Mohammad Hafeez: The other side of the Story

When you mention the name Mohammad Hafeez to Pakistani fans, all you get to hear is that he is a good 20 run batsman who somehow finds a way to get out but he is more than a handy bowler.  Lets put aside his bowling stats and focus on his batting.  Is he really that bad of a batsman especially in ODI that he does not belong in Pakistani lineup as a batsman?  or may be we remember him when he first arrived on the scene back in 2003 , is this a classic case of  first impression being the last and only impression? Or is it him becoming Dale Steyn bunny has something to do with it?

After the 4th ODI vs. the Sri Lanka, Hafeez is now the 14th Pakistani batsman to cross 4000 runs in the ODI.  This year he also managed to match Mohammad Yousuf’s record of scoring 5 centuries in a calendar year.  Lets dig a little deeper into his ODI career, so far he has played 140 ODI with an average of a little over 30 runs, which to be honest is not up to par with any decent top order batsmen, but if you divide his career in a half you will find a completely different picture. Lets take a look at the stats below

Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50
First 70 Games	70	2	1521	115	22.3	1	7
Last 70 Games	70	7	2534	140*	40.22	8	11

           

Interesting isn't it? That a guy who gets ripped apart for his batting is averaging 40 runs a game, for the second half of his career, yet he never gets any brownie points from the fans.  The stats clearly show that he’s maturing as a batsman, a batsman who knows how to convert his start into a bigger score, a skill that is still lacking in a lot of young Pakistani batsmen.  He’s averaging better than Umer Akmal, Ahmed Shezad, Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafiq, etc etc.  The only player who has a better run with the bat in his last 70 games for Pakistan is none other then Misbah Ul Haq, who himself is another lightning rod to the Pakistani fans but unlike Hafeez he has some fans who actually root for him J

If you take that 40 run average, which in not all world, and for the argument sake we take the players like Dhoni, Kholi, Amla, Clark and AB out who are on top of the food chain, Hafeez holds more than enough on his own with the others in the world.

Last 70 games

Name	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50
Alastair Cook	70	70	3	2601	137	38.82	5	18
Ross Taylor	70	63	6	2188	131*	38.39	5	14
Rohit Sharma	70	67	9	2216	209	38.21	2	16
Mahela Jayawardene	70	64	5	2148	144	36.41	3	15
Suresh Raina	70	62	12	1756	89*	35.12	0	13
Grame Smith	70	69	3	2283	141	34.59	4	14
Brendon McCullum	70	66	5	2109	119	34.57	3	12
Kevin Pieterson	70	65	4	2051	130	33.62	4	9
Chris Gayle	70	70	5	2127	135	32.72	6	8

By no means I’m trying to say Hafeez is the second coming of Don Bradman but he’s proving that he’s not as bad as what most people think he is and along with his bowling and fielding he is an above average player and on his days a match winner.



Writer's Note: This was my perspective, I would love to know your perspective. To read what  Danish Shah has to say about Hafeez, read what he shared earlier on the blog Why Mohammad Hafeez’s three centuries are overrated

Why Mohammad Hafeez’s three centuries are overrated

Mohammad Hafeez made his ODI debut in 2003 and has since featured in 140 matches with a career batting average of 30.95 and a career bowling average of 35.5. Prior to the ongoing series against SL his average was a formidable 28. In the ongoing bilateral ODI series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in which Pakistan has already attained an unassailable lead of 3-1, Mohammad Hafeez has produced the best performance of his career. It has to be said that it’s not an easy feat to notch up three centuries in a series and credit should be given for this effort. With that said, however, we also need to not overblow it and count him among the best Pakistan has produced, as these scores came on placid wickets and against a depleted Sri Lanka bowling attack.

In the past 10 years of his international career, Hafeez has seldom seen the kind of the “up” he’s been experiencing in the year 2013 as he’s among the top scorers in a single calendar year. On paper it looks very promising, however, if we start digging more into his career stats the record looks bleaker and dingier. For example in all of his 10+ season in the international arena, his other great performance came in 2011 where he averaged a whopping 56.33 in 10 matches (in 2013 his avg. is 52.25). But those matches were spread as follows; 2 against Ireland, 5 against West Indies and 3 against Zimbabwe. From 2011 to 2012, Hafeez has one or two innings of any note but then came 2013 when Pakistan met the mighty Zimbabwe and Ireland in the same year again, and believe it or not Hafeez’s batting average went haywire again. Although his recent performance didn’t come against the above mentioned teams but looking at the present SL attack one can easily see why that is the case. This year so far Pakistan has played India, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe. Hafeez’s avg. against each team is as follows:

Vs. India = 27

Vs. Ireland = 124

Vs. Scotland = 18

Vs South Africa = 16

Vs. Sri Lanka = 203.5

Vs West Indies = 18.16

Vs Zimbabwe = 232

In conclusion, Hafeez may be an experienced player whose recent performances cannot be ignored, is it sign for better things to come? Let’s hope so, however I highly doubt that. Hafeez as we know and seen him, is not the kind of a player who can be persisted with in the team at the cost of some other young talent who has a far superior technique and stats and who can carry the team forward. We know that this performance has cemented his place till at least the next world cup. This is unfortunate, because the tournament is going to be held in Australia where Hafeez’s weakness outside off stump will be overly exposed and he will most probably become a liability on the team. Some may say he’s in the team for his bowling but a career bowling average of 35.5 is hardly an excuse for his consistent place in the team. So let’s give him credit for a fabulous performance against SL, but please let’s not go overboard with it.

Pakistani Bowling Attack or just a Liability?

 Most of the Pakistani cricket fans have always believed that the Pakistani bowling unit is head and shoulder above its batting unit. But the  second ODI in the recent Sri Lankas series might be the card that changes the game or in this case minds of thousands of people who live, eat and sleep cricket, and have stood by their extremely unpredictable team through some very embarrassing performances on international grounds.

In the last two T20 games and the two ODI, the supposedly not so impressive  batting lineup has churned out more than expected numbers. The inclusion of new blood Sharjeel and Sohaib was a brilliant idea as they are contributing along with Shehzad, Hafeez, Misbah. Even Afridi is on fire, we finally got to see some long awaited action from him.

Bowling on the other side lacked the zest it has shown in the past. Giving up record 211 runs in the second T20 didn't help, nor did giving up back to back 280+ runs in ODI bodes well for a team that pride themselves on bowling . The experiment with Usman Sherwani was a disaster and along with Bhatti, who was a revelation against South Africa took a step back, but that was expected from the first year player.  Junaid has been average at best so far but he has taken the most wickets in the series, that leaves us with Sohail Tanvir :) He is the de fecto spearhead of this bowling attack with Mohammad Irfan being out with injury.  The only thing that can be said about his bowling is that it is inconsistent at best.  In the past he used to go for runs but at the end of day there were some crooked numbers in the wicket columns but even that column has been dry but he's not alone.  The spinners so far haven't had any consistent success against the Sri Lankan's either.  The strike rate is down and the economy rate is up and that's true with Hafeez, Afridi and Ajmal.  

Most of the people are blaming Tanvir for the ugly loss today but the game of cricket is a team game and we can't make one player the escape goat when none of the players performed like they should have.

So this raises a question. Did we put up our bowling attack on a pedestal and thought very high of it or we are just missing Irfan or Gul from the bowling attack? 

Preview: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

There is no doubt that this series is very important for both sides. Knowing the recent history, this series is more significant for Pakistan for several reasons. First, the coach, Whatmore, needs to further prove himself that he is the right man for this job, although, the win against SA did help his cause to subside the spotlight in the Paki media. Second, the team would want to find a balanced batting order with a combination of junior and senior players, which has always been the main problem. Lastly, this series might be the last series for few players (Umer Amin, Anwar Ali, Asad Shafiq); Hafeez & Afridi only need an inning of 30-odd runs to retain their places for the following series . Statistically, the Pak team has a better record against SL; and if they can win this series along with finding a right balance in the batting order, this will be a great boost in preparation for the next World Cup.

I don’t really want to talk about who should or shouldn’t be selected because that is solely on journalist Najam Sethi and not even Imran khan can comment on that  #Politics  

But, from whatever is available, here is my batting lineup for the first ODI: 

1. Sharjeel Khan
2. Ahmed Shehzad
3. M. Hafeez
4. Sohaib Maqsood
5. Misbah-ul-Haq
6. Umar Akmal
7. Haris Sohail
8. S. Afridi
9. S. Tanvir
10. S. Ajmal
11. Junaid khan

*Yes, Hafeez is my 5th bowler

League of Champions

New Jersey is home to 4 major cricket leagues, Cricket League of New Jersey (CLNJ), Millennium Cricket League (MCL), Garden State Cricket League (GSCL), & The New Jersey Cricket Association (NJCA).Some might say that having too many cricket leagues may dilute the talent pool etc. but I say why not use this to our advantage and have our own “Champions League” or may I dare say “League of Champions” ;)

Imagine a small tournament in which the 40 over champions from all the 4 leagues compete to be called the best club in NJ. I believe that if something of this nature may take place it will only help us to promote the game in our state and help us to identify the cricketing talent that NJ has to offer. I understand that USACA has these so called “inter-league tournaments” every year which is supposed to serve the same purpose as I mentioned above, but let’s face it, USACA has done nothing in the past and doesn’t appear to be doing anything in the future for except a few leagues and individuals.

It is about time that we as a state take matter into our own hands and all the 4 major NJ leagues come together to showcase our talent via organizing such a grand tournament. I am sure that we have plenty of resources on and off the field that we can utilize and execute a great & successful “League of Champions”