Is Imad Wasim the most underrated all-rounder?

28-year-old's stats allow us to portray a complete picture of his skills

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket is a story of two sides, one glorious and one ugly. On Sunday, it was the glorious side which showed up at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), as the team registered their first win against the mighty Aussies on their home soil in 12 years.

The triumph was the most notable in country’s recent ODI history, even though some might suggest the victory against England in the final ODI of the five-match series last August was also of greater significance.

Following an impressive show, as expected, there was praise for stand-in captain Muhammad Hafeez for his aggressive captaincy, for veteran Shoaib Malik for his clinical finishing and for the much-awaited new-ball combo of Junaid Khan and Mohammad Amir for making inroads early on in the Australian innings.

However, one man, Imad Wasim, somehow did not get the praise he deserved for once again showing that he is by far, Pakistan’s best find in the shorter formats since the 2015 World Cup.

The 28-year-old is currently the third highest wicket-taker in the series behind Australia’s James Faulkner (six) and Amir (five), whereas he has the most economical figures amongst all the bowlers playing in the competition.

Imad Wasim celebrates Travis Head's wicket, Australia v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Brisbane, January 13, 2017. PHOTO COURTESY: CRICKET AUSTRALIA

Imad’s rise is well beyond his numbers in the ongoing series, which is why it will not be an overstatement if we say that he probably is the best and most under-rated all-rounder in the shorter format of the game.

Since his debut, Imad has the best bowling average amongst all the Pakistani bowlers (24.43), which is also the 13th best in the world for the bowlers who bowled more than 70 overs since July 2015.

His record is better in this regard than the likes of England’s Ben Stokes, Bangladesh’s Shakib alHasan, India’s Ravindra Jadeja and Australia’s duo of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Not only that, in terms of economy, he holds the 13th spot in the list of bowlers — the best amongst all Pakistani bowlers once again — whereas in terms of strike rate, he is third on the list of Pakistani bowlers with his strike rate of 33 just behind Amir (31.9) and young Hasan Ali (32.2).

Digging further into statistics reveals that since his return from injury post England tour, his performance improved further, which is why since January 2016, he holds the best bowling average amongst all spin-bowling all-rounders in the 50-over format, and second best in all-round capacity behind Australia’s Faulkner in the world.

Imad Wasim has the fourth best average since making debut for Pakistan in july 2015. PHOTO: AFP

Not only that, he also holds the third best economy rate in the world since January 2016 behind India’s Jasprit Bumrah and West Indian Sunil Narine.

In batting, Imad’s record is as good as the team would have expected from a number seven player as he has the fourth highest average (44.4) since making his debut, behind Babar Azam (53.87), Malik (50.35) and vice-captain Sarfraz Ahmed (48.75) — he also has an impressive and improving strike rate of over 96.

It was also no surprise that Imad’s performances have impacted the team in a much broader sense as he was the most notable absentee from Pakistan’s bowling department in both of the matches where the Men in Green conceded more than 350 runs in the last two years.

It’s not only his numbers which makes the difference, but it’s his attitude on the field as well which makes him a natural candidate for leading the side in the future.

Imad Wasim played an important part in Pakistan's win over Australia at MCG on Sunday. PHOTO COURTESY: CRICKET AUSTRALIA

He showed that he has the ability to stay calm under pressure, which is why he hit the famous six to seal a special T20I victory against Sri Lanka in 2015.

His reaction after getting Glenn Maxwell’s wicket on Sunday at MCG was tantamount to what Imad is all about where he shouted ‘it’s me, it’s me’. It was rather the celebration showing pride playing for Pakistan, and showing the belief that he is not some cricketer playing any other cricketer, but he is someone who earned it, and someone who deserve it.

In Imad, Pakistan has found the man they were looking for; someone they can rely on, someone who will put his hand up and deliver when needed.

Slowly but surely, he is becoming Pakistan’s Mr Indispensable.