CT 2017 Finals, IND v PAK – Pakistan Player Ratings

Pakistan stunned India in a lopsided final game to win the ICC Champions Trophy by 180 runs. It was a result not many cricket fans would have envisaged as Pakistan came up with a magical performance on a day when it mattered the most.

Electing to bowl first, Kohli’s bowlers did well for the first few overs till the Pakistan openers broke the shackles. Fakhar Zaman was particularly severe on the Indians as he swatted the bowlers around to score a maiden ODI hundred, one which he will remember for a long time. Azhar Ali and Mohammed Hafeez chipped in with valuable fifties to push the score to a mammoth 338. Ashwin and Jadeja produced a very ordinary performance as they both went wicketless and conceded 137 runs off 18 overs collectively. Only Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled well on the day, returning with 1/53 and 1/67 respectively.

The chase was wrecked by Mohammad Amir, who saved his best for the finals. Bowling with the new ball, he first sent Rohit Sharma on his way for a duck and then got Kohli’s priced wicket to dent the chase of India. Dhawan followed suit as India’s top order floundered against a top quality bowling display. Pandya’s blitz gave India a tiny hope but it was quashed as he was involved in a terrible mix-up with Jadeja. Hasan Ali deservingly finished the Indian innings off which sparked massive celebrations.

We bring you to the player rating of the Pakistan team who registered their first ever Champions Trophy win:

1) Azhar Ali – 8.5/10

Azhar Ali recorded his third fifty of the Champions Trophy and the most important one by a distance. He was the aggressor initially and brought up his half-century off 61 balls. Eventually, it had to be a run out as both openers had a terrible time judging the singles early on.

2) Fakhar Zaman – 9.5/10

Fakhar played the innings of his life only in his fourth ODI game. His 114 was filled with three sixes and 12 fours. Fakhar’s innings put India on the back foot early on and led Pakistan on course to a big score. He pressed on the accelerate post reaching his fifty and registered his hundred off just 92 balls. It was one of the innings of the tournament given the circumstances.

3) Babar Azam – 8/10

After Fakhar’s blitz, it was important to keep the tempo going which is exactly what Babar did. Hailed as the next big thing in Pakistan cricket, Babar rotated the strike well and found the odd boundary every now and again. His 52-ball 46 was a stepping stone for his side to amass a huge first innings score.

4) Shoaib Malik – 3/10

Malik was sent in to bat up the order at No. 4 and started the innings promisingly. His innings, though, was cut short by some brilliant bowling by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Pakistan were banking on his experience and Malik couldn’t step up at the big stage.

5) Mohammad Hafeez – 9.5/10

Hafeez batted like a man possessed in the finals. Demoted to bat at No. 5 didn’t deter the experienced batsman from producing a majestic unbeaten 57 off just 37 balls. He smacked 3 crisply timed sixes during the course of his knock and ensured that Pakistan goes way past the 300-run mark.

6) Imad Wasim – 6.5/10

Wasim was sent above Sarfaraz to keep the left hand-right hand combination going. He ended up scoring a valuable 25* off 21 balls which included a straight six and a boundary. Wasim hurt his ankle while bowling and could only delivery 3 balls in the chase.

7) Sarfaraz Ahmed – 9/10

Though he did not bat today, Sarfaraz was amazing throughout the tournament with his keeping, batting and captaincy. He led his side with distinction and did not bother pushing himself up the order, showing great team player qualities. His bowling changes were immaculate in the finals and during the entire tournament.

8) Mohammad Amir – 9.5/10

Amir delivered the spell of the tournament at The Oval. He bowled fast and swung the ball to dismantle Rohit Sharma in the first over. Dhawan and Kohli were his next wickets as the wheels of the chase started coming off. Amir’s 3/16 was one of the reasons of Pakistan’s win.

9) Shadab Khan – 7/10

The young leggie might have gotten smacked for runs by Hardik Pandya but he bowled well to take the wickets of Yuvraj and Kedar Jadhav. He showed great character by giving the ball air despite getting hit for a flurry of sixes.

10) Hasan Ali- 9.5/10

Hasan Ali deservingly got the final wicket of the Indian innings. He took Dhoni’s wicket during the middle overs and also sent Ravi Ashwin back on his way. Ali is one of the architect’s of Pakistan’s win in the competition and won the man of the series award for his haul of 13 wickets from 5 games.

11) Junaid Khan -7.5/10

Junaid got just a solitary wicket today but bowled with discipline early on to compliment Amir with the new ball. He later came on and bowled a tight spell in the middle overs, a feature of Pakistan’s cricket in the tournament. With the effort he put in during the tournament, Junaid will be a very proud cricketer.