Pakistan Tour of West Indies - March/May 2017

[Perfect Square]

What a bowl that was from Gabriel. Nipped back in and took fifer in no time.

Pakistan Team. You will never change will ya?

 

[Perfect Square]

Okay okay I got it now. I will never ever put hope on West Indies (Most unpredictable team).

 

[Bigby Wolf]

The pitch was difficult to bat on, obviously Pak batters should have shown more intent at the start but having said that West Indies bowled Superbly deliveries to Shafiq and Yasir were absolute beauties and the one to Shehzad was unplayable.From West Indies point of view this a terrific win for them and players like Roston Chase ,Gabriel and Alzarri Joseph were really impressive.

 

[CerealKiller]

Good to see WI putting in some good performances lately. But we need to wait until they play against better teams to talk about a revival.

 

[Velocity]

What happend here? Pkaistan 81 all out? Younis Khan's and Misbah's dismissal was unlucky but that was otherwise a poor batting display and spirited bowling by WI.

 

[Rehan_24]

Windies show great team spirit and eagerness to win. The pitch seemed worst on the 5th day but Pakistan again got nervous in chasing as usual. Poor show by the batsmen. I am amazed at Ahmed Shehzad's poor footwork.... All he has done in the entire series is saving his wicket. He got to play his natural game and should not change his batting style. The credit goes more to Windies bowlers the way they put pressure on Pakistan.

I have no doubt on Asad Shafiq's tech skills but he hasn't been that consistent in test matches as well... Doing one odd 100 or fifty in a three test match series is not worth it... But then again, You don't have any replacement.

If Pakistan losses this series, Misbah's farewell would hurt it a lot as He surely does not want to leave the test side on Number 8th position, the same what he did with the ODI side as a CAPTAIN. Younis Khan needs to click now.. This would be his last match as well... Put your farewells in style....

I also feel that Pakistan is suffering from proper opening pair. Azhar Ali's Spot has been number 3 for ages and now He has become the opener. I hope that in the next series. We will have specialist openers with Azhar Ali at number 3 and Babar Azam at number 4...

 

[zwarrior]

I'll forgive all the murder cases on Shehzad. If he pulls this match.

???

 

[Perfect Square]

???

Didn't you understand or you're just reminding me?

 

[zwarrior]

Didn't you understand or you're just reminding me?

I didn't understand.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Good to see WI putting in some good performances lately. But we need to wait until they play against better teams to talk about a revival.

They are a hopeless lot! Pakistan lost more than WI won. You make 390 after being 150/0? In my opinion, that's a batting disaster. I know of 4 other batting teams in the world that would finish the test match in the 1st innings itself! This is why I keep saying that all those dying for Misbah and Younis to go need to think again! I get that logic in limited overs but in tests you play your best team that day, sans age!

Ahmed Shehzad couldn't make a ton after getting 9 lives! Sorry to say, but other than Azam, Ali and Shafiq I don't see very many player to player ready replacements for Misbah and Younus.

 

[Perfect Square]

I didn't understand.

I meant that I'll forgive Ahmed Shehzad's recent poor batting display(Including slow S/R, Poor shots etc.) if he won the match for Pakistan.

 

[Rehan_24]

Ahemd Shahzed was a established batsman and got out from the team on the basis of Waqar's report on discipline. The guy making a test comeback after an year. He deserves to get support to get his magic back. Atleast he was among the prominent runs getter in the first innings. I believe he needs time to get settle back in.

 

[aditya123]

All the Pakistan bashing would make you think that the WI have no right to win anything. I would repeat something that I said after India beat the WI in WI last year. WI in tests at home have not been as much of a pushover as you would think. If I`m not wrong, NZ, Eng, Pak and SL have all been unable to beat them on their last tours to WI. England have had two 1-1 draws in the Carribean since 2005. Pakistan are yet to beat them in tests in the Carribean. SL and NZ too lost test matches on their previous tours to the WI. Its only India, SA and Australia who have been unbeatable for the WI test side. Also, they did beat Pakistan in the UAE, something most teams have struggled with. For all those on 'Game On Hai' who think that its a foregone conclusion to beat the WI side (just because they are weaker than the sides of the golden era), Pakistan have not beaten them in Carribean since the post Walsh-Ambrose era. Its not something that only the current side has struggled with. Even Inzy and Yousuf-led Pakistan sides which were much stronger did not manage a series win there.

Now, coming to the current WI side, they have shown a lot of discipline in test cricket. India won the tests in the WI 2-0 but the WI bowling were disciplined and did not give it away easily. They could`ve easily won the tests in the UAE 2-1, if Bravo had batted for half an hour more in the D/N test. The WI bowling looks to be in decent hands. Gabriel and Joseph both have the goods. They need one of Roach, Taylor, Cummins to step up and that would make them serious competition in tests. Bishoo is just okay for a test bowler and Chase is decent enough to do a holding job. Coming to the batting, its not too bad either. Most of them seem to have test match temperament and the lower middle order in Chase, Dowrich and Holder is solid. Darren Bravo/Blackwood could find their way into this side as well.

Compare that to the Pakistan side of today and would you still call this an upset? Just because Pakistan has had good pace attacks in the past does'nt automatically make them a better bowling side now. Aamir is not looking the part in tests and Abbas is a honest trier. Wahab is overrated. Pakistan side, supporters and the cricket pundits must finally wake up and smell the coffee. You do not have the same pace attack anymore. For instance, look at how India bowled in the WI on similarly dead pitches. Umesh Yadav, Shami and Bhuvi were all lethal on these very tracks. So the excuse of slow pitches must not hold. The fact of the matter is that sides like India, NZ and even the WI have better pace attacks than Pakistan, at the moment. Yet, the Pakistani cricketing pundits at Game On Hai keep referring back to the 90s and still believe that just because they are Pakistani, they must be better pace bowlers by default. I`m not even getting started on the batting which will also be without the services of their two most prolific test batsmen. Where are the strokeplayers? You cannot just hang in there and expect to win test matches, especially when your bowling is no longer the same. The harsh fact is that Pakistan is only in this series because of Yasir Shah. If not for him, they would be in for a pounding, even at the hands of this WI side.

Before you guys dismiss this as something coming from an India supporter, I`ve watched a lot of Pakistan cricket (close to 20+ years) and the lack of quality has never struck me. The first step towards improving is to acknowledge that you are not good enough. I saw Game on Hai today and the doc was furious that Pakistan lost to a 'nikammi' side and Md.Wasim said that the Pakistan are a far superior side to the WI and only lost because their support staff did not plan enough. However, the fact is that do Pakistan actually have a more talented test side than the WI, at the moment?

 

[Rehan_24]

Pakistan is a pretty well good enough side to beat any test team in the world across anywhere. Fingers crossed for 10th May now I was listening to Aaqib Javed two days back and he was of the view that Pakistan should go with attacking mindset by inducting five bowlers in the lineup, Shafiq can rest up and we can induct Wahab Riaz as well. I kinda liked Aaqib's approach.

 

[CerealKiller]

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