It's the same old conundrum as usual! Brining in half-baked players in such an important series to lose 3 back-to-back tests for the first time since 1959.
1. Imam is not a test batsman by any stretch of the imagination! Rawalpindi games don't merit any warrant in determining your opening batsmen - he is a walking wicket on against a moving ball
2. Mohammad Ali - what's the point of bringing in a debutant to make him a bowling machine!! No X-factor for these mediocre pitches. If you're going to bring him in why not bring back Mohammad Abbas!
3. Rizwan is tired and hasn't stopped playing cricket for 2.5 years nonstop! Give him a rest - let him rediscover his form! Why are you carrying around Sarfaraz if you're not gonna give him a game
4. Zahid Mahmood is 34/35 ish and has a domestic FC average of 35 odd!! Why has he all of sudden been included in the Test lineup when you have Zafar Gohar (played in the UK and has experience bowling to these guys) not even been considered.
5. The tactics are so passive it's a joke! you know the approach that England are going to take - they have told you!!! Literally told you! How can you not plan or be proactive and take the batting to them! How can you let them just dominate in every innings and not do anything different.
The same boring rubbish is literally a joke to watch again and again!! This was not only our best chance a WTC final - but you also waste the pitches and don't even plan to make a game out of these.
While I agree to all other points, I do think Imam has the patience that Pakistan team requires at the moment. That said, whatever happened to Shan Masood? Wasn't he supposed to be a resilient opener that can bat in top#3 which would let Babar bat #4 and play a tad bit freely? Haris Sohail looked okay too back when he was give chances and there is always a certain Fawad Alam for the middle order.
I second that Rizwan needs to have a breather. The guy has been a workhorse and the workload seems to have caught up on him of late. I reckon Sarfaraz can be given a chance for Tests and Mohammad Harris can be the stop-gap solution for the limited overs.
Rizwan, if 100% fit should be playing the lower middle order. Its physically too demanding to keep wickets for long hours and follow it up by opening the batting. If at all, they want to try an opener, why not mix it up and try Nawaz? He is such a utility cricketer that Pakistan have got. They can ask him to go out and start smashing it while Shafique guards at the other end. Agha needs to go. He isn't a Test quality player just as yet. His mindlessness to expose tailenders to English pacers was enough to show that he lacks game sense.
I like the following lineup as far as the batting is concerned.
Imam
Shafique
Shan Masood
Babar
Saud Shakeel
Rizwan/Sarfaraz
Nawaz/Faheem (depending on the pitch)
Naseem, Rauf, Shaheen and Abrar to round off the bowling if and when all are fit. I don't posses much knowledge about budding Pakistan bowlers so cannot put my two cents in this department.
