There is also no doubt that Babar is also the best batter in the world across formats. He is the only batter ranked in the top 4 of each format.

I have no doubt that Babar Azam will become the first batter in the world to be ranked 1 in each of the three formats at the same time!

Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting, and Matthew Hayden are the only ones who have achieved the number 1 ranking in each format; however none of them have held that ranking at the same time.

Babar soon will. You wait and watch.

Besides being a great batsman, Babar is also an impeccable captain. He has grown in stature with every game over the past two years, and he is fast becoming one of the best captains in the game.

Under Babar, Pakistan currently have a win percentage of over 60% in each of the three formats. They have pulled off some amazing victories during this time in T20Is, in ODIs, and even in Tests. The team has a new found belief under him and one can only imagine the great heights this team can reach.

Among the current crop of Test captains, Babar has the second best W:L ratio, behind only Pat Cummins. And his win percentage of 66.7% is behind only that of Ben Stokes and Dean Elgar.

Babar is also one of the only two Test captains in the past 2 years who are averaging over 50 with the bat.

In ODIs, Babar sits second on the list of captains with the best W:L ratio and win percentage, behind Rohit Sharma.

As a batter, Babar has been phenomenal in ODIs. He has the most runs, highest average, highest strike rate, and most centuries as captain in ODIs since the start of 2020.

His average of 83.3 as captain is miles ahead of the next best.

That strike rate of 101.7 is a slap on so many faces, I can't even begin to count.

Even in T20Is, Babar sits second in the list behind Rohit Sharma in terms of W:L ratio.

As a captain in T20Is, Babar also dominates the T20I runs tally over the past 3 years with almost 300 more runs than the next best - Aaron Finch. He also has the second best average among captains, behind Kohli, and has the most number of 50s as captain - more than double of the next best.

A true white ball maestro, Babar's career is moving rapidly towards greatness. He is ruling in all three formats as a captain and as a batter. To think that he has at least another decade of cricket left in him, one can't even begin to imagine where he will end up if he keeps continuing in the same vein.

We have not had a Pakistan team in a while that has been in the running for all three ICC trophies - the WTC, T20 WC, and the ODI WC. 

At least one of those will be in Pakistan's hands before the end of 2023.

If anyone can make it happen, it is the current best cricketer in the world - the one Babar Azam!

They were like mini world cups. Pakistan and India did not tour each other back then either. But they would frequently play in Sharjah as part of an AustralAsia Cup, a Rothmans Trophy, a Sharjah Cup, a Sharjah Champions Trophy.

Besides the two multination ODI series in Sharjah every year, there was also the annual World Series of Cricket played in Australia (aka Carlton & United Series, CB Series, VB series, etc.), which involved three teams compete for the trophy.

Besides Australia, the likes of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and England also hosted multination ODI tournaments in that era.

Even unlikely venues like Toronto, Singapore, Malaysia, and Kenya hosted multination ODI tournaments in the 90s.

Those were the best days of ODI cricket!

That is when ODI cricket was exciting. In between world cups, we got to watch the big teams play mini tournaments. ODIs had some context.

With the advent of T20 cricket, the significance of ODIs has diminished significantly. 

Let alone the fact that T20 leagues take up most of the cricket calendar; the biggest problem is the fanbase. ODI cricket is not exciting any more.

When you can watch a more exciting brand of cricket that produces a result in three and a half hours, why would you sit in front of the TV for 8 hours? 

I am a cricket nut. I used to watch every single delivery of an ODI. I still do when it is the World Cup or the Champions Trophy. But bilateral ODI cricket, I just cannot watch. 

I prefer a T20 match, league or international, over an ODI any day.

And that is really the future.

ODI cricket is dying in my view.

Unless multination ODI tournaments are brought back, ODI cricket will be in the grave very soon.

I see the future with only two formats: Tests and T20s.

Test cricket is still very exciting and creates some very interesting battles over 5 days. However, when it comes to limited overs cricket, the T20 format is killing ODIs.

And that is ok in my view.

We all need to evolve.

Cricket is no different.

Year round T20 leagues, a T20 World Cup every two years, bilateral test tours, and a World Test Championship every two years sounds like a great future for cricket.

With the amount of talent available in some nations, and the ability of others to develop talent pools, I will not be surprised if the T20 and Test calendars ran simultaneously.

Teams like England and India are already doing this where their red ball and white ball teams are involved in international tours at the same time.

Let each country have their T20 league. Let T20 cricketers participate in whatever league they want. Limit bilateral tours for T20 cricket. Maybe have 1 or 2 of them just before the T20 World Cup to fine tune the national teams.

Let Test cricket run in parallel.

T20 cricket is the way forward for associate nations also. The likes of Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, UAE, and even frontier markets where cricket wants to expand like the USA and China have greater potential to compete in the T20 format, relative to ODIs or Tests.

Let cricket expand through T20 leagues and T20 World Cups.

I have not seen the exact numbers, but I believe the number of ODIs played every year has reduced drastically every year over the past decade.

South Africa have already cancelled an ODI tour to Australia in January 2023 due to it clashing with their new T20 league!

Who even watches bilateral ODIs now?

I think the 2023 ODI World Cup should be the last one. Let ODIs die and let cricket live through T20s and Tests.

It will ease scheduling concerns as well.

We literally have a T20 league running 365 days a year. 

The BBL, UAE T20 and the new SA league in January, the PSL in February-March, the IPL in April - May, ECB's League and The 100 in June-July, the CPL in August, and back to the BBL and UAE T20 in December.

If these leagues want the best white ball players available, then where will they find the time to play ODIs?

Players should not be put in this difficult position at all.

The September-October-November window with no T20 leagues should be left for nations to play a couple of bilateral international T20 series, followed by the T20 World Cup.

This gives you a year-round T20 Cricket calendar, which sounds extremely exciting!

At the same time, test tours can continue simultaneously since the test teams will be built around completely different talent pools.

In my mind and on paper, this all sounds like a fabulous way forward for cricket.

Now over to the ICC and the cricket boards to implement it!

These two batsman have been operating at another level. The number of runs, their averages, their contributions to victories, their centuries, have all been at unprecedented levels.

Babar's and Imam's batting averages are among the highest 5 averages in the history of ODI cricket (among all batsmen with a minimum of 1,000 runs).

Babar now is ahead of Kohli by more than a whole run, while Imam has gone past ODI legends like Bevan, ABD, and Root.

If one considers batsmen with more than 2,000 ODI runs, then Babar sits at the top of the list of highest averages, with Imam at number 3.

Babar's and Imam's contributions in ODI wins are unprecedented. Both these batsmen raise their averages by at least 20 runs in ODI victories, as compared to their career averages.

Among all batsmen with at least 1,000 runs in ODI wins, Babar has the highest average in the history of ODIs, and Imam has the third highest ever.

Imam Ul Haq is one of the most consistent openers Pakistan has ever had in ODIs. In fact, one of the most consistent in the world.

He currently has the third best average among openers in ODIs.

He also has the third best average among openers in ODI wins.

When Babar was appointed ODI captain, a large section of the public, including former players and experts, felt that it was a mistake.

They felt that Pakistan's best batsman should not be burdened with the captaincy. They felt the added responsibility will hamper his batting. They felt he would not be able to cope with the pressure.

But nothing of that sort has happened.

Captaincy, in fact, has resulted in Babar elevating his game by a few notches.

This is evident from his ODI batting average as captain, which is currently 90.2 after 12 matches in charge.

Yes it is still early days and there is a long road ahead for Babar as ODI captain, but the way he has started this stint is an indication of what the future holds.

Babar has shone brightly as Pakistan's all format captain.

His ODI batting average and strike rate as captain are both significantly higher than his career's.

He recently played the test innings of his life to save a test for Pakistan.

His exploits as T20 captain are well documented.

Babar has taken the opportunity to lead Pakistan head on and he has enhanced his batting form significantly since taking charge.

He is the only batsman in the world at the moment who ranks among the Top 5 in all three formats of the game; and he ranks NUMBER ONE in both white ball formats.

There is no batsman like him.

Arguably, he is the best batsman ever produced by not only Pakistan, but the World!

It was a record breaking spectacle at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore with two of Pakistan's best ODI batsmen at the forefront of this epic chase.

Imam played his part; the finishers had to play theirs. In the history of ODI cricket, have you ever seen an opener be there at the end in a chase of 350? Maybe you can count 2 instances out of a 1,000+ ODIs.

Imam, and Pakistan's captain Babar Azam, scripted Pakistan's win last night. These two are once in a generation type players and Pakistan needs to cherish them.

I just fail to understand how anyone can discount their match winning abilities.

Babar Azam has the highest batting average in ODIs among all batsmen in ODI wins. His average is a clear 13 runs per innings ahead of Virat Kohli's.

Imam is 6th on this list with a phenomenal average of 69.47.

Babar and Imam have contributed to wins with 11 and 6 centuries respectively; and 8 and 7 fifties respectively.

They are two of the biggest ODI match winners produced by Pakistan!

Both Babar and Imam are among the few batsmen in ODIs that average above 50 in the format. There are only 11 such batsmen, and these two Pakistanis are among this elite list.

Babar has the 4th highest average and Imam has the 7th highest average in the history of ODI cricket.

Babar is at another level altogether.

He is undoubtedly the best to ever play for Pakistan. Arguably the best ever in the world too. Among the current lot for sure; among all time players, we shall find out. He has a long way to go.

With his 15th ODI century yesterday, he got to the landmark faster than any other batsman in the world. And he reached 4,000 ODI runs faster than all other batsmen, barring Hashim Amla.

With 15 ODI centuries he now has the second most ODI centuries for Pakistan; level with Mohammad Yousuf and only behind Saeed Anwar. And he has not even played a 100 ODIs yet!

Look at that strike rate. Quite an eye opener who feel he plays too selfishly and slowly.

Imam Ul Haq is in the list too, just one behind his legendary uncle who is to blame for the unfair label given to him by critics.

Out of Babar's 15 ODI centuries, 11 have resulted in wins, placing him third on the list of Pakistani batsmen with most centuries in ODI wins.

Guess who else makes this list. Yep, Imam Ul Haq!

Selfish players?

Yesterday was Babar's only 11th ODI as captain of Pakistan, and he notched up a 4th ODI hundred as captain, which is the most by a Pakistan ODI captain ever.

Considering that this 27 year old is just in the initial part of his career. He has a long long way to go, and I am sure he will be breaking and creating a number of batting records as he goes along.

*      *      *

Babar and Imam are Pakistan's most consistent performers in ODIs. They have been for the past 5 years, which is why it shocks me no end that they keep receiving criticism from fans.

Failures of Pakistan's middle and lower orders have resulted in many a defeat for Pakistan in ODIs; yet the ones to cop the blame are the top three, who more often than not play their part perfectly.

Babar and Imam will continue to achieve new heights, and I am pretty sure their detractors will continue to find new ways to criticize them.

I really hope these critics can stay quiet now, especially after last night's victory, but I have my doubts.

It has been 60 hours since the World Cup final ended, and I am still reeling at the result. But I can't keep ranting about luck, whether bad or good, destiny, rules, karma, and all that ... I already had a good rant on Twitter.

Now it is time to take stock of what happened, get over it, and reflect on this ICC World Cup 2019.

Some thoughts, a lot of ramblings, in no particular order ...

The World Cup Overall
What a tournament! Congrats to the ICC on producing one of the best World Cups ever. For a long time I have maintained that my favorite World Cup was 1992. The fact that Pakistan won aside, it was the best format ever used and produced very exciting cricket with every result mattering.

2019 is right up there for me. Not a single dull moment (barring the washed out games with no reserve days). What fabulous entertainment. Every match mattered, every result mattered, every run mattered, every wicket mattered, and at the end even every boundary mattered!

The best!

The Final
England and New Zealand produced the best World Cup Final ever. Perhaps the best ODI match ever.

Kumar Dharmasena
I have no idea how he is among the top 2 umpires in the world. If his stats prove that he is, then he is surely like South Africa of the old, or India of the new, who perform all the time, but choke when it truly counts.

Pathetic performance in the semi final and final.

Chris Gayle
Sad to see such an icon of white ball cricket depart the World Cup stage without setting it on fire. The only time he performed perhaps kicked Pakistan out of the competition.

Shakib Al Hasan
Talk about rising to the occasion. He has forever been the world's number one allrounder in limited overs cricket. He has always performed for his team. But never has he shone like he did in this World Cup. Runs, wickets, he produced it all.

Player of the tournament for me.

India vs England
I have heard so many conspiracies about this one. India did not chase to screw Pakistan. India did not chase to make it easier for England to qualify for the semi finals. MS Dhoni did not chase to screw Pakistan because of his affiliation with the Indian army.

All bullshit in my opinion.

India is not as strong as everyone is making them out to be. Sure Dhoni's tactics seemed questionable but you know what? Even had he tried, India would not have been able to chase down that total! The semi final against New Zealand is proof of that. The entire World Cup is proof of that with only one successful 300+ chase.

Bangladesh
Quite a tournament they had. Their best World Cup to date, but still a long way to go before they become a consistent threat to the leading teams.

Afghanistan
Overrated, overzealous, overconfident, outspoken, underperformers.

Babar Azam
This was a coming of age tournament for him. He is only 24, mind you. He rose to the occasion and performed like Pakistan's most dependable batsman throughout the World Cup. That match winning century against the best bowling attack in the world was for me the innings of the World Cup.

No one else scored a 100 against New Zealand's attack like Babar did. Yes Bairstow did, but Ferguson did not play that match. No one else chased a total against New Zealand the way Babar did. He is a superstar.

ICC Rules
Require a major rethink.

Think about this: Never in the history of ODI cricket has a team been declared a winner after being bowled out in a run chase.

India
The new chokers of World Cricket? Two World Cup Semi Finals lost. Champions Trophy Final lost. World T20 Final lost. World T20 Semi Final lost. All this in the past 5 years.

This is probably outdoing South Africa's chokes!

Virat Kohli
The best batsman in the world, but his scores in the 3 ODI chokes mentioned above: 1, 1, 5. He seems out of depth as captain. Looks like he is just a shadow and Dhoni is doing all the captaining. I feel like he will struggle with captaining the side once Dhoni retires.

Jason Roy
My favorite batsman. I loved every bit of his batting this World Cup. I believe that he makes all the difference to this England team. Without him, they are not the same at all. He scores and England wins.

He failed against Pakistan; England lost.
He failed in the World Cup Final; England just about tied the match.
He did not play against Sri Lanka and Australia; England lost.

In all other games that England won comprehensively, Roy's scores: 54, 153, 66, 60, 85. It is quite remarkable that all of his 9 ODI centuries and 14 out of his 18 ODI fifties have resulted in wins for England.

South Africa
Forget choking, they just failed to arrive this time.

Mohammad Hafeez, MS Dhoni, Hashim Amla
Why didn't they announce their ODI retirements?

Lasith Malinga
Even with that belly he produced some manic fast bowling spells. Champion bowler.

Ben Stokes
What a performer! What a cricketer! This World Cup was a true redemption story for him. Dropped for World Cup 2015, taken apart by Carlos Brathwaite in World T20 Final 2016, failed against Pakistan in CT17 Semi Final, and now Man of the Match in the Final of ICC World Cup 2019.

Turnarounds can be magical! He also took the catch of the World Cup!

Australia
What does one say about a team that reaches the final four stage of a World Cup even with an average team. Eternal Champions.

Shaheen Afridi
Find of the tournament? No. He was found well before the tournament. He had a great start to his international career before he hit a stumbling block in matches leading up to the World Cup. He was quite off in his initial WC matches, but then turned it around like a champ.

He was super in Pakistan's last three matches and showed that he can be a true star for the greens!

Mitchell Starc
Almost 50 wickets in two World Cups. Bowlers have not reached that tally in 4 World Cups! He's superb and probably uses the yorker more effectively than any modern day fast bowler.

Also bowled the ball of the World Cup to Ben Stokes.

Martin Guptill
Must suck to be him right now. Poor guy had a terrible World Cup with the bat. And yet he was there needing to score 2 of the final ball of the World Cup to win it for New Zealand.

The best thing he did all World Cup was a throw that caught Dhoni out of his crease and propelled New Zealand to their second successive World Cup Final. And then in the Final, it was his throw that ... I don't even want to say it!

Sri Lanka
Performed way better than expected.

West Indies
Performed way worse than expected. To think some thought they may win this!

Trent Boult
He may have only heard that cricket can be such a leveler, till he experienced it. He caught a ball inches away from the boundary to help New Zealand beat West Indies - in hindsight that catch got New Zealand into the final four. In the World Cup Final, he caught the ball and stepped on the boundary - that lost NZ the World Cup.

He bowled at a phenomenal economy rate of 4.8 throughout the World Cup. But his last 2 overs of the World Cup went for 15 runs each!

Alex Carey
True find of the World Cup. Another champion cricketer produced by Australia. At the start of the World Cup I questioned why he was Australia's first choice wicket keeper. He answered that quite aptly with the bat on multiple occasions.

His stock rose so significantly that Australia promoted him to #5 in the Semi Final!

Pakistan
What does one say about them that hasn't already been said. Ricky Ponting put it best, it is Pakistan vs Pakistan. But undoubtedly, I reckon this was their best World Cup campaign this century and they were very unlucky not to qualify for the Semi Finals.

England vs Sri Lanka
Was it fixed like Rashid Latif alleged? Who knows. Maybe the ICC, the broadcasters and TV Channels, and ECB colluded to provide the World Cup with some impetus. Or maybe not, but games like this is why this format is the best for a World Cup. Made every match count after this one.

Mohammad Aamir
Another redemption story. Handful of wickets at an average of over 90 in the two years before the World Cup, and ended the World Cup as one of the leading wicket takers. Hopefully this is the start of some magical Aamir years with the ball.

Micheal Vaughan
Loved his tweets throughout the World Cup!

Jofra Archer
Another find of the World Cup. Never before has an England bowler shone like this at a World Cup. Only 24 and he is their leader. So much so that he was given the ball for the Final Super Over too. Superstar in the making.

Edgbaston, Birmingham
I have never experienced a crowd like that ever inside a stadium. I've been to cricket matches all over the world in the past 30 years; Edgbaston for Pakistan vs New Zealand was the absolute best!

Kane Williamson
What a Gentleman. What a Cricketer. What a Captain. What a Batsman. What a Human Being. And he is only 28! I wish he wins a World Cup. He made me question whether all that was luck or captaincy tactics that got New Zealand over the line every single time.

He deserved to lift the World Cup Trophy, and I hope that he lifts one in his career!

Sanjay Manjerekar
What a waste of space. If fan boys are allowed to be commentators, what about me? I hope I never have to listen to his voice ever again!

Lockie Ferguson
The world has a new express fast bowler!

Rishabh Pant
What was the fuss all about really? His List A average is 30. His ODI average is under 30. Why is he an ODI number 4? What was all the hype about?

New Zealand
I don't even know where to start. The Kiwis played with my emotions more than Pakistan did.

At first, I thought they did not deserve to be in the World Cup Semi Finals. I felt they were a below average side, had won against weaker teams, got lucky against average teams, lost to all the strong teams, and got lucky to get a free point against India.

Then, after they beat India in the Semi Final and the way they did it, I was turned. I was a fan. Kane Williamson had completely impressed me with his captaincy and calmness. Now I wanted them to win the World Cup.

And they would have had it not been for some really cruel shit. Forget about the rules and the super over and boundaries. That throw from Guptill ... sigh. How cruel can cricket be.

I was as sad for New Zealand as I have ever been for Pakistan. They did nothing wrong. Played the best cricket possible. Did not lose the Final, yet lost the World Cup. Tragic. Just Tragic!

England
If there is anything such as destiny, this is it. If there was ever a team destined for something, this is it. Congratulations to them for this World Cup win and for inspiring millions through their amazing turnaround story.

Kicked out of World Cup 2015 in the league phase, England planned to become team supreme in white ball cricket. The last 4 years was the build up, and this is their moment to cherish. They have been the world's leading ODI unit for over two years and now they have a World Cup trophy to show for it.

The players would be happy no doubt. But it is really the fans who will be cherishing this win more than anyone. Some of them have waited for 44 years to witness this day!

England finally have a World Cup trophy, but they still cannot say that they have won a World Cup Final!

My World Cup XI
Rohit Sharma, Jason Roy, Kane Williamson, Babar Azam, Shakib Al Hasan, Ben Stokes, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Lockie Ferguson, Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Afridi

In 44 years of World Cup history, neither England nor New Zealand have won an ICC World Cup.

It is quite fitting that these two teams are there in the final given that one of them is a team built by Brendon McCullum and the other is a team inspired by Brendon McCullum.

Here's a look at both ...

ENGLAND

England have played 3 finals in 1979, 1987, and 1992. Lost all three to West Indies, Australia, and Pakistan respectively.

This is their first final in 27 years. While Pakistan fans have churned out similarity after similarity with their 1992 campaign, it is in fact England who have made this their own 1992.

The kits. The Final. The hope for a different result!



Jofra Archer was not even born the last time England played a World Cup Final.

Ben Stokes was yet to turn 1! Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Joe Root, and Jos Buttler had only celebrated their 1st birthday. Mark Wood and Chris Woakes had celebrated their 2nd. Their captain, Eoin Morgan, was 5 years old.

An entire English generation has grown up without knowing what a strong ODI unit looks like.

But this World Cup was different than any other for them.

England started the World Cup as favorites; and here they are, in the final.

For the past 4 years they have set the world of white ball cricket alight. No one has batted like them, no one has attacked like them, no one has posted the kind scores they have.

For them it has been a true turnaround story after the disaster that was 2015.

A World Cup win will give their story the best ending possible.

There will be books, movies, documentaries, maybe even business school case studies on this turnaround.

For most of the tournament they have looked like the best team on show. There were hiccups on the way. A loss to Pakistan despite a wonderful chase set up by Root and Buttler, an embarrassing loss to Sri Lanka, and even one to Australia.

But like their turnaround story of the past 4 years, England turned it around in this World Cup as well.

They look like the best ODI unit on show. They are the world's number 1 ranked ODI team. They are on the brink of their first ever World Cup win!

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand, always the underdogs, but also always the team to watch out for in tournaments like the World Cup, have been a mixed bag.

They have looked like a champion team against the likes of Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. They have looked like the worst team on show against Pakistan, Australia, and England.

They have also had lucky escapes against Bangladesh, South Africa, and West Indies.

5 straight wins and then 3 losses to the 'stronger' teams, and majority of the world felt like New Zealand did not deserve to be there in the final four.

Especially when they were the only semi finalist who had not won a single game against the other semi finalists. And also because teams like Pakistan and Bangladesh looked stronger than them.

But the semi final victory over India has made everyone sit up, notice, and take back their words.

Including me.

Like England, New Zealand too have made this their own 1992. The lucky 4th team to qualify for the semi finals, then beating the team that topped the league stage in the semi final, to play England in the Final!

But were those wins against Bangladesh, South Africa, and West Indies lucky? Or were New Zealand just better at holding their nerves and handling the pressure, like they were against India in the semi final?

Against all these teams, New Zealand got themselves into a winning position, then let the game slide away with the other team in front and about to win, and then came back to snatch victory out of no where when all seemed lost.

While England have had a 4-year turnaround, New Zealand have seen multiple turnarounds in single matches.

In my view, Kane Williamson is the best captain in the cricket world today. It is he, his tactics, his collected calmness, that has brought New Zealand this far.

It will be he who will be at the forefront if New Zealand are to cross this final hurdle.


For one set of fans -  England's or New Zealand's - a 44 year wait will end tonight!

Kane Williamson is like everyone's favorite kid. Everyone is rooting for him to lift the trophy. I will too be delighted if he does.

While for England, it will be like the cherry on top of their remarkable 4-year run. One of the best 4-year turnaround story in sports. I'll be happy for them too if they win.

It is really a win-win situation.

May the best team win. And may we witness a cracker of a game!  

Cricinfo produced the following graphic showing the % of a team's runs scored by the team's top run scorer in this World Cup.


It shows the dependency of each team on its main batsman.

You know what else it shows? Take a look...

Kane Williamson
9 years of International Cricket
147 ODIs, 72 Tests, 57 T20Is

Rohit Sharma
12 years of International Cricket
214 ODIs, 27 Tests, 94 T20Is

Shakib Al Hasan
13 years of International Cricket
206 ODIs, 55 Tests, 72 T20Is

David Warner
10 years of International Cricket
115 ODIs, 74 Tests, 70 T20Is

Faf Du Plessis
8 years of International Cricket
143 ODIs, 58 Tests, 44 T20Is

Joe Root
7 years of International Cricket
141 ODIs, 80 Tests, 32 T20Is

Take a look at all that experience.

In comparison, here is Babar Azam's.

4 years of International Cricket
72 ODIs, 21 Tests, 30 T20Is

Exactly half the number of international matches as the least experienced player in the list above (123 vs Faf's 245).

So how is it fair that Pakistan fans ask for Babar to produce more match winning knocks? Or compare him to the batsmen in the above list?

While other teams are heavily relying on their senior and most experienced players, Pakistan's batting is heavily reliant on one of the team's youngest players.

After he has played as much cricket, he will probably be well ahead of each one of them!

Give him time and space to grow.

Wait and watch ...

The positive side of this ICC World Cup 2019 campaign for Pakistan is that they do not need to rebuild.

Unlike the World Cups of 2003, 2007, and 2015 that witnessed an exodus of senior players, this time Pakistan has a solid core of talented and match winning youngsters who will play many more World Cups in the future.

They have a solid core to build upon and the future looks bright.
11 wickets at an average of 36.3; 88 runs at a strike rate of 127.5; 6 sixes

Wahab is a champion cricketer. A superstar. No one fought harder for Pakistan than he did in this World Cup.

There is something about Wahab and World Cups. 2011, 2015, and now 2019 - each World Cup has seen a special performance from this champ.

In between those World Cups, he has been average at best, but in those World Cups he has shone like no one else.

Match winning wickets, match winning cameos, match winning sixes, match winning catches, Wahab did it all.

He is 34, and I don't know how much more he will play. But he has done his bit and Pakistan's youngsters will not do too bad if they take a leaf out of Wahab's book on fighting spirit.

You know he hit more sixes than anyone in the Pakistan team in this World Cup?


SHADAB KHAN
9 wickets at an average of 35.5

He did not take the World Cup by storm but in bursts showed the world why he is rated so highly by Pakistanis. His match winning wickets against England (Jason Roy and Joe Root) and New Zealand (Kane Williamson) were enough to show his worth.

He may have performed at a better level had he not fallen ill before the World Cup, but even then he has done enough to show that he can be a match winner for Pakistan.

He is only 20 years old, the best limited overs leg spinner in Pakistan currently, and the best fielder in the country. He has a long road ahead and forms part of Pakistan's current core. With an improvement in his batting he can form a solid lower order along with Imad Wasim.


MOHAMMAD HAFEEZ
253 runs at an average of 31.6; 1 fifty; 2 wickets; economy rate of 5.9

He had an average world cup. Besides his 84 against England that helped Pakistan put on a match winning total of 348, he got starts in every match and then threw it all away.

Like his entire ODI career, he has got a string of beautiful knocks of 20s and 30s. Pakistan needed him to keep going but he was a major reason for many a collapse during the World Cup.

He is 38 and should have called it a day along with Shoaib Malik. Not sure what is thinking right now. Surely he is not and cannot be a part of Pakistan's future plans.

He has had a good enough career and I think he needs to move on and let Pakistan find a solid aggressive middle order batsman.


FAKHAR ZAMAN
186 runs at an average of 23.25; 1 fifty

Fakhar was a major disappointment in the World Cup. Pakistan banked on him for positive starts and he failed to give them any.

He only managed to get going against India and South Africa, but in both games he threw it all away.

He is capable of so much more. His potential is so much more than what he showed. He is immensely talented. But the rut he is in has prolonged and something needs to be done to get him out of it.

Maybe he needs some rest, maybe he needs to go back to domestic cricket to find his touch back. He can't go on like this.

He could have done more, but I do think that he will come out of it. He is too talented and dedicated not to. He has plenty of cricket left in him and once he can get his confidence back he can be back to his power hitting ways for Pakistan at the top of the order.


HASAN ALI
2 wickets at an average of 128 and economy rate of 7.75

Clearly the biggest disappointment of Pakistan's World Cup campaign. Or maybe not considering Shoaib Malik was also there.

Just 18 months ago, Hasan was the World's number 1 ODI bowler. Now he is at number 41! Such has been his decline.

Don't know what has gone wrong with him but he just can't pick up wickets any more the way he used to. And he gets smashed around as well.

He definitely needs a rest and a run in domestic cricket. If he can get back to his best, he can form a seriously dangerous pace attack along with Aamir and Shaheen, but till then he needs to find his form back in the domestic circuit.

SHOAIB MALIK, MOHAMMAD HASNAIN, and ASIF ALI

Shoaib Malik played three matches, scored 8,0, and 0, and retired from ODIs. His time was up.

I have no idea Mohammad Hasnain was even selected. Good pace sure, but too raw and needs to learn a lot still. He didn't get a single game and Pakistan may have been better served by a Junaid Khan or an Usman Khan Shinwari.

Asif Ali played only 2 matches and scored 14 and 5, before he was dropped. He has huge potential to be a long term number 6 for Pakistan, but he needs to develop a second and third gear. He needs to learn the art of building an ODI innings, and not only be a smasher. He has a future with Pakistan, but not before some hard lessons at the NCA and domestic cricket.

SARFARAZ AHMED
143 runs at an average of 28.6; 1 fifty

I'll be honest and say that I am confused about him. Should he continue as Pakistan captain or should he be sacked? Is he good enough to bat in Pakistan's top 6? Is he good enough to be Pakistan's wicket keeper?

His World Cup performance as a player was about average. His performance for a long time now has been below par and Pakistan can arguably do with a better and more aggressive wicket keeper batsman.

But are there any around in Pakistan? And no, Mohammad Rizwan is not an answer.

However, as a captain, he showcased his resilience by picking the team up following the defeats to Australia and India. After the personal attacks he was under and the barrage of criticism that the team received, it was no easy task to lift the morale of the players.

In that aspect, Sarfaraz shone and rose to the occasion.

There are players like Imad Wasim (with U19 captaincy experience) around who can take over, but I am not sure if that is the right call. Or is it?

Time will tell, which way the PCB decides to go.



I believe Pakistan has a solid ODI team, which has the potential to become world beaters. A top 4 with each batsman averaging 47+, a young pace attack with the firepower reminiscent of Pakistan's hey days, good allrounders that can become great finishers, and one of the best leg spinners in the world.

The only thing that is missing, in my opinion, are solid middle order batsmen that can play aggressive and powerful ODI cricket at numbers 5 and 6. Asif Ali is perhaps a long term solution for one of those spots, but we need more.

If Fakhar can't get back to his best form, Pakistan has the likes of Abid Ali and the returning Sharjeel Khan whose ban will be up in a couple of months.

This team can do wonders for Pakistan and they have a lot of cricket left in them. I have no doubt that they will continue to improve and win a lot of games for Pakistan going forward.

The deadline for submitting World Cup squads is 30th April 2019 and Pakistan is done with all its international assignments till then. Pakistan's 5-match ODI series against England will start on 8th May, so it is only logical that Pakistan's World Cup squad plays that series.

Considering Pakistan is planning to send the team to England by 24th April for acclimatization and practice matches against county sides, the selectors have 20 odd days to make up their mind about the 15 that will play the ICC World Cup 2019.

Several players, namely Haris Sohail, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, and Abid Ali built a solid case for inclusion during the just concluded ODI series against Australia.

Inzamam and co. have a tough job now on their hands as a number of players have demonstrated good performances.

Let us take a look at the probable World Cup Squad composition.

In my view, the 15-man squad should comprise 7 batsmen, 1 wicketkeeper batsman, 2 spinners, and 5 pace bowlers.

I believe, the following select themselves:

Batsmen: Babar Azam, Imam Ul Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hafeez (if fit), and Shoaib Malik

Wicketkeeper: Sarfraz Ahmed

Spinners: Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan

Pacers: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, and Usman Khan Shinwari

This leaves 1 batsman and 1 pacer to be selected.

The options for the 1 batsman are:

Mohammad Rizwan
Abid Ali
Umar Akmal
Shan Masood
Asif Ali

I believe the race is between Mohammad Rizwan who knocked two centuries against the Aussies and Abid Ali, the debutant centurion.

A number of experts and fans have been calling for Asif Ali's inclusion in Pakistan's ODI team. I don't understand how they think. Has everyone forgotten what a miserable failure he was in ODIs for Pakistan?

Sure, Pakistan has not seen a better six hitter since Afridi than Asif Ali, but he is at best a T20 player and does not fit into an ODI team. He cannot bat at 6 because if required to bat before the 30th over, which will be more often than not for Pakistan, Asif cannot fulfill the role. And playing him at 7 means you sacrifice a bowler, which makes no sense. At best Asif is an Afridi who cannot bowl, which basically means he is useless. Pakistan has enough lower order firepower in Imad, Faheem, and Hassan all of whom contribute with the ball as well, so really, Asif is not required.

Umar Akmal and Shan Masood had the perfect opportunity to put on some solid performances and impress the selectors during the ODI series against Australia, but neither did enough, besides looking good in spurts, to push their case.

So it will all come down to whether Pakistan want a reserve opener or a reserve middle order batsman. Both Rizwan and Abid can double up as a back-up wicketkeeper. It will be a tough choice between the two for Inzamam and co.

For me, I would go with Abid Ali for the sheer quality of his innings against Australia. The confidence, stroke play, and timing that he showcased in his debut innings puts him ahead in the race in my opinion.

If Hafeez does not recover from his injury in time, then Rizwan will make the squad as well.

Options for the 1 pacer are:

Mohammad Aamir
Junaid Khan
Mohammad Abbas
Mohammad Hasnain

Abbas could not replicate his test success in ODIs, Hasnain was far too raw despite showing some good pace, and Junaid was way too inconsistent.

Aamir's form has been lacking for a while now, but considering that he is a big match player, he should get the nod for a World Cup spot.

So here is my 15 for the ICC World Cup 2019: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Aamer

My first choice XI would be: 1. Imam Ul Haq 2. Fakhar Zaman 3. Babar Azam 4. Haris Sohail 5. Sarfraz Ahmed 6. Mohammad Hafeez / Shoaib Malik 7. Shadab Khan 8. Imad Wasim 9. Faheem Ashraf 10. Hasan Ali 11. Shaheen Afridi

Aamir will play in place of Shadab whenever the conditions favor seam bowling.

I believe 5 is the best position for Sarfraz and he should bat there throughout. I have also heard that he himself wants to bat at that position.

Hafeez has displayed his big hitting ability on more than one occasion and is best suited for number 6, unless he is unfit in which case Malik should assume that role.

Pakistan will play 2 ODIs against county sides, 5 ODIs vs England, 2 warm up ODIs before opening their World Cup campaign on 31st May 2019 against the West Indies.

In my opinion, it is these 15 players who should be named for all these games and the World Cup!

England have been on an imperious march to the World Cup since their failure in the competition four years ago in Australia and New Zealand.

The Three Lions were humiliated, failing to reach the knockout stage of the tournament. Eoin Morgan’s men played a brand of tepid cricket that put them well behind their rivals at the top of the sport. Their failure proved to be a watershed moment for England in one-day cricket and inspired a revolution in their style, which has made them the front runners for the World Cup.

Over the last three years, Morgan’s men won nine bilateral series in a row before their surge was ended against the West Indies in a draw in the Caribbean. In their run, they defeated Australia home and away, New Zealand and Sri Lanka on the road, along with a narrow 2-1 victory over India last summer. The Three Lions are a machine in the 50-over format, boasting the best batting unit in the world, while Adil Rashid has developed into one of the leading spin bowlers in the world.

England have few weaknesses, although the most glaring of them were exposed in their series against the West Indies. Their batsmen have been on song for 90 percent of the time since the last World Cup, but they have still displayed a propensity to stage dramatic collapses. Their defeat to Pakistan in the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy was a case and point, while further meltdowns against Sri Lanka last year and the West Indies in the final match of the series.

England’s ability to mount huge totals has been their biggest strength since the last World Cup. It results from their aggressive style of play that has seen them break the world record for the highest ODI total twice, coming within 19 runs of being the first team to post 500 last year against Australia. However, the same attitude can also result in rare failures. It only takes one of those days to halt their charge at the World Cup.

Although Joe Root does not boast the same striking ability as the rest of his team-mates in the line-up, he could be the Three Lions’ most important player in the tournament. He plays the anchor role to perfection, allowing the rest of the unit to tee off around him.  Root displayed that ability with back-to-back centuries against India in 2018, and it’s the reason why backing him to lead the way at the tournament with the most runs would be one of the best betting tips available, especially in familiar conditions in England.

Mark Wood's double-strike gives England an opening#WIvENG https://t.co/VDBuNIYUog pic.twitter.com/R4V8lJdJOs

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 27, 2019

The Three Lions have also been exposed at times in their bowling ranks. Without James Anderson and Stuart Broad in the 50-over game, England lack a world-class seam option. Chris Woakes has had his moments, although, on other occasions, he has been cannon fodder. In the Caribbean, Chris Gayle took him to task with ease and there are other openers that are also capable.


Mark Wood proved his worth in the ODI series against the Windies. He could be England’s ace card in the World Cup, highlighted by his match-winning spell of 4-60 to stop Gayle and company chasing down 418 in the fourth ODI. Wood has the raw pace to trouble the leading batsmen in world cricket. Paired with Rashid, it provides Morgan with a dangerous one-two punch to turn a match on its head. It will still take a complete effort from England to clinch their first World Cup crown, but they have star men that can put blemishes on their few weaknesses heading into the tournament.

When Pakistan's Asia Cup squad was announced last month, there was little surprise as most of the members were automatic selections. The only choice that created some news was the omission of Mohammad Hafeez and selection of Shan Masood.

But was it a surprise?

Shan has played 12 tests for Pakistan and has been pretty much termed a test match specialist.

He has rarely been given a prolonged run as opener for Pakistan, and hence the limited success, but everyone remembers him for his epic 125 in Palekelle, where he, in the company of the illustrious Younis Khan, led Pakistan to a successful record run chase.

So what led to his selection in the ODI team?

I had the pleasure of meeting Shan Masood this past weekend, thanks to a friend.

While I am usually at the top of records and stats regarding cricket (both international and domestic), but when Shan told me about the record he had established and currently held, I was pleasantly surprised.

Shan told me that he has the highest List A average in the world at the moment, and that his successful domestic season in 2018 led him to a List A average above Michael Bevan's, who had held this record for over a decade.

Shan's 58.2 average is a good 0.4 runs above Bevan's and gives him a record that was considered quite difficult to break.

For the uninitiated, List A includes all ODI Cricket and all domestic 50-over games recognized by the domestic cricket boards.

Shan has had a tremendous domestic season, which resulted in his selection for the Asia Cup that got underway yesterday in the UAE.

In 20 List A games, Shan amassed 1,325 runs at a phenomenal average of 94.6 and a strike rate of 93.8. He has the best average in the format this season, the highest number of fifties, and the joint second highest number of centuries.

No wonder he has been given a chance to represent Pakistan in the limited overs format.

Not surprised any more, are you?

Shan is a record holder and hopefully he can translate this domestic form into some international runs too!