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