H.Masakadza, The most senior player of Zimbabwe could have hardly made any difference.
World of Cricket has witnessed the strength that has been brought into play by Team Pakistan. The team which has been always considered as the most unpredictable side has gifted Cricket with many things. With the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram, Pace bowling and reverse swing could be seen as the key reasons that could help the team defend small totals and win against any team on their day.
The nation which is known for its generation of pace bowlers in continuity has now started to generate some quality batsman too. Pakistan has always failed to perform consistently with the bat but the series against Zimbabwe has shown how things may be changing for Pakistan Cricket and how the focus may have shifted to consistency and technique. Pakistan played a remarkable series with both bat and bowl, trying to make an impact after a disappointing loss to New Zealand.
This all started with a Tri-Nation T20 series in which Pakistan emerged as the winner. Ball Tampering had already wounded Australia and there was only one team who looked like taking the cup home and it was Pakistan. They then completed the whitewash against Zimbabwe so that they can head home on a positive note with World Cup being scheduled for next year.
Zimbabwe will like to forget this series as it was nothing more than a nightmare for them. Even if they were trying to play out of their skins, Pakistani bowling line up was too hard for them to cope up. They would have wished for a blessing in disguise, where Pakistan would throw away wickets in a rush and hand them a victory but all this looked impossible when the batsmen of Pakistan were put to bat or even when they were chasing a target. Pakistani openers batted so well that not only did they score centuries and the first ever double century for Pakistan but they looked like breaking every record held by the Openers around the Globe.
Fakhar Zaman got to 1000 international runs in only 18 ODI games which is the fastest by any cricketer so far. It also took him only 17 games to score a double ton for his nation. Imam-ul-Haq scored three centuries for his country, what better start to the career can we expect for such a young talent. Babar Azam who clearly is one of the best batsman of Pakistan based on the technique will clearly remember this series as the comeback series for him. Captain Sarfraz Ahmad and the experience of Shoaib Malik settle down the issues in middle order and a power hitter like A.Ali Sums up the powerful batting line-up Pakistan has on cards.
Bowling Side of Pakistan has always been strong, what could possibly put an end to statements finding loopholes in the Pakistani bowling line up is the outstanding performance of Usman Shinwari and the support he has been for Swing sensation Muhammad Amir. Hasan Ali has been a consistent performer for some time, he is a wicket-taking bowler who gets you wickets in the middle overs. What has been a great sight to see is Muhammad Amir swinging the bowl in both the directions and Usman Shenwari bowling full line balls consistently which is a hard task and needs proper practice and perfect execution.
The tour was considered a good one for Shadab khan as he chipped in with some wickets too which will boost up his confidence. His performance graph may well have been on a lower side since the victory in the final against India in Champions Trophy but the victory in T20 series against Zimbabwe and Australia and the completion of a clean sweep over Zimbabwe in ODI's would help the body language of the players ahead of the World Cup which is scheduled in 2019 and will be hosted by England.
English Surfaces have always been more of help to Pakistan and it was here they won their first ever T20 cup but this one-sided victory over Zimbabwe will not possibly see them as the favorites for 2019 World Cup. They will need to focus and play well consistently if they wish to win the World Cup which will see them competing against the giants of cricket.
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