26 in SA and 31 in Australia. That didn't stop him from becoming one of our best batsmen ever.

All players have some bogey countries. Azhar will come good in WI in the future and he almost got a hundred in England in his first tour along with some good knocks there vs Australia. He has played a lot of cricket in England and he has that English technique which will help him in the future.

Who cares if he will flop in SA or Australia. We play their once or twice in a decade.

Secondly, it essential to have FTBs in your team. Azhar's average of 60 in UAE is one of the biggest reason why we have done so well there and are unbeaten.

[Mamoon]

Mamoon you have to factor in the fact that India have a massive home/away differential in Test cricket. No other team's players look so strong at home but so pathetic away. So no matter how good Pujara looks so far at home - I would reserve judgement till he scores some runs away. For other teams' players we do not have to be so cautious but for India is a different matter.

I do believe Pujara struggled in the ODIs in Zimbabwe and, apart from one innings, in the 'A' series in South Africa.

I think in the long run Pujara is good enough to do well overseas but he doesn't really have to as long as he continues to do extremely well for India at home.

[chickenkarhai]

Azhar Ali is an over rated FTB and that is what we saw in SA, in WI and England.
Care to give me his average over these 11 test matches? No need to tell me the number of hundreds, but maybe you can tell me how many fifties he has made in these 11 tests.

Overrated ftb has already won us a match in england.



better luck next time

[Haroon786]

If, although its unlikely they will play for the next 10 years,then they can get 10 k runs and about 30 100s, perhaps abit less for Asad.

[chickenkarhai]

I think kohli has the potential to be indians premiere test batsman in all conditions pujara's technique does not seem compact enough.He is susceptible to the indipping delivery as he leaves a big gap between bat and pad i think he will do well against bowlers like steyn who swing it away but against philander who nips it in off the seam i think he will struggle.I do not see pujara nicking a lot of deliveries but i do see him getting bowled through the gate.Pujara like azhar is very good at leaving deliveries.I see potential in kohli,pujara,asad and azhar to be rated as very good test batsmen by the time they retire with maybe kohli ending up as the best of the 4.

[Mamoon]

If, although its unlikely they will play for the next 10 years,then they can get 10 k runs and about 30 100s, perhaps abit less for Asad.

Azhar is 28 and Asad is 27. I think they will play for around 8 years more.

[Haroon786]

Azhar is 28 and Asad is 27. I think they will play for around 8 years more.

I was being more optimistic, but its good to see that our test batging will be secure for quite some time.

[Alamgeer]

Azhar >>> Kohli

[Sunny786]

It's been long since I last saw him in action. I hope he's been working on his game to make himself even better player. He did have a little problem getting bogged down against spinners although recently he seemed to play them batter.

[Xoib]

both will end up averaging 40-45 they are solid but lack the extra spark to be world class.

[razabbas]

Azhar >>> Kohli

[Bilal7]

Don't think he'll end up averaging 50, he might get there during his career but if I were to make a wild guess, the 46-48 bracket seems to fit Azhar but I would obviously love for him to exceed my expectations. Same goes for Shafiq.

I think in the future we'll have a lot of batsmen averaging in the mid-to-late 40's, like Jamshed, Azhar, Shafiq, Umar but no one in the 50+ bracket.

[hadi123]

Azhar Ali was a very good legspinner, saw him bowl against Australia in an ODI, but his fielding sucks, cost us the series v sl in 2012

[waqar goraya]

Neither Azhar Ali nor Asad Shafiq look like averaging 50 in test cricket. Just don't belong to that level.

Umar Akmal if sorts his issues sooner then he will be averaging around 45. But I don't see any of them a 50 player.

[Ahson8]

Azhar may be a FTB but he is a very good one, he averages 62.58 in UAE, 60 in SL and 43 in Bangladesh, which suggests that he is an extremely reliable batsman in Asia.

[Ahson8]

I see Azhar as a future captain too. He has a lot of potential

[cars112]

I see Azhar as a future captain too. He has a lot of potential

Problem about captaincy is - he won't be a regular in ODI and T20I sides. However he can concentrate on becoming one of the greatest Pakistani Test batsmen so it is fine

[Ahson8]

Neither Azhar Ali nor Asad Shafiq look like averaging 50 in test cricket. Just don't belong to that level.

Umar Akmal if sorts his issues sooner then he will be averaging around 45. But I don't see any of them a 50 player.

Maybe these guys wont average 50 but I see Asad, Azhar and Umar all averaging 40. Fawad if given a chance could average 50. Hopefully Umar and Fawad replace YK and Misbah when they retire.

Our future test lineup looks pretty good ( that is, if we select the right players ofc)

Nasir Jamshed
Khurram Manzoor
Azhar Ali
Umar Akmal
Fawad Alam
Asad Shafiq
Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
Yasir Shah
Junaid Khan
Rahat Ali
Mohammad Aftab / Raza Hasan

[chickenkarhai]

I see asad and azhar averaging 50 for pakistan.

[Wattoo]

All of his runs have been made with a compact technique, designed to get behind the line of each ball. Patience and consistency are his keys. Upto now his performance shows that he belongs to international level cricket. He has been a model of consistency. His first Test hundred came only after he'd scored ten fifties, but that's only a minor blemish for a batsman who looks like he's the real deal in every way.

[Bullet Drive]

Umar has the potential to average highest.

Azhar Ali probably 45 in my view and Shafiq 40.

I reckon we could add an extra 5 on IF we begin to play in Pakistan.

[hur rizvi]

Both of them dont have class to average 50...

Both will at best be averaging around 40 at the end of their careers

[cars112]

Both of them dont have class to average 50...

Both will at best be averaging around 40 at the end of their careers

Even if they average 40 over long careers, that is an outstanding achievement for most Test batsmen so I would be happy if they managed that (but I think they will average a lot more)

[Kianig89]

He is a very good Test Player grinds the opposition down and makes them sweat

[Down2Earth]

He's only good at blocking, he'll never be a true test match winner like younis khan

[Buffet]

Azhar Ali is an over rated FTB and that is what we saw in SA, in WI and England.
Care to give me his average over these 11 test matches? No need to tell me the number of hundreds, but maybe you can tell me how many fifties he has made in these 11 tests.

While he has not done too great in those 11 tests, he does have five 50's. I think he is one the the better batsman produced by Pakistan in recent times and he is a good fit for test format. Many batsmen start slow and get better with time. Give him some time. Even YK was not doing anything great in those countries in first few years.

[JibranAnsari]

Good player but unfotunately for him pakistan play a very few tests matches and most of then against srilanka zimbabwe bangladesh and westindies. Younis khan is a master against spin bowling you can not compare azhar with younis even as a successor. Younis khan is a true world class. Still I think azhar and asad will average between 40 and 45 at the end of their careers.

[Mamoon]

Azhar needs to learn to pace his innings a lot better and no one better than Younis to learn from who is really slow for his first 50 odd runs but then races away to his hundred.

That is the only reason why he is a failure in ODIs. He takes too much time to get into the zone and while doing that, he throws his wicket away because of the pressure build up.

Azhar Ali is very one paced. Even after getting a 60-70, he blocks deliveries that need to be put away. SR of 39 is very low.

Needs to get that up to 50.

[Seen Sheen]

Good player but unfotunately for him pakistan play a very few tests matches and most of then against srilanka zimbabwe bangladesh and westindies. Younis khan is a master against spin bowling you can not compare azhar with younis even as a successor. Younis khan is a true world class. Still I think azhar and asad will average between 40 and 45 at the end of their careers.

Nailed it there. This point alone kills the case straight away.

Although I am a huge fan of Azhar BUT I cant see him as a successor to YK unless he learns to maneuver the spin bowling in particular. He just looks out of his depth against quality spinners. Has no go-to-shot, doesn't sweep often, doesn't play with soft hands. That's why we see him struggle to dominate spin bowling. He can survive against good spin bowling BUT in sub-continental conditions if you want to consistently score big hundreds, you need to be positive against spin bowling.

I don't know whether he is aware of this limitation of his. Dav should have worked with him personally or given him a task to fine tune his game against spin. There are quite a few good slow bowlers in the country and he could definitely learn a few things by trying few different things against them while batting. Also one wonders why he's not picked up the art from YK himself. They have been playing together for 3 years now.

Perhaps YK is a natural and he's not that's why he is not overcoming this problem. Don't know.

If he could improve his game against spin bowling then he could definitely become the batting main stay of our team in years to come.


Talking about alien conditions, potentially, he should do well in Australia as he likes to stay on the back foot and has a decent backfoot game specially through the off side.

In SA, he was way too defensive, I know he plays with in his limitations BUT don't know why he was afraid to play his shots even when the opportunity arrived. Perhaps he is still not assured about his place in the side! You have to be a bit positive in places like SA, Eng and Australia because you never know when a peach would terminate your innings.

The role of management is very important in the development of inexperienced batsmen. They need to assure Azhar and Asad that you have become a permanent fixture in the lineup and need not to be worried about your places. Just play your game. This would definitely go a long way toward building their confidence and playing to their full ability.