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Cricket World Cup 2023

Marks out of 10: Player ratings for Pakistan at the 2023 World Cup

Pakistan player ratings 2023 World Cup
by Katya Witney 4 minute read

Pakistan finished their World Cup campaign with a loss against England, ending a volatile campaign – here are the player ratings for all of their squad members.

Mohammad Rizwan – 6/10

9 matches, 395 runs at 65.83, SR: 95.41, HS: 131*

Rizwan’s unbeaten 131 against Sri Lanka will go down as one of the knocks of this tournament. In a record chase, his heroics, alongside Abdullah Shafique’s, ensured they stayed in the tournament for so long and kept some of the momentum they were fast losing. However, he didn’t pass 50 again in the competition after that, with Pakistan’s much relied upon top-order failing to fire. Although, his never-ending battle with cramps was one of the more entertaining story threads through the tournament.

Abdullah Shafique – 7/10

8 matches, 336 runs at 42.00, SR: 93.33, HS: 113

Recalled to the side for the Sri Lanka match, Shafique made his impact immediately with a sublime century. He made three other fifties in an opening partnership that promised much but never kicked onto the highest of gears, but was ultimately Pakistan’s most consistent batter.

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Babar Azam – 5/10

9 matches, 320 runs at 40.00, SR: 82.90, HS: 74

Four fifties but no century for Babar in the tournament. He came increasingly under the pressure from media back home throughout the campaign and the situation he now finds himself in is precarious. Had his players performed around him, he would arguably find himself under less scrutiny, with his batting performances just about reaching par. But his captaincy and a disappointing campaign for the side means his future as leader in the format is uncertain.

Saud Shakeel – 4/10

9 matches, 241 runs at 34.42, SR: 97.96, HS: 68

Shakeel started the competition strongly with a 50 against the Netherlands, but tailed off from there. He got starts against Australia, Afghanistan and England, before getting out at crucial points – and did the same against South Africa after reaching a half-century. His campaign is synonymous with Pakistan’s as a whole: promising, but without following through.

Fakhar Zaman – 8/10

4 matches, 220 runs at 73.33, SR: 122.90, HS: 126*

Fakhar found his ODI magic again after several rough months when he was recalled to the side against Bangladesh having been dropped after the first game of the tournament. He hit an important 81 to break the back of the run chase, before following up against New Zealand with an unbeaten 126, carrying his bat to give Pakistan a dominating win. Despite his inauspicious start, he ends up as one of Pakistan’s players of the tournament.

Imam-ul-Haq – 4/10

6 matches, 162 runs at 27.00, SR: 90.00, HS: 70

Imam was dropped after Pakistan’s match against South Africa, in a continuation of the three-into-two opening battle. Having got starts in each of his first four innings, he finally made 70 against Australia. However, another failure in the following match was enough for him to spend the rest of the competition on the bench.

Iftikhar Ahmed – 5/10

9 matches, 4 wickets at 65.5, ER: 5.45, BBI: 1-16
142 runs at 23.66, SR: 115.44, HS:40

A couple of ‘Ifti-mania’ knocks from Iftikhar, but without much of substance with the bat. He scored a quick-fire 40 against Afghanistan which helped Pakistan to post what could have been a defendable total. He had some control with the ball and offered some much needed control at times.

Agha Salman – 4/10

3 matches, 51 runs at 51.00, SR: 113.33, HS: 51

Agha only bowled five overs across his three matches and was only required to bat once. He made a half-century against England, in a chase that was fast-unravelling when he came to the crease. Not much to judge by for his rating.

Shadab Khan – 2/10

6 matches, 2 wickets at 118.5, ER: 6.23, BBI: 1-45
121 runs at 24.20, SR: 100.83, HS: 43

Shadab was a huge disappointment for Pakistan with the ball, and a big part of their spin problem throughout the tournament. He was expensive and ineffective, confirming the fears over his performance in the Asia Cup. He added little more contribution with the bat, and his future in the format is now in question.

Mohammad Nawaz – 3/10

5 matches, 2 wickets at 111.5, ER: 5.89, BBI: 1-31
81 runs at 20.25, SR: 83.50, HS: 39

Nawaz was marginally better with the ball than Shadab, but still struggled for control. He contributed to their middle-order instability with the bat, and he’s another question to answer for them going forward.

Shaheen Shah Afridi – 7/10

9 matches, 18 wickets at 26.72, ER: 5.93, BBI: 5-54

Afridi finishes the tournament as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker. While he was brilliant in patches, he wasn’t as devastating as many would have been hoping prior to the tournament. Perhaps that says more about the high standards he’s held to than any particular failure on his part.

Haris Rauf – 5/10

9 matches, 16 wickets at 33.31, ER: 6.74, BBI: 3-43

Rauf was effective at the death but lacked control in the middle overs, a job Pakistan rely on him to do. After the final match against England, he set the record for conceding the most runs in a single edition of a men’s ODI World Cup. While this is an ugly stat, the amount of games the format has bowlers playing in the group stage if they play every match makes the record less uncomfortable for Rauf. While this World Cup was undoubtedly not him at his best, his stock shouldn’t be irredeemable.

Mohammad Wasim – 7/10

4 matches, 10 wickets at 21.50, ER: 5.63, BBI: 3-31

Despite only coming into the starting XI halfway through Pakistan’s campaign, Wasim finishes as the side’s third-leading wicket-taker. He took crucial wickets against New Zealand and undoubtedly elevating his standings in Pakistan’s pace-bowling reserves during the tournament.

Hasan Ali – 5/10

6 matches, 9 wickets at 35.66, ER: 6.29, BBI: 4-71

Hasan was called-up as a replacement for Naseem Shah shortly before the start of the tournament, and made the starting XI for Pakistan’s first match. He had moments of brilliance, most notably a four-for against Sri Lanka, but was also expensive, and missed the final three matches of Pakistan’s tournament.

Usama Mir – 3/10

4 matches, 4 wickets at 62.00, ER: 7.08, BBI: 2-45.

Mir became the first concussion sub of the World Cup when he replaced Shadab against South Africa. Having been dropped from the starting XI from the previous match for that game, where he went wicketless, he took two wickets in a very tight game. However, his most indelible mark on the tournament will be dropping David Warner on ten off a simple chance, before Warner went on to make 163. He was also out for a duck in that game and conceded 82 runs from his nine overs.

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