I personally would go with Imran Farhat and Imran Nazir as openers just on the basis of raw talent. They can develop into a very lethal opening pair. And it would be good to have a left hand/right hand combination. Sure both of them specially Imran Nazir has some technical flaws but they should be able to overcome them in a matter of time.
In the mean time I think its premature to assume that Yasir Yameed is the answer to the #3 slot. The guy has shown brilliance so far in this test and scored his runs with ease but he'll need to score on a regualr basis and we'll have to wait and see if he does that or not.
I think Inzimam should be booted out, not because of his faliure but because I highly doubt he will be a force by the time the 2007 world comes and since that was the reason we booted out Akram, Saeed & Waqar same should be done to Inzi and find a reasonable middle order batsman so by the time the next world cup come we should be in good shape.
We also need to start playing the reserve wicket keeper in more matches. Since Rashid wont be around for long time its necessary that the keeper tours the senior team and gets to know that he will be keeping behind the stumps on bouncy Australian pitces with Shoaib and Sami firing their thunderbolts. It seems Kamran Akmal is the replacement but I dont think Kamran is that good a batsman. We need someone like Alec Stewert or Gilchrist or somelike that so they can also come in whenever we have a middle order collapse, which happens all too often.
It seems Shabir Ahmad is bowling well, hopefully he would continue that agaisnt tougher oppositions too as Shoaib is way to unpredictable, Sami is still not a match winning strike bowler. Sami is a very good bowler and is develpoing into a lethal fast bowler but right now he is not as lethal as Shoaib is, whenever he puts his head into his bowling. We really need another strike bowler, Razzaq was good at one point but he seems very rusty now. Saqlain would be a good inclusion. He is an attacking off spinner with a great strike rate.
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*Originally posted by LahoriMunda: *
I personally would go with Imran Farhat and Imran Nazir as openers just on the basis of raw talent. They can develop into a very lethal opening pair. And it would be good to have a left hand/right hand combination. Sure both of them specially Imran Nazir has some technical flaws but they should be able to overcome them in a matter of time.
In the mean time I think its premature to assume that Yasir Yameed is the answer to the #3 slot. The guy has shown brilliance so far in this test and scored his runs with ease but he'll need to score on a regualr basis and we'll have to wait and see if he does that or not.
I think Inzimam should be booted out, not because of his faliure but because I highly doubt he will be a force by the time the 2007 world comes and since that was the reason we booted out Akram, Saeed & Waqar same should be done to Inzi and find a reasonable middle order batsman so by the time the next world cup come we should be in good shape.
We also need to start playing the reserve wicket keeper in more matches. Since Rashid wont be around for long time its necessary that the keeper tours the senior team and gets to know that he will be keeping behind the stumps on bouncy Australian pitces with Shoaib and Sami firing their thunderbolts. It seems Kamran Akmal is the replacement but I dont think Kamran is that good a batsman. We need someone like Alec Stewert or Gilchrist or somelike that so they can also come in whenever we have a middle order collapse, which happens all too often.
It seems Shabir Ahmad is bowling well, hopefully he would continue that agaisnt tougher oppositions too as Shoaib is way to unpredictable, Sami is still not a match winning strike bowler. Sami is a very good bowler and is develpoing into a lethal fast bowler but right now he is not as lethal as Shoaib is, whenever he puts his head into his bowling. We really need another strike bowler, Razzaq was good at one point but he seems very rusty now. Saqlain would be a good inclusion. He is an attacking off spinner with a great strike rate.
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Good analysis. I don't know why people are already assuming that Yasir is the answer to the no.3 spot. Yes, he has played well in his debut in tests, but then again, its Bangladesh. Not only that, Yasir has failed to impress in the 5 ODI's he has played with his average being 17 and his highest score being 28. But he has none, maybe little technical flaws. He surely has the talent, but then again, so many others have faded away after starting of so positively...
Good analysis. I don't know why people are already assuming that Yasir is the answer to the no.3 spot. Yes, he has played well in his debut in tests, but then again, its Bangladesh. Not only that, Yasir has failed to impress in the 5 ODI's he has played with his average being 17 and his highest score being 28. But he has none, maybe little technical flaws. He surely has the talent, but then again, so many others have faded away after starting of so positively...
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Agreed Yasir bhai, but if it is only Bangla desh then what happened to the other 10 players. It was only Yasir and to some extent Rashid that came out with flying colours and he is performing very well in the second innings again. Let's encourage him and hopefully by the time the SA series is over we might have discovered our answer to the number 3 spot.
End of over 49 (5 runs) Pakistan 140/1 (77 more runs req)
Mohammad Rafique 16-3-31-0 - Pavilion End
Yasir Hameed 82* (126b 11x4) Mohammad Hafeez 50* (150b 6x4)
Hafeez completes long awaited 50 with four :k:, Yasir on way to scoring his 2nd century, may Allah swt help him complete his century and be part of solution to our problem in batting line.
50.1 Mohammad Rafique to Mohammad Hafeez, OUT: Gone! tosses up on middle
stump, came in with the arm, Hafeez tries to defend it on the
front fot, beaten between bat and pads, ball hit the midlle stump
**Pakistan 144/2, Partnership of 134**
Mohammad Hafeez b Mohammad Rafique 50 (151b 6x4 0x6)
Yasir Hameed 86* (132b 12x4) Mohammad Rafique 16.1-3-31-1
Inzamam-ul-Haq comes in
52.3 Mohammad Rafique to Inzamam-ul-Haq, FOUR, short ball, rocks back and cut it powerfully to deep cover for four
inzi looking good....
atlleast he has reached 6....
yasir on 90....
hope he gets his hundred and becomes only the second player in test cricket to get a hundred in both innings on debut....
wajahatullah wasti got a hundred in each innings in the second match he played, but for some reason he never got my attention (i knew i was right to ignore him :p ), but yasir is promising u know....
56.2 Mohammad Rafique to Yasir Hameed, two runs, 100!tosses up on legs, tucked away to deep square leg and completes his 100 and become
the 2nd man in test history after Lawrence Rowe to complete back to back century in one test, well played
