Several Pakistan players are currently in action in various T20 competitions around the globe, primarily in Major League Cricket and Global T20 Canada. Here is a roundup of how they have been performing.
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Pakistan recently swept Sri Lanka 2-0 in a Test series at their backyard. Some players from that squad have flown around the world to play in tournaments like the Global T20 Canada. Several other stars have already been playing in Canada as well as in the Major League Cricket in the USA. Here is a summary of how Pakistan international and fringe players have been performing around the globe.
Azam Khan (Mississauga Panthers – GT20 Canada)
5 innings, 177 runs, 35.40 average, SR: 142.74, 2 50s
The rock for the Mississauga Panthers in the middle orders, Azam started off GT20 Canada 2023 with two consecutive 60-plus scores and is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the league.
Fakhar Zaman (Vancouver Knights – GT20 Canada)
4 innings, 153 runs, 38.25 average, SR: 125.40, 1 50
Fakhar has been consistent at the top for Vancouver Knights, scoring at least 20 in each of the four innings he has played so far, with a top score of 73 in 53 balls against Montreal Tigers. He is currently third on the list of highest run-scorers in the tournament.
Usman Khan (Brampton Wolves – GT20 Canada)
5 innings, 97 runs, 19.39 average, SR: 125.97, 0 50s
Usman rose into fame in the previous season of the PSL when he slammed the fastest century in the history of the tournament, but he has found life slightly tougher in GT20 Canada. He has scored fewer than 100 runs from five innings and has crossed 30 only once so far.
Iftikhar Ahmed (Surrey Jaguars – GT20 Canada)
3 innings, 93 runs, 46.50 average, SR: 106.89, 0 50s
Iftikhar has had a mixed bag so far, scoring twice and failing once. However, one of his high scores was a 44-ball 40 not out while batting first, which eventually resulted in defeat for Surrey.
Hussain Talat (Brampton Wolves – GT20 Canada)
4 innings, 74 runs, 24.66 average, SR: 104.22, 0 50s, 1 wicket @ 81, ER: 9
Left-handed seam-bowling all-rounder Hussain has had a difficult tournament so far, having played just innings of note – the 33-ball 44 against Toronto Nationals. He has struggled to get going apart from that, both with bat and ball.
Shahid Afridi (Toronto Nationals – GT20 Canada)
3 innings, 61 runs, 20.33 average, SR: 135.55, 0 50s, 2 wickets @ 17.5, ER: 6
Afridi turned back the years with a 12-ball 23 against Vancouver Knights, and a 12-ball 15 and 2-6 against Brampton Wolves. There was a lot of hype around his comeback to competitive cricket through the GT20 Canada 2023, and he hasn’t disappointed so far.
Mohammad Rizwan (Vancouver Knights – GT20 Canada)
1 innings, 52 runs, INF average, SR: 123.80, 1 50
Rizwan flew all the way from Sri Lanka completing his Test match duties for Pakistan to score a fifty in his first outing of the season for Vancouver a day after scoring one for Pakistan in the Test match. That is the only game he has played so far in the tournament.
Shoaib Malik (Mississauga Panthers – GT20 Canada)
5 innings, 53 runs, 10.60 average, SR 74.64, 0 50s
Malik has had a horrible season so far, scoring just above 50 from five outings at a strike rate under 75. His only decent innings – 37 against Toronto Nationals – came at a run a ball, eventually led to his team losing the game.
Faheem Ashraf (Toronto Nationals – GT20 Canada)
2 innings, 14 runs, 7 average, SR: 107.69, 0 50s, 5 wickets @ 23.80, ER: 9.15
Faheem has not had much role to play with the bat, but has picked regular wickets with for Toronto – though he has gone for more than nine an over.
Zaman Khan (Toronto Nationals – GT20 Canada)
4 innings, 7 wickets @ 13.71, ER: 6.85, BBI: 3-24
Zaman has been proving his worth in T20 competitions all around the globe, and GT20 Canada is his latest stage. With seven wickets in four games, he is joint third on the highest wicket-takers list so far – and he has done it with an economy rate of less than seven.
Abbas Afridi (Montreal Tigers – GT20 Canada)
4 innings, 3 wickets @ 37.65, ER: 8.69, BBI: 2-25
Abbas has gone wicketless in two of the four innings where he has bowled and has been relatively on the expensive side, with his economy rate being well above 8.50.
Imad Wasim (Seattle Orcas – Major League Cricket)
3 innings, 62 runs, 31 average, SR: 114.81, 9 wickets @ 15.44, ER: 6.27, BBI: 2-23
Imad has been an asset for the Seattle Orcas. His three innings include a 38-ball 43 and a 15-ball 19, but he has made a bigger impact with the ball: he has picked up at least one wicket in every game, including two wickets in three out of the six games.
Shadab Khan (San Francisco Unicorns – Major League Cricket)
5 innings, 127 runs, 25.40 average, SR: 142.69, 5 wickets @ 31.20, ER: 9.17, BBI: 2-26
Shadab has had a mixed bag for San Francisco. His batting returns dipped after a 30-ball 61 and a 23-ball 37. With the ball, he has gone at more than 10 an over in three out of the five innings, but also provided his team with important and regular breakthroughs.
Haris Rauf (San Francisco Unicorns – Major League Cricket)
5 innings, 7 wickets @ 24, ER: 8.40, BBI: 3-20
Rauf started slow, going wicketless in his first game, and conceding 1-42 and 1-40 in the next two. However, he roared back to pick five wickets in the next two games while going at 6.5. He ended the tournament with seven wickets, the joint-most by any San Francisco bowler.
