Why isn't Abdul Razzaq being considered for the Tests?

[Torpedo]

I am sure he will do a better job than Malik at 6. 30-40 odd from 150 balls and chip in with couple of wickets. aq

[MAJID-SHAH]

This guy has pretty good temprement, i for one can never forget his 49-ball 1 to prevent defeat in the hands of india, and yes i agree he should defiantely be considered, perhaps switch him for umar akmal?

[tanzeel]

Seriously? Razzaq? He was crap at tests even at his peak and now he can barely play ODIs, let alone tests. I for one am completely against this idea. Razzaq is a bunny/pie flinger of the highest order in tests.

[MAJID-SHAH]

^^He has good temprement yaar - umar akmal could learn from him!

[khalil1986]

He is well past his sell by date and is close to useless in ODI's.

[Genghis]

No thanks! Razzaq is a worse batsmen than Malik. And in fact in current form I would not even say he deserves a spot in the T20 or ODI team.

[MAJID-SHAH]

^^lol - thats a bit harsh!

[Poison]

Originally Posted by MAJID-SHAH ^^He has good temprement yaar - umar akmal could learn from him!

Temperament does you no good when your technique would be ripped apart in any sort of conditions.

[*sallu*]

Razzaq
Lol what a joke
The guy can't even bend low enough to get his hands to the ground and you want him playing 5 days of back to back cricket
Thanks but no Thanks!!!!

Yasir Arafat for the all rounder's spot anyday
He could play as our 4th seamer in conditions such as Headingly and Trent Bridge instead of our regular spinner

[Genghis]

Originally Posted by MAJID-SHAH ^^lol - thats a bit harsh!

Well it might be but lately he is completely struggling with his timing. Last few T20s I have seen him play he seems to hit the occassional 6, but the number of balls he plays and misses is just not good enough. Age is catching up!!!

[Energy]

Abdul Razzaq at times does not have the stamina to last a 50-over, let alone a test match. Besides, Malik was not the worst performer in the last test, so I doubt whether he will make way for anyone (including Abdul Razzaq).

[Zedman]

Because he's rubbish. That's a good reason. Abdul Razzak in tests? Lol

[rhussain33]

The point is, that we can do with an (all rounder) an extra seamer to lighten the load, vary the attack, without the problem of decreasing the depth of batting which is a very fragile...

Arafat is the answer, hes just not being selected !!

He would have to replace current allrounder Malik

[Kray_jackson7]

Lets not forget how pakistan were 39-6 and abdul razzaq batted us out of trouble. He can score 100 of 2000 balls and not be fazed in the slightest when he is on 20 off 210 balls. or he can score 100 of 60 if the situation demands. i dont think he cares how fast or slow he goes. whether he still has it in him is the question

And he can bowl abit aswell. which might be needed seeing as we are going to be without kaneria

[MAJID-SHAH]

^^potw!

[Savak]

For English Conditions, Razzaq should have been considered

[so123]

For Emglish conditions I would have kept afridi as specialist spinner and razzaq as 4th seamer.
Also need long batting line-up with yunus and yusuf.

Butt
Yunis
Yusuf
Umar Akmal
Malik
Razzaq
Kamran
Afridi
Gul
Amir
Asif

[Chuck150 FSD]

If you use Razzaq the right way and keep him into the game, he's as good as anybody. But if you ask him to go out and smash the last 2 overs all for sixes he can't do that anymore. He would've done very well in the english conditions

[Gulf of Gold]

Abdur Razzaq.....his time is gone.

[pakcricketfan]

Is that some sort of a joke?

Why is it so hard for (some) people to understand that the guy is well past his prime (especially in Test cricket)!

[asifp]

Razzaq will be the best batsman in our team if he joins. All he needs to do is get 20 runs.

[Down2Earth]

here is another guy who's living on past achievements, should be forced into retirement because he sure does bowl and field like a 50 year old. can't judge him on his batting as he isn't out there for long enough.

[chacha kashmiri]

He's older and more experienced then butt which might have something to do with it

[Sledger]

Because he's not test quality just like Afridi. Plus, he can't play bouncers/spinners to save his life in test matches.

[cricketcrazy]

Why would he?

[chui_kadoo]

If you are gona have razaq u might as well bring back Azhar Mahmood. Atleast he is bowling well with Kent this season.

[DeadlyVenom]

title made made me laugh lol

[Tay'yab-Ali Malik]

Never has been a test player, and certainly has struggled in English conditions. Just look at him bat against England in 2006. It was embarassing how he was made to look rubbish.

Only useful in completely seaming condition where a spinner is not picked so he could be the 4th seamer, however Pakistan have historically always picked a spinning option and in any event the team management would prefer a front line genuine quick bowler if they ever decided to go with 4 seamers.

[cricwiz]

I am very surprised that being part of the Test squad, Razzaq is being ignored in the Test lineup.

And the thing that strikes me is that Malik is playing ahead of him as a specialist batsman. He is a greater threat with the ball than Malik, but most importantly he is much better in batting department than the likes of Malik & also holds a better batting temperament than other experienced Pakistani batsmen (Butt, Farhat etc).

I am not so sure about rest of guys whether they have played in England before or not, but I am sure that Razzaq holds an important advantage of being experienced in the conditions.

At No. 6 position, Razzaq averages around 40 (39.42), which in the current circumstances is very good.

He should be played as a specialist No. 6 bat, with Malik making way for him. He along with Zulqarnain can be a good line of defence against the English attack.

I am advocating for place of Razzaq in the Test side because at the moment we dont have a single batsman in the middle order who has the required patience and solid defense. Only Zoni showed the required patience in last match, and it paid huge dividends.

Ideally Gul, Malik, Amin & Azhar Ali should be rested for the next match, with Y Hammed, Razzaq, Yousuf and Tanvir/Wahab making into final 11.

Salman Butt
Imran Farhat
Yasir Hammed
Mohammad Yousuf
Umar Akmal
Abdul Razzaq
Zulqarnain Haider
Mohammad Amir
Saeed Ajmal
Tanvir Ahmed / Wahab Riaz
Mohammad Asif

This team comprising of above players looks much better team than was selected for last match. Hope the sense prevails in the dressing room and the management can make some bold decisions.

I hope that PPers who are in regular contact with the Pakistani team can ask a couple of questions from team management that why Razzaq (who has experience of English conditions) is not being considered in slot of middle order batsman...

[Poison]

Razzaq is not in the squad I believe.

And he is a crap player in Tests; his bowling may work in England but he would be utterly dominated in seaming conditions.

[cricwiz]

Originally Posted by Poison Razzaq is not in the squad I believe..

Yup you are right about this fact. Sadly he is not in the Test squad.

Originally Posted by Poison And he is a crap player in Tests; his bowling may work in England but he would be utterly dominated in seaming conditions.

You are quite wrong in your assumptions. Back in 1999 Worldcup, Razzaq was our main batsman at No. 3 to negotiate that swinging ball period, early on. And he did his job admirably well. Thats why I am more than convinced that he is the right batsman for Pakistan in swinging conditions of England.

[ads101]

razzaq doesn't really play with that much patience really.

I'd take him as a no.7 as the 4th bowler if we choose to go without the spin option. Basically someone to share the bowlers workload (thus resting our main bowlers), and be able to bat a bit.

I do think he's probably better than malik though.

[tanzeel]

Have we not had this discussion over 9000 times already on this forum? Razzaq has always been crap at tests with both bat and ball, and over the last two years, that has also been the case in ODIs so I fail to see why its so hard for people to realize that.

[Poison]

Cricwiz man, 1999 was 11 years ago.

[cricwiz]

Originally Posted by ads101 razzaq doesn't really play with that much patience really.

You must have been watching his T20 innings

Just for your curiosity, Razzaq in Test match career has made 1946 runs while facing 4741 balls (that makes strike rate of 41.04).

I hope the above stat provides answer to your question of Razzaq playing without much patience.

[Amjid Javed]

Razzaq is past his best and whilst if in form he could have maybe be used as a 3rd seamer and number 7/8 batsmen, but its time to move on!

[cricwiz]

Originally Posted by Poison Cricwiz man, 1999 was 11 years ago.

I was of the view that a batsman matures when he reaches around 30th mark.

Razzaq bowling has deteriorated because of his lack of pace, but I cannot buy the argument that his batting has degraded.

Previous captains (5 years or so) before used him as a top 6 batsman, either as 1 down or No. 5/6. In recent times (in ODIs / T20), he has been just used as a pinch hitter late in the order, which is not his game. Even in limited overs cricket, Razzaq is sort of player who needs time at the crease before he can start attacking. And this quality is even more so needed in Test match cricket.

[cricwiz]

Originally Posted by Amjid Javed Razzaq is past his best and whilst if in form he could have maybe be used as a 3rd seamer and number 7/8 batsmen, but its time to move on!

I am just talking about pure No. 6 batsman. He is capable enough in these tough English conditions to succeed. As an all-rounder he is past his best because his bowling is nowhere near his best.

He is 10 times better than the specialist tailender oopess I mean specialist batsman Malik.

[tanzeel]

Originally Posted by cricwiz You must have been watching his T20 innings Just for your curiosity, Razzaq in Test match career has made 1946 runs while facing 4741 balls (that makes strike rate of 41.04). I hope the above stat provides answer to your question of Razzaq playing without much patience.

What you seem to have conveniently missed is that those 1946 runs came off 77 innings(9 not outs) giving him a mighty average of 28.62(25.27 runs per innings) and that was when he was at his prime.

[Pak_mystery]

I think he's been doing quite well in the limited overs for a while now, and cosidering how our lower order has been struggling we definitly need an all rounder there. And i think at the moment A.Razzaq is the best available option.. i realy dont understand how he doesnt get selected anymore in tests...

[farazaidi]

because he is not a test player?

[FastBowler]

They think he's only a limited overs player and while its true that that is his strength that doesn't negate his ability in Tests and I can see no legitimate reason not to include him.

[*sallu*]

He couldn't get a top order test wicket if his life depended on it now

So only way he'll make it as a pure batsman, but he struggled too much against quality pace and spin to make it into the side as a pure batsman

[Pak_mystery]

Well just look at some of his match saving test innings and you will know if he's a test player or not.. Well the best thing about him is his temprament.

[Rizie]

Razzaq doesnt want to field +-200 overs

[*sallu*]

Yup, fitness is another big issue, not fit enough for test cricket

[Sherazkhalid]

Originally Posted by *sallu* He couldn't get a top order test wicket if his life depended on it now So only way he'll make it as a pure batsman, but he struggled too much against quality pace and spin to make it into the side as a pure batsman

I totally agree with you, he made those 107 runs against the pacers, he is a culprit against spin and in test where there is no limit on overs a bowler can bowl, he is likely to get out against spin without scoring much.

[aabh]

also, he averages less than 30 in tests. simply not good enough to be in the team as a batsman alone (even when he was at his peak)

[UsmanhailsAfridi]

bc he is a crap player when it comes to have any fitness or stamina

[Down2Earth]

he's finished as a test cricketer, not a batsman, nor a bowler and the fielding was always non-existent

[DeadlyVenom]

cant even be trusted to bowl more than 3 overs in an ODI.

[Zaz]

He hardly threatens in odis where batsmen tend to give wkts away going after runs so hows he gonna do in a format where you have to actually bowl batsmen out??

And in batting only has two gears - block or hit. Not good enough for tests

[Dr_Bassim]

If he bowled all the 450 overs on 5 days, even then South Africa would be 1000/0.

That's why.

[saeed-sohail]

Originally Posted by Down2Earth he's finished as a test cricketer, not a batsman, nor a bowler and the fielding was always non-existent

He was never a test cricketer.Played 46 tests too many.Azhar deserve to play a lot more.

[tanzeel]

Afridi-esque batting and bowling averages of 28.61 and 36.94 in 46 tests don't really make a strong case for his selection.

[RehanG]

lol Razzaq is even expired for ODI's let alone test;)

[tauseefm]

Razzaq would be history by now if he hadn't played that inning. He is not suitable for test matches period. You need a complete player to play a test math which razzaq isn't.

[aamerfan]

thanks a lot for this thread

i really needed a good laugh today

[FastBowler]

Originally Posted by DeadlyVenom cant even be trusted to bowl more than 3 overs in an ODI.

there's a difference between can't be trusted and wasn't given

[atif.raza]

Originally Posted by FastBowler there's a difference between can't be trusted and wasn't given

wasnt given bcoz cant be trusted

[Sledger]

Razzaq is not picked for test matches because he is not a test cricketer.

[Down2Earth]

he wouldn't even get his full quota of overs bowling 'pace' for india

[DeadlyVenom]

Originally Posted by FastBowler there's a difference between can't be trusted and wasn't given

No difference, he wasn't injured or anything. Afridi obviously didnt trust him. Every time I see Razzaq bowling I can see the look on the opposition batsmans face wondering - Shall I hit a four or six.

[Bilal.0]

Razzaq has no use in the bowling department and we dont need another hitter in the batting lineup.. We need people who can bat "time" and make big runs/partnerships, which Razzaq cant do. Plus he is a liability in the field. Although he looks fit there is no way he can survive five gruesome days in UAE heat.

[Masterji]

I think that he be should be selected, those 78mph length balls will keep SA awake all night!

[Looney]

Razzaq is better suited to fun cricket

[jazba]

Originally Posted by *sallu* He couldn't get a top order test wicket if his life depended on it now So only way he'll make it as a pure batsman, but he struggled too much against quality pace and spin to make it into the side as a pure batsman

Whether I agree or not, at least you’ve provided reasons for his exclusion instead of ‘He’s not a test player’ garbage.

[Amjid Javed]

Razzaqs never really cut it at test level and thats certainly not going to change now!

[FastBowler]

Originally Posted by Bilal.0 t and we dont need another hitter in the batting lineup.. We need people who can bat "time" and make big runs/partnerships, which Razzaq cant do. Although he looks fit there is no way he can survive five gruesome days in UAE heat.

Mohali

[talha3]

If we were in a massive disaster with our test batting line-up, i might agree. But now with Younis and Yusuf, we don't really need his experience. Obviously he's not a test bowler.

[1137moiz]

I am one of Abdul Razzaq's biggest supporters (love the fellow, he's my favourite player) but I have to admit his Test career, though not without its merits, was mediocre. Yasir Arafat is WAY ahead atm imho, and so is Sohail Tanveer

[FastBowler]

Arafat isn't ahead of Razzaq in any discipline in any format at any level.

[talha3]

Originally Posted by FastBowler Arafat isn't ahead of Razzaq in any discipline in any format at any level.

agree. arafat's just been another domestic don.

[1137moiz]

Originally Posted by FastBowler Arafat isn't ahead of Razzaq in any discipline in any format at any level.

based on his first-class performances PLUS his promising Test start, he deserves a shot. Abdul Razzaq's Test career is almost certainly over. I enjoyed it, but that's that

[atif.raza]

Originally Posted by 1137moiz based on his first-class performances PLUS his promising Test start, he deserves a shot. Abdul Razzaq's Test career is almost certainly over. I enjoyed it, but that's that

Enjoyed Razzaq test career? What did he EVER do?

[talha3]

Originally Posted by atif.raza Enjoyed Razzaq test career? What did he EVER do?

How's 3 centuries with 7 half centuries and 23 6s with 230 4s? The 3 century's obviously speak for themselves but even the half century's have been vital if you look at the position razzaq comes in.

coming in number 7 being the last proper batsman to save a test match on the last day in the last innings and saving it is definitely something to enjoy.

But yes, he has underachieved.

[hasanmehmoodkhan]

both his bowling and batting are not good for test. he plays to fast and his bowling is only threatening when you want to hit him. I also think umar akmal is not a test player and azhar ali should be played

[TigerJat]

I don't see a place for him on the team

There is already too much competition for batsmen.

Hafeez is playing as the all rounder, plus his bowling is not very good, his fielding is even worse.

[KingKhanWC]

Razzaq is neither a specialist batter or bowler. What he does have his an big heart. The innings he and Akmal played in India was just awesome.

[786warrior]

He is not a frontline batsmen, he is a third change/ last resort bowler, and a liability in the field - why would you want him in a test side?