Great positives for Pakistan:
Taufeeq Umar - much better test opener for a left hander then the previously tried damad...and surely can fill the gap of salmon butts if given time.....
Line and length with reasonable pace can keep this somewhat weaker bowling attack still in the running even on placid tracks...
Misbah's presence in the middle order is a BIG stabilizing anchor
Asad is a great middle order find...much better than the flamboyant Umar Akmal
ABDUR REHMAN can be a great tandem team partner to Ajmal for a 2 pronged spin attack even though we are lacking a wrist spinner...
I'm not sold on Taufeeq Umer..he is definitely better than farhat but he still disco dances on the pitch and looks very shaky ..there is a reason why he was dropped at the first place..
I thought not playing Umer akmal was a mistake, he is one of the few batmen who doesn't have any technical flaws and is a match winning player.. if he can control his temperament , he will have great future as a test player as well.
Misbah played an awesome inning even more so than Asad shafiq..He is such a tailor made for a test cricket that it was a treat to watch him...Basically NZ bowlers at one point were attacking shafiq more than Misbah..Also I enjoyed Misbah's captaincy he was rotating his bowlers very wisely and was willing to try out part timers (younis,hafeez)....overall very impressed with the team..they showed patience in the batting..discipline in the bowling and everything worked out well for the team...
Pakistan won convincingly despite having the rough end of the umpiring decisions in this match (or so it seems)....and I have only watched Day 3 H/L
Asad Shafiq got a rough one and there were 3 very good LBW shouts against McIntosh in the 2nd innings
1st, the ball probably pitching outside leg so benefit went to the batsman - fair enough
2nd looked 50-50
3rd looked out Plumb LBW (hit low on back leg right in front of the stumps) and not given by Daryl Harper
I watched 3rd day match without moving from my seat So Pakistan C Team beat Black Caps They were playing like a real team without super stars. I love this team and don’t want old pal back in team. I think only Younis Khan played more then 50 test matches along with Umar with 33 remaining were played less then 30 Test matches. Congrats to all new comers
Asad Shafiq is a nice Test Batsman and don’t waste him in T20 or ODI. Concentrate to make ODI and Test Team separately.
I'm not sold on Taufeeq Umer..he is definitely better than farhat but he still disco dances on the pitch and looks very shaky ..there is a reason why he was dropped at the first place..
I*** thought not playing Umer akmal was a mistake, he is one of the few batmen who doesn't have any technical flaws and is a match winning player..*** if he can control his temperament , he will have great future as a test player as well.
Misbah played an awesome inning even more so than Asad shafiq..He is such a tailor made for a test cricket that it was a treat to watch him...Basically NZ bowlers at one point were attacking shafiq more than Misbah..Also I enjoyed Misbah's captaincy he was rotating his bowlers very wisely and was willing to try out part timers (younis,hafeez)....overall very impressed with the team..they showed patience in the batting..discipline in the bowling and everything worked out well for the team...
I think most will disagree with the view on Umar Akmal's technical abilities. Getting out early and throwing wickets away is part of TECHNIQUE as well. Its not just how you hold the bat( e.g. back lift, limiting gap b/w bat and pad, follow through, closing face of the bat etc), its also presence of mind, not pushing at everything outside off and giving edges, not hooking everything that is chin height, not trying to score big boundaries.
Umar is a good player no doubt. However he needs to be sit out more to understand the reality of TEST cricket and appreciate it.
Taufeeq is the best test opening option available at the moment, despite his weaknesses he should be persisted with for now.
Hafeez on the other hand is not a good choice as a long term opening...perhaps Azhar Ali could be pushed up to open with Taufeeq which would allow either Umar Akmal or Mohammad Yousuf to slot into the middle order down the road.
Despite his past blunders with shot selection, Umar Akmal is the most talented young batsman we have....he should be playing as much as possible...he is a match winner in the making.
Also, Asad Shafiq is progressing quite well which is also good news for Pakistan since the likes of Yousuf and Misbah wont be around for much longer anyway.
So Pakistan C Team beat Black Caps 
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