The five-match ODI series was single-handedly dominated by Pakistan, however, Tom Latham’s side managed to avoid a whitewash by winning the last match of the series. Playing around Karachi and Rawalpindi, New Zealand suffered to find momentum against Pakistan’s bowling line-up.
Centuries from Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman helped the hosts overshadow the efforts of Daryl Mitchell and Will Young. Also, Pakistan’s pacers gave the Blackcaps a really difficult time in the series. On a similar note, let us take a look at the performances of Pakistan players in the ODI series:
Top Order
Fakhar Zaman (8/10) – Pakistan’s opening batsman, Fakhar Zaman smashed two centuries in the series. In the first match, he scored 117 runs off 114 deliveries followed by 180 runs off 144 balls in the next match.
The 33-year-old’s experience played a key role in giving the Green Attire a mental advantage over the Blackcaps. Moreover, he got named the Player of the Series following his astounding 363 runs in the series.
Imam-ul-Haq (7/10) – Imam-ul-Haq was in decent form as he started the series with a 60-run inning in Pakistan’s 5-wicket victory. He failed to show his spark in the second match as Matt Henry sent him back for cheap bucks but his best score came in the third ODI where he scored 90 runs. However, later he was dropped from the side as Shan Masood took his spot.
Babar Azam (9/10) – The Skipper of Pakistan, Babar Azam has always been the victim of high expectations. A lot was expected from the right-handed batsman and it’s fair to say that he also delivered rightfully.
Babar Azam played really well to help his side pass the Blackcaps Challenge
With a hundred and two half-centuries, Babar Azam scored a total of 276 runs in five innings. Coincidentally, Pakistan’s only loss came when Azam got dismissed on one. Hence, his overall impact on the series was massive as a batsman and also as a captain.
Lower Middle Order
Shan Masood (2/10) – Shan Masood was dismissed by Adam Milne when he was only at 1 in the first match. Hence, for a couple of matches, we were not a part of the team. Afterwards, he came back to the playing XI in the place of Imam-ul-Haq after the third ODI.
The 33-year-old failed to impress as he only scored a total of 52 runs in three appearances. He was expected to perform better and pressure is mounting on him ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Abdullah Shafique (2/10) – Interestingly, Abdullah Shafique was Shan Masood’s replacement for the 2nd and 3rd ODI, but he also failed to capitalize on the opportunity. He played two innings of 7 runs and 19 runs respectively and got dismissed in both innings similarly. Hence, Grant Bradburn decided to give him rest for the remaining fixtures.
Mohammad Rizwan (5/10) – Playing in the lower middle order, Mohammad Rizwan had a mediocre run in the five-match series. He started off well with two unbeaten 40+ scores but then he started struggling against pace as he also got run out in an innings. However, if he would have been in the place of Shan Masood or Abdullah Shafique, he would have played better.
Salman Ali Agha (7/10) – Salman Ali Agha didn’t start off well but he did catch the pace in the last two matches. He scored two much-needed half-centuries for his side in the fourth and fifth ODIs. However, one of his half-centuries came in a losing effort and he was a bit unlucky with the ball as he got only one wicket in the whole series.
Iftikhar Ahmed (6/10) – Bradburn chose Iftikhar Ahmed in the last two ODIs. In the fourth match, his effort went unnoticed as he scored 28 runs and leaked 21 off two overs. However, he gave the Green Shirts hope in the last match. When the whole batting line-up was falling apart, Ahmed scored 92 runs off 72 deliveries. He only got a bit of support from Agha, but that wasn’t enough.
All-rounders
Nawaz failed to draw eyeballs in the series as he lacked a single decent performance
Mohammad Nawaz (2/10): Muhammad Nawaz will look forward to forgetting the series as the all-rounder failed to take a wicket or even record a 20+ score. He was dropped after the third match after he failed to contain runs from one end.
Usama Mir (6/10) – He wasn’t in the playing squad for the first match, but he got a chance in the second ODI, where he didn’t get to bat and failed to take a wicket either.
Following his dismal performance, he was again dropped in the third match but was picked for the two dead rubbers and he utterly ruled the fourth ODI of the series. Taking four wickets with an economy rate of just 4.3, he helped the Green Shirts record their biggest win of the series. Later, Mir also took two wickets in the last match.
Shabad Khan (4/10) – Shabad Khan was getting a chance in the playing XI alternatively. In the first match, he scored 21 runs and took a wicket. After rest, the third ODI was also nothing more than a forgettable game for the 24-year-old. In the last match, he took two wickets and scored 14 runs which also didn’t save his side from losing the fifth match.
Bowlers
Mohammad Wasim Jr. (7/10) – Mohammad Wasim Jr. found the opportunity in the third match and capitalized on it by taking two wickets. In the next match, he took three wickets which included the pivotal name of Will Young. In the last match, he only got a solitary wicket.
Haris Rauf – (6/10) Haris Raul was the highest wicket-taker for Pakistan with nine wickets in the series but he was not the most efficient of bowlers. He was dismissing batters but he was also leaking a good amount of runs. His best figures were 4/78. The experienced fast bowler was expected to perform a little better, especially in the absence of Shaheen Afridi.
Ihsanullah (1/10) – The right-arm fast bowler played only a single match for Pakistan in the whole series. Ihsanullah bowled eight overs and gave 60 runs with an economy rate of 7.50 without taking a wicket.
Naseem Shah (7/10) – Naseem Shah has been the perfect pairing partner for Shaheen Afridi. The young bowler played three matches and confirmed Pakistan’s series triumph before he was rested for the remaining series. His best figures were 2/29 as he took five wickets in three matches keeping his economy rate in check throughout the series.
Shaheen Afridi (6/10) – Shaheen Shah Afridi played four out of the five matches of the series. His best numbers were 3/46 which came in the fifth ODI. Afridi took a total of eight wickets in his campaign, however, he still managed to become the most effective bowler of the side.