Fakhar Zaman has gone 11 ODIs without crossing 35. Pakistan are backing him for now, but it might not be for long, writes Naman Agarwal.
“Just before the Asia Cup, Fakhar Zaman was the ICC Player of the Month,” said Mohammad Rizwan in defence of the left-handed opener when enquired about his form after Pakistan’s victory over Netherlands in their first game of the World Cup yesterday (October 6).
Ahead of Pakistan’s World Cup opener against the Netherlands, there were serious doubts about Fakhar’s position in the team. Before the World Cup, he did not score more than 50 points in 10 games. Fakhar needed a strong start in the tournament as Abdullah Shafiq was substituted with a neck injury. But he didn’t.
Fakhar looked anxious up front and tried to beat a long ball from Logan van Beek, who was not at bat, but ended up hitting the ball back to him. He was dismissed for his 12 points, failing to reach his sixth consecutive ODI sub-30 score.
It has only been about five months since Fakhar took full control. In the two ODI series that New Zealand played in Pakistan in January and April-May 2023, Fakhar scored three consecutive centuries, each one better than the last.
The first of the three centuries came in the final match of the series in January, and the next two in the first two matches of the series in April, not only in the run chase, which took 144 balls. , came out with an epic 180 pitches. , culminating with a score of 337 in Rawalpindi, the second highest ODI score in Pakistan’s history. As a result, he was named ICC’s Player of the Month for his April. Rizwan hinted at this fact after the World Cup match against Netherlands.
The unbeaten 180 was his last 50+ score. Since then, Fakhar has fought 11 times and achieved a high score of 33. Pakistan is toying with the idea of removing him. In the crucial Asia Cup match against Sri Lanka, Shafique was scheduled to replace Fakhar before Imam-ul-Haq was absent due to illness, but Fakhar was able to retain his place. In this match, Shafiq scored 50 points and Fakhar was sent off after scoring 4 points. In the first warm-up match against New Zealand, it was Shafiq who came into bat ahead of Fakhar. However, they started the World Cup with experienced professional players, so it doesn’t seem like they are going to rush forward.
Saoud Shakir, the man of the man against the Netherlands, was asked at the post-match press conference about his poor form in the opening game and replied that it was difficult to take early wickets as the ball stopped. Ta. At Matchfield. Rizwan was asked the same question, but he gave a more general answer and explained his reasons for supporting Pakistan and Fakhar in particular.
“That’s a very good question. But you should also know that the last two years when we were world number one, we finished just outside the top three,” Rizwan said. “Just before the Asia Cup (in April), Fakhar Zaman was named the ICC Player of the Month. Shortly before that, Imam [Ul-Haq] had reached centuries. Captain (Babar Babar) Azam) is already performing.”
Rizwan said a few bad matches for the top spot is not a worry for Pakistan. Rather, they see this as an opportunity to improve on what the middle class has been able to do.
“If the top class doesn’t perform for two or three innings, I think that’s an opportunity for the middle class.” Our middle class has been successful for a while now. What was a concern was the mid-range ranking. But now the intermediate order is also showing (what can be done).
“In my opinion, it is best for Pakistan to talk about the opener now up to the number seven batsman.” A good team does not depend on the performance of one or two particular players. When the whole team performs, we get better results. So we are happy with that,” Rizwan said.
Rizwan and Pakistan support Mr. Fakhar, and perhaps rightly so. After all, he has an ODI batting average of close to 45, a strike rate of over 90, and has frequently shown that he can win matches on his own. But if he doesn’t come soon, her patience quickly runs out. Pakistan’s next match will be against Sri Lanka on October 10, followed by a big game against India on October 14. If he has two more bad results in these matches, Fakhar’s World Cup could be over long before Pakistan’s.
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