The Curious Case of Fawad Alam

Every time he walks out to bat, there is an uncomfortable feeling of watching a meaningless innings from an overrated batsman. His career ODI strike rate of 74 runs per hundred balls is too low for an allrounder-turned-specialist batsman coming in the lower order. He can't play the short ball, a deficiency which makes him ineffective on fast bouncy pitches. He doesn't have the power to hit boundaries required at the end of an innings. His technique has been criticized, his stance even more. But his stats say otherwise.

He averages over 42 in ODIs (as of today). Of his 23 innings in ODI cricket till now, he has returned not out 9 times, with a strike rate of 103.54 in those innings. Nearly all his best performances have come when the team needed them most (fifties against Australia, England and South Africa).

In T20s, he averages 18 (SR 117) which is acceptable considering he comes in to bat at no.7 with not many balls left.

In his three Tests (two in Srilanka, one in New Zealand) he averages 41.66. He has yet to prove his test credentials though. His only Test innings of note is the brilliant 168 he scored on debut against Srilanka in Colombo, in 2009. 

His pattern of scoring suggests that he likes to accumulate runs in singles and doubles and then hit out in the latter part of his innings. To be fair to him, for a man criticized for being too slow in his scoring, he hasn't been given adequate chances. In limited overs cricket he comes in to bat at no.6 or 7 when he would have been better suited in the middle order, especially in the absence of some senior batsmen. On many occasions, he has had to rebuild the innings after a batting collapse. In Tests he hasn't been given a proper chance since he failed in the Dunedin Test against New Zealand.

He hasn't been used as a bowler for a long time, even though he came into the national team as a genuine left-handed allrounder. In domestic cricket his real breakthrough was the 2006-07 season where he outshone the rest by miles. He guided Karachi Dolphins to the final of the Twenty20 Cup (losing to defending champions Sialkot Stallions) where he not only grabbed a five-wicket haul and scored a valiant 54, but also went home with the Man of the Final, Man of the Series, Best Batsman and Best Bowler awards.

He isn't the best batsman in the team but he is one of the most consistent and most committed among the new crop of players. He is arguably the best fielder in the national team. Having seen his last ODI innings, I think he deserves to play in the World Cup, in conditions which suit his batting.