Shocking Stats Reveal Pakistan’s ODI Batting Struggles

While everyone was pleased with Pakistan’s performance in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, experts have revealed an alarming stat that continues to plague the Men in Green in white-ball cricket.

Pakistan’s ODI power-play performance since the end of the 2023 World Cup shows a clear pattern of slow scoring and frequent early wickets, raising concerns about the team’s ability to set strong platforms and gaining an advantage early on in 50-over cricket.

The stats show that when batting first, Pakistan average 26.00 in the first 10 overs, scoring at 4.30 runs per over while losing nearly two wickets. Pakistan’s struggles at setting up a formidable total have been a cause of concern, which has hampered the team on several occasions.

Since the end of the ODI World Cup 2023, Pakistan has batted first 9 times, and have managed to lose 2 or more wickets in 6 innings out of these 9.

Across all 24 innings in this period (batting first and second), their power-play scoring rate remains modest at 4.54 while their average increases to 34.00 in the first 10 overs of the match.

Out of these 24 innings the team has gone at six runs per over or more only three times.

Analysts believe these numbers reflect a lack of early-innings intent, an area where Pakistan trails behind modern ODI batting standards, where teams regularly aim for quicker starts.

Pakistan PP Batting First (Since End of 2023 ODI World Cup)