Dear PCB, not all surprises are pleasant
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The World Cup squad selected by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) included a few snubs and some surprises as well.
Fawad Alam, a regular performer throughout last year, was dropped to pave way for nobody knows who.
Today, however, the surprises have gone too far.
Rahat Ali has been called in to replace injured Junaid Khan. Rahat played his only one-day international two years back in 2012 against Sri Lanka; and has frequently failed to make it to the ODI team.
One must ask the board:
When a player did not even qualify for a spot on the regular ODI squad, how was he pronounced the best choice to replace Junaid, who was the linchpin in a largely toothless pace attack?
Such decisions not only discourage merit but raise suspicions in the dressing room.
The recent New Zealand series has already exposed Pakistan’s dull bowling attack.
Keeping in view the recent performances, it is safe to say that the current Pakistani bowling line is the worst in the Pakistan’s cricketing history till date.
Who's calling the shots?
No one knows.
Does Misbah really believe in a miracle to happen with a such a crippled bowling attack at the World Cup.
The non-availability of seasoned bowlers, such as Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul and Junaid Khan is nothing less than a calamity inflicted upon the national team at such a crucial time.
Also read: 'Pakistan-India clash will be most watched in cricket history'
To deal with such a disaster, the selection committee has opted for bowlers who can hardly put up a decent fight against strong opponents, let alone win games for Pakistan.
One must ask the board, why the selection of Mohammad Talha, Anwar Ali, Sohail Tanvir, or veterans Yasir Arafat, Abdul Razzak or even Mohammad Sami not considered?
Why were Zulfiqar Babar or Raza Hasan not considered?
What was the point of taking Sohail Khan and Yasir Shah along with the squad if they were to remain on the sidelines?
It is not exceptionally difficult to realise that tournaments like the World Cup are not the stage for experiments. Some experience is required too.
True, these players have been afforded plenty of opportunities but when you're in trouble you do not want rookies on the battlefield.
Sami, Tanvir, Arafat or Razzak may not be in their top form at present, but no one can question their experience and ability to outclass any opponent in any given situation due to their understanding and experience of the game.
If stats from Pakistan's domestic ODI tournaments are to be gauged, Rahat features seventh on the list. Sadaf Hussain and Sami come in at second and third respectively. What about Aizaz Cheema with an average of 25.78 from his 14 ODIs?
Recently, Dawn conducted a public poll on the possible replacement for Junaid Khan.
The option given to the readers were that of Sohail Tanvir, Imran Khan, Shoaib Malik and Raza Hasan.
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In a total of 8,867 responses, people favoured the selection of Tanvir (33.57 per cent), followed by Imran (28.12 per cent), Malik (24.18 per cent) and Hasan (14.3 per cent).
To say the least, any person with a little bit of cricketing knowledge could have formulated a better 15-man squad for the World Cup than the one made by the PCB.
Only time will tell if there were any preferential selections, because in Pakistan, secrets never remain hidden in a gentleman's game.
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (102) Closed
Feb 05, 2015 03:37pm
Merit has flied from Pakistan long ago, why to blame PCB only.
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Feb 05, 2015 03:41pm
His performance in the test series against Aus and NZ was good. He might prove handy on bouncy Australian tracks and seaming NZ tracks. I must say that he is a better choice than Sohail Tanveer
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Feb 05, 2015 03:42pm
Rahat will open some eyes
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Feb 05, 2015 03:43pm
Sami has proved to be a failure. Abdur Razzaq long ceased to be a bowling all rounder; he could be occasionally magnificent with the bat, but I don't even recall his last good bowling performance to replace the leader of a pace attack.
Yasir Arafat is a pie chucker, who somehow seems to be an all rounder.
I'd rather take a chance then tread the path of certain failure.
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Feb 05, 2015 03:43pm
@Azmeen What should we do now? Tell us solution as well.
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Feb 05, 2015 03:44pm
People are recklessly criticizing Rahat Ali here i guess. I saw him bowling in test matchesm he bowled beautifully with new ball and was even better at reverse swinging with decent pace. He is pretty suited to condition of NZ & AUS.
Those arguing about Yasir arafat, Razzaq other oldies, to be honest they don't have pace and accuracy anymore to perform at this level. Sohail tanvir could have been alternate choice for his variations and unique bowling action but he is not as good as Rahat Ali when it comes to reverse swing. Sohail Tanvir is more like t20 bowler.
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Feb 05, 2015 03:48pm
Why Anwar Ali is overlooked as he can bat well down the order and better than Wahab Riaz and Ehsan Adil.
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Feb 05, 2015 03:56pm
yasir Arafat? seriously? and sohail tanvir has been given numerous chances and his performances were below par to say the least!
Abdul razzak? to replace a bowler?
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Feb 05, 2015 03:59pm
No Sadaf Hussain, But Rahat Ali,
The cheif selector is either drunk or blind to consider any player instead of Rahat Ali, #GoWCGo
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Feb 05, 2015 04:01pm
worst pakistani team in the past 20-25 years .. even the bangladeshi bowling attack looks better on paper than the pakistani bowling attack
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Feb 05, 2015 04:06pm
@Sohail Khan I totally agree with you. Yasir Arafat is an average cricketer he is only good in domestic t20s. with regards to Abdul razzaq people have forgotten he has not played international cricket for almost 3 years? did someone checked his fitness level? when last time he played even at the domestic level. have we forgotten world cup starts in less 10 days time.
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Feb 05, 2015 04:11pm
You must be kidding about Razzaq, the guy is old, can;t even worth considering for any first class team in Pak. Yasir would have been a good choice with his good form in Australia lately but Rahat was the most improved and the best fast bowler agains NZL and Australia, and deserved to be picked.
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Feb 05, 2015 04:13pm
He is better choice then Sohail tanveer as he is a specialist bowler, while Sohail Tanveer is
an all rounder.However, i would have prefer Imran Khan over Rahat as he has more variety and energy than him. Nevertheless, both are not far from each other.
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Feb 05, 2015 04:36pm
Deplorable PCB wants everybody in Pakistan to stop expecting victories form Pakistan team, there is a big price for it..................the game has been fixed long time ago............PCB wants money more than respect............how our ex-PM visited India and Pakistan gifted Semi-Final to India and players were showered with money that was the first time instance in Pakistan that after losing to arch-rival players were given hefty prizes..........to stay mum and silent.......money talks......it is so disheartening though...........
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Feb 05, 2015 04:47pm
Parchi Selection made.. Fawad Alam and Imran Khan should be replaced by Junaid Khan
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Feb 05, 2015 04:48pm
Rahat Ali by far is a better bowler. Arafat, Razzak, Sami etc are all tried, tested and failed options. Rahat is fast and can swing ball both ways. He has been carrying the pace attack on last two test series. I wish Pakistan had courage to drop Younis and and play Sohaib Maqsood. That will improve the side.
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Feb 05, 2015 04:51pm
Common sense is lot in PCB. While Rahat might be better than Ehsan Adil and Sohail Khan, to say he is ahead of Sohail Tanvir, is like saying selectors why did you keep preferring Sohail Tanvir over Rahat for last many years?? If the people in PCB had some shame, they would have resigned every month. But then we are talking about some self respect!
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Feb 05, 2015 04:51pm
@Khaptaan If Rahat Ali was that awesome, then why didn't you protest when PCB never selected him in any ODIs for almost three years? Not only that, Rahat Ali was not even selected in the ODIs series after the Test matches where you claim that he bowled exceptionally well.
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Feb 05, 2015 04:52pm
We just need the World Cup! It doesn't matter who is playing and who is not.
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Feb 05, 2015 04:59pm
Its one of the bad decision from PCB selection committee.
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Feb 05, 2015 05:02pm
@Khalid Rahim we need to have key players to get WC.
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Feb 05, 2015 05:13pm
I think pak gonna unleash Yasir Shah and Sohail Khan vs India.
India will not know what hit 'em.
Masterstroke from #team pakistan
However, lets be honest and say pak never really had a chance to go past qf's.
Pak will beat uae, but will struggle with zimbabwe (dav whatmore coach) and ireland.
Heck they may not even reach qf's
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Feb 05, 2015 05:16pm
Aizaz Cheema should have been considered as he is the fastest bowler around...
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Feb 05, 2015 05:33pm
achha hai,jaldi waapis aajaayenge haar k,kon subah sawere uthke pak cricketers se dimaag ki dahi karwaaye
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Feb 05, 2015 05:46pm
Rahat Ali was our best test bowler last year...he should be amazing in the WC
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Feb 05, 2015 05:49pm
@Farhan Solution is removal of 'quota systems' in Jobs, sports & in every walk of life.
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Feb 05, 2015 05:51pm
Look on the bright side we don't except Pakistan to win many games so you wont be disappointed
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Feb 05, 2015 05:51pm
Let's see what happens.
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Feb 05, 2015 05:54pm
Rahat is a much better option than all the names you have mentioned. If not Rahat then only Sohail Tanvir was a realistic contender for the vacant spot. His batting could have given a much needed balance to the side but Wahab can do that too and one wonder if Sohail Tanveer is a bigger influence than Rahat in Australian conditions ? Sohail Tanveer has experience but Rahat's recent performance in UAE merited selection.
So not much of a surprise realy.
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Feb 05, 2015 05:56pm
Please.. please.. please.. I'm begging you. . Can we never mention the words sohail tanvir and pakistan cricket together in any context whatsoever. . ever again? ?. Lest we forget this is the man who failed to scote 2 runs off 3 balls to clinch pakistan a victory against aus in an odi.. he even failed to score 1 off 3 to get a draw.. i eould prefer sami or sadaf to have gone.. having said that sadaf hasn't played enough odi and the world cup occasion may overwhelm him..we can thank the pcb for not picking him and letting him gain some experience despite being one of the top domestic bowlers of recent times.. and sami is too inconsistent.. our spin heavy attack is unsuitable for aus / nz wickets.. need minimum 3 seamers and we only have 1.. irfan.. starting xi has got to be 1.shezad 2.sarfraz 3.younis (altho i wud have put fawad in here but he's not in the squad???) 4.akmal 5.misbah 6.Haris 7.Afridi 8.yasir shah 9.sohail khan 10.rahat ali 11.irfan. . No hafeez unless he can bowl.. in which case I'd put him in instead of sohail khan who is totally inexperienced for this tournament.. and even then hafeez must not bat higher than no 6 at any cost.. could also drop younis for hafeez to have an extra bowling option of 4 seamers and 3 spinners plus haris.. but again.. not batting higher than no.6.. otherwise he'll just ruin the balance of the team.. why oh why is fawad not in the squad??? Moin khan needs to answer that... sohaib maqsood could also b experimented with somewhere in the lineup.. umar akmals entire 18months have been wasted.. he should have been placed at 3/4 in the batting order and told to play his natural game.. he would have become our main runscorer by now.. instead they want him to come in at 6/7 and thrash it.. ruining his career.. same with sarfraz.. whi was inred hot form and the management stuck him at the end of the queue of crappy batsmen..
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Feb 05, 2015 06:06pm
Sami? Are you really serious? That guy has the worst average ever and even gives Ishant a run for his money ! However overall I agree with the stupidity of the decision.
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Feb 05, 2015 06:12pm
sohail tanveer. hands down. or zulfiqar "baba" babar
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Feb 05, 2015 06:14pm
Only time will tell about this decision. Sometimes freshness is needed more than experience. He is a genuine seam bowler, who can bring the ball into right handers. If he can wickets on UAE pitches, then of course he can emulate it in AUS/NZW, for sure. To me, he sould be complemented with Imran Khan, as he also swings the ball both ways.
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Feb 05, 2015 06:30pm
On what grounds did they select EHSAN ADIL? All three of Ehsan, Sohail Khan and Yasir should have been replaced by Umar Gul, Sohail Tanveer and Zulfiqar Baber.
In batting, both Hafeez and Younis Khan should have been replaced by Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam, both good part timer bowlers.
Shoib Malik was a much better choice than Haris Sohail as you need an of-spinner. Indians are vulnerable to of-spinners in general.
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Feb 05, 2015 06:42pm
We are not even dark donkeys of this world cup let alone dark horses.
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Feb 05, 2015 06:57pm
"One must ask the board, why the selection of Mohammad Talha, Anwar Ali, Sohail Tanvir, or veterans Yasir Arafat, Abdul Razzak or even Mohammad Sami not considered?"
This sums up your knowledge of cricket. How many chances you want to give to these so called veterans.. Anwar Ali, Sohail Tanvir and company are not consistent enough... ,they were given ample chances...
The thing is that like every other department, Cricket is also on down the hill path...
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Feb 05, 2015 07:03pm
Rahat is better than Bhatti and served is well in tests.
Time to replace Adil with Umar Gul to bRing in sine experience in the bowling. I'd he's not fit enough, imran Khan or zulfiqar might still be better choice than adil.
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Feb 05, 2015 07:17pm
I think they should select shoaib malik for sure because of his recent performances as a batsmen and as a bowler also. We can see that pakistan is failed to play 50 overs ... so shoaib malik would b better choice
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Feb 05, 2015 07:45pm
Does not make much difference even with the presence of Junaid Khan as he is not a match winner. There is a serious shortage of talent overall in Pakistan sports and if nothing genuine is done urgently we shall loose interest in cricket as well like hockey.
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Feb 05, 2015 07:47pm
Rahat ali seemed like a mature and thinking bowler , I think he is good choice. He is not flashy and bowls within himself and his limitations. the only problem is all our better bowler are left arm fast bowlers. we need some good quality right arm fast bowlers.
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Feb 05, 2015 07:49pm
Honestly I was surprised why he was not taken in the first place. He is fit and bowled well in UAE. I wish him best of luck.
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Feb 05, 2015 07:56pm
@Aamir he only bowls @125-130 KPH and to bowl at that pace without any real variety (slower ball, slow ball bouncer, Yorkers etc) he will get murdered if exposed to real men like Gayle, Diveliers or Mccullum. Not good enough. Rahat has a bite in his bowling , an X factor that Anwar Ali, Razzaq or others lack. I am still not hopeful for Paki chances in the WC but you can only select from the available lot and lets accept it we don't have the kind of talent to challenge the likes of SA, AUS or NZ. Still its cricket and anything can happen
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Feb 05, 2015 08:17pm
I am not sure why everyone underrates Rahat. True he was not selected in any of the one dayers played recently... but THAT was surprising.
I believe Rahat is a much better bowler than Tanvir and for GOODNESS' sake, why do we ALWAYS have to give SAMI one more time. He has had 101 additional chances to prove his worth and he just doesnt cut the intl level.
Rahat may turn out to be the one we need with Irfan. I like this !!
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Feb 05, 2015 08:23pm
Why Imran Khan was tried out during Aus/NZ series then? I want this to be the worst world cup defeat over so that useless players face public outcry and eventually get fired from the team forever.
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Feb 05, 2015 08:36pm
Wonder why everybody is bothered by the fact that Rahat Ali has been called in to replace Junaid Khan...........my question is.........Does it really matter....?? The simple fact is that Pakistan at the moment does not have a pacer anywhere in the country who can match the likes of the legendary fast bowlers we have had in the past. There are no fast bowlers out there..........PCB is marred by the lack of choices they have therefore their focus is solely on the fact that anyone who can bowl 10 overs without giving away too many runs. I see absolutely no wicket taking aggressive bowlers in the 15 member. If i was to pick anyone regardless...........i would have opted for Mohd. Sami as a backup replacement and knowing that the fast bowlers in their current arsenal are susceptible to injuries would have at least prepared him for the world cup. he has pace and aggression and could prove worthy on Australian Tracks. Unfortunately he was never groomed properly from day one. He is the guy with immense potential. Having said that nothing can be done now......lets just wait and see how things unfold in next month and a half. Good Luck Pakistan.
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Feb 05, 2015 09:26pm
It seems like Pakistan cricket team has gone for an excursion trip to down under rather then playing in world cup.
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Feb 05, 2015 09:33pm
I have never been to Australia or New Zealand. PCB can you please select me in the team too ?
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Feb 05, 2015 09:58pm
@Khalid Rahim : Stop dreaming Pakistan squad cannot go pass the qf's with the current form, the team lacks discipline, focus and the desire to win. Pakistan bowling squad lacks experience, the batman’s tremble on the fast pitches in front of fast bowlers which is evident from Pakistan’s team dismal performance both in the series against South Africa last year and most recently against New Zealand. They even lost the warm up matches in New Zealand. Well it will be good to see them back home soon and will not have to get up early in the morning to watch Pakistan losing to even Ireland.
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Feb 05, 2015 09:58pm
there are six practice matches before quarter finals ......... so those who dont have experience will get that during the wc, in those conditions............... i think rahat is good choice ......... he can bowl both new ball and old and he has good attitude and temperament .......... any of the top 8 teams can win the wc .......... u just need to play 2 good games and u r in final ........... there will be surprises ............ no favourites ........ no team which stands out head n shoulders above others
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Feb 05, 2015 10:05pm
The Dye had already been cast in the minds and excuses to be given at the imminent dismal show of the Green shirts , 1- we were robed of the striek bolwer ( Ajmal ) , 2- we were robed of the allrounder(Hafeez) , 3-we were unlucky with the Ummer Gul and junaid khan's injuries. Unfortunately Younus khan did not fire after heroics in the tests in UAE , bal bal bla . One of these or all of these sort of excuses , will come up from the captain , the coach , the chief selector and last but not the least the PCB chairman . in the 1st match , India will score a record runs and then skittle the green shirts out of the game and set the marker for out of the tournament as such..... Cornered tigers , My big foot .
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Feb 05, 2015 10:28pm
Well Im in favour of Rahat Ali he is much better choice over current wc squad...but also Sohail tanver should have been there in bowling attack...
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Feb 05, 2015 10:30pm
Unbelievable, I am speechless on the selection of Rahat Ali. Loot at his statistics, only 1 ODI international with nothing special????????
This puts a question mark over the mindset of official responsible for the selection.
Could have selected an unknown super fast bowler to at least make an impact on the opposition????
Nonetheless, i hope Rahat see a brilliant success for Pakistan.
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Feb 05, 2015 10:33pm
I am ready bet on Rahat Ali instead of Bhatti, Tanvir and Wahab. There three players are playing for long time but never learned from their mistakes.
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Feb 05, 2015 10:36pm
Sifarish rules in every aspect of national life including cricket.
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Feb 05, 2015 10:37pm
@Khan how many ODI have you played in Australia / NZ in last 3 years?
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Feb 05, 2015 10:43pm
@Farhan, the solution lies somewhere in intelligent processes and sound policies. Let me elaborate my thought here.
* PCB needs to adopt strict rotation policy in regular season. Each spot should have 2-3 players who not only gets rotated routinely but also owe their spot on performance.
* There has to be a merit in eligibility criteria for big tournaments such as world cup. For example, in order to qualify one must have played x number of ODIs in last y months and has z average for the spot he is applying.
* A minimum of 3-5 years of domestic experience is required to apply for national team.
* Set high standards for each spot in the team. For example, player must have an average of x and strike rate of y to remain on his spot or place in team.
* A player who is selected for opening slot must be kept at that spot and not to be experimented throughout the line up because he is not finding it easy at the top. In other words, a player is kept only at the spot they were initially brought in the team. If they need to change their spot they must re-compete with players who are in his desired new spot and prove himself.
There are lot of such things that can be done but time and space is constraining me from laying them out here. All in all what I am trying to say is teams don't become great by fluke, one needs to be smart and consistent with their planning to get there.
All of these suggestions are just common sense but unfortunately when it comes to PCB common sense is not that common after all.
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Feb 05, 2015 11:06pm
@Pukhtoon Yama - that was Test cricket. Red cherry. Batsmen do not take risks. Younis was brilliant too..but he has been in awful in ODIs ever since.
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Feb 05, 2015 11:09pm
@Sohail Khan - And Rahat is more like a Test match bowler. He is not a limited overs specialist. There will be no reverse swing as there will be 2 new balls from each end and there is no way a bowler can reverse swing a white ball that could be max 25 overs old. Red cherry is easily reversible as it is only replaced after 80 overs. You understand the difference? Younis was also selected based on his test performances. People have to realize the differences between test and limited overs cricket.
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Feb 05, 2015 11:14pm
@Khaptaan - exactly those were test matches. played with a red cherry that is only replaceable after 80 overs, hence, reverse swing. Batsmen do not take risks. This is ODI WC, two new balls from each end. Reverse swing is not possible with at max 25 overs old ball. You cannot select a ODI player based on his test peformances. Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq would have been selected as well. See the repercussions of selecting Yonis based on his test performances.
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Feb 05, 2015 11:33pm
I read some of these comments and i am completely perplexed. Have you guys been sleeping for the last 3 years?
You guys are calling for Sami? Razzaq? Tanvir? Both of those guys (excluding Tanvir) are legends and have served their country well and deserve tons of respect. But they have been afforded plenty of chances. Now its time for new blood.
One thing I will say is the exclusion of Sadaf Hussain. I would have liked to see him included in the squad.
I also think we need to divorce ourselves from the notion of having a bowler who can bat as well. Though the intention behind is all well and good.. we really need a STRIKE bowler. Not an average bowler who can bat. We already have and tried plenty of those (Anwar Ali, Bhatti, and Tanvir).
Inshallah Rahat will impress. Pakistan Zindabad.
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Feb 05, 2015 11:45pm
a giant lol. Can't wait to see Pakistan fail to be honest.
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Feb 06, 2015 12:21am
Pakistan has no one in the lot. Umar gul, Razaq and Sohail tanveer are history.
In the given circumstances Shoaib malik and yasir arafat are the best choice. They have performed well at Australia and very comfortable with the conditions. We are as a nation busy playing Xbox, ps3 and texting. Facebook is a hobby, youtube is entertaining and sleeping is fun.
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Feb 06, 2015 12:31am
I hope their is no rift in the team, the way they have played two matches against NZ showed no fire.
In my opinion our team is not bad as it looks.
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Feb 06, 2015 12:35am
With due respect Rahat Ali showed great promise in the series against Aussies on dead wickets. He seems to have developed as a fine bowler. Sohail Tanveer has question marks on his fitness to bowl 10 overs. Sami has one of the worst records in International cricket with more than enough recalls. One would have liked someone like one of the spinners like Zulfikar Babar or Raza Hasan but I guess they are going to wait on Hafeez being cleared to bowl or not. Our team is going through major injury crisis with their major strike bowlers of the last 3-5 years Ajmal, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan all being unavailable for one reason or the other. Anwer Ali has potential but on Aussie wickets he would be a gamble so Rahat Ali is atleast someone who has a good track record against high class opposition and can carry (hopefully) his Test match form into Limited overs.
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Feb 06, 2015 12:38am
Just saw Sadaf Hussain's Stats at Cricinfo...51 Matches, 247 Wickets at Ave of 18.3 that's Remarkable !!!! he is only 25yrs why is he ignored and not pick in the team.
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
51 92 9189 4522 247 9/37 15/154 18.30 2.95 37.2 10 20 5
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Feb 06, 2015 12:39am
When the advisor to the patron-in-chief devise a compromise formula for choosing chairman of PCB. It has some resemblance to merit selection but would keep management under the control of political parties. This might please most politicians. The trouble is that it would disguise the problem instead of solving it.
The PXCB board of governors need to ask the colleagues and assistants of Air-Marshal Nur Khan how he managed both PIA and PCCB so admirably in the 70's.
This is high time for PCB to put its houyse in the right direction, otheraise the cricket team would be relegated to 9th or 10th position like what happened in Hockey.
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Feb 06, 2015 03:12am
I am looking at his arm in this pictures , hope he is not banned like ajmal and hafeez
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Feb 06, 2015 03:19am
In this current situation
Rahat is an good choice as tanvir has been tried many times and failed . Razak is history let him retire in peace !
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Feb 06, 2015 03:22am
When the advisor to the patron-in-chief devise a compromise formula for choosing chairman of PCB. It has some resemblance to merit selection but would keep management under the control of political parties. This might please most politicians. The trouble is that it would disguise the problem instead of solving it.
The PCB board of governors need to ask the colleagues and assistants of Air-Marshal Nur Khan how he managed both PIA and PCCB so admirably in the 70's.
This is high time for PCB to put its house in order, otherwise the cricket team would be relegated to 9th or 10th position like what happened in Hockey.
△ ▽
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Feb 06, 2015 04:12am
Team is doomed to fail. I will not watch world CUP SO EAGERLY NOW that I know the fate.
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Feb 06, 2015 04:27am
Mohammad Sami or Abdul Razzaq? I think you are living in the past, those players had their chance and the team has now moved on.
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Feb 06, 2015 04:30am
Finally a good article. Yup we all saw it, how the entire selection for the world cup lacks common sense. I am afraid to say baring Irfan Pakistan may even be lacking in Pace department even compare to India.
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Feb 06, 2015 04:54am
@Pali Hope he can keep his own eyes open. And Misbah who can't see his painful run-up and delivery.
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Feb 06, 2015 04:57am
@Usman Sami is our fastest bowler and the 7th fastest recorded anywhere. Oh! but he doesn't play in Misbah's doemstic team.
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Feb 06, 2015 06:09am
Mohammed Sami would have been a better choice.....he has pace and swing and also got experience.
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Feb 06, 2015 06:12am
Polls by people does not reflect that they know cricket as some professionals. I am trying to have dig at anyone, but i think Rahat got the potential at high level of cricket.
Now to other point which is mentioned in this article, Pakistan's got a toothless and very bad bowling squad, i totally agree with that. There was a time, Pakistan was used to be reckoned a force for pace attack in the world, these days, our team is just like West Indies and Bangladesh, Sorry to say that but it is a bitter truth.
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Feb 06, 2015 06:43am
Like father (government) like son (PCB)
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Feb 06, 2015 07:40am
He is a committed player.hopefully will perform better I wc
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Feb 06, 2015 07:45am
The selection committee and the captain seem to be in no mood to win the world cup.
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Feb 06, 2015 07:57am
since no one is expecting miracles from Rahat, he wont be under the so called proverbial microscope of the analyzers and critics alike. this may actually auger well for an otherwise bland bowling attack.
GO Rahat !!! go all guns blazing....bowl some sharp in and away swingers and then bowl those chin CRACKLING pacey short stuff. with Pak cricket there's always a dark horse waiting to rise above the ranks........literally.
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Feb 06, 2015 07:58am
@Sohail Khan please remember that two balls are used in ODIs and the balls are only 25 overs old when the inning finishes. Therefore. there is little room for reverse swing.
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Feb 06, 2015 08:57am
He is best choice in current scenario if some body has seen his swing bowling.
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Feb 06, 2015 08:59am
He is the best choice in current scenario because he has good swing and pace than many others.
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Feb 06, 2015 09:03am
Who is Rahat Ali?
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Feb 06, 2015 10:07am
@Sohail Khan :u r 200% right,
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Feb 06, 2015 10:07am
What about RANA NAVED ??????
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Feb 06, 2015 10:10am
The PCB is a representation of this Country. When every thing seems to be falling apart around us, why is there this unrealistic expectation from the PCB to be fair, logical and efficient?
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Feb 06, 2015 10:13am
Chill guys!!! It's only a game. Besides, after the round robin league we will be looking for another team to support anyway. Dont stress yourselves.
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Feb 06, 2015 10:20am
Well, I did mention in one of my comment and i repeat, In the eyes of Pakistan cricket lovers, PCB has absolutely "0" respect and they really don't care. As long as every month they have huge amount of money and big benefits from board, its all fine with them.
I am sure and we all will read shortly, same old comments from Moin, Waqar, and Sheheryar khan, "we tried our best possible eleven, may be we will change this time, we should make a better infrastructure for domestic cricket and many more old stories.
i was expecting a lot more from Misbah, he should have called someone more eligible than his local team mate. This is another example of favoritism.
We are only one team in the world with TWO bowlers, no proper openers a couple of sluggers and muhalla fielding attitude.
I admire the optimistic attitude of our people, they still think , we can make to finals and may be we can also win ???? what a joke
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Feb 06, 2015 10:31am
One should keep in mind Rahat's performance alongwith Imran Khan against Austrailia and New Zealand in the recently concluded series in Sharjah/Abudhabi. Now, Imran Khan and Rahat are both together again, they make the best bowling attack available, plus we have Yasir Shah is already there, we 'll see a sea of difference in Pakistan's bowling.
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Feb 06, 2015 11:06am
Those saying Rahat Ali MAY prove to be handful on Australian pitches must realize that important decisions must not be made upon speculations, but rather on facts and statistics. Imagine if I am Board certified in Internal Medicine, but I stink at everything except for minimally invasive medical procedures. Does that mean I am good enough to practice surgery? By all means NO, I must pass the board exams in surgery to be able to practice it. Rahat Ali has a poor List A record, with an average of 37. He went for 80+ in a recent match. Now that he has been selected, we can just hope and pray, and anything that he'll achieve will be a surplus, and if he manages to achieve more than others, it will be no less than a miracle.
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Feb 06, 2015 11:50am
@Khalid Rahim The WC isn't coming to Pak for sure. First deserve than desire. With this team, Pakistan shouldn't have bothered to even visit NZ/AUS. It's just disaster.
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Feb 06, 2015 12:24pm
Its one of the bad decision from PCB selection committee.
Pakistan team is not a personel drawing room of chief selectors.
Beyond the selected 4 players, Muhammad Sami is the rite choice of world cup, because all bowlers given so many runs, if sami given some runs so what happend, in the end everyone knows result.
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Feb 06, 2015 12:36pm
Well finally some wise move from PCB. Rahat is a very good bowler who bowled very good in UAE andd for people saying that he wasn't even picked for ODIs after those tests, it's because we had fit ODI specialist bowlers then. Junaid would have walked into team ahead of anyone but he, Umar Gull aren't fit. Rahat can be very handy choice in Kiwi conditions as he moves the ball well. Play him in all games in New Zealand while play with two leg spinners in matches in Australia.
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Feb 06, 2015 01:28pm
I am sure Rahat Ali will silence a lot of people with his performance in the world cup.
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Feb 06, 2015 02:36pm
if AFRIDI BECOMES A CAPTAIN today, the next match hafeez will score a century, younis will score a century, akmal after 100 matches will score a quick century too.
Pakistan Will brake its chasing record if AFRDI BECOMES A CAPTAIN.
Appreciate Misbah for what he has done for this team. There was Nobody who was willing to take the captaincy when he step forward during those days.
Why you guys dont understand that we are not having Home Series and its very diificult for a player to gain his lost form in overseas conditions. (UAE IS NOT A HOME GROUND, its like one)
Aus in England AWFUL
Eng in Australia AWFUL
Aus in India AWFUL
India in Aus MISERABLE
*Steve Smiith was a night mare in UAE series and now he is scoring centuries in AUS.
We are the only team that is not playing home cricket and still some how performing.
*Where DHONI captaincy was gone, Where indian so called batting powerhouse was gone. Scoring millions of runs on their home soils and this TRI NATION SERIES and TEST Series with Aus, everybody was a humiliation expect kholi
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Feb 06, 2015 05:21pm
In my opinion, team should be selected on merit and independent of human interference. Figures and performance sould speak itself. Use ‘FC’ to select test team and ‘list A’ to select ODI team.
For Batsmen: Once player is selected for test or ODI, give players certain number of fixed innings, regardless of performance. If they stay above set target figures they stay, else they go back and prove themselves again in ‘First Class’ and/or ‘list A’.
Criteria for ‘FC’ should be scoring at least 500 runs in last one year and ‘list A’ should be scoring at least 200 runs in last one year.
Player with highest FC average gets in test (if there is space). Player with highest ODI (Ave multiply by SR) should get in ODI (if there is space).
Test: All batsmen who made a place in test as batsmen, they get minimum 5 innings to show their worth. Their Ave should be 40 plus in last 5 innings to play next match. If not, then their Ave should be above 42 to play next match. Else, they go back, play FC matches and come back if they qualify and there is place available.
ODI: All batsmen who made a place in ODI, they get minimum 5 innings to show their worth. Their (Ave x SR) should be 300 or above in last 5 inning to play next inning. If not than their (Ave x SR) should be above 325 in last 10 innings to keep playing. Else, they go back to play 'list A' and come back if they qualify and there is place in ODI team.
Using this or similar method would have 5 obvious advantage:
1: No human interference in selection, hence no nepotism, Parchi or connection.
2: All players know where they stand, as performance in figures would be in front of them. So, no chance to have grudges or complains.
3: Players would work and practice hard, knowing that they can get into national team on basis of their performance alone, performance that has yard stick known to all and is obvious.
4: Pakistanis would know that team is not Parchi team, but got selected on merit, hence little reason to complain for anyone.
5: It would encourage cricket in country and would give hope to all players.
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Feb 07, 2015 07:31pm
Pakistan is country in world cup that has second largest population after India, and is playing competitive cricket since long time. Many Pakistani players were playing cricket even before 1947, hence with such history and large pool of players to select, there is no reason that Pakistan could not select a competitive players in team.
Unfortunately, nepotism, parchi, rushwat, various types of discrimination, likes and dislikes and incompetent PCB management has destroyed Pakistan cricket. It is too long that these people are getting away without accountability. This should not work that 'Haro yea jeeto, hamay tum say piyar hay'. It is this attitude that made most players think that it is not performance but connection that keep them in team, and thus no player in their right mind expect or try hard to get into team.
This should not continue. Pakistanis (deservingly) want result, honest selection based on merit, performance at top level, and no excuses. Make domestic cricket as criteria for all selections and figures of players should speak louder than whim of selectors. No such thing that, A with batting average 55 is dropped in favour of someone with batting average 35. Or bowler with average 21 is left out for someone with average 25, Even selection should have some justifiable basis that all should know.
Hence, whatever the performance of team in this world cup, accountability should urgently start. If team do not reach at least semi final than PCB Chairman, All top staff members of PCB, Selection committee, Manager, Coaches and all bad performers in team should go (and go, without excuse). These people should not be allowed to enjoy their life at the expense of Pakistani cricket. They should make way for completely new PCB management and players, selected on basis of set merit criteria.
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Feb 08, 2015 02:01pm
Guys you are critcizing the wrong aspect of selection, what we really need to point out is going in with just four bowlers, sohail and yasir need to be tested if they were selected in the first place, if they persist with 4 bowlers even after blown apart in matches against prsdnt 11 and NZ then i must say they will be a disgrace to the nation
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Feb 08, 2015 02:04pm
Otherwise we must undrstand that losing ur 4 frontline bowlers can criple any attack in the world, and as for rahat vs tanvir it was a test specialist vs t20 specialist sorta affair, would have been okay either way
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Feb 08, 2015 07:13pm
Rahat ali..bowls at decent pace of 140 kph plus...swings the ball both ways...bowled beautifully in test matches against aus ,nz...where even likes of Johnson looked pedestrian... its a gud choice. instead ..Sohail tanveer is a tested failure..
stupidity lies in doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result...people like tanveer,Arafat have been tested in past only to regret their inclusion...they both bowl military medium at a pace of round about 120-130...which is not gud enuf in Australian conditions....
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Feb 10, 2015 05:02am
When will Younis Khan and Wahab Riaz will get injured so they can be replaced by Fawad Alam and S Ajmal.
PCB and Younis khan please start thinking about the reputation of our beloved country and please give the most deserving players a chance.
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