Dhobi Ghaat Version I - Question & Answer Session with Ehsan, Saby and Faisal

[the_game]

Re: Dhobi Ghaat Version I - Question & Answer Session with Ehsan, Saby and Faisal

@Man with a Plan

I don’t know about Test but in One days, Faisal Iqbal should repalce Mohammad Yousuf. M. Yousuf is not himself lately, the guy that we use to know during '99 WC and after has lost his touch. He has become a liablity with his running between the wickets. Faisal should get more chances.

I really like your line-up Dhobi bhai. Although Afridi is best suited as an opener. Inzamam can play but if we loose his wicket, we are done, second down is great position for Inzi.

I am really looking forward to this series against England. It will be very important especially for Sami and Salman Butt. If they find their form, we will run through the series. I believe they will…

Oye, tumhara dimaagh theek hai? England mein, you are replacing Yousuf with Iqbal? Khotay :o .

[fkhan2]

Re: Dhobi Ghaat Version I - Question & Answer Session with Ehsan, Saby and Faisal

@dhobi_bhai

Glad to read the comments, everyone. :)

---

My final selection of the team for this tour (in order):

Salman Butt Inzamam-ul-Haq Younis Khan Mohammad Yousuf Kamran Akmal Shahid Afridi Abdul Razzaq Rana Naveed Mohammad Sami Mohammad Asif Danish Kaneria

Left-out: Shoaib Malik, Shahid Nazir, Umar Gul, Faisal Iqbal, Imran Farhat

---

After several failures of different opening combinations, I have always hoped that selectors would try something different i.e. bring someone from middle order up the order. Have seen alot of good players switching their positions. From India Ganguly Tendi, Laxman Dravid are middle order batsmen but have tried opening slot, so why can't we try the same.

I would like the lineup to look slightly different from you Dhobi Bhai

Salman Butt should accompany Younis Khan. As I have mentioned earlier this combination will allow Pakistan to put one extra batsman or all rounder in the middle. Not comfortable sending Inzi as an opener.

Also not sure about Kamran Akmal, Afridi and Razzak coming in after top 4. The middle and later order look slightly fragile. Faisal Iqbal coulld be a batsmen replacing Razzak or Afridi.

[Zero_one]

Re: Dhobi Ghaat Version I - Question & Answer Session with Ehsan, Saby and Faisal

Why all the trouble with Opening … we all know how long it takes our No. 3 and 4 til they head for the middle in slightly seaming/swinging conditions

So i think all they (PCB, Team Managment) need is find a guy who don’t know how to angle his bat and only knows to play with a straight bat + at which ball to play … yes i know at the moment there is no such player in domestic circut or is there such a unknown entity ???

I would support Farty here … but then for this u need someone like King Khan and not Inzi who BTW should know it better than anyone else how and where he started once

[dhobi_bhai]

Re: Dhobi Ghaat Version I - Question & Answer Session with Ehsan, Saby and Faisal

@fartguru

Dhobi sahib, M Yusuf does not qualify as class, yes a good batsman but not the same class as Inzi/Javed/Zaheer/Lara players u cannot ignore. Therefore, with due respect I do not agree with your thesis. This one-way street thinking is all pervasive in our team management and is the main reason why Pakistan has failed to find regular openers and continues to support chuckers like Shabbir instead of giving chance to other players.

When Imran Khan took a unknown quantity to World-Cup Australia in 1992, there was a plenty of criticism, that did not deter the great Khan who made a promise to the young man he will play all the matches. That young lad did play for Pakistan, did very poorly in the warm up matches but still played all the regular games and was instrumental in Pak victory. Ofcourse, that young lad was Inzimam-ul Haq. If Khan had remained 'level-headed' and played the one-way game, Inzi wud hv never gone to Australia and Pakistan wud hv lost to New Zealand.:)

Expressed your thoughts very nicely, Guru Sahab. :)

@Man with a Plan

I am really looking forward to this series against England. It will be very important especially for Sami and Salman Butt. If they find their form, we will run through the series. I believe they will....

That is what we all are hoping from these two as well. Thinking on the bright side, at least.

@Man with a Plan

Inzamam can play but if we loose his wicket, we are done, second down is great position for Inzi.

@fkhan2

After several failures of different opening combinations, I have always hoped that selectors would try something different i.e. bring someone from middle order up the order. Have seen alot of good players switching their positions. From India Ganguly Tendi, Laxman Dravid are middle order batsmen but have tried opening slot, so why can't we try the same.

I would like the lineup to look slightly different from you Dhobi Bhai

Salman Butt should accompany Younis Khan. As I have mentioned earlier this combination will allow Pakistan to put one extra batsman or all rounder in the middle. Not comfortable sending Inzi as an opener.

Also not sure about Kamran Akmal, Afridi and Razzak coming in after top 4. The middle and later order look slightly fragile. Faisal Iqbal coulld be a batsmen replacing Razzak or Afridi.

I certainly agree with (both of) your positions as well. However, to me, Younis Khan doesn't seem all that "opening" material. The only reason I selected Inzamam in that slot is because, well, his first-hand experience during the early part of his career in that position, and secondly and most important, his natural ability to play late. Younis Khan is best suited, at least from where I see him as, at a one-down position, where his ability to rotate the strike constantly and take singles and doubles at his convenience is more than enough to grant him this slot. Speaking of rotating the strike, Inzamam can easily manage to accomplish both (singles + scoring boundaries) at a fast and lively pace, hence taking full advantage of the early Power-Plays.

Although, yes, one could go either route with Younis or Inzamam (I also fully agree on the comments written with Man with a Plan Bhai above, in relation to the possibility of weakness in our middle order if we lose Inzamam early).

On the subject of selecting Faisal Iqbal, I did think about it long and hard, picked up my pencil and had his name placed in the middle right after Mohammad Yousuf, but then that would make it twelve players, which is impossible. Afridi and Razzaq both hold an unimaginable and respective values in the team which is the main reason why it is hard for either one of them to let go. If Danish ties down the bowling from one end (as most have predicted, given their lack of ability to play spinners), then it would be eventful if we introduce Afridi from the other end (to seal the lid, if you will). Him and Razzaq are both perfect all-rounders for middle/late-order and possess the capabilities of hitting wherever they deem appropriate, and given the concensus, the pitch is likely to support both bowlers quite heavily as well.

Although, yes, I am more than willing to take out Afridi from the two and give Faisal Iqbal a much-needed chance. God knows he has been left out of the team on numerous ocassions for no apparent reason and need all the experience he can get on foreign tours.

Afridi and Razzaq.........bah.