Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey

Co-written by the meme master @Abdushakoorcric.

Any Australians devastated by the UAE rain? In Pakistan’s domination of the second Test and subsequent T20Is, rain would have been welcome relief for us Australians.

In this series, Pakistan went some way to rectifying their ODI woes in 2018, ending their terrible run of 12 straight losses against New Zealand by thumping them in the second ODI. There was rain in the UAE, and Fakhar Zaman scored runs there, which made for a very weird end to the series.

In the end, congratulations to both teams for not losing the series. After rain proving the winner of the third ODI, let’s look at the individual performances of players by putting them under CricBlog microscope.

As always, feel free to leave your comments below!

Pakistan 

Fakhar Zaman: Two fifty plus scores after a failure in the first ODI was welcome relief to Fakhar and Pakistan fans. You could say he threw away opportunities to score a century, and in the third ODI, Babar Azam’s Test match approach early on could have contributed to his downfall. 7

Imam ul Haq: Looked good to handle the pressure teaming with Shoaib Malik in the first ODI after a destruction caused by Boult’s hatrick. In the end, fell victim of a Ferguson’s pacy bouncer and didn’t play the last match. 3.5

Babar Azam: Caught fishing on a wide delivery of Boult in the first ODI. Took Ferguson on with an uppercut and amazing drives in second match, but can often bat at his own pace to the detriment of the team. But, he carried on in the third match for a good 92, including a delightful six against Matt Henry. 7

Mohammad Hafeez: Still wants a piece of Ross Taylor. Faced Boult’s hatrick ball and couldn’t deal with it. Despite some good moments with the bat, he did a Colin Munro, not quite finding life as fun in the ODIs as the T20Is. Bowled pretty well to restrict New Zealand’s scoring. 5

Shoaib Malik: Had a horrible ODI series. He released the pressure put on Pakistan by Boult’s hatrick but then forced Pakistan further into the mire by playing a bad shot out of nowhere to mimic Imam in the 1st ODI. Couldn’t get going 2

Sarfraz Ahmed: Also wants a piece of Ross Taylor. He stood up for Hafeez, which is what any half-decent captain should do. He led the team well, playing a captain’s innings in the first match. Loved a bit of Hasan Ali at the death. 5

Cracking meme from @Abdushakoorcric

Imad Wasim: Cristiano Ronaldo Imad wasn’t as effective as he was in T20Is, but lent a good hand to Sarfraz in the quest for an ODI series win. Bowled economical overs. 4

Shadab Khan: Bowled beautifully to book three wickets in four balls, missing his hatrick by a whisker in the second ODI. Couldn’t show his batting ability due to a decision against him. Good economy rate, reflective of better control in his bowling. 7

Hasan Ali: In 2017, Hasan Ali was top class material. In 2018, he is unfortunately meme material. Hasan was way too expensive in the death overs even against the likes of Southee and Sodhi. A couple of wickets in the second ODI to save face. 3

Faheem Ashraf: Bowled well after missing out the first ODI. Backed Shaheen Afridi beautifully with his good overs. 6.5

Shaheen Afridi: Was the main bowler in the lineup. Showed good control and maturity as an 18-year old. Picked up nine wickets in 20.5 overs bowled, giving Colin Munro nightmares. “He is a real talent and a great find” called Ramiz Raja on air. 10

Shaheen is the man! @Abdushakoorcric

Asif Ali: Played only one match. Didn’t have enough time. Hit a good six. N/A

Harris Sohail: Played so freely in his only innings that Babar Azam looked like a snail in comparison early on. With a beautiful high elbow, he proved why he has a good ODI average. 7

Junaid Khan: Couldn’t replicate his superb Asia Cup game against Bangladesh, going for plenty in the first ODI. Missed the rest of the series with a toe injury. N/A

New Zealand

Colin Munro: Colin Munro is reportedly heading over to Australia to catch up for a beer with Chris Lynn. Both have plenty in common. Their ODI and T20 form is like chalk and cheese. Low on sleep due to his nightmares about Shaheen Afridi. 2

@Abdushakoorcric with the goods again!

George Worker: Worker worked hard but things didn’t work out. Was quite fidgety against Shaheen and struggled against the offies of Hafeez. 3

Kane Williamson: Out to a long hop, then run out off the bowler’s hand, then a groin strain. Not his best series. 3

Tom Latham: Showed why he’s considered a very good player of spin. Built a match winning partnership with Ross Taylor in the first ODI. 6.5

Ross Taylor: Got himself into water hotter than the Dubai rain. Had Sarfraz Ahmed angrier than when a misfield occurs in the field. Certainly didn’t give the best gestures, but provided good stability, being the only man to provide consistent resistance for New Zealand. 8

Henry Nicholls: For anyone who believes Henry Nicholls is New Zealand’s answer at number six in ODIs, it will be nice to have a friendly chat…. Got a golden duck in first ODI and ate up a lot of balls in the second without going on with the job. Not good enough. 3

BJ Watling: Added in the 3rd ODI. N/A

Colin de Grandhomme: Didn’t do his finishing job well. Bowled some economical overs, especially in the first ODI victory. 4

Tim Southee: Used all his experience to stop the run flow. Very economical. Little cameo with the bat too which Hasan Ali wouldn’t have liked. 6

Ish Sodhi: His death over batting was better than his bowling. On par with Adam Zampa for half-trackers. Too many. 3

Lockie Ferguson: Sheer pace. Breakthrough series for Lockie Ferguson, taking wickets on challenging surfaces for seam bowlers, highlighted by a good timber-hitting fifer in the final ODI. Worried many with his express balls. 9

Trent Boult: A magnificent comeback to international cricket with a hat trick. However, the party ended early for Boult, with things not so great after that. Lost his radar many times, which is odd for a fine bowler. 6

Matt Henry: Brought in for the final ODI, and tried honestly, without too much to write home about. N/A

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So, there we have it.

A real shame (perhaps more so for Pakistan) that rain ruined the decider. With Munro back in the sheds, and Williamson out with injury, New Zealand might have dodged a bullet.

Thank you once again to @Abdushakoorcric for a good laugh. Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter!

Thanks for reading!