Zaman, the missing spark in Pak quest

Spread across 10 venues, the ongoing ODI World Cup in India has showcased an interesting assortment of pitches. Teams have feasted on belters but have also had to grind it out on challenging surfaces.

- Aditya Chaturvedi

However, among the teams that have remained in the top four consistently, going hard early in the innings has been a common factor. Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Quinton de Kock and Rachin Ravindra have all ensured their teams have had an edge with audacious stroke play in the first 10 overs.

For Pakistan, though, this had been a struggle for long. After the first four World Cup games, they had gone more than 1100 deliveries without hitting a six in the powerplay.

That sequence was finally broken in the fifth game, against Afghanistan.

Sure, it's possible to maintain a high strike-rate even without hitting sixes, but clearing the rope does send a message to the opposition and puts them on the back foot.

After winning their first two games and losing the next four, Pakistan were in a desperate situation. They needed a change in approach, someone who could take the initiative and give them a head start.

And in Fakhar Zaman they found the saviour.

The left-hander hit a 74-ball 81 against Bangladesh and an unbeaten 126 off 81 balls against New Zealand on Saturday. Two must-win matches, two match-winning performances. At the end of the New Zealand game, hit by rain and decided on the rain-rule, Rohit Sharma and David Warner led the list of leading six-hitters in the tournament. They both had 20 maximums, facing 336 and 383 balls respectively.