A year ago contemplating a Pakistan Twenty20 team without Razzaq would have been beyond reason. A few months ago he was being talked of as a possible captain or vice-captain. Now he is a liability, a donkey in the field and a work-horse with the ball.

Still, I find it hard to conclude that The Razzler's ballistic batting would not be an asset in the Wham Bam of a Twenty20 encounter. Surely his ecstatic batting will return even though his bowling is miserable and his fielding is joyless?

Razzaq has shown enough thrashing ability in his career to merit a trip to the Twenty20 World Cup. But if the rumours from the Pakistan camp are true then the ruin of the Razzler may prove to be a calamity for Pakistan's chances.

Observing Razzler for the past two years, perhaps its teh right step by PCB to omit him.

I feel for Razzak. However, the decline in his bowling has rendered him to be replaced by more effective all rounders. Even so, I would pick him for the 2020 world cup. Reason being:

a. He has emmense experience that is vital on a tour to unfamiliar conditioons such as South Africa.
b. His ability to blast a quick fire 20 or 30 later in the innings can be the difference between a game won and a loss avoided.

What stuff is the good doctor smoking Razzak, Yousuf out of the 20 WC........Pakistan cricket is going to be ruined if the good doctor and his impotent selectors are left incharge any longer, no contract for Inzi but one for Misbah....who is Misbah and what has he done or should i say who does he know. The last time i checked Kaneria did not play too mony one days either. Put Razzak in as this might be the pill that breaks the fever for him dont count my man out just yet.

Pak has enough talent to supply the world. an independent league like the ICL, could prove to be a good thing for these talened cricketers. ICL matches will get media spotlight in india and pak, which might motivate these talented players to perform.
Razzak, Saqlain, even Afridi...such talent....underutilised.
More than anyone else, Pak needs an Imran kind of figure to unite these guys. If they do, they can dominate world cricket for a looong time.

Its how we are, Hope that some generation would take a step back & then make a come back as a community.........

So the blog I posted earlier about Inzamam... Osman wrote a worthy article warranting Inzamam's return and getting an honorable exit. I feel he still has it in him to play tests.

Now we talk about Razzaq, sure he has the capability for ODI's and 20/20 but not test callibre as we saw in previous test series where he score 4 runs off of some 50 odd balls. Should he be in the 20/20 sure he should, however the young blood may hold true when it come to power hitting.

As well, let's talk about Yousuf, it is inimaginable to have him out for any form of the game.

PCB is gone bonkers with all its decision making post worldcup... Don't know what to expect truly. When Lawson talked about unpredictability, he definitely got the word right. Cause as of right now, Pakistan doesn't even know it's playing xi for tests, odis and 20/20.

Who knows what the future holds??? I hope PCB does for better or for worse...

sami

I am not sure if this thread is going to create any momentum or gather any mass, 'coz we all know and it was inevitable that Razzaq would be axed sooner or later. The rumour of Mohammad Yousuf to join the sidelines is also there and, its one of the reasons that he left the camp with some other reason as a face saving device. It is a known fact that twenty20 is very different ball game. I wouldn't even include Younis Khan in the twenty20 team. He doesn't have those strokes to play and whenever he tried he got out cheaply and we need to see if he can do some miracle in SA.

Coming back to the subject of "Razzler" who once used to dazzle with his bat and used to change the complexion of the game in just a few overs. But, as they say: "tout en une fin" or all things come to an end, so has Razzaq's career. With his current form and his performance, the lazy and lethargic attitude he has no chance. It seems extremely hard to fit him in the twenty20 squad and you cannot do that on compassionate grounds.

Inzamam made a hasty decision and is paying a price for it, even though there was no guarantee if the PCB had included him in the ODI team. He thought, perhaps he would play for Pakistan in the test team and I think he can. But, when you are out from one form of the game you are out from other forms as well and that is the logic behind the PCB's central contracts. (may not be true for younger players but those coming of age and going down the hill they cannot come back) Jayasuriya is an exception, he fought like a warrior and won his place and proved his mettle but once again, the question is how long can one play? IMO, Razzaq should accept it gracefully and if he has any desire to win a place again, he should prove it on the domestic circuit. Although, his case is not like Mohammad Yousuf's for sure the later will come back in test and ODI but, Razzaq is going to go into oblivion from now and hereafter.

I was hoping Mr. Abbassi would be writing something about Inzi, especially after Osman Samiuddin's recent article on cricinfo called "Legend in Limbo" and Sami Sayed's call also went unnoticed and unheard and mine didn't appear on the thread at all. Anyways, one should look at it from the positive aspect that, its good for the new and younger players and they would be playing for Pakistan along with some experienced old horses like, Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar and may be Younis Khan.

its amazing how pcb officials are hellbent on destroying the careers of the likes of razzaq and yousuf and inzimam. This is a post woolmer cull, and I have a feeling its one just for the sake of it.One perhaps to exercise the ghosts of over religiousity ala pj "moby dick" mir.

I think Razzak should have been selected just for destructive batting capabilities alone.
After Afridi, Razzak is the next most explosive batsman in the side.
Dropping Yousuf will be a great tragedy & a huge loss for Pakistan. The guy is a very stabilising presence in the middle, seeing as how Inzamam is no longer there.
I wonder who's actually selecting the team these days ???
At least the World's fastest bowler is going.
I think Shoaib will be a sensation in this 20/20 World Cup.

Razzaq deserve the place in the squad,if decided on merit.He deliver it many time for Pakistan and although is on decline but he still is the big match player.He got the experience and youth cant be replacement of experience specially on the fast tracks of South Africa.I am not against the inclusion of youth but the fact remain that new young corp in training camp is use to play on flat pakistani tracks and I wonder careers may get end before even begining.Mangement may want to clean the team from Inzi`s loyals as a second thought on Razzaq and Yousaf.Who next Afrdi may be...

Mr Abbasi

Razzaq is someone I have frequently referred to in my rants. In my opinion the seeds for his downfall were sown three years ago when subsequent to a series someone questioned his commitment to the Pakistani side and he expressed considerable anger at that remark.
I think it was the enigmatic Euceph Ahmed who once stated that Afridi and Razzaq need a certain spark to revive their careers. Afridi to some extent seems to be rejuvenated owing to his penetrative ODI bowling. Razzaq on the other hand has seen an unremitting decline in both batting and bowling. If you look at Razzaq’s averages over the past few years you will notice that his collapse has been progressive. With the exception of one year where he averaged a bit owing to some big knocks against minnow teams as well as remaining not out a few times, his performance has really been pathetic.

He should have been sacked two years ago. I was a huge Razzaq fan once upon a time but when a player loses his spark for whatever reason, he must be dealt with. I remember the days when he was touted as the world’s leading ODI all-rounder. Something has gone wrong with him and he needs to figure it out. I keep citing the example of Ganguly, India’s greatest captain who became a “zero” from a “hero”. Now he has returned to be his team’s most consistent batsman. Lawson and Malik should now consider their priorities, exclude Razzaq and make way for younger players who have something to prove. It is indeed owing to Razzaq’s tumbling form that I suggested Rao Ifthikar should take his place as a bowling all-rounder.

Razzaq is so distant from redemption that you feel like suggesting he should take retirement. I am not convinced he will perform in the Twenty20 if selected because he has played in most of the recent practice matches and with the exception of one innings where he scored 20 odd, he has been unimpressive.

Razzaq’s exclusion a “calamity” for Pakistan’s chances? I think given his current form his inclusion will be an overwhelming liability for Pakistan in Twenty20. Firstly no matter whichever players play, Pakistan will definitely reach the semi-finals because no one plays attacking cricket better than our batsmen; that is how they play at grass roots level. Even our orthodox or near-orthodox batsmen like Younis can play more attackingly then players with comparable styles like Dravid, Kallis or Chanderpaul, if the situation requires. Secondly with a potential squad of stock, in-form Twenty20 players like Hafeez, Rao, Fawad Alam, Shahid YousAf, Salman Butt, Imran Nazir, Yasir Arafat etc, does Razzaq even stand a chance? Two people who can replace him without any sort of hesitation are Rao Ifthikar and Yasir Arafat. I am sure with people like Fawad Alam and Mohammad Hafeez performing so well in the practice matches, Razzaq’s place looks more distant anyway.

This is a direct and much-needed result of the WC fiasco. PCB is in form. Let's hope it makes much-needed changes (read replacements) in its own ranks too.

Along with Azhar, Razzaq was the mighty swinger of the bat early on in his career but he has withered away over the years. Unfortunatly in a world full of young bucks ready to make thier mark in the world to replace any body dropping form in the premiere eleven is hard to ignore.

I doubt there are very many people ready to come to his (Razzaq) defence and fight for him. In a sense he pretty much gave all he got and should be duly replaced by some up and coming all rounder.

...... ... good luck to PCB and.. to pakistan cricket.... and to razzaq and yousef.. i personally think... that the way pcb is handling things these days... they are similiar to the west indies.... after their 80s team ... and... if you look at it in a very broad prespective... u can even compare pakistan cricket next to present day zimbabvians...

Razzaq is a supremely talented player, who was wasted by Pakistan. Perhaps his misfortune was not having a well placed mentor or shall I say a Godfather - a la Imran was for Wasim ...
Given a chance he will blow the covers of the ball batting and contribute substailly given a bowl.

He fell thru the cracks.

Well i couldn't agree more with your comments but here i woudl like to add that he has been sleeping through most of his career. He is no doubt very talented but his approach renders the talent useless. Through hard work average players become great and without hard work the best of minds fail.

I believe that even thouh Pakistan's chances might sufer but if he wakes up and smell's the coffee in the long run Pakistan can benefit from his talent immensely and not to forget the side effect of that mental toughness which Pakistan team had lacked.

The future needs to be build on costs paid today. In order to build a better future for Pakistan we have to forget about making decison that satisfy the next available series and our winning chances. Maybe by making some tough choices we might loose today but achieve better and mentally tougher cricketers tomorrow

The PCB should have removed Razzaq from the team a few years ago; his bowling has become completely useless (especially in Test matches) and even his batting is not consistent enough to merit inclusion as a batsman alone. The less said about his fielding the better. Let's just hope that good players are now given a chance without politics playing a part in the selection process.

I agree with you that his bowling is not as good as earliar days but he is capable of doing good jobs because he is better then some of the players who i think the selectors will choose for the 20-20 world cup.
Look at the way he perform for the country for the last 7 years.
He is the most consistent performaer for the team, he is not fit so give him time to come back and perform for the team .

I wish him good luck.

Well I think Razzaq got enough chances but he never proved himself. I am looking forward to Fawad Alam to take this role. Razzaq is till young so he can improve his game in domestic and be available for international matches. Pakistan has enough talent so this is not something I would lose my sleep over :)

Hi Kamran,
It would be absurd to leave him out of the 20/20 tournament. His bowling has declined but he is still one of the most destructive hitters in the game, an asset key to the 20/20 format. Jacob Oram smashed the aussies in NZ and Australia before the world cup using Razzaq's tecnique, which he himself professed. Razzaq hasn't played in a while and needs some motivation and time. One would have thought that the 20/20 tournament would have been the perfect opportunity!

Don't you think you're being too harsh on the guy? Every cricketer goes through a bad patch. Even Tendulkar did! Look at Ganguly, Saeed Anwar and so on. I am sure Razzler will dazzle sometime soon. Insha Allah.

you are absolutely right kamran that " The Razzler" has slowly but surely faded away. You are also correct in saying that Razzaq not being in the squad could seriously hamper Pakistan's chances in the 20/20 world cup. However in my opinion, this could help Razzaq. This could prove to be the one thing that makes him realize that he has to work hard and return to his old form. Since Razzaq is a hard worker, I think he will return to the Pakistan squad even if he is dropped. And when he does, he will be stronger and better than ever before.

We must need Razzaq & Yousuf in Green shirts---atleast this 20-20!
Fawad & other young guns can be given chances in other ODIs & 20-20 gradually. But currently i don't want any pak team without Razzaq & Yousuf, give them respect, they are heros--most of the times giving joys to depressed nation---don't ruin them.

Surly Abdul Razzaq will have to do something very soon about his bowling. Its high time he gets his act right otherwise axing from the Test and ODI side in the near future might well be on cards. He has the potential but he has to put in extra concerted effort on regular basis to be back at the top.

For me, Pakistan team in 1999 worldcup was perhaps our best ODI team ever. And it possessed talented players who are perhaps biggest under achievers of its generation, Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood. Razzaq's bowling form has left him deserted for years now, but he can still be handy for his batting. Since Afridi is a floater in our batting line up, Pakistan still needs a finisher.

I just can't imagine how they can go into twenty20 without Razzak ' The Razzler'. Is Imran Nazir a better hitter than him or new entries like fawad alam etc???? Even if he is a work horse with the ball, he certainly is a match winner with the bat. With the ability to tore any attack at any time at any venue. Mind Blowing decision by selectors if it is going to be true.

you are right there, if his bowling and fieldings not working, there is his batting which could destroy the opposition

I think that it is still enough good to bat well in 20-20s. He has hit five consecutive fours to the best bowler of the world GLENN MCGRATH and this is the answer to all.
Muhammad Umair

I guess ... like Inzamam, Razzak is also a casualty of Shoaib Malik's captaincy. The reality is that you cannot have three genuine all-rounders in a team ... The Captain Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi (a decent bowler and the best fielder) do not leave any room for Razzak who is less than average bowler who is a weak fielder but a devastating batsman (if luck is with him). You cannot really kick out the Captain Shoaib Malik even though he is probably the weakest all-rounder out of the three ... therefore Razzak has to give way.

The question is … if ... Younis Khan had not reacted mercurially and had not given up Captaincy … would Shoaib Malik be in the team?? ... And then would Razzak still be there --- even with his POPEYE THE SAILOR level indulgences?

What is criminal ... is ... Yousuf being dropped!!

never heard so much bull his batting is excellent in ODI remeber Nottingham 2006, also what better players do we have look like another first round exit

I think Razzaq was mistreated. The kind of all-rounder he was, he deserves more respect than the all hype-up Shoaib Akhtar etc. If a player of his caliber is out of form or injured he need more attention but I hardly notice any attention from PCB. You are very right that Wasim Akram used him like an attacking bowler and since after that he was used as a backup bowler, which may result a dip in morale, further he also shuffled around in the batting from opener to lower middle order which may also effect his thinking about batting or may be his usefulness in the team. I don't think he will come back strongly unless he gets support from PCB and the teammates.

In any case the PCB Selectors should have the following saying pasted on their walls or on their desktops "Failure is not fatal and Success is nor permanent". I just refuse to admit that Razzaq's utility graph has curved in so low that he can't be selected! Razzaq needs to be given a kick in his back rather than rejection and he should be definitely be part of the team. If he is dropped, for sure it will impact his performance in other versions of this beautiful game.

The batting od razzaq has also declined with his bowling, his fragility to short pitch bowling & also against spinner is evident and noted & exploited by most top teams. Recently Razzaq has just performed against weaker teams, I will not be surprised if he is dropped.
I would associate this decline of Razzaq to his general attitude & thinking which has not got the desire to be the best.
I am not trying to say that his career is over but perhaps a kick in his back is needed!!

Razzaq certainly is a big match player.When he is on a roll, he makes bowlers like McGrath seem ordinary. Remember those 5 fours in an over.It would be gr8 folly to drop him for 2020 which is his form of cricket anyway-for tht matter I shud say its the best form of cricket for Pakistan. Pakistan should be the Australia of T20 wid the amount of explosive talent we have- but dropping Razzak would b an unwise move.Only Moin Khan sometimes came close to Razzak's style of destructive hitting.No one else I m afraid can emulate tht style.

i agree with the axing of razzler simply because we have to be ruthless in our selection. We cannot rely on past glories to merit selection. If indeed he wanted to be selected for the 20/20 WC then the performance should have spoken. Unfortunately our cricket fans reflect on past performaces even if recently the player may not have done anything noteworthy. One of your comments spoke of Ganguly and Therein lies Razzlers salvation. Go to the Domestic Circuit and prove your hunger for the game. Our cricketers and especially our senior members have tarted to take their place in the team for granted. Attapattu who is the most senior opener for SL could not get a game in the WC because the team structure had no place for him. LEARN

Razzak has faded away, his batting talents are not in doubt but as the article mentions his bowling and fielding has declined enormously,His emission from the squad was obvious as for 20 20 we are trying to go with young blood which in my opinion is not a bad thing, But the logic behind leaving yousuf out of the squad and replacing him with younis khan is beyond my senses, After what younis have done in past 2 3 years in ODIs and his stupidity that he twice rejected the captaincy why has he been selected, :(

Well, well, well. RAZZAQ IS NOT IN THE SQUAD. There once was a time when razzaq was my favourite player, my role model. Ever since i started watching cricket, he was the best.

In the last few years i have seen him declining from his form, but i still had faith in him and believed that 'one day, he'll be the same old razzler on the rampage as he use to be' But after 2 years of hope for him, I GAVE UP. I knew that he just won't be back. So now i follow Shoaib Malik as the best player for pakistan right now.

IM SORRY RAZZAQ. I'll miss you. BUT he still should play in 20/20 championship as a batsman, for he can change the game around by just facing 10-15 balls, because 20/20's are a very short format of the game.

Razzaq is one of those Pakistan players who do well only against India, but not against other teams (to illustrate a recent example, the Pak-SA series). He is definitely on decline & unable to bounce back. PCB should not look at old timers like him..rather look at fresh blood especially for a format like 20/20.

form is temporary,class is permanent! Abdul Razzak has class! Who says he can't play test cricket? Have we forgotten the test he saved us against India with Kamran Akmal? It takes just one good stroke to get back in form! Sure Afridi is the biggest hitter of them all but Razzak is a hitter with a brain!! The combination is lethal and it's what PAK need to win a event of this nature.

isn't Razzaq one of our best players in south africa along with azhar mahmood who is no where to be seen at the moment. Also Azhar has more experience than any other pakistani in 2020 cricket!

Well, i think its more like a harsh decesion rather than a good one. There is no doubt that there is a certain dip in the form of Razzak, but i feel that he is still good enough to be in the playing 11. He is good enough in batting especially and if u talk about bowling in 20-20, every bowler will go for runs. Although new talent should be given a chance but may be we should start that by giving them a chance in the SA series but i really feel that razzak is not the one to miss out the 20 20 world cup.

Some people are defending Razzaq on the basis of his “potentially destructive capabilities”? See this word “potentially” is a funny word that can be stretched as well as constricted. In my opinion nowadays we can only see Razzaq’s destructive capability every fifteenth match he plays. That is very inconsistent.
Why are we such an emotional bunch that we are willing to sideline one’s enormous weaknesses consistently for the sake of a rare and sporadic show of strength (such as how we used to do three years ago when Afridi’s bowling was not as effective, and how we have done with Inzamam’s entire career)? Is this how pathetic our cricket has become? I would say not. As always there are some talented players in domestic circles who are desperate to be selected. They should be given a chance.

I think the indomitable Javed Bhai has raised a good point regarding standards required in Twenty20. Pakistan should really look to play more of Fawad Alam, Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Arafat, Shahid Afridi and less of Razzaq, Yousuf or Younis. I am guessing Butt and Nazir are likely to open. A middle order of Fawad Alam, Malik, Afridi, Hafeez and Zulqernain (or more likely Akmal) is a formidable Twenty20 batting line-up.

In any event I think Pakistanis should maintain their focus on ODI and Test cricket because that is where they need to work harder. Twenty20 in my opinion is more of a baseball-slogging-like sport than cricket. Cricket is meant to be almost equally challenging for batsmen and bowlers both. But Twenty20 is all about slogging, which is my opinion does not link with the true spirit of cricket and hence I don’t even consider it “true cricket”.

I am a long time admirer of Razzaq especially nostalagic of his partnerships with Akmal at Mohalai in 2004 and again in Karachi 2006 against India and i do not believe his time is over.He is a victim of too much cricket and his own lack of application.Good bowlers usually make necessary changes in their bowling when age starts creeping in and i think Razzaq should think more about line.length and swing and modify his style.A rest might do him good but it all depends on the man himself how he meet the challenge before him.I will be sorry if he didn't come up to expectations again because normally he has a placid and mature attiude under pressure.

I think the Razzaq still have stok at his disposal. It's true that his bowling skills started to fade away still his hard hitting ability especially at the death is very handy in the shortest version of the game. The bowling of Razzaq is less important considering the quality of pace and spin attack Pakistan posses.

I think the decision to drop Razzak seems a wise one.Razzak's performances have deteriorated over the past couple of years.His bowling lacks venom and his fielding was never outstanding even in the best of times.It was primarily his late order lusty hitting because of which he was in the squad.I think he needs some time off from international cricket,needs to reasses hi entire game and reinvent himself as player.Iam sure with the amount of talent he has got he can stage a come back.He just needs to come out of his comfoprt zone and be a bit nore proactive.

I must say Kamran, I have started to agree with you more often then not. It is indeed sad that we have to say goodbye (in 20-20 terms) to Razzaq. To me Razzaq always appeared like old loyal work horse, without much of leadership ambitions (which ironically is his biggest asset in a team of wannabe captains). His bowling detriorated year after year. But I still like his batting style, firt block and then blast ! I see him a useful no. 6 in tests and one days. But in 20-20 it seems our management has made the right decision. In tests, if he can be coached to use his block and blast approach effectively, he can be devastating at no 6, the position where we dont have much to choose between. In one days, if conditions suit him, he can knock out a few wickets and in tests he can be used as partnership breaker. The problem is that he seldom uses his mind in whatever he does, even his block/blast approach seems more of a habitual business rather than some thought out strategy. Lawson needs to harness whatever is left in him and I believe, he has some cricket left in him, at least batting wise and especially in tests (unlike what most others think).

Hi Kamran,

Its a good point you have raised. No wonder Razzak's form has declined over the years but he is still a proven performer on the Intl. circuit. I would definitely have him in the team as his lower order hitting could tilt a tight game in our favor.This should be his last chance and if he cant perform than there is definitely no excuse.

Say ... whatever happened to Azhar Mahmood ?
He's won Surrey a plethora of One Day and Twenty20 matches on his own. He could be a useful replacement for Abdul Razzaq. Yasir Arafat is yet untested and his batting isn't quite as good as either Razzaq's or Azhar Mahmood's. I would suggest giving Azhar Mahmood another chance.

After watching a lot of 20:20 cricket in England I have concluded:
1) slow bowlers are more effective than fast in this form of the game and so Shoaib's return may prove to be disastrous.
2) Razzaq's trundle pace and Younis Khan's medium leg - break should be utilised along with Afridi, Malik and Rao with Asif as the go to man.

3)I think young blood, for once, is the right policy in 20:20 and support dropping Yousuf.

4)Young fearless batsmen such as Nazir and Alam together will provide the key to sucess and not too much emphasis should be placed on bowling.Its with the Bat that Pakistan can win in S.Africa.

Kamran,

Funny, but I feel like agreeing with you and PCB both. Since 99 World Cup, Razzaq has been one of my favorite Pakistan Cricketer. I am not quite sure what has really happened in his case. Whether he got burnt with over or under use or, his shelf life has expired. Since his debut he has been quite regular as far ODI's are concerned. He also has been given fair bit of test caps, not on a regular basis though. But, at this level and with this sort of diversified talent, one would expect he should have cemented his place in all forms of cricket. Therefore, while I feel sad for him, I think PCB has a point in dropping him from 20/20 WC. I tend to agree with you that he may qualify on the basis of him being capable of producing Afridi like devastating innings in a very short span of time and deliveries.

It would be interesting to see who the selection committee picks after the automatic spots are filled. In the meantime, all we can do wait and see. Whatever the results of the Tournament will be, I hope, Malik and Lawson are not judged on the basis and outcome of this Tournament alone. As, we as a nation tend to pass a verdict too soon.

It seems the new management is really looking at fielding abilities, which neither razzaq nor yousuf possess. I'll never forget when Razzaq dropped Tendulkar in the 2003 WC... his being axed has been long overdue, and as of now he should no longer have a test career. I still feel though that either he or azhar mahmoud should be kept on the squad, for their respective experience playing in South Africa (Azhar has 2 test centuries there and Razzaq has one ODI century) and having them on the bench would create competition for places in the side...perhaps just the type of boost razzaq would need to up his level and enthusiasm. It's a testament to pakistani cricket, who possessed all rounders who were at the time, leagues ahead of the Flintoffs and Orams, only to waste their potential. I hope to once again see the razzaq of 99, who bowled pakistan to a draw with sri lanka in sharjah with such fighting spirit and passion.

I think this is a worrisome news for future of Pakistan. Razzaq who was once hoped to become one of the best all rounders in the world in ODI or Test has not lived up to the expectations.
The talent was and is there no doubt, but it shows that something is wrong in our system. Look at shane watson, with due respect to him he is not at all more talented than razzaq, but the australians have made him a much better player now, his pace has increased, he has become a good batsman (even opener as well). We have to think seriously as to where did we go wrong in razzaq's case. I would request Kamran to give us a theory as to what does he think were the factors in razzaq's demise ?

I must admit that the sight of Razzaq taking his left away and slapping Glen McGrath for six over covers was one of the best ever. I really feel sad for him..even though I hated it when he did it against India, I must say that he truly was joy to watch when he was in the zone. I hope that this is not the end for him. he is a great hitter and I wish to see more of him in the future..

in my opinion razzak was finished well over a year ago.. make way for fawad alam

Does anyone care about the 20/20 crap?

Bring on the 5 day stuff. Proper cricket.

Razzaq has surely been one of the best all rounders but his form and 'fire' seems to have vanished. His fielding is horrible and his over all attitude needs a lot more desire. I guess its the time to move on with the youngsters like Fawad Alam and others.

Looks like both Abdul Razzaq and M. Yousuf are being dropped just because of laziness, because the ongoing training camps mostly emphasized on fielding and fitness. As far as A Razzaq is concerned, he certainly deserves a place in T20 team although he is not good enough for tests and somehow ODIs too, he can quickly change a T20 game within one or two overs because of his demonstrating batting capibilities and i dont think we have anyone of this capibility in our current team besides Afridi.
I am never in favor of completely dropping him right now, i think they should keep him with the T20 team and use him for a few matches in SA.
A Razzaq was mainly successful durinf Wasim's era because he always came as first change bowler and from top either Wasim, Waqar or Shoaib always had done some fair damage to the opposition thats why he didn't have much pressure on him and his lazy medium pace worked for him but right now we dont have that kind of pace attack up front so most of the times he struggles in bowling.
Considering the batting capabilities of A Razzaq, i think Inzi never used A Razzaq and Afridi properly as batsmen instead Kamran Akmal was always preferred over these two batsmen, lets see how Shoaib Malik uses them.
Once again i truly believe A Razzaq should not be dropped from a T20 squad at least not right now when we dont have better replacements.

T20 is a new format, its the cricket of the future, and requires a different set of strategy, technique and temperament. Old dogs can not learn new tricks. So, out with the old, and in with the young blood. Razzler is a dazzler no more and the decision to get rid of him is a wise one.

I think i would be crazy for the PCB to omitt him,it is a very vital stage for Pakistan cricket,and they are lacking senior players.

I say forget the PCB Razzaq should join the new Indian league.

What is done cannot be undone. At least not for now, Razzaq has been dropped on poor form and he has to pay a price for that. His current performance was only a shadow of his past. IMO, the thing that went against Razzaq was not just his batting, bowling and poor fielding performance but, his appearance in general. He is a poker face, emotionless, very quiet and meek sort of character, that was probably due to his inability to express himself or to present himself well. In short he was unable to do self marketing like Shoaib Akhtar and Younis Khan whose nature is quite opposite to Razzaq's. As long as he was performing well, everything worked well for him. All those players who are vibrant, hyper or even a little vocal they try to defend their under achievements or poor performance and try to give explanations, reasons and justifications but, Razzaq didn't do anything of that sort, thats not his nature. Therefore, he may not have been able to deal or cope with the pressure from his critics, the PCB officials or his own colleagues in showing his commitment or by expressing his grievances at least verbally, as to why he has not been performing well? Only once, and that too when he was approached, rather caught by surprise by the on-field media on TV during a session break did he mention the reason. When asked, why his bowling is not effective anymore? He said, "The Captain (Inzi) is putting a lot of pressure on us to bowl fast (more fast than I can bowl) and when I bowl fast I cannot control the line and length." Even in expressing this one or two sentences he was swallowing a few words in between and was very nervous. I feel sorry for him, but as I have said in my previous post you cannot include him on compassionate grounds - not with the current form.

In response to khansahab's rants (as he calls them) here is my claptrap. Thanks for the Eucephful quotation and "I am agree" NOT when you place Afridi and Razzaq in the same boat. There is 'some' hope for Razzaq that he may still win a place in a 50 over ODI but, not in twenty20, whereas Afridi right now is an important cog in the wheel in all forms of the game. Your assessment is, he is only there because of his bowling, may be agreed by many because its a fact that he has been bowling well. But, you always quote his career batting average which is around 24 and not good enough to justify a place. I have always disagreed on this due to various factors and cannot go on repeating that he is a match winner and on several occasions he won the match singlehandedly and so on. One thing that you have constantly been missing or may not have thought about it and you need to dig out is, his batting average in the last three years only and not his over all career average. And you will be surprised that it is better than Malik and even Inzamam. (talking about the past three years batting average only - including his last tour to Australia and thereafter, please go ahead and find out.)

Finally, a carrot for the Bugz. Bunny this is not Looney Tunes or Merrie Melodies Show that you pop up and say "Eh ... what's up doc?" Yes, the PCB officials may be doing what the West Indian Board did but, you say: "u can even compare pakistan cricket next to present day zimbabvians..." its a bit too much. I think you are running out of your stock and "Alloocinating" carrots. Remember Zimbabwe's population is about 12 million whereas, Pakistan's is about 169 million and there is no dearth of talent in Pakistan. If the Bugz Bunny is short of carrots he is welcome to Pakistan but remember there is no carrot without a stick so be prepared for a danda first.

Razzak is being treated so unfairly. The amount of times he's added on a quick 30 runs at the end of an odi innings...without him at the death who do we have?? Afridi and Kamran only strike once in a blue moon, while razzaq is arguably the most consistent.
Razzaq doesn't take many wickets, but at least he keeps the runs down during the middle overs.
Fair enough he's useless in tests, but i can't believe how undervalued his usefulness in ODI's is.

I agree with u bout Razzaq, hez not the player he once was n i cant stand ppl who blame the pcb for evrything...i dont blame any1, his body i guess, just dozent hav what it takes anymore to perform at that level. i wudnt be surprised if hez not pikd but if he is, i really hope he smashes a few lol!

I think Razzaq should always be in the ODI and 20/20 team, just like Muhammad Yousuf who also deserves his place in ODIs and 20-20s. Many readers here are saying about the fall of Abdul Razzaq. I think he has fallen a bit in bowlong but not BATTING. And every one knows Pakistan's bowling is very good and the main problem is batting. So Abdul Razzaq should be included in the 20-20 World Cup.
Muhammad Umair
Attock City - Pakistan

There is unlikely to be as much surprise if Razzaq is dropped. Though his often-devastating lower-order batting and handy medium-pace suggests
he is ideal for Twenty20 matches, if they drop razzaq from 20/20 i would say pcb selectors including chairman all are dumb people.

They are trying to following the BCCI not add senior players in the 20/20 they should fallow the champion team AUS instead losers teams.
look at AUS their 35 or above years old players are going to play 20/20.
razzak could be very good may be better than other all in 20/20 in SA. he could be player of the tournament in SA and dumb selectors are pakistan are thinking to drop him. they should bring the replacements before the big events. they shouldn't drop the exp players in the big series or tournaments.
misbaullhaq and faisal iqbal don't know who to hold bat properly and dumb pcb selectors are going to replace them with inzi for next three big series against SA, AUS and India.
if they are interested to replace inzi then selectors should first find the proper players for inzi replacements not the losers players like missbah and faisal iqbal.

I think there’s no need for people to get emotional over Razzler. 20/20 is a fast game that suits players who are quick, active, fresh and energetic. I agree with JAVED A.KHAN that people like Razzaq, Yousaf and even Younas Khan are not suitable for this short format of game. You can not afford to waste time and lose balls without scoring like one day or test match. Teams who score over 7 and 8 runs per over stand chance. Considering the recent performance in practice matches there are so many young players who are doing well and hopeful to get the opportunity to show their mettle in the tournament. If Razzaq really wants to get back then he needs to get himself motivated, work hard on his bowling, batting and pathetic fielding. He can still get selected in Home series against SA if he can prove he’s got the fire and passion in himself. If we want to see improvement and changes in team Pakistan then these selectors will have to send the message to all the old dogs that they either work hard on their weaknesses or be left out! It’s as simple as that. It’s not a game of compassion, the more cruel you are in the ground more chances of winning you have for your team. No body stays in cricket for ever. Greats like Imran, Waseem, Waqar and Aaqib came, played and left but it does not stop talented guys from playing. Razzaq, Yousaf, Inzamam and Younas will not play all their lives. Let some other players take the responsibility and show their mettle. Experience is a matter of time. If people are mentioning just old performances and experience then I’d say in 20/20 game you have to perform in a very short time not just brag about experience and past performances.

There’s no harm and no need for these players to get emotional or hurt if they are left out. In fact they should have voluntarily withdrawn themselves like Sachin, Ganguly and Dravid. They should think about the country not about themselves. We want to see team Pakistan wining at least this 20/20 cup so we need fire, passion and greed to success in players. Razzaq has not been impressive for some time so if he’s not selected then there are enough justifications for that action. It has become our habit to moan and groan after everything PCB does. We are unhappy if they overlook young and new blood and if they want to try aggressive players then we are talking about wasting an old player and dumping him! Can people ever be happy? If we have put up with PCB for their wrong doings and blindness for such a long time then let’s see what they do on this occasion. All I know is that we want aggressive, active and quick boys not some one who sleeps and walks in the ground when he’s supposed to run! Therefore, I don’t mind omission of Razzaq, Yousaf and even Younas Khan for this 20/20 cup.

Whatever the PCB does, I believe that they need to find the best and then stick with them. The problem with PCB has been that they find some rising talent and then use it for 3-4 matches and try someone else. A player needs to be tested for a good 15 matches to show his true self. I feel Mr. Abbasi should also write about this topic and make a point about it.

Regarding Razzaq, I agree with Mr. Naveed Iqbal that Razzaq was mistreated. He was used as an attack bowler and then as a fiery batsman, and then he was demoted in both categories. So PCB has shown inconsistency not only in selection but also in matters of team positioning. I wish that Lawson can fit the best players together in the best combination possible. We need fire on top, stability and fast run scorers in the middle, and fire below. Even the tail needs to be trained to score 15-20 runs before getting out! As for the bowlers, I think Razzaq doesnt stand a chance infornt of guys like Shoaib, Asif, Sami, Gul, Iftikhar etc.

I personlly think that Razak should have been dropped a year ago. I think Yassir Arafat would be an ideal replacemnt to replace razzak as he is a bowling allorounder, ball good, bat well. with shahid afridi already finding his spark and rejuvinated and fawad alam a shoe in as an all rounder and a good batsman (was awarded as best bowler and best batsman on domestic circuit recently) razak would find it hard to ocntinnue on his previous exploits

Sad but true, Razzaq is just not the same anymore!!!

This is criminal to drop a master like Razzaq who could throw any ball out of the park no matter who is the bowler.
Even if his bowling is not up to the standard,he can be used as a regular batsmen.I think he deserves at least to be taken on the tour.
I am totally unsatisfied by this new board.They are taking strange measures, such as making Salman Butt the vice-captain, he is a guy who is begging to get himself on the team and his performance isn't upto the standards of even getting a chance in the national team, then how could one consider him being a vice-catain.There are other big names who really deserve to be vice-captains such as Abdul Razzaq,Shahid Afridi,Mohammad Yousaf and Younis Khan.
I hope some kind of miracle happens and we could get a decent formation

Razzak has will finally exit from the scene and rightly so, infact he should have hung his gloves himself two years back. Every players is the best judge of himself and he knows best when to bow out. Sadly though in Pakistan this is not practiced and they have to be shown the door. Razzak has given us many moments of joys and we should really thank him for the part he played in bringing glories to Pakistan. People often ask as to why our players do not get a warm send off at the end of their careers, well I think it is because they do not want to leave them selves and have to be shown the door. If these gentlemen do show some grace and call it a day when the time is due then the send offs could be planned like is practiced in other countries. Razzak's performances during the last two years had declined alarmingly (he should have known this himself)so he should have taken the decession to bow out gracefully instead of suffering this humiliation of being sacked after all he was a key player in our playing elevens.

I would therefore appeal to all our cricketers to show some grace and they must bow out volantarily when the time comes. Coming back to Razzak, he will be missed and now Pakistan will have to look for a genuine replacement for him as his era is over.

Rgds.....pakigreen

Razzaq's problem, like many in the Post-Imran era, stems from a lack of long-term vision. Razzaq to me was no less talented than Wasim, his problem, like many nowadays, is to assume that talent is God-given, that you have it or you don't, hence why many of our players start off with a bang and then fade once they get worked out; the concept of improvement is not there. I remember both Imran and Wasim at the start of their careers, Razzaq was better than both at that stage, the issue was that they changed their bowling actions in many respects, Razzaq didn't.

He has the action of a trundler. No speed of approach, no gathering of momentum, no real leap, no transfer of momentum to the ball, it is robotic and that is where his problem lies. His physique is weak and that is where both Imran and Wasim scored on him.

The solution is clear, and he still has time if his age is as stated, but he seems rather too lazy and short-sighted to want to bother.

The Razzler's been on the downhill for quite some time and doesn't have the most reliable knees in the world something you need to be an effective pacer and a good fielder. Razzaq has done great service to Pakistan and brought joy to many who watched him bat lets show him some respect and let him go before he limps off.

Since the introduction of the Razzler during the 1999 WC no all-rounder has threatened his place in the team, and as consequence he has coasted along in the knowledge is place was never under threat. He could have been one of the very best world class all rounders, but where the other allrounders of the world improved (the flintoffs & the likes of Gayle and Symonds) Razzler has gone the opposite way. His axeing next week should come as no surprise.

The new kid on the block is YASIR ARAFAT. He is hungry and wants to prove himself. He opens the bowling for Kent and bowls in the high 80's and can touch the 90mph mark when in good rytham. He can bowl reverse swinging yorkers at high speed and equally importantly he is a very good batsman-has scored a couple of 100's for Kent this season. He is a true bowling all-rounder which Pakistan can utilise.

Khansahab(A.A.Khan)
Rao Iftiqar Anjum a reliable seamer yes, ALL ROUNDER HE HIS NOT

salam,
Abdur Razzaq is a better hitter than afridi. Afridi shines once in a blue moon whereas Abdur razzaq has a much higher success rate. Any one willing to argue?

Pakistan team is preparing to save faces if it exits the 20/20 World Cup by saying they had a young, inexperienced team. I think PCB is really putting its neck on the line with this strategy of laying off so mnay experienced players so quickly. Perhaps thats what happens when the decision makers are answerable to no one and face no retributions for their actions.

Moyo, Razzaq and Inzi have all been loyal servants to Paki cricket. If left out they should quit and join the ICL where they will find more admirers. Razzaq was under used as a batsmen and at times it seemed he was lost batting at test level. Nevertheless he came up with crucial test innings and wickets when required. A proper fitness routine and some help would have got him back to top gear. He is still too young to give up on.

As for the remaining players, they have hardly proved themselves at international level. When Afridi becomes the senior most player in a team, GOD bless us. As for Shoaib Akhter he will limp out as usual. We do not have any good slow bowelers capable of disturbing top batting lineups. Unfortunately we are not going to do well in this 20/20 as most of our players will come with a mar/dhar strategy.

PCB is trying to clear out the old team. Due to the World Cup debacle, they have the polictial capital to do so. Next to go are, Yousuf & Afridi. Shoaib will break down in a year or himself, unless he keeps taking the streoids. That leaves Younis, he will probably retire from ODIs soon also.

Some of the moves they have made are mind boggling, such as Salman Butt for vice captain, dropping Yousuf and not Younis.

AbdurRazzaq had it coming, he hasn't be in the picture for some time, and hasn't played a big inning in a while. So it is easy for PCB to discard him.

I think they should give Inzi a farewell test or two, maybe the series with South Africa, it would not be nice to let him go without playing once more on home ground.

wassalam

I think if we look back, it'd be easy to notice that Razzaq was Pakistan's pressure player. Nevermind the averages, he played when the team needed him the most. For the most part, his performances were ignored. Perhaps that is because Razzaq comes across as a laid-back individual, unlike Rana and Akmal who are always acting and chirping, who in people's mind can never be bad enough. Rana, for one, has taken one of the most needless wickets of all time (and not because of good bowling, but because of terrible bowling making batsmen to go after him each and every time).

If we look back to the decisive Karachi test when India visited Pakistan, Razzaq was the difference. Of course, Akmal became the emerging hero while Razzaq's performance was largely ignored.
Futhermore, I can recollect Razzaq being crucial to Pakistan when Pakistan visited Sri Lanka (saw thru some difficult time on very bad pitches). I thought Razzaq was later missed in South Africa, because he is the sort of person who can see thru time on bad pitches. Later he wasn't selected for the world cup, as apparently there was a mysterious injury that brought back the return of the sourceful Azhar Mahmood. Most of the people were happy with Mahmood's inclusion as well.

The problem with Razzaq is that he hasn't been consistently in the team for the last year or two. People have been scapegoating him a bit too much, and there we go again.
When we lost in England, it was because of Akmal. When we lost in South Africa, it was largely owing to the performances of Akmal and Rana. In the world cup, unsurprisingly, Akmal dropped Lara in the first match. In the champions trophy, we hadat New ZeaLand reeling 4 wickets for a very low score, and yet again, Akmal pulled his magic and dropped Styris who played a matchwinning innigs.

We should be a bit more concerned about people like Akmal right now. Razzq was a matchwinner who hasn't simply played enough cricket lately. Count on Razzaq to save a match or to make a match. But he needs to be in the team more consistently.

I was thinking Razzaq should have been in, until I read the post by Umair Muzaffar - not that Razzaq isn't worthy of the 20/20 format, just that we have too many all-rounders in there already - Malik and Afridi... and I look forward to Fawad Alam being in... True Razzaq can be a destructive batting force in the 20/20 format, but so can Afridi, and then Afridi wins on bowling and fielding grounds... and Malik is captain you cant take him out... Fawad Alam I think has immense talent and is young... we could groom this instant hit into a legend like Imran Khan or Kapil Dev...
Oh and about Malik being in only because he is captain- I think it is NOT a good idea to have a captain who may not have been in the team had he not been captain. With Malik, he knows his place in the team could be challenged, so he might have the tendency to hamper competition (why did Malik not let Fawad Alam bowl in Abu Dhabi?). The same couldn't be said about Imran, Inzi, Akram etc...

Are these guys actually serious about leaving out perhaps the best ball striker in Pakistan? Abdur Razzaq merits a 20-20 spot more than anyone, his destructive hitting, his monstrous power is enough to win us a game.

So what if his fielding is crap and his bowling has become pathetic, it is his ability to tonk the ball many a mile that alone merits a place.

Are these Fawad Alams and Mohammed Hafeezs and Shahid Yousufs really going to be more effective? I doubt it.

most worst thing for pak team is if they dont keep razzak.he is a brilliant allrounder

razzak has lost his form and is bowling badly.But i think that when hes playing in the t20s he could provide as both batsmen and bowler.Maybe he bowl could 2 or 3 overs.Lets not forget what he did in england in 2006 especially towards the later stages!

If Ganguly can make it, Why not Razzak? I don't remember seeing anyother bad patch in his career. He was misused and abused by Inzimam, who used him for hitting in death overs. What average we should expect out of those last few over? Any thing expecting beyond 30 would be senseless... If we want him to perform like Kallis he should have been given an apportunity to play where Kallis Plays. To this date I am unable to understand PCB selection criteria. They offer plenty of opportunites to players like Butt, Nazir and Gujjar and Malik. However, they have no spot for players like Asim Kamal and Asif Mujtaba...

If Ganguly can make it, Why not Razzak? I don't remember seeing anyother bad patch in his career. He was misused and abused by Inzimam, who used him for hitting in death overs. What average we should expect out of those last few over? Any thing expecting beyond 30 would be senseless... If we want him to perform like Kallis he should have been given an apportunity to play where Kallis Plays. To this date I am unable to understand PCB selection criteria. They offer plenty of opportunites to players like Butt, Nazir and Gujjar and Malik. However, they have no spot for players like Asim Kamal and Asif Mujtaba...

This is the story of a man who with sheer hard work, could have achieved more than his stats suggest. Not blessed with the sharpest mind in the game, Razzak's attitude towards the game is also poor. In one of his interviews recently, he first complained that he did not know what his role in the team was; he then whined that he is seen as a 20 over player in the 50 over format (10 over bowl and a bat in the last 10 overs). All I can say to that is - what more does he want !?! Should he be opening the batting and the bowling !?! That sort of attitude is beyond laughable. If he wanted to be more involved in the game maybe he should have concentrated in the 50 overs that he was fielding! On the subject of his bowling, he has, more recently, added to his repertoire, the deadly dangerous skill of lobbing pies at the batsmen.

Razzak generally appears disintersted, and that in itself should be grounds to chuck him out of the team. I say give hungry youngsters a chance. It is not as if we have a brilliant batting line up anyway. With so many bits and pieces players in the team we should be selecting specialists, no matter the format of the game. On that topic, dropping Yousuf and bringing in tried, tested, and discarded, "youngster(s)" is a bit mystifying; however maybe that is what 20/20 cricket requires. A juvenile and mediocre format, conjured up by mediocre minds, played by mediocre cricketers, in the name of the almighty $! I don't get it - why don't we simplify the concept of the game further and just call it baseball.
20/20 is a joke, as bowlers are virtually nullified by manic slogging. IMO it will cause the standard of Pakistan's up and coming cricketers to plummet further when it comes to the 5 day game (O Lord! May we keep producing quality fast bowlers so that we do not bottom out like the West Indies and Zimbabwe). Ofcourse no one will care if we do well, and a few "lapaytoos", new and old, will be heroes for a while - until they fail on seaming tracks against Bermuda. That, in a nutshell, may well be the depressingly familiar story of Pakistan cricket for years to come. It is already the story of one of Pakistan's sons - Abdul Razzak -"The Man Who Wanted to be King", but was just too damn lazy!

But, as Mighty Razzak might say one day " I Yam what I Yam ------" and end it with a "HOOT!HOOT!"

Razzler a brilliant all-rounder could be termed absolutely wrong in grammar.He had been a worthy respondent suitable conditions, but even an average cricket student can tell that Razzler was never born to play tests. And it's only there where Razzaq tried to improve and lost the way. Prove me wrong otherwise if I go on to say that Razzaq did not take the game seriously after his MVP Award in the tri-nation series 99-00. Then we have PCB that is not so expert in either forms of decision making be it is pro-active or vice versa. I personally believe Razzaq can make it to the team only if he concentrates on his bowling. For his reference he can read the biography of IRFAN PATHAN,the second Razzler.

Like you said, his bowling is more of a liability these days and we all know how is fielding is, the only reasonable argument to have him on the touring party would that he is among the best in the world when it comes to the last 10 overs in a limited overs games, but again, that is the last 10 overs of the game, not the first 20 in which the ball is new. Apart from once when he took on Mcgrath in that historic over I have never seen him play with the same destructiveness against the new bass as in the last 10 overs, and I think this might just be enough to convince the selectors that he should not be part of a 20-twenty team.....in a 50 overs games he is still a must because no body in world cricket can finish off like Razzaq in that version of the game....just a thought!

this is what happens when you tell a kidney seller to head the PCB.. Razzaqs bowling might be a liability but he still is a great masher... teh adminstrators are a bunch of jackasses.. how could they choose yunus khan for a 2020 while they cant choose yusuf bhai.. i dont see fielding to be as great an asset in 20/20 as it is in ODIS

Bhai Jan Razzaq shud be picked for the 2020 team no matter wat he is player who can dominate at times For 2020 he is compulsary giv'em one more chance PCB

As an Australian I would dearly like to see Pakistan become a team, because it seems to me that they aren't! Wonderful skills aplenty, but do they play not only with each other but FOR each other? What common goals and commitments do they share? There appears to me as an outsider to be a lack of willingness to self sacrifice for the team. The adage "a champion team will always beat a team of champions" holds true I believe and I would question the motivation for playing at the highest level of some Pakistani players. It seems they aspire first to be a star and second to be an integral part of a team. We have players in the Australian team of large egos as well, but the team itself will not tolerate those egos compromising the team ethos and performance. If it's true that sport is played 90% above the shoulders perhaps that's where Pakistans self examination should focus. I personally do not believe there is much difference in sheer talent among Test playing nations, but that there is a substantial gap in the mental processes necessary for consistent success between the best and the least. Fierce determination, mental strength in adversity, team unity and purpose, psychological stamina and selfless team commitment are absolutely essential to cricket success, much more so than raw individual but unapplied talent. There are I believe too many comets in Pakistan cricket that burn brightly but briefly, and for the good of Test cricket generally and Pakistani Cricket this is where earnest and honest assesments should begin. We cricket fans love the way you guys play but we never know which Pakistan will turn up to play! Your talent doesn't change from game to game but your attitude certainly does! I don't want to offend but I feel Pakistans supporters also tend to look in the wrong places for the sources of the problems with Pakistani cricket that are endlessly written about in these blogs.Your players are too easily defeated mentally to command the respect and achieve the success your talent suggests you should have! If I were a PCB selector my first question of each prospective player would be "Is he mentally tough enough to withstand the psychological examination of TEST cricket and is the brotherhood that is the team his first priority?" If the answer is no, despite his talent dismiss him to take up tennis or some other egocentric sport!

We are unpredictable, i.e., inconsistant.
Why?
The players who perform consistantly in our domestic cricket generaly fail to do the same at international level?
Which gives way to unorthodox methods of selection & hence inconsistancy.
Which directly hits at the quality of cricket in our domestic setup.
So better to raise voice for a quality domestic setup instead of raising voice for some individuals.
It would be a good discussion to find out that how many of our legends get selected on the basis of consistant performane in our domestic setup.

As a nation we try to live in the past and are hesitant to look toward the future. Razzak is a relic of the past, and its entirely his own fault that he is not in the team he failed to realize that batting was his strength, he was always a mediocre bowler but he paid too much attention to his bowling and completely neglected his batting,
IMO, out of all the current Pakistani all rounders other than Shoaib Malik his batting was the best, unlike Afridi his batting was not single dimensional he knew when to defend and when to accelerate, in fact he was the best batsman for Pakistan in the slog overs his ODI average does not do any justice with him as most of the times when he used to come to bat only a few overs were left, the key mistake he made in his career was that he never fought for a higher batting order unlike Afridi who was smart enough to realize that as an opener if he remains inconsistent he will be dropped from the team so he focused on his bowling and opted for a lower batting position where he faces less pressure with the bat, if Razzak had focused on his dominant skill and had opted for a higher batting order he would have still been selected but due to his easy going approach toward his career and his failure to exploit the media regarding his position in the team he has been dropped on and off from the team over the last two years. He can still regain his place if he manages to improve his batting.
Some guys are holding Fawad Alam , Shoaib Malik and Misbah ul Haq responsible for the axing of Razzak I think its unfair as in all the practice matches Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik and on several occasions Fawad Alam stood out in batting we didn’t heard about any stellar batting performance from Razzak or Yousaf so in my opinion the selectors are doing a fair job by not selecting these two and I would suggest that Younis khan should also be dropped as his batting style does not suit 20/20 format personally I would prefer Yousaf over Younis Khan as he is a much superior batsman.

Finally Razaaq has been dropped!! I have been wantingt his axing for awhile. I was calling for his head years ago but was heavily critisized for making such statements. Now its time to develop the young studs. The next two years should not be about winning but about building a solid young foundation. We need to develop a young superstar batmen and get a better wicketkeeper. I like akmal as a batman but as a wicketkeeper hes not consistent. We have some solid batmen but we don't have that one guy that can carry us day in day out. Razzaq is out and so should shoib akthar and mo yo. This should be a young team with no seniors to distract the captains message!!!!
Its time to drop all inzi loyalist and get rid of these guys. If Razzaq can prove himself in the domestic league or county like Ganguly then he should be selected once again. But ist time to teach our seniors a lesson. I have looked at the comments from other pak fans and I just don;t get it. These senior players have faltered the last two wolrd cups. Embarassing perfomances and nasty world cup exists, so why do we pak fans insist on keeping these seniors on the team! Why do we insist on keping these guys around. These young studs have drive and hunger and thse seniors seem to comfortable in their spots. YOUTH MOVEMENT is needed and time fro the seniors to pack their bags and say KHUDAFIZ!!!!!!

Finally Razaaq has been dropped!! I have been wantingt his axing for awhile. I was calling for his head years ago but was heavily critisized for making such statements. Now its time to develop the young studs. The next two years should not be about winning but about building a solid young foundation. We need to develop a young superstar batmen and get a better wicketkeeper. I like akmal as a batman but as a wicketkeeper hes not consistent. We have some solid batmen but we don't have that one guy that can carry us day in day out. Razzaq is out and so should shoib akthar and mo yo. This should be a young team with no seniors to distract the captains message!!!!
Its time to drop all inzi loyalist and get rid of these guys. If Razzaq can prove himself in the domestic league or county like Ganguly then he should be selected once again. But ist time to teach our seniors a lesson. I have looked at the comments from other pak fans and I just don;t get it. These senior players have faltered the last two wolrd cups. Embarassing perfomances and nasty world cup exists, so why do we pak fans insist on keeping these seniors on the team! Why do we insist on keping these guys around. These young studs have drive and hunger and thse seniors seem to comfortable in their spots. YOUTH MOVEMENT is needed and time fro the seniors to pack their bags and say KHUDAFIZ!!!!!!

PCB is making a big mistake to leave Razak and M. Yousaf out of the team for 20/20. Yousaf is the best batsman in our team after Inzi and Razak batting abilities are enough to get him selected in the one day squad. His poor form with the ball can put him out of the test squad but it has no weightage in 20/20 form of the cricket. BTW Pakistan has so far not got any new all rounder of Imran Khan/Wasim's calibre that we want to get rid of experience Razak.

Hay Australians! There is been no participation from you in this blog. Where have you gone? I think you do not like Abdul Razzaq after he hit 5 consecutive fours to your bowler Glenn McGrath. Is this not the case?
Muhammad Umair
Attock City - Pakistan

razzaq is world dangerous hitter when it cume to hitting.In slog overs hes the guy who give pakistan their final score nd you are going without him in 20/20.i can jus say it is an uneducated dicision and for got save these new selectors will destroy pakistan former heros.YOUSUF the run machine!has been out of team discusting....all the way poor dicision.this time pak gonna be deaf by scotland like in WC IRELAND.PAK IS GONNA GET A UPSET BY A 3RD CLASS TEAM.

Tayyab Ali,

Rao’s batting stats were similar to Shoaib Malik’s before the latter emerged in international cricket. In case you don’t know Malik’s main batting position, before his talent was spotted, was lower down.
Rao can bat and all I am trying to say is that instead of whining about how Razzaq is going to be replaced, we should just go ahead and use Rao in his place. Although Rao is a lower order batsman he is not exactly a tailender and his batting average in domestic cricket is better than Asif’s or Shoaib Akhtar’s. In fact I remember Saqlain was considered to be only a bowler too, but he was also encouraged and promoted up the order which resulted in some memorable batting performances on his part.

This is not to say that every tailender in the world is a potential bowling all-rounder, but it is all about spotting who has the talent and giving him the chance to perform. Saqlain, Rao, Malik, when these players made their debut all of them had better averages than Gul, Asif and Akhtar.
You should take nothing for granted in international cricket. For instance, did we ever think Mohammad Sami could make 46 against South Africa in South Africa when he did that in the series before the World Cup? That is his highest score in first class cricket.
It is because of this reason that domestic specialisms do not necessarily work in international cricket that I keep suggesting that specialist Pakistani openers will not work in the long run in international cricket and more mature, middle order batsmen should take their position.

Unless you are contemplating a recipe for destruction I would not recommend using Yasir Arafat in anything but Twenty20. I have stated above that Yasir can easily replace Razzaq now in Twenty20 because of Razzaq’s unbelievably pathetic form. But that is only as far as Twenty20 is concerned, I hope you will appreciate. As you state his “rytham” is good when playing for Kent, but his “rytham” has been very poor when he has played for Pakistan in ODI’s.

There were two reasons for the sinking of the Inzimam Ship. One was Rana Naved and the other Abdul Razzak. Both had an important role to play with the ball in hand and both failed to do so. No need to mention his disgraceful fielding his batting is not consistent enough to earn him a place in the eleven. I still feel Abdul Razzak has a future with the Pakistan team he does not have any physical liabilities. All he needs is hard work and proper focus and has to realize that has to bring back some aggression in his bowling. We need the old Abdul Razzak who bowled 140km+. I hope this decision is the kick at the backside he needed as you might know Yasir Arafat has been putting up some sterling performances!

Don't you remember the five four's in one over from Razzaq to Glen Mcgrath the Most accurate bowler of his era. Don't you Remember the Innings that he plays against India in 2005 so patience. He performs when it needed most. Plz Give some time to the razzlers please don't deal this case like Saqlain For God Sake! Give him a chance and Inshallah we all see he will make the difference.

In tense run chases Razzaq always succeeds.

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/iccct2006/engine/match/249747.html

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/scotland/engine/match/240777.html

http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/PAK_IN_SL/SCORECARDS/PAK_SL_ODI2_19MAR2006.html

In the end overs Razzaq's hitting ability is matchless.

His recent performances have been rusty as he has not had much practise.

His bowling is poor, but who have Pakistan got. Afridi is probably Pakistan's best bowler in 20/20.

In 20/20 its more about strategy and Razzaq's experience would have been an important factor.

In tense run chases Razzaq always succeeds.

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/iccct2006/engine/match/249747.html

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/scotland/engine/match/240777.html

http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/PAK_IN_SL/SCORECARDS/PAK_SL_ODI2_19MAR2006.html

In the end overs Razzaq's hitting ability is matchless.

His recent performances have been rusty as he has not had much practise.

His bowling is poor, but who have Pakistan got. Afridi is probably Pakistan's best bowler in 20/20.

In 20/20 its more about strategy and Razzaq's experience would have been an important factor.

When Scotland play Pakistan they'd rather not play against Abdul Razzaq. By dropping Razzaq the oppositions job is far easier.

Apart from the "Ruins of the Razzler" there is so much happening in Pakistan cricket that needs to be addressed as well. For example, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif getting a clean bill after the recent dope test is more than a blessing they both needed. Also, Shoaib, Asif and Afridi's refusal to join the ICL and their patriotic statements to the press should make most Pakistanis proud of them. It is true that money is important but, it is not everything. For them playing for the country and for their fans is more important and, they have demonstrated this spirit by rejecting the lucrative and attractive ICL offer. In response the PCB should also show some generosity in making their central contracts better and more attractive, instead they appear meaner than miser's.

First of all they offered them central contracts only up to the end of this year (they call them six months contract, but in reality its only 5 months). On January 01, 2008 they will offer them new contracts for 12 months only. Although the PCB is saying that they have made the contracts more attractive by adding this clause; "There is extra money for winning a series, a match, scoring a hundred, taking four catches and wickets." IMO this is no biggy, what is more important is to give the players a sense of belonging and that comes by giving them the kinda security and the respect they need by offering them long term contracts say at least for 2 - 3 years and give them their due share.

I do remember once a government official lamenting in the press at the so-called injustice towards Pakistan's manpower or the labourers provided by the government of Pakistan to the Middle Eastern countries on contract basis by saying: "Our labourers work so hard in the adverse conditions in these countries and they (employers) have no consideration for our human resources who are out there in the extreme heat building roads, bridges and skyscrapers and they are hired either on a six months or one year contract and sent back the moment the project is finished." That may be the law of demand and supply in the free market economy that cheap labour is dispensed off when not needed. However, in those countries even for expatriate professionals they offer contracts of 2 - 3 years on a renewable basis and for government employees it is 5 years. Now, the PCB which is a government body and the President of Pakistan is the patron in chief of the PCB, when they are at the giving end, they are acting worst than the Middle Eastern employers. The PCB coffers are full of dollars and they have no problem in spending where they want (mostly on their own officials) and when it comes to give it back to the players who actually are the source of their earnings they are avaricious, penurious and act extremely miserly.

It must really be very hard for the players to control their emotions and swallow their pride like a bitter pill especially when they compare their earnings with their neighbours who are getting a far better package from their board and they also have lots of opportunities to earn endorsements money and from commercial ads. I have a feeling that right now after going through so many crisis in the recent past, the Pakistani players do not wish to take any chances and hence rejected the ICL offer. Had this been any other normal time perhaps some of them may have opted out for money. (reportedly the ICL offered 3 - 4 crore per year whereas the PCB gives only 20 - 30 lacs per year, its a huge difference.) In order to prevent such incidents like, Kerry Packer in the past or ICL at present, the PCB's must change their stance and make their contracts more lucrative and keep them at par with India and also offer them contracts on a long term basis rather than short term based on the proverbial expression: "An egg today is better than tomorrow's chicken."

Twenty20 cricket might be new for some of the intlectual bloggers but its not new at club level in Pakistan. Because it was the only cricket that can be finished in 3 hours in the late afternoon giving way both to the students & working guys to participate in local tournaments even on weekdays.

On one side people love to see inconsistant Afridi & on the other hand they wanna consistant performance from Razaq.
Long term contracts for inconsistant performances makes no sense but non-sense.
Shoaib should have same kina package as of Sachin sounds good but realastically speaking if its possible or not or otherwise, lets do simple maths. BCCI generates revenue from a market of over a billion people & PCB from only 150 or 160 million people. And if you would do simple maths again PCB might be paying a higher %age of the revenue generated to its players than India.

I wrote following note about Abdul Razzak b4 South African tour.

Now he is unfit again.
We do not need him in the team.

http://www.paktribune.com/speakout/comments.php?id=125515&t=1&a=t

Test & One Day series against South Africa is not start yet
and several Pakistani players became unfit.

Specially, without playing any match against South Africa,
Abdul Razak & Shoaib Malik are not fully fit.
Abdul Razak probably will miss the whole test series.

The only good thing this time is Abdul Razak announced his fitness problem prior to aboard.

From some time performance of Abdul Razak & Shoaib Malik is not satisfactory.

Specially, tour outside the country both players are not performing well
but also faces fitness problem.

Last time when our cricket team visited to Australia, Abdul Razak found his sickness just before the match.
He woke up and found himself seriously unfit (with Asthma and Weakness).

He did not play against strong Australian team.

As soon as we came back to Pakistan,
he recovered from his sickness remarkably.

And become the part of national cricket team without any proper treatment.

Board should consider fitness and form of all players.
Especially against good team like Australia, South Africa.

It looks mental level to take stress is not very strong.

Recently they unfit against good teams or in the big tournaments.

As a Pakistani I hope Pakistan will win the series,
but realistically our performance in South Africa never was good.
And chances of wining are less.

Just before world cup it looks like , Players who will not perform well against South Africa
will not be considered for world cup.

But if some players like Abdul Razzak & Sohaib Malik will not play against south africa
especially in test series, they will be automatically considered for the world cup because they did not perform bad.

They are good players but unfortunately their current performance is not satisfactory at all.

If you see the past history of Abdul Razzak quite often he become unfit in big events or against
strong team like Australia.

Before select any player for the world cup we should also consider fitness along with the form.
Otherwise player can be unfit before any crucial match.

I think PCB should work on their mental strength.

Regards,
Dawar Naqvi
CA, USA

Bring back Razzaq on compassionate grounds? Are we asking "The" Politburo to swallow their pride? Do you think it is possible? But first, some of the misunderstanding and inconsistencies needs to be sorted out here which are once again cropping up with the "same Ifs and same But's by the same old Butts".

1. First, to give more respect to his name lets call him Abdul Razzaq instead of calling him simply as Razzaq.
2. Yes, he is a very nice guy, never hurt anyone through his words 'coz he rarely speaks or complains. But, he used to seriously sing :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RctHuAf-5aA&NR=1
3. Yes, he smacked Glen McGrath with 5 consecutive 4's its a treat to watch, take a look.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLBUg2RCmp4
4. Not just this innings, he played some great match winnings and match saving innings in NZ and against England at home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B3SNocW10Y&mode=related&search=
5. He is or 'was' a good all-rounder perhaps he can fight back for his place in ODI's but he needs to work hard, very hard.
6. And, he used to play higher up, check out he used to bat at one down position or number 3. But after a few failures, like Afridi, he too opted for lower order. And, most of his hard hitting scores are from that lower order batting,
7. But, lately (barring his 51* in 21 against England) he was not sure of his role in ODI's. In Australia he played 76 balls and scored only 4 runs and remained not out. In another match he scored 19 in 94 balls, even in the recent World Cup he was in his slow mode, only He knows why?
8. When a decision has been made, they will not change it unless there is disaster in the team and they loose a few matches in the beginning, but there will be no time for any replacement then due to time constraints. Flying Abdul Razzaq from home to SA and expect the half sleepy Popeye the sailor man to wake up with a can of spinach and perform miracles is a bit too much.

Now, for the pay & do who is happily and willingly segregating himself away from other bloggers by creating his own domain and his own theories on Economics, then it is his prerogative and he is highlighting and confirming his complacency and his real worth. But, he should not be teaching us the so-called simple math here, instead he should be a math teacher at his chak punch winjay district Khotiyaan and create a few "ma-done" Johnny boys. The Euclid theory explained by our "Pra" that India is a country of one billion people therefore, they can pay more to their players, whereas Pakistan is just 150 - 160 million (latest is 169 million) hence the PCB is paying less but, in terms of percentage they are paying a higher % of revenue to their players as compared to India? Wow, you deserve a Nobel Prize here. It means that the GDP / GNP, income per capita or even the standard of living of a country has no relevance, salaries are determined on the basis of the size of population, or the revenue generated by that particular segment of that economy? i.e. revenue generated from cricket in this case. Based on this theory, people should not bother working on a salary basis. The whole world should be working on a daily wage basis as it makes no sense to get a salary after one long month. Also, they should not be signing any contracts whatsoever, because it makes no sense to have a contract and one must always remain at the mercy of his employer at all times! Wow, you have great ideas, but Nobel Prize is a far fetched thing at the moment take this, "the water-cooler is yours now."

We do not need Razzak.
He always unfit against tough oponents or prior to the big events.
He was unfit against Austrlia in Austrlia.
He wake up just b4 the match and complained about Asthma and other stuff.
Just after one month in Pakistan he was super fit against Bangladesh.
He become unfit in Champions trophy Cup (India).
Again he become super fit in the home serise against weak west indies.
He became unfit against South Africa just after west indies home series. He was unfit in the world cup too.

Please omit him forever.

Saima Khan
Islamabad

Hi Guys.

Razzak is no more a MVP he is finish as concern with cricket. His attitude , His approach to the game, His bowling, his batting, his fielding all are just like a novice player playing cricket in the streets. Even Wasim Akram who once consider him the future pakistan best allrounder saying he is really disappointed by Razzak and he rightly so Razzak never comes up to the mark after that 1999 world cup. People who compares him with Afridi are wrong, he is no matchi to afridi as par as bowling , fielding, approach and attitude towards the game. No team felt fear when razzak is there but they do feel fear when afridi is there.

And about 20/20 i think Muhammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzak, muhammad sami, Younis Khan and even i will go for salman butt to not be in team. this type of game not for him. Imran Nazir, Khuraam Manzoor, Muhammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed, Shoib Malik, Fawad ALam, Kamran Akmal, Afridi, Muhammad asif, Umar gul, shoib akhter, Misbah ul-Haq, faisal iqbal, Abdur Rahman, rao ifthikar.

Khansahab(AA.Khan)

Despite sami's ( 49 v India & 47 v SA) & saqi's (100 v Zimbabwe) batting efforts they are not and will never be genuine all rounders-they are simply, and i put Rao in the same category, no mugs with the bat. They all may one day emulate gillespie and score a double test hundred; but they will never be classed as all rounders. Rao is no substitute for razzak-just forget him and give him credit for his reliable line and length seam bowling.

I am aware how malik started out, he really is special in how he improved as a batsman-he is a exception to the general rule.

Should Arafat replace razzak in the one dayers too? yes on current form and not forgetting his innings against SA at Mohali during the ICC chamapions trophy-every one was blown away on that green wicket with some bounce. Arafat applied himself and was techinically better equipped to negotiate the bounce and seam something which is rare amongst some of the current all rounders.

Well, Razzaq I think is a fading star and needs a good break to rediscover himself and should only be given chance once back in form. But having read 90 odd comments, I am surprised no one discussed further Razzaq’s obsession with eating spinach even when Kamran Abbasi hinted upon “his spinach-induced illness”. I wonder if his lethargy and sleep walking has something to do with his obsession. He can, apparently, eat spinach every single day. If I was forced eating the same dish everyday, I would soon get sick of it and would never want to touch it for a long time again but apparently this doesn’t apply to Razzaq. I remember Bob Woolmer tackled it at one stage when Razzaq became ill because of eating too much of it and tried to convince him of the benefits of having a balanced diet. I wonder if his advice fell on deaf ears.

I think rext’s comments earlier were spot on, unbiased and very Australian like when he said “sport is played 90% above the shoulders perhaps that's where Pakistan’s self examination should focus”. His very useful comments apply perhaps to all teams. As I have said before, once a talent is spotted it all boils down to mental strength and determination to fight. This fighting ability I found in abundance, as said before, in the likes of Imran Khan, Miandad and Wasim Akram (in that order) but not much elsewhere. I believe most Australians have it. Hence the reason they are a top team and I can name quite a few of such players in South African team and to a lesser extent some other international teams.

I think a lot of mental toughness comes with your upbringing. Imran and Miandad had it in them in contrasting ways. Imran, because of his influence of famous cricket playing relatives and his education at Aitcheson and Oxford plus he had natural charisma and grace. Whilst, Miandad toughened because he was a street fighter and largely self taught. Every time he walked out to bat and how he flexed himself flashing with the bat was a sight to behold. It would intimidate any opposition. He would do that every time he came out no matter how bad the score line, he would continue with this ritual. Unfortunately, most of our players lack such toughness. It is fact also that maturity comes late to our people from the subcontinent due to combination of upbringing and cultural reasons. Once, Woolmer said to an English journalist “Sometimes the Pakistani players can be extraordinarily childlike”. Hence my point. In Western cultures it’s quite different. If you have a conversation with an average teenager, he would come across much mature than an adult from subcontinent. How Shilpa Shetty got the rollicking from the likes of Jade and other English girls in Big Brother only happened because of the differences I highlighted. She started on the wrong footing by saying things like “in India when I enter in a room full of people, they stand up for me out of respect”. Little does she know that here even a Prime Minister if he goes to a children’s school they wouldn’t take much notice of him. On the other hand, had there been an Asian teenager brought up in the UK, she would have put the likes of Jade in her place. As even her maturity level would be higher than some adults from the subcontinent.

Mr Khan,
The attitude of the BCCI is no different from the attitude of the PCB. With the amount of money that is being generated by cricket , it is very surprising that it is not translating into the development of the game or grooming talent. Rather than creating cricket acadamies the cricket board should be focussing on providing cricket grounds to the kids at school, in a city, and at a district/tehsil level. However the officials are bust stuffing their own pockets. This results is kids playing cricket on the roads till the age of 13-14, resulting in developing improper techniques, poor fielding abilities etc. However, the board official have hardly shown any interest in developing the cricketing infrastructure. However, IMO the contract duration for players is debatable, as a lengthy contract lulls the players(sub-continent) into a false sense of security that they will not be dropped of the contract list inspite of poor performances. I also think that contracts should give a higher weightage to team performance rather than individual performance. There should be a clause for winning %age..if the team winning %age drops below a certain benchmark then no player on the team should be making money. And on the individual fromt, a batsman should be measured on %age score >50 on the total no. of innings played, a bowler should be measured on %age of times he has taken 3 or more Wicket per inning...getting the %ages as a criteria would be more effective than just plain nos.

Decline of abdul razzaq over the years is certainly one of the most dissappointing chapters in pakistan cricket history.There is no one but razzak himself to blame for it.He never seemed to be keen on improving upon his game,obvious from his fielding and bowling.A decade ago he promised to be one of genX stars of cricket but today we find him struggling for a place in the side and considering his performances of late rightly so.But the biggest question lies in who will take his place in the team as a fast bowling all-rounder and pakistan are desparetely in need of one.

Tayyab Ali,

What I have said in relation to Rao and also in relation to Sami and Saqlain is regarding replacing Razzaq as Razzaq’s current form stands. I think it is fair to say that no matter how Rao or Sami or Saqlain bat currently, they would still be more productive than Razzaq in his current form.
I guess who an all-rounder is or is not depends on how you perceive the term. I can give you examples of Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Ajit Agarkar etc, who are all considered all-rounders even though neither of them averages more than 20 in ODI’s and neither of them has ever scored an ODI century.
You state Malik is the exception to the norm. The only reason Malik became this exception is because he was given the opportunity to display his talent when he was promoted up the order. Unless we don’t do that with Rao we can never be fully certain whether he has the potential to replace Razzaq.

Currently Salman Butt and Mohammad Hafeez have shown good form in the practice matches. We really have to ponder though whether these players will perform the same in foreign pitches? I would say not. Perhaps there will be some respite for them in South Africa because all they will be required to do anyway will be to slog. From the bowlers’ point of view however I am surprised that Mohammad Sami has performed well. It is also reassuring to see Fawad Alam contributing with the bat as well as the ball. It is because of Fawad Alam’s brilliance with both bat and ball that I think Abdur Rehman might miss out, since Pakistan already have a left arm spinner in Fawad. However Malik is keener to play Abdur Rehman, which I do not think is fair. It will be interesting to see who wins out eventually.
I read Aaqib Javed’s interview recently where he questioned Shoaib Akhtar’s commitment to the team, stating that Akhtar does not manage his fitness well, is “moody” and is not very committed. There is so much to say in favour of the presumption that Shoaib Akhtar is unpatriotic and only plays for himself.
Here I would also like to mention about Inzamam’s true motives for wanting to play in Tests. According to a leading Pakistani newspaper Inzamam’s close friends told members of the PCB that he only wants to play Tests because he wants to be remembered as Pakistan’s leading run-scorer. That is very upsetting. Inzamam suffers from fitness problems and it makes more sense for him to play ODI’s rather than Tests. He can’t control his fitness in ODI’s in that he often leaves the field to rest- how can he even foresee himself playing the longer version of the game for another year, as he states?

The selection for any form of cricket should be based on current form rather than their past perfotmance.This applies more to twenty20 than testor one dayers.In this direction PCB has done a good thing in dropping razzaq & other seniors.twenty20 is a fast game & need fresh/young legs .People like afridi,sehwag or peterson are cutout for this version.Of late razaaq is out of colour & does not deserve a place in the team.May be as somebody pointed out ,he was misused & not provided oppurtunities by inzy is a point for debate.Pakistan has no dearth of talented youngsters & omission of few known rags does not make a difference.I appreciate the wisdom of PCB in dropping mohd.yusuf who is a misfit for this version of cricket.even younis khan should be dropped for this.

Tay'yab Ali jaan K dush man hai hai .... what are you saying to A.A.Khan? I mean how can you be so sure that Rao Ifti can never become a genuine all-rounder? Majid Jehangir Khan started off as a medium pace bowler and gave up his bowling entirely, dropped his middle name and emerged as a quality batsman. The only Pakistani to score a century in test before lunch time. His cousin Imran Khan started his career as a bowler and that too without any line, length and direction but, do we need to discuss Imran Khan's career or write his achievements and accomplishments here? You say Shoaib Malik is an exception to the general rule? Which rule are you talking about? Compared to the above two names I have mentioned he is no where near their achievements, he has a long way to go before he proves his mettle as a real all-rounder.

Shoaib Malik, due to his injuries and poor performance was out of the team quite a few times and when he was included in the team after a long gap he considered it as a blessing 'coz as he was not sure of his place in the team. But, there was an opening conundrum in the Pakistan team and he was asked to open the innings. He accepted it by saying in a very submissive and meek way: "I can play at any position, wherever my captain and coach wants me to bat I am ready to bat at that position." Do you think as a captain will he ever do that? I mean will he open the innings for Pakistan? Because, the opening conundrum still exist, Jamais, because he failed as an opener!

Anyways, talking of Rao Ifti, he may not be able to take as many wickets or score as many runs as Abdul Razzaq has, because he is already 26 years old, just a year younger than Abdul Razzaq but, he can definitely become an all-rounder because he has those qualities in him. He is a very unassuming player and his bowling is very accurate, economical and he took wickets when others failed. As a tail-ender he has proved very useful at times with real big sixes and not just slogging every single ball. IMO, if he applies a little more and insist on batting a little higher i.e., at number 8 instead of 10 he can slowly but surely prove his worth as a batsman too.

I agree with saima khan regarding razzak. same is the case with Shoib Malik. he remains fit when he has to play in sub continent pitches but unfit when he has to play on pitches in England, Australia, SA, West indies and Newzealand. He is the player who only plays on dead pithes like in srilanka, india, pakistan and banglades. he should also be thrown out of the team. we need who can apply themselves everywhere not on dead pitches. People says lot about faisal iqbal, misbah ul haq, shahid yousuf, asim kamal but i definetley say they are far better batsman than shoib malik and even imran farhat and imran nazir.

:)

Fawad Alam is the best replacement for Abdul Razzak. He is young and come to this level of cricket on the merit, very important matter in our current system.

He needs support from the board and from the Captain. I hope Shoaib Malik will give him proper chances in bwling & batting both.
Some how in his first appearence shoaib did try him as a bowler.

PCB also need to give proper chances to Khurrum Manzoor & Khalid Latif. Again both openers performed well in current 20/20. They both are from the same town as Saeed Anwar (Malir) Hopefully they will solve the openers issue.
We do not find any reliable openers after Saeed's Departure. But from three years I am watching the performance of Khalid Latif and Khurrum Manzoor it is incrediable. They should be in our national team. They already in thier early twenties.

Raja Pakistani

For Tayyab-Ali

Yasir Arfat is a good looking man but not a good cricketer.

Look at his statistics, PCB put him in the world cup too without merit and see what he has done?

Matches:7
Innings:5
Not out:1
Total Runs:48
HS:27
Ave: 12.00
******************************************
Bowling:
Matches: 7
Wickets: 4

Does he deserve to be in a team?

Good choice to replace Razzak on a permenant basis are Fawad Alam or Mohammad Hafeez.

Nadeem
London, UK

razzak should be out from the team, long time ago.
I do not why borad still keeping him.
He brought players grouping in the team.

His performance always good against weak bowling side but his performance against good team is awful or unfit. I am totally agreing with Saima above . he was unfit against Austrlia & South Africa. he was unfit in Champions trophy & world cup but he was super fit against Bangladesh & weak west indiese in the home serise.

Gulab Khan
Peshawer

Kamran Akmal also should be out.
Do you know that?

He contained the world record of dropping catches in one match (for both one day & test matches)

Why is he in the team?

Replace him by Sarfraz Ahmed (Last year Captain of our world champion under 19 team, who won the under 19 world cup for us).

Saima Khan
Islamabad

I like Razzak. He was a devastating all-rounder in his prime, but alas - he is a spent force now.

I think Yasir Arafat is a very prospect to replace Razzak as a medium-pacer all-rounder. I think PCB is doing the right thing by giving chance to young players to prove themselves.

GO PAKISTAN

Asad Faizi

agree with usman nazar rathore, australia developed shane watson form scratch,literally.we on the other hand, had the talent all given in razzaq but we blew it.
i guess the problem has been 1)with the captains razzaq played under and 2)with razzaq himslef.
i say the captains because they were always happy with him bowling his 10 overs ,going for 40-50 runs pickng up a wicket or two. and then when it came to batting they were happy wiht his once in a while flurries and otherwise sleepy batting.
i say razzaq because he never tried to lift the level of his game;unlike the greats of the game, he seemde to be content with what he had to offer rather thatn trynig to polish what he had.

I am agreeing with Razzak.
But Mohammad Ysuuf should be in.
He is the best batsman in Pakistan team.

Dawar

I agree with Omer Admani, actually people like Kamran Akmal and Rana Naved are the problems. We should be more loyal to people like Razzaq, Kaneria and even Asim Kamal who are not interested in acting like leaders. Razzaq, to me, has a definite place in the test and one day team. People say he should have been thrown a year ago, what about his one batting performances during this time ? Okay in 20-20, both Razzaq and Yousuf can be rested as they are not very suitable for that kind of stuff. In any case 20-20 is not important enough to warrant making your old workhorses getting injured.

omitting Razak and yousaf from 20 squad is a B.S decision. Pakistani selectors are not in their mind. that's i wana say.

The PCB is the most convenient closed boys shop in world cricket. No other board quite manages to descend to the selection farces that the PCB has a panache for.

What a bunch of jokers. Cronism doesn't even cover it. Its not just the current squad for 20/20. Picks like Faisal Iqbal, Mohammed Hafeez,Rao Iftikar, decisions such as Shoaib Malik as captain, Salman Butt as vice captain, an untested Aussie as coach over proven Dav Whatmore, you could go on and on.

Hopefully, the PCB's role is now at an end and their meddling will be kept to a minimum so the players can do what they should do best, perform to their utmost so that the shame of the West Indies debacle can be erased.

I would like to congratulate PCB for giving a chance to Selection Commeettee (Karachi Fame) to be a part of Pay&doism.
And its a very high time for our Karachi & other non-Punjabi bloggers that they have also started to produce pay&dos.
Enjoy yourself.
P.S; The selection of Misbah & omission of Kurram (Saima's Fav) was outside the scope of current job of the pay&dos.

some of these comments are unbelievable!! examples lik plz dont let razzaq go he is a hero and as well as yousuf!! wel my friends 20-20 is not yousufs game... id rather hav yousuf be fresh and hungry for the SA series rather than make 20 of 30 balls!! and dont remind me that yousufs fielding is a huge liability!! even inzi was better in the field... at least he could hold onto simple chances!! id rather hav misbah, whom i expect to b a better fielder and a more explosive batsman. he has impressed in the practice matches as well!! im suprised hassan raza is not being given a chance the lads only 26!! misbah is 33!! look for a stable future!! yousuf is also arnd 32 and 33... so both of them mite not even survive for the next worldcup!! give hassan raza a chance he can actly survive for 2 more world cups!! glad to see arafats talent not goin to waste!! i dont want to see the laziness of razzaq on the field!! arafats been a man that shud hav been groomed!! glad to see him do wel for kent at least!! fawad alam... i hav a lot of expectations from him!

other players i wud hav liked to see are khalid latif a young opener, mohammad sami better for this version of the game... prolly better than umar gul... khurram manzoor.. talented young and explosive!!

Without Mohammad Yusuf, Pakistan's batting does acheive a level of consistency --- now we can have a consistently poor batting. Kamran, you should write a "book of jokes" comprising PCB decisions and actions.

dropping Yousuf and Razzaq, shows that PCB is just a bunch of ignorants and arrogants people who dont care pakistani cricket.
I mean tell show me anybody in the pakistai current team who is better than Yousuf and razzaq, that shows how much [bad ]politic is involved in cricket. too much.

The problem lies with how Razzaq is utilized. He has himself stated that recent captians dont know how to use him. They tend to just give him the ball for a few overs just to get some overs through without really expecting wickets from him. Wasim Akram used him to great effect as a first change attacking bowler. When given responsibility Razzaq has delievered.. if i remember currently he opened the bowling against sri lanka in a home series and couple of years and did very well. Perhaps he should have been given vice captaincy so that he could have more of a responsibility. He just seems to be going through the motions of late.

Pakistan Squad for Twenty20 Championship is announced and Misbah-ul-Haq is selected in the place of M. Yousuf, if Misbah-ul-Haq can get selected at the age of 33 with an extremely shameful international record, then why not me, i am 27 and i am sure i will provide better results than him.
BTW, is Misbah a relative of some PCB memeber or selector?
This current selection shows the weakness of Shoaib Malik, he doesn't seem to have any authority or any say in the team selection, i think our current PCB management only wants 11 toys in the ground whom Remote Control is always back in the PCB's hands, thats why they have selected a low profile Captain and even lower profile V-Captian for pakistan in the presence of some high profile players and personalities in the team.
Is there anyway they can justify the omission of Mohammad Yousuf?

Shoaib should not get away this time, but even if he does there has to be a check on him. Like a parole. The ICL must be, however, delighted to have him. What a pity if we lose such a cricketer this way.

Though being an Indian,am a true fan of Pak Cricket.Never let a opportunity of missing a match of pak,with whom it is playing is none of the matters to me.But am totally dissapointed and anguish in the manner ,Pak Cricket is lossing/dropping its jewels,soveniers,heroes from the cricket.The likes of Inzamam,Yousuf,Razaq are impossible to replace.However they still have the guile,skill,guts and more important the experience which is most needed in todays way of cricket and to guide,influence youngsters as well.
PCB officials has to pick a stick of lessons from their counterpart India,who hardly shows any indications to drop their aged horse-wars likes of Sachin,Dravid,ganguly. If A.Razzaq would have played in the T/20 cup,then PAk easily would have emerged as the winner.I sincerely request Mr.PERVEZ MUSHARRAF president of PAK,who is also the chief patron of PAK cricket to look into this matter seriously and stop this trend of elbowing PAK senior players from the cricket.I hope he'll not let me down as PAK selectors are lettting down their own cricket loving people and true PAK fans like me.