Bilawal likely to be retained for World Cup
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LAHORE: Bilawal Bhatti, who was selected only for the two-match One-day International series against New Zealand in place of injured Junaid Khan, is likely to be retained in the Pakistan squad for the World Cup.
The all-rounder on Wednesday reached Sydney, Australia, with the Pakistan squad after playing the matches in Wellington and Napier, which the Kiwis won.
His dismal figures of 93 runs in 10 overs without any success in the second match are one of the reasons of Pakistan’s defeat.
But as PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has directed, the team management is not going to take any decision about replacing any player in haste.
Chief selector Moin Khan, who is travelling with the Pakistan squad, is to take a decision in this regard. There are speculations for inclusion of any of the following — Sohail Tanvir, Rahat Ali, Umar Gul or Sadaf Hussain — in the squad.
But Bilawal’s travel to Australia with the squad has made him one of the candidates for World Cup selection.
The team management is likely to take a final decision in this regard in next couple of days.
Besides the New Zealand ODIs, Pakistan also lost two practice matches against second string sides of New Zealand which was considered a blessing in disguise by Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis.
He said Pakistan would be playing better if there would be no favourites tag on them.
Pakistan did not test its frontline bowlers like Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan and leg-spinner Yasir Shah against New Zealand.
Though media has reported that Wahab and Sohail are facing minor injuries, the PCB has issued no official statement in this regard.
Published in Dawn February 5th , 2015
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Comments (40) Closed
Feb 05, 2015 09:51am
Moin will have to resign during or after the world cup due to his criminal selection.
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Feb 05, 2015 09:51am
Bhatti Stats in 2 matches.
1st ODI: 8 overs 51 runs and 1 wicket.
2nd ODI: 10 overs 93 runs and 0 wicket.
If after getting picked apart for so many runs, they still take him to the WC. Please don't cry later. As his parchi seems too strong. He doesn't use his brains to bowl - we saw how is kept bowling in the same areas.
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Feb 05, 2015 09:53am
All world cup teams, please come and beat us as we are including bilawal bhatti in our defeated. All are welcome to score freely and heavily.
Pathetic and hopeless pakistan. Horrible time to be a pakistan cricket fan.
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Feb 05, 2015 09:57am
This is just mind boggling. Who on this earth and with a sane mind keep a player for the world cup who was not even part of the world cup squad and has been hammered miserably. Not only Bhatti but also Sohail Khan should be sent back as well who has been sent on a vacation in Australia. Not to forget Sohail was hammered all around in the side matches.
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Feb 05, 2015 10:04am
Please don't torture the Pakistani fans like this. He doesn't deserve to be there. Bring Hamad Azam or Yasir Arafat. Heck, bring back Shoaib Malik (though I hate him) but don't bring Bilawal to World Cup. Pleaseeeee !!!
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Feb 05, 2015 10:16am
Truly speaking we are waisting our time & money, because without results its useless & I don't think so our team will win WORLD CUP even they can't qualify in super6.... Any how best of luck pak crICKET TEAM......
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Feb 05, 2015 10:20am
Please don't select Bhatti and Ehsan Edil, they have proved that they are not ready for ODIs. We have a consistent new-ball specialist in the form of Rahat Ali. Please pick him. Or a death ball specialist experience player Umar Gul. My change in selection:
->Umar Gul replaces Bhatti
->Rahat Ali replaces Ehsan Edil
-> Fawad Alam replaces Younis Khan.
All cricket pundits and the public can see with clarity that Bhatti and Ehsan Adil dont have the quality but why is Moin Khan and Waqar persisting to retain them in this team. Is economy of 9.3 considered acceptable these days.
And Younis Khan, great test match player but not good in ODI's. He talked his way into the team but his performance has been very bad. Please let Fawad Alam take your place. They say Fawad wont be good in Australia but we are playing a lot of matches in New Zealand. Also, please include Yasir Shah in the squad as well. I think we have strength in spin bowling that we should use.
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Feb 05, 2015 10:23am
I appeal or beg Waqar Younis and Moin Khan to please bring in Mohammad Sami and Umar Gul in team and save the face of Pakistan cricket team, they both have experience, both have done very well in recent times, both got international experience and can lift the bowling attack from mediocre to competitive attack, I have not seen single Yorker bowled by any bowler, Sami and Gul are just too good in swing and Yorkers and Sami's pace I bet Pakistan attack will be thrilling as well as attacking. Please please please bring them both to the side if you like to save your and 180million Pakistanis face, special situations demand special decisions, and this would be very special decision to bring Sami and Gul. Please do not even think of Tanvir, he is far behind the class of Sami and Gul...
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Feb 05, 2015 10:24am
Bilawal is good all-rounder but needs to concentrate a bit on his bowling.
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Feb 05, 2015 10:47am
God bless our selectors, they have selected Ehsan, Sohail Khan and Bhatti instead of Umar Gul, Rahat Ali and Sohail Tanveer. There must be something which we don't understand. When Nawaz Sharif selected all his ministers from a specific group or when he selected 32 women memebrs og special seats from Lahore based families, we didn't understand too. So be it, let it get over - no interest any more.
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Feb 05, 2015 10:58am
@Combaticus : You summed it really well sir! Younis, Bhatti, Ehsan have to go and maybe Hafeez too.
Fawad maybe a good alternate to Younis. Personally I am not a fan of him, as he dramatizes his innings unnecessarily, but yes he is a fighter, good fielder and can bowl. As far as selectors saying he can't bat in Australia, how do they know that? And given no one else can bat either what difference would it make LOL.
The bowling replacement is still a BIG question mark. Maybe Sohail Tanvir and Aizaz Cheema, but like I said, anyone will do better than 0-93. If need be I can go and bowl ;-)
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Feb 05, 2015 11:22am
Big Parchee.....Sifarishi guy
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Feb 05, 2015 11:23am
Bhatti an "Al rounder"??
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Feb 05, 2015 11:47am
@Syed Selectors know that he cannot bat in Australia, because his ODI average in Australia is 39 runs per completed inning, Compare to Fawad, we have greats like:
Akmal whose ODI average in Australia is 37, Younus whose ODI average in Australia is 18, Hafeez whose ODI average in Australia is 12, and Captain Misbah, who never played ODI in Australia, but his test average in Australia is 25.
So it is obvious that Fawad with Average 39 cannot be as good as any of the above, because 37 is more than 39, 18 is obviously more than 39, and there is no doubt that 12 is 3 times more than 39 (because 39 multiply by 3 has to be less than 12) and one who never played ODI in Australia but his test Average in Australia is 25 has to lead the team in ODI as best batsman.
We call this Pakistani way of looking at numbers, where people can buy Rs 50000000 rupees (Rs 5 crore) property every year when their only earning is Rs 50000 in government job, because that Rs 50000 multiply by 12 (months in a year) = Rs 50000000 in Pakistan. Got it?
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Feb 05, 2015 11:55am
@Combaticus you can't change your team after announcing it. Only possibility is when any player gets unfit.
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Feb 05, 2015 12:03pm
Pakistani team will be out and not able to reach in semi final due to selection of Bilwal Bhatti. It is out of question to select this bowler. A lot of runs gifting to against team by Bilwal Bhatti.
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Feb 05, 2015 12:12pm
I think some one is going to make a fortune here. Gambling Mafia will pay high odds that Bilawaal will not be playing in WC where as he will be playing. Nice retirement package for Moin, Waqar and Misbah I guess......
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Feb 05, 2015 12:14pm
@Aamir Moin , PCB chairman and head coach should be fired right now..
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Feb 05, 2015 12:14pm
Its not just poor Bhatti. There are others free loaders as well. Ehsan Adil, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hafeez(without bowling), Younus, Umar Akmal (the biggest anti-finisher I have see in my life). All of these guys are dead weight. Younus is our best test players. But not ODI's. And I hope management does use this as an excuse to bring in more losers like Shoaib Malik.
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Feb 05, 2015 12:29pm
He has a strong Parchi.
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Feb 05, 2015 12:32pm
I agree with Combaticus
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Feb 05, 2015 12:32pm
Are they serious? Bhatti in worldcup suad? This 4 bowler strategy only works if you have a strong batting lineup scoring big and also your main bowlers are in top form and so lethal that they take all wickets. That is not the case with Adil, Bhatti, Sohail and wahab in team. All are expensive.
On top of thay they have selected hafeez on hopes that he will clear his action. If he doesnt then it will be hard to balance the team. Yk ie total flop. And if you check his media talks, i think he should now know who should be shot.
Sarfraz is also a concern. He should open otherwise at 7 he is useless. Even at opening in those conditions , he will suffer. His keeping is below par. May hand over gloves to akmal.
Pak missing top 3 bowlers in hafeez, ajmal and junaid with good economy and wicket taking ability. To cover that they opted for 1 bowler less but have 8 or 9 batsmen didnt work as well.
They have a chance to at least fix 1 thing by replacing bhatti . Should include gul or tanvir or sadaf. Also should think about Adil or Younas Khan. Hafeez if not cleared to bowl shouldnt play.
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Feb 05, 2015 01:03pm
@Iqbal Yasser Arafat is now Australian Big Bash T20 specialist.. And I think he is no more residing in Pakistan :))) Tere Janay Kay Baad Teree Yaad Aayeee :)))
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Feb 05, 2015 01:19pm
ICC has changed the World Cup format. Now each time in Pool B will be playing a "refresher" match (Guess with which side). The side with which the refresher is to be played has been picked in such a manner that only if the other team decides to forfeit the match, there is no way they can loose the match with the refresher team.
India is playing their first match as refresher on the 15th of this month.
Interesting format.
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Feb 05, 2015 02:34pm
Bilawal A 5 STAR player !!!!! Made History keep going.
WHEN YOUR CRICKET BOARD IS CORRUPT YOU WILL FIND THE CORRUPT TEAM TOO.
ALLAH MUST SAFE PAKISTAN AS WHOLE !!!!!!
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Feb 05, 2015 02:41pm
Bilawal lacks the discipline. I am not sure if he has received any appropriate training. I never saw anything special about him and I don't expect him to do anything for Pakistan now or in future. We have a new breed of medium fast bowlers, who all try to throw 150kph when their body can only go as far as 135 with consistent quality. Trying to throw faster makes the erratic and they get smashed for runs. Where is the technique in Bilawal ?
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Feb 05, 2015 03:03pm
Talking about all rounders .. Does anybody still remember Yasir Arafat.. He have enough experience on Australian pitches
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Feb 05, 2015 03:09pm
Pack cricket for me.!!
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Feb 05, 2015 03:15pm
"PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has directed, the team management is not going to take any decision about replacing any player in haste"... great going Sheri!!!!! .... do it after the World Cup!!!
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Feb 05, 2015 04:03pm
like country like hockey like cricket
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Feb 05, 2015 04:21pm
Bilawal has proved to be the most expensive bowler. He should be sent home and replaced by Sohail Tanvir. We need good fast bowlers as pitches in Australia / New Zealand are meant for quickies.
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Feb 05, 2015 04:53pm
@Naqeeb 14.3 Avg in batting and 73/wkt in bowling. i'd say he needs to work a "bit more" in all areas.
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Feb 05, 2015 05:19pm
Problem is Misbah's captaincy. He chooses team basses on his buddies and players he likes. He is not an authoritarian figure so he cannot say anything to the team. When we won the cup under Imran, he had control over the team and players respected him and played responsibly knowing well that they have to answer to captain if they play rash shots. Now nobody is answerable for his performance and all go on a joy ride.
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Feb 05, 2015 07:48pm
Sohail Tanveer is better than Bhatti.
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Feb 05, 2015 09:38pm
Bilawal as a all-rounder bowled like a part-timer and was batting like a part-timer. But he's still included in the team? Either PCB lacks common sense or Wasim Akram has point when he said 2 days ago that he knows about serious transaction that took place to include BB in the team.
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Feb 05, 2015 10:26pm
PCB Selectors and Captain are you listening and paying attention to the excellent comments and advise given by die hard fan of Pakistan cricket team and survey taken by Dawn news on the selection of team.These fans are writing from Pakistan and all around the globe . We do not expect that team should win every game , but at least expect the team selected by the PCB,selector and to some extend by Captain to show resistance and calibre to perform to the best of their ability.
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Feb 05, 2015 10:54pm
this is the same Moin Khan who sat on a sports channel along with his brother Nadeem spoke what the board should and should not do. He seemed logical at that time. The moment he got a position in the board, his common sense went down the drain. He did not select Fawad because Australian grounds does not suit him. For his information, Pak plays more match in NZ. Secondly Fawad is excellent rotator of strike. Would you rather have some score 6 single like Fawasd or hit one boundary and block next 5 balls like Shehzad does. Younis was not selected for WC and that was a correct decision. He should have stuck with that. Why does he think test performance should translate into ODIs. The worst selection ever. 2003 was best selection but team did not qualify as several batsman mainly Inzi was out of form. This time around, it is the worst selection period.
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Feb 05, 2015 11:28pm
WOW...after horrible defeat on the hands of NZ due to poor performance from our bowling side, our selectors are keeping pathetic Bilawal Bhatti. Only PCB management and selectors can make such kind of insane decision to keep a pathetic bowler on the WC squad. And the minor injuries to Wahab and Sohail....seriously. I think there is something fishy behind these injury report.
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Feb 05, 2015 11:38pm
Sifarishi
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Feb 06, 2015 04:45am
Good decision as long as he doesn't step in the field. He is an excellent Net bowler. He's there to bring our out of form batsman in form.
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