Pakistan has the best ODI pace attack in the world

[Devadwal]

I don’t think the bump was designed to hype them up as the best etc and what not, I would argue that they had a strong argument between 2022-2023. But it’s good to recognise good performance and Pakistan & good fast bowling is part of their heritage so it’s natural they will be proud to see performances that bring back some of the old days….

Fair and this is good take unlike Wasim Akram who on air said that " Pakistan has the world best attack" .

 

[Markhor]

Haris Rauf certainly has a great deal of experience bowling in Australia, so do we give him most of the credit for holding the attack together in the recent ODI series or do you feel Shaheen & Naseem made the necessary adjustments as well?

All deserve credit but Rauf was definitely the standout performer. Him and Hasnain have plenty of BBL experience so have a good understanding of the conditions.

 

[shaz619]

All deserve credit but Rauf was definitely the standout performer. Him and Hasnain have plenty of BBL experience so have a good understanding of the conditions.

Hasnain also worked with specialists behind the scene I believe in the UK and appeared keen to better himself, it was a shame he took so much abuse for his first ODI back in years but he bounced back pretty well as well, Rauf & Hasnain were the standout bowlers for me. Hopefully they get more of the players over to Australia, one of the quickest ways for them to get better there as you said.

 

[PakPremi]

Fair and this is good take unlike Wasim Akram who on air said that " Pakistan has the world best attack" .

He then said second best after Australia. Pakistani cricketers do notseem to think before commenting, get carried away with flow.

 

[PakPremi]

Overall Naseem still needs work with his consistency , but Afridi, Haris were great, and Hasnain also good if not that threatening.

 

[kron]

Always need pace bowling. For odi? Yes they have a good attack. Wouldn't say best. South Africa india Australia all have great attacks.

Again all depends on conditions and where they play

In bouncy wickets I think they are top 3/4

 

[Nikhil_cric]

The failure of Pakistan's batsmen to adjust to Australian conditions is usually cited as the reason behind our awful record there.

An equally important factor is our inability to bowl the right lengths - something @Nikhil_cric has previously mentioned. It doesn't help we've often had long gaps between touring making acclimatisation harder.

However we've now toured Australia in three consecutive years - 2022 T20 World Cup, 2023 Test series and 2024 ODI series - and on all three occasions they've performed well.

Last year our bowling average was 36.78 - our lowest across a Test series since 1995. While that doesn't sound particularly impressive, opposition teams (exc. Pakistan) touring Australia in the last 15 years averaged 43.5.

It's true Australian surfaces have become spicier in the last few years, but you must still land the ball in the right areas, and not get too carried away by the extra bounce. Hopefully our bowling carries this performance forward into the T20s.

Not just the surfaces and La Nina weather patterns , these new kookaburra balls are doing a lot more in the right conditions.

Since Jan 2021, they have introduced a newer version of the kookaburra that has a prouder seam and an extra layer of lacquer.

And this is I believe for both the red and white kookaburra balls

Usman Khawaja mentioned recently on TGC podcast that the last 3-4 seasons of Shield are the hardest batting conditions he's ever batted in Shield cricket.

The World T20 in Australia had more lateral movement (swing + seam) than any World T20 since 2010.

Bilateral ODI cricket in 2023 saw more swing in any year since ball tracking started.


Between Sep 2013 and Jan 2021, the kookaburra was a rubbish ball which allowed heavy scoring in Australian Tests and bilateral ODI cricket.

Now it's swinging ,seaming and spinning quite a bit more and that's why batting collapses have increased in recent years .

 

[Markhor]

Not just the surfaces and La Nina weather patterns , these new kookaburra balls are doing a lot more in the right conditions.

Since Jan 2021, they have introduced a newer version of the kookaburra that has a prouder seam and an extra layer of lacquer.

And this is I believe for both the red and white kookaburra balls

Usman Khawaja mentioned recently on TGC podcast that the last 3-4 seasons of Shield are the hardest batting conditions he's ever batted in Shield cricket.

The World T20 in Australia had more lateral movement (swing + seam) than any World T20 since 2010.

Bilateral ODI cricket in 2023 saw more swing in any year since ball tracking started.


Between Sep 2013 and Jan 2021, the kookaburra was a rubbish ball which allowed heavy scoring in Australian Tests and bilateral ODI cricket.

Now it's swinging ,seaming and spinning quite a bit more and that's why batting collapses have increased in recent years .

Not coincidentally England's ODI results have declined in that time which goes to the point @Farabi has been making. With some bat-ball balance restored (finally) in ODI cricket, a more nuanced approach in certain conditions may be needed by teams going forward.

 

[Farabi]

Not coincidentally England's ODI results have declined in that time which goes to the point @Farabi has been making. With some bat-ball balance restored (finally) in ODI cricket, a more nuanced approach in certain conditions may be needed by teams going forward.

@Markhor
Absolutely! I think these trends are likely having an impact. My gut feeling is that Bazball style works well but only in specific conditions—when pitches offer the ideal pace, bounce, and minimal deviation. In those scenarios, batters can hit through or against the line confidently, trust the bounce, and not be concerned about unpredictable movement.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Not coincidentally England's ODI results have declined in that time which goes to the point @Farabi has been making. With some bat-ball balance restored (finally) in ODI cricket, a more nuanced approach in certain conditions may be needed by teams going forward.

Yep. During Morgan's time ODI's had become extended T20's. It was the right approach for the right time from England.

It's no coincidence that England declined after 2021. Similar attacking shot percentages and scoring rates like the Morgan era but false shot percentages have gone up as well and England have been punished for that approach a lot more in recent years.

Australia also played a lineup full of guys more suited to T20 cricket and with poor List A/FC numbers.

Would have probably worked in the previous era. Doesn't seem to be working now

 

[mominsaigol]

Yep. During Morgan's time ODI's had become extended T20's. It was the right approach for the right time from England.

It's no coincidence that England declined after 2021. Similar attacking shot percentages and scoring rates like the Morgan era but false shot percentages have gone up as well and England have been punished for that approach a lot more in recent years.

Australia also played a lineup full of guys more suited to T20 cricket and with poor List A/FC numbers.

Would have probably worked in the previous era. Doesn't seem to be working now

Naw, it's just that the cricketers are rubbish.

Prime England had an inform Roy and bairstow and these boys at that time were proper world class openers who could dismantle attacks. They weren't hacks.

Similarly root at no 3, Morgan at 4, an inform stokes at 5, Butler at 6, these guys are all proper batters.

Post 2021 these guys fizzled out. Root became useless in odi by 2023 and so did bairstow, they hadn't played for a while.

Stokes is a corpse and Malan proved to he a poor replacement for Roy who fizzled out.

Brooks proved himself to only be a flat track bully and even Butler isn't as good as he was from 2016-2019.

It's the same with aus. JFM has no footwork while the likes of Warner and Travis head are proper batters.

Aggressive cricket can work and is the way forward. It depends on the batters.

 

[Local.Dada]

Pakistani current set of odi fast bowlers are definitely world class: Shaheen, Naseem, Haris, Hasnain and even Md Wasim jr (whatever happened to him)

They all can bowl 135-145, have strong basics like ability to swing, seam, reverse swing. They are also naturally athletic hence you see ability to slog useful runs or take good catches and have good outfield ability like throwing arm etc.

lack of fitness and professionalism from all levels have been the issue so far.

Fixing it will yield better results.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I don't think our attack in LOI is as good as Australia's or India's ( When Shami is playing).

 

[Farabi]

Yep. During Morgan's time ODI's had become extended T20's. It was the right approach for the right time from England.

It's no coincidence that England declined after 2021. Similar attacking shot percentages and scoring rates like the Morgan era but false shot percentages have gone up as well and England have been punished for that approach a lot more in recent years.

Australia also played a lineup full of guys more suited to T20 cricket and with poor List A/FC numbers.

Would have probably worked in the previous era. Doesn't seem to be working now

Another example is India. Under Rohit Sharma, India’s approach in Test cricket has evolved, with players like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit himself, Rishabh Pant, and Sarfaraz Khan adopting more of an aggressive, "Bazball" style. This shift has shown both its strengths and weaknesses, as seen in their recent series against New Zealand, where this approach may have backfired. Had India opted for more technically sound batters, New Zealand might have had less of a chance.

Interestingly, Pakistan seems to be taking a different path. Aqib Javed has long advocated for “technical batters,” even in limited-overs formats. It’s not surprising, then, that he’s bringing in first-class performers like Kamran Ghulam, Farhan, Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, and Agha Salman for ODIs and T20s—players who have proven themselves in Pakistan’s domestic long-format tournaments rather than those who excel only in the PSL or other foreign leagues. This is the main reason Pakistan did well in the ODI series because Abdullah and Saim backed on their technique while Aussie batters had no answer to swing and seam.

 

[topspin]

Haris Rauf is a gun bowler in T20s played in Australia.

 

[kron]

Not just the surfaces and La Nina weather patterns , these new kookaburra balls are doing a lot more in the right conditions.

Since Jan 2021, they have introduced a newer version of the kookaburra that has a prouder seam and an extra layer of lacquer.

And this is I believe for both the red and white kookaburra balls

Usman Khawaja mentioned recently on TGC podcast that the last 3-4 seasons of Shield are the hardest batting conditions he's ever batted in Shield cricket.

The World T20 in Australia had more lateral movement (swing + seam) than any World T20 since 2010.

Bilateral ODI cricket in 2023 saw more swing in any year since ball tracking started.


Between Sep 2013 and Jan 2021, the kookaburra was a rubbish ball which allowed heavy scoring in Australian Tests and bilateral ODI cricket.

Now it's swinging ,seaming and spinning quite a bit more and that's why batting collapses have increased in recent years .

So india can try new records

36 done
46 done

56
66
76
86


All possible across tests with kohli showing his ugly face after missing a full toss lel

 

[kron]

I don't think our attack in LOI is as good as Australia's or India's ( When Shami is playing).

Honestly shami career is over bro. Sadly
Massive injury. He hasn't recovered. I don't think he will be back.

He is 34 apparently but realistically I think he is 38.

 

[kron]

Another example is India. Under Rohit Sharma, India’s approach in Test cricket has evolved, with players like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit himself, Rishabh Pant, and Sarfaraz Khan adopting more of an aggressive, "Bazball" style. This shift has shown both its strengths and weaknesses, as seen in their recent series against New Zealand, where this approach may have backfired. Had India opted for more technically sound batters, New Zealand might have had less of a chance.

Interestingly, Pakistan seems to be taking a different path. Aqib Javed has long advocated for “technical batters,” even in limited-overs formats. It’s not surprising, then, that he’s bringing in first-class performers like Kamran Ghulam, Farhan, Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, and Agha Salman for ODIs and T20s—players who have proven themselves in Pakistan’s domestic long-format tournaments rather than those who excel only in the PSL or other foreign leagues. This is the main reason Pakistan did well in the ODI series because Abdullah and Saim backed on their technique while Aussie batters had no answer to swing and seam.

Good post.

 

[Savak]

It took Rohit, Gill, Rahul, Kohli a few hours to dispell this myth that also on a green wicket in Sri Lanka.

 

[Kroll]

Too often we've been burned when mouthing off and this includes the players themselves. I will let the results do the talking first then will come out beating my chest if warranted.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Indeed Pakistan's pace attack is really turning the tables in Australia.

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[Varun]

I don’t think the bump was designed to hype them up as the best etc and what not, I would argue that they had a strong argument between 2022-2023. But it’s good to recognise good performance and Pakistan & good fast bowling is part of their heritage so it’s natural they will be proud to see performances that bring back some of the old days….

Yeah nah it was just 2 guys: Wasim and Waqar.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Honestly shami career is over bro. Sadly
Massive injury. He hasn't recovered. I don't think he will be back.

He is 34 apparently but realistically I think he is 38.

That's a shame. He has some exceptional ODI stats especially in world cups.

 

[shaz619]

Yeah nah it was just 2 guys: Wasim and Waqar.

If I was to accept such a narrow view from the insect, those two were enough to send shockwaves through cricket’s foundations and especially bent over the IT cowards, you can’t hope to make a similar claim.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Yeah nah it was just 2 guys: Wasim and Waqar.

Shoaib Akhtar, Imran Khan, Mudassar Nazar, Fazal Mahmood, Sarfraz Nawaz, Asif, Naved-ul-Hasan (very underrated)

 

[offstump]

Indeed Pakistan's pace attack is really turning the tables in Australia.

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Shaheen was barely staying around 130. Naseem was well below 140, Hasnain was mid 130s. Only Rauf was 140+. Pakistan really needs to look into why our pacers have lost so much velocity in the last year. Is it fitness? Biomechanics? I saw the documentary of Hasnain in the UK and also the interview of his coach who said he was bowling rapidly, but when the speed gun comes out in a match they don’t back it up.

 

[Bilal7]

Definitely. Shaheen, Naseem and Haris all average under 27 with excellent SRs and when they play together, Pakistan has excellent pace bowling in all phases of the innings. Then you have Hasnain as backup.

I guarantee that if you give this team a world class spin bowler like Saeed Ajmal, no batting lineup would ever score 300 against them in an ODI.

The lack of any decent spin bowlers is what's holding our pace bowlers back.

 

[BouncerGuy]

If Shaheen, Naseem and Haris + Hasnain can keep doing what they did in the ODI series, everywhere, there is definitely no attack better than these 4 as a group.

Australian conditions favored these guys otherwise I don't think they would have been as effective in Pakistan etc as they were in Australia.

 

[sweep_shot]

On pace-friendly tracks, Pakistani pace attack is definitely one of the best in the world.

Rauf, Shaheen, Naseem, and Hasnain - that's a superb attack on a bouncy pitch.

 

[kron]

On pace-friendly tracks, Pakistani pace attack is definitely one of the best in the world.

Rauf, Shaheen, Naseem, and Hasnain - that's a superb attack on a bouncy pitch.

In odi yea
Not tests

On spicy pitches yea. Not flat wickets

 

[Cricket Warrior]

On pace-friendly tracks, Pakistani pace attack is definitely one of the best in the world.

Rauf, Shaheen, Naseem, and Hasnain - that's a superb attack on a bouncy pitch.

but when they will start taking wickets on dead rubbers then they will become the best

 

[Champ_Pal]

Pak bowling attack looks suddenly strong because Rauf has hit form and Shaheen is bowling economically again.

I rate Naseem as the best bowler in Pakistan right now. Hasnain is average.

Will have to wait and see a couple more series before crowning Pak bowling as the best in LOI's. Many bowlers shine in one of series. But cannot keep up the form.

 

[BouncerGuy]

but when they will start taking wickets on dead rubbers then they will become the best

Most of the bowlers will struggle on dead-surfaces. If this group of bowlers, shaheen, rauf, naseem, hasnain can try to be at least on the economical side then surely it will be great sign for Pakistan.

 

[Farabi]

Yeah nah it was just 2 guys: Wasim and Waqar.

When you talk about talent, you’re not only talking about numbers and longevity. In Pakistan’s case, sheer talent is regularly suffocated and sent down the drain mercilessly like there is no tomorrow.
Give bowlers like Amir, Akhtar, Sami, Rauf, Asif, Shaheen, Naseem and Junaid Khan, to teams like Aus or India, where talent is usually maximized, they will get you 300+ test wickets at least.

 

[Bilal7]

If Shaheen, Naseem and Haris + Hasnain can keep doing what they did in the ODI series, everywhere, there is definitely no attack better than these 4 as a group.

Australian conditions favored these guys otherwise I don't think they would have been as effective in Pakistan etc as they were in Australia.

Their home pitches are in Pakistan. They will obviously outperform any pace attack in their own conditions. Not sure why you think otherwise.

The only pace attack I see potentially having more success in Pakistan is England if both Archer and Wood are playing. Or Australia, since their bowlers are very similar to Pakistan's.

It goes without saying though that Adil Rashid and Adam Zampa are far more helpful to their respective pace bowlers than whatever poor soul is tasked with bowling slow for Pakistan.

 

[Hyder]

I still dont see why all our bowlers are losing pace so dramatically. Every bowler is bowling 6 to 8 kms slower than their usual past. Shaheen seems visibly slower than his younger self.

 

[Varun]

When you talk about talent, you’re not only talking about numbers and longevity. In Pakistan’s case, sheer talent is regularly suffocated and sent down the drain mercilessly like there is no tomorrow.
Give bowlers like Amir, Akhtar, Sami, Rauf, Asif, Shaheen, Naseem and Junaid Khan, to teams like Aus or India, where talent is usually maximized, they will get you 300+ test wickets at least.

Then let's rephrase "good fast bowling is part of Pakistan's heritage" to "initially talented fast bowlers who start with a bang only to then fade away is part of Pakistan's heritage".

 

[Farabi]

Then let's rephrase "good fast bowling is part of Pakistan's heritage" to "initially talented fast bowlers who start with a bang only to then fade away is part of Pakistan's heritage".

Or “good fast bowling in phases is part of Pakistan’s heritage”.
Pakistanis liked what Sajid Khan and Nauman did, but it’s PHAST bowling that gets the heart beat racing, specially when pace is roughing up the Aussies and getting wickets through their chests. Nothing beats that!