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Spread across 10 venues, the ongoing ODI World Cup in India has showcased an interesting assortment of pitches. Teams have feasted on belters but have also had to grind it out on challenging surfaces.
However, among the teams that have remained in the top four consistently, going hard early in the innings has been a common factor. Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Quinton de Kock and Rachin Ravindra have all ensured their teams have had an edge with audacious stroke play in the first 10 overs.
For Pakistan, though, this had been a struggle for long. After the first four World Cup games, they had gone more than 1100 deliveries without hitting a six in the powerplay. That sequence was finally broken in the fifth game, against Afghanistan.
Sure, it’s possible to maintain a high strike-rate even without hitting sixes, but clearing the rope does send a message to the opposition and puts them on the back foot.
After winning their first two games and losing the next four, Pakistan were in a desperate situation. They needed a change in approach, someone who could take the initiative and give them a head start.
And in Fakhar Zaman they found the saviour.
The left-hander hit a 74-ball 81 against Bangladesh and an unbeaten 126 off 81 balls against New Zealand on Saturday. Two must-win matches, two match-winning performances. At the end of the New Zealand game, hit by rain and decided on the rain-rule, Rohit Sharma and David Warner led the list of leading six-hitters in the tournament. They both had 20 maximums, facing 336 and 383 balls respectively. Zaman, after his sensational century that kept Pakistan ahead of the par score against the Kiwis in Bengaluru, climbed to third on the list with 18 sixes of just 170 balls. He was brought in only three games earlier.
“For me, it was Fakhar Zaman versus New Zealand,” Wasim Akram said on A Sports. “It didn’t look like it was Pakistan versus New Zealand. He took the game away with some clean hitting and 11 sixes. New Zealand didn’t know what hit them and were all over the place.”
It’s been a rollercoaster of a year for Zaman. The 33-year-old hit a hat-trick of centuries against New Zealand in April but that was followed by 11 innings without a half-century. He managed just 156 runs in seven innings in the Lanka Premier League in July-August and 65 runs in four innings in the Asia Cup in August-September. He knew he had to improve and went all out to achieve his target.
“At this level, there are always ups and downs,” said Zaman after hitting the fastest World Cup century for Pakistan (63 balls) against New Zealand.
“The Asia Cup didn’t go well for me, it wasn’t a good time. I went over to Peshawar to work with Aftab Khan (Pakistan’s fielding coach) at his academy. He had pointed out my weakness against off-spin. He was an off-spinner, so I worked a lot with him. Every player who performs says ‘I did this, I did that’. But when I had the time off, I didn’t rest. I was at home for just two days and then I went straight to Peshawar to train.”
Apart from the missing sixes in the powerplay, Zaman’s value for Pakistan also gains prominence when one considers the other batters in their top order. Fellow opener Abdullah Shafique has shown promise in his young career, but doesn’t really blow oppositions away. Imam-ul-Haq, who Zaman replaced in the eleven, has played 72 ODIs and impressed at times but as his strike-rate of 82.56 suggests, he’s more of an anchor. Skipper Babar Azam, at No. 3, is of a similar mould and tends to take fewer risks.
Zaman, with his all-guns-blazing approach, provides the X factor Pakistan need at the top of the order. He can take down pace and spin, allowing the others in the batting line-up to play at their pace.
India have received immense credit for showing faith over a long term in proven performers Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, who spent several months away from the team due to injury. Pakistan too deserve credit for keeping faith in a maverick talent like Zaman, providing him with an environment where he could stay true to himself and rediscover his best.
With just four points from six games, Pakistan falling short of the semi-finals seemed inevitable. They still need to win their last league game against England and need a few other results to go their way, but the fact that they’re still alive in the competition comes down to Zaman’s brilliance.
“The most important thing about Fakhar is his confidence,” said former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq on A Sports.
“He spent some time outside the playing XI and thought about his game; he worked hard and got rid of the excess baggage. Now, you can see he’s absolute clear in his head. When he’s in such a frame of mind and form, he’s very, very dangerous. He’s the sort of player who can hit four-five sixes by just standing still. I don’t think anyone else in the Pakistani team can hit the way he does.”
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