11 Facts about Fawad Alam - A prolific talent

11 Facts about Fawad Alam – A prolific talent: Pakistan have named their Test squad for the series against England in the UAE. One notable inclusion in the 15-man team is Fawad Alam, who has not played a Test in five years. The left-handed batsman played the last of his three Tests in 2009, but has been an integral  part of recent ODI sides scoring heavily. His last five-day game was against New Zealand in November 2009 and the experienced batsman will be expected to cement his place in the whites.

Let us look at 11 Facts about Fawad Alam – A prolific talent:

1. The starting phase:

He made an early start to his first class career at the young age of 17, and some good performances got him selected to Pakistan’s under 19 squad for the subsequent World Cup.

2. The arrival:

Fawad burst on to the scene during the 2006/07 domestic Twenty20 tournament, where he won every award worth winning: man-of-the-final, man-of-the-series, best batsman and best bowler.

3. The ODI debut:

A national call up was only a matter of time and it arrived after Pakistan’s early exit from the 2007 World Cup, and he was selected for the ODI series against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi. However he had a forgettable debut as he was out for a first ball duck.

4. A no. 9 batsman!:

His most memorable T20 performance came against Sri Lanka in Toronto, where his blistering knock of 23 off 8 deliveries helped Pakistan win the match. In this innings, Fawad came in at number nine, behind Sohail Tanvir.

5. Quite a ride:

In his first seven ODI innings, Fawad was made to bat at every position from number five to nine before settling into his preferred number 6 slot.

6. An away century on debut:

He continued to be in and out of the side for the next two years after his ODI debut, and finally got his Test call up in 2009. He celebrated it in style with a majestic century in the second innings against Sri Lanka. However, his 168 could not prevent Pakistan from losing the game. With this he also became the first Pakistani cricketer to score a century away from home on Test debut.

7. Harsh!:

Despite making 2 half centuries in the ODI series against South Africa in late 2010, he was not picked in the Pakistan team for the 2011 ODI World Cup.

8. A fighter:

Fawad came back with a bang to the ODI side after nearly four years. He was part of the Asia Cup 2014 in Bangladesh and scored a brilliant hundred in the final. The fabulous knock though, went in vain as Sri Lanka went on to win the tournament.

9. Domestic record:

At the domestic level, Fawad has scored nearly 2000 runs in 66 ‘List A’ matches with an average of 43.46. Fawad averages 56 with 4423 runs under his belt in 57 first class games.

10. Impressive:

In 2008, during a Pakistan Academy tour match, he frustrated the Kenyan national side by scoring a whopping 302 not-out, just six runs more than his highest first-class score of 296 not-out.

11. One to watch out for:

Fawad’s excellent fitness levels, dogged batting performances, athletic fielding and impressive mental strength should be enough for Pakistan selectors to give him a long run.