Pakistan v World XI, 1st T20I - Pakistan Player Ratings

After a long wait of over 8 years, international cricket stars stepped on the Pakistani soil for some serious cricketing action. International cricket had made a comeback to Pakistan in 2015 with Zimbabwe touring the deserted cricket venue. However, the fans were deprived of seeing the big names of world cricket perform in front of them.

With the World XI touring Pakistan, history beckoned for the cricket crazy nation. As the first T20I of the Independence Cup went underway, the fans rejoiced in the cricket revival. And what better start to this rebirth than a Pakistan win on the home soil? The hosts managed to draw first blood in the series with a convincing win.

Talking about the match, the hosts managed to put on a mammoth total of 197/5 on the board in their stipulated 20 overs. Babar Azam top scored with 86 to his name. Shoaib Malik and Ahmed Shehzad played supporting roles in the innings. World XI were never really in the run chase with wickets falling at regular intervals.

They ended up scoring 177 in their 20 overs and fell short by 20 runs. With the win, the hosts go 1-0 up in the series. It was a thorough team performance that got them through.

Here are the Pakistan Player Ratings for the match:

Fakhar Zaman – 2/10

Young hard hitting opener Fakhar Zaman had the ideal stage for himself to launch yet again. Zaman, who had shot to fame after his brilliance in Champions Trophy final this year, could have become a home hero too. He started off in a brisk way with a couple of boundaries. But soon ended up edging one to Hashim Amla off the bowling of Morne Morkel. He could score in 8 in the match.

Ahmed Shehzad – 6/10

Ahmed Shehzad has been in and around international cricket for quite some time now. He has always been blamed for not batting according to the situation. In this game, he showed great adaptation and played a sensible knock off 39 off 34 balls. After the early dismissal of Zaman, Pakistan needed someone to hold the fort at one end. He added 122 runs for the second wicket with Babar Azam and played the ideal supporting role.

Babar Azam – 9/10

Babar Azam was the top scorer in the match. Azam, who is being tipped as the next big thing in Pakistan cricket, rightly justified his tag. He came in to bat early on in the innings after Fakhar Zaman was sent packing on 8. He then stitched a key partnership with Ahmed Shehzad. He soon assumed the role of the aggressor and started to take on the World XI bowlers. Azam scored a brilliant 86 off just 52 balls with 10 fours and 2 sixes. This is his highest score in T20Is.

Shoaib Malik – 7/10

Shoaib Malik was one of the few cricketers in the Pakistani lineup today who has played international cricket on the country soil before. Things surely would have been nostalgic for him as he walked at the crease. Malik played a brilliant cameo of 38 that came off just 20 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes to his name. His quick runs gave the ideal impetus that the team needed.

Sarfraz Ahmed – 3/10

Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed could not make a huge impact in the game with the bat. He came in to bat in the 16th over of the game after set batsman Babar Azam was dismissed. Ahmed was expected to go all guns blazing from the onset. But the skipper could only muster 4 runs. He had a decent time behind the stumps though – with a stumping to his name.

Imad Wasim – 7/10

Imad Wasim has made a habit of finishing things off for the Pakistan team. Imad came in to bat in the penultimate over and had only 4 deliveries to play since then. He managed to clobber 2 sixes in those deliveries to finish with an unbeaten 15 off 4 balls. With the ball, he was immaculate with his lines again. Albeit he did not get a wicket, he returned with figures of 0/22 in his four overs with a miserly economy rate of 5.50.

Fahim Ashraf – 2/10

Fahim Ashraf had very little to do in the match. Ashraf came in to bat in the final over and had the strike for a solitary delivery. Later in the game, his services with the ball were not needed either. He was given only one over to bowl in which he returned with 0/7 to his name.

Shadab Khan – 7.5/10

Young leggie Shadab Khan is emerging as a big match player for the Pakistani team. In the shortest format, his guile and precision gets more accurate. He returned with figures of 2/33 in his complete quota of 4 overs. In the first three overs of his spell, he had conceded only 19 runs. He bagged the key wickets of opposition skipper Faf du Plessis and dangerous hitter David Miller.

Sohail Khan – 8/10

Pacer Sohail Khan was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts in the match. Sohail started off well with the new ball as he got some assistance from the wicket. He troubled Tim Paine to quite an extent before eventually dismissing him for 25. Later in the game, he managed to get rid of Grant Elliot as well to complete his tally of 2/28 in the match.

Hasan Ali – 3/10

Hasan Ali had a torrid time at the crease today. Neither did he get the assistance from the track, nor could he trouble the opposition batters with his changing variations. The World XI batsmen took a heavy toll on him. He leaked as many as 44 runs in his quoted of 4 overs. He went wicketless in the match.

Rumman Raees – 5/10

Rumman Raees did not have a very contrasting game either when compared to Hasan Ali. Well, this comes in regard to their economy rates. While Hasan leaked runs at 11 per over, Raees gave away runs at over 12 per over. However, he had two wickets to show in his wickets column. Raees had dismissed Hashim Amla ealier in the innings. He had also bagged the wicket of the other opener – Tamim Iqbal. He returned with figures of 2/37 in 3 overs.