Pakistan's win over New Zealand in Birmingham was set up by Mohammad Aamir and finished by Babar Azam. Pakistan's premier fast bowler and Pakistan's best batsman rising to the occasion when needed the most - What better way could there be to lift an entire nation than this!

Birmingham was absolutely electric!

Twenty five thousand Pakistanis at the ground made it feel like we all were in Pakistan itself. A sea of green, thousands of flags, and Dil Dil Pakistan echoing around Edgbaston turned Birmingham into Lahore for the day.

It all started with Aamir's first ball of the match. Chants of "Aamir Aamir Aamir" as he ran up to bowl made magic happen as Aamir broke through the defenses of Martin Guptill, shattered his stumps, and set up the entire day for Pakistani fans.

The euphoria that resulted from this did not die down for even a second for the next 8 hours!

Even though New Zealand fought back from 80 odd for 5, the final target was not a daunting one and we expected Pakistan to chase it down.

But as Pakistan fans, we all know better. Pakistan and chasing don't seem to go together.

Babar Azam and Haris Sohail, however, made sure that these ghosts of past chases stayed away from Birmingham.

Pakistan's victory was a shut up message to a number of Pakistan critics.

Critics who did not believe that Pakistan could chase.

Critics who did not believe that Pakistan could compete against the bigger teams.

Critics who laughed every time a reference to 1992 was made.

Critics who mocked the believers of Pakistan cricket miracles after the losses to Australia and India.

Critics who harshly criticize Babar Azam for not finishing games.

I say harsh because Babar is merely 68 ODI innings old. How can one expect someone with that little experience to be a world beater? How can one expect someone who has not even played 100 ODIs to be a Kohli or a Joe Root?

Babar is immensely talented no doubt. He is the best batsman in Pakistan currently, and the best batsman to come out of Pakistan since Inzamam, Yousuf, and Younis.

However, expectations of him need to be real and not unfair as they have been.

The Kohlis, Roots, Smiths, and Williamsons of the world did not become who they are after 60 odd ODIs. Babar's international career is only 3-4 years old and no batsman ever became a great inside their first 3-4 years.

Look at how the rest of the current 'greats' and past 'modern greats' fared in their first 68 ODI innings.


Barring Hashim Amla, Babar is well ahead of the rest of the pack after 68 ODI innings. In terms of runs, in terms of average, in terms of strike rate, and in terms of ODI centuries.

Give him time, and he will convert more 50s into 100s and win more matches for Pakistan. He has got a long road ahead of him and a lot of time too.

In Birmingham, Babar brought up his 10th ODI century and it was definitely his best ODI century till date. He walked in to bat in the 4th over and stayed there till the last. He dominated the bowling and he finished the game off for Pakistan.

Under pressure, chasing a target, Babar showed the world his best.

It was a treat to watch this knock from the stands.

Babar's celebration when he got to the hundred showed what it meant to him. And the crowd's reaction showed what it meant to them.



The Birmingham experience was one of the best in ground experiences I have had watching cricket. It was by far the best Pakistani crowd I have ever seen. It was better than Lord's, better than Old Trafford, better than Sharjah and Dubai, better than Gaddafi Stadium.

The atmosphere was just awesome.

Surely Pakistan dominating the game made it all the more exciting for Pakistan fans, but I could feel the belief and excitement among everyone on the train from London and on the walk to Edgbaston from the Birmingham train station.

It was a magnificent day out and I was totally blown away by Babar Azam and the Birmingham crowd!

So the dress rehearsal for Pakistan is over and the main event starts in 10 days. A 4-0 loss to England does not read well for a Pakistan fan, especially when it follows a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Australia.

But bear in mind that Pakistan lost 4-0 to the number one ODI team in the world and had it not been for dropped catches and some misfields, the scoreline would have been quite different.

Pakistan have now lost their last 10 ODIs and have won only 2 of their last 15 ODIs with one rained out.

Despite this losing streak there are plenty of positives that Pakistan can drive from the just concluded series in England. And also answer some questions regarding the make up of their World Cup squad and first XI.

Here's a look at some of the positives from my perspective.

The Batting is Looking Really Good!
The series against England was a runathon! Pakistan became the first team to score three consecutive scores above 340. England followed suit and then did one better by becoming the first team to score four consecutive totals of above 340.

This was the highest scoring ODI series ever.

What it showed however, is that Pakistan's batsmen are right up there! Sarfraz promised before leaving for England that his team had the ability to score 350 in ODIs and they showed that in every single game.

Pakistan will now go into the World Cup with all their batsmen in form and with some confidence that they possess one of the best ODI top orders in the game.

No seriously, no other team in the world has a top four with each batsman averaging 47 or more, with three of them averaging above 50. To top that, Pakistan has the batsman with the world's highest ODI average ever at present.











































Sarfraz Ahmed has finally found his Mojo!
Pakistan captain's 97 off 80 deliveries in the final ODI was not only his first fifty and his highest score in a long long time, I reckon it was also one of the best innings of the series for Pakistan considering he walked in at 6-3 and took it to England in a valiant effort to chase down 350 odd.

Sarfraz is back!

This is what he can do when he bats higher up the order and number 5 is probably the best position for him.

In fact, it is the best position! His average and strike rate when batting at 4 or 5 is the best relative to other positions. He does not do as well lower down. At 4 or 5, he is even better than he is when opening!


An in-form and confident captain will be a blessing for Pakistan!

The Bowling is not All That Bad!
Pakistan's bowlers took a beating at the hands of England's bowlers and they received a lot of criticism from all corners too.

But was it really that bad considering the batting havens England produced for the ODIs?

I mean, even the England bowlers were thrashed! In one game, Pakistan fell short of 373 by an agonizing 12 runs; in another England chased down 340 odd with 3 balls to spare; and in the final game Pakistan's number 10 and 11 smashed 47 runs in a little over 6 overs.

I don't hear any criticism of the English bowlers.

If anything, Pakistan's Bowling is Set to Improve!
Shadab Khan is expected in England any time now, and Mohammad Aamir is expected to join the World Cup squad too.

Their inclusion will undoubtedly improve Pakistan's bowling.

Shadab is one of the best bowlers for the middle overs of an ODI. He not only keeps the scoring rate low, he also picks up wickets. His addition will be a definite boost, not only to the bowling but to the fielding as well.

Even though Aamir has not picked up any wickets over the past two years, he has been one of the most economical bowlers in ODIs during this period.

There aren't many pacers in the world with an economy rate below 5 in this day and age, and surely that will count for something during the World Cup, which will be played on the flattest pitches ever.



So despite all the ODI losses, all is not lost and this series against England has provided valuable practice to Pakistan.

Last week, I mentioned that I foresee Aamir and Asif Ali making the World Cup squad in place of Faheem Ashraf and Abid Ali. Inzamam Ul Haq is going to announce the squad this afternoon, and I believe these two changes will definitely happen.

There maybe another change as Junaid Khan does not seem like someone you want to take to the World Cup after the series he has had.

Only 10 days remain to the World Cup, and 11 days to Pakistan's opening game against the West Indies and even after 10 successive ODI losses, this Pakistan cricket fan has his hopes up really high!

Shaheen Shah Afridi ended the ODI series against New Zealand with 9 wickets, behind only Lockie Ferguson's 11 wickets, but at a better average and strike rate.

Shaheen's 9 wickets consisted of two 4-wicket hauls in each of the first two ODIs and before rain spoiled the match last night, he had already got rid of Colin Munro. Who knows how many more he would have got had the match been completed.

Deservedly so, the 18 year old left arm pacer was adjudged Man of the Series.


Shaheen has been a great find for Pakistan.

Only 6 ODIs old, his bowling stats are astonishing, more so because he has played all his ODIs in the UAE, where pitches favor either the batsmen or the spinners.

Shaheen's 13 ODI wickets in 6 games have come at an average of 17.61, an economy rate of 4.88, and a strike rate of 21.6 - that is a wicket every 4th over he bowls in ODIs!

Even in T20Is, Shaheen has been quite effective picking up 11 wickets in 7 games at an average of 18.45.

I really want to say "ek Afridi gaya, ek aur aa gaya" but this is more about the pace talent that Pakistan keeps on churning out.

Just when Pakistan is feeling that they may have lost their star left armer Mohammad Aamir, they have found Shaheen Afridi who seems to improve with every match he plays.

He has just made it to Pakistan's test squad for the series against New Zealand and the prospect of seeing him bowl with the red cherry is even more exciting.

Another exciting left armer with a bright future for Pakistan is Usman Khan Shinwari.

Why he did not play a single ODI against New Zealand is beyond me. Especially at a time when Hasan Ali was struggling for form.

Usman's ODI record is even better than Shaheen's!


In 9 ODIs, Usman has picked up 18 wickets at an average of 15.27, economy rate of 4.66, and strike rate of 19.6 - better than Shaheen in all three areas.

Which makes it really strange that he was on the bench against New Zealand.

Among all pacers that have taken at least 10 wickets in ODIs in 2018, Usman and Shaheen are right up there in terms of their averages.


Both of them are among the only 5 pacers in the world with an average under 20 this year.

Plus, Shaheen's strike rate is among the absolute best, right up there with Dale Steyn's.

Together, Usman and Shaheen can form a potent new ball attack, which can be extremely dangerous in South Africa early next year and then in England during the World Cup.

Both of them have tremendous potential and have made it much easier for Pakistan to not miss a struggling Mohammad Aamer.

Pakistan's win in the Final of the T20 Tri-Series against Australia cemented their position as the World's number 1 side in T20 Internationals.

Lords of Lord's, Lords of London, Oval Hero, have all been used in recent days and over the past 60 odd years to describe Pakistan's dominance over England, especially in tests played at Lord's, as well as, at the other ground in London - the Oval.

London has a special place in Pakistani hearts and it has truly been a significant location for a lot of cricket success that Pakistan has had over the years.

The World T20 Final in 2009 was won in London, at Lord's.

The ICC Champions Trophy Final in 2017 was won in London, at the Oval.

Pakistan won their first ever test outside the subcontinent in London in 1954, at the Oval.

Both Lord's and the Oval are part of Pakistan's cricket history and besides Australia, there is no other team in the world that has had as much success as Pakistan has had against England in London.

Here's a look at some amazing Pakistan cricket feats in London.

Test Victories at Lord's
Pakistan's win over England in the 1st test of the series was their 5th test win at Lord's. This is the second most victories for a touring team at Lord's, behind Australia's 17.

Pakistan have the second best W/L ratio and Win % at Lord's among all touring sides.

Test Victories at the Oval
Even though Pakistan's 5 wins at the Oval are behind West Indies' 6 and Australia's 7, Pakistan's W/L ratio and Win % at the Oval is the best among all visiting teams.

In fact, no other team has won more games at the Oval than they have lost, while Pakistan have a lead of 2 over England.

Test Victories in London
When it comes to test performance in London, combining the tests played at Lord's and the Oval, then there is no team that comes close to Pakistan's dominance over England.

Pakistan's W/L ratio and Win % in London tests is significantly better than all other visiting teams.

Pakistan Test Captains at Lord's
With this win over England, Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed joined the likes of Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, and Misbah Ul Haq as the Pakistan captains who have led their teams to test wins at Lord's.

Leading Pacers at Lord's and London
Mohammad Aamir picked up 5 wickets in the just concluded Lord's test and his 2 wickets in 3 deliveries were crucial in scripting this historic victory for Pakistan.

Aamir's 5 wicket burst brought him into the top 10 wicket takers among visiting team pacers at Lord's. He is now the joint 6th highest wicket taking visiting pacer at Lord's with a few legends ahead of him.

Among Pakistan's bowlers, Aamir has more wickets at Lord's than any other pacer and spinner. He has surpassed the feats of Pakistan's 2 Ws, Imran Khan, and Pakistan's legendary leg spinners.

Overall, in tests played in London, Aamir is third on Pakistan's list of bowlers, very slightly behind the legends Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in terms of wickets tally.

Leading Spinners at Lord's
Yasir Shah's 10-141 at Lord's that led Pakistan to victory in 2016 is the second best match haul by a visiting spinner at Lord's, behind only off spinner Sonny Ramadhin's 11 wicket feat in 1950.

Yasir's 6-72 in the first innings of that Lord's test is also the second best innings haul by a visiting spinner at Lord's, behind off spinner Marcus North's 6-55.

Among leg spinners, Yasir's innings and match hauls are right there at the top.

Yasir's average of 14.1 and strike rate of 36.0 at Lord's are also second best among all visiting spinners.

Not many teams and individuals come close to Pakistan and its cricketers' achievements at Lord's and in overall in London.

They have faced more success than any other visiting in London and have just become the only team to win two back to back tests at Lord's in recent times.

They have won two ICC trophies in London and they will have the opportunity to win the one that they haven't when the ICC World Cup comes to London next year!

Pakistan have truly earned the tag of being the Lords of London and with the way this young team is playing right now, it seems like they will be holding on to this tag for some time to come.