Offical DISCUSSION thread - Aus v pak (2nd final) @ sydney

[Amjid Javed]

Pakistan 1-0 down to Australia after they failed to captilize on chances given to them in 1st final. No 2nd chances for pakistan here. Plain and simple pakistan have to win to take series to a third final in adelaide. Sadly in last 15 years VB series has only seen a 3rd final once.

hopefully the world greatest all rounder (in BW`S eyes) muhammed hafeez will be dropped... however i doubt it..! pakistan also need to sort out top order and or its game over 2-0 Australia!

place all pre-during-afta match discussion here!

thanks

:-D

[Hash]

Pakistan has been playing with spirit for the last few games. Some poor shot selection and biased umpiring cost Pakistan the first game. Now it is time to forget about that game and go all out to win in Sydney.

I would play Hafeez because as Melbourne showed, we need a sixth bowler. When Khalil got injured who would have bowled if Hafeez wasn't there? We would have ended up chasing 270.

It was nice to see Inzi continue his form....he needs to keep that up leading from the front is what I like to see, Shoaib 'bits and pieces' Malik also found some form....he needs to continue that and Butt is due a big one.

Our bowlers did magnificently yesterday in the face of some disgusting and biased umpiring......they need to keep up the good work.


In short: COME ON PAKISTAN!!!

[Amjid Javed]

Theres no need to have malik @ 6! i remember fans slagging maindad off for having him there... yet BW does it and every1 is licking bobs rear end!

[Officer Barbrady]

Amid, now that Khalil is out there is no way Hafeez will be dropped.

Hash, one cannot plan for injuries as it is but with Azhar coming in we won't have any choice but to play Hafeez as well. I believe batsmen are the key in one day matches and with Hafeez in we are a specialist batter short.

Also, I suggest just one thread for the match instead of having another for scores (since both end up the same thing).

[Amjid Javed]

we dont have to play hafeez, the match we won we didnt play retard hafeez! the games we won we played 5 bowlers! azhar for khalil and hameed or taufeeq for worlds greatest all rounder.

also malik shud bat up higher and akmal down the order!

[Officer Barbrady]

I would like that lineup but do you think fat Azhar can bowl 10 overs? If that has to happen I would play Hafeez over Azhar as a specialist spinner and have Khalil replaced with Taufeeq or Hameed. Afterall, it is Sydney and there should be some turn.

[Hash]

amjid- that game was in Perth where there is no help for spinners at all.

and miandad didn't bat Malik at 6....he had him at 7/8

[Amjid Javed]

games under miandad - 34

4th - 1
5th - 1
6th - 22
7th - 5
8th - 5

funny that almost 2/3rds of games where played @ number 6!

[Officer Barbrady]

I see nothing wrong with playing him at 5 or 6. He did well there in the last game and I won't be surprised if it turns to be the ideal spot for him.

[Amjid Javed]

having malik @ 3 means pakistan now have to seaech for new number 3... i cant see inzi or yoyo putting their names forward!

razzaq 6 afridi 7 was fine b4!

[ZM]

my team:

Salman Butt
Taufeeq Umar
Shoaib Malik
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Yousuf Youhana
Abdul Razzaq
Sahibzaha Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi
Kamran Akmal
Azhar Mahmood Sagar
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan
Rao Iftikhar Anjum

We need Hafeez. Going into the game with 5 bowlers with Mahmood as one of them would be suicide.

[Civil]

If Hafeez plays than he should open wiith Salman or Taufeeq, And Shoaib Malik MUST come in at 3!!!

I dont care if Akmal is not a big hitter he should come below everyone.

I agree. Kamran should come down the order.

But I don't think Bob will tinker with the batting line-up in what is a do-or-die match

[zzzzzz]

Pak have only 12 fit players in the squad now. From the largest (17 players) down to 12. Pak needs to drop Hafeez and u have the rest of the 11. Its important to play each player in the position they will do most damage. To me its 1) Butt 2) Taufeeq 3) Malik 4) Inzi 5) Yohanna 6) Yasir 7) Razzak 8) Azhar/Afridi/Kamran (depending on no of overs left and situation) 9) Azhar/Afridi 10) Rana 11) Rao

[Amjid Javed]

hitman, we need hafeez?

id rather play with 10 players...!

pakistan doesnt need a retard like hafeez!

[Naveed]

Go in with the same squad just switch in Azhar for Khalil. No need to tinker we gave the Aussies a scare and should have won. Actually if Azhar had played the first match we might have won due to his bat despite the poor umpring.

Hafeez bowled very well and was tremendous in the field. An it's not like you can expect Hameed or Taufeeq to get any runs at this point.

[KB]

One problem for Pakistan is that because of the depth in their batting and because the batting is stronger than their bowling, they prefer to chase.

But against sides with strong bowling line-ups - like Australia currently possess - I have always felt it is easier to bat first than to chase under pressure. Even if only defending a small total, exceptional bowling attacks tend to raise their game.

So there is a bit of a dilemma there for Pakistan.

[Fessal]

I am pretty confident and have this great feeling we will win at the SCG. Inshallah.

[Amjid Javed]

pakistan have won both games when they have picked just 5 bowlers and without hafeez in the side!

thats says it all! no retard hafeez inside!

[161]

anyword on the line up for tonight?

if butt,akmal and hafeez open again we are dead!!!

[Fessal]

Akmal did well v windies opening in one game but that was against them. He is not right to open and not good enough to do soa gainst the best teams in the world.

I just hope Hafeez isnt playing.

As for Salman, people are beingt oo harsh on him. Give the bacha a break. He will come good starting with a massive century in the 2nd and 3rd finals (which will happen cause we going to win at the SCG). Salman's fielding will come good too.

[Naveed]

Amjid why do you think that Butt should play instead of Hafeez? Butt has done absolutely nothing with the bat, is a fielding liability and can't really bowl.

[Amjid Javed]

Butt is a class player and has done it b4, hafeez is a joker and has neva produced! id rather taufeeq or hameed play instead of useless hafeez!

SCG is going to offer turn to the slow bowlers, so I expect Hafeez to play.

I think Pakistan will strengthen the batting with the inclusion of Hameed / Taufeeq in place of the injured Khalil.

1. Salman
2. Kamran
3. Hameed
4. Inzy
5. Yohanna
6. Malik
7. Razzaq
8. Afridi
9. Hafeez
10. Rana
11. Rao

Personally, I would have Hameed open the innings with Malik at no.3 with Kamran down the order.

If Kamran is asked to open again he should be given free license to take on Mcgrath and distrupt his line and length. If you let him Mcgrath bowl at you there is only going to be one winner between batsmen and bowler, Mcgrath.

[Amjid Javed]

hafeez in the side and at 9? hes worse player inside... shudnt be allowed to bat!

[Naveed]

Originally Posted by Don Bradman hitman, we need hafeez? id rather play with 10 players...! pakistan doesnt need a retard like hafeez!

Amjad what has Hafeez doen to you for you to call him a "retard"? It's one thing to comment on a players performance, quite another to engage in personal insults.

[Adeel786]

I hope Hafeez open the batting today. He can really stay on the wicket, as long he s not playing his stupid shots. Thats all we need in the beginnin, somone to stay on the wicket for the first 15 overs.

[pakistani pride]

i WOULD PLAY THIS TEAM !

salman
taufeeq
MALIK- he needs to bat at 3 period !
inzi
yoyo
razzaq
afridi
kamran
rana
khalil
hafeez- crap boy needs to play cause i feel we need a spinner ! after this series fly him over to greenland.. !

[Imy]

I would put Butt in a test any time but not in one day even if he scores 50 today it will be worth nothing as he will drop a batsmen . The guys fielding is awful there is no place to hide him in a one dayer .

[pakistani pride]

His fielding is ok dont overreact !

BTW he can bowl some 4 or 5 overs....

[Amjid Javed]

i wish right now ODIS had the 12 a-side rule.

11 bat and 11 field that way hafeez wudnt have to bat!

[Abdul Qadir 236]

will Inzi hide Amjid?
Why not play Taufeeq who can see off new ball and score more runs? and is a good fielder?

[Tan]

Hi guys what time will teh match gonna start? i meant uk time?

[sajjad]

no point for having the discussion thread
we'll win by a hefty margin, lets start talking abt the third final

[Tan]

Saj bro tell me what time they gonna be starting?

[TaZ]

Taufeeq might be a good test slip fielder but he was an awful ODI fielder.... remember the 5th match against India when he was drafted in ahead of Afridi and dropped a couple of sitters including Laxman which allowed him to make a ton (despite averaging about 5 against pak before the game). Taufeeq for TESTS!

[ca_gold]

you know, hafeez isnt a retard. first of all he bowls well, is a really good fielder, and has a solid defence. if he wasnt there the othe day, we would have lost wickets even quicker. your whole one day team cant be a team full of dashers, u need someone who provides a bit of stablity. his scoring shots were actually very nice, and some of his shots that were fours were stopped by brilliant fielding, but thats the luck of the game. and now with khalil injured, we really do need him to bowl. secondly do you really think taufeeq will score now if he is played, its going to be exactly like the india series when they brought him in for hte last one day, he scored 17 and then was dropped for eternity. and hafeez has looked much better at the crease then hameed.

[TaZ]

ca_gold

agree with you. See my post above yours. Taufeeq for TESTS only!!!

[Amjid Javed]

tan, game starts @ 0330am uk time

[Tan]

safe bro u r a don........

[ca_gold]

yeaah i saw that after i posted mine, new to this site, cant believe the amount of hate for hafeez, is there really any other options out there? i think if he is given a decent run in the side, he'll be an allright player. and he does try hard, think about the pressure hes under.

saj, i think ure hte moderator, wanted to ask you, i get a runtime error on this site, then it says if i want to debug, clicking yes doesnt solve the problem, and clicking no, i have to click like a zillion times before i get here, anything i can do

[TaZ]

Hafeez is ok... a good bet for a bowler who can bit a bit a la Malik when he first started. He should be cover for Malik. With Malik not being able to bowl the whole team balance is disrupted and thats why Hafeez is in. When he first played against Eng a year or 2 ago he was a great Afridi-style partnership breaker. Never forget him bowling Solanki after him and Tresco had got off to a flyer against Pak....

[Gasherbrum]

ca_gold -- welcome to PP, don't worry, you'll get used to the hate that stems only from some quarters and soon realize most prefer not to reply to such crap ... anyway, hope the players aren't too dejected after the last game. its a bit harsh on hameed but i think pak will prob just go in with azhar to replace khalil.

[the true passionist]

well although Pakistan is playing well i must say the team management should put some thought while doing the basics....

The batting order has nowhere!!
I believe that Akmal is a good player and might be handy opening the batting BUT clearly the stretagy is not to start playing shots. It is to save wickets..then why shouldn't we play Taufeeq who is known as test-player and give him the job of playing out 12-15 overs forgetting about his strike rate....Because i have the feeling that Akmal is a natural stroke maker...if he will try to defend he will end up playing half shots...i am pretty sure the ball he got out on Melbourne was going for six if Akmal had one mind...His was require to defend but naturaly he is a stroke maker..this induced a false shot....

Then Hafeez might be handy while bowling in SCG but certainly he cant play the fast bowlers well why not put him down at six and bring Malik on top...

[the true passionist]

well one thing i would add....
todays match will display how much courage our team and team management has?

1)Can we play Hafeez as our fifth bowler and bring in Taufeeq for Khalil
2)Or we will bring Azhar in ...he will also add to the batting strenght
3)will we chase after winning the toss or let the last match haunt us...i must say pakistan chance only lies with a chase...

I think chasing 275 would be easier that defending 300 although the Aussies have not shown great batting for the last 2-3 matches

[Officer Barbrady]

Originally Posted by waheed SCG is going to offer turn to the slow bowlers, so I expect Hafeez to play. I think Pakistan will strengthen the batting with the inclusion of Hameed / Taufeeq in place of the injured Khalil. 1. Salman 2. Kamran 3. Hameed 4. Inzy 5. Yohanna 6. Malik 7. Razzaq 8. Afridi 9. Hafeez 10. Rana 11. Rao Personally, I would have Hameed open the innings with Malik at no.3 with Kamran down the order. If Kamran is asked to open again he should be given free license to take on Mcgrath and distrupt his line and length. If you let him Mcgrath bowl at you there is only going to be one winner between batsmen and bowler, Mcgrath.

I am afraid they are more likely to play Azhar in place of Khalil.

[Civil]

according mrmiz it seems azhar is in place of khalil

and taufeeq in for salman

[Naveed]

Taufeeq in for Butt, Azhar for Khalil

[kasoo10]

I am not sure if it is a good idea to drop Salman Butt. May be it is too early to get rid of him.

[sajjad]

any news on the toss yet
5 minutes to start

[sajjad]

dammit
australia won the toss
and they are batting

[w4s1m786]

i dont think it is him being dropped more like him taking a rest and have a look at his game where he needs to improve more than anything he will be back for the indian series

[sajjad]

our mole was right
Khalil, Butt OUT
Azhar, Taufeeq IN

also
Symonds OUT
Hogg IN

[Naveed]

Need to restrict to 250 or less

[Naveed]

Wonder who the umpires are.

[sajjad]

Originally Posted by Naveed Wonder who the umpires are.

haha, that actually may be the most important factor of the day again

[kashmiri]

how important was batting first?

[sajjad]

dont know yet
no news on the pitch yet

cant wait for the video to start

[sajjad]

dry hard wkt, good toss to win
250+ a good possibility

says the 720 commentators

[sajjad]

first ball swung a bit

[sajjad]

second ball half volley
smashed away down the ground for four

[kashmiri]

what do you mean by video to start?
you guys have streaming video on this site?

[feather]

another 4

[sajjad]

third ball
4 thru point

[Civil]

first two balls are 4's

[sajjad]

now a no ball,
aus off to a flier

slips going away now

[kashmiri]

you mean the 2nd and 3rd

[feather]

and another 4

[sajjad]

In the air and another 4
bowling wide

aus 13/0 in 0.4 overs

[kashmiri]

is there video available on this isite
another 4

[feather]

lbw very tight...was out...inzi mad .

[Civil]

THAT WAS OUT!!!

[sajjad]

a lbw appeal
given not out

looked out

[sajjad]

hawkeye shows it
it was plumb
hitting middle, not even half way up

[Naveed]

Here we go again with the biased umpiring

[feather]

everyone saying it was out...*** is wrong with these ppl!!

[kashmiri]

0.5 Naved-ul-Hasan to Gilchrist, no run, goes back to force to the on
side, hit on the pad, looked very close, plumb in fact, what was
Rudi doing there, dear me a shocking not out there!!!!

[razzler]

That was plumb. Even the commentators are saying it.

[sajjad]

Rudi is at it already
lets see how many more in the coming overs