Woolmer has already said on his website that Malik will continue as an opener. If you need another reminder why Yasir Hameed isn't in the team then just take a look at is innings in the 5th ODI. He was totally clueless for the first half hour and could hardly put bat to ball. It was painstaking and if he didn't get out to his customary fishing (although he tried his best), he threw it away after his 50.
Akmal is fine for opening on ODI's on flat wickets, but with the new ball seaming around I wouldn't back him as a test opener.
Razzaq will find it hard to maintain his place, considering his apalling bowling performances. If you want to stick to all rounders, why can't Arafat take his place?
Good team, but does anyone else worry at the length of that tail? Rana can bat but throws his wicket away and Afridi has always been hit and miss. Not too many test teams around with such a weak lower order.
I feel sorry for Asim Kamal. He is the only batsman among the current lot who has a true test match temperament. It is so unfortunate that the margin of error was really very little in his case unlike for other players like sami. He has performed really well against India with an average of 50+ and will be a strong contender to comeback if PCB wants to consider him. I really would like to see player like asim kamal in our side who can hold one end. But I guess you can’t have every thing you want. In a way it’s a nice feeling that we have such a healthy competition going on among the players to compete for the test spot.
You have to have afridi in the squad. No question about that. And when he is there you will find this combination of 5 specialist batsman, afridi, akmal, 3 pacers and kaneria. Remember we had the similar combination for the 2nd test at Faisalabad.
I am pretty sure that these two guys well comeback with a bang; Shoaib Malik and Asim Kamal
IMO team for the first test match
1) Shoaib Malik
2) Shahid Afridi ( I know Butt has done well but we need some Shock & Awe)
3) Younis Khan
4) Mohd Yousef
5) Inzimam ul Haq
6) Asim Kamal
7) Kamran Akmal
8) Rana Naveed
9) Shoaib Akther
10)M. Sami
11) Danish Kaneria
That's a good team Game...Two comments
1) Afridi should be in the team just cuz Indians are scared of him...not for his bowling though. Indian batsmen are a lot better than English wussies, and Afridi, with his offspin, legspin and bouncer, is not even a bowler :-)
2) Younis Khan, well, he is an under-achiever. He needs to prove himself to secure a spot in the team or it would be unfair with Yasir/Shoaib. He is a better captain but that doesn't mean he should be in the team... Inzi should learn from him instead.
bhaijan when was the last time you saw afridi bowling?
He has taken 18 wickets in the last 5 test matches with an average of 22. You can match these figures to any main strike bowler.
He has scored over 450 runs in the last 5 test matches with an average of 45+ with 3 fifties and a century.
And you are saying that he should be there just because Indians are scared of him
Remember how he bowled in the last test against India at Bangalore. I still remember how beautifully he trapped tendulkar after frustrating him for almost 45 minutes. And what about his ball to gangu? Believe me but its one of my all time favourite dismissal (well partly due to gangu’s reaction).
His useful contribution lately in the middle order and than his variety in the bowling has made him an assest to Pakistan test and ODI side. I hope he continues to excel.
Wait for the 3 day match,if Bazid and Umar gul perform well it will make selection for the test team interesting, I do agree that afridi should be in the team as he can win the game with batting or bowling
Afridi should be in the test side for his ; 1- Bowling, 2 - Match fitness, 3 - Batting, 4 - Indians hate him (I guess) and I’m sure he will be in the Test Squad as Razzak is out for at least the 1st rubber.
Lekin ! There is no player like Kamran Akmal for numero uno spot’to ! :k:
Fayz bhai, bechara Younis Khan aap ki khaatir ab triple century to nahi bana sakta na! Poor guy scored consistently in 2005, but didn’t shine against England. However, I do agree than no player should take his spot in the team as granted. About my team being weak in the tail, never underestimate the ability of Rana Rambo; I have full faith in him to hang around and score a few runs. In addition, India’s batting line-up demands a strong Pakistani bowling line-up, and thus we will have to make a sacrifice on the batting side. Razzaq’s test record is horrible and has been since he has been playing test cricket, so he should not be included. Afridi has been extremely consistent in both versions of the game, plus his body language never gives any signs of submission to the opposition, while Razzaq Mian just trundles around when the chips are down. I agree that he is integral to our one day side (Even there, he needs a kick up the backside for his ever declining bowling performances), but he meets no criteria to be in the Pakistan test side based on the pool of players available.
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