A nation whose genesis was a burning experience for all parties involved, Pakistan’s baptism with pandemonium has become a diagnostic feature of the nation as years have gone by. Raging inflation, army coups or be it the ever-evolving pop culture scene, capriciousness has been the dominant conduct of the Islamic Republic for the past 77 years. Moreover, this volatile nature has seeped into and has now become an identity of Pakistan sports too. Be it their sporting dynasties of hockey and squash or snooker maverick Muhammad Yousuf, the Pakistanis could be celebrating unbeaten streaks in one moment whereas in the very next instant, they would be the victims of agonising upsets. And the generalisation is also applicable for the Pakistan Cricket team.
Starting their journey in 1952, Pakistan showed promise with red-ball straight away, and by the late 70s, Imran’s tigers could go toe-to-toe with any other nation. But when it came to the more unpredictable ODIs, Pakistan’s consistency in being inconsistent was on display. Although the team possessed a win-loss ratio of <1 in the 70s and 80s, the team secured 3 semi-final finishes in the 4 World Cups held during this period. In fact, this whole blabber of “unpredictability” finds a beautiful authentication in the form of the 87′ and 92′ World Cups.
Pakistan entered the 1987 Cup as favourites playing on home soil but succumbed to a less fancied England side in the semis. Whereas in the 1992 edition, Pakistan were 2nd last at the half-way stage but defeated the same Englishmen to lift their first World Cup. The subsequent years saw them domineering the scene with the 3rd best win-loss ratio in the following two decades, but they couldn’t get hold of another ICC trophy. And when things looked bleak with the side ranked 7th in the World, Pakistan pulled off their maiden Champions Trophy triumph in 2017. Even currently, the side is embroiled within whimsical controversies and possesses the most uncertain future.
Without further ado, let’s celebrate the side that made our game more interesting. Here’s our All-Time Pakistan ODI XI.
Saeed Anwar
Saeed Anwar’s flicks and slashes in the 90s comprise yet another chapter in cricket’s ultimate love-affair with dashing left-handed openers since time immemorial.
- Matches: 247
- Runs: 8,824
- Average: 39.21
- Strike Rate: 80.67
Although his batsmanship is associated with adjectives such as “elegant” and “graceful”, Anwar was one amongst the initial pioneers of making hay while the ball was new, in certain ways, preceding even Jayasuriya.
When Anwar completed his 1000 ODI runs as an opener, he had a strike rate of 85.03. The second-best strike rate for an opener until then was 74 (min. 10 inns).
Additionally, Anwar’s explosiveness also holds its weight against time and era. In our article about the best ODI openers, Anwar had the 6th best adjusted strike-rate amongst openers with min. 5000 ODI runs.
Harbouring explicit hand-eye coordination and deceptively powerful wrists, a common feature amongst many Asian greats, Anwar is Pakistan’s finest batter at the big stage, averaging 63.36 across 25 World Cup and Champions Trophy matches.
Anwar’s ODI shortcomings were his poor performances against the two toughest bowling attacks of his era, South Africa and Australia, against whom he averaged 17.3 and 23.55, respectively.
Fakhar Zaman
The first of 3 non-retired players on our team, Fakhar had competition from fellow opening partner Imam but the former’s superior strike rate coupled with his better ICC tournament track record meant Fakhar would be our 2nd left-handed opener.
- Matches: 82
- Runs: 3,492
- Average: 46.56
- Strike Rate: 93.44
Cut from the cloth of the previous era’s swashbuckling left-handed openers, Zaman announced himself to the world after scoring a century against India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, which was just his 4th ever ODI. Though since then, consistency against top teams has been missing for the Fauji.
Nevertheless, his away record has been on par with his overall numbers, averaging 46.33 in all matches outside Pakistan, and his scoring rate across 16 ICC tournament matches has been 104.61 so far. However, there’s no denial that his overall numbers are padded by his 172.33 average across 6 innings against Zimbabwe.
Zaman currently is 34 while Imam is 28, thus a few years down the line and we might need to update this section by exchanging the roles of both opening mates.
Babar Azam
A 9 year-old career which is yet to see many more twists and turns, Babar’s competitors had played nearly thrice the amount of ODIs than him has so far, but the stability with which he has achieved his accolades so far has given him the edge over the past greats.
- Matches: 117
- Runs: 5,729
- Average: 56.72
- Strike Rate: 88.75
Possessing the 2nd best average amongst players with minimum 50 matches, his average increases to 60.32 while batting at 3 and here too, Babar is second to only Virat Kohli. A textbook anchor in an age where the game is breaking inadvertent boundaries, Babar has maintained solidity in this format, a solidity which is often associated with his technique.
Out of his 9 years, Babar has finished 7 of them with an average above 45.
Although Babar’s numbers are heavily boosted by his performances in Pakistan and UAE, where he averages 73.55 and 64.47 respectively, his away average of 49.4 is the 10th best amongst players with min. 35 matches. Arch-rivals India have been the only major foe who have got the better of Babar on a consistent basis, with him averaging 31.14 against them.
Preferring to the spinners over the fastmen, only Dhoni and Kohli have scored more runs against the former with a better average than Azam’s 68.11 since 01 Jan 2002.
Babar was stereotyped in his youth career as someone who isn’t made for the big matches, but at least in ODIs, this conjecture doesn’t hold strong claims, with Babar averaging 51.5 across 22 ICC tournament matches.
Javed Miandad
It was probably Jarrod Kimber who presented consistency in the ever-changing landscape of ODIs by drawing a similarity in approach between Miandad, Dean Jones, Ponting and Kohli and I believe this is the proper statement to capture Javed’s ODI career.
- Matches: 218
- Runs: 7,381
- Average: 41.70
- Strike Rate: 67.01
Although there were contemporaries such as Richards and Abbas (more to him later) who were more effective, Miandad proved to be the prototype for the majority of future middle-order greats. Soft hands, quick running between the wickets, strike rotation and piercing the gaps with minimum risks; Miandad’s shrewd tactics and the number 4 position seem a match made in heaven.
To give better context to his career numbers, following are Javed’s adjusted stats in the 2-ball era:
Average: 47.18 Strike Rate: 85.44
Only 5 batters in this period had a better average and strike rate than the above numbers (minimum 3000 runs).
Miandad was the first person to play in 6 different World Cups in which he again stood out, averaging 43.32. Miandad’s struggle against the top bowling attack of his time, the Windies did put us in a dilemma, but his 22-year career skewed the selection in his direction.
Mohammad Rizwan
Another non-retired player, and even though we do believe there are many better batters than Rizwan but much like our Windies ODI XI, we were bound by keeper availability. Even here, Rizwan had competition from Umar and Sarfaraz, but Rizwan’s terrific 2023 tipped the scales in his favour, given that his competitors themselves have had lukewarm careers.
- Matches: 74
- Runs: 2088
- Average: 40.15
- Strike Rate: 89.8
The current vice-captain of the national team, he was a slow starter, averaging 28.75 for his first 25 games, but Rizwan grabbed his 2nd chance in 2019 and is now one of the key members in all 3 formats for his nation. Though ODIs have so far been the format where he has been at his weakest.
With terrible performances against top sides, coupled with below-par production away from home, Rizwan wouldn’t have made it if not for 2023. 1000+ runs at an average of 63.93, more importantly Rizwan shone at the World Cup. 395 runs @65.83, Rizwan was Pakistan’s highest run-getter, similar to the preceding Asia Cup.
With both age and form on his side, we hope Rizwan excels so we can update this section of our article in the future.
Imran Khan
The quintessential bad-boy athlete who went on to become the President of Pakistan, Kaaptan’s cricketing ride was much smoother than his personal endeavours, though bumps are a part of any journey.
- Matches: 175
- Runs: 3709
- Average: 33.41
- Strike Rate: 72.65
- Wickets: 182
- Average: 26.61
- Economy: 3.89
Part of Pakistan’s 2nd ever ODI game, Khan was the World’s 6th most capped player, 17th highest run-getter and 2nd highest wicket-taker in ODIs at the time of his retirement in 1992. This is a display of the multiple aspects in which Imran had an impact on Pakistan throughout his 19 years in the format. Classified by the majority as an all-rounder, Imran’s bowling numbers took a bad hit in his later years.
Till 1988, Imran averaged 22.7 with the bowl whereas in his last 4 years the average rose upto 36.15. Though these are the years which were his most prolific batting years, during which Imran scored 47% of his career runs at an average of 40.53.
Hailed amongst the best all-rounders of the sport, Imran had a -ve average difference only against India amongst his 10 opponent teams. In fact, his career average difference of +6.79 is the 8th best in ODIs (min. 1500 runs and 75 wickets).
Imran’s bowling was a notch above when it came to the World Cups. With 34 wickets across five editions, only McGrath, Lee, and Shami have taken more wickets at a better average than Imran’s 19.26. His phenomenal average difference of +15.78 is the sixth-best at the grandest stage (min. 300 runs and 15 wickets).
As if this wasn’t enough, Imran was also Pakistan’s greatest skipper and his journey to the 92 World Cup Trophy is etched in cricketing folklore.
Shahid Afridi
A player with one of the most contrasting legacies in front of his fans versus that of in front of foes, Afridi’s bowling and batting averages don’t invoke adulation, but that didn’t stop Lala from being the face of Pakistan cricket for a big part of his 20-year career.
- Matches: 393
- Runs: 8027
- Average: 23.81
- Strike Rate: 116.94
- Wickets: 393
- Average: 34.53
- Economy: 4.62
Spending his initial years as an opener, he had an underappreciated stint over there, though it’s a unanimous fact that his best came at the lower order. Afridi’s strike rate of 116.94 is the 3rd best for any batter with a minimum of 50 innings, and this figure rises to a stupendous heights of 131.3 and 145.36 when he batted at number 7 and 8 respectively. Consistency was always an issue with boom-boom, especially in batting, though he managed to maintain a 90+ scoring rate against each of his opponents (min. 3 innings).
As a bowler, he was more on the defensive schemes of approach, with open mixing 120 kmph bullets with his already flat leg-spin. A bowling average of 34.53 is certainly an ordinary figure, which was only amplified by his terrible performances in his last 4 years, though just prior to his late career slump came his finest performance, the 2011 World Cup. The joint-highest wicket-taker, where he picked his wickets @12.85, his overall numbers too improved in the grand stage, averaging 27.7 over 5 World Cup editions.
Afridi’s 32 Man-of-the-Match awards is the joint 4th most for any player in ODIs.
Wasim Akram
The most prolific pacer of the format, averaging below 30 in 19 out of the 20 consecutive years he played ODIs, the Sultan of Swing has a good claim upon the tag of the “Greatest ODI Bowler”.
- Matches: 356
- Wickets: 502
- Average: 23.52
- Economy: 3.89
- Strike Rate: 36.2
The 2nd most prolific wicket-taker of the format, Akram surprisingly struggled at home. An average of 31.12 across 67 matches in Pakistan; it’s evident he was excellent in away conditions. Akram’s away average of 22.5 is the 3rd best for bowlers with a minimum of 200 career wickets. Akram’s versatility with both conventional and reverse-swing made him potent for any phase of the 50-over innings. England was the only side out of Akram’s 14 opponents against whom Wasim had a 30+ average.
A deceptive bowling stride which left people amazed that he could generate 145 kmph cannons consistently with that bowling action, it was probably this very run-up and numerous other shrewd adjustments which saw Akram picking up 502 ODI wickets across 3 decades.
The joint 5th highest wicket-taker in World Cups, he was the highest wicket-taker in 92′, where he picked his 18 wickets at an average of 18.78.
Waqar Younis
The bowler whose partnership at the top with Wasim remains the most prolific fast-bowling pair in ODIs, there are few individuals who have had a bigger impact on the format right from their debut when compared to Waqar Younis.
- Matches: 262
- Wickets: 416
- Average: 23.84
- Economy: 4.68
- Strike Rate: 30.5
Picking up 70 ODI wickets even before he turned 20, he achieved this with an average of 16.34, a figure only bettered by Rashid Khan under this specific age barrier. Those 70 wickets include the 47 scalps he picked up in 1990 at a bewildering average of 12.63, the 5th best bowling average in a calendar year (min. 25 wickets).
A fast bowler in the term’s truest sense whose natural length was a few metres fuller compared to other expressmen of his time, Waqar’s toe-crushing yorkers remain one of the sport’s most iconic set of deliveries. It also reflects upon the fact that 36.29% of his career wickets were bowled dismissals, which is only behind Mitchell Starc’s tally of 37.28%. Mostly sharing the new ball with Wasim, with whom he picked 588 wickets together, Waqar was also productive as a first change option, picking up 84 wickets @19.96 at this position.
Waqar’s late swing was venomous to all of his opponents except for Australia, the only team against whom he possessed an average in excess of 27. He got to participate fully in only 2 World Cups, though he made most of the limited opportunities, picking up his 22 World Cup wickets at an average of 21.18.
Shoaib Akhtar
Among Pakistan’s glorious line of fast bowlers, controversies have been a common link, and amidst them, Akhtar’s storied 14-year career might take the cake for the most controversial pacer in our sport.
- Matches: 163
- Wickets: 247
- Average: 24.97
- Economy: 4.76
- Strike Rate: 31.4
Be it drug scandals, scuffles with teammates and fans, or ball-tampering accusations, Akhtar’s foremost legacy, despite his notoriety, will be that of being one of the fastest bowlers recorded in history.
Making his debut during Wasim-Waqar’s fag years, Akhtar’s 5 year stretch from 1999-2003 is one of the most effective quinquennial stints for a pacer in ODIs. Exactly 150 wickets at an average of 20.75, including his 99′ and 03′ World Cup campaigns. Overall, he picked up 37 wickets in all ICC tournaments, with an average of 23.76.
A person who continues to wear his heart on his sleeves, Akhtar’s wicket-taking ability stands the test of time with his strike rate of 31.4 being the 7th best for bowlers with min. 200 wickets. Hardly receiving the new-ball in his younger years due to established pacer teammates, his numbers while coming as the first change or later are phenomenal. 72 wickets @19.04, this is the 3rd best average for all bowlers in the matches they bowled at the aforementioned bowling positions.
Saqlain Mushtaq
Saqlain’s second-half of his own career was much less celebrated compared to the “doosra” which he himself popularised in the 90s but the impression he imparted in his limited stay is enough to cement his legacy as one of the greatest spinners of the ODI format.
- Matches: 169
- Wickets: 288
- Average: 21.78
- Economy: 4.29
- Strike Rate: 30.4
Making his debut in 1995, Saqlain picked 65 and 69 wickets in his second and third year, respectively. Both performances still hold the record of being the most prolific wicket-taking years in ODIs by an individual. In fact, within 4 years from his debut, Saqlain had picked 176 wickets at an average of 18.71. And despite his steep decline, which was largely due to horrible knees, which eventually saw him playing his last ODI at the age (official) of 26, Saqlain’s average went above 30 in only 2003, his last year in ODIs.
Additionally, the myth that he turned ineffective against Asian opponents in later years is also false, mostly stemming from his below-par accomplishments in tests. Out of all his opponents, only South Africa was the team against whom he had an average in excess of 25 (36.87). Amongst all spinners, only Rashid Khan has a better average away from home than Saqlain (22.05).
He only played 2 World Cups, including the 1999 edition, where he was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker.
Players Who Missed Out
Zaheer Abbas and Abdul Razzaq: Two individuals who can be rightfully termed as better ODI players than quite a few players mentioned above, let’s start with Asia’s Bradman. Playing only 62 ODIs, Abbas was terrific in those 11 years, averaging 47.63 with a strike rate of 84.8, which is a massive outlier for the 80s. Though the issue was his competition was against Babar who himself has been brilliant is his short stay and the fact that Zaheer played only in 70% of the matches available to him compared to Lloyd’s figure of 98%, who we had picked in our Windies All Time XI, despite the later scoring less than 2K ODI runs.
Leaving out Razzaq too was a tough choice given his deceptively long career though Afridi’s mammoth strike rates when both were competing for a finisher’s role coupled with Imran’s superior bowling career meant Abdul misses out.
Saeed Ajmal: Amongst the last great off-spinners of the white-ball format, Saeed would have been a surety in this side if not for his sudden career halt in 2015. We decided to keep him aside due to his 8-year career compared to Akhtar’s 14-year stint and his lack of World Cup achievements, which shouldn’t be mixed with World Cup failures, for he played only 2 World Cup games against test-playing nations. Additionally, we already have 2 spinners in the side and felt Akhtar’s death bowling exploits provide better balance to our side though if one wished to go with a different combination, then both Master and Apprentice would have played along in this dream team.
