ICC World Cup: The curious case of Imam-ul-Haq
Imam has been heavily criticised for not batting with a good strike rate
KARACHI: The Pakistan cricket team played their fifth match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 against Afghanistan in Chennai on Monday, which they ended up losing by eight wickets.
Pakistan opted to bat first and posted 282/7 on the board at the end of their 50 overs. Imam-ul-Haq scored 17 (22) in this inning and it was yet another objectionable knock by the left-handed opener on a tough surface.
Imam has been heavily criticised for not batting with a good strike rate and being vulnerable on tricky pitches or against tough opponents. Being a modern-day opener, his strike rate of 82.63 looks quite average in ODI cricket but Imam thinks it is fine.
In the previous game against Australia, Imam scored 70 (71) while chasing 368. In Bengaluru, where the Aussie openers struck nine sixes each, Imam was unable to hit any. The pitch at Bengaluru was good for the batsmen and Imam should have done better than scoring run-a-ball 70.
Previously, against Sri Lanka, he scored 12 (12), and against the Netherlands, he scored 15 (19). Only once he has scored big in this event and even at a batting paradise like that, he couldn’t do much.
If we take a look at his World Cup career so far, he has played 13 games in the World Cup (2019 and 2023) scoring 455 runs, averaging just 35 with one century and two half-centuries. Two of these half-centuries have come against Australia. In 2019, Imam took 75 balls to score 53 while chasing 308 at Taunton. His century was against Bangladesh in the 2019 World Cup but that game was of no significance. Not taking away the credit for his World Cup century, but Imam has been a disappointment in important matches or in tricky conditions.
If we look at his numbers in ODI cricket in away conditions, Imam averages 45 in England, but his strike rate is just 80, which is quite mediocre. In South Africa, Imam averages 50 and has a strike rate 81.41. In New Zealand, the left-handed batter has played just one ODI innings and has scored only two runs. In Sri Lanka and UAE as well, Imam-ul-Haq averages 40+ but his strike rate is below 75. No matter how tricky or slow the conditions are, having a low strike rate like this can cost your team matches.
Despite playing 71 games, Imam has only three Man of the Match awards. Two of them are in Asian Conditions (vs New Zealand in Karachi and vs Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi). Out of Asia, he has only one MOTM award, and that is against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
Imam’s potential and good record in Pakistan is something that we appreciate. His skill is not questioned, but his ability to do well and step up when the team needs is questionable. Not batting as per the requirements of the modern era is hurting Pakistan and it might be about time that Pakistan start think to bring back Fakhar Zaman for the remaining matches of World Cup 2023, who has the ability to take the attack to the opposition.
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