Where Pakistan stands after Two-Day International debacle?

See, it is not that Pakistan always suffers like that. It was a special day for the worst reason which is losing to your bitter rivals India by the heaviest margin in terms of runs between them. And it is better that this team got to show a mirror a ground reality before the World Cup.

 

All those talks about Pakistan being number one should be put on hold after what happened today. Babar Azam, the captain, made the first mistake, which is why the toss and the captain’s decision matter. This pitch was nowhere promising for bowling and he chose to bowl first.

 

Had Babar chosen to bat, I have full confidence that the same top 3 batsmen (Imam, Fakhar, and Babar) would have made Pakistan hit 300+. What Indian bowlers did in reply to our batting, imagine the wrath our pace trio of Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris would have brought.

 

The next mistake was by our own bowlers. They were neither clever nor bowled on length like they did in the group game. The team went delusional that Shaheen would have just another killer spell and game set. In fact, our fast bowlers bowled plenty of short pitches as compared to Indian bowling who focused to bowl fuller lengths. 

 

The third mistake that I consider is a SIN and needs to be avoided at any cost is the lack of F***ING INTENT. Observe, Rohit and Shubman went for a kill from the start followed by Kohli and Rahul who actually made a comeback.

In reply, what was our intent? The openers started exactly how they have been starting for some time, SLOW! Chasing 357, Fakhar and Babar faced 10 balls each to score their first runs. Yes, every single Indian bowler was on target but where was our aggression? The body language was missing. The wickets began to tumble and no one tried to smack anyone. Pakistan hit only 8 fours throughout the inning whereas Shubman alone hit 10 fours in the first 18 overs.

 

The fourth mistake, in fact, is not a mistake but a problem that we are unfortunately handicapped with, shockingly our SPIN DEPT! I don’t remember when Pakistan ever ran out of spinning threats like now. It is horrendous that our spin attack is Shadab–Iftikhar–Nawaz–Agha and none of them can contribute at least 2 wickets regularly. We somehow need to finish max 15 overs from them and this is where the opponent will lose their shoulders and hit us at a run-rate between 7 and 8, and cover the inning runs.

And Shadab is our leading spinner, in fact an all-rounder whose stats are not really helping as a strong case for the position. After 63 ODIs, Shadab has taken only 82 wickets at 32.53 and has scored only 731 runs from 38 innings. 

 

Another disappointing case of a player that I have been of concern for a while is Mohammad Rizwan. No offense, I know he is a senior player and has done a lot for us but in T20Is. I refuse to accept that he is our no.4 batsman. His keeping has been average and is responsible for wasting like half of DRS, but the runs that he is scoring, HE either move to lower-order or start opening and play like he does in the shorter format.

 

Now what? Well I am not in favor of shuffling the squad when the World Cup is happening in a few weeks unless somehow sadly gets injured. But the XI can be changed for good.

 

I am running out of patience on Fakhar. I mean seriously Fakhar-Imam is the most dynamic pairing STATS-WISE but is not the case anymore. That is Rohit-Gill now. Fakhar’s early dismissal is putting pressure on Imam and this needs to stop.

 

Two other batsmen that have not been tried and we have ran out of time on them are Haris and Saud Shakeel. Babar could have played them against Afghanistan in 3 ODIs.

 

So in my opinion, this is how I feel the XI should be from now on:

01. Imam

02. Rizwan

03. Babar

04. Iftikhar

05. Saud/Haris

06. Agha

07. Shadab

08. Faheem/Mir (depening on pitch)

09. Shaheen

10. Rauf

11. Naseem

A pace trio of Shaheen, Naseem, and Rauf, and a spin duo Shadab and Agha, with either a fast-bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf or a spinner Usama Mir our 6th option depending on the pitch, plus 1 part-time in Iftikhar. We have 7 bowling options. And two keeping options in Rizwan and Haris plus both can switch their batting positions if demands. One of Saud or Haris must compulsorily play in the XI to boost their batting. Iftikhar at 4 is a MUST. If he stays at least 10 overs, he can manage to build the inning.

I will say this again, one bad day doesn’t mean we are a bad team. The team has to learn from the mistakes instead of repeating it again. I wish my team good luck for the upcoming matches.

Stamp the Strategy…

Respected Captain, Coach and entire PCB Management,

I don’t need to introduce myself because your whole team is too busy in taking selfies and escaping/surviving from the Oceanian ghosts traveling with you in your buses, hotel rooms and bouncy pitches. Although your squad is mentally, physically and morally prepared since the day you stepped in the pacific continent to play on green, fast and bouncy pitches after all your preparations on U.A.E’s very sporting tracks; still I believe there is need of consultancy in strategy making after watching your two highly competitive and thrilling games against India and West Indies.

I have found your whole team in bizarre conundrum and dozen of errors in the most simplest common-senses in team selections, fielding and catching, target-chasing, and running between the wickets prove there is an urgent need of medical team full of neurosurgeons and psychiatrists (and they should be more in numbers as compared to your officials).

After painfully reading my first two paragraphs of paranormal compliments and regards, allow me to present you your 3 most basic comedy of errors you are producing in your vulgar cricketing presentation in this CWC:

1. Mental Weakness over Toss

Captain is not fully prepared to understand the condition of target-chasing nemesis. He should carefully read the stats of his team’s past performances on oceanic cricket grounds. He should realize that Pakistan has never chased 280+ target ever neither in New Zealand nor in Australia under any captain in ODI history. If losing the toss is your fate, then accept the counterpart’s decision. If you win the toss, go for batting and boost the morale unless the pitch has too much grass and moisture.

2. Avoid Experiments/Know your Combination

After strange squad selection and twice dropping the easiest chance of picking your main weapon Saeed Ajmal in place of the injured, you have to squeeze the 11 players from your 15 to create a formation and build a necessary winning combo. Time of experiments is finished just like preparation for exams before handling the question paper to the student.

The captain/coach has to admit on reducing the risk of reliability over two factors:

• a. Younis Khan‘s bat which is not blazing in ODI for a long long time. He averages only 21 in ODIs in last three years. That is not only enough, the worst of his is absolutely ignored by the selectors. He averages 17 and 16.87 in ODIs in Australia and New Zealand respectively in aggregate of 19 ODIs with one knock of 50, no banging of SIX and overall strike rate of almost 60.
• b. Haris Sohail’s bowling which is presented in the recent ODIs as fourth or fifth choice bowler. By average, he is bowling 7 overs every ODI which is too much to ask for, for a part-timer who has hardly bowled only 11 overs in his entire first-class career so far.

3. Daydreaming ’92 Glory

This has become the most embarrassing situation when the team indirectly is daydreaming more than being self-confident of rewriting the history in world cup record books. Comparing Pakistan’s initial troubles with the ’92 one is not playing a stress-relief game but inviting ghosts for a combat. You have to take the inspiration from ’92 glory and plan harder to avoid further hiccups.

WHAT SHOULD BE THE STRATEGY NOW!!!!!

Either bat first or second, no matter which team you play against, Pakistan’s XI for the remaining matches should be like this:

01.Ahmad Shahzad
02.Sarfraz Ahmad
03.Umar Akmal
04.Misbah ul Haq
05.Haris Sohail (part-timer)
06.Sohaib Maqsood (part-timer)
07.Shahid Afridi (3rd change)
08.Wahab Riaz (1st change)
09.Yasir Shah (2nd change)
10.Sohail Khan (open)
11.Mohammad Irfan (open)

 

(((Batting Strategy)))

#1. Bat first? Top 4 should should should bat at min 4.50 till 30th

#2. No matter you bat first or second, if you have plenty of wickets in hand only in death overs, promote only Shahid Afridi.

#3. Chasing target max 250? Apply #1 at min 4.00

#4. Chasing target 250-300? Apply #1 at min 5.00

#5. PP3 – min 30/0 (don’t lose more than a wicket)

#6. Reduce number of dots and regularly rotate the strike

(((Bowling Strategy)))

#1. Opening spell – Irfan/Sohail 5 overs each

#2. PP3 – Irfan/Yasir/Lala

#3. Death Overs – Irfan/Wahab 3 overs each (45-50)

#4. Part-timers are partnership breakers, avoid using them when new batsman come to the crease.

(((Fielding Strategy)))

#1. Bring at least 1 slip compulsory for Fast bowler in any phase of inning (remember, the batsman will edge anytime).

#2. Bring at least short-leg for Spin bowler (some turns or rising deliveries are short-leg cookies).

#3. Every fielder should field at specific field position where his feet suits e.g. don’t send your finest slip fielder Younis Khan to the boundary rope.

#4. Very important, avoid dropping catches.

After sugar-free tutorial, I recommend to take a deep study of what I wrote above.

If you still fail then join ISIS, Gulabi Gang, FEMEN or Suicide Squad.

If you win, then just thank me.

Wish Pakistan best of luck.

Regards,
DayDreamer

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