Azhar Ali: Finally, Pakistan find its man for occasions

Pakistan are a team not known for their batting strength. In fact, since the exit of openers Saeed Anwar and Aamer Sohail and middle-order man Inzamam-ul-Haq, the side has not really seen their perfect replacements. They have been over-dependent on the aging duo of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq for a long time now.

The unbeaten double century by opener Azhar Ali at Melbourne (the first-ever by a Pakistani Down Under) has brought to the fore the fact that Pakistan’s batting is indeed in a recovery phase. Along with co-opener Sami Aslam and middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq who hit a heroic 137 to almost take his team home in a steep run chase, Ali has certainly made his country’s cricket fans hopeful about the future.

Ali, the 31-year-old who made an impressive start for the Khan Research Laboratories in 2006 by hitting two centuries and two half-centuries in five matches, has been special since 2014. While Ali’s career-wise average in Tests in 2010-16 is 47.58, his average in 2014-16 has been 57.81. He has scored 2,544 of his 4,625 runs in the 25 Tests in these three years and slammed eight of his 12 tons during this time. He has also hit 218 boundaries in these three years – which is more than half his total (430) number of 4s.

Comparison with other players

Ali has beaten almost all the big names in world cricket in terms of averages in the last three years. For instance. Younis Khan, the old Pakistani warhorse averages 55.72 in 28 Tests (2,675 runs) played in 2014-16 while ‘superman’ Virat Kohli has scored 2,702 runs in 31 Tests during this time at an average of 54.04.

Smashing Australian opener David Warner, too, averages less (53.35) than Ali with 3,201 runs in 33 games. England captain and opener Alastair Cook has an average of 45.13 in these three years as he scored 3,024 runs in 39 matches with five centuries.

Two big South African batting names – Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, too, are behind Ali in terms of Test averages in the last three years. While Amla could manage 45.40 in 25 Tests with a score of 1,680 (five tons), de Villiers averaged 44.53 in 17 Tests with 1,247 runs (three tons).

Players who have averaged more than Ali in last three years:

Australian skipper Steven Smith (75.48), New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (64.86), Australia’s Adam Voges (61.87), former Sri Lankan captain Kumara Sangakkara (59.81) and England’s Joe Root (59.65) has averaged more than Ali in 2014-16.

Azhar Ali: First three-and-half years

Ali’s performance with the bat was ordinary between July 2010, when he made his debut against Australia at Lord’s, and December 2013, just before he hit the fifth gear. In 31 matches he played during this time, Ali scored 2,081 runs in 31 matches at an average of 38.53 with four centuries and 11 half-centuries.

This also shows the remarkable conversion rate he has achieved since January 2014. As against the conversion of only four of his 15 half-centuries into three-figure scores in 2010-13, Ali converted eight of his 17 half-centuries into centuries thereafter.

He was promoted to the opener’s slot during the tour of England earlier this year and he made full use of the opportunity. He went on to score over 930 runs in the series, finishing just 90 short of Mohsin Khan’s 1029 scored in 1982.

500-plus runs in a calendar year for Pakistan:

He has now achieved the feat of scoring over 500 runs every year since 2014 at an average of over 50. Only Javed Miandad (1987-89), Younis Khan (2005-07, 2013-15) and Misbah-ul-Haq (2013-15) are other Pakistani batsmen to have this record. That a young batsman is amongst players who are almost done with their careers will give Pakistan’s cricket fans and selectors some hope.

Another grand record for Azhar Ali:

The technically sound batsman from Lahore has also accomplished another glorious feat as an opener. The man averages almost 62 as an opener after 20 innings, the highest for an opener who has scored at least 1,000 runs. And guess what? Ali has beaten legendary batsmen like Len Hutton, Jack Hobbes and Herbert Sutcliffe in this regard.

Way to go Azhar!