Butt and Hameed to open: Your views?

[Wiji]

That's what Malik apparently said according to a Cricinfo article. I think it's a great move to get Hameed back into the game. He's not been given enough chances in my opinion, when people who are MUCH less successful such as Hafeez and Butt have been countless chances. So that's one positive move.

[Shahid A]

HAMEED!!

you must be joking you will see what i mean after the first test

[UP]

I think we have to stick with these two I mean give them time to settle in the team........they will never perform if they will be in and out.. simple.

[Desi]

Originally Posted by Shahid A HAMEED!! you must be joking you will see what i mean after the first test

he has a pretty healthy test average, and his record against india is hot. lets give him a shot eh?

[Wiji]

Originally Posted by Shahid A HAMEED!! you must be joking you will see what i mean after the first test

Well he's stats are clearly better than the likes of Butt, Hafeez, Farhat.

For me, ideally Hameed and Taufeeq Umar should open in Tests. I never understood why the selectors turn a blind eye to Umar. The guy has an average of nearly 40 after 25 tests!

[Amjid Javed]

Hameed did pretty well against india time round, hopefully he can replicate that form.

[Shoaib Akhtar's Fan]

Is a good move i would say. Hameed has more than a decent test record and Butt is in good form at the moment. Besides we don't really have many other options do we ?

[Desi]

Originally Posted by Wiji Well he's stats are clearly better than the likes of Butt, Hafeez, Farhat. For me, ideally Hameed and Taufeeq Umar should open in Tests. I never understood why the selectors turn a blind eye to Umar. The guy has an average of nearly 40 after 25 tests!

thats because he never converted his starts when pakistan toured NZ years ago...
so we went from batsmen who could get starts, but not convert them, to batsmen who can barely get starts in the first place. kudos

[iZeeshan]

Not my favorite choice, but its good to go with whats available.

[Obeid]

Hopefully both can stick around and give pakistan a decent start. Butts in good form and Hameed if he doesnt fish at anything outside off stump should be ok. The one way I see Moyo and Yk failing and getting out cheaply is if these two get out early...Inshallah theyll do well....btw zeeshan call my house...

[Shahid A]

ok we will see people

i bet you in five days you will be saying get Hameed out of the team

[Wiji]

Originally Posted by Shahid A ok we will see people i bet you in five days you will be saying get Hameed out of the team

Nah, I've always been a Hameed fan. I don't expect too much from Butt though. He just seems as if he will never fulfill his potential for some reason.

At least with Hameed we know that he will have an opener who will stick around for the first 5-10 overs and score 20-30 runs.

[Shahid A]

Originally Posted by Wiji Nah, I've always been a Hameed fan. I don't expect too much from Butt though. He just seems as if he will never fulfill his potential for some reason. At least with Hameed we know that he will have an opener who will stick around for the first 5-10 overs and score 20-30 runs.

5-10 OVERS!!
no way im thinking first 2 or 3 overs he will be caught in slip

[zam]

hameed is not a good choice as we have to leave misbah........who is better player than him.......malik should open with butt sahab.......

[Wiji]

Originally Posted by zam hameed is not a good choice as we have to leave misbah........who is better player than him.......malik should open with butt sahab.......

1 Salman Butt, 2 Yasir Hameed, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Shoaib Malik (capt), 6 Misbah-ul-Haq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Danish Kaneria

I would like Malik to open sometime in the future as well, but this is most probably going to be the team tomorrow.

[Shahid A]

Originally Posted by Wiji 1 Salman Butt, 2 Yasir Hameed, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Shoaib Malik (capt), 6 Misbah-ul-Haq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Danish Kaneria I would like Malik to open sometime in the future as well, but this is most probably going to be the team tomorrow.

your not getting the point!!

DO NO OPEN WITH HAMEED!

you can carry on backing Hameed but when he makes poor score's throughout the test series don't come crying to me

[Bowling Shane]

Out of all the openers we have Hameed and Butt are probably the best suited, i am not in favour of putting a make shift opener like Akaml or Malik at the top as this is not the answer for Pakistan's long term future. Butt is still very young and Hameed is in his late twenties so if these two can have a bit of a run maybe they will form some sort of understanding. I mean look we dont really have any other options that are better as Hafeez and Nazir are not really test openers.

Hameeds ave is 35.88 in tests so this is not too bad better then the rest of the Pakistan openers.

[JosheelaKaptan]

Considering evrything, this is the best opening combo that Pakistan has. I consider Hameed better than Butt in test matches. Butt attempts to guide the ball to thridman may be his down fall in test cricket with 3 slips and a Gully. India also come in with 2 of its best slip fielders in RD and VVS.

[161]

hameed hasn't looked good in the few matches he's played in his return..

i'd open with malik and have both misbah and phaital ikbal in the middle order.

[RumiNYC]

that's a great choice and good combo. hope they stick with them and give them atleast forthcoming zimbabwe series.

[Wiji]

Ideally, Taufeeq Umar should be opening the team in Tests. But the selectors seem to be holding a grudge against him. Poor guy- he averages 40 in tests (far superior to any other opener in Pakistan) but still doesn't get a call up.

[Wasim_Waqar]

http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/20...06JAN2005.html

That is the reason why I've championed these two to be openers for the last 3 years.

[Saj]

Hameed is a walking wicket at the moment.

I would fancy taking his wicket, despite the fact that I havent played competitive cricket for a number of years.

I would have gone with Akmal to open and Sarfraz to keep wicket

[Geordie Ahmed]

Id go with that - its not like we have many contenders knocking on the door

The important thing is that we stick with these 2 for the entire series

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Saj Hameed is a walking wicket at the moment. I would fancy taking his wicket, despite the fact that I havent played competitive cricket for a number of years. I would have gone with Akmal to open and Sarfraz to keep wicket

Actually i never thought of that - that is a good suggestion. Akmal needs to be dropped for his wicketkeeping BUT his batting can be very good so that is a good idea

[waqar-uk]

Butt and Hameed are the best choice at the moment and should be given a long run. Personally, I would have Butt, Umar, Hameed as our 3 designated openers...give them 12-18 months and hopefully you will get results. As the great Imran said we will never get ready made openers from our domestic circut due to the kind of pitches we play on..so best thing to do would be slect the best 3 openers (in terms of talent, technic etc) and work on them at international level.

Taufeeq is out of pic now due to his particpation in ICL.

[Mercenary]

Hameed is our best batsman after MoYo and Younis, his achilles heel is his fishing outside the offstump. If he can stop doing that then he'll be awesome.

[Bailan]

From the every revolving door ... Hameed and Butt are the most competent two.

They must open for pakistan next 10~12 tests consistantly ... before we can actually call on them.

PCB stuck with Anwar for a while before he started delivering the goods.

[Saj]

Originally Posted by Mercenary Hameed is our best batsman after MoYo and Younis, his achilles heel is his fishing outside the offstump. If he can stop doing that then he'll be awesome.

nah Merc. I've never rated him in the past and dont rate him now. Far too many flaws in his batting.

His test average is 35, but if you take out his big scores against BD at the start of his career you wouldnt have much left.

I wonder why the selectors only opted for 2 openers, 1 of whom who didnt even open in the one day series?

[The Godfather]

we should persist with these two and see how they get on

[lodge_boy]

i would say malik should open with butt and send hammed on n umber 3 or 4?

[cricketcrazy]

Originally Posted by Saj Hameed is a walking wicket at the moment. I would fancy taking his wicket, despite the fact that I havent played competitive cricket for a number of years. I would have gone with Akmal to open and Sarfraz to keep wicket

and you must be kidding right?? Akmal as an opener??

[Mercenary]

Originally Posted by Saj His test average is 35, but if you take out his big scores against BD at the start of his career you wouldnt have much left.

He averages 37 vs Australia, 40 vs India and 47 vs NZ.

He's been poor vs SA (22), SL (23) and WI (16).

His average excluding BD is 30 which isnt that bad, he has a lot of potential and from the batsmen I've actually seen play he's the best!!

[Amjid Javed]

Both batsmen tend to struggle with lack of footmovement, strike rotation and also struggle alot against Spin. They are best Available pair in selectors eyes i guess, both players need to knuckle down and provide stable performances at top or order and lay a good platform for the team.

[Wasim_Waqar]

Excellent point Amjid. In Aus- the others didn't follow suit when they both did this.

[antoniorivas1974]

These two are the best choice at the moment. But neither is a solution in the long run.

[PlanetPakistan]

Originally Posted by Mercenary Hameed is our best batsman after MoYo and Younis, his achilles heel is his fishing outside the offstump. If he can stop doing that then he'll be awesome.

I rate him too but he is unlucky because he was primarly a # 3 batsman but Younis Khan's success has meant that he is either out of the team or he has to bat as an opener.

[antoniorivas1974]

i dont think that would make much of a differnce. When he was coming 1 down he wa coming in the 2nd over anyway.

[Caved12]

Hameed is simply not an answer.

[Sheikh_Ji]

Not to thrilled to see Hameed back...but glad to see Pak going in with two proper openners, no make-shifts. Would be even more glad if we can give one combination an entire series (even if its Hameed).

For the record, im thrilled to see Butt being given an extended run...

[Wiji]

Good to see a lot of positive posts in this thread for a change. Seems a good move from the selectors for a change. Let's see how the pair starts. Hopefully there are no surprises in the final XI and that these two actually open.

[Plasma]

Im very glad to see this, best option we have at the moment. Not disappointed one bit. Looks like the selection is on merit. Hope to see some big knocks from these two.

[Plasma]

Originally Posted by Wiji Good to see a lot of positive posts in this thread for a change. Seems a good move from the selectors for a change. Let's see how the pair starts. Hopefully there are no surprises in the final XI and that these two actually open.

Still, i can't see why some people are disappointed. I guess no one can please everybody, although im not sure why someone should be complaining about these two.

[Shahid A]

Wiji

see what i mean about Hameed?

[Zohaib Shah]

Originally Posted by Shahid A Wiji see what i mean about Hameed?

Yes Shahid he did Better then all our Middle order. Now I see what you mean.

[Saj]

I awoke at 5.30 am to find Hameed 29 not out. I must admit I nearly fell out of bed at seeing that. However normality resumed with Hameed playing Ganguly as though he was facing Michael Holding.

Then he played the most ridiculous shot to Kumble and was subsequently bowled.

Why do we keep persevering with these mentally weak players?

[Savak]

Originally Posted by Saj I awoke at 5.30 am to find Hameed 29 not out. I must admit I nearly fell out of bed at seeing that. However normality resumed with Hameed playing Ganguly as though he was facing Michael Holding. Then he played the most ridiculous shot to Kumble and was subsequently bowled. Why do we keep persevering with these mentally weak players?

Hammeed is a hundred times better than that Hafeez who eats up a 100 balls for 10 runs. He is a naturally attacking and a very positive player. He atleast gets out playing his shots, he just needs to improve and work on his shot selection. He is not mentally weak. Players like Salman Butt and Hafeez are mentally weak because they dont play their natural games under pressure. I have seen enough to believe it, just look at butts face when he faces up to the bowler. Yes Hammeed has weaknesses, but i still remmember his pull shot over midwicket of a 90mph brett lee bouncer. He does have guts, there is no doubt about it. There wasnt much wrong with him i have no idea why was he dropped from the team during Inzi's time. We need to give him a consistent run in the side.

[Wiji]

Originally Posted by Saj I awoke at 5.30 am to find Hameed 29 not out. I must admit I nearly fell out of bed at seeing that. However normality resumed with Hameed playing Ganguly as though he was facing Michael Holding. Then he played the most ridiculous shot to Kumble and was subsequently bowled. Why do we keep persevering with these mentally weak players?

Hey, he stuck around for 21.2 overs. I think he should be given credit for that much at least. His role is to see off the new ball, and he did that. Everyone has a role in the team, and he played out his.

So credit to him. A reasonable first innings from him.

[Saj]

Its says a lot for the state of our cricket when we accept a score of 29 as a good effort when a player who has seen off the new ball and is settled at the crease then subsequently decides to play a shot that can be seen in most village greens on a Sunday afternoon.

The shot played by Hameed was in my opinion, the shot of a player who didn’t want to “tough it out” in the middle and threw away his wicket in the heat of battle.

[Amjid Javed]

I stated earlier in this thread that Hameed struggled against spin and its not a shock he played such a daft shot against Kumble!

[Shahid A]

Originally Posted by Zohaib Shah Yes Shahid he did Better then all our Middle order. Now I see what you mean.

We wasnt talking about the middle order. We were only talking about Hameed and you thought he was a really good player and so on....

but he proved it today he is a waste of time

[Wiji]

Hameed did well in both innings. The second innings opening wicket partnership has been one of the longest ones for Pakistan in a long long time.

So far so good. Let's hope they stick with Hameed for a while. At least he sees out the new ball more often than not.

[Shahid A]

Originally Posted by Wiji Hameed did well in both innings. The second innings opening wicket partnership has been one of the longest ones for Pakistan in a long long time. So far so good. Let's hope they stick with Hameed for a while. At least he sees out the new ball more often than not.

i wouldn't say well i would say he did okay but not that good because if he was a good player he would of converted it into a big score but he didnt

[Wiji]

Originally Posted by Shahid A i wouldn't say well i would say he did okay but not that good because if he was a good player he would of converted it into a big score but he didnt

Let's just assess his performance compared to other openers. He's getting starts and we should be happy with that. If he continues to get starts, it's only a matter of time he will convert it.

[Shahid A]

Originally Posted by Wiji Let's just assess his performance compared to other openers. He's getting starts and we should be happy with that. If he continues to get starts, it's only a matter of time he will convert it.

not really we have got him there to get big scores before you know it he will be dropped then his chances have gone

[Amjid Javed]

Hameed has only proved in this test what i already thought he gets in, gets bogged down and thorws away starts. Also he struggles against spin!

[PlanetPakistan]

Played well today. Both have some technical flaws but i reckon the only way they can correct these flaws is by actually playing the game so i would persist with them for a while

[Savak]

Originally Posted by Shahid A i wouldn't say well i would say he did okay but not that good because if he was a good player he would of converted it into a big score but he didnt

When was the last time an opener scored 29,36 in one test match alone? Yasir is the best i have seen among the lot of openers we have tried. It would be best to stick with him for a long period of time now.