What Pakistanis think about Azhar Ali as their new ODI captain
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This letter was written to the PCB Chairman by The Boys in Green, Pakistan's largest online cricket fan group.
Dear Shaharyar Sb,
We hope this letter finds you well.
Firstly we would like to congratulate you on Pakistan's heartwarming performance in the ICC World Cup 2015. Even though the team could not go further than the quarterfinals, we believe that they put in tremendous effort in Australia and made fans believe in them once again. It was a performance to cherish from Misbah, Sarfraz, and all of the fast bowlers.
Before we go on, I would like to briefly introduce Boys in Green ("BiG") and explain the purpose of this letter.
BiG is a Facebook group comprising of Pakistan cricket fans, which was established in 2011. Over the past four years, we have grown significantly and currently have over 10,000 members, all of whom are passionate followers of the Pakistan cricket team. We pride ourselves for being the most popular online Pakistan cricket fan group.
You have just officially announced Azhar Ali as the new captain of ODIs. Along with that, you also announced that Sarfraz Ahmed will be vice captain across all three formats of the game.
Also read: To our heroes — of past and future
While you were deliberating over choices for the next ODI captain, we conducted a poll on our Facebook page to find out who Pakistan cricket fans thought should be leading the team in ODIs.
If you feel it is worth knowing how Pakistani fans feel about their new captain, read on to find out.
Poll Results
We put up the following four players as candidates for ODI captaincy:
- Mohammad Hafeez
- Azhar Ali
- Wahab Riaz
- Sarfraz Ahmed
Over 1,000 respondents made their pick and as per the results, Mohammad Hafeez was the most favourite choice. Only 1.1 per cent people considered Azhar as the right ODI captain.
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Here is a brief summary of our assessment of the four candidates:
Mohammad Hafeez:
Hafeez was not only an experienced campaigner, he had under his belt the experience of captaining the national unit in T20s, while serving as Misbah's deputy in ODIs and Tests.
He has also successfully led domestic teams in Pakistan, and his recent outing in the Champions League as the captain of Lahore Lions was exemplary. We believed that with Misbah, Afridi, and Younis no longer representing Pakistan in ODIs, the inclusion of Hafeez into the side as a senior member would bring some solidity, balance, and much-needed experience.
The majority of our respondents agreed with that. It is strange that you thought someone who last played an ODI in 2013 was better suited than Hafeez.
Sarfraz Ahmed:
Sarfraz Ahmed is an exceptional talent who will serve Pakistan for many years in the future. At this stage, he seemed to be the best candidate for vice captaincy across all formats, and we were glad you have made just that announcement.
Read on: A hero's welcome for Sarfraz as Pakistan team returns
Sarfraz was captain of the Pakistan U19 team which won the World Cup in 2006. It is a good move to groom him under the wings of Misbah, Hafeez, and Afridi in the three formats of the game – a solid investment with the potential of giving Pakistan a future captain.
Wahab Riaz:
Wahab Riaz was in the talks of captaincy too. He is Pakistan's new superstar; our biggest performer in the World Cup and an overnight hero.
Notwithstanding his recent improvements, we believed it best to leave Wahab a free bird for now; allow him to concentrate on his bowling at this time. He has just turned the corner as a player and not too long ago, even his inclusion in the side was criticised.
See: That Wahab spell — A nation's faith in pace restored
Making him captain based on a handful of good games might not have been the best idea. And again, we are glad you did not make that mistake.
Azhar Ali:
Azhar Ali is not even a regular ODI player for Pakistan. He is undoubtedly one of our best Test batsmen at the moment, but sir, he is just not suited for ODIs.
The World Cup showed us that Pakistan's batting in ODIs is far behind that of the rest of the world. We require modern aggressive batsmen with rich repertoires of shots.
How Pakistan is going to post 300-plus totals in ODIs with batsmen like Azhar Ali in the middle is beyond our imagination.
We believe that Azhar Ali cannot even find a place in Pakistan's ODI playing XI as a batsman, let alone as a captain.
What the plan should have been
Based on the poll results, here is what the PCB might have been better off doing by way of a gradual succession plan:
1. Appoint Hafeez as Pakistan's ODI captain.
2. Appoint Sarfraz as Pakistan's vice captain across all three formats.
3. Have an open discussion with Misbah, Hafeez and Afridi about the future. Request them to groom Sarfraz to the best of their abilities.
4. Work with a timeline in mind, and the plan of appointing Sarfraz as captain across all formats in a year's time, when Misbah and Afridi retire from Tests and T20s respectively.
We have only Pakistan's best interests at heart, and we hope that even if you have already made your decision for now, you will use this input in making better-informed decisions for Pakistan cricket in the future.
Yours sincerely,
The Boys in Green Administration
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (150) Closed
Mar 30, 2015 06:54pm
I think the best would have been to select an interim captain like Hafeez for 1 year to see who emerges as a regular and consistent player. Sarfraz has the lead but can be do it for 4-6-8 months? Wahab the same. Will Azhar even make the team?
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Mar 30, 2015 06:58pm
PCB is so ridiculous...
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Mar 30, 2015 07:08pm
I think Azhar will be a fine captain. He has the batting technique and with time , support and a stable batting position he should develop the ability to rotate the strike and accelerate in later stages of an innings.
Even when Misbah started out as the test captain in 2010 his test batting record was poor and he has brought up his average to almost 50 now. Hafeez is a mediocre batsman who has struggled against quality bowling attacks and neither Sarfraz nor Wahab should be burdened with captaincy yet.
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Mar 30, 2015 07:12pm
BIG,
Knocking at the wrong door. Misbah's legacy will prevail. Pakistan cricket R.I.P.
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Mar 30, 2015 07:18pm
Fact filled letter. Agree with you
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Mar 30, 2015 07:21pm
That is how they destroyed cricket and will destroy it again.
Why not put Wahab Riaz as Captain and Sarfaraz as vice. He has just seen international action and would be a great choice.
The whole nation knows the choice !!!
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Mar 30, 2015 07:24pm
Need to groom Sarfraz as the captain across all formats. He should start captaining ODI & T-20 Immediately and if he does not do something silly he should be appoint the test captain after Misbah. It will take him atleast two years to understand what being a Pakistani Captain means and then two more years to formulate a side for the 2019 WC.
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Mar 30, 2015 07:27pm
Technically very sound batter... Grt addition to Pak team and so far with bat he has won many games for Pakistan. Good luck...
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Mar 30, 2015 07:27pm
No doubt Azher is technically best...But the intention of Misbah/Waqar/PCB who made recommendation / decision is totally based on favoritism . If he was good enough why none of above 3 never included him in one day squad in last 2 years.
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Mar 30, 2015 07:30pm
Excellent article. Very sincere, interesting and right-on-spot analyses.
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Mar 30, 2015 07:34pm
I agree with BIG.
Azhar is NOT the right choice at the moment:
Apart from the lack of ODI Matches, lack of Captaincy experience and lack of aggression.. Just think how would the Team adjust and cooperate "under" him, knowing that he lacks the experience. Just think how would he HIMSELF perform as a batsman and captain knowing that MAJORITY of Pakistan does not support him?
He is a great Test Batsman, and he should be tried as an ODI Player, but the captaincy decision, especially at this stage, does not justify.
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Mar 30, 2015 07:40pm
Misbah was not in the side when he took over and what a good captain he turned out to be with the worst possible bowling attack and mediocre batting unit. Azhar has temperament to stay on wicket, technically is sound and puts a high price for his wicket---all three qualities almost absent from the recent showings. Afridi's philosophy of "1800 runs in 50 overs " has to be discarded.
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Mar 30, 2015 07:41pm
I think people should stop criticising Azhar Alis choice as Captain. I always thought he could be a good ODI player, but due to Misbah in the team, there was no place for him. Now i think his time has come, and we need a guy who can hold his own. Hafeez was a great T20 captain, but he is not an ODI captain. I for one, am 100% behind Ali. All the best Azhar, dont worry about the negative comments, there will always be some.
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Mar 30, 2015 07:43pm
I dont think Azhar Ali is fit to be included in the ODI team. Pakistan will be searching for a new ODI Captain in a years time from now.
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Mar 30, 2015 07:44pm
I am a firm believer in Azhar. He has the right head of a captain. Hafeez performance does not merit him a place in the squad with Sarfaraz and Ahmed opening.
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Mar 30, 2015 07:46pm
I think he will be good, much in the same mold as Misbah.
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Mar 30, 2015 07:47pm
Bad choice! Wahab who the only Pakistani player mentioned honorably in ICC World XI should have been rewarded by the PCB. When will the PCB learn!
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Mar 30, 2015 07:50pm
I am in complete agreement with the content of this letter. Azhar Ali is certainly a talent that best fits our TEST team, however his appointment appointment an ODI team captain is only a step backwards. In this age of ingenuity and unorthodoxies with respect to ODI cricket, Azhar Ali's approach and abilities are well below par than the international standards. I believe before appointing him as a captain he should at least serve in the format
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Mar 30, 2015 07:51pm
FIrstly nice article but one important thing is missing...PCB is not a democracy its an institution...And like any other institution, its a job of chairman and selection committee to select the next captain..Yes people will always have opinions....but PCB is not breaking any laws...They have a right to pick who is worthy of being a captain...All the boards in the world do this...If people were selecting teams and captains....it will be chaos....A similar experiment was done in football lower leagues in england...People selected teams and formation for each match...As a result team got relegated...since no one trusted each other on the field...alot of problems arised.....Similarly we should let the people responsible do their jobs...Its their job and their job alone....Its our job as supporters to back them and praise them and refrain from negative vibes...This is an educated way, all the world sporting teams work on this...Its time pakistan people should do this as well.
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Mar 30, 2015 08:02pm
I think Sarfaraz would have been a good choice as his good wicketkeeping will ensure his presence in team in every match.
If still they wanted to go for a captain who is a batsman, then Fawad Alam or Harris Sohail would have had been good choices.
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Mar 30, 2015 08:02pm
Please note all who are in favor for Azhar ali being as a captain, cricket has evolved in past 6 or 7 years, they way teams scores runs and the they way batsmen play their shots and on what pace they have to play its all changed, 300 is the par score,defensive approach not required, so for that reason ahzar ali is not a good choice... its a suicide mission in progress. if PCB stick to their decision
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Mar 30, 2015 08:03pm
@Nisar on the dot, agree 100%
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Mar 30, 2015 08:06pm
Wow! Did not think someone could put down my frustrations in writing with such polite words. Thank you Boys in Green. You just added a member in your group
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Mar 30, 2015 08:11pm
How do you make someone a captain who was not selected in the squad for the worldcup in the first place? amazing, only in Pakistan
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Mar 30, 2015 08:26pm
Is this group a creation of Hafeez while he was enjoying holidays? Hafeez can't even have a place in the eleven if his bowling is not cleared. And even if his bowling is really cleared then who knows how effective he will be with his now bowling action. Hafeez is only just ok when we play mediocre teams. He isn't better than even our lower order bats when he has to face quality fast bowling. Can you for a while imagine him facing Starc, Johnson, Boult or Styen. Please give me a break all those who wanted to see him as captain. You want aggressive batsmen? Hafeez' strike rate is far lesser than Misbah.
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Mar 30, 2015 08:28pm
Had Azhar Ali been selected for the world cup squad, we could have won many more matches. He was the opner we were missing there, one who could play the new ball off.
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Mar 30, 2015 08:34pm
The best possible choice. He will adapt to the requirements, I'm sure.
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Mar 30, 2015 08:37pm
We needed him in the OD squad to give stability at the top. Hafeez has no future unless we are playing Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Hafeez can't stand an over bowled by Starc, Johnsen, Boult or Styen on a bit bouncy wicket. Worst than Nasir Jamshed.
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Mar 30, 2015 08:38pm
I like Azhar. A very good choice. Sarfraz is too new and not a good keeper while standing to spinners.
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Mar 30, 2015 08:45pm
This is not a popularity contest. We need a solid batsman who can replace Misbah and Younis. Hafeez is done unless he gets his bowling action cleared. I would have preferred Sarafaraz as a captain but Azhar Ali is not a bad choice either. Good luck to him and rest of the team. I see nothing but bright future ahead for our team.
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Mar 30, 2015 08:56pm
If azhar does not have space in the team the how do you justify Hafeez in the team.I can't understand Pcb's problem with Fawad
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Mar 30, 2015 09:04pm
Who is he ? does he play cricket ? if yes , why he was not part of Asia cup and WC squad ? where was he ? how many ODI appearances ? how many 100s ? 50s ? very strange a man not part of playing final 15 and yet he makes to the coveted post ? was he a vice captain ? Ok Ok if he has made our captain , we will support him till the time he keep proving that he deserves the slot . Good luck , we are not against you Mr Azher Ali , we are just amused by the system.
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Mar 30, 2015 09:06pm
pakistan need disxipline now not experince and player power.azhar is best choice and will show it correct
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Mar 30, 2015 09:08pm
pakistan need discipline not experience and player power.every scinor in worldcup was fighting for him self....i think it is right to consider and trust new blood
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Mar 30, 2015 09:14pm
Wow..not even in the team and returns as Captain...!! Only in Pakistan....
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Mar 30, 2015 09:15pm
Im done with pakistan cricket. Someone bring Misbah back.
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Mar 30, 2015 09:26pm
I have no problem with him being captain. Actually, I always thought he should have been in the ODI team for the past two years.
Sarfaraz or Ali - both would be a good choice IMO.
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Mar 30, 2015 09:28pm
Just one point to consider about Wahab. He has delivered magical spells in the World Cup probably because, the ground conditions and weather most suited him. He should have been tested again back-home to confirm his sudden rise.
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Mar 30, 2015 09:45pm
Sorry but even Hafeez would find it difficult to find his place back in the team purely as a batsman. Of course as an all-rounder he is a shoe-in but the problems with his bowling action are likely to continue in the future too.
Wahab is 29 right now and will be 33 by the time next World Cup rolls along so he may have lost some of his pace and 'aggression' by then, hence could not be the option for the future. Sarfraz probably will be the captain in 1-2 years but his time as a VC will groom him for that role and so right now Azhar Ali may not be the worst option.
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Mar 30, 2015 09:48pm
I don't like Hafeez's batting as an opener but with the current situation, I think he is best suited to be a middle order batting all-rounder who should captain the side in all three formats for about a year before handing off the reins to Sarfaraz. Wahab should concentrate on being the strike bowler and a late order batsmen and in a year, he would be ready to be Sarfaraz's VC. It is rational but we are excepting too much from PCB to make multiple rational decisions together!
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Mar 30, 2015 09:51pm
Y not Imran Nazir. Imran Nazir should be a Captain of Pakistani Cricket team.
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Mar 30, 2015 10:03pm
I agree with you completely. Azhar is a great guy and like Younis and Misbah he is tuk tuk no 2 and not a good choice for a captain for an odi team.
Hafeez has a cool head and is experience as a bowler and a batsman and aggressive opener who would be most logical choice. It seems board always has a problem making a simple and obvious choice all the time...picking the wrong players at the wrong time...another huge blunder.
We had a plenty of young players who are aggressive and a fighters ...Hamad Azam, Ehsan Adil and Hasan Raza have potential to be good captains besides Sarfaraz.
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Mar 30, 2015 10:17pm
@sam1952 they will never learn. The culture of nepotism will destroy us.
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Mar 30, 2015 10:23pm
BiG: "The World Cup showed us that Pakistan's batting in ODIs is far behind that of the rest of the world. We require modern aggressive batsmen with rich repertoires of shots." - I think the team desperately needs technically correct batsman with the ability to rotate the strike. You can only expand your repertoire of shots once you're able to pick the ones and twos. The batsmen coming in at 3 and 4 need to build the innigs and provide it a platform rather than slog their way out of a pressure situation.
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Mar 30, 2015 10:23pm
What happened to Mohammad Hafeez who is part regular one day team and can become good captain? I am from India and surprized to see this decision. Let's hope Azhar would be able to manage Pak team and also perform for himself.
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Mar 30, 2015 10:31pm
I think Azhar Ali is best choice for the captaincy of Pakistan's future cricket.
Team needs a batsman who fill the blank of Misbah.
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Mar 30, 2015 10:33pm
Well I guess you guys should have done some research..
Azhar recently captained the Regional Pentagular Team , the top run getter, he captains SNGPL team ,other than that he took Lahore Loins B grade team into the finals of Domestic T20 Cup, as the orignal squad was in india playing Champions league,solely by shrewd captaincy tactics and bold killer attitude.
Hafeez is not the future,it would have been a step backwards
Sarfaraz will hopefully groomed to become a successful captain as he has captained Pak U-19 also...
As for Hafeez experience debate i will ask you guys to ponder why Steve Smith will be the ODI captain ahead of Finch,Bailey,Warner,Starc,Johnson etc ...
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Mar 30, 2015 11:03pm
With so much politics in PCB & within the team you actually think Mh.Hafeez would have agreed to captain for one year and give over the reigns to Sarfraz Ahmed with a smile? You live in a dream land. PCB must have a plan for next 4-6 years. Not just one or two years. Mh. Hafeez is already 34 years old (add 2 years just in case). He just doesn't fit in your future plans. You don't want another 40 years old leading your team in the World Cup 2019.
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Mar 30, 2015 11:04pm
Hafeez shouldn't even be in the team and you wanna make him the captain. lol
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Mar 30, 2015 11:13pm
Azhar was not part of the playing eleven in the WC 2015 so how can be made captain? Maybe, PCB thinks that like specialist bowlers and batsman the captaincy is a also a specialist and Azhar Ali will be brought in the team as a specialist skipprt
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Mar 30, 2015 11:32pm
PCB made sure that Pakistan cricket won't see acche din in near future. This was expected, sometimes just for the sake of doing something exemplary people commit blunder, hope there will be some method to this madness!!
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Mar 30, 2015 11:34pm
Very wise choice , he will ensure a bright future for Pakistan cricket and WC 2019 victory for Pakistan.
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Mar 30, 2015 11:42pm
Seeems like BIG and Hafeez - co wrote this letter.
Analysis based on 1000 respondents does not quite look credible anyways from the BIGgest FB group.
Anyways Azhar, Afridi, and Misbah can groom Sarfraz too. Not sure what extra value Hafeez would have added.
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Mar 30, 2015 11:42pm
Thank God, they didn't select Hafeez! Young talent is better than bruised experienced talent that is scarred with mediocrity as norm. Well done Misbah, once again you have proven to be smarter than 10,000 fans who spend more time online sharing their thoughts than playing cricket.
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Mar 30, 2015 11:49pm
Dear BiG,
Good analysis but you fail to understand that PCB does not use logic in making decisions like you have.
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Mar 30, 2015 11:50pm
Not much times he made the team not sure he will make it again but it's funny
PCB made him Captain.
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Mar 30, 2015 11:52pm
Please attention all ! who are in a favor for Azhar ali as being a captain, cricket has evolved in past 6 or 7 years, the way teams score runs and the way batsmen play their shots and on what pace they have to play its all has changed, 300 is a par score,defensive approach is not required, we want dynamic captain, who can set a an example, so for that reason ahzar ali is not a good choice... its a suicide mission in progress. if PCB stick to their unprecedented decision..what goes in their minds its above me
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Mar 31, 2015 12:11am
The four teams that qualified for the semi finals were New Zealand, Australia, India and South Africa. All of them had their most aggressive players as captains. McCallum for New Zealand, Clarke for Australia, Dhoni for India and AB de Villiers for South Africa give a clear message that an ODI captain must be aggressive to win a competition. Alas! we did not learn anything from them. R.I.P. Pakistani cricket
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Mar 31, 2015 12:48am
No idea who Azhar Ali is, but if he is Misbah edition 2, that would be good. Pakistani. Pakistani wear their heart on their sleeve so they need some calm person managing them. Too much mirch and namak in our blood
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Mar 31, 2015 01:25am
Firstly I think Pakistan done extremely well in the world cup well done boys. Considering they did not have siad ajmal and muhammad hafeez both who are key players. As for the captaincy that should go to siad ajmal . And give muhammad amir a chance to play again.
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Mar 31, 2015 01:32am
I guess most of the voters were the same who think that Shahid Afridi is better than one Don Bradman on any day! Mohammad Hafeez for the Captain's slot? Are you kidding? He has dragged himself far too long on the basis of his bowling. We know his batting skills or lack thereof very well. Now that he can't bowl he shouldn't even make to playing 11. Wahab & Sarfraz are good lads and have just started coming out of age. Let them concentrate on achieving the heights of a great cricketer. Because captaining a Pakistan side is not a small job. You have to deal with so many malicious persons & attitudes in and around team. Azhar is a mature guy, a sensible one who has confidence of so many who matter. And the lad has scored in List A games @strike rate of 85 and avg of >50 for over a year now. Good luck boy, you are not welcome by pakistani fans but then neither was ever Misbah.
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Mar 31, 2015 01:33am
Another mindless decision. Replacing Older Misbah with a younger version is not going to cut it.
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Mar 31, 2015 01:42am
Wahab riyaz is a fighter
so he should be a captain.
how long muhammad hafeez
can play?
sarfraz is a good fighter too
All the face book group should stay
quite and not to expect too much
from the board.
I heard that so many people liking the
performance of our team . Why?
you forgot nasir jamshed?
Its better to be quite
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Mar 31, 2015 01:49am
Maybe they are looking for a dummy captain to keep the coach dominant ?
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Mar 31, 2015 02:05am
That's good azhar ali Naya Pakistan and new captain. We people are so stupid old all we havve tried like hafiz n all. So let's try azhar ali.
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Mar 31, 2015 02:14am
If Waqar Younus did not even take Azhar for World cup how he can suggest him as captain?. It is easy to understand that as selfish Waqar thinking that board will keep him as coach he wants another Misbah to say no to that arrogant guy. Waqar should also be shown the doors to clean up the dirty politics. Needless to say that he was the most guilty in failure of the team in the World Cup.
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Mar 31, 2015 02:20am
Please Board has to give clarification on what base they select Azher Ali as ODI captain
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Mar 31, 2015 02:53am
What The ....??? old horse not considered for ODIs/T20s suddenly promoted to el kapitaan! is this a lottery? no grooming or planning, just wake up one day and appoint captain??? Is he decisive??? how're his communication & teamwork skills???does he know cricket tactics and strategy??? Do his training before pushing him into boiling water!
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Mar 31, 2015 03:28am
This is where the Board lacks in preparing players according to future strategy. As evident from the results of recently concluded World Cup Pakistan is far behind other major teams and lacks consistency. Why they continued with Misbah for so long is difficult to understand because there is no shortage of talent-actually the board has suffocated talented players due to wrong policies, they have even failed to organize sufficient number of first class tournament, hence, players are unable to develop or display their talent. The Board has miserably failed in its prime objective of developing cricket in the country and has also adopted biased policy in handling cricket related matters, especially in team selection--this should change.
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Mar 31, 2015 03:30am
Who is he? When he start cricket?
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Mar 31, 2015 03:40am
I am a fan of Pak cricket even as I live in the USA since 1982.
The present situation is an oft repeated situation, however two
things that look positive are : appointment of a career diplomat
as head of PCB and formation of BiG . This is super .... at last we
have arrived, never too late, of taking issues from the masses for
timely resolution of matters. Good luck. God speed. Keep it up.
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Mar 31, 2015 03:57am
Hello Big,
I'll follow you guys on the facebook. Have you guys did any survey on the selection of the selectors. This is one section which needs big improvement. I am afraid Haroon Rashid is a 'Yes Man' and cannot do justice to tghis job. All the future teams will be selected by Waqar Younus, and we know that Waqar has an ego issue. He alqways blames others and would never accept his fault.
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Mar 31, 2015 04:23am
Azhar Ali has a good head on his shoulder. When he gets on the crease, you know he is not going to be walking out next ball.. something we desperately need in ODI. What are some of us talking about.. score 300 in this day and age.. we can't even bat 50 overs or make scores higher than 230. We need players with higher average. Hafeez trembled in front of Steyn every time and got out every time on the first ball in the last series.. do we want that in a captain? Add Fawad and you have a group of sincere guys who can bat and have high average to give you a consistent score of 250+
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Mar 31, 2015 04:36am
What is BiG? There are millions of fans of Pakistan Cricket all over the country and abroad and we care so much about the 10,000? Sorry. IMO Azhar Ali is a good choice with Sarfaraz as his deputy. Hafeez without his bowling doesn't even have a place in the team let alone leading the team. He has a poor batting technique and failed mostly as an opener.
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Mar 31, 2015 04:38am
The criteria of picking a captain is based on his runs or wickets...this is wrong.
He should be a good player, not necessarily the best, but must be emotional and mentally strong, have nerves of steel, and have leadership qualities.
The team will need two coaches. One for the physical skills and a second coach for mental
and emotional skill development.
Here you have a recipe for a top world class team!
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Mar 31, 2015 04:42am
I think Azhar is a better choice than Hafeez. We need proper batsmen in the middle and should get rid of players like Umer Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood who don't have the technique & patience to stay on the wicket (they can be selected to play Sixers tournament in Hong Kong!). We need to have players like Fawad Alam, Harris Sohail and Azhar Ali in the middle who can rotate the strike in the middle overs to give some stability and give a fighting total to the bowling unit to defend - we don't need 350-400 runs with our bowling attack - anything over 250 is good for us 95% of the time.
Pakistan is desperately missing fast bowling All-Rounders - I cant even think of any names who can be groomed to take the fast-bowling All Rounder spot - Hamad Azam probably?.
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Mar 31, 2015 05:04am
One of the best choices is Azhar Ali as ODI skipper with Sarfaraz Ahmad as his deputy.
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Mar 31, 2015 05:17am
BiG,
What you have written about Azhar was true for Misbah at the time he was made captain. If it was up to you, he would never have been captain, and we would not have had one our best players in the team.
Your analysis is very one dimensional, unfortunately. Thankfully you don't have to pick the side.
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Mar 31, 2015 05:19am
Please also note that Sarfaraz's wicket-keeping is merely average. If his batting form goes, so will this overenthusiastic support. As always we are in danger of getting carried away and appointing players based on glory moments.
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Mar 31, 2015 05:32am
This is Favourtism and appointment of Captain is made on personal likingnot keeping the interst of Pakistan in mind...
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Mar 31, 2015 05:40am
fruits of democracy :A person who dont knows about the ABC of cricket is serving as the chairman of PCb then what you can expect from him except an irregular player to be the next captain
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Mar 31, 2015 05:53am
Although I'm a Bangladeshi but I also fan of Pakistan since I know cricket. I am very excited when I watch Pakistan game. I was very surprised when I heard that Azhar Ali was announced as odi captain. I hope pcb will change their decision to make Hafeez as Captain.
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Mar 31, 2015 06:18am
Your polls and the subsequent comments from the readers clearly indicate the problem with Pakistan cricket. Captaincy, like coaching, require a different set of skills than being an exceptional player. Needless to say that you have to be good enough player to merit a selection in the side. But beyond that you need to have a good understanding of the game and a good strategist. Most importantly you need to have the trust and respect of the players.
Yes PCB opted for a player cut in Misbah's mold to take captaincy of the side. This, given our track record in ODIs over the last two years, is a risky strategy. But then we had not performed well under more aggressive captains either. I personally think, Azhar may be worth trying. If he can not gel the team together, we have enough time to think of an alternative. By the way, what happened to Asad Shafiq, nobody is even talking about him.
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Mar 31, 2015 06:33am
Azar is not only experience player. My choice is hafees,umar akmal ,wahap
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Mar 31, 2015 06:44am
This is just ridiculous campaign to cement Hafeez's place in the team. He is a burden on the team. We don't need experience we already have many players with decent experience in the team. We need to give chances to other batsmen to find good ones.
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Mar 31, 2015 06:51am
I firmly believe that the same players should not take part in all the three forms since the technique needed in the test format is vastly different from that of one day and 20 - 20 format. At the most one day and 20 - 20 team players can be the same since the damage is not that huge as far as the technique is concerned. For example Misbah and Yunis Khan are test players and Shahidi Afridi is a one day and T 20 player.
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Mar 31, 2015 06:54am
They need to overhaul the PCB too,can the PCB ever do anything right?
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Mar 31, 2015 06:56am
PCB, for God sake, stop this. First NS made Najam Sethi chairman, having no link to cricket. Now you are doing this because Waqar Younus doesnt like other deserving guys.
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Mar 31, 2015 07:08am
PCB likes the way what misbah thinks and misbah is the one who recommend azhar as a captain of pakistan team.
Misbah choose the one who plays for himself and not for the nation like he did in his whole carrier.
I would like to say that
Misbah is the virus for Pakistan team and PCB is corrupted with these peoples.
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Mar 31, 2015 07:13am
PCB and Mr. Shahryar are thinking for long term captain of ODIs. Let Azhar Ali groom to occupy top three spot for ODIs and then the WC 2019 !
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Mar 31, 2015 07:14am
@a Pakistani
May be he is too similar to Misbah as batsmen. But for captain we don't need likes of Afridi/Hafeez/Younis who coped out under pressure and resigned. We need stable captain like Misbah.
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Mar 31, 2015 07:15am
Hafeez is a lost cause to be honest. He does not have the technique nor the temperament for big games and his previous stint at leading the side has been rather dismal too. I think he should be thanked for what he has given to the team and should be left for T20's.
On the other hand, Azhar is a poor choice as well. He might be a cool headed thinking player but I have serious doubts that he lacks the bag of tricks required in the modern versions of the shorter formats. With so much street cricket, bring in the new-age Javed Miandads and let them evolve on the big stage. That is what the team needs.
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Mar 31, 2015 08:11am
@Shoaib
Why Sarfraz only,don't you see guts in any other player,I am afraid Sarfraz may not perform consistently as he did in the past,only in a few matches recently he performed but in QF he did nothing where he could have been real hero but he missed the opportunity.
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Mar 31, 2015 08:12am
@immi
I totally agree with you.
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Mar 31, 2015 08:16am
@Nisar
You are right!
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Mar 31, 2015 08:20am
@Altruist
what about Lee Germon of NZ?
He played his first ODI as New Zealand captain.He was a wicket keeper.
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Mar 31, 2015 08:21am
The problem with this letter is that it doesn't realize that Hafeez now has a suspect action which prohibits him from bowling and he can't justify his place in the playing 11 based only on his batting - as it hasn't been that great outside of UAE or sub-continental conditions. With a wobbly batsman on the top of the order, we're looking like West Indies under Chris Gayle rather than Australia under Steve Waugh.
In that respect, Azhar's choice is ok. The other batsmen need to bat around him at a higher strike rate to get to the 300s we all wish Pakistan gets more often.
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Mar 31, 2015 08:44am
10,ooo members in the group, and sample of just 1000 votes have been taken for the whole analysis... may be misguiding i think,,, it should be more than 10000 atleast
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Mar 31, 2015 09:02am
I think ODI captain should be middle order batsman specially for Pakistani team which has a very weak opening pair. I think PCB has appointed Azhar Ali bcoz he can occupy crease longer than any current batsman. We also should include fawad alam in the team and make our middle order much stronger. We also should get batting coach from India Like Dravid. Not only he can coach our batsman technical aspects but also make them mentally stronger finisher. If wasim akram can coach their bowler, we could also get something from their batsman. There is no shame in it!!
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Mar 31, 2015 09:06am
@Altruist in SA too, Greame Smith becomes captain from Nowhere, and you saw how good he was Captain of SA...! Let's back the captain rather than criticizing
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Mar 31, 2015 09:31am
Plx double check the information that is used for articles
"You have just officially announced Azhar Ali as the new captain of ODIs. Along with that, you also announced that Sarfraz Ahmed will be vice captain across all three formats of the game."
Sarfraz will be vice captain for ODI n T 20s while Azhar Ali was announced as the VC from Tests.
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Mar 31, 2015 09:40am
Azhar is the right choice if there is a little element left in long term planning and building a true captain from a young age and so as the team. We must support Azhar, so he will be able to play longer and become an uncompromised captain. We must have a succession plan who will be after Azhar i.e. his wing man has to be supported so both can build a team of great player and start winning tournaments and trophies. With an eye on next World Cup. Cricket board must also have fair elections so there is no issues bringing up players on merit.
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Mar 31, 2015 09:51am
Who is Azhar Ali? This shows the immaturity or should I say biasness of the board. To have a stable team;
1- PCB must become independent body, making the decision on its own and not following PM orders.
2- fire all the top members of the board with immediate effect as almost all of them have come through "parchi", not merit.
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Mar 31, 2015 09:52am
Dear writer. Hafeez could not evem justify as a batsmen in the team.how could someone even think of making him as a captain. He has attitude issues. He has technique issues as a batsmen.he cannot even score big outside asia against good teams.
Azhar ali is a good choice. He is technically good player. All he needs to do is to imprive his strike rate.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:10am
I cannot understand how any player who is not good enough to find a place in the team can be appointed Captain. Having said so any Captain is only as good or bad as the team he commands, expecting miracles from him with an average team is an unrealistic expectation. Pakistan must find and groom better quality players if their goal is to win major tournaments.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:31am
Wahab riaz should have been the caption. Look at his performance in World Cup.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:34am
While there are valid points against Azhar Ali, I am not sure a public poll is ever going to give the right answer.
Having heard from all kinds of people for so long, I am inclined to think if they had put in Afridi in that poll, he would have been the favorite. That's just how people in Pakistan think when it comes to cricket.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:38am
I don't what's wrong with PCB playing with people's feelings. What don't even know this guy azharuddin and he has been made the captain of 200 million people. my advice to PCB and Waqar younas please grow up or leave. Wahab riaz should have been the captain
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Mar 31, 2015 10:41am
there are two kinds of decisions. populous & long term. making azhar ali captain is a long term decision. hafeez is a tested one. still styen haunts him in his dreams. full support for azhar :0 good luck
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Mar 31, 2015 10:45am
who cares about what you think? He is the captain now I don't know why :P
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Mar 31, 2015 10:45am
In some time, cricket would be erased in Pakistan due to no country coming to play in Pakistan.
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Mar 31, 2015 11:01am
What I find wrong about the statements coming up against handing the captaincy to Azhar is the good ol "Modern Batsmen Required", Is it the job of the captain to lead in the said bill and the rest would simply follow suit? well Misbah was the most matured batsman that Pakistan ever played with but did it effect an iota over the actions of Umer Akmal in the field? That said, the current average from Hafeez is 32... hardly exciting or having the modern batsmen tint so desperately required! I for one believe that this is a good decision, Not only would it do Azhar good but the passing of the torch might ignite more passion in the younger generation who occupy the dressing room.
might just be the breath of fresh air we need!!
(BTW : 33 % agree with me, what of the BiG poll now??)
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Mar 31, 2015 11:03am
At least give Azhar Ali a chance to prove himself. we cannot keep relying on the old guard for every. One who cannot perform has to perish. It reminds me of Sachin Tendulkar, he proved to be a good batsman, however not a good captain as his performance dipped while as a captain.
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Mar 31, 2015 11:15am
I wont comment on many questionable ideas here but just one thing .. Dont understand WHY hafeez is even considered for ODI's. What are his credentials ? If Azhar hasnt played since 2013. How many matches has hafeez won for Pakistan in that time ??? Or Maybe its his batting average that proves he is certainly one of the all time greats i.e. 31.10 !!! Should Experience be a BENCHMARK for captaincy when the individual's record is questionable. OH !! thats right he s an all rounder. Certainly NOT of the calibre of Kallis .. Wasim Akram or Ian Botham to name a few. WAKE UP PAKISTANIS !!!!
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Mar 31, 2015 12:27pm
It is surprising that a player who was not considered fit for one day cricket because of his defensive style of play has been made captain of one day cricket team.His experience in one day cricket is only 14 games.
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Mar 31, 2015 12:29pm
@Bravo where are the facts in this letter? It's an opinion based letter. Facts are azhar has an odi average of 41 and strike rate of 66. Hageez has average of 31 strike rate 73. Ahmed shehzad average 35 strike rate 72. None of these ate suited to modern ODI cricket. The obit thing in favor of azhar is that he has been tested less than the other two. In my view, without bowling hafeez isn't a Friday choice in the team and can't be the captain. He has to fight for his place, that too in the middle order filled with options like haris, umar, azhar, sohaib and fawad. And the daddy of all YK hasn't retired yet.
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Mar 31, 2015 12:36pm
I do not with "parchi" captaincy
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Mar 31, 2015 12:41pm
So they made captain a player who was not even considered for the WC Squad. LOL. What a joke PCB is. They just keep going further down the drain every time and taking Pak cricket along with them. Wahab has shown aggression, and he was a good choice. Would have been a welcome change from laid back attitude of Misbah. As a side note, I hope Ali can speak decent English, bec we know Sarfaz can't. LOL.
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Mar 31, 2015 01:14pm
Let Azhar Ali make one aggressive century against India in any cricket format, and we will hear the rush, the din and clamor to hand over the captaincy, kitchen, sink and faucet to him. Any poll the next day would anoint him 30 plus percentage points as the next captain. I guess you elect your civilian leaders likewise. Maybe the need of the hour is to think rationally with the mind sometimes than the heart without recourse to courage, jazba, that spark etc, it does not work much against most teams of today, let alone India.
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Mar 31, 2015 01:25pm
who is he i never saw him in team before
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Mar 31, 2015 01:26pm
A non-representative institution like the PCB will invite political interference because of its cash richness and control over a popular game like cricket can only make decisions like it always has. Because there is no internal or external accountability they will continue with the status quo carrying free-riders of all descriptions.
Imagine the likes of Zardari or Nawaz becoming patron for the chess association or the badminton association.
The best way to save any game of cricket in Pakistan is to remove the political interference and parasites fleecing it . Tall order. But the alternative is to see cricket follow the route of hockey in Pakistan
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Mar 31, 2015 01:26pm
I AGREE - Azhar is not a good choice.
Even many of the people saw him after the news circulations..
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Mar 31, 2015 01:31pm
I actually disagree with this article. Azhar Ali is like you said one of pakistans best test batsmen right now and there is no reason why he cant produce the same quality in the ODI format. With regards to his strike rate Pakistan cant even make 250 runs and your talking about reaching 300 runs in an ODI game. You need some sort of stability and save wicket first before thinking of making 300 hundred runs. Agree his strike rate is not good at the moment but hes a good enough player to change that. Only issue is if he was considered as a captain (good choice) why didnt he play in the world cup?
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Mar 31, 2015 01:39pm
After ruining two major worldcup pcb stills follow the recomadation of mr.tuk tuk...a man whos strike rate is 39 in odis who not played international cricket for more then 3 year become a captain of cricket team woooow...this is the major reason for downfall of cricket in pakistan not lack of cricket ..u dont need to compare with indian cricket it is now far far away from their asian teams not for his money power but for how we select proper players..the difference between indain cricket nd pakistan cricket in thinking ..we select team for win not for favrtism or neptism...best of luk for future matches ...
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Mar 31, 2015 01:44pm
a player who could not find his place in the world cup squad ( one day cricket tournament ) is being entrusted with captaincy. what a joke with national cricket interests and a fine example of nepotism which has plagued every department of our national institutions.
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Mar 31, 2015 01:49pm
Akram will be good captain. Bring Yousuf back.
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Mar 31, 2015 02:03pm
Bad decision as PCB is on Bad track. We needed a fighter as Pakistan ODI Captain. Muhammad Hafeez is so far best choice but Wahab Riaz is better choice among new player for this post. Azhar Ali jumped in from no where ........... yet another Parchi in Pakistani cricket. Azhar will not survive for long so no worries ..... Worst of Luck to all
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Mar 31, 2015 02:05pm
I agree with your points except for one that Hafeez as an ODI Captain. How could you appoint someone who resgined resigned himself from T20 Captainship.
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Mar 31, 2015 02:27pm
let's make Shaharyar Khan captain ;-) and Altaf Hussain PCB chairman!!! I know everyone will agree !!!!
MQM will be happy (their HQ will shift to Lahore) and will also have an experienced captain!!!
BTW... it should be BGIG ("Boys & Girls in green")...
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Mar 31, 2015 02:58pm
I whole heartily agree with the BIG members.It is encouraging to know that we have individuals with good knowledge of cricket and should be allowed to pick the pak team as well.I have no doubt that you will do much better then our selectors in picking the team to represent the nation.
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Mar 31, 2015 03:29pm
Bad idea .... bad poll, even if all of you do have cricketing sense, still you lack management sense. batting performance of Hafeez is right there to judge , he is a nightmare of an opener, now he is no more an effective bowler and when he was actually bowling specially in T20' observe that he use to bowl when opponents were already on backfoot and defending. He is not a cricketer but actually a politician. when he was sent back from WC he never really protested it was a gamble he played as he knew Pakistan will go far in WC and after the retirment of all seniors, PCB will be begging on his doorstep for taking charge. He would have been most disappointed man today as his gamble was right but results were not as he expected....When a captain is not performing himself, he, very quickly, looses his respect in the team....Hope you know a little bit about leadership and management....
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Mar 31, 2015 03:49pm
Making Azhar Ali captain is like making Jason Holder captain of West Indies
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Mar 31, 2015 03:55pm
My Dear Distinguished Author. You seem to think that having a Facebook page with 10,000 members seems to grant you legitimacy to be the sole representatives of popular opinion on our cricket team. Granted that your poll is replicating current popular mood (Azhar Ali not the correct choice) nevertheless to take a poll of your own members & to project that as being representative of 180M Pakistani's is the height of arrogance.
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Mar 31, 2015 03:56pm
Pakistan Cricket needs Azhar Ali be be the bedrock on which our fail batting would be built. Making him the captain now is a positive development & shows a realization on the part of PCB as to just how bare the batting reserves are!
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Mar 31, 2015 04:15pm
The letter sets out a very logical and methodical plan. Unfortunately that is what is wrong with it.
We Pakistanis, especially PCB, prides on doing things in a completely illogical manner. Therefore they could never have implemented this plan.
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Mar 31, 2015 04:29pm
I'm against Hafeez as Captain, we've seen his captaincy in T20, which is nothing near to good. As a batsman, I wouldn't pick him in playing eleven. The only good thing about him is his bowling in limited overs.
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Mar 31, 2015 05:06pm
Endorse Azhar Ali 100%. After Misbah we need cool headed and a good batsmen in the middle. In any case strike rate of those who appears as dashers are not that great either. What we need in ODI is to consistently make 250+ score, we need to realize our limitations... only then we will have a shot at 300 scores.
Above all we need to stay controversy free and for that we need cool and calm captain who is a consistent performer. Good luck Azhar Ali hope you will be able to take in the pressure.
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Mar 31, 2015 05:48pm
Azhar Ali has played a total 14 ODI innings where he has reach a score of 35 or more 3 times. He last played in Jan 2013 and his inning of over 35 was on August 31, 2013.
Seems to me he has struggled to be included in the team. So why make him a captain, let alone include him in the team?
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Mar 31, 2015 08:14pm
@samir lol I think its the other way round, Hafeez being Pakistan's top scorer in the last 5 year along with the best economy rate in the world, if that is not merit then you are right!
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Mar 31, 2015 08:16pm
Completely agree that Hafeez is the only option to lead this team. Mark my words, we'll be looking for a new captain in a years' time because Azhar wont be able to maintain his place in the team!
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Apr 01, 2015 12:29am
@Sarwar Asad Shafiq's average is as low as Afridi and strike rate lower than Misbah. I don't know how he got into international cricket. He stole Fawad's place. He is not a good player even according to UAE standards.
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Apr 01, 2015 03:28am
Azhar ali is way to far to be a captain.He is not even a regular ODI player he dosent deserves it but Sarfaraz is a regular odi player and can be perfect for captaincy in t20 and odi and pakistan even won u19 world cup with sarfaraz as captain and wahab riaz cannot be because he needs to focus on his bowling performance as he developed just recently
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Apr 01, 2015 07:36am
He is not a good batsman. Weak against moving ball, does not move his feet much, plays the length ball outside off stump away from the body. Has slight balance issue if he tries to raise his strike rate.
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Apr 01, 2015 11:40am
God Forbid he drops a few catches and goes scoreless for a few games then I wanna see what you 'fans' have to say about Sarfaraz. 'Sarfaraz..Sarfaraz....Sarfaraz.' ... tired of hearing his name. Please show us some class first. I just hate arrogant people. Why haven't they given any other captains a chance like Hafeez, Umar Akmal or even Asad Shafiq.
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Apr 01, 2015 11:57am
Azhar Ali was not good enough to be selected in the 15 member squad but now all of sudden he is good enough to lead the pakistani side.
PCB please stop trying to completely destroy Pakistani Cricket. We love this game.... please start taking Cricket seriously and treat it as a Company. There should be talent development team whose responsibility should be to groom the players according to their talent. please prepare a succession plan for these players. you are not doing Azhar Ali any favor by making him a captain. he is not geared for this kind of leadership.
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Apr 01, 2015 01:25pm
well first i hope he read the letter, secondly it is impossible that a decision would be reversed on the grounds of what facebook group members are thinking, cricket is not election where a nation's decision is counted, its a separate body with so called professional working in it, I AM ALSO AGAINST THE DECISION OF MAKING AZHAR ALI A CAPTAIN, but who am i to board? just an individual, so the decision was pathetic, i am looking for another year of tuk tuk and defensive approach
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Apr 01, 2015 02:12pm
PCB totally incompetent . My five years old son can make better decision than these PCB experinced selectors , Guess PCB is no different than our current policatical conditions.
I Rest my case.
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Apr 01, 2015 10:46pm
Azhar and Sarfraz are the only clean and apolitical guys in the team. Wahab is out regularly due to injury. Azhar lacks experience......perhaps even merit. Sarfraz is too temperamental. The only solution is to start afresh with the 2019 WC as the target.
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Apr 02, 2015 06:42pm
i want to this.that shahid afridi become captain of pakistani cricket team
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Apr 02, 2015 06:44pm
azhar ali ir no suite to captancy of pakistani cricket team.plz dont do this
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