Is Haris Rauf ready to represent Pakistan in Tests?

[MenInG]

Selected for Test series vs South Africa -

According to M Wasim, he has been brought in to provide much needed speed to the Pakistan bowling line-up

But is he ready?

Here is his stats in all formats - but just 3 FC games to his name.



"We are hoping that Haris Rauf will bring in to red-ball cricket, the same killer instinct that he has shown in white-ball cricket" : Mohammad Wasim

[Rana]

Bizarre selection

He can’t field. Has nothing to show with the bat

Yes he bowls fast but he has been bowling terribly recently. We are better off selecting Naseem Shah

[Amirforpresident]

Im sure Haris is just as suprised as we are

[Titan24]

A surprise call up. I think its to add bit of variety to the attack due to his pace, he can be someone who can bowl quick short spells of selected. Other options for similar role were also inexperienced in longer as wells as other formats but, Haris has more but more white ball cricket exposure around which can possibly help in transition.

[Rana]

Im sure Haris is just as suprised as we are

He will have to fly back to Pakistan asap from Melbourne.

[Ahmed_99]

Personally, I don' think he's ready for tests since he hasn't fully even established himself in white ball cricket nor as he played many FC matches.

If he gets the opportunity, then best of luck but I'm not banking on him having immediate success in tests right now.

Hopefully I'm wrong and he can add a different dimension to our attack but guess we'll have to wait and see.

[Mesozoic]

Nothing wrong in trying him out.

I mean Musa and Naseem too were...

[Thunderbolt14]

I’m pretty sure he won’t make the final XI. He’s been brought in just to show which direction Wasim wants to head in and give Haris a signal to put in the work in FC cricket.

In a 20 man squad and with pretty much the entire cupboard bare in domestic cricket as far as fast bowlers go, I’m really not sure who else we have. The only other people who come to mind are Irfanullah Shah and Waqas Maqsood, who are both new ball bowlers, but we have that role covered by Hassan, Shaheen, Tabish.

[Thunderbolt14]

Nothing wrong in trying him out.

I mean Musa and Naseem too were...

I don’t think he’ll be tried out. Keep in mind this is a 20 man squad.

[RyanRyan10]

Finally the voices of PPers have been heard

Mohammad Wasim gave the fans what they were demanding for a long time.

Humiliation for all those who were calling him a rock thrower

[ChTab]

Odd selection, he hardly deserves a place in T20 XI. But definitely he won't be in 16 men squad.

[angrypathan]

Absolutely not. Both him and Abdullah Shafique are not at all ready for test cricket yet, and in Haris' case, I'm not sure he ever will be

[Abdullah Rabbani]

He will be not worse than m musa

[Rana]

Odd selection, he hardly deserves a place in T20 XI. But definitely he won't be in 16 men squad.

Thats why he is better off staying in Melbourne if he really has no role in the final 16. I have a feeling Pakistan will only pick two fast bowlers and may go with 3 spinners

[Down2Earth]

Am I missing something here. Why hasn't Abbas been selected? And why is someone like rauf even near the test team

[ChTab]

Thats why he is better off staying in Melbourne if he really has no role in the final 16. I have a feeling Pakistan will only pick two fast bowlers and may go with 3 spinners

Totally agreed it's a bad idea to pick him in 20 when almost everyone knows that he is not going to play the test vs SA.
I do think that Pakistan will go in with Shaheen & Hassan as fast bowlers & then will go with nawaz, yasir & 1 sajid as spinners.

[Thunderbolt14]

Am I missing something here. Why hasn't Abbas been selected? And why is someone like rauf even near the test team

Abbas averages 100 against batsmen standing out of the crease to him.

[ChTab]

Am I missing something here. Why hasn't Abbas been selected? And why is someone like rauf even near the test team

Let's look at Abbas stats in last 21 inns, he took 25 wickets at an average of 39.72, his last 5 wickets haul in an innings was in 2018 vs Australia at Abu Dhabi. So his last 5 wickets haul came 21 innings ago & the last time he took more than 2 wickets in an innings was against SL in karachi where he took 4 in 1st inns of test match in December 2019.
All these things show that he's been awful since the past 2 years & definitely deserved to be dropped.

As far as Rauf is concerned it's bad idea to pick him in 20.

[UzmanBeast]

Bizarre selection

He can’t field. Has nothing to show with the bat

Yes he bowls fast but he has been bowling terribly recently. We are better off selecting Naseem Shah

You're completely right. Haris doesn't merit a spot in test cricket, despite being a like-for-like speedster replacement for Naseem. Someone like Irfanullah deserved a chance ahead of Haris.

This is one issue I'm seeing with Mohammad Wasim, he's slightly favoring players from Northern, such as picking Mohammad Nawaz over Zafar Gohar, selecting Haris Rauf over others.

It's just something to note. He's made brilliant selections though, let's not take that away from him.

Haris can be really good in test cricket if he bowls a good line/length at a high pace. His natural length, if he does debut, should be attacking the stumps. He should make full use of the yorker, fuller deliveries, and more aggressive bowling options. If he learns how to reverse the ball, it will go a long way for him. At the moment, he doesn't have enough experience.

[UzmanBeast]

Abbas averages 100 against batsmen standing out of the crease to him.

132*

[coy0607]

Pakistan's attack is very one dimensional and severely lacks aggression and pace. That was pretty clear in NZ when virtually the entire bowling attack was bowling between 75 and 84 mph

Rauf changes the dynamic a bit. If you're going with 5 bowlers, then Rauf only needs to give you 15 strong overs per day.

And there was a definite lack of good fast bowlers in the QeA. Beyond Hassan Ali, there was no standout

I think this is a savvy selection

[Hasan123]

He hasn't played many first class games. I don't think he has the skill set for first class cricket. So I would not select him for test cricket.

[Pacy with wisdom]

The so called rock thrower does have the skills to be a top fast bowler;
He has pace, can swing the new ball away, and the old ball into the rhb.
However, he doesn't have a reliable method yet , because of a very short stride pattern which is hard to develop rhythm from, and also forces him to rely totally on exertion and arm speed.

Bumrah for example has longer strides leading up to delivery and is hence able to bowl with a rhythm despite a ridiculously short run up.

But i like this move from Waseem as he is nudging him on to grow his game now, by focusing on the longer format.
By doing this, he has shown Haris that the latter is a potential pick for tests and we most likely will be seeing him feature more in first class cricket this season.
If he has to develop overall bowling IQ, which he lacks atm, then this is very important.

[Thunderbolt14]

You're completely right. Haris doesn't merit a spot in test cricket, despite being a like-for-like speedster replacement for Naseem. Someone like Irfanullah deserved a chance ahead of Haris.

This is one issue I'm seeing with Mohammad Wasim, he's slightly favoring players from Northern, such as picking Mohammad Nawaz over Zafar Gohar, selecting Haris Rauf over others.

It's just something to note. He's made brilliant selections though, let's not take that away from him.

Haris can be really good in test cricket if he bowls a good line/length at a high pace. His natural length, if he does debut, should be attacking the stumps. He should make full use of the yorker, fuller deliveries, and more aggressive bowling options. If he learns how to reverse the ball, it will go a long way for him. At the moment, he doesn't have enough experience.

I don’t think he’s favoring people from Northern at all. Who is the batting all rounder replacement for Nawaz? Compare his stats like for like with Gohar.

Who is the like for like replacement with Haris? Naseem, who’s injured. Who else? The cupboard is genuinely bare.

If anything, the bigger question mark should be on Tabish Khan, who had a pretty bad last two seasons. Someone like Waqas Maqsood might have been a better pick (not Irfanullah etc as they haven’t played enough). The only reason I can think of is to send a clear signal that if you perform in domestics over several years, you will be picked.

I can see Tabish getting a shot in Pindi where he will be quite useful in bowling friendly conditions.

[Markhor]

Hell no.

[Canistani Hero]

No I dont expect him to play tests until he's played a full FC season.

[Firebat]

Delighted and determined for my selection in test squad for the Team ��Green against RSA. IA will live upto the expectations of management.
Dreams do come true & i am really excited to represent Pakistan in Test cricket.
All thanks to the Almighty Allah. pic.twitter.com/7SE86eGGrk

— Haris Rauf (@HarisRauf14) January 15, 2021

[mazkhan]

I wouldn't be surprised if this is a pcb ploy plan to bring haris back from Australia since he is getting badly exposed down under In the bbl ,

National team never probably intend to select him or play him in the test team , just a ploy both by management and haris to save face and find an excuse to escape

[RedwoodOriginal]

3 FC matches and he gets a test call-up. What is the thinking behind a selection like this? And what is going to happen if his body can't handle it and he gets a stress fracture?

[Forward Defensive Push]

Bizarre selection. Very inconsistent approach when selecting players. How come a guy with 3 FC games at an average of 40 was selected? Naseem has much promise than him. M Wasim should have selected latter and benched him to give him experience and to get thick of things.

[Thunderbolt14]

Bizarre selection. Very inconsistent approach when selecting players. How come a guy with 3 FC games at an average of 40 was selected? Naseem has much promise than him. M Wasim should have selected latter and benched him to give him experience and to get thick of things.

Naseem is injured. That’s why. Who else would you have selected to develop into the enforcer role?

[naseem]

He won't play 4 sure.....I would have like zia ul haq

[MenInG]

He won't play 4 sure.....I would have like zia ul haq

Wasim has pushed him as the 150 kph bowler Pakistan needs - I expect him to make a debut soon

[MenInG]

I wouldn't be surprised if this is a pcb ploy plan to bring haris back from Australia since he is getting badly exposed down under In the bbl ,

National team never probably intend to select him or play him in the test team , just a ploy both by management and haris to save face and find an excuse to escape

Ok so Mohammad Wasim is putting his neck on the line so that Haris Rauf can be brought back from Australia.

[aloo paratha]

Odd selection. Maybe he's been selected to give the batsman net practice against a genuinely fast bowler like Anrich Nortje?

[UzmanBeast]

I don’t think he’s favoring people from Northern at all. Who is the batting all rounder replacement for Nawaz? Compare his stats like for like with Gohar.

Who is the like for like replacement with Haris? Naseem, who’s injured. Who else? The cupboard is genuinely bare.

If anything, the bigger question mark should be on Tabish Khan, who had a pretty bad last two seasons. Someone like Waqas Maqsood might have been a better pick (not Irfanullah etc as they haven’t played enough). The only reason I can think of is to send a clear signal that if you perform in domestics over several years, you will be picked.

I can see Tabish getting a shot in Pindi where he will be quite useful in bowling friendly conditions.

Haris Rauf only makes the cut as a like-for-like replacement, but he is not ready for test cricket.

Zafar Gohar batted for two innings in New Zealand and frankly scored some gritty runs, so I'd have expected him to be given a chance. I have no issue with Nawaz, I think that we should really look into him as an all-rounder on the team instead of someone like Shadab, who's bowling isn't that excellent.

Glad that Naseem is out of the picture, needs to go into domestic to bowl a lot more overs and learn the art of taking wickets.

A lot of good inclusions, a good debut for the Chief Selector IMO.

[warcry]

cant be worse than musa.

[mon858]

Odd selection. Maybe he's been selected to give the batsman net practice against a genuinely fast bowler like Anrich Nortje?

this is also an important point.

[shamaan]

Am I missing something here. Why hasn't Abbas been selected? And why is someone like rauf even near the test team

abbas is a new ball bowler he got dropped due to form tabish is a like for like replacement rauf wont play the first test

[shamaan]

You're completely right. Haris doesn't merit a spot in test cricket, despite being a like-for-like speedster replacement for Naseem. Someone like Irfanullah deserved a chance ahead of Haris.

This is one issue I'm seeing with Mohammad Wasim, he's slightly favoring players from Northern, such as picking Mohammad Nawaz over Zafar Gohar, selecting Haris Rauf over others.

It's just something to note. He's made brilliant selections though, let's not take that away from him.

Haris can be really good in test cricket if he bowls a good line/length at a high pace. His natural length, if he does debut, should be attacking the stumps. He should make full use of the yorker, fuller deliveries, and more aggressive bowling options. If he learns how to reverse the ball, it will go a long way for him. At the moment, he doesn't have enough experience.

nawaz or gohar both if played would play as all rounders as tbey have 3 spinners in the team

[shamaan]

3 FC matches and he gets a test call-up. What is the thinking behind a selection like this? And what is going to happen if his body can't handle it and he gets a stress fracture?

If he is to play hes going to play as an enforcer.who would you have picked an enforcer?

[shamaan]

Haris Rauf is a like for like replacement for naseem but he wont get a place in the starting xi for the first test.

[mazkhan]

If he is to play hes going to play as an enforcer.who would you have picked an enforcer?

Dhani , irfanullah all deliver heavy type balls are taller than haris

But forget them 2 there is one guy already in the camp setup of the international team he is young tall and quick he is called hasnain .

Bowling stocks for Pakistan are real bare atm , but haris rauf is not the answer

[RedwoodOriginal]

If he is to play hes going to play as an enforcer.who would you have picked an enforcer?

What does that even mean? What is this? A wrestling match?

And are you seriously telling me that a guy with 3 FC matches to his name, who struggles to hit a consistent length in ODIs, let alone Tests is going to bowl a consistent bouncer barrage to South African batsmen on what is supposed to be a dustbowl?

[Omer2002]

I think people are going over board here if they actually listened to the rational behind it would make sense

1. He is not going to get play i think wont even make the 16 either
2. He is only picked because of his speed as there no body else who can offer that out of all pakistan which is sad

Dropping Naseem needed variety and only him or maybe hasnain are guys who can bowl above 140kph both are untried in first class.

As i said he will never play anywaya but an option to have in squad why not.

Wasim clearly said Rauf and Abdullah have been picked on potential and not merit which is spot on. Abdullah was picked in the wromg format his confidence has been shattered. I hope by staying with squad they learn.

[GoUgandaCranes]

I don't rate him as a test option because of the following reasons

1. Shane Warne said this "in test cricket, you set attacking fields and bowl defensively, in shorter formats, you set defensive fields and attack with the bowling", and Haris has not shown the ability to bowl defensively. His background is tape ball cricket and he hasn't learnt the art of setting up batters.

2. He's not even a genuine 150 kph bowler. He may bowl an odd over with one 150 kph delivery but then that's about it. You need to sustain hostility over multiple spells to intimidate quality batters.

3. Does he even have the stamina to bowl 22 overs a day then rest for a night and put in another shift the next day?

4. Is our international setup actually creating players? He was in the English biosecure bubble, then with the Shaheens and Pakistan main team in New Zealand yet there isn't much improvement there. His Shaheen tour performance was nothing special. If you can't outpace second-string players, how are you expecting him to do that at the highest level?

I hope that the "badtameezi" and "janbaazi" that we want to instill in our team can be delivered in the setup through him but he's not a ready-made solution until now.

[Greenstorm]

Nothing wrong in trying him out.

I mean Musa and Naseem too were...

And so was Shaheen.

[Greenstorm]

On flat Pakistani decks, you need an enforcer who can bowl quick and utilize reverse swing. Harris is the best available option for that role.

[El Generico]

He claims he picked Rauf for his pace and reverse swing potential rather then his domestic record. We can disagree with it but there is at least some logic behind this selection.

[guldozer]

No. He should not have been part of the squad.

Chief selector says he can reverse swing the ball. Has he been reverse swinging the ball in t20 circuit? I doubt it.

Did he utilitise reverse swing in his 3 QEA matches last year?

[Bewal Express]

Am I missing something here. Why hasn't Abbas been selected? And why is someone like rauf even near the test team

Abbas is none wicket taking trundler. If we want to block up an end, set a leg side field and bowl on the pads.

[Bewal Express]

No. He should not have been part of the squad.

Chief selector says he can reverse swing the ball. Has he been reverse swinging the ball in t20 circuit? I doubt it.

Did he utilitise reverse swing in his 3 QEA matches last year?

Its very difficult to reverse a ball that is used in T20 cricket unless you tamper with it.

[Bewal Express]

Wasim has pushed him as the 150 kph bowler Pakistan needs - I expect him to make a debut soon

So he will be around 84mph.

[cricketAXEpert]

Bizarre selection

He can’t field. Has nothing to show with the bat

Yes he bowls fast but he has been bowling terribly recently. We are better off selecting Naseem Shah

Can't select bowlers based on their batting we have already done that with Faheem. Haris Rauf is a T20 Bowler who has yet to see success in ODI. but he has jumped into the Test Side. Why not Hasnain?
Pakistan's once endless supply of Pacers seems to have run out.
Odd trend Drafting t20 players for tests. other being Abdullah Shafique

[The Yorker]

Haris will provide penetration that was lacking in NZ, if he is used in shorter spells. His natural aggression and ability to take wickets raise him above the medium pace brigade. He does bowl the odd wayward ball but Pakistan does not have quality fastmen and Haris is a natural aggressive wicket taker.

[UzmanBeast]

nawaz or gohar both if played would play as all rounders as tbey have 3 spinners in the team

Yeah, but Nawaz wasn't in the mix of things. Zafar came back from his first international tour and was dropped. I agree that Nawaz has far superior batting stats, but Zafar was sent back without a good try. I don't want us to regret this decision later on when he is at age 35 with 500 FC wickets, begging for a callup.

[Mamoon]

Rauf has a very good chance of breaking Naseem’s record of bowling the most expensive wicket-less spell by a pacer in Test cricket history.

[Pacy with wisdom]

Can't select bowlers based on their batting we have already done that with Faheem. Haris Rauf is a T20 Bowler who has yet to see success in ODI. but he has jumped into the Test Side. Why not Hasnain?
Pakistan's once endless supply of Pacers seems to have run out.
Odd trend Drafting t20 players for tests. other being Abdullah Shafique

Except that he hasn't jumped into the test side.
This is just to set a direction, both for Haris and for the players coming through.

[TheSultan]

In theory this is a sound selection. You need bowlers to bring something different. Can’t have all fast medium bowlers in the mix.

Naseem is injured but he deserved to be dropped. If he’s down at 132-136 and not bowling 142-148 without any aggression, there’s no point. We have plenty of bowlers in the 130s.

My problem with Rauf is I have no idea what his stamina will be like for test matches and how much 1st class red ball has he actually played?

[Caved12]

No player should be allowed to play test cricket if he has not played at least a minimum of 20 first class games. Almost impossible to play test cricket if you never played first class cricket as a teenager and Rauf is already 30 or 30+, so don't understand why you pick him in the 20 man initial squad. I know many of these Rawalpindi guys and their connection to local cricket clubs and how they started etc. Mohammad Wasim is a good guy who tries to do his best and does not like corruption in cricket, but still he is a "yes man" and can't change the system alone.

[hur rizvi]

No though I wont mind if he stays as back-up and focuses on FC season next year

[wrongun]

He's barely played List A cricket, let alone FC. 15 wickets in both formats combined...

It's honestly not fair to throw a guy like that in Test cricket. Maybe a decent idea to have him in the squad or bubble so he can play in the warm up FC game or something but he hasn't learnt to get batsmen out yet. Different in T20 where batsmen are slogging.

[Bilal Ahmad15]

No, Haris Rauf is not ready for test cricket at all and to be honest, with the way he is going now, I don't think he will ever be ready for Test Cricket. To say it in one phrase, he has 'passion, pace but little skill.' Another reason why I think he will never really be successful for Test cricket is that he gets frustrated really easily when things even small things don't go his way and just doesn't (currently) have the patience or even fitness to bowl long spells, 20 + overs in two innings. Also, does Haris Rauf even have a desire to play the longer format? Anyone remember when in 2019, when Haris Rauf skipped QeA matches to play in some useless Qalandars tournament, but he got called back and played a couple of matches afterwards.

Mohammad Wasim said that players need to perform and play a decent amount of First-Class, domestic matches in order to be selected, so he better stick to that.

Even though Haris Rauf is best as a T20 Bowler, looking at his form in the last 5 - 6 months and before, he isn't even as good of a bowler as I and a lot of others thought. He gets smashed a lot, even against those useless New Zeland Super Smash team with the Shaheens, which is probably due to this tape bowling background, and so once again he has passion and pace but little skill; however, he is a good talent and has the potential to be a very good LOI bowler.

[Last Monetarist]

Odd selection. Maybe he's been selected to give the batsman net practice against a genuinely fast bowler like Anrich Nortje?

To be honest, I hadn't thought of this point at all. It's a logical move when you reflect on it that way.

It kinda belies the fact that [my] impulsive opinions are usually rubbish.

[Nado_]

Surprise selection if you ask me, I think Hasnain is ahead of him. Hasnain is quicker bouncier and is starting to show more consistently (although I wouldn’t put him in final 11 just yet)

[shamaan]

What does that even mean? What is this? A wrestling match?

And are you seriously telling me that a guy with 3 FC matches to his name, who struggles to hit a consistent length in ODIs, let alone Tests is going to bowl a consistent bouncer barrage to South African batsmen on what is supposed to be a dustbowl?

Hes in the squad as an enforcer but that doesnt mean hes going be in the starting xi infact i think they may want him to concentrate on the first class.he won't play in karachi test.the cupboard is bear.

[shamaan]

Dhani , irfanullah all deliver heavy type balls are taller than haris

But forget them 2 there is one guy already in the camp setup of the international team he is young tall and quick he is called hasnain .

Bowling stocks for Pakistan are real bare atm , but haris rauf is not the answer

them two you mentioned neeed to be developed properly they can have a good career if they are managed and groomed properly.

[shamaan]

Yeah, but Nawaz wasn't in the mix of things. Zafar came back from his first international tour and was dropped. I agree that Nawaz has far superior batting stats, but Zafar was sent back without a good try. I don't want us to regret this decision later on when he is at age 35 with 500 FC wickets, begging for a callup.

He wasnt but each selector has thier own idea and understanding and team combination/squad.its true i would feel hard done by if i got dropped after one game.aslong as wasim is thier i dont think he will get lost and is in the mind of wasim

[shamaan]

No player should be allowed to play test cricket if he has not played at least a minimum of 20 first class games. Almost impossible to play test cricket if you never played first class cricket as a teenager and Rauf is already 30 or 30+, so don't understand why you pick him in the 20 man initial squad. I know many of these Rawalpindi guys and their connection to local cricket clubs and how they started etc. Mohammad Wasim is a good guy who tries to do his best and does not like corruption in cricket, but still he is a "yes man" and can't change the system alone.

yes man based upon selecting rauf ?

[BakuGM]

Little worried to see these Northern players Rauf, Shafique and Nawaz (him less so) making the team. Wasim said two players he picked based on potential than merit are both from Pindi?

[sharmaji]

Don't look at Harris Rauf as a long term prospect. But if he can bring into the team his pace, passion and aggression and inspire the next set of fast bowlers with a few magical spells of fast-bowling, then he would have done justice to his selection.

I like his selection, it sets the tone for the brand of cricket that Pakistan wants to play. I sincerely hope that he does well.

Shaheen Afridi, Harris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Fahim Ashraf, Shadab Khan - good aggressive bowling line up for tests in SENA.

[Energy]

No, he's not ready. And has not given any indication of fitness or stamina to bowl 15-20 overs in a day. If he does well it will be pleasantly surprising for all but it's taking a shot in the dark and hoping it'll land correctly.

We've seen this speed ** before with the selection of Musa, Naseem. Have come to slap us back in the face.

[Bigboii]

Naseem is injured. That’s why. Who else would you have selected to develop into the enforcer role?

I don't think it's necessary to have an enforcer
Sure if you have a decent options take than

But having enforcer for the sake of having an enforcer is not at all nessacery
Especially if you're bringing someone with fc experience

Take a journeyman than getting obsessed over an enforcer

[Bigboii]

Simple answer any sane cricket should be saying

[andy0204]

Instead they should have picked Hasnain who hits the deck hard which is very useful in test cricket.

[Flat_Track_Bully]

His T20 record is good, he's an attacking bowler and if he finds consistency he can become a good test bowler.

[Junaids]

Pakistan needs at least one bowler who can consistently bowl 140+.

I don’t see too many alternatives.

[UzmanBeast]

He wasnt but each selector has thier own idea and understanding and team combination/squad.its true i would feel hard done by if i got dropped after one game.aslong as wasim is thier i dont think he will get lost and is in the mind of wasim

Mohammad Wasim's presence won't do justice to Zafar Gohar's exclusion, he will seriously need to show, with evidence, that there are plans for these players.

Wasim said that Zafar wasn't a ready product at this point in time, and needed to spend some more time in FC Cricket. Whether that's from a bowling standpoint or a batting standpoint, I can't decode, but compared to the likes of Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha, his bowling is far superior though his batting average isn't as high as the likes of Nawaz.

But I can respect the inclusion of Nawaz, it's clear that our team needs some spin-bowling batting all-rounders who can be tight with overs when given the ball. I'm assuming that bringing Nawaz into the plans is similar to a like-for-like replacement to Haris Sohail, who used to bowl as well.

However, one thing I want to see is continuity. Apart from the likes of Tabish Khan and Nauman Ali, most of these candidates should get selected for future tours to keep continuity present and form a proper pool of players for specific situations. These players should only be replaced if they fail to meet the expectations of their roles, like if Faheem is batting really well but he's not taking too many wickets, we should either work on him for a few series and evaluate the progress, or substitute him for another fast-bowling all-rounder.

[Caved12]

yes man based upon selecting rauf ?

Yes Rauf and so many other players. Wasim is a small time player and in a country like Pakistan, they would never listen to someone like Wasim. He was brought in so that he listens to people higher up and does things the way they see fit. Does not mean Wasim is totally a dummy selector as he will select his favourite players as well and the ones he likes in his domestic teams. This whole process will work more like " I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine "

These things go way back. Say someone with the same family name appeared for PIA under 19 trials and was miles better than all other players, but was not selected by the person(top 15 all time player of pakistan) who was conducting these trials and the following day he announced names through a newspaper of the guys who were not even present at those trials. These kind of things annoys the entire community and from that point on, they make a mission to support their own guys at any cost and use whatever political source they can to get that player selected in PCT.

[Thunderbolt14]

Mohammad Wasim's presence won't do justice to Zafar Gohar's exclusion, he will seriously need to show, with evidence, that there are plans for these players.

Wasim said that Zafar wasn't a ready product at this point in time, and needed to spend some more time in FC Cricket. Whether that's from a bowling standpoint or a batting standpoint, I can't decode, but compared to the likes of Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha, his bowling is far superior though his batting average isn't as high as the likes of Nawaz.

But I can respect the inclusion of Nawaz, it's clear that our team needs some spin-bowling batting all-rounders who can be tight with overs when given the ball. I'm assuming that bringing Nawaz into the plans is similar to a like-for-like replacement to Haris Sohail, who used to bowl as well.

However, one thing I want to see is continuity. Apart from the likes of Tabish Khan and Nauman Ali, most of these candidates should get selected for future tours to keep continuity present and form a proper pool of players for specific situations. These players should only be replaced if they fail to meet the expectations of their roles, like if Faheem is batting really well but he's not taking too many wickets, we should either work on him for a few series and evaluate the progress, or substitute him for another fast-bowling all-rounder.

Wasim has also said that he’s called each of the players individually and that plans are being developed for each player to continue developing at the NHPC and in domestic cricket. This is the first time I’ve heard of something like this happening in our system and it speaks to that sense of continuity that you too are talking about.

Continuity should not just occur for selected players to get a sustained run in the national side, but it should also occur for fringe and dropped players jo “abhi bhi apna loha manwa saktay hain” — making detailed technical plans about what their strengths and weaknesses are, reasons for non-selection, what they need to improve, and exactly which drills they need to focus on with the NHPC coaches.

Secondly, we need to reduce the “binarization” of selection where you are either in the team, or not. Taking your example, if Faheem is not taking to many wickets but still batting well, it should be okay to “rest” him for one series and send him to work with Mohammad Zahid and [Ian Pont] at the National High Performance Center for a 2-week intensive program.

In fact, Faheem said a couple days ago that his shoulder injury is one of the best things that has ever happened to him - unable to bowl, the management was forced to rest him a couple games and he went to the NHPC to work with Mohammad Yousuf on his batting. Yousuf worked with him on his balance and footwork for two weeks, just some minor adjustments and hard work, and the results in New Zealand are there for all to see.

We should normalize this kind of player management, and provide top class support at the NHPC to fringe players who are told - you have been “rested” so you can go work on these specific technicals. You are still in our plans.