Pakistan’s World Cup performance can be divided into two halves. During the first half, they looked devastated, losing three out of their first four matches. A lot of questions were raised on the team selection and the overall motivation of the playing 11. There was even news of internal politics and disunity in the team. However, the kind of comeback which Sarfraz XI made left everyone spellbound. There was a drastic shift in the team’s attitude and they punched above their weight, beating both New Zealand and South Africa. Suddenly the jeering was overshadowed by the roaring applause for the green shirts. The likes of Danny Morrison, WaqarYonus and other greats of cricket once again started counting Pakistan among the top contenders for the cup. The experts on Ten Sports and other global sports channels started talking about the eerie similarities between 1992 and 2019 World Cups. Nonetheless, it wasn’t exactly a team performance, rather there were bits and pieces of excellence by a few players which lead to the late victories. When the team cannot be rated as a whole, it calls for a player-by-player rating to find out what exactly happened. Here is our rating for Pakistan’s World Cup squad. Sarfaraz Ahmed (6/10): The Star of World Cup 2015 suffered constant bashing throughout this World Cup campaign. Sarfaraz was criticized for his defensive captaincy and poor performance with the bat. Adding to that, he was caught yawning behind the wicket during the match against India. The critics didn’t take that moment lightly and ridiculed him in every possible way, the retired players and common public also jumped on the bandwagon. However, Sarfaraz was amazing behind the wickets, taking an unbelievable catch in the must-win match against New Zealand. We feel that the captain was criticized a little more than what he deserved. Muhammad Hafeez (5/10): Hafeez is in the twilight of his cricketing career. The nation had a lot of expectations from the all-rounder, however, he fell short of them in all departments: batting, bowling, and fielding. He averaged 30.6 during the World Cup and despite one good performance against England, his performance remained below par. Babar Azam (10/10): If there is one player who matched the excellence displayed by stalwarts from other teams, it was Babar Azam. The middle-order batsman provided the much-needed stability in Pakistan’s batting lineup. His World Cup 2019 batting average was 67.71 — more than 14 runs higher than his career average of 53.55 which is a true testimony of his class. Babar proved he could take the pressure of big matches and take his team over the line in critical situations. His century against New Zealand and a 96 runs knock against Bangladesh were among the finest innings played in this cup. Fakhar Zaman (2/10): Fakhar turned out to be the biggest disappointment in Pakistan’s World Cup squad. The opener was given chances time and again, but failed to leave an impact each time. His flawed technique was completely exposed during each one of the 8 matches he played. The Champions Trophy star was a big flop this time. Haris Sohail (8/10): The middle-order batsman looked good even before the World Cup, scoring two centuries. However, he wasn’t given a chance to play until the senior-most player Shoaib Malik failed. But once he was given the opportunity he seized it immediately. An 89 and a 68 followed in back-to-back innings garnered a lot of applause for him.  Imad Wasim (7/10): The all-rounder showed a glimpse of Shahid Afridi with his hard-hitting in the final few matches. A lot of rumors are also circulating that Imad might just be the next captain of the Pakistan team and to be honest it would not be a bad decision, considering the maturity he has shown during this World Cup. Nevertheless, Imad still needs to work hard on his bowling, because with his current economy rate he cannot be very impactful. Shadab Khan (6/10): Shadab has been a constant in the Pakistan team. The young leggie may not have taken a lot of wickets but he is always a go-to bowler between the middle overs when a wicket is required. The 20-year-old starlet did pretty well for someone his age and experience. But as an all-rounder, Shadab couldn’t contribute much with his bat.  Shoaib Malik (2/10): Being the most senior campaigner of the team a lot of responsibility lied on Malik’s shoulders. Many were counting on him for leading the batting line up of Pakistan but the veteran batsman disappointed big time. Shoaib Malik had the most horrible sequence of outings at World Cup 2019. With a run rate average of 2.66666667 his critics are totally justified. Imam ul Haq (5/10): Imam has always been unjustly criticized for his relationship with the chief selector, his uncle, Inzamam-ul Haq. The opening batsman has a career ODI average of 54.58, however, during the World Cup, he failed to impress his critics. A century at Lord’s and a half-century against the then world champions, Australia, coupled with a few 40s is not too bad for a 23-year-old playing his first major tournament.
