Electrifying But Inconsistent, A Sneak Peek Into Pakistan's Strongest ODI XI Between 2010-2019

Babar, Misbah, Afridi, Ajmal Headline Pakistan's Highly Entertaining But Volatile ODI XI For Last Decade

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New Delhi: Pakistan may have not been one of the big guns in ODI cricket but continued to one of the most entertaining teams in the limited-overs arena during the last decade. On their day and when in full steam, the erratic yet highly talented Pakistani unit were giant killers and world-beaters, but when off colour they could well be self-destructive and a mere shadow of their best. Electric but inconsistent, party spoilers but self-destructive; one never knew which Pakistan ODI team would turn up on the given day. Too many changes of the guard in leadership, lack of a proper domestic structure amid an internal political turmoil, infighting among players and the menace of match-fixing plagued the subcontinent nation which otherwise beamed with cricketing talent aplenty. Nevertheless, the subcontinent team had their moments under the sun and went onto pull on a major upset by winning the ICC 2017 Champions Trophy final against arch rivals India. We take a look into Pakistan's strongest possible ODI XI for the last decade 1. Zaman, Imam, Ali Provide The Fireworks Up The Order After almost two decades, Pakistan had some semblance at the top of the order with a dependable opening pair in Imam Ul Haq and Fakhar Zaman. While the more aggressive Zaman was the assaulter with his flashy shotmaking, the technically compact and sound Imam was more of the consolidator with his refined aggression. It is notable that the flamboyant right hander Ahmed Shehzad and the technically sound Test specialist Azhar Ali did considerably well while opening the batting in ODIs.It was a real shame that the 'Pakis' lost out on two promising openers in Nasir Jamshed and Sharjeel Khan to match fixing. 2. Babar Azam And Misbah Ul Haq Excel As Sheet Anchors In A Pretty Up And Down Middle Order In Babar Azam, Pakistan had their best with the willow of the decade, batting at the crucial No. 3 position. The stylish strokeplayer who oozed in class was their batting lynchpin, stroking his way to some eye catching tons helping Pakistan pull off impressive wins.Consistency was Babar's forte and he came the impregnable wall of a pretty up and down Pakistani middle order. Pakistan's veteran Mohammad Hafeez was their multi utility all-rounder who did yeoman service doning multiple hats for the team. While, Hafeez blended caution with aggression while opening the batting, he could also play the sheet anchor's role in the middle order with his stoic defence and sound technique. Pakistan did not have a stable campaigner in ODIs at No. 4 as they were quite a few claimants who came and went. However, Misbah Ul Haq ended a long standing woe by turning into their most reliable and consistent run scorer at that position. Experienced campaigners like Younis Khan and Mohammad Hafeez also chipped in with meaningful knocks. Meanwhile, Haris Sohail always impressed with his encapsulating strokeplay, whenever he made sporadic appearances in the ODI Playing XI. At No 5., the ever dependable Misbah Ul Haq with his calm demeanour was an ideal batsman to execute his free flowing game and step up the gas with his belligerent hitting. Meanwhile, the highly gifted but temperamental batsman Umar Akmal did play some scintillating knocks to win matches single handedly but failed to capitalize on his immense talent due to disciplinary issues. 3. Afridi, Malik, U Akmal Provide Lethal Firepower Down The Order Pakistan had some heavy artillery in the lower order with some big hitters in Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi,Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Sohail Tanvir and Imad Wasim who played explosive cameos to seal nerve wrecking wins out the jaws of defeat.

While 'Boom Boom' Afridi's daredevilish glitz with the willow kept the fans at the edge of their seats, Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz Ahmed were more assured and measured in unleashing some real damage down the order. Gul, Riaz, Amir, Junaid and Co. Give Plenty To Choose From In Seam Attack Pakistan continued to amaze with their mouth watering line-up of world class pacemen who won them matches on the back of some lethal spells. While the first half of the decade saw Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan being at the peaks of their prowess, the second half witnessed the rise of speedsters in Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Shinwari and their potent strike weapon Hasan Ali who was an outright wicket-taker, providing the 'Pakis' with  plenty of firepower in their seam armoury.

Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi Spearhead A  Spin Armoury

Spin had always been Pakistan's forte and their arsenal boasted of quite a few world class spinners in Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi. At his peak, Ajmal was arguably the best ODI off spinner who could run through lineups with his bagful of tricks.

Meanwhile, Shahid Afridi matured into a noteworthy leg spinner and had decent company with Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez proving  effective in white ball cricket. Once Ajmal retired, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim and Yasir Shah took over the reins

The contributions of Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Shoaib Akhtar are noteworthy early in the part of the decade.Pakistan Best ODI XI (2010-2019) - Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq / Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Misbah Ul Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul / Junaid Khan 12th Man - Mohammad Amir / Umar Akmal Notable Mentions

Batsmen - Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad, Younis Khan, Haris SohailSpinners - Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan, Abdur Rehman All-rounders - Imad Wasim, Sohail Tanvir Seamers - Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan Pakistan Record In ODIs (2010-2019) Matches - 217 Wins - 104 Win% - 48 Performance At ICC World Cup (2010-2019) 2019 - Round Robin Stage, 2015 - Quarterfinals, 2011 - Semifinal