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Fakhar Zaman versus Shikhar Dhawan - Who is the better ODI batsman?

Ab Fan

Ab Fan

Senior Test Player
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Runs
28,257
Dhawan- 6000 runs, Avg 45, S/R 94
Zaman - 2200 runs, Avg 48, S/R 97

Who do you think is a better ODI batsman?

Discuss!
 
Dhawan is a big match player. In tournaments with 5+ teams (Asia Cup, WC and CT), his averages are:

Maches 32 Runs 1,892 Avg 61.0 @ S/R 95.6

Fakhar in 5+ teams tournaments (Asia Cup, WC and CT) has:

Matches 18 Runs 496 Avg 27.6 @ S/R 91.5

Dhawan is a big match player, he does much better in tourneys compared to bilaterals. Fakhar may get to his level some day, it is too early to say. Right now Fakhar has only about one-fourth of the runs Dhawan has scored in the bigger tournaments, so the comparison is not apprpriate.

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...2;trophy=14;trophy=44;trophy=856;type=batting

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...rophy=44;trophy=856;type=batting;view=innings
 
Last edited:
Napa said:
Dhawan is a big match player. In tournaments with 5+ teams (Asia Cup, WC and CT), his averages are:

Maches 32 Runs 1,892 Avg 61.0 @ S/R 95.6

Fakhar in 5+ teams tournaments (Asia Cup, WC and CT) has:

Matches 18 Runs 496 Avg 27.6 @ S/R 91.5

Dhawan is a big match player, he does much better in tourneys compared to bilaterals. Fakhar may get to his level some day, it is too early to say. Right now Fakhar has only about one-fourth of the runs Dhawan has scored in the bigger tournaments, so the comparison is not apprpriate.

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...2;trophy=14;trophy=44;trophy=856;type=batting

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...rophy=44;trophy=856;type=batting;view=innings
Click to expand...

This. But Fakhar has potential. It's just that he is very inconsistent also, especially recently when teams worked him out.
Shikhar's record speaks for itself. He was man of the tournament in CT 2013 which we won. He scored a hundred in WC 2019 also before getting injured.
 
Bhai no ind, Pak player comparison threads please!... :dhoni
 
Bigboii said:
Bhai no ind, Pak player comparison threads please!... :dhoni
Click to expand...

This is not a random comparison thread. Both openers for their team, similar stats, have been around for a while and also for Fakhar these stats are not for a sample of 700-800 runs but 2000 runs. So, pretty fair comparison at this point IMO.
 
Fakhar has played 2-3 brilliant knocks, I can remember his century against India, then the 200 and yestedays knowck. Nothing in between. If you remove these 3 , his average drops drastically. He needs to be more consistent, Shikhar is consistent at scoring match winning knocks, though will not play an innnings as eye catching as Fakhar does
 
Poor thread.

Dhawan is a better ODI opener than anyone in Pakistan history.

Saeed Anwar is overrated in ODIs. He made a living out of bashing mediocre Indian attacks and was a walking wicket against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

He did well in tournaments but no one raises his game for the big occasions like Dhawan does.

Saeed Anwar was a fantastic Test opener, but he is largely remembered for his ODI exploits today because he did not play enough Test matches and most people remember him for all the Sharjah Cups in the 90’s against poor Indian bowling which he bossed.

Also, the iconic 194 defined his legacy, albeit his 188* against India in Test cricket was easily a better innings.

He stood out because he was partnered with Aamer Sohail who was a very average player.
 
redmaverik84 said:
Fakhar has played 2-3 brilliant knocks, I can remember his century against India, then the 200 and yestedays knowck. Nothing in between. If you remove these 3 , his average drops drastically. He needs to be more consistent, Shikhar is consistent at scoring match winning knocks, though will not play an innnings as eye catching as Fakhar does
Click to expand...

I agree with your larger point but there was one against Aus too he single handedly won that match

Couple of others too where he played some magical innings so just 3 is a little unfair my guess is around 7-10 real good innings mixed with some real average ones
 
Dhawan is a better Odi bat than even Babar right [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] ? :)
 
Bigboii said:
Dhawan is a better Odi bat than even Babar right [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] ? :)
Click to expand...

They are not comparable because Dhawan is an opener and Babar is a number 3. If Babar was Indian, he would not be replacing Dhawan as opener.
 
Mamoon said:
Poor thread.

Dhawan is a better ODI opener than anyone in Pakistan history.

Saeed Anwar is overrated in ODIs. He made a living out of bashing mediocre Indian attacks and was a walking wicket against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

He did well in tournaments but no one raises his game for the big occasions like Dhawan does.

Saeed Anwar was a fantastic Test opener, but he is largely remembered for his ODI exploits today because he did not play enough Test matches and most people remember him for all the Sharjah Cups in the 90’s against poor Indian bowling which he bossed.

Also, the iconic 194 defined his legacy, albeit his 188* against India in Test cricket was easily a better innings.

He stood out because he was partnered with Aamer Sohail who was a very average player.
Click to expand...
In ODIs, Saeed Anwar averaged 45 against New Zealand with 4 tons. Not bad for a walking wicket lol.
 
Why not compare Fakhar to a batsman with a similar level of international experience?
This thread is unfair to both Fakhar and Shikhar Dhawan.

:apology
 
Last edited:
Dhawan is much better than Fakhar, Dhawan been playing high quality cricket for the past 7-8 years whereas Fakhar play a good innings once in a while.
I won't be surprised if Fakhar don't score a half century for the next 5-10 matches.
 
El Generico said:
In ODIs, Saeed Anwar averaged 45 against New Zealand with 4 tons. Not bad for a walking wicket lol.
Click to expand...

Check his record in New Zealand. He was literally a walking wicket in their swinging conditions and on their seaming wickets.

Just like he was a walking wicket in Australia and south Africa.

Saeed Anwar was so good to watch but like Mark Waugh, he was an aesthetically pleasing batsman who was also very casual in his dismissals.

He gave catching practice to the slips so often and would often get his leg stump uprooted by walking across.

He was composed in Tests but he threw his wicket away very often in ODIs because of trying to get boundaries early on.
 
Napa said:
Dhawan is a big match player. In tournaments with 5+ teams (Asia Cup, WC and CT), his averages are:

Maches 32 Runs 1,892 Avg 61.0 @ S/R 95.6

Fakhar in 5+ teams tournaments (Asia Cup, WC and CT) has:

Matches 18 Runs 496 Avg 27.6 @ S/R 91.5

Dhawan is a big match player, he does much better in tourneys compared to bilaterals. Fakhar may get to his level some day, it is too early to say. Right now Fakhar has only about one-fourth of the runs Dhawan has scored in the bigger tournaments, so the comparison is not apprpriate.

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...2;trophy=14;trophy=44;trophy=856;type=batting

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...rophy=44;trophy=856;type=batting;view=innings
Click to expand...

Not that it will change much, but your stats are wrong. You should unselect "ICC world cup super league".
 
Mamoon said:
They are not comparable because Dhawan is an opener and Babar is a number 3. If Babar was Indian, he would not be replacing Dhawan as opener.
Click to expand...

Got the answer cause in Loi there aren't really "specialist" opener if someone is good most likely team will ask him to open and give him a go at that position (happens all the time teams groom a good player to become a opener in Loi unlike in test where it's very specialized)

So in your opinion hd isn't an equal batter to dhawan forget better that's the gist I am getting
 
Dhawan's Clutch!! India, a top 3 ODI team for a decade, will miss him when he hangs up his boots.

Fakhar is a freak. He's the ultimate X factor. Thats what he'll make you believe with a rare gem. He's the young Afridi that scored mind blowing hundreds in a few games. A technically weak player that's in the team because the team isn't strong.

Dhawan will walk into every team barring England. No team will want Fakhar except for Pakistan. There is no other player that reflects Pak's USP- Unpredictability better.
 
Really dislike threads like these. Fakhar has only been around for four years, its unfair and unnecassary to compare him to an experienced campaigner like Dhawan. He's at the start of his career and there's no telling where he will go, whereas Dhawan is towards the end of his. Comparisons should only be made between players of similar ages with similar level of experience between them. Like Root, Kohli, Williamson and Root.
 
Fakhar is incredibly volatile, but necessary for Pakistan. Not comparable to Dhawan, who has star-studded players either side of him in the top-order and is a much more composed batsman.
 
Usman Chadda said:
Fakhar is incredibly volatile, but necessary for Pakistan. Not comparable to Dhawan, who has star-studded players either side of him in the top-order and is a much more composed batsman.
Click to expand...

Its understandable with Indians but Pakistanis shouldn't fall for this.

A volatile, unpredictable hack is statistically better than most contemporary openers. Fakhar is among the very best openers in world cricket.

That being said, comparison with Dhawan is not valid as he has played far more matches.
 
Overall career Dhawan is clearly ahead because of the amount of cricket he has played.
I also feel Dhawan is a very important player for india in the first 10 overs. With Rohit Sharma and Kohli being so slow in the start he is India's only chance to get off to a decent start.

Stats since Fakhar's debut :
Dhawan :
innings : 64
runs : 2887
average : 48.11
SR : 98.53
100's/50's : 8/15

Fakhar :
innings : 49
runs : 2161
average : 48.02
SR : 97.12
100's/50's : 5/13

Pretty close stats. Tells you how well Fakhar has done in his short career.
 
Man these stat based context-less comparisons are just so lame. You could make someone like an Imam Ul Haq look as good as Kohli.... :shezzy2
 
[MENTION=43051]Mobashir[/MENTION] how many matches dhwan played against Zimbabwe after fakhar debut?
 
No comparison. Dhawan is a clutch player who has a knack of performing in big tournaments and he excels under pressure.

On the other hand, Fakhar is a mentally-weak player who lacks match awareness. Fakhar is bound to give a stellar performance every 10 matches.
 
Dhawan is a proper player who plays normally from start to end at a SR of 90-100. He doesn't hack around like Zaman who hit all 10 sixes only on the leg side yesterday which rarely happens.
 
The lone Ranger said:
Dhawan is a proper player who plays normally from start to end at a SR of 90-100. He doesn't hack around like Zaman who hit all 10 sixes only on the leg side yesterday which rarely happens.
Click to expand...

Zaman may end up surprising us. The innings he played against India in the 2019 WC wasn't too bad, 62 @ S/R 83. The required S/R was around 115, so it was a bit slow, but I don't seem to remember him hacking. Maybe if he doesn't hack he scores too slow.
 
Even in that humongous knock Fakhar batted like a tail ender against the new ball. Takes time to settle down. Dhawan is a proven performer over the years.
 
OP atleast show some intelligence in creating threads. Both players are not at same stage of career, nor both have played similar matches. Only criteria is they are openers for respective teams.

Can you give the stat's at similar stages of their career so we can comment?
 
Mesozoic said:
Man these stat based context-less comparisons are just so lame. You could make someone like an Imam Ul Haq look as good as Kohli.... :shezzy2
Click to expand...

cricketjoshila said:
What are Fakhar's stats if we remove Zimbabwe?
Click to expand...

Fakhar against top 5 teams (Aus, SA, NZ, Eng, Ind).

Avg 44.85 Sr 96

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/512191.html?class=2;filter=advanced;opposition=1;opposition=2;opposition=3;opposition=5;opposition=6;orderby=default;template=results;type=allround
 
Srtfan said:
[MENTION=43051]Mobashir[/MENTION] how many matches dhwan played against Zimbabwe after fakhar debut?
Click to expand...

Mesozoic said:
Remove Zimbabwe bashing and Fakhar's average falls from 48 to 39 lol...


https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...6;opposition=8;template=results;type=allround
Click to expand...

cricketjoshila said:
What are Fakhar's stats if we remove Zimbabwe?
Click to expand...

Agaisnt top 6 sides : (Aus, England, India, Pak, NZ, SA) since Fakhar's debut.

Dhawan :
40 innings, average 49, SR 96, 4 hundreds, 12 50's (Scores more than fifty every 2.5 innings)

Fakhar :
29 innings, average 45, SR 96, 2 hundreds, 8 50's (scores more than fifty every 2.63 innings).


So Dhawan's average 4 higher is the only thing that separates them against strong teams since Fakhar's debut.

Stats aren't everything but here it clearly shows that the general perception that Dhawan is one of the greats and Fakhar is just a hack who plays well every 10 matches is completely wrong.
 
Fakhar is very inconsistent.
He is also very limited when it comes to stroke play, most of the time he slogs towards deep-mid wicket or towards cow corner.

Teams have targeted his ribs in the past and have been fairly successful.

Dhawan has better range and less weak points.
As a result he is quite consistent.
 
Imam averages 42 at strike rate of 75 against top 8 opposition.

Babar averages 53 at 86 against top 8 teams.
 
The thread and comparison is quite unnecessary.

What Pakistani fans should hope from Fakhar is that he maintains this style of play.

It doesn't matter how you start, as long as you possess the ability to accelerate when it matters.

For a few years, Fakhar has struggled to figure out his own play style, and hopefully this innings shows him his role in the side. He has to bat till the end, and that's how he can win matches for us.
 
Mobashir said:
Overall career Dhawan is clearly ahead because of the amount of cricket he has played.
I also feel Dhawan is a very important player for india in the first 10 overs. With Rohit Sharma and Kohli being so slow in the start he is India's only chance to get off to a decent start.

Stats since Fakhar's debut :
Dhawan :
innings : 64
runs : 2887
average : 48.11
SR : 98.53
100's/50's : 8/15

Fakhar :
innings : 49
runs : 2161
average : 48.02
SR : 97.12
100's/50's : 5/13

Pretty close stats. Tells you how well Fakhar has done in his short career.
Click to expand...

Its not a case for stars here, dhawan is a clutch player who always shows up in tournements..

Fakhar had played one good so far and that was a debut.

Dhawan has played too many clutch knocks in wins for you to say pretty close..

Fakhar will get his chance, at this moment dhawan is the better and more clutch player.
 
A player plays 1 good innings and these threads pop up. I bet if asif ali plays well in the next match there will be am asif ali vs hardik pandya thread.

We need to stop comparing our players to Indians - its only humiliating for us and makes us underrate the player so much more once we realise the Indian counterpart is miles better.

Dhawan is miles better than Fakhar
Kohli is miles better than Babar

Doesn't mean Babar and Fakhar aren't good players though!
 
They are basically the same...

Shikhar Zaman

Fakhar Dhawan
 
Ab Fan said:
Imam averages 42 at strike rate of 75 against top 8 opposition.

Babar averages 53 at 86 against top 8 teams.
Click to expand...

Thanks for looking this up.

This doesn't surprise me one bit. The guy doesn't have the shot range to excel against bowling attacks which aren't minnow level, let alone top class.
 
Rana said:
They are basically the same...

Shikhar Zaman

Fakhar Dhawan
Click to expand...

Exactly why this thread.

Fakhar's CT inning in final is more clutch than any Dhawan's inning in ICC tournament.
 
Fakhar played a great innings granted but can't really compare him to a great established opener like Dhawan. Any given day we can expect Dhawan to make runs but Fakhar is very inconsistent at the moment. But he can definitely improve.
 
Lol c'mon now, this was an innings of note by Fakhar after how long? The guy was out of the team for a good two years before this. Embarrassing thread
 
Mamoon said:
Poor thread.

Dhawan is a better ODI opener than anyone in Pakistan history.

Saeed Anwar is overrated in ODIs. He made a living out of bashing mediocre Indian attacks and was a walking wicket against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

He did well in tournaments but no one raises his game for the big occasions like Dhawan does.

Saeed Anwar was a fantastic Test opener, but he is largely remembered for his ODI exploits today because he did not play enough Test matches and most people remember him for all the Sharjah Cups in the 90’s against poor Indian bowling which he bossed.

Also, the iconic 194 defined his legacy, albeit his 188* against India in Test cricket was easily a better innings.

He stood out because he was partnered with Aamer Sohail who was a very average player.
Click to expand...
Dhawan is a heavy weight compared to Fakhar but Anwar was a complete player compared to Dhawan.

Dhawan scored runs in an era where 350 in 50 overs was very much achievable. Heavier bats, two new balls and pancake wickets means that an average of 50 now is like an average of 35 in the 1990s.

Anwar faced Walsh, Ambrose, Donald, Bishop, Kumble, Murali, Warne, Lee, Mcgrath.

Who did Dhawan face?
 
Last edited:
Fakhar is 100 times better than Dhawan outside Asia.
Dhawan we all know flat pitches player.
Walking wicket outside Asia.
 
gazza619 said:
Anwar faced Walsh, Ambrose, Donald, Bishop, Kumble, Murali, Warne, Lee, Mcgrath.

Who did Dhawan face?
Click to expand...
Mitchell Starc(GOAT) , Trent Boult, Dale Steyn, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Johnson, Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada, Jofra Archer, Graeme Swann, Josh Hazelwood.
 
Another 100. Another 300+ score for Pakistan. Another masterclass from FZ.

Fakhar in LOI mode is someone who keeps on giving those 300+ totals to his team.

I would like to see the number of 300+ totals achieved by Pakistan and Fakhar's scores in that. An out and out match winner.
 
With fakhar having reached 50 innings, its suitable to compare both of their records up until this point.

Dhawan:
2050 runs
43.6 avg
6 100s
91 SR

Fakhar Zaman:
2260 runs
49 avg
6 100s and a double
97 SR
 
Low hanging fruit for Indians with these type of threads. Formula goes: 1) Pick a world class Indian player 2) pick a Pakistani player who is not at the same level 3) Compare them to see the Pak player bashed.

Unnecessary and people will just use this as an opportunity to pile on Fakhar and compliment Shikhar.
 
Followed up that 190 with another 100. What a player. Just when you think he's warming the seat for Sharjeel, he comes up with two amazing knocks and wins the series in SA. Cornered tiger indeed!!
 
Peak Dhawan was a world-class batsman. Current Dhawan is a husk of the man touted as the next Sehwag. Fakhar is currently better.
 
MHN1293 said:
With fakhar having reached 50 innings, its suitable to compare both of their records up until this point.

Dhawan:
2050 runs
43.6 avg
6 100s
91 SR

Fakhar Zaman:
2260 runs
49 avg
6 100s and a double
97 SR
Click to expand...

Very good comparison. Even if you consider top 8 opponents as criteria, there is nothing to suggest Fakhar can't match SD.

This is a very good and will go down the wire, much like Babar-KL Rahul one.
 
Bhaag Viru Bhaag said:
Wrong comparison. Zaman should be compared with Jayasuriya. Jayasuriya too used to score big hundreds. :inti
Click to expand...

Interesting idea.

Also, Jayasuriya knocked India out in 1996 WC semis and Fakhar has also done that in the CT final 2017.

However, Jayasuriya was a genuine all-rounder atleast in LOIs while Fakhar is a specialist batsman.
 
Ab Fan said:
Very good comparison. Even if you consider top 8 opponents as criteria, there is nothing to suggest Fakhar can't match SD.

This is a very good and will go down the wire, much like Babar-KL Rahul one.
Click to expand...

Both threads are going to go downhill for Indian fans. Dhawan is finished and Rahul is not good enough. Funnily enough, they're both competing for one spot so even if one succeeds, Pakistan fans will be on even footing at worst.
 
Ab Fan said:
Very good comparison. Even if you consider top 8 opponents as criteria, there is nothing to suggest Fakhar can't match SD.

This is a very good and will go down the wire, much like Babar-KL Rahul one.
Click to expand...

very good thread*
 
Bilal7 said:
Both threads are going to go downhill for Indian fans. Dhawan is finished and Rahul is not good enough. Funnily enough, they're both competing for one spot so even if one succeeds, Pakistan fans will be on even footing at worst.
Click to expand...

Can't compare KL Rahul with Babar. That ship has sailed. Fakhar vs Dhawan could be interesting but for now Dhawan still reigns. Indian setup is a bit complicated by being a lot more competitive than Pakistan's. With these two hundreds, Fakhar probably cemented his place until the next WC. Dhawan has to keep scoring to keep his place. Competition brings excellence as long as one has the chops for it. If Dhawan can fend off Padikkal, Gill or even Shaw until the next WC, he'd end up as one of India's great opening batsmen. That's the ceiling Fakhar can't breach unless he's a lot more consistent than he currently is, these back to back hundreds not withstanding.
 
Most Indian fans don't want Dhawan to hang till 2023 World Cup. That tells us his status as ODI batsman compared to Ro-Ko. Still very good bat.
 
Both are similar kind of players and similar stats.id take fakhar over dawan
 
There's absolutely no competition whatsoever. Dhawan demolishes attacks and is a legendary opener. Fakhar is having a purple patch.
 
In T20s, Fakhar Zaman is better. He has that extra gear which Dhawan lacks in that format.
 
Fakhar is a match winner but is also a hit or miss kinda player. If you want stability, I’d opt for Shikhar Dhawan.
 
We can arrive at conclusion when Fakhar can dominate better bowling attacks . Right now Dhawan ahead of him on all counts.
 
Ab Fan said:
Fakhar has not started just now. He has been around as Pakistan's best opener for a while now.

He averages 43 at strike rate of 94 against top 8 teams and the sample is good enough. There is nothing to suggest that this thread is a bad one. You can't exclude Zimbabwe but include Hongkong and Afghanistan in the list.


https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...al1=span;team=7;template=results;type=batting
Click to expand...

If indian fan want to exclude fakhar innings against low rank team. They should also exclude their player inning's on indian dead pitches. Where 350 is not safe score.

So many people are using same logic against baber Azam.

But in reality pakistani player are not playing at home ground since 10 years and Still manage to make runs, win here and there.
 
Justcrazy said:
We can arrive at conclusion when Fakhar can dominate better bowling attacks . Right now Dhawan ahead of him on all counts.
Click to expand...

Any match where Dhawan dominated better bowling attack on pitch have something for bowlers. Any match
 
Fair to say now that Fakhar is a better LOI cricketer.

Everyone knows here how much I rate knocks against Australia especially in deciders and Fakhar has done the same again. Terrific player, much better T20 player than powerplay bully Shikhar Dhawan.

:inti
 
Ab Fan said:
Fair to say now that Fakhar is a better LOI cricketer.

Everyone knows here how much I rate knocks against Australia especially in deciders and Fakhar has done the same again. Terrific player, much better T20 player than powerplay bully Shikhar Dhawan.

:inti
Click to expand...
Dhawan was never a good T20 player. But this thread is about who is the better ODI batsman. And Dhawan has smoked Australia as recent as 2019 ODI WC.
 
Dhawan's record in ICC tournaments is great, having said that, Fakhar's record in KOs is also good. However, Dhawan has an edge atm due to his superior record in ODIs, but Fakhar has time to equal or better those stats.
 
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