As always Pakistan's batting strike rate is the weakest link going into a white ball cricket world cup. Here is the strike rate for top 4 batsmen (combined) when batting after winning the toss since January 2020 which is only better than Afghanistan and Netherlands. Another depressing stats in this screen is ... the number of sixes (14) hit by top 4 batsmen in 8 ODIs when batting after winning the toss. That is less than 2 sixes per match. India has 36 sixes (4 sixes per match).
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As always Pakistan's batting strike rate is the weakest link going into a white ball cricket world cup. Here is the strike rate for top 4 batsmen (combined) when batting after winning the toss since January 2020 which is only better than Afghanistan and Netherlands. Another depressing stats in this screen is ... the number of sixes (14) hit by top 4 batsmen in 8 ODIs when batting after winning the toss. That is less than 2 sixes per match. India has 36 sixes (4 sixes per match).
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Welcome back WL - sweet old memories.
The data are there to see for all, but I beg to differ a bit here. This is not 1990s, when every or almost every ODI game stats had a meaning - hardly any “cheap” game from the ICC globalisation curse, and teams used to put at least 9/10 of their available best XI every game. These days, ODI stats at best is indicative, but certainly not conclusive.
I have watched PAK’s every recent game and to be honest, for me SR is one of PAK’s problems. People tend to see PAK’s game in a short span like 5-10 overs, but not looking into the broader picture or end results. Focusing too much on what Babar, Imam or Rizwan are doing in first 10 (or 20) overs will only distract PAK from its core problem- look, at the end, the score after 50 overs is what it matters, not scores after 10 or 15 overs.
I know, PCT tend to start slowly and gradually build momentum, because of the composition of the team - you are not anymore blessed with the likes of Afridi, Razzak, Moin/Latif, Wasim & Saq coming at 6 to 10, means that team had almost bottomless depth. Could have been 57/5 after 20 and still end up 256 because on proper batting technique, I would dare to say Saqlaine had a better defensive technique than Shadab, means when required PAK tail could play out overs and put a total that could give the bowlers a decent chance.
I can’t prove, but trust me if Babar & Rizwan (& Imam) tries to blast early in their innings, 9 times out of 10 current PCT will be booked inside 40 overs, if not 35. It doesn’t work that way - you can’t make a conclusive argument on figures that has Australia, SAF, IND or Kiwis in the mix, not to mention Poms, whose No. 10 might bat at 6 for PTC. Team strategy is built around the players available and be honest with yourself - how many PAK batsmen bat Babar & Rizwan would make the SRL or BD side, let alone the other 5 I mentioned?
Batting isn’t the worst problem for PCT - scoring rate at the start is even less concerning as long as team is putting a decent total. You see, whenever they are chasing a reasonable or may just above par score, they are chasing it - may not be sparkling English way, but clinically indeed.
The biggest problem for PCT to me is 1. The Captaincy - this is my 4th decade into PAK cricket and over the years I have seen …. with due respect some of the dumbest captains around - MoYo, WY, Saeed…. but this guy Babar is making even Misbah Ian Chappel - extremely defensive, reactive, scared and always protective. PCT was never tactfully astute operator, therefore don’t expect them to win many playing a cat & mouse game - for a team like that, a timid captain like Babar is probably the last man to lead, despite being head & shoulders above individually among his mates.
2. The big elephant in the room - bowling. Apart from Shaheen’s opening spell, which can’t give 2/22 every game, there is nothing special. And, there is no plan B if Shaheen doesn’t take wickets with new ball or Haris/Naseem has a good game. Besides, this is probably the worst PAK pace attack with out ball and in last power play. And, the day it goes wrong, it floods…. like 352/2 ….
3. This is the killer - with so many T20s around, we have successfully killed the batting technique, particularly the art of spin play. Every team that’s successful in recent times have done it through the 20-25 overs of spin between over No. 11 to 40 and this is where every time PCT is gifting the 50/50 (even 65/35) games - absolutely to wicket taking threat, added to that some friendly full tosses here & there, horrible bowling line according to field setup …. I can’t recall when last time I have seen PAK spinners putting any pressure in Second PP, let alone dominate that. Add to that, extremely defensive & reactive captaincy, basically those 25 overs are the biggest handicap for PCT - we tend to see it the other way unfortunately (that batsmen are not doing enough).
This I wrote long back many times and I hope it makes sense now - this is the outcome systematically selecting so called “spin all-rounders”, over classical spinners by the white (no offence) coaching staffs that PAK had been managed by. Every specialist spinner had been side lined for those few runs by the likes of Malik, Afridi, Hafeez, Shadab, Nawaz (which for some years indeed worked on those mud beds of UAE) ….. it first started with Woolmer picking Malik & Afridi over Mushi/Danish and that continued to the level that today probably most threatening PAK spinner is Iftekhar, for a country that had Qadir, Saq, Tauseef, Mushi, Ajmal not so long back!!!!.
Ideal case, 100 on board after 15 overs sounds great, even if it doesn’t end at 250 all out, but trust me, even 350 won’t work unless, bowlers, particularly spinners don’t take a control of the game in middle overs. You can do it two ways - either take 2-3 key wickets and damage the middle order, or choke the scoring to a level that batting side slogs out from suffocation- it can’t happen that you give 4/5 singles every overs complemented with a full toss or long hop!!!
PCT as a team will never & I repeat never make it with the batting heroics - better not try that. It has to be bowling and that too wicket taking bowling, not by score board pressure or suffocation.
