As we are seeing India struggling in SA..
What do you think are pakistan’s chances in light of our current form and application. Both with or without our Pacers Asif and Shoaib.
Aside from Muhammad Yusuf, we are only seeing small scores from our other batsmen and INZI is showing no improvement in his form.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
well since you are talking about SA include M. Yousef in category of troubled batsmen, and if we take a look at stats (individual player[s]) its not encouraging, However I like the move by PCB/team management that they should go a bit earlier in SA to get the grasp of enviornment, which will be helpful.
Yousef is having a dream run this year, who knows what lies ahead, but seeing how he has matured with time, I think its a good sign, and I am sure Inzi will make up for the quite time too.
bottom line is top 5 have to pick up their tab (2 openers Oh well! and 3 stooges in the middle order)
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
pakistan has a good chance if shoaib and asif are back.otherwise they ll lose badly.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
We need Akhtar, Asif, Asim Kamal and Faisal Iqbal to win against SA.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
I think South Africa is the 2nd best team in the world at the moment. It is really a strong team. SA defeated Pak in ICC and now they are defeating India badly.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
This is what I fear as well.
But I believe a lot of the troubles India is facing is due to the bizarre experimentation being done by Mr. Chappell. InshAllah we should not be in the dilemma that india is in right now.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
Yes SA's current form with both bat and ball does not augur well for us. If they can score 274 from a precarious position of 76-6 against India, they are more than capable of doing the same to us. Infact they recently dealt us a drubbing in CT. It's not just our batting that's a worry. It's unlikely that the bans on Akhtar and Asif will be lifted by the PCB and I am not convinced that our bowling attack (Umar Gul, Shahid Nazir, Samiullah Khan Niazi/Shabbir and Kaneria) is good enough to trouble South African batsmen on their own pitches plus don't forget that the worst fielding side in world cricket will be pitted against arguably the best (some of the catches taken by SA fielders in yesterday's match against India were simply breath taking) fielding side in the world. Also our one-day record against SA - 13 wins to 29 defeats - is quite dismal. Our test record isn't that impressive either (2 wins, 5 defeats and 4 drawn).
Having adequate/world class replacements is the hallmark of a top international side and no team should be allowed to use injuries or bans on key players as an excuse for poor performance. That means that we simply don't have any suitable repacements for key players. Australia did well without McGrath in SA in 2006 and won the WC in 2003 without Warne. I believe the SA series will be an even greater test of our mental strength and character than the Eng series (where Pakistan had done well before 2006).
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
Pakistan will do badly but they will do better than India. Pakistan might win an ODI and draw a test match where as India will lose them all.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
^ correct. Danesh will be of no use in SA. Umer Gul can't win all the matches for us. We need some intelligent pacer to help him. Someone like Asif or Shabbir who can produce bouncers on regular basis. Gul is using it well.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
We need better team selection, especially in the bowling department, we need an attack with Rana, Shabbir, and Gul, along with Kaneria, now that is an attack that will guarantee sum problems for the SA batsman, I dont see Razzaq, Nazir, Gul, and Kaneria posing many problems, but now PCB is sticking with players no matter what before it was shuffle, they need to find a middle ground, if they did Rana, Yasir Arafat would be in the squad.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
^^ I agree with Afridi but like it or not Gul/ Rana is our premier bowlers, as for Shabbir I'd say let the report and the green signal come from ICC, then we can think about him.
we need one more fast bowler in our current bowling squad (Gul, Rana, Nazir, Rao :D) and with the support of all-rounders Razzaq and Arafat (like it or not he is not bad, just need sometime around). As for spin Danish need support and I think Woolmer will do a good job in shaping him up and adapting to Saffies pitches. This is our bowling squad like it or not:
Pace, Medium Pace Battery:
Gul, Rana, Nazir, Rao, Shabbir (Subject to approval) and 1 pace bowler from the pool of those 25/30 players list that was released a month ago.
Spin:
Kaneria, combo of Afridi, Malik and Hafeez.
well how about taking an extra W-keeper just to jog up Akmal, who has been lazy behind the stumps.
As for Asif and Akther, well I say lets forget about them atleast for sometime now or next hearing date.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
Too bad !!
Pakistan is touring S. Africa just before the world cup. Pakistan will lose (though not as badly as India) and will be demoralised before the world cup.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
Thank Lord Almighty. I was thinking of incorporating some of the more colorful nomenclature from my Oxford dictionary on the subject of these two, but the above serves equally well.
I believe the SA series will be an even greater test of our mental strength and character than the Eng series.
Well noted. The fact of the matter is, we all can harp and scream on the collective domestic figures of the likes of Anwar Ali and Abdur Rehman, but when they don't even make the final cut in the first place, it is of no use. They did not make it within the team the last time around as a fresh batch out of the winning World Cup squad, and the trend has never stopped.
Much has been said and written about Razzaq, and I seriously think he needs a break. A short honeymoon will do him wonders. He has the ability to terrorize opponents, but at the present time, he needs to sort himself out. PCB needs to get back on the damn drawing board and get him out of the team, as quickly as possible. I have already said this before. If I was in charge, I would introduce at least one new cap in every match, if not every series, regardless of the outcome. The end-result will not matter, just help them get their feet together in the International scene, get their confidence rising. If someone is not performing to their potential, take that individual out for a match or two. Just give him a break. How much harm will it do? The suggestion is not to kick the person out of the team altogether, just enough for him to crawl back in on the basis of his merit and the quality of aptitude.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
Get Azhar Mahmood. He scored a couple of centuries in his first tour there.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
A bowling attack of Akhtar, Asif, Gul and Kaneria is very capable of getting test wins in South Africa. However, that ain't happening with this doping ban in effect, so our chances aren't too bright.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
Gul & Shahid are in progressive gear and rapidly improving all the time.
Bouncy track can certainly help them more.
Kaneria will not fell short behind. He will be our bowling trump in SA with Malik and Hafeez right at his heels.
Daikh laina !
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
Having adequate/world class replacements is the hallmark of a top international side and no team should be allowed to use injuries or bans on key players as an excuse for poor performance. That means that we simply don't have any suitable repacements for key players. Australia did well without McGrath in SA in 2006 and won the WC in 2003 without Warne. I believe the SA series will be an even greater test of our mental strength and character than the Eng series (where Pakistan had done well before 2006).
Very nicely written and totally agree with your points.
Even if they had Akhtar or Asif in the side I still strongly believe that Pakistan would still struggle to win test match or series in South Africa simply because of their batting.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
Oh I beg to differ! Have you seen this South African batting line-up? They don’t have a Kirsten or a Cronje in their team anymore. Kallis is the only threat because he can play long innings. Gibbs is supremely talented but tends to throw it away. The whole lot are dummies when it comes to playing spin. With a good bowling line-up (i.e. Shoaib, Asif, Gul, Kaneria), the South Africans won’t even dare to make pitches that suit their pace bowlers.
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
One word for you Mister ---:D---> Sami
Re: Pakistan Chances in SA
I think when people talk of SAffies, they have the 434+ runs in their mind now :D