Azhar Ali Appreciation [And Humble Pie] Thread

[Paradox]

I thought he would get out in the last over of the day (against Paul Harris) for sure - looked extremely nervous, Steyn had really gotten into him in the previous over against him (I believe every single delivery in that over was short, aiming for his head), followed by going up to him and giving him a little chat every single delivery. Seemed to have effected Azhar quite badly.

With all the men around him (short leg, silly point, silly mid off, slip, etc.) in the last over, and the way he uneasily defended a couple of deliveries in the last over, I thought he would be falling soon. He survived though.

[insaaniyat]

Originally Posted by abdulraheemsiddiqui he takes 200 ball and score 25 while afridi takes 15 ball and score 25 who is better?

I hope you are not thinking Afridi. Afridi is not a batsman. Compare him with someone good

[Decipher]

Azhar Ali kay strokes mein damm nahi yar ... hardly has a back lift and most of his strokes hardly reached the boundary .. over all good batsman .. needs to put some heart into his strokes.... Yar why can't we hit like Sehwag ??? Why all the half hearted strokes ... just look at how Professor's dismissal ?

[Gollum]

Need to start scoring a little more freely, but I admire his tenacity to stay at the crease come hell or high water.

[osee_bhai]

Let him play slow and like a rock, we need a future number 3, and its either him or fawad alam.

That being said I think he can play faster, his list a average is very impressive and his strike rate isn't that bad. Hopefully today he gets set and then starts opening up with some shots.

[*sallu*]

Congrats Azhar on a very solid 50
Hope he goes on

[Proud To Be A Pakistani]

atlease he is on the crease unlike few others .. so got to appericate ... I don't care about the rate it would have been different .. if we still had partnerships ...

[MR__KHAN__JI]

Beautiful innings - cant say enough positive things about it....

he needs to make this a hundred now.....

[Afridi_Fan]

Played as well as any of the batsmen, and importantly hasn't thrown it away yet.

[Abdullah22]

Sorry but not good enough.
What's the difference between this innings and a innings a la monsieur Farhat?
Should have played Asad Shafique instead.

[hashbb]

Really feel sorry for him, looks like he's going to get a big score, but he runs out of partners like his 92!

[*sallu*]

Originally Posted by Abdullah22 Sorry but not good enough. What's the difference between this innings and a innings a la monsieur Farhat? Should have played Asad Shafique instead.

difference is hes batting on 60 odd right now and farhat doesn't manage that many runs in a series combined

[LegCutter]

Bye bye Azhar. Good job staying at the wicket as long as you did

[*sallu*]

Originally Posted by Afridi_Fan Played as well as any of the batsmen, and importantly hasn't thrown it away yet.

Thanks for the jinx

[*sallu*]

Played well, great catch and slightly unlucky

[Boi]

Good knock from Azhar, it's a shame that no one else could stick with him.

[Afridi_Fan]

Originally Posted by *sallu* Thanks for the jinx

Didn't jinx your sweetheart though. What happened to him?

Well played Azhar.

[Abdullah22]

Originally Posted by *sallu* difference is hes batting on 60 odd right now and farhat doesn't manage that many runs in a series combined

What a exaggerated statement.

I understand we need a batsmen who doesn't throws his wicket away but believing that a guy managing only 56 off 172 deliveries (on a flat track with no pressure on him at 111/2) is the solution to the problem has to be a real "brain fart"

[*sallu*]

Originally Posted by Afridi_Fan Didn't jinx your sweetheart though. What happened to him? Well played Azhar.

I know I'm not a mod but you really do have a habit of diverting the topic on each and every thread

If you want o discuss Younis Khan and ask me questions about him I suggest you bring that up in the thread about YK

[mastermind_quad]

well plyed Azhar ... .. all current Pakistani batsman especially younger ones should learn a bit of concentration from him ....

[sam]

^^

Can't believe you are criticizing the guy who got 56 in a team effort where 60 is the highest. Find somebody else to criticize. Somebody who got a start and didn't carry on ( ) or somebody who can't bat to save his life ( ) or somebody who simply threw away his wicket ( )

[imshally81]

Well Played Mashallah

[Afridi_Fan]

Originally Posted by *sallu* I know I'm not a mod but you really do have a habit of diverting the topic on each and every thread If you want o discuss Younis Khan and ask me questions about him I suggest you bring that up in the thread about YK

Yes Sir! I Salute You.

[MR__KHAN__JI]

Originally Posted by Abdullah22 What a exaggerated statement. I understand we need a batsmen who doesn't throws his wicket away but believing that a guy managing only 56 off 172 deliveries (on a flat track with no pressure on him at 111/2) is the solution to the problem has to be a real "brain fart"

I see where you are coming from... the difference is that

farhat has been given a milllion opportunuites and hasnt improved....

[mastermind_quad]

Originally Posted by sam ^^ Can't believe you are criticizing the guy who got 56 in a team effort where 60 is the highest. Find somebody else to criticize. Somebody who got a start and didn't carry on ( ) or somebody who can't bat to save his life ( ) or somebody who simply threw away his wicket ( )

where did i criticize him .....

[MRSN]

His defense is strong,needs to rotate strike more and don't play risky shots.Hopefully he will have a good future

Originally Posted by Boi Good knock from Azhar, it's a shame that no one else could stick with him.

+1

[haroonrasheed320]

Originally Posted by *sallu* Played well, great catch and slightly unlucky

I would call him lucky, he hit too many catchable shots got bogged down there, should have been home early if it wasn't for his good luck

[sam]

Originally Posted by mastermind_quad where did i criticize him .....

Not you. That was for the poster Abdullah22.

Think my post took a while to come up and you posted before I could.

[mastermind_quad]

Originally Posted by sam Not you. That was for the poster Abdullah22. Think my post took a while to come up and you posted before I could.

oh! ok ...i thought it otherwise ....

[Pakprideuk]

Originally Posted by haroonrasheed320 I would call him lucky, he hit too many catchable shots got bogged down there, should have been home early if it wasn't for his good luck

Remind me of the good luck? there was only 1 risky shot and that was the one just over mid-on, the one over cover was a decent enough connection so idk what you're talking about mate.

Well played, played better than the rest, applied himself at the crease and gave himself the maximum chance to score big. This is the problem with all of us, the one player who's playing proper test cricket and is applying himself, you all are asking him to play attacking cricket, i think there was someone who was saying why can't we play like Sehwag, ask the others, why him.

If he becomes anything like Dravid or someone solid at number 3 then that's what Pak can ask of him.

You're all talking about Asad Shafiq, did you see him in the ODI's, he struggled against spin and when the ball was straight and on target he couldn't get it away on the off-side, also he struggled outside his off-stump.

[MR__KHAN__JI]

Originally Posted by Pakprideuk You're all talking about Asad Shafiq, did you see him in the ODI's, he struggled against spin and when the ball was straight and on target he couldn't get it away on the off-side, also he struggled outside his off-stump.

Its called the merry go round system.... the player outside the team is always better than the ones inside the team!

[Proud To Be A Pakistani]

I think it was good knock , & he wouldn't have gone for that shot if he didn't feel he was running out of partners .... the real disappointing shot was from abdul rehman ... who the hell told him ... he is suppose to drive ..... when there is batsman on the other side

[Abdullah22]

Originally Posted by Pakprideuk You're all talking about Asad Shafiq, did you see him in the ODI's, he struggled against spin and when the ball was straight and on target he couldn't get it away on the off-side, also he struggled outside his off-stump.

My bad Asad isn't a natural born batting genius who doesn't requires practice and experience guess we will have to stick with tuk tuk style and wait till the next miandad is born.

[Legendary_Sage]

Well done to Azhar.
We need Asad in the side and should replace Chota akmal aka wana be mindless slogger.

[BoomBoomCricket]

Originally Posted by farsiddiqui The proof is in the pudding. He scores runs and has EARNED to be given a fair chance in the test matches (which is what Azhar Ali is being given.) Giving two matches as an opener and one as one down, does not constitute being given a chance. Scoring 168 runs on debut, regardless of opposition or pitch, requires talents. Scoring over 4000 runs in first class at the highest average in history of 57+ requires some talent. Before labeling someone as talented or talentless, try to look a little deeper. Ok, I need to go find a wall to bang my head again.

You have a strong argument in your favour and the stats are undisputedly brilliant in their own right, however as well all know our domestic infra-structure and standards are not a true reflection or indication of one's true potential and is a very low ranked standard in terms of professionalism and quality. If he played in England, SA, NZ or Australia his stats would probably be nowhere near that level they are currently where his technical limitations would be exploited with sheer ease due to the higher standards and much more challenging conditions. If he plays a full season in these domestic circuits his average would probably be not that great if anything. Its good to see him performing and pressuring the selectors, but I am highly doubtful that he will make any change or improvement to our performances in the 5 day format. I can fully understand why the selectors have ignored him as much I can fully understand as to why the fans rate him so highly, but one has to consider the bigger picture and face the reality.

[SOSami]

He's a good 'un. Seems to have his head screwed on.

Hope we don't waste him.

[Masterji]

Solid but needs to score more freely, i watched for long time and i have not seen many batsman this limited, the only ones that come to mind include Amir Malik,Chris Tavare and Adrian Griffiths. I just don`t see a long career for him unless he improves dramatically.

He is also lucky that he is playing at a time when he looks the best of a very poor bunch. In yesteryear he wouldn`t have played for decent regional team.

[Arsh_afridi]

[BoomBoomCricket]

He has the best temperament and technique which is needed for Test Cricket in our team. There is plenty to work with there and he is highly rated amongst our fans speaking on the whole. In Test Cricket he should be playing in the starting line up for many matches to come. His innings was completely flawless. Can become an excellent role model for our youngsters. We need more players like him in our team. Natural talent is not everything.

[Masterji]

Originally Posted by BoomBoomCricket He has the best temperament and technique which is needed for Test Cricket in our team. There is plenty to work with there and he is highly rated amongst our fans speaking on the whole. In Test Cricket he should be playing in the starting line up for many matches to come. His innings was completely flawless. Can become an excellent role model for our youngsters. We need more players like him in our team. Natural talent is not everything.

If we had a few more like him we wouldn`t score more than 150 runs per day. Its all well and good being solid but you have to put the bad ball away and from what i have seen so far he has a brain but lacks the shots. I hope i am wrong and he proves me wrong.

[Sledger]

Didn't watch him play today but a good innings compared to the rest. One to be persisted with.

[Markhor]

Originally Posted by Masterji If we had a few more like him we wouldn`t score more than 150 runs per day. Its all well and good being solid but you have to put the bad ball away and from what i have seen so far he has a brain but lacks the shots. I hope i am wrong and he proves me wrong.

The shots will come with the more experience and confidence he gets.He's good at all the basics,his mentality,temperament and technique is solid.He puts a price on his wicket and makes the most of his innings.

However,he has to put the bad balls away.You can get away with that at domestic level but you won't get a lot of scoring opportunities against South Africa in international Test cricket.

[ElRaja]

i think its also important to remember that these young pak players know how fickle pakistan selectors are and how many players from back in the day have been dropped after 3 or 4 bad performances, if he is to fail in 2, or 3 inns he will be under immense pressure on seamin nz wickets in nex series. this may also b a reason to his overly defensive approach.

Clearly he is not the most talented batsmen in the team, but hes playing within his limitations and using his head. im pretty sure if he can string a few scores together he will be in 45-55 s/r region. not faster than that tho, cos he isnt skilled enough and doesnt possess many naturally attacking strokes.

[Zaz]

Hes a good un Must be persisted with

I like his temperament

[Masterji]

The basic things that a decent test batsman should possess is a good temperment, a solid defence and the ability to put the bad ball away, the first 2 will help you stay at the crease and the 3rd to score runs, he has the first 2 but in my opinion he is seriously lacking the 3rd. His timing is the worst i have seen for a top order batsman at this level.

[Pakprideuk]

Who said we should have more of him, one of them at number 3 is very crucial, especially when you have Hafeez, Younis and Umar Akmal who should score quickly. As someone said above he puts price on his wicket, unless he does something wrong it'll be difficult to get him out, just let him settle will you.

[AZ]

the only guy who puts a price on his wicket, and occupies the crease.

he's great.

[BoomBoomCricket]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar the only guy who puts a price on his wicket, and occupies the crease. he's great.

Exactly

[AZ]

and its quite pleasing to see some young bucks coming through

:aali

the sooner we can get rid of the Baabon Ki Fauj the better.

[MRSN]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar and its quite pleasing to see some young bucks coming through :aali the sooner we can get rid of the Baabon Ki Fauj the better.

yup its time for Raza hasan to replace S.Ajmal in test cricket.

[AZ]

and as well

[Proud To Be A Pakistani]

Please this is my request to all PPer's Please tell me where the hell Ijaz Butt lives ... I really feel like .. .I will burn down his house .... :@ can't say more

[Boi]

Originally Posted by M Nadeem yup its time for Raza hasan to replace S.Ajmal in test cricket.

And why is that? He took a 5-fer a couple of Tests ago.

[Masterji]

I agree all players need time to settle but why is he such a poor timer of the ball?

[MRSN]

Originally Posted by Boi And why is that? He took a 5-fer a couple of Tests ago.

He isn't spinning the bowl as he should be....that's why

Did you watch botha bowl...how much spin he was getting from the same track?........We need a good SPINNER....and believe me we have few guys in domestic cricket who can spin a lot...more than Ajmal surely..

[Boi]

Originally Posted by M Nadeem He isn't spinning the bowl as he should be....that's why Did you watch botha bowl...how much spin he was getting from the same track?........We need a good SPINNER....and believe me we have few guys in domestic cricket who can spin a lot...more than Ajmal surely..

It would be unfair to drop him after he has put in good performances recently.

[pakcricketfan]

His strength is his temperament. He is NOT going to throw his wicket away. He will fight it out till the very end. But.. Like many others here have pointed out, he needs to find a relief shot and try to rotate the strike more often. Sometimes, he doesn't even punish the bad ball.
Having said that, he has the main thing that most others lack, i.e temperament. All other changes and improvements he needs to make are quite small in comparison to that!

[*sallu*]

I agree with all those saying he lacks strokes.

But what he does have is a good head and solid defense.

What I'm hoping for is that he can develop strokes over time. All he needs in the short run is to develop 1 relief shot of the quickies and off the spinners that can get him off strike. Rest will come with time.

[ads101]

Originally Posted by M Nadeem He isn't spinning the bowl as he should be....that's why Did you watch botha bowl...how much spin he was getting from the same track?........We need a good SPINNER....and believe me we have few guys in domestic cricket who can spin a lot...more than Ajmal surely..

botha is a very smart spinner. I think most guys on here underrate him.

Ajmal hasn't successfully adapted his game to tests yet. I'd give him another few tests and if he doesn't succeed, send him back to domestic to work on his test game.

Zulqifar Babar should probably be playing. Lovely action and averages a bowling average of 19 in domestic cricket.

[ElRaja]

i havnt seen this inns of his, but i from what little i saw of pak batsmen and of him in england there was very little sweeping, maybe he shd work on that, its a safe releif shot and maybe a backfoot shot or two. i still think he will do very well for pak unless management messes wit his head.

[umerz]

Scored a good 50 but he should go on for much higher scores...they will be days when he wont even get starts of 30s and 40s then he will regret on not converting 30's,40's and 50's in to hundreds

[Omar Malik]

Have liked his temperament since he first played for Pakistan against Australia!

He definitely has the temperament to stick it out but he drastically needs to address the issues of rotating the strike more often and playing against spin as I did watch some bits of his batting yesterday and he does find it slightly hard to play spin as compared to fast bowling which is more his fort!

[Theo_14]

Any links of his 56 v South Africa guys?

[Markhor]

Cant find the specific inning but the Pak innings link is this

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xfm...cam#from=embed

Part 4 Contains Azhar Ali's 56

[PakistanCricketForever!]

Well player Ali. He kept his head right through the innings with wicket falling at the other end

[Impala_KaifTamasha]

MashAllah a good player with a very solid temprement.

Hope he is given a long run that he deserves.

[cricfan4ever]

Positives: Temperament and Sound Technique for the most part...

Negatives: Can't rotate strike, looks at odds vs spinners, and can't put the bad balls away...

His biggest plus is temperament...

[zimran72]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar and its quite pleasing to see some young bucks coming through :aali the sooner we can get rid of the Baabon Ki Fauj the better.

Azhar: Overrated in many ways.

U-Akmal: Afridi part 2 mentally

Wahab: Decent but will never be world class

Amin: Not ready for international cricket don't know if he ever will be

Azam and Hasan: Untested.

How convenient you left out . He has performed better than all of the above you mentioned.

Originally Posted by cricfan4ever Positives: Temperament and Sound Technique for the most part... Negatives: Can't rotate strike, looks at odds vs spinners, and can't put the bad balls away... His biggest plus is temperament...

What people don't comprehend is that his technique is only defensively sound. He has not real attacking shots except the clip of the pad.

I don't mind Azhar at all but he faced 172 deliveries and let the pressure build on him by blocking ball after ball. On subcontinent pitches more than anywhere else once you are set you need to get a move on. You can't keep blocking because it shows a negative intent and lets your opponent pounce on you. So if Azhar wants to be a decent test batsman he needs to make runs once he is set.

[cricfan4ever]

Originally Posted by zimran72 Azhar: Overrated in many ways. U-Akmal: Afridi part 2 mentally Wahab: Decent but will never be world class Amin: Not ready for international cricket don't know if he ever will be Azam and Hasan: Untested. How convenient you left out . He has performed better than all of the above you mentioned. What people don't comprehend is that his technique is only defensively sound. He has not real attacking shots except the clip of the pad. I don't mind Azhar at all but he faced 172 deliveries and let the pressure build on him by blocking ball after ball. On subcontinent pitches more than anywhere else once you are set you need to get a move on. You can't keep blocking because it shows a negative intent and lets your opponent pounce on you. So if Azhar wants to be a decent test batsman he needs to make runs once he is set.

I agree with everything in bold...

[Sledger]

Kid really needs how to rotate strike better, was 2(24) and then went for a big shot charging down the wicket. SA have bowled pretty well but he just needs to find the gaps more.

[161]

Needs to learn how to play spin.

All he does is block block block .. and then comes down the track or slogs .. risky business.

Has to just take singles and punish the bad balls.

[James]

A good player, potentially very good. He does need to learn how to rotate the strike, but the same can be said for his numerous partners at the crease, none of whom set a good example when it comes to picking the gaps and putting a price on their wicket. Definitely worth persisting with.

[Sledger]

Looking more fluent now, needs to go on.

[ahsan88]

I'm a fan

[hashbb]

almost got out there

[Sledger]

It was a superb ball, fast bowling at its best. Would have troubled many, he's looked impressive in this innings thus far.

[ahsan88]

Originally Posted by hashbb almost got out there

Brilliant delivery by Steyn

[*sallu*]

injured

[GOAT]

Good innings today, he's been scoring well since Umars dismissal. Hopefully the thumb injury is minor and he can come out and bat tomorrow and the second test .

Anyone else think its about time for his maiden century ;)

[Zamee]

He is definiatly a hardworker for sure!!