Azhar Ali is probably the most under rated batsman ever to play Test Cricket for Pakistan. I am not too sure why he does not get the respect that a batsman like him deserves.

More than 7,000 test runs; a 40+ average; 19 test centuries; a triple hundred; a double hundred.

The only Pakistan batsmen ahead of him are the greats Javed Miandad, Inzamam Ul Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, and Younis Khan.

I get that he can't be classified as a test great given that his average is quite far from the coveted 50 mark, but he has been the mainstay of Pakistan's test batting line up for the past decade.

He is also the best test number 3 that Pakistan has had, barring the great Younis Khan.

As soon as Pakistan's 18-man squad for the Test Series against England was announced, there were a number of fans questioning the presence of Azhar Ali.

WHY!??

Maybe it has something to do with him not playing ODIs and T20Is, and the fans forget the value Azhar brings to the test side?

Maybe some fans don't fully understand the requirements of a batsman like Azhar Ali in a test batting line up?

I am really not sure what it is.

Especially considering he scored a 185 against Australia in the last home series that Pakistan played; in a game where no batsman from Australia got to a 100!

Some fans pointed out that Azhar has been living of past achievements and does not deserve to be in the team based on recent performance.

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?

Here is a list of the top 20 run scorers in Test Cricket over the period 2020-22.

I see only two Pakistanis in the list.

And I can name a few big names from other countries, as well as, those from the "Fab 4" who are not in this list. Yet they continue to feature in Test Cricket.

Only our fans can have issues with such stars of the game.

I have another stat for you all.

Azhar bats at number 3, which is one of the most crucial positions in a batting line up. Especially in Test Cricket. It is also one of the most difficult positions to bat in.

Here are the best performing number 3s in Test Cricket over the period 2020-22.

I really wonder what these fan critics are on.

And it also does not make sense to drop someone who has been performing consistently!

Here is a summary of his performance in Pakistan's recent Test Series.

vs Sri Lanka (in Sri Lanka): Played 1 Test, scored 3 and 6.

vs Australia (in Pakistan): Scored 300 runs in 5 innings at an average of 60, including a 185 and a 78.

vs Bangladesh (in Bangladesh): 0, 24*, and 56

vs West Indies (in West Indies): 17, 23, 0, and 22

vs Zimbabwe (in Zimbabwe): 36 and 126

vs South Africa (in Pakistan): 51, 31*, 0, and 33

vs New Zealand (in New Zealand): 5, 38, 93, and 37

vs England (in England): 0, 18, 20, 141*, and 31

So where is the failure?

The only series where he failed was against West Indies.

A player is allowed 1 bad series in 3 years; or do Pakistan fans not have the patience for that either?

He has scored runs in every series, against all opposition, in all conditions home and away!

I will never understand the criticism against him.

Azhar is the mainstay of Pakistan's test batting line up, one of the best test batsmen produced by Pakistan.

I hope the fans will leave him alone, give him some respect, and let him play for as long as he keeps scoring valuable runs for the team.

In both innings of the first test, he looked out of sorts, with scores of 3 off 41 deliveries and 6 off 32 deliveries. 

Pakistan fans generally have very short memories. Their daggers were out immediately after Azhar's two sluggish failures, and no one remembered that in Pakistan's last test series, against Australia, he amassed 300 runs in 5 innings, including a solid knock of 185.

"oh but that was scored at home, he does nothing away from home"

Hellooo, who scored a double ton at the MCG? Surely the fans have forgotten that too.

Azhar has been one of Pakistan's most dependable test batters in the past decade. 19 test centuries is no joke, neither are 7,000 test runs. The only Pakistan batters who have got more are the big 4 - Younis Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzamam Ul Haq, and Mohammad Yousuf.

He is not in the same league as the big 4 but his test average is at par with the likes of Misbah, Saeed Anwar, Hanif Mohammad, Saleem Malik, and Zaheer Abbas.

For those who think that he scores only on flat UAE decks need a reminder that Azhar has scored a test century in every country he has played except for New Zealand and South Africa. And he has scored a test ton against all opposition except for South Africa.

Azhar may not be a test great, but he has given his fair share of great test knocks, and totally deserves his place in the side.

What the current and past team managements think of him will forever remain a mystery. Despite being the most prolific first class batter in Pakistan he was kept out of the side for 10 years. That too after scoring a debut test century.

When he eventually made a come back in 2020, he showed what Pakistan was missing by hitting test hundreds against New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the West Indies.

In 12 tests since his comeback, he scored 703 runs at an average of 50. In this period, he had more centuries than anyone else from Pakistan, was one of the only three batters to average 50, and was one of the mainstays of their batting line up.

Then he had one bad series against Australia and found himself on the bench for the first test against Sri Lanka.

Why?

I have no answer for this, and I hope someone can explain this with some level of reasoning.

For the past 5 years, Shan Masood has been plundering runs in domestic cricket in Pakistan. This year, he did the same in county cricket, which is why there have been many a cry from fans to include him in the playing XI.

Shan has had a start-stop career with Pakistan. Having made his test debut in 2013, he has played test matches every year for Pakistan since then, with the last one in January 2021.

After 25 tests, he has an average under 30. Despite scoring some match winning centuries, he is too inconsistent for Pakistan as an opener.

The last time he was dropped from the team it was after scores of 0,1, 4, 18, 10, 0, 0, 0 across 5 test matches. That is 4 ducks in 8 innings for an opener.

He has had his fair share of international cricket and shown that he is not consistent enough to be a regular Pakistan test opener.

Even when he had a record domestic season in 2018-19 in List A cricket, he was given a run in Pakistan's ODI team and in 5 consecutive ODIs he managed only 111 runs at an average of 22.

While a prolific domestic runs scorer, I am afraid he cannot replace Pakistan's current top order in any format.

How does someone with a first class average of 37 make it to Pakistan's test squad in the first place is beyond me. How he makes it to a starting XI ahead of the likes of Fawad Alam (Test Ave 41, FC Ave 55) and Saud Shakeel (FC Ave 50) is just mind boggling.

The only reason I could think of was that he bowls handy off spin, which would be beneficial against the left handers in Sri Lanka's line up.

But to sacrifice proper test batters for that, I am not too sure.

Are there no good off spinners in Pakistan that they could have, and probably should have, included in the squad?

Or play Nauman Ali instead of one of the pacers. Surely you don't require 3 pacers at Galle.

Yes, Pakistan won the test, but the team selection was far from ideal.

With the next test also in Galle, I think Pakistan should put things right and bring back Fawad Alam in place of Agha Salman, and also bring in Nauman Ali in place of either one of the three pacers that played the first test.

Pakistan's T20 International series against Australia was not the kind of start that new T20 captain, Babar Azam, was looking for; however we at least witnessed Babar take charge and impose his authority with the bat in 2 of the 3 T20 games.

Suffice to say that captaincy burdens will not hamper Babar's batting ability.

Despite Pakistan suffering a 2-0 loss, there has been plenty of excitement building up among the Pakistan fans for the upcoming Test Series.

Particularly due to the video clips of Naseem Shah's bowling circulating on social media.



This boy is going to be a sensation.

Even though it was Imran Khan whose 5 wickets destroyed Australia A in the 3-day match, every Pakistani was focused solely on Naseem Shah's 8 overs, his speed, and his 1 wicket.

There is something about a free flowing express pace bowler who keeps the batsmen jumping.

Naseem Shah is the real deal and every Pakistani is hoping he is the one who will continue the legacy of Pakistan's pace bowling.

But will Misbah and Azhar Ali play him in the first test that starts in 3 days?

Here's a look at some selection decisions that Pakistan will face for the first test against Australia.

THE BOWLING
Mohammad Abbas and Yasir Shah are sure starters in the 4-man bowling attack that Pakistan will field in the first test against Australia at Brisbane.

That leaves two spots and a choice between Shaheen Afridi, Imran Khan, Naseem Shah, and Muhammad Musa.

Musa impressed in the 2-day game against Cricket Australia XI with figures of 2-32 in his 14 overs. He generated quite a but of pace too, consistently bowling in the 140s.

Shaheen has been on a comeback trail and had a good outing against Australia A, picking up 2-42 in 16 overs in the first innings and 1-22 in 9 overs in the second.

Imran Khan was the star of the first practice game with sterling figures of 5-32.

But the talk of the town has been Naseem Shah!

So who gets to play come Thursday?

It will be a tough choice for the Pakistan team management. I think Imran Khan and Shaheen Afridi would be the wise choice, but I really want to see Naseem Shah in the XI.

While Pakistan's bowling does look exciting, its ability to pick 20 Australian wickets is debatable.

THE BATTING
In fact, I believe that Pakistan's batting will shine in the upcoming test series and it will be the bowlers who will struggle against the Aussie batting.

Babar Azam has been in wonderful touch. He kicked off the T20s with two 50s and then followed that up with an unbeaten 150 odd against Australia A. He dominated an international level bowling attack and played some stunning strokes in that innings, leaving everyone in awe of his talent and form.



Iftikhar Ahmed has also been in great form since his comeback to the side in the home series against Sri Lanka. In Australia, he played a brutal unbeaten knock of 62 of only 30 odd deliveries in the last T20, and in the 3-day match against Australia A, he again played an unbeaten knock of 79. Bowlers have found it extremely difficult to dismiss him, and all his unbeaten knocks have catapulted his average in T20 Internationals to a whopping 75!



Asad Shafiq, the mainstay of Pakistan's Test batting line up for the past many years, has warmed up for the test series with centuries in each of the practice matches. He scored an unbeaten 119 against Australia A, where he was involved in an unbroken partnership of 276 with Babar Azam. He followed that up with another unbeaten knock of 101 against Cricket Australia XI, where again he put on a century partnership with Babar.

The openers Shan Masood and Imam Ul Haq have also warmed up well. Shan managed scores of 65 and 76 in the two matches, while Imam played a solitary innings of 44.

The only batsmen not to find any form were Pakistan's new Test Captain, Azhar Ali, and Haris Sohail. Azhar scored 11 and 1 in the two innings against Australia A and then sat out the match against CA XI. While Haris has scores of 18, 2, and 4 in the three innings he played in these practice games. Haris also had a very disappointing T20 series.

THE PLAYING XI
Even though Haris Sohail scored a 147 in the last test series he played for Pakistan, I feel his struggle in Australia is real and he should sit out the first test. Moreso because Iftikhar Ahmed has been in red hot form and deserves to add to his solitary test cap.

The other 5 batsmen pick themselves.

The bowling, as mentioned above is the tricky part, however I am sold on the excitement generated by Naseem Shah, and I feel Pakistan should play two bowlers who bowl in the 140s, rather than two who bowl in the 130s.

I am not convinced with Mohammad Rizwan's ability to shine in international cricket, but there is no choice really. Abid Ali, while a far superior batsman, is not an international level wicket keeper. One needs a specialist for Test matches.

Here's my XI for the first test: 1. Shan Masood 2. Imam Ul Haq 3. Azhar Ali 4. Babar Azam 5. Iftikhar Ahmed 6. Asad Shafiq 7. Mohammad Rizwan 8. Yasir Shah 9. Shaheen Afridi 10. Mohammad Abbas 11. Naseem Shah

Can't wait for this Test Series to start already!

Sarfaraz Ahmed is gone.

His time as captain of Pakistan's national team across all three formats is over and for now his time as a player is over too!

While I was still trying to get my head around this decision, Pakistan's new and all powerful Chief Selector announced the Test and T20 teams for the tour to Australia, which left me even more perplexed.

My head is in a cross wire over all these changes and I am still trying to make sense of them.


CAPTAINCY CONFUSION

When the announcement came, the headline read "Sarfaraz Ahmed removed as Pakistan Captain from all 3 formats".

Azhar Ali was announced Test Captain, Babar Azam was announced T20 Captain, and a decision on the ODI captain was deferred till July 2020, which is when Pakistan plays its next ODI.

Within minutes, however, the article was updated:

So which one is it?

Has Sarfaraz been retained as ODI captain or has he been removed?

I still don't know.


WAS IT RIGHT TO REMOVE SARAFRAZ?

There is no easy answer.

Pakistan won the Champions Trophy under him two years ago.

They failed to qualify for the World Cup semifinals but only because of Net Run Rate. They ended the World Cup with 4 straight wins.

Pakistan have won their last 6 ODIs under Sarfraz.

Pakistan have been the number 1 ranked T20 team for two years under Sarfaraz. No Pakistan captain had a better record in T20s than him.

Considering all this, maybe he should have been retained.

But then you think about all those losses in ODIs against the top 8 teams. Besides the wins in CT2017, Pakistan barely registered any victory against the top 8 ODI teams under Sarfaraz.

You think about losing a first ever test series in the UAE, which had become Pakistan's fortress under Misbah Ul Haq.

You think about the clean sweep in the T20 series against a second string, albeit talented, Sri Lanka.

But even then was the captaincy strip warranted?

A closer look at Sarfaraz's captaincy record reveals this:

TESTS
13 matches | 4 wins | 8 losses | 1 draw
568 runs at 25.81 with 5 fifties

He looked out of depth as test captain.

His batting suffered.

While those numbers are not bad, they are not good enough for someone who wanted to bat in the top 6. For a number 7 WK they are also strictly okay. He was far better before he took on the captaincy and was averaging in the 40s.

ODIS
50 matches | 28 wins | 20 losses | 2 NR
804 runs at 32.2 and SR of 87.3 with 5 fifties

A W:L ratio of 1.4 is not bad.

However, a closer look at the wins shows that 17 out of 28 came against the top 8 ODI sides, out of which 8 wins were against Sri Lanka.

Out of the remaining 9 wins, 3 came on the trot leading to the Champions Trophy win.

Pakistan never looked like a world beating ODI team under Sarfaraz, except for that 1 week in 2017, however it wasn't all that bad either.

His own form too was alright. An average of 32 for a wicket keeper is fine in my opinion. He probably did not fit in the top 5 but at 6 or 7 he was fine.

He perhaps could have continued as ODI captain. Maybe he will. Who knows.

T20Is
37 matches | 29 Wins | 8 losses
521 runs at 27.4 and SR of 130.6

Someone who achieved these numbers did not deserve to be sacked.

Under Sarfraz, Pakistan won 11 consecutive T20 series, beating all teams in all sorts of conditions. They beat England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and even a World XI.

Pakistan rose to the top of the International T20 Rankings and remained the number 1 T20 team for two years.

They still are the number 1 T20 team, despite the 3-0 loss to Sri Lanka.

Pakistan have won only 1 out of their last 6 T20 internationals, however after a string of wins across 11 successful series, the selectors should have been a bit more considerate.

While remaining as ODI captain is debatable, Sarfaraz surely did not deserve to be sacked as a T20 captain. Even his batting record was fine in T20s.

Sarfaraz was one of the most successful captains in the history of T20 cricket. The least the PCB could have done was give him a chance to lead the team in a World T20.




In my view, it was right to remove Sarfaraz as test captain and replace him with Azhar Ali. In fact, Azhar Ali should have always been test captain. It is quite unfortunate that Azhar was made ODI captain and did not get the test captaincy, after Misbah's retirement, because of his failure as an ODI captain.

Removing Sarfaraz as T20 captain is completely unjust. Sure Pakistan lost 3-0 to Sri Lanka but take a look at the 3 years before that. Does that count for nothing?

I wish Babar Azam all the success in the world - as a batsman and as Pakistan's T20 captain. But his time could have come later. Pakistan need his batting right now more than his captaincy.

Sarfaraz should have been the one to lead Pakistan in next year's World T20.

When Pakistan's greatest test batsman, Younis Khan, and most capped test captain, Misbah Ul Haq, retired in May 2017, we all thought; rather we all knew that Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq were ready to take over the role of Pakistan's leading test batsmen.

Till that time, Azhar and Asad had played all their test cricket in a batting line up that was built around the backbone of Younis and Misbah.

Azhar made the number 3 position his own and even excelled as an opener; while Asad always provided solid support at number 6.

Both of them excelled in their respective roles.

So much so, that Azhar was Pakistan's leading run scorer in tests during the period between July 2010, when he made his debut, and May 2017, when Younis and Misbah called time on their careers.

During this period, Azhar was also the 5th highest run scorer in tests, with only Alastair Cook, David Warner, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson ahead of him. He scored more than the likes of Younis, Sangakkara, Kohli, Amla, and Root during these 8 years!

Azhar truly excelled as an opener during this time, scoring a triple hundred, as well as a double hundred at the MCG! His average of 55 as an opener during this period (2010-17) was the highest among all batsmen who opened in at least 10 test innings.

Asad, on the other hand, made number 6 popular again. During these 8 years, he became the most successful test number 6 ever scoring more runs at that position than anyone (barring Steve Waugh) in the history of the game.

He also created the record of scoring the most test centuries from number 6, breaking a record held by Sir Gary Sobers!

Azhar and Asad were more than ready to take charge of Pakistan's test batting when Younis and Misbah bid adieu to the game.

12 tests in since the retirement of the two legends, and I have come to realize that Azhar and Asad will never be the test batting greats that they could have been!

They have been epic disappointments for Pakistan's test team and I solely blame them for the rut that Pakistan's test team has been for the past 18 months or so.

When Javed Miandad and Saleem Malik moved on in the 90s, they passed on the torch to the likes of Inzamam Ul Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, and Younis Khan. When Inzi and MoYo moved on, Misbah Ul Haq joined Younis Khan to take Pakistan's batting forward. Azhar and Asad should have done the same.

They were ready and had been groomed; however they have been major failures, which has resulted in embarrassing test losses for Pakistan.

To put things in perspective, take a look at the difference in their performance in the two periods.


The dip in Azhar's performance is alarming. Asad's performance has not decreased as significantly as Azhar's, but when we look at his performances in context of the matches, you will realize how he has been a big reason for Pakistan's failures.

Here's a look at what Azhar and Asad did in the 12 tests that Pakistan have played since Younis and Misbah retired.

PAKISTAN vs SRI LANKA - 2 TESTS IN UAE

Pakistan's first assignment in the new era was a two test series against Sri Lanka in the UAE, a fortress for Pakistan where they did not lose a single test series in 7 years under Misbah. In those 7 years, Pakistan lost only 4 tests in the UAE.

Sri Lanka, severely depleted themselves since Sangakkara and Jayawardene retired, completely blanked Pakistan in both the tests resulting in Pakistan losing their first ever test series in the UAE since it became their official home.

The loss hurt, but the manner of the loss hurt even more.

Pakistan lost the first test by 21 runs when they failed to chase a target of 136. Azhar went for a second ball duck and Asad managed only 20.

Pakistan lost the second test by 68 runs. In the first innings, Azhar failed to build on his 59 and Shafiq went for 12 as Pakistan conceded a huge lead. In the second innings, Pakistan were chasing an improbable 317 but Asad Shafiq could not close the game despite scoring 112.


PAKISTAN vs IRELAND - 1 TEST AWAY

Pakistan just scraped through to a 5 wicket win thanks to Imam Ul Haq and Babar Azam. Chasing 160, Pakistan were reeling at 14-3 and looking at an embarrassing loss to test first timers. Azhar's 2 and Asad's 1 contributed to the 14-3 situation. 


PAKISTAN vs ENGLAND - 2 TESTS AWAY

Pakistan's test win at Lord's was probably the biggest shock of 2018. The test showed the importance of Azhar and Asad to Pakistan's test team as their innings of 50 and 59 respectively helped Pakistan take a first innings lead resulting in a victory scripted by Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Aamer, and Hasan Ali.

In the next test however, Pakistan succumbed to an innings defeat. Azhar and Asad contributed 2 & 11 and 27 & 5 respectively.



PAKISTAN vs AUSTRALIA - 2 TEST IN UAE

Asad had a decent series with scores of 80, 41, 0 and 44. Those scores show that he has the ability but they also show his lack of concentration, focus, and motivation to build on a laid platform.

Azhar, on the other hand, continued to disappoint, with scores of 18, 4, 15, and 64.

While Pakistan won the series 1-0, it could have very easily been 1-0 to Australia had Fakhar and Sarfraz not saved them from 57-5 in the first innings of the second test. That scoreline of 57-5 was 57-1 at one stage before Lyon wrecked havoc with 4 wickets in 6 deliveries including Azhar (15) and Asad (0).


PAKISTAN vs NEW ZEALAND - 3 TESTS IN UAE

Azhar and Asad continued to disappoint against New Zealand as their failure resulted in Pakistan losing the first test of the series by a mere 4 runs.

They failed to capitalize on their platform in the first innings falling for 22 and 43 respectively; and then miserably failed in the second innings as Pakistan failed to chase a target of 176. Asad fell for 45 while Azhar was last man out for 65 unable to score 5 more runs required for a win.

Pakistan won the second test quite comfortably and Azhar added 81 to an innings dominated by Haris Sohail and Babar Azam. Asad could only manage 12 runs in Pakistan's solitary innings.

The third test of the series, and 10th test since the retirement of Younis and Misbah, finally showed the world what everyone had been waiting for.

Azhar and Asad came together at 85-3 and put on a 200 run partnership for the 4th wicket. Both knocked centuries with Azhar scoring 134 and Asad 104. Had they finally arrived as the batting leaders they were supposed to be?

Their partnership helped Pakistan secure a first innings lead and a possible series win.

But that was not meant to be, as Pakistan's batsmen failed to survive two sessions on the final day and crumbled for 156 in a match that could have very easily been drawn had they just batted the day out.

At a time when Azhar and Asad just needed to put on a rearguard they disappointed in epic proportions falling for 4 and a first ball duck respectively.


PAKISTAN vs SOUTH AFRICA - 2 TESTS AWAY

The end of 2018 and beginning of 2019 brought the toughest test yet for Pakistan's batsmen. No one expected much of them on this ongoing tour, but one at least expected some sort of fight.

In the first test, Pakistan managed only 181 with Azhar and Asad contributing 36 and 7 respectively.

Pakistan's bowlers did really well to restrict South Africa's lead to just 40 odd runs and then Imam Ul Haq and Shan Masood played beautifully to wipe out that lead and take Pakistan to 100-1 at Tea on Day 2.

A lead of 58 runs, 9 wickets in hand, and a fantastic chance to pile on the pressure on South Africa and bat them out of the game.

The stage was set for Pakistan's leading batsmen to capitalize on a brilliant platform set up by Imam and Shan.

Azhar walked out to bat with Imam falling right after tea and Pakistan's score at 101-2. Azhar lasted only 3 deliveries. Pakistan 101-3. Asad walked out and back to the pavilion soon too leaving Pakistan on 134-4.

Their failures, yet again, resulted in Pakistan setting a target of 149. Game over.

Similar failures continued in the second test as Azhar and Asad fell for 2 and 20 respectively in the first innings. When Pakistan batted again, they were facing a deficit of 254 and a likely innings loss. Azhar failed again scoring only 6, and Asad just delayed the inevitable with a meaningless knock of 88.

I say meaningless, because I am amazed at how many irrelevant runs Asad has scored. A century while chasing 500 to win a test, a century when the top order has already piled on 250+, an 88 that takes you no where.

There was a stage when Pakistan were 190-3 with Asad and Babar Azam at the crease. The deficit was 60 odd, Asad was in his 80s and Babar was knocking it well and had raced to 30 odd. That was the time when a batting maestro like Younis or Misbah, or even an Inzi or MoYo, would have grasped the opportunity, scored a big test hundred, and given Pakistan an outside chance of a win with a target of 150+.

What does Asad do? Throw it all away like always!

It is just sad that Azhar and Asad have not been able to become the batsmen that they should have. They will always remain average test batsmen who could not take the next step and evolve into true batting greats.

They have had all the chances in the world. They have had the best grooming possible by sharing a dressing room with Younis and Misbah for 7 years and by batting with them in the middle for 7 years in over 50 tests.

There could not have been a better way to master test batting.

And there could not have been a better time for Azhar and Asad to stand up and be counted among the batting greats of this era.

Unfortunately that will never happen now.

What epic failures these two have been.

This morning, with Australia at 91-7, a friend on Whatsapp commented that this has got to be the mother of all comebacks after Pakistan were 57-5 on the first morning of the test.

That discussion led to more examples of Pakistan coming from behind to win a test.

Here are five of Pakistan's great test wins that came after they had their backs against the wall.

PAKISTAN VS NEW ZEALAND
ONLY TEST
HAMILTON 1993
On a green top, a typical surface in New Zealand, Pakistan were put in by the Kiwis and in no time were reduced to 12-3. A customary captain's innings of 92 from Javed Miandad saved Pakistan from complete disaster as they managed a somewhat respectable 216 in the first innings.

Mark Greatbatch played a magnificent knock of 133, but Wasim, Waqar, and Mushtaq ensured that New Zealand do not bat Pakistan out of the game. The rest of the Kiwi batsmen could not do much and New Zealand took a modest 48 run lead.

Pakistan's woes against seam and swing continued in the second innings as they were bundled out for 174 with the only saving grace being Inzamam's 75.

Set a target of 127, it should have been a walk in the park for New Zealand.

But Pakistan's deadly Ws duo had other things in mind.


Wasim Akram bowled unchanged for 22 overs and dismissed half the New Zealand side, with Waqar Younis running through the other half, leaving the Kiwis in tatters.

The greatest pacers to play for Pakistan destroyed New Zealand giving Pakistan an unlikely 33 run win.

PAKISTAN VS INDIA
FIRST TEST, ASIAN TEST CHAMPIONSHIP
KOLKATA 1999
Having just drawn the test series 1-1 with India, Pakistan took on India again in Kolkata in the first match of the Asian Test Championship.

After winning the toss and batting first, within 45 minutes of the game, Srinath and Prasad had Pakistan reeling at 26-6.

The entire batting line up, barring Saleem Malik (32), had succumbed to the seam and swing of India's opening bowlers. Moin Khan played a valuable knock of 70 and with support from Malik and Wasim Akram (38), managed to give Pakistan a total of 185.

India could not capitalize on this as they also folded for 223 in the first innings as Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar shared 7 wickets, including Shoaib's two scalps of successive yorkers to Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.


Pakistan's second innings was a one man masterclass from Saeed Anwar as he carried his bat with a magnificent career best 188 off 259 deliveries, which was laced with 23 boundaries and a six. He found some support from Mohammad Yousuf (56) with the rest of the Pakistan batting not doing much.

Javagal Srinath, Pakistan's first innings tormentor, took 8 wickets in the second innings, giving him career best match figures of 13-132.

Thanks to Saeed Anwar, Pakistan managed to post 316, giving India a target of 279 to win. In response, India managed only 232, and Pakistan won by 46 runs.

No one expected Pakistan to win after they were 26-6 inside 9 overs on the first morning of the test.

PAKISTAN VS INDIA
THIRD TEST
KARACHI 2006
This test match started in similar fashion to the one in Kolkata. After winning the toss, Indian put Pakistan into bat on a breezy Karachi morning on a damp wicket.

At the end of the first over, Pakistan were 0-3 having lost Salman Butt, Younis Khan, and Mohammad Yousuf to an Irfan Pathan hatrick!

By the 10th over, Pakistan were reeling at 39-6.

Kamran Akmal then played the innings of his life as he smashed 18 boundaries in a classy 113 where he shared a 115 run 7th wicket partnership with Abdul Razzak (45) and a 82 run 8th wicket partnership with Shoaib Akhtar (45) to take Pakistan to a respectable 245.


Pakistan wrested the initiative away from India once again as Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif, and Abdul Razzaq combined to bowl India out for 238.

In the 2nd innings, Pakistan just smashed their way to 599-7 declared. Faisal Iqbal hit 139 and every other batsman that batted got 50+, including a couple of 90s from Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq.

India managed only 265 in their improbable chase of 607, giving Pakistan their largest win ever by 341 runs (which was later broken in 2014 when Pakistan beat Australia by 356 runs).

Who would have thought that Pakistan will manage a record breaking win after they were 0-3 on the first morning!

PAKISTAN VS ENGLAND
SECOND TEST
ABU DHABI 2012
This was the second test of the series against England and Pakistan were behind in the entire game except for the final 30 overs of the match.

On day 1, Pakistan collapsed from 203-4 to 257 all out as Broad, Anderson, and Panesar proved too much for Pakistan's lower order. In response England posted 327 taking a 70 run first innings lead.

In the second innings, Pakistan again could not handle Monty Panesar as he picked up 6 wickets to bowl Pakistan out for 214.

Needing only 145 runs to win, England began their chase cautiously putting on 20 runs in 14 overs. They lost Alastair Cook to Hafeez off the final delivery of the 15th over to make it 21-1.

Then the carnage began.

From there it went to 26-2, 37-4, 68-7, and then 72 ALL OUT !

Abdur Rehman's 6-25 and Saeed Ajmal's 3-22 gave Pakistan one of their most improbable wins ever.


No one gave Pakistan a chance to defend 145, but they did and how. It was a great escape and a wonderful win! 

PAKISTAN VS ENGLAND
THIRD TEST
DUBAI 2012
After winning the series following the great escape in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan should have been confident going into bat after winning the toss in the third test against England.

However, within 45 minutes of the morning, Pakistan found themselves at 21-5, with Broad and Anderson ripping through the batting. Panesar further added to their woes and Pakistan were bowled out for 99.

England should have run away with the match but their Abu Dhabi tormentors, Rehman (5-40) and Ajmal (3-59), combined again to restrict England's lead to only 42 runs.

In the second innings, Azhar Ali (157) and Younis Khan (127) combined in a 200 run partnership to give Pakistan a 300 plus run lead.


Pakistan set England a target of 324, which at the end proved too much for them.

No one thought Pakistan will end up winning the test by 71 runs after they were bowled out for 99 in the first innings.

Imam Ul Haq, the heavily criticized selection for Pakistan's summer tour to Ireland and England, is in line for a test debut following scores of 61 and 59* against Kent and Northamptonshire respectively.

Pakistan take on Ireland, who will be playing their first ever Test Match, starting this Friday and Imam looks well positioned to open the batting for Pakistan following his impressive scores in the tour matches.

Azhar Ali has not been able to get past 15 in the three innings he has had on tour; however given his experience and track record it goes without saying that he will be walking out to open with Imam in the upcoming test.

Sami Aslam just got 1 innings and failed to put up a score to push his case and it seems he will lose his opening spot to Imam Ul Haq.

I was quite surprised that Fakhar Zaman was not given a go in either game as he would have been my ideal candidate to open in the upcoming test matches.

I would still give Fakhar a go with Imam at the top, with Azhar Ali moving back to the crucial number three position.

This will enable Pakistan to strengthen their middle order with Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, and Sarfraz Ahmed to follow.

I hope they do not go in with Sarfraz at 6, like that did against Northamptonshire, as that leaves the batting quite brittle in my opinion. And if they do not play all three of Fakhar, Imam, and Azhar at the top then they would need to bring in Saad Ali or Usman Salahuddin at number 6 and neither of them were given a hit in the tour matches.

It has been quite a strange tactic by Pakistan to keep these youngsters away from the practice games.

The bowling line up looks more sorted than Pakistan's batting. In fact, Pakistan are actually spoiled for choices.

Shadab Khan will easily fit into Yasir Shah's shoes as he displayed in the tour game with a match winning 10 wicket haul.

The pace options are aplenty with Mohammad Aamir, Hasan Ali, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Abbas, and Faheem Ashraf.

Mohammad Abbas seems like the front runner though as he was the only one, besides Rahat Ali, who was among the wickets in Pakistan's win against Northamptonshire.

Hasan Ali and Mohammad Aamir were not able to pick many wickets, which creates some confusion in the camp. If both Abbas and Rahat get a shot then only one of Hasan and Aamir will get to play, though I am sure Sarfraz would want both of them in the XI.

It will be interesting to see what XI Pakistan field this Friday. My first choice would be:

1. Fakhar Zaman 2. Imam Ul Haq 3. Azhar Ali 4. Asad Shafiq 5. Babar Azam 6. Haris Sohail 7. Sarfraz Ahmed 8. Shadab Khan 9. Hasan Ali 10. Mohammad Aamir 11. Mohammad Abbas

Around the time of the World Cup 2015, I did an analysis based on a Facebook discussion I had. The analysis comprised understanding how often top batsmen hit boundaries in ODI cricket and how often do they rotate the strike. The main reason behind this was to determine how Pakistani batsmen fared compared to their international counterparts.

The results back then left a lot to be desired and it showed that Pakistani batsmen were well behind others in terms of boundary hitting, as well as, running between the wickets.

Since that World Cup, Pakistan has changed ODI captains twice. Both captains, Azhar Ali and Sarfraz Ahmed, have talked about changing the way they play ODI cricket. Both captains talked big about adapting to modern day demands, being more aggressive, and improving Pakistan's overall ODI game.

That is all that has been there in the two years and a bit since that World Cup - Talk.

There has been very little action.

I revisited that analysis for the top 50 ODI run scorers since the World Cup 2015. Just to recap, the two measures used to measure the effectiveness of batsmen are Boundary Rate and Rotation Rate.

Boundary Rate tells you how many deliveries a batsman faces on average before hitting  four or a six.

Rotation Rate tells you how often a batsman scores of deliveries that he does not hit for a boundary; i.e. how often a batsman rotates the strike.

Here are the results.










































The average number of deliveries for these batsmen to hit a boundary is 10.7.

Only one of the Pakistani batsmen, Shoaib Malik, fares better than this. While Hafeez hits a boundary as per global average, Pakistan's other leading batsmen take a few more deliveries before hitting one.

It is interesting to note that majority of the batsmen that hit a boundary every 7-8 deliveries are openers demonstrating the art of utilizing the fielding limitations in the first 10 overs and taking aggressive starts.

No surprise that none of the Pakistanis feature there.










































Rotation Rate tell a slightly different story. The global average is 52.3; implying that batsmen take at least a run on 52.3 deliveries out of 100, off the deliveries that they do not hit for a boundary. In other words, batsmen rotate the strike on average every second delivery they face.

Three Pakistani batsmen rotate the strike at a rate better than this - Sarfraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, and Babar Azam.

Pakistan's ODI captain in fact has the world's second best rotation rate, strengthening the case for Sarfraz to bat higher up the order. Shoaib Malik should probably also be batting a position higher.

Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez are below par when it comes to rotating the strike. Hafeez, in fact, is outright pathetic as he languishes near the bottom of the table. He has a healthy average and decent strike rate but his inability to rotate strike puts needless pressure on his partners and on the team.

So while the new ODI captains have made the big talk, they have not been able to back it up with action. Pakistan has the ability to play modern day ODI cricket; however they will not be able to till the likes of Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali keep featuring in the top 4 of their ODI batting line up.

Numbers 5 and 6 are too low for Malik and Sarfraz and they need to be at least one position higher. Sarfraz should maybe open in place of Azhar and ideally Haris Sohail should come in for Hafeez.

Pakistan needs to back up its talk with some action in the middle and it can only be done with a change in personnel, because the current one doesn't seem to have the intent to play more aggressively.

Only Pakistan are capable of being decimated by the world's number 3 ranked team one day, and totally dominate the world's number 1 ranked team on another. Only Pakistan can drive such fluctuating emotions among the cricketing fraternity.

Everything from Pakistan's bowling to their fielding, catching, running between the wickets, and batting showed significant improvement. It was a massive turnaround.

But let us not forget that South Africa are just as unpredictable as Pakistan are when it comes to ICC tournaments. South Africa have been and will always be easy pushovers in ICC tournaments.

It was a great game for Pakistan, but it wasn't perfect. While many things went right for them, there were still some mistakes.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR PAKISTAN

1. No Wahab Riaz for starters. Junaid Khan bowled beautifully with the new ball and then showed some great reverse swing skills at the death. Wahab has been lacking in both aspects for quite some time now.

2. Hafeez got to bowl. Why he did not get a single over against India will forever remain a mystery. His effectiveness against left handers could have come handy against Shikhar Dhawan.

3. Attacking fields ensured South African batsmen could not take easy singles. Sarfraz even had a slip after the 25th over, which resulted in a wicket.

4. It is amazing how a few quick wickets can make one field better. Pakistan's fielders looked unstoppable in the field yesterday. They were stopping runs, diving around, and just seemed to be every where.

5. Catches win matches. Who knows what India's total would have looked like had Yuvraj and Kohli been dismissed for 8 and 42 respectively. Pakistan's fielders held on to everything that came their way yesterday.

6. Fakhar Zaman. Just the sort of batsman Pakistan needs at the top. Again we will never know what took them so long to induct Fakhar into the ODI side. He looked authoritative at the crease, punished anything slightly loose, ran hard, and scored at a rate that all other Pakistani batsmen are unfamiliar with.

Really makes one wonder why this team was not played against India, doesn't it?

WHAT PAKISTAN DID WRONG

Despite the win, it wasn't at all perfect. There are still chinks in Pakistan's armor and significant scope for improvement.

1. Dot Balls. Pakistan played out 106 dot balls out of the 162 deliveries that they faced. That is huge percentage - 65% !!! Teams don't even play that many dot balls in their 50 over innings, let alone when they face only 27 overs!

Pathetic really. The main culprits are the usual ones - Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez. Why don't they learn? Why can't they at least take singles? Why must they seem so inept at the crease?

Babar Azam looked like a transformed batsman as soon as Shoaib Malik walked out, who seemed to be batting on an entirely different pitch than Hafeez was.

2. Bowling changes by Sarfraz Ahmed left a lot to be desired once again. It is criminal to not allow your best bowlers on the day to bowl their full quota of overs. Hasan Ali and Imad Wasim bowled only 8 overs each. Imagine what Pakistan would have been chasing had these two bowled 4 more more overs.

The two bowlers that completed their 10 overs were the ones with the worst economy.

And your best bowler against India bowled only 5 overs.

Our ODI captain has a long long way to go and learn.

I hope Pakistan get keep on improving and once again become the ODI force they used to be. At least they are starting to make the right changes.

A few more like replacing Azhar and Hafeez with younger and more aggressive batsmen, getting Faheem Ashraf into the XI, and moving Sarfraz higher up the order, can do wonders for this ODI team.

For now, here's hoping they can repeat their performance against Sri Lanka and then let other match results decide whether Pakistan plays the semifinals or not.

This article was first published on ARY Sports.

Where do I begin... Right at the top? Sure lets do that.

Persistence with Incapable Openers

Azhar Ali averages 38 at a strike rate of 75; Ahmed Shehzad averages 33 at a strike rate of 72.

Decent numbers if we were in the 90s. We are in 2017 damn it!

Compare Azhar and Shehzad to other international openers their lack of skill, ineptness, pathetic approach, and inability in the ODI format becomes apparent.



























Since the ICC World Cup 2015, Azhar and Shehzad are at the bottom of the pile in terms of strike rates of openers. The only openers below them are a few from Zimbabwe, a couple from Ireland, and one from Afghanistan.

And then we wonder why we are languishing at number 8.

We had one Sharjeel Khan. A world class modern day ODI opener as the numbers in the above table suggest. Unfortunately we lost him to the menace that has been plaguing Pakistan cricket since the 90s.

The question really is, why do we keep persisting with Azhar and Shehzad at the top of the order?

It is clear, by all the rubbish that Azhar, Sarfraz, and Micky Arthur have been talking, that Pakistan want to play modern day ODI cricket. That they want to change the way they play ODI cricket.

When all the talk is there, where is the thought?

Why don't they then back the players who have the ability to play this brand of ODI cricket?

And I will not for one second buy the argument that there is no one in Pakistan with this sort of ability.

Fakhar Zaman is in the ODI squad for the Champions Trophy. He has been part of the ODI squad for a few series now.

Fakhar Zaman had quite an amazing PSL.

Fakhar Zaman has an average of 50.46 and a strike rate of 94.15 in 48 List A matches.

Fakhar Zaman is sitting warming the bench in the UK, while Azhar and Shehzad show the world how pathetic they are.

If you want to change your brand of cricket, you need to change your personnel, starting with inducting Fakhar Zaman at the top of the order.

Sarfraz Ahmed's Batting Position

Sarfraz is a skillful batsman. He is always busy at the crease, keeps the scoreboard ticking, and bats according to the demands of the modern game.

He is a good ODI record too averaging 35 at a strike rate of 89 - just the kind of batsman Pakistan needs.

But why he is batting at number 6 is beyond comprehension.

Sarfraz has been used as an opener for Pakistan. He has opened in List A cricket for his department, PIA. He has batted at 4 and 5 as well under Azhar Ali. And he has been effective in all these positions.

His record while batting in the top 5 is remarkable and in stark contract to his record when he bats at 6 or lower.

In fact, when batting at in the top 5, he averages double of what he averages when batting lower. Both his ODI centuries and 5 out of his 6 ODI fifties have come when he bats in the top 5.

Yet as captain he is batting at number 6.

Pakistan can do a lot more with Sarfraz a bit higher in the order. They will score more than they are doing at present for sure.

Persistence with Wahab Riaz

This one is really beyond me. That one spell to Shane Watson two years ago and a 5-fer at Mohali 6 years ago will forever haunt us.

Poor Shane Watson must also be wondering how he made it possible for a bowler like Wahab to dominate him.

It does not take a genius to realize that Wahab should not be playing ODIs.

He has averaged 47 with the ball in ODIs since the World Cup 2015 and still he continues playing for Pakistan. I can bet you that he would have played again in the Champions Trophy had he not been ruled out due to injury.

Mystery Surrounding Faheem Ashraf

A relatively unknown quantity till his blitzkrieg against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy warm up match, why he was left on the bench against India is also a mystery.

Maybe his bowling is not up to the mark, but his numbers suggest otherwise - List A average of 25, economy of 5.3 and strike rate of 28. How can someone with those numbers with the ball not be considered as a bowler who can bat a bit?

Pakistan desperately requires some hard hitting batsmen in their line up and Fahim Ashraf is ideal for this role. Even if he does not bowl well, we seem to have enough back up in Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez.

Why do we only talk big and not take action to back that talk?

Things to do before the match against South Africa

It is high time that Sarfraz Ahmed matches his big talk with some action. This is what needs to be done:

1. Drop Ahmed Shehzad. Bring in Fakhar Zaman to open.
2. Sarfraz to bat at number 4. Followed by Hafeez and Malik.
3. Faheem Ashraf to play instead of Wahab.
4. Get more overs out of Hafeez and Malik.

You know, it may not yield the right results immediately, but at least it will demonstrate intent to actually change the way Pakistan is playing its ODI cricket these days.

With 4,968 runs in 60 Test matches, Azhar Ali will soon become the 8th batsman from Pakistan to score 5,000 Test runs. Misbah Ul Haq was the last entry into this club during the recently concluded series against the West Indies.

Since his debut in the summer of 2010, Azhar Ali has risen to become one of Pakistan's key test batsmen.

He has scored runs in all conditions, has been a mainstay at number 3 for Pakistan, and in more recent times has been one of Pakistan's most effective Test openers ever.

Since his debut, Azhar Ali is Pakistan's leading run scorer in Tests. He out scored Younis Khan and Misbah Ul Haq during this period; the two great pillars of Pakistan's test team.

Among all Test batsmen during this period, Azhar Ali has the 5th highest runs tally. And third highest among openers, behind only Alastair Cook and David Warner. In terms of his Test average, Azhar is at par with both Cook and Warner.

Given this, it quite surprises me that there is no mention of Azhar Ali when the world's best - Joe Root, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli - are talked about.

That could very possibly be because of his lack of success in other formats of the game. Rather, not the same level of success he has had in Test cricket.

No doubt Azhar Ali's batting suits Test cricket more, but his ODI record is also quite neat.

For majority of his career thus far, Azhar Ali batted at number 3 for Pakistan; however over the past two seasons he has been opening. It in this position, where he has truly blossomed into a world class performer.

His record as an opener for Pakistan in Tests is unparalleled. In fact, it is one of the best records for an opener in Test cricket.

Azhar's current Test average as an opener is the 6th highest average among all batsmen who have opened in at least 20 innings in Tests in the history of the game.

There is no one in that table from this era, besides Matthew Hayden. All those other batsmen played cricket a long long time ago.

Azhar has had a phenomenal two years as an opener in Test cricket, better than any opener has had for Pakistan ever. He might end up moving back to number 3 now that Younis and Misbah have retired, but I would really be tempted to make him keep opening for the rest of his career, given his unprecedented record so far.

Whether number 3 or opener though, I have no doubt that Azhar Ali is among the best in the world right now and he will end is career as a Test great and quite possibly as only the second batsman from Pakistan to cross 10,000 Test runs.

Since the start of 2010, Mohammad Hafeez has been Pakistan's most successful opener in ODIs. He has the most runs, the second best average (after Azhar Ali), and the second most 100s (after Ahmed Shehzad.


Based on this, Hafeez' inclusion in the side is a nobrainer. He should be opening for Pakistan if fit, no question about it.

And if you are going to question his ability outside Asia, then I guess do the same for the rest. Compare him to his peers, not Australians or Indians.

Having said that, Hafeez played only 4 ODIs in all of 2016, a year where Azhar Ali and Sharjeel Khan cemented their positions at the top of the order for Pakistan in ODIs.


Hafeez batted at number 3 in his 4 innings in 2016, something that he has done for some time now, and he has excelled at the position as well. He has been more successful at number 3 than while opening the innings in ODIs.

And in fact, Hafeez has been the most successful number 3 Pakistan has had in ODIs since 2010.


But the problem is, how can he come back into that position given what the fourth name in the above list achieved in the last ODI series Pakistan played.

Babar Azam's 3 consecutive centuries against the West Indies was a tremendous effort and it will be criminal to ask him to bat anywhere else.

So if Hafeez does not fit into the top 3, where does he fit?

With him bowling again his presence will be invaluable to the team, especially in the shorter formats; however the team management will need to rethink their strategy regarding his batting order.

With Azhar, Sharjeel, and Babar occupying the top 3 spots, my bet is that Hafeez will be utilized in the lower middle order. His aggression can be best suited to the latter stages of an innings.

There is no question that Hafeez deserves a place in the ODI squad. The only question is, where will he bat?

It doesn't matter whether Pakistan's test team is the number 1 test team in the world or on their worst ever losing streak in test cricket, Pakistan's test batsmen continue to rewrite history. They continue to establish records and set new benchmarks.

First it was Asad Shafiq, then Azhar Ali, and now it is Pakistan's one and only King Khan, the undisputed master of test cricket batting, Younis Khan.

Younis has been a man on a mission for the past half a decade. He has piled on the runs, broken all of Pakistan's batting records, scored more runs and centuries than any other Pakistani batsman, is n the verge of becoming the first batsman from Pakistan to score 10,000 test runs, and continues to reach new heights that even other international batsmen have not reached.

Apart from cricket online casinos are also very popular these days. You need not visit any casino physically; you can enjoy online casino games like InstaCasino from the comfort of your home. Moreover, you can also enjoy affiliate earnings through their affiliate partners, Honest Partners. So, just visit these sites for both fun and earning money.

Number of Test Centuries
His unbeaten century on the 3rd day at the SCG against Australia was his 34th test hundred. This places him level with legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, and Mahela Jayawardene. Only 5 batsmen have more test centuries than Younis now.

The Best from Pakistan by a StretchMost runs, most centuries, and highest average among all batsmen ever to play test cricket for Pakistan. That too by a stretch, for runs and centuries.

Foreign Test Hundreds
Two weeks ago Asad Shafiq became the only Pakistan batsman after Saeed Anwar to score a test century in each of Australia, South Africa, and England.

Now, Younis Khan has also achieved this feat.

Test Centuries in all Countries
When Younis Khan scored a century against Australia in the UAE in 2014, he became the first batsman from Pakistan and the twelfth from the world to score a test century against all test playing nations.

Now, when Younis has scored a century in Australia, he has become the only batsman in the world after Rahul Dravid to score a century in every test playing nation.

But there is something more unique about Younis Khan's feat. He has become the only batsman in the world to score a century in every country that has hosted a test match - the 10 test playing nations and the UAE!

Dravid never played a test in the UAE; while Yousuf, Sangakkara, and Jayawardene have not scored a test century in South Africa, West Indies, and South Africa respectively.

Best Performer vs Australia
Till two years ago, Younis Khan had no test century against Australia. Now, he has 4, which places him behind only Javed Miandad and Ijaz Ahmed, each of whom have scored 6 test centuries against Australia.

Younis also has the best average among all Pakistan batsmen who scored over 1,000 test runs against Australia.

Frequency & Conversion of Test Centuries
Among all test batsmen with at least 20 centuries, after Sir Donald Bradman, Younis Khan has the highest frequency of scoring a century, every 6.06 innings, and the best conversion ratio (CR) of 51.5%, which basically means that Younis coverts 51.5% of his fifties into hundreds.

Pakistan has lost the series against Australia. They may even go on to be cleanly swept 3-0. But this series will be remembered for some special innings by Pakistan's batsmen; this series will be remembered for Asad Shafiq at the Gabba, Azhar Ali at the MCG, and Younis Khan at the SCG.

Pakistan's current test team has achieved a lot since Misbah took over its reins in 2010. Likewise, its batsmen, particularly Younis Khan, Misbah Ul Haq, Azhar Ali, and Asad Shafiq have achieved a hell of a lot over this period - more than what any of their predecessors ever achieved.

All these achievements have become a little bit sweeter with what Azhar and Asad have managed to do in Australia. Their feats have been remarkable.

While Asad was the hero at the Gabba, Azhar owned the MCG!

1. First Double Century by a Pakistan Batsman in Australia

Azhar Ali's unbeaten 205 in the boxing day test at the MCG is the highest score by a Pakistani batsman in Australia in 33 years and earned him the honor of becoming the first ever batsman from Pakistan to hit a double century in Australia.

2. Highest Score by a Visiting Opener in Australia

Azhar Ali's 205* is only the fourth double century by a visiting opener in Australia and the third highest score by a visiting opener in Australia.

3. First Double Century by a Visiting Opener at the MCG

Azhar Ali's 205* broke Virender Sehwag's record of the highest score recorded by a visiting opener at the MCG and earned him the honor of becoming the first ever visiting opener to hit a double century at the MCG.

Azhar Ali is only the third opener ever in the history of test cricket to score a double century at this historical venue. The other two are Bill Lawry and Justin Langer.

4. 1,000 Tests Runs in a Calendar Year

During his double century knock at the MCG, Azhar Ali completed 1,000 runs in test cricket in 2016. This first time he has achieved this feat since his debut in 2010.

Azhar became only the 5th batsman from Pakistan to complete 1,000 runs in test cricket in a calendar year, after Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Inzamam Ul Haq, and Mohsin Khan.

Azhar's tally of 1,155 is the third highest by a Pakistani batsman in a calendar year, and he has the opportunity to improve that to the second highest if Pakistan get a second innings crack at the MCG.

5. Most Runs by a Pakistan Opener in a Calendar Year

Out of Azhar's 1,155 runs this year, 939 runs have come as an opener, which is the second highest tally by a Pakistan opener in tests in a calendar year.

6. Pakistan's / World's Leading Run Scorer in 2016

With 1,155 runs in tests in 2016, Azhar is the leading run scorer from Pakistan and sits at number 5 among the leading run scorers of the year.

And look at that average! Second best among top 10 runs scorers of the year, behind only Virat Kohli.

Azhar Ali has had a magnificent year in test cricket. A triple hundred and a double hundred in the same calendar year is rare, and he has become the first batsman from Pakistan to achieve this feat. He is just entering his peak years as a batsman and one can only imagine what more he can achieve going forward.