ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Champions Trophy ended after their final group stage match against Bangladesh was washed out. Here are the hosts’ player ratings for the tournament.
Fakhar Zaman: 3/10
Runs 24 @ 24.0, SR 58.5
Fakhar was injured just two balls into the tournament, forcing him off the field. As a result, he could not open the batting and only came in at No. 4, unable to run during his sole innings. He struggled to make 24 off 41 balls. While it was not entirely his fault, it was far from an impressive performance, according to Wisden.
Babar Azam: 4/10
Runs 87 @ 43.5, SR 75.0
Babar’s opening innings in the tournament was a slow affair as he faced a daunting chase of 321. With his team at 22-2 in the first 10 overs, he managed to score 64 off 90 balls, though Fakhar’s injury played a role in his struggles. He seemed in better form against India but failed to build on a strong start, making only 23.
Imamul Haq: 2/10
Runs 10 @ 10.0, SR 38.5
Imam replaced Fakhar against India, but his performance was underwhelming as he scored just 10 off 26 balls before getting himself run out.
Saud Shakeel: 5/10
Runs 68 @ 34.0, SR 71.6
Shakeel was sent to open against New Zealand and he appeared quite uneasy. However, he performed better against India, stabilizing Pakistan’s innings with a 62. Despite this, he struggled to accelerate during the middle overs, failing to put any real pressure on the opposition.
Mohammad Rizwan: 3/10
Runs 49 @ 24.5, SR 53.8
It was a tough tournament for Pakistan’s captain, who managed only three runs against New Zealand and 46 at a sluggish pace against India. His tense, animated discussions with his bowlers during the New Zealand match also did not reflect well on him.
Tayyab Tahir: 1/10
Runs 5 @ 2.5, SR 45.5
Tayyab was as close to a non-entity as possible, with scores of one and four in his two innings.
Agha Salman: 5/10
Runs 61 @ 30.5, SR 117.3
0 wickets, ER 5.0
Salman tried his best against New Zealand when the required rate was climbing, blasting 42 off 28 balls, but it ultimately was not enough. Against India, however, Pakistan needed more from him, but he fell for 19 after attempting an unnecessary shot off Kuldeep Yadav, according to Wisden.
Khushdil Shah: 8/10
Runs 107 @ 53.5, SR 121.6
1 wicket @ 83.0, ER 5.7
Khushdil arguably outperformed expectations, scoring 69 and 48, making him the sole bright spot in Pakistan’s tournament. However, his role as the fifth bowler was awkward, as he offered little threat in terms of taking wickets.
Shaheen Shah Afridi: 2/10
2 wickets @ 71.0, ER 7.9
Although Shaheen showed signs of form in the South Africa series in December, he was far below his best in the Champions Trophy, conceding almost eight runs per over and claiming just two wickets.
Naseem Shah: 4/10
2 wickets @ 50.0, ER 5.6
Naseem had a few strong spells, but his isolated good overs were not enough to make an impact. He struggled with leaking runs, especially towards the end of innings. However, he had a solid performance against India, going wicketless but conceding less than five runs per over in that match, according to Cricinfo.
Haris Rauf: 2/10
2 wickets @ 67.5, ER 7.9
Rauf had a rough start, giving away 83 runs in his 10 overs against New Zealand, followed by 52 runs in seven overs against India. These figures might have been more acceptable if he had taken wickets, but that was not the case. However, he did provide some entertainment with the bat, scoring 19 off 10 balls against New Zealand.
Abrar Ahmed: 6/10
2 wickets @ 37.5, ER 3.8
Pakistan’s sole specialist spinner was also their best bowler. He was economical against New Zealand while the others were being hit around, and performed well on a more favourable pitch in Dubai against India, including taking the wicket of Shubman Gill with a brilliant delivery, according to Cricinfo.
