Showing posts with label Best Openers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best Openers. Show all posts
Friday, September 23, 2022

Babar & Rizwan: The Undisputed Champions of T20 Cricket


Posted by Q at Friday, September 23, 2022 Pitched (6)

Last night, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan gave the world the answer to that question.

Exactly that.

SO WHAT!?

The two stalwarts of Pakistan's T20 team did not leave anything for Pakistan's unreliable middle order batsmen and completed a record chase of 200, against England in the second T20 International, all by themselves. 

They completely destroyed England's bowling attack and romped home with a thumping 10 wicket victory, unlike any other in all T20 cricket.

When Babar and Rizwan bat the way they did in Karachi last night, Pakistan don't need a middle order.

Babar and Rizwan shut down all critics questioning their presence as openers for Pakistan, their strike rate, their ability to utilize the powerplay to full potential, the pressure they were placing on the middle order, and all such garbage that was being said by experts and fans.

Last night in Karachi, the two champion batsmen showed the world why they are the best opening pair for Pakistan and why they are the best batsmen in T20 cricket in the world!

During the epic chase, Pakistan, along with Babar and Rizwan, created a number of records.

PAKISTAN CREATE HISTORY

1. Pakistan successfully completed the highest run chase without losing a wicket in the history of all T20 cricket

Yes, the feat has not even been achieved in franchise T20 cricket, let alone internationals.

Pakistan now have two entries in the list of highest scores chased without losing a wicket in T20Is.

2. Pakistan became the first team to successfully chase 200 against England in T20Is.

3. Pakistan also became the first team in T20Is to defeat England by 10 wickets!


BABAR AZAM & MOHAMMAD RIZWAN - SIMPLY THE BEST

Not too long back they were ranked number 1 and number 2 in T20Is. The latest rankings have them at 1 and 4. I think when the rankings are updated next week, they will be number 1 and 2 again.

Undoubtedly, these two are simply the best in the world. What they achieved last night was quite unbelievable.

Having said that, if anyone had asked me before last night about which opening pair was the most likely to chase a score of over 200 without being dismissed in a T20I, I would have named these two!

Their ability to chase big totals in T20Is is quite unparalleled.

1. Their unbroken 203 run partnership is now the second highest partnership in all T20Is.

Babar and Rizwan now hold the record for 2 of the highest 5 partnerships in T20Is.

2. Babar and Rizwan are a part of all of the highest 5 partnerships for Pakistan in T20Is.

The partnership of 203* was their 5th partnership of 150 or more. No other pair in T20Is even comes close to that many 150+ partnerships.

3. Their partnership of 203* is now the highest partnership in T20Is while chasing.

Babar and Rizwan broke their own record of 197, which they had put on against South Africa last year.

4. Babar and Rizwan, during their partnership of 203 last night, over took T20Is most prolific opening partners - Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan.

Babar and Rizwan now have the highest partnership runs, most number of centuries, and the best partnership average in all T20Is.

5. Babar and Rizwan are the best openers in the world in T20Is in terms of Impact.

Yes you heard that right. Anyone who has any reservations about their strike rates or their impact at the top of the innings is only delusional.

Not only do they have the top two averages among openers in T20Is, they also have strike rates as good as other openers around the world.

When measuring their impact, I used an adjusted average metric (Average x Strike Rate / 100) to determine the overall impact made by an opener in T20Is.

The result is here for everyone to see and wonder.


BABAR AZAM: THE UNDISPUTED KING

Anything I say about him will not be enough praise, nor will it do full justice, to the absolute talent that he is as a batsman.

Babar Azam is the best batsman in the world across formats.

Here is what he achieved last night with his epic unbeaten knock of 110.

1. Babar became the only batsman from Pakistan to score two T20I centuries.

2. Babar joined Faf Du Plessis and David Warner as the only three batsmen in this world who have scored a century in each format at the same ground - Karachi, the Wanderers, and Adelaide Oval, respectively.

3. Babar is now level with Rohit Sharma with the most (2) centuries in T20Is as captain.

He also has the third most runs in T20Is as captain; is only behind Virat Kohli in terms of average as captain; and is ahead of everyone else with 16 50s as captain.

4. During his knock last night, Babar raced past 8,000 runs in all T20 cricket, getting there faster than all batsmen, barring one.

He got there in only 218 innings, 5 more than the Universe Boss - Chris Gayle.

5. Babar's 110* last night was his 10th century as captain of Pakistan across formats, beating the legendary Inzamam Ul Haq's record of 9 centuries as Pakistan captain.

6. Babar Azam won his 30th T20I last night, beating Sarfraz Ahmed's record of 29 T20I victories as captain of Pakistan.

I am still in awe of what Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan achieved last night.

And I am still in shock at experts and fans who have been harping on about how Pakistan needs to change their opening combination.

Last night was a good reminder about previous chases of 208, 201, and 189. Of previous wins set up by Babar and Rizwan. Of the so many platforms that these two have provided this team.

It is not their fault that the middle order is not good enough. It is surely their fault that the middle order does not get enough chances to bat, but certainly not their fault if the middle order can't finish games.

Babar and Rizwan will not always do what they did against England in the second T20I of the 7 match series.

They can't be expected to set up a platform as well as finish games. At times they will do both, at times they will just do their part and leave it to the rest to finish, at times they will fail.

Pakistan has two champions at the top of their order who need to be cherished by one and all. Such batsmen are produced once in generations. Savor their performances!

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Monday, October 8, 2018

Mohammad Hafeez, one of Pakistan's best Openers


Posted by Q at Monday, October 08, 2018 No Comments
Mohammad Hafeez, in his first test innings in two years, smashed a century ensuring that no one takes away the title of Comeback King from him.

Hafeez' 126 against Australia in the first test in Dubai was his 10th test century. He has now joined an elite club of Pakistan openers with 10 or more test centuries, whose only other member is Saeed Anwar!

Can you believe that? No test opener from Pakistan has scored more than Saeed Anwar's 11 test hundreds and Hafeez is only one century away from equaling that feat!

Considering that Australia, England, and India have each produced a couple of openers with more than 20 test hundreds. And at least 1 opener with 30 test hundreds, I was quite surprised.

But then, Pakistan hasn't really had that many stable openers. We are never patient enough with our openers and a couple of bad matches or 1 bad series and the selectors move on to the next one.

I wonder why that is.

In the middle order, batsmen seem more safe. They can go through more failures than openers can.

Case in point, Mohammad Hafeez, who was kept away from Pakistan's test side for two years despite scores of 224, 197, 151, 101*, 98, 96, 51, 42*, 42, 40 in his last 10 tests! He really only failed in one test in England (0 and 2) and he was dropped.

Doesn't seem right for a batsman who has arguably been Pakistan's second best opener in tests ever!


He has the third highest runs tally, the second highest number of test hundreds, and the third best average among all test openers produced by Pakistan.

Hafeez has been a world class opener for Pakistan, more so since November 2010 when he made his return to the Pakistan test team under Misbah.

Since that time, Hafeez is among the best openers in the world!


His average of 42.2 in this period is behind only that of Alastair Cook's, David Warner's, and Dean Elgar's.

It really makes me wonder why he was dropped from the team.

What further strengthens Hafeez' case as the first choice test opener for Pakistan is the fact that he has been involved in 7 out of the 13 century opening stands and 11 out of 15 fifty opening stands for Pakistan since 2010.


Hafeez has easily been Pakistan's best test opener since 2010 and I really cannot understand what resulted in him being dropped.

Please save me all the bull crap about his runs coming on flat decks and his centuries against weaker opposition. Hafeez has test hundreds against all test countries that he has played against, barring South Africa, and the only country he hasn't played test cricket against India.

For each one of his 10 test hundreds, there was another opener in the team also, playing the same opposition in the same conditions as Hafeez.

Mohammad Hafeez' comeback was so strong that he put on 205 runs for the opening wicket with Imam-Ul-Haq, which was Pakistan's 5th opening wicket stand of 200 runs or more, and the 6th highest test partnership ever against Australia.

I wonder how long Hafeez will last this time, but if he maintains the form that he displayed in Dubai yesterday, he will be on top of the list of Pakistan's test openers by the end of the Test series against New Zealand.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Ahmed Shehzad - Pakistan's Greatest Opener Ever?


Posted by Q at Tuesday, February 10, 2015 Pitched (4)
The past year (2014), was the year when Ahmed Shehzad stamped his authority and made one of Pakistan's opening positions his own across all formats of the game.

After making his debut in 2009 as an 18 year old opening batsman, Shehzad found himself on the sidelines after his first ODI series for Pakistan. He remained on the sidelines for two years before briefly returning to international colours just before the World Cup in 2011. A tour of New Zealand, a World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, and a tour of West Indies later, he was gone again. No one really knew why considering he had opened for Pakistan and knocked a century in New Zealand and another one in the West Indies. Despite a disappointing World Cup, he did not deserve to be dropped.

Rumours were that he was punished for his closeness with Shahid Afridi who was at loggerheads with the PCB Chairman at the time and had announced his retirement from the game.

Shehzad was the best opening batsman in the country but he was still not a part of the team. He continued to pile on the runs in domestic cricket, and finally made another return to the side in the middle of 2013 on another tour to the West Indies.

18 months since then and Shehzad has undoubtedly become a mainstay of the side, one of the few players who is key to the team's success across all formats, and is well on his way towards becoming the best opener produced by the country.

After establishing himself as Pakistan's opener in the limited overs formats, Shehzad made his test debut at the start of 2014 in the series against Sri Lanka. In his 5th test innings, he produced a magnificent 147, and followed that up with two more test tons during the year against Australia and New Zealand.

In March 2014, he recorded his first ever T20I century, becoming the first Pakistani to score a hundred in the T20 format, and only the 7th batsman in the world (at the time) to record a century in each format of the game. (Faf du Plessis became the 8th batsman earlier this year).

2014 was truly the year that brought Ahmed Shehzad to the world stage. He is only 23 and has an entire career ahead of him. He has already achieved so much and one can just start to imagine what he may be able to achieve going forward given his immense talent and potential.

He has scored runs against all comers and in all conditions. His international centuries have not only come in the subcontinent and the UAE, but also in South Africa, New Zealand, and the West Indies. He is yet to play international cricket in England, and the upcoming World Cup will be his first international outing in Australia.

After just 57 innings as an opener in ODIs, he is already the 8th highest run scorer for Pakistan in that position. His 6 ODI centuries as an opener are bettered only by Salman Butt (8), Rameez Raja, and Pakistan's best opener ever, Saeed Anwar (20).


What I find even more impressive is the fact that he has 6 ODI centuries in only 58 ODI innings; that is a remarkable conversion rate with Shehzad scoring an ODI century every 9.7 innings. Comparing that with innings:centuries ratios of Pakistan batsmen who have scored at least 5 ODI centuries, shows that only Zaheer Abbas scored ODI centuries at a faster rate.


There are only 10 batsmen in this world among the top 8 ODI teams who take less than 10 innings to score their next ODI century; Ahmed Shehzad is one of them!


Sure we are still in the early stages of Shehzad's career and the challenge for him lies in maintaining the stature that he has already achieved, but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he is well on his way towards greater things.

Shehzad's best days are still ahead of him. When you think of the best ODI batsmen to have played the game you think of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Virat Kohli, Hashim Amla, and AB De Villiers to name a few. Not all of them started off on the same note that they achieved later in their careers.

Sachin Tendulkar did not score his first century in ODIs till his 76th innings! Yet he went on to score more ODI centuries than anyone in the history of the game.

Shehzad's career stats compare well against those of some of the greatest ODI players at the same stage in their career; i.e. after 58 ODI innings. Only Amla, among the batsmen shown below, stands out from the rest. All the other batsmen have pretty much the same figures at the same stage in their careers.


Only Hashim Amla had more centuries against his name than Shehzad does after 58 ODI innings. There is an uncanny similarity between the careers of Pakistan's greatest opener ever, Saeed Anwar, and Shehzad after 58 ODI innings.

And there's not much difference between what Ponting and De Villiers had achieved at the start of their ODI careers and what Shehzad has achieved.

As I already mentioned, the challenge for Shehzad is to maintain this same form throughout his career. There is no doubt in my mind that he has the ability and the will to do so.

There is also no doubt in my mind that he will.

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Friday, February 6, 2015

Pakistan stronger with Hafeez, Umar Akmal in the ranks


Posted by Q at Friday, February 06, 2015 No Comments
This article first appeared on DAWN.

 I have always wondered why Umar Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez (the batsman) draw so much criticism from Pakistan's fans and experts.
One can understand fans being emotional and lashing out at Umar Akmal for playing a rash stroke or criticising Hafeez for repeatedly failing against Dale Steyn, but for the cricket experts to do the same is quite strange.
The moment Hafeez was banned from bowling, critics shared their disapproval on his inclusion in the World Cup squad. They said, "Hafeez is not good enough to be in the squad purely as a batsman." I wonder on what basis such statements were made?
While the criticism Hafeez receives mostly comes from the cricket watching public, Umar Akmal's criticism comes from all quarters including the team management, the selectors, and the many experts appearing on TV shows. And that is what is even more bewildering.
I say this because in my opinion, Hafeez has been one of the mainstays of Pakistan's batting line up in ODIs over the past 4-5 years, while Umar Akmal is without a doubt the best batsman Pakistan has in limited overs cricket.
If we take a look at the time frame since Umar Akmal made his ODI debut, i.e. August 1, 2009, then in the five years since then, both Hafeez and Umar are among Pakistan's leading run scorers in ODIs; and both of them have accumulated these runs at a decent average of 37 and 35 respectively.
Hafeez has also scored nine ODI centuries during this time, the most by a Pakistani batsman in ODIs between August 1, 2009 and February 3, 2015. It must be noted here that Hafeez' numbers above are from September 10, 2010, the time when he made his return to the team.
From Pakistan's point of view, there is no doubt that Hafeez has been their best batsman in ODIs over the past 4 years. Now let us benchmark this performance against other international batsmen during the four-year period between September 10, 2010 and February 3, 2015.
The numbers surprised me, so I am sure that they will come as a shock to all those who have been particularly scathing in their assessment of Hafeez and his presence in Pakistan's ODI set up.
Hafeez is the sixth-highest run scorer in all ODIs played during this period and he is up there among the very best in the business. Is the criticism justified?
What is even more interesting is that amongst international ODI openers, Hafeez is the third highest scorer in all ODIs played during this same period. Do you think that any other opener for Pakistan during this period, say someone like a Nasir Jamshed or Imran Farhat or Sharjeel Khan, would have been this consistent? They weren't, hence, they were dropped.
What startled me more, however, was Hafeez' performance at number three during this time frame. In 29 ODI innings at number 3, Hafeez has scored 1,201 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 85 with 5 centuries and 4 fifties. He is among the only seven international batsmen who have scored more than 1,000 runs at number three during the four-year period between September 10, 2010 and February 3, 2015.
Moving on to Umar Akmal; do you know that no one in Pakistan ODI history has scored more runs at number 6 than Umar Akmal has? And he has done it at an average of almost 40, which is a good 8 runs more than the next best average of a Pakistan number 6 (min runs: 650).
Surely, Umar is the best number 6 Pakistan has ever had. Benchmark this performance against international batsmen and you can see that only MS Dhoni has scored more runs at number 6 than Umar has during the 5-year period starting August 1, 2009, the day Umar made his ODI debut. And only Dhoni and the Hussey brothers average more than Umar at number 6 in ODIs during this period (min runs: 650).
Umar Akmal is undoubtedly one of the best lower order batsman the world has seen in ODI cricket. He is among the only four international batsman who have scored two ODI centuries while batting at number 6. The other three being Shahid Afridi, Keiron Pollard, and Chris Cairns. No one in the history of ODI cricket has done it thrice.

The fact that the Pakistan selectors were contemplating including Kamran Akmal or Mohammad Rizwan instead of Umar in the World Cup squad is nothing short of criminal.
It amazes me how a batsman like Umar Akmal faces so much criticism. One can understand a backlash from overzealous fans. But to face flak from former cricketers and experts who understand the game better than most is just incomprehensible.
I leave you to ponder about why you want Hafeez and Umar out of the squad.
And I leave you with another interesting stat: besides Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar, Umar Akmal is the only Pakistan batsman to average over 35 with a strike rate over 80 in ODIs.

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