Moin, coaches slammed for team’s poor show in NZ
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LAHORE: Former Test cricketer Mohammad Ilyas has criticised incumbent chairman of national selection committee Moin Khan and coaches for the visitors’ dismal show on the ongoing tour of New Zealand.
As Pakistan lost the two-match ODI series opener against New Zealand by seven wickets in Wellington on Saturday, it made three defeats in the row for Misbah-ul-Haq and company.
Earlier, the visitors had lost two back-to-back practice matches against ‘B’ teams, no good sign for the Pakistan camp ahead of the World Cup starting in two weeks time.
Talking to Dawn, Ilyas reckoned the team’s third consecutive defeat on the New Zealand tour was enough to expose the planning and the strength of the team, which he said had looked lifeless so far.
“Moin has worked as chief selector and team manager for more than a year or so, yet he has completely failed to form match-winning combination while the World Cup is now just 13 days away,” Ilyas regretted.
Pakistan’s bowling attack, Ilyas underlined, looked feeble while fitness problems suffered by several players during the last one year had exposed the fact that no proper planning was done by Pakistan for a huge event like the World Cup.
“There were too many changes to Pakistan’s playing eleven for the two practice matches against second-string New Zealand XIs. Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez playing as openers plus different bowling combinations featuring in these games clearly signify the team management has failed in finalising the team combination before the tour started,” he said.
Ilyas reckoned there were a few anomalies in the team selection, noting young paceman Ehsan Adil, having no exceptional performance to his credit, was named in the World Cup party. “Furthermore, left-arm spinner Raza Hasan should have been picked in place of fast bowler Sohail Khan.”
The way Shehzad, Ilyas observed, lost his wicket was pathetic and the manner Mohammad Irfan -- considered as Pakistan’s main bowler -- delivered in the first ODI, shows the team have no will to enter the World Cup as major contenders.
“Irfan may prove effective on Australian pitches but on New Zealand tracks he would not be that successful,” he underlined.
Published in Dawn February 1st, 2015
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Comments (69) Closed
Feb 01, 2015 11:13am
Mr. Ilyas is the one who kept Fawad Alam out of previous world cup. He should not talk merit.
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Feb 01, 2015 11:14am
What do you expect? The whole world believes Fawad and Babar should play and Sarfraz higher up in the order except for PCB. I prefer seeing Sarfraz as opener where he did well rather then playing musical chairs like the last two years to find Shezad a partner. Regardless PK can only compete with Bang, Nepal, Zimb, Ireland and Afghan. They stand no chance against the others. Without Ajmal bowling is looking toothless and amateur. Like kids bowling to men
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Feb 01, 2015 11:27am
PCB Chairman and Moin Khan should quit immediately for selecting wrong unbalanced team.It is worst team selection in cricket history.
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Feb 01, 2015 11:31am
Better they have selfie instead of playing
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Feb 01, 2015 11:33am
Mr. Ilyas, what if we include Imran Farhat as OPener? Would you still be criticizing the Paki Team? Talking about merit doesn't suit you my dear selector :))))
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Feb 01, 2015 11:35am
Saving the best for the World Cup. They don't want to "surprise" everyone with their abilities.
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Feb 01, 2015 11:41am
Hafeez n Younus have totally disappointed by their performance., being experience players they failed to adjust with fast wickets and then how could we expect from comparatively other players.These two players have failed te be role models for others. Lets hope better in next matches.
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Feb 01, 2015 11:43am
Mr.Allyas is speaking in favour of merit.....Lolz. For him merit is Farhat(son in law). That's it!
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Feb 01, 2015 11:47am
Look who is talking somebody who is regarded as the father of biased and parchi selection in Pakistan - we expect higher standards from dawn than to publish an article based on what M.Ilyas has said.
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Feb 01, 2015 11:49am
We still have time, bring Fawad/Shoaib Mailk instead of Hafeez, Hasan Raza instead of Ehsan/Bhati. This way we will have 6 bowlers in the game, jusr incase one is having an off day other can recover. Have Sarfaraz/Afridi open the innings with Ahmed Shahzad. If we drop Younus Khan along with Hafeez we can have Shoaib/Fawad in the team with an option of having 7 bowlers as I don't think Fast bowlers will be able to produce what they are suppose too
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Feb 01, 2015 12:01pm
The problem is Hafeez and Younus ...
Over the last 10 matches 7 for each has resulted in 12 or less runs.
Pakistan is basically playing with 5 wickets down, 3 in the tail and these two out of form players. Afridi is hit and miss, so 6 wickets down in the worst case.
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Feb 01, 2015 12:03pm
Hafeez tried to avoid NZ fast bowlers by opting out of NZ-Pak ODIs in UAE. Now he is exposed .Wait how true fast bowlers like Steyn shall humiliate this player who thrives under a fake name of Professor; a name given to him by group of players from one particular city, who cover each other weaknesses. If Hafiz was from KPK or Sindh, he would have played less then 25 ODIs
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Feb 01, 2015 12:06pm
Let the World Cup begins and we will see the performance where it matters most. Does Mr.IIyas remember how many practice matches Pakistani Team won at the time of 1992 World Cup? It was good he did not said to replace Sohail Khan with Imran Farhat.
Some of the deliveries of Irfan were unplayable in the first ODI. In Pakistan every retired cricketer thinks he has the best brain. To be a selector one needs to have an eye to spot talent. How many players Mr.IIlyas has given to Pakistan Cricket in last 40 years?
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Feb 01, 2015 01:04pm
We get 4 yrs. to make team for WC and in the last few months we see that no home work is done;sometimes opening pair, sometimes pace bowlers. Cricket lovers are upset over these issues when these managers are being heavily-much more their worth.
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Feb 01, 2015 01:15pm
What do you expect from a team which is not selected on merit
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Feb 01, 2015 01:21pm
PCB should hire non political professional than filling the pockets of their near and dear ones other demise of Pakistan cricket is in sight
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Feb 01, 2015 01:33pm
Once again Hafeez has been exposed against quality fast bowling-critics will rightly say that they had warned PCB about this and yet he continues to be used as an opener. Further,one can not comprehend the selection of Younis Khan in the ODI team, given his pathetic average of the last many years.The only remedy and hope I have is that given Youni's integrity-he would realize that since he can not contribute anymore,he would voluntarily take himself out of the team and instead provide a deserving chance to Fawad Alam.
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Feb 01, 2015 01:39pm
The imbalance is caused by the stupid selection of YK, a terrible player in ODI`S who should not be anywhere near the ODI team. Where are his supporters these days( Basit, Rashid Latif , Jalaluddin etc)
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Feb 01, 2015 02:26pm
If we can still make changes. Don't know if we can.
Umer Gul for Ehsan Adil. Even injured Umer Gul is better then Ehsan Adil
Fawad Alam for Yasir Shah. We don't need 2 leg spinners in the squad. Afridi is more then enough and performing great. Fawad is a good left arm spinner as well.
Azhar Ali for Hafeez. ONLY if Hafeez is not allowed to bowl. Azhar's test experience will come in handy. We need people who can stay at the crease.
Bilawal Bhatti for Shoaib Khan. Bilawal Bhatti is a good batsman And has pace as well. We need to bat down the order. He will be useful.
Umer Akmal is talented we all know that BUT when in the world this guy will start performing. People are getting sick of him. Get Umer Amin in his place. He will atleast value his wicket.
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Feb 01, 2015 02:29pm
By the way look who is talking. Ilyas made his son in law Imran Farhat ( the biggest parchi ever) play for years and spoiled careers of so many yongsters
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Feb 01, 2015 02:58pm
we used to have the best bowling department in the world.
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Feb 01, 2015 03:03pm
I think they should call Imran Nazir in and chuck out one of the openers. On bouncy tracks he could really be dangerous for the bowlers. Why is Ehsan Adil there that I have to agree with. He cannot bowl, I would rather have Mohammad Sami or Anwar Ali in place of him. The Irfan point is very good maybe keep him for the Aus matches, but in NZ you need raw pace. Which is where a Sami or even Wahab Riaz would be good.
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Feb 01, 2015 03:05pm
With Waqar Younis king of yorkers and swing bowling I did not see single yorker bowled by any Pakistani bowler. So boneless bowling attack and batting is no different, they bunch of losers when dont perform.
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Feb 01, 2015 03:11pm
Too may committee members, Chairman old, he not going to live very long. You need young all rounder to run PCB like Miandad or someone younger with a vision. Chairman should get immediate retirement, and go on pension, probably he came out of retirement to begin with. Shame on hopeless and pension and retired people running PCB with some level of dementia.
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Feb 01, 2015 03:12pm
Moin, Waqar Younis, all selectors and coaches must be fired after te WC as this team can not make super eight. Pakistan has to start from the basics after WC.
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Feb 01, 2015 03:34pm
@Mujtaba Shahneel I agree with you, but I suppose he has said nothing wrong in this case. His points are really good.
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Feb 01, 2015 03:42pm
Many people who are writing comments here believe that Fawad Alam is the only hope of Pakistan cricket. This makes me even more disappointed as a cricket fan. There are hundres of players here who are much better in technique and approach. They are also not getting the chance.
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Feb 01, 2015 03:42pm
On paper, our batting looks better than our bowling.
Problem is our batting has been weaker than before.
Let's hope they win a few matches. Would be damn lucky to go to the second round. Let's hope the public doesnt get too emotional about it.
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Feb 01, 2015 04:45pm
@Rogers Evas Maybe keep Waqar, he used to destroy line ups single handedly when he was a player. Put Mohsin Khan as Chairman of PCB and make Miandad batting coach. That wouldnt be a bad set up you need honest people in the posts thats the problem. Alot of these guys are there just for the name.
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Feb 01, 2015 05:12pm
Ahmed shehzad plays for himself .. he gets in scores runs at a very slow run rate .. and gets out.
Younis khan is a below par player when it comes to One Dayers
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Feb 01, 2015 05:43pm
Moral of the story: Had I been the selector Imran Farhat would have been playing...
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Feb 01, 2015 06:01pm
The culture in the PCB is to blame for this. The same old establishment with the same old results.
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Feb 01, 2015 06:20pm
truly Moin Khan is incompetent for the position and those who appointed him are also incapable of trusting with right person. I am surprised that presence of Waqar Younus didnt make much difference...
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Feb 01, 2015 07:04pm
Pakistan fans are in a state of denial. Their team is ranked number 7 with NZ ranked number 6 in the ODI. What do you expect ? win the world cup ? Miracle ? Lucky if you get past quarter finals. The WC belongs to Australia (full stop/period).
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Feb 01, 2015 07:40pm
@Shaer Khan
They should include Shoaib Malik and Razak,not Fawad Alam,in place of Bhatti and Sohail Khan or Ehsan Adil.
Umer Gul has not in good touch over last two to three years but because his international experience, he should included provided his fitness.
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Feb 01, 2015 07:44pm
Why only coaches and Moin? Shaharyar Khan was promising Younis and Hafeez a place in the squad long before selection committee started its deliberations. But Moin Khan is the biggest culprit here to select a inexperienced bowling unit consisting of Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan and Yasir Shah. Both Ehsan and Sohail are now being hit 8 and 9 per over by club level batsmen. COACHES are enjoing holidays as their bowlers go to bowl short and wide outside of. The batting coach also must be sleeping as Ahmad Shehzad and Haris are still going on to lose wickets by moving backwards while Sarfraz is a cheep wicket as now every one knows that he will sweep fastbowlers to squar leg and he cant keep it down. And last but not least, they need to get rid of Hafeez by sacking him or at least playing him down the order if he passes his bowling test.
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Feb 01, 2015 07:47pm
All blame should be on the shoulders of mediocre Waqar Younis, from Waqar's cricket playing days he has never been a leader, he has a terrible record as a captain. And his record as a coach is shambolic, Waqar do us all a favour and go back to commentating, stop trying to live your glory days which are over, the only reason why you ever were a good bowler was because you had competition with the legendary Wasim Akram.
Bring in Wasim Akram as and Imzmam Ul-Haq and Sack Waqar and Moin Khan, these to are well past their sell by-date.
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Feb 01, 2015 08:05pm
Guys- why seem so surprised. Pakistan is number 7 in ODI ranking after playing in UAE, Bangladesh and Sri-Lanka. Newzeland and Australian conditions needs adjustment. M. Ilyas should not talk of merit, We should not blame the selection team as on the day the selection was done Haroon Rashid was sent to join the meeting with the list of 15 players that Moin Khan and team had to agree.
The job of the PCB chairman is to attend ICC meetings and negotiate tours for the Pakistan team, he should be involved in policy matters like giving TV rights and making money for the board. Rather he is involved in petty matters.
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Feb 01, 2015 08:12pm
@abid Waqar was fearless on the field..world beater and soul destroyer..toe crusher. It saddens me to say this but he is not the same person when he is a coach. Maybe the pressure of keeping his job under corrupt managers.
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Feb 01, 2015 08:32pm
Shoeb Malik is the only answer,
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Feb 01, 2015 08:36pm
Hafeez and Shoeb as opener can bring World Cup easily. Also replace Sarfaraz with Kamran Akmal
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Feb 01, 2015 08:38pm
@Sab Se Pehle Pakistan You missed Shoeb Malik and Hafeez as the opener, and kamran Akmal replacing Sarfaraz.
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Feb 01, 2015 08:40pm
@Shah And the best is Shoeb Malik, Kamran Akmal,and Hafeez at no.
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Feb 01, 2015 08:40pm
@AmirTut (@Amirtut) Waqar was great..but second to Wasim Akram..theres only one Wasim Akram
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Feb 01, 2015 08:43pm
@Tupac The problem is Shoeb Malik and Kamran Akmal are not in the team. Try to understand the magic of these two seasoned and trusted players.
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Feb 01, 2015 09:03pm
Lets see how long these gangs keep Fawad Alam out of international cricket?!
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Feb 01, 2015 10:04pm
I agree. Moin Khan has failed.....
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Feb 01, 2015 11:59pm
Fawad Alam should not only have been in the squad but in the playing XI
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Feb 02, 2015 12:14am
Inshallah Pakistan will win the world cup!!!!!!!!!!!
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Feb 02, 2015 01:21am
I saw the first ODI. The team looked depressed. They were not even running hard. Afraid of New Zealand bowling and Fielding. I reckon they will not make it to the Quarterfinals. Younis Khan is totally out of place in ODi. He should retire now.
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Feb 02, 2015 03:34am
What if they win tomorrow? Then?
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Feb 02, 2015 03:45am
Younis and haves need to go and bring in Kameron, Maliki as batsmen and tanvir. The team doesn't look sharp, it's like they are obsesses what we did in 1992, this is 2015 things have changed, Pakistan has not changed. We need agressive openers and lower order hitting which we don't have.
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Feb 02, 2015 04:32am
The bowlers were pathetic the batsmen apart from misbah and afridi were even worse but two people don't make a team the writing is on the wall we'll be lucky if we get past the first round
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Feb 02, 2015 05:07am
No one has commented on the fact that New Zealand played very well!
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Feb 02, 2015 05:12am
they should take one more selfie and that is without Mohammad Hafeez.
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Feb 02, 2015 05:21am
sarfraz should open with omer akmal as one down; then maqsood, hafiz, misbah, afridi, followed by four fast bowlers each bowling nine overs instead on 10. Hafeez has a problem with new ball so use him as three down. He will be able to bowl after two matches. The lower Misbah plays in the batting, the better team scores overall.
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Feb 02, 2015 06:09am
Why slam the coaches? They cannot be on the field playing the strokes. It is up to these highly paid players to put into practice what the coaches have shown them in the nets. The players are ready to be paid handsomely; why don't they take responsibility for delivering what they are paid for? Let us hold them accountable; not blaming coaches, managers, and everyone else.
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Feb 02, 2015 06:18am
Corruption, Corruption and corruption. That pretty much summarizes the Pakistan government and the upper echelon. How PCB could be any different? Therefore, how could team perform well, when they know what is going on behind the closed doors. We need to educate ourselves and try to build a solid middle class where every educated young man be able to find employment and be able to afford a family. That is when we can fix our problems and build a strong nation, everything else will fix itself. No savior is going to come to help us. We will have to help ourselves and each other and also have respect for other people and their property.
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Feb 02, 2015 06:29am
Being passionate about cricket, its hard to keep quite, when we see this never ending drama of our cricket authorities. Even if the whole nation says we need players like Fawad Alam and other truly deserving players, our authorities will not heed to it!! After the shameless defeat they will walk away with their pocket full and in no time the same mob will be back in the office. WE are in the era of time when the rulers of a country and its allies will be nothing but CRIMINALS!! So we have to swallow the pill. For Yunus Khan, being a man of principal, withdraw yourself NOW, if you want to be remembered for your good work you have done.
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Feb 02, 2015 06:45am
@Naveed Younis Khan doesn't knows why he is in team along with Hafeez,Sohail Khan.In Pakistan people leave after World Cup after free trip but not before it as they don't have moral to own responsibility.
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Feb 02, 2015 06:50am
Ok Younis khan batting position should be No.10 and Hafeez No.11 as they won't have anyone remaining after them because Irfan can bat better than both.That is how only they would feel how useless both are to ODI squad.
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Feb 02, 2015 07:37am
Country is pleading for Fawad Alam, but no reply from the selectors. I really do not know as to how they can sleep at night.
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Feb 02, 2015 08:00am
Not an Ilyas Syed fan, but he is on the money when he said that Raza Hasan should've been picked for the World cup.
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Feb 02, 2015 08:30am
Uncle Ilyas is mad because his always out of form, son-in-law, Imran Farhat didn't make the team.
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Feb 02, 2015 10:19am
Imran farhat is ten times better than hafeez. He should,be opening in the World Cup as he is in prime form in domestic with scores 29, 137, 6 (run out) and 70.
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Feb 02, 2015 10:23am
We know Pak team is not very strong and no matter whom you pick it will stay a weak team in this world cup. I think Mr. ilyas is critical as he would want to see Imran Farhat in.
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Feb 02, 2015 01:28pm
@Sarah Surely India had a hand of wrong selection!
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Feb 02, 2015 03:42pm
@Mahen ... India needs to fix the hand for its own team first.
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Feb 02, 2015 04:12pm
@Mudassar Siddiq .... Agreed Fawad Alam is not the only hope... But he is better than Hafeez, Younis.. Stats for last few international matches :
Hafeez 305 30.50 10 one day - No comments
Younis 163 27.17 6 one day - No comments
Misbah 212 21.20 10 one day - No comments
Akmal 182 18.20 10 one day - average 20.22
Fawad 345 43.13 last 8 one day - average 69.00
Fawad Alam tests: 41.66, One day 45.14, First class 56.90
Prove that these stats are wrong or any other player matches him. Please don't say that these are only on asian pitches as he was given only a chance there. As PCB only include their favorites on foreign tours.
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