Has Pakistan Found Their Most Balanced Unit?

Pakistan have silently made their way to the top of the ODI Rankings. While it can be argued that their fixtures made it easier, that statement does go down in undermining their efforts. Post the 2019 World Cup, Pakistan has found a lot of consistency, especially after a disastrous series defeat to an emergency England line-up in 2021. Since then, Pakistan have made the top four of a T20 World Cup, the Finals of the next and rightfully stands at first thanks to their consistency and look like favorites coming into the World Cup.

Coming to Afghanistan, Pakistan had a set of fast bowlers who could cause damage and Babar Azam, who is a superstar in World Cricket. The others around him looked like pieces of a puzzle falling place, and they did that well in the last year. Imam Ul Haq has come up as one of their most consistent performers over the last two years, providing solid starts and looking really good against some of the best spinners in the current scenario.

The middle order though was a concern with the batting falling short after Babar Azam. Against Afghanistan, numbers four to seven seemed to find some solutions. Mohammad Rizwan, underwhelming in ODI Cricket, has provided some scores to prove that he can play a part in 50 Overs Cricket. Agha Salman too proved he could chip in while Shadab Khan was as effective as ever at number 7, making crucial contributions in each ODI.

Batting depth is another benefit for Pakistan with Naseem Shah proving that he can tonk the ball over the fence when needed, giving Pakistan a well-rounded line-up. Batting was their main issue with the bowling line-up carrying the side in recent times. On the current tour as well, the bowling line-up excelled even when conditions were against them.

The trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf churned out some unplayable deliveries and excelled at their respective phases to put constant pressure on the batters. Shaheen Shah Afridi continues to do well on return, and with him bowling well, Pakistan is finding a set of security with the new ball, allowing Haris Rauf to come in and rattle batters later on with the older ball.

With a complete performance, Pakistan has got to the number one spot and is increasing the talk of being one of the favorites for the upcoming World Cup, which is a tag they have not held in a while. They have the balance and the Asia Cup will be a nice way to show that they are here to do more than just compete.