The enigma that is Faheem Ashraf
Many would remember the 2017 Champions Trophy because of Pakistan’s stupendous victory against all odds, where they came into the tournament as the lowest-ranked side, eighth to be exact, in the event and after an initial hiccup bludgeoned over oppositions to lift the silverware.
However, there was this one match and one performances even before the event started that put on display the prowess of a fine young all-rounder, who would go on to become a mainstay in the Pakistan line-up after the event.
Faheem was on fire against Bangladesh in the warm-up game which Pakistan had lost by all means before the left-handed all-rounder walked in at the number nine position.
To add a little perspective, Bangladesh had scored 341 off their 50 overs courtesy Tamim Iqbal’s century and in their chase, Pakistan were left reeling at 248-8.
Shoaib Malik (72 off 66) was the highest scorer for Pakistan till that point with 40-plus contributions coming from Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez and Imad Wasim.
However, all those were not enough for Pakistan as they lacked the firepower to even cross the 300-run mark, let alone chase a 342-run target.
Enter Faheem. With an incredibly short boundary (42 metres) on offer to hit the ball out of the park, Faheem took the opposite route and cleared the longest boundaries in the ground. Meanwhile, he also put on display his straight-hitting ability. A total of four sixes and four fours helped him score 64 off just 30 balls, a rare sight coming from a Pakistani all-rounder.
Even people who remember the warm-up game, won’t remember the important ninth-wicket stand between Faheem and his young partner Hasan Ali. Hasan kept the scoreboard ticking too with his 27 off 15 courtesy one six and two fours.
So, after pulling off such an incredible save for Pakistan, everyone was sure that Faheem would make it into the playing eleven when the Champions Trophy group stage matches kick off. However, Pakistan’s notorious habit of keeping performers out and out-of-form players in the team was once again out there for everyone to see.
With competition for pace places tough in the Pakistan side, Faheem couldn’t make his debut in the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side’s first match and instead Hasan Ali was asked to wear the green alongside an in-form Mohammad Amir and an erratic Wahab Riaz. Pakistan also preferred to play leg-spin prodigy Shadab Khan together with Imad Wasim to boost their spin department.
Pakistan’s humiliation at the hands of India in the Champions Trophy opener will stay side to side with the victory against them in the final. Faheem will then get only one chance to bat and bowl in the Champions Trophy and that would in the match against Sri Lanka where Pakistan had to win to make it into the semis.
Faheem bagged two wickets in his 6.2 overs, giving away 37 runs. With the bat he would score 15 off as many balls before being unfortunately run-out.
Hasan’s perilous form, Amir’s heroics in the final and Sarfaraz’s captaincy to win the Champions Trophy stole all the limelight, but in the background of it all, Pakistan knew that a star was born for them.
However, the star took a lot of time to find its light, but recent form has shown that Faheem may have just learned to finally play the all-rounder’s role.
A look at his short career in all formats show a stark contrast between the player Faheem promised to be and the player he turned out to be.
In 25 ODIs, he has only scored only 185 with the highest being 28. Meanwhile, he has bagged only 21 wickets even if we consider him a fast-bowling all-rounder.
In 32 T20Is, he has scored even lesser runs with only 170 to his name. And in the wickets column, there are no extravagant numbers to show with only 29 scalps to his name.
However, it is the five-day Tests, where Faheem was seen peaking recently.
In the New Zealand series, Faheem scored a fighting 91 in the first innings of the first Test to help Pakistan get out of a tight spot. He also bagged two wickets in the Test.
He followed up that fight in the first innings of the second Test with a 48-run innings. This time he bagged a single wicket in the two innings.
In the first South Africa Test, he only bowled 14 overs in both innings. However, he scored an important 64 in the first innings.
And now, as the second Test enters business end, he has an unbeaten 78 to show in the first innings, one more run than Babar Azam.
This recent surge in runs from Faheem suggests that he was wrong to consider himself a bowling all-rounder all along. He should have opted to be labelled as a batting all-rounder. But labels don’t matter really, when you are performing in at least one department if you’re an all-rounder and maybe the heydays of Faheem are here now, but with the bat.
-
The MeasurersCarbon nanotubes boost efficiency in "nanobionic" bacterial solar cells共谋企业发展 共寻百姓致富之路New photos reveal Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is going to be pretty swankyNumber of COVID加大古村、古树保护力度定了!2024年广东“百千万工程”重点任务→百名法官下基层 为民解困 为民排忧“精致小春姐”顾春芳:华丽白西装、镶钻水晶拖鞋,带来新兴凉果No.1North Korea seeks more concessions from US: experts
下一篇:How to watch 'Kinds of Kindness': When is it streaming?
- ·Supercritical geothermal power: Limitless promise or impossible dream?
- ·Here are the surprisingly weird foods people hate the most in each state
- ·Why iPhone owners should turn off AirDrop. Now.
- ·观音堂 雅安东界乡村的古建遗存
- ·Spate of defections show Kim Jong
- ·雨城区东城街道育才路社区成为我市首个“全国科普示范社区”
- ·New electrode wastes no space to offer EV batteries a 25% density boost
- ·Rohit Sharma surpasses Babar Azam’s another record, sets new T20 milestone
- ·中山古镇:到苏炳添家乡看“村BA”,来一场说走就走的美食之旅
- ·Pak squad for Women’s T20 Asia Cup named
- ·Houston's good Samaritans are watching out for each other as Harvey rages on
- ·芦山县检察院加强监外执行检察切实维护社会稳定
- ·U.S. Senators call on FTC to investigate the security of drivers' data
- ·Why you should update your iPhone to iOS 14.5.1 now
- ·North Korean leader visits mausoleum to mark late grandfather's death anniversary
- ·'US ready to sit down with North Korea anytime'
- ·Families of S. Korean detainees in NK appeal to embassies for support
- ·Chinese internet users will no longer be able to post online anonymously
- ·提倡见义勇为 大力弘扬社会正气
- ·共谋企业发展 共寻百姓致富之路
- ·Update your BIOS: Utilities from Top Motherboard Makers
- ·No Messi, no problem as Argentina down Peru
- ·观音堂 雅安东界乡村的古建遗存
- ·使雅安茶产业“墙内开花墙外香”
- ·Anatomy of a Keyboard
- ·South Korean Olympic chief clinging to hope for North Korean participation in Tokyo 2020
- ·护航孩子成长 解决职工后顾之忧
- ·"Brick toaster" aims to cut global CO2 emissions by 15% in 15 years
- ·This foster dog's resume is bound to get this good pup the best home
- ·Netflix finally launched that shuffle feature you demanded
- ·Alcaraz, Sinner survive US Open wobbles
- ·Kohli, Rohit retire from T20Is
- ·Houston's good Samaritans are watching out for each other as Harvey rages on
- ·Here’s how Bumble plans on winning the dating app wars (and why they just passed on $450M)
- ·DOJ accuses TikTok of collecting and sharing users' personal views, as the app fights a ban
- ·梅州梅县区2023年度广东省“百千万工程”考核获评优秀