first of all - i think australia has a better batting lineup than india in both forms of the game...
I disagree, Aus have a better allround team, but India undoubtedly has the strongest batting lineup int the world - come on - when 5 of your top 6 average over 50 - not even Aus have that.
anyways
saqlain bowled for 1 innings of a test after a long layoff, against a guy who ultimately made 309, and another who had racked up almost 500 runs without being dismissed in the year...
surely u cant dismiss him based on that...
his variety and guile in ODI's was sorely missed - shoaib mailk is as good as sehwag as a bowler, and only made runs in a losing cause...
yeah, I agree, but recently Saqlain in the games he played (e.g. vs SA b4 the WC 2003, he conceded 200 runs also, (Smith and Gibbs put on the first of their 300 run partnerships) but for a world class bowler you expect better. Besides Malik is younger and can develop. Malik is a good hitter and lost his form in the ODI series, but in NZ he bowled v. well on pitches that effectively helped pace bowlers.
main reason i included moin in odis and kamran in tests is because in the difference in batting and wicket keeping
kamran is younger, more agile - therefor he will be a better keeper in tests...
since u guys are lacking one quality batsman in odis, i think what moin and razzaq can provide with the bat is very important...
yeah, I guess that makes sense, Razzaq in the ODIs not in the Tests I think.
i seriousl dont know how taufeeq made those runs against aus and sa... every time ive see him bat, he looks completely ill at ease - he moves around like most west indian batsmen, and cant strike the ball nearly as cleanly...
I mean yeah, he probably hasn't been at his best recently, but the record is there for everyone to see. In SA, where he made 135, the team were bowled out for 200 odd, which shows it was a pitch suiting pace bowlers, (Pollock took 5 i think) and yet he made a hundred.
havent seen imran nazir in a while now - but after 6 consecutive failures in the tests, u have to give a quality guy like imran a try...
You know, I can't stand Pakistani selectors, they should get someone half decent like Zaheer Abbas/Imran Khan etc quality players and tacticians rather than idiots like Aamir Sohail and deadbrains like Bari.
havent seen faisal, hafeez or misbah ulhaq play...
dunno if theyll be good for the ODI game...
Hafeez played as an opener allrounder, which was disastrous because he was a makeshift opener, and not a specialist one. He bowls offbreaks, and can bat pretty well, just not as an opener. He's 24, so he's got his career ahead of his. Misbah average 50 in first class, but has only played a couple of ODIs / Tests, Faisal Iqbal will be criticised every time he is picked because he's Miandad's nephew.
younis khan cant hit, but he can play the role that kaif plays for india now - and with big hitters like razzaq inzy and moin around him - he could still be useful in the ODIs...
I still believe Misbah, Faisal or Hafeez instead of Younis Khan who keeps getting bowled by spinners which is a concern for a specialist experienced batsman, and the way he ran out Inzamam in the 5th ODI against SA was totally infuriating, I mean I was angry at Hameed running out Inzi at Multan, considering Hameed is still a new kid on the block, but Younis Khan was the second most experienced in the side after Inzi, knows Inzi better than anyone in the side, and yet calls him for a suicidial single, knowing its Inzi at the other end, with a hamstring injury.
as for shabbir - its still early in his career - how can u write him off because of his current average in the odis.. isnt samis average almost 50 in tests?? dont tell me u dont want him playing ur tests either???
I think Gul is better bowler for the ODIs, Shabbir for the TEsts.
i feel imran farhat is ur best young prospect (hameed has only one good shot, imo and he is already 26 or older)...
the biggest mistake u guys made was dropping farhat and bringing in afridi after the first odi
...
Farhat is good, and the opening partnerships with Taufeeq in the Tests, and Hameed in the ODIs is really working well. Hameed still a new kid on the block, needs to work on tightening his game, he chases everything wide outside offstump even if it isn't short. Hameed is 25.
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