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We look all the standout numbers from his international career as captain, batter, wicketkeeper, and…wait for it…bowler

Gaurav Sundararaman and Shiva Jayaraman15-Aug-2020ESPNcricinfo Ltd Dhoni the batsman 50.57 Dhoni’s average in ODIs. Only Virat Kohli has a better average among those who have scored 10000 runs or more in ODI cricket. In fact, only Dhoni and Kohli average above 50. Sachin Tendulkar is placed third, with an average of 44.83. 47 Instances of Dhoni remaining unbeaten in successful chases in ODIs. No other batsman comes close. Jonty Rhodes is second, with 33 such not-outs. Incidentally, India have lost only two matches when Dhoni was not out in a chase: against Pakistan in Kolkata in 2013, and against England at the 2019 World Cup. 9 Instances in which Dhoni completed a successful ODI chase with a six. No other player has achieved this feat more times than him. 229 Sixes hit by Dhoni in ODIs. Only Rohit Sharma has hit more sixes for India than Dhoni, who is placed fifth on the all-time list for most sixes by any player. 7 Centuries scored by Dhoni at No. 5 five or lower – joint-highest for any team along with Yuvraj Singh and Jos Buttler. Two of his best hundreds in ODIs came early in his career while batting at No. 3 when he scored 183* and 148 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Dhoni the captain 3 ICC tournaments won by India under Dhoni; it is the most by an India captain. Only Ricky Ponting has won more ICC titles as captain than Dhoni. 332 Most matches as captain in international cricket. Dhoni led India in 200 ODIs, 72 T20Is, and 60 Tests. He also has the second-most wins in limited-overs international games – 151 – behind only Ponting’s 172. 53.55 Average for Dhoni as a batsman while captaining in ODIs. Only Kohli has a higher average among batsmen to score more than 5000 ODI runs. In terms of runs alone, only Ponting fared better as captain. 2 Losses for MS Dhoni in ODI World Cup matches as captain. Only Ponting and Clive Lloyd have a better win-loss ratio than Dhoni. His record in ODI World Cups was almost impeccable, with his two losses coming against South Africa (in the league stage of the 2011 World Cup) and Australia (in the semi-final of the 2015 World Cup). His record in the T20 World Cups, however, was modest, with 20 wins and 11 losses.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Dhoni the wicketkeeper 444 Dismissals by Dhoni in ODIs – third-most in the format. However, his 123 stumpings are the most by any wicketkeeper. No other keeper has 100 stumpings. His 91 dismissals in T20Is, including 34 stumpings are also the highest for any cricketer in the format. 6641 Runs scored as captain-wicketkeeper in ODIs. No other batsman has scored as many runs while leading their team and donning the gloves. Dhoni was India’s captain and gloveman in 200 matches. Apart from him, no other keeper has led his country in more than 46 games. In terms of runs scored as a captain-keeper, Kumar Sangakkara is a distant second with 1756 runs from 45 matches.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Dhoni the bowler Lest you forgot, Dhoni has bowled, too. He has one ODI wicket against his name – that of Travis Dowlin from the match against West Indies in 2009.

Carey’s first one-day hundred came at a crucial personal time but his position as Tim Paine’s understudy in the Test side could yet be challenged

Daniel Brettig22-Sep-2020″I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now what I’m with isn’t it, and what’s it seems weird and scary to me, and it’ll happen to you, too.”Many a cricketer at the mercy of selection whims will find something empathetic in Grandpa Simpson’s line about the passing of time and age. Few, though, will find it ringing more truly than Alex Carey, who in the space of less than a year has found himself moving from the status of “emerging talent and leader” to that of “ageing pro battling to hold his place in the national team”.Some players, like the national team coach Justin Langer, spend virtually their entire careers feeling like the latter, whereas Shaun and Mitchell Marsh each retained the former tag for more than a decade. The major variable tends to be the emergence of others to challenge for the same spot, and in Carey’s case his probable usurper is no longer a distant dot in the rearview mirror.An exceptional rearguard century in the company of Glenn Maxwell to win Australia the ODI series against England in Manchester not only broke a sequence of slim scores in national colours that had begun in the wake of Carey’s breakout World Cup performances, but also held back the voices advocating ever more bullishly for the claims of the 23-year-old Josh Philippe. As a performance it carried more than a passing resemblance to Ian Healy’s big Test century against West Indies at the Gabba in November 1996 when Adam Gilchrist was fast closing on his place.ALSO READ: Tour takeaways – Warner’s new nemesis, Carey’s comeback and quality quicksFrom there, Healy was able to retain his spot for another three successful years, winning two more Ashes series away and at home to ensure Australia retained global supremacy in Tests until he left the stage to Gilchrist in 1999, by which time the younger man had just turned 28 and won an ODI World Cup himself. Carey is now of a similar vintage.It’s more or less exactly a year since the selection chairman Trevor Hohns had spoken glowingly of Carey, his leadership qualities and the panel’s desire to see him promoted to the captaincy of South Australia in place of Travis Head. Carey had been promoted to co-vice-captaincy of Australia’s T20 team, and was also Tim Paine’s wicketkeeping, if not leadership, understudy in Test matches.That Carey was 28 years old did not appear to be much of an issue for the selectors at the time, and it was often noted that the years he had lost in pursuing a football career – he was inaugural captain of the Greater Western Sydney Giants before the AFL’s 18th club formally entered the league – had provided him with an array of life experience useful to aiding the progress of teams. Fatherhood, too, was seen as a useful exemplar of Carey’s status as an adult among the frequently arrested development of cricketers.Alex Carey’s maiden one-day hundred came at a crucial time for him and the team•Getty ImagesWhat happened then, to change the arc of Carey’s tale? First, the Test captain Paine’s performances improved after some shaky moments during the Ashes, as he and the selectors gained greater clarity about how much further he will go. It seems now that Paine will lead at least until the end of the nominal World Test Championship cycle in July 2021, and more than likely carry on until the end of the home Ashes series in January 2022, by which time he will be 37 years old.Secondly, Philippe maintained his upward curve as, alongside his fellow West Australian product Cameron Green, two of the most promising young batting talents in the country. Philippe delivered impressive consistency for the title-winning Sydney Sixers in the BBL, while also scoring his runs at a notably faster tempo than Carey for the Adelaide Strikers. And though Carey’s Sheffield Shield returns for South Australia were comfortably better than Philippe’s, it was also evident that international teams were homing in on the left-hander’s areas of weakness after getting a sighter during the World Cup.ALSO READ: Australians in the IPL – ESPNcricinfo’s one-stop guideWhen Covid-19 intervened in March, the wheels were set in motion for another major change to Australia’s schedule, the postponement of the 2020 T20 World Cup to 2022, with the next edition of the event to instead be held in India in late 2021. The selectors suddenly had a lot more time to consider their choices for wicketkeeper-batsman.This all meant that Carey didn’t go to England for his first assignment of the 2020-21 season with complete certainty around his place in the team. Tellingly, he had lost his share of the vice-captaincy, and in Philippe faced a younger competitor with a more outwardly brash attitude than the humility noted by virtually anyone to spend time around Carey.All these dynamics influenced the shape of the Australian squad, but also made other team-mates aware of the fact that “Kez”, as he is affectionately known, might not be around for as long as had previously been the case. This much was underlined when Gilchrist, styled as a mentor to Carey in 2019, had spoken up about Philippe: “I reckon a guy who, in time, could very well be the solution, whether it’s going out at No.1 or 2 or getting a chance in that middle order, is Josh Philippe.”Very exciting young talent, still learning his craft, about himself and what his capabilities are, and of course match situations. But the quicker you get them exposed to the top level with that uninhibited approach, he can maybe catch a few teams off guard.”Josh Philippe shone at the start of the Sixers’ chase•Getty Images and Cricket AustraliaVery quickly, Carey was being spoken about as the shaky incumbent rather than the coming man, a position numerous others in the team will have empathised with given their own histories. There was certainly a great deal of warmth in Maxwell’s voice when he spoke in the aftermath of his Old Trafford stand with Carey, as they provided an ideal contrast of approaches to win a game that had appeared almost certainly lost.”Batting with Alex Carey out there, seeing him get his first ODI hundred is pretty special, knowing how hard he’s worked, he’s such a great person and one of the great guys to be around, I see him every day, he makes me smile and we always have a laugh together,” Maxwell said. “To see him get the rewards at the other end was extremely special, and to top off and beat the No. 1 team on their own soil was even more special.”Competition for places is something Langer has been hoping to see for quite some time, and there was plenty of glee in his voice as he talked about seeing numerous incumbents being pushed to greater achievements by those challenging them.”Another thing I’m loving is that there’s a real competition for spots. And that is exciting for me,” he said this week. “In all forms, there’s great competition. And there’s great opportunities through the IPL leading up to the white-ball summer [and] Sheffield Shield cricket. I love that in Australian cricket.”Carey remains a more likely understudy to Paine should the captain suffer any misfortune with his problematic right index finger this summer, but it now appears that his place will be primarily as a link man between eras. Philippe, unveiled as the No. 6 for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL while Carey is understudy to Rishabh Pant for Delhi Capitals, looks increasingly like the long-term gloveman of the future.That is, of course, until another contender shows up to challenge. At that point, it will be Philippe hearing Grandpa Simpson’s warning. “It’ll happen to you, too.”

The former South Africa batsman and ace fielder looks ahead to his T10 coaching stint, and talks about the best fielders he’s seen so far

Interview by Shashank Kishore07-Jan-2021The full-length dive into the stumps to run out Inzamam-ul-Haq at the 1992 World Cup is one of cricket’s most iconic images. The man in that picture, Jonty Rhodes, is pushing 52 but looks no older than 25. Fitness is a big part of his life, adventure even bigger. It’s this streak that has now taken him to Sweden, where he’s coaching a team of committed amateurs looking to pose a serious challenge at the Associate level. Rhodes is also a part of the IPL with the Kings XI Punjab, and will be seen in the upcoming T10 League as the head coach of the Pune Devils.In this chat, Rhodes talks about modern fielding, coaching below the elite level, and whether he has any World Cup regrets.You’ve had a busy post-retirement life. Fielding coach, head coach, motivational speaker, bank officer, commentator. Is there a box you are yet to tick?
I retired in 2003 and immediately started working with Standard Bank as a sponsorship manager. I didn’t really get back into cricket for six years. I retired thrice, which is crazy (laughs), but I could never leave it because this is a game I’m so passionate about.Related

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Initially, I thought I’d walk away from cricket completely, until the IPL came along. I started with Mumbai Indians in 2009 as fielding coach – did it for nine seasons. After that, a two-year break helped me, from a journey point of view. I spent a lot of time developing the game at the grassroot structures as opposed to working with high-performance players or teams. That was an eye-opener. I spent time in Nepal, Malawi, Zimbabwe, in different parts of South Africa – places with passion for the game but with limited facilities, yet it doesn’t diminish people’s love for what they do.Hopefully 20 years later, I’m still throwing balls around, scoring, umpiring or doing something in cricket.What are the challenges of coaching a small Associate member country like Sweden?
At Sweden, I’m not just the national coach, I’ve got to also look after the pathways from junior cricket to Under-19s to women’s cricket because there are only four paid professionals at the Swedish Cricket Federation. I’ve got players from Sweden who originate from Pakistan, Afghanistan, India. There aren’t too many locals, so that’s something I’m looking to push for. If you can harness that diversity, it’s a huge asset to have.There’s also a T10 gig coming up with the Pune Devils. How did that come about?
Interestingly, Sweden has a lot of T10 cricket. They don’t have many facilities, but there are a lot of clubs who want to play on weekends. It’s too drawn out to facilitate 50-over cricket. All the players registered with us are working professionals, so they only have the weekend off. Both T20 and T10 are a big part of the Swedish cricket make-up. I’ve got to get as much experience from this shortened version, even if it isn’t from an ICC point of view, because Sweden isn’t participating in a tournament currently.I’ve worked as a sponsorship manager when we introduced the Pro-20 in South Africa in 2004. I’ve been a stakeholder in T20s for a long time, so I’m looking to try and see that adjustment is very quick in T10 as well. It’s a different format. There are players who have more experience than I have [Pune’s marquee signings include Thisara Perera and Mohammad Amir], so I’m also looking to learn from them.On boundary catching: “If your feet are shuffling sideways, you can have the power to spring up and land at the same place”•BCCIWhat is the biggest attribute needed in a team environment today?
The ability to listen. As coaches, your first instinct is to feel the need to say something, but when you have so many experienced players in your line-up, you need something unique and powerful, because they have seen it all. On the field, you have no say when things unfold. Also, from the business point of view, there’s lot of strategy and analysis that could work, but it’s about the actual execution that’s important. And that’s done better by listening rather than telling them what to do. If you’re listening, you’re giving them a chance to work out what the best plan could be. It allows people to grow. It’s an important attribute to any environment – T20, T10, even life.Batsmen often have to change mindsets when they switch formats. Does it apply to fielding as well?
Yes, you talk about fielding in T20 cricket, but fielding is huge in Test cricket too. I still remember Ravindra Jadeja’s one-handed catch at deep square leg in a Test in New Zealand [in Christchurch in March 2020]. Those sorts of efforts can change a Test, but yes, T20 has certainly highlighted the importance of fielding and its intensity. In the IPL, you saw some brilliant saves at the boundary, not just great catches. Everywhere you’re looking to save a run. In a lot of games, it all comes down to the last over, last ball, so it’s not about if the guys are doing it differently, I don’t think so.Over the years, have you seen a fundamental shift in how young Indian players approach fielding?
One hundred per cent, but it’s more about the fitness levels. MS Dhoni started it in his quiet way. As captain, he was a quiet, behind-the-scenes guy with a lot of authority. Compare that to Virat Kohli. Heart on his sleeve, he’s very determined in what he wants to change and what he thinks is important. You think of his fitness level and how it changed his game and his athletic ability. You’ve seen that with guys like Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina – players I’m a great fan of – because of the ability to move in the field and the contributions they make with the bat.If you’re setting standards in your fitness levels consistently, that’s amazing. Because as a fielding coach, I can always coach somebody to catch the ball, but the difficulty is in getting somebody to the ball to catch it. If they don’t have that ability and mobility, it’s difficult. From what you’ve seen, the athletic ability has changed of all youngsters coming through.Cricket is a game of habit. Too often, you’ll have ten years of “this is how we field” and it’s difficult to change that. You can bat for two hours, but in India in April-May during the IPL, there’s no chance you can field for more than 20 minutes, so we work together in small groups: ten to 20 minutes of high-intensity fielding, 100%, get it right and move on. Players who spend lot of time bowling and batting, if you can improve their ability to move, that’s a massive change in the right direction.”If you’re listening [as a coach], you’re giving the players a chance to work out what the best plan could be. It allows people to grow”•Samuel Rajkumar/BCCITalking of athletic ability, we’ve seen some incredible boundary catches in the IPL. What is the key to being a good boundary rider?
It’s important to not take your eye off the ball. Whether you’re batting or fielding, you still have to watch the ball. Awareness is the key. What I try and promote as fielding coach is the need for players to play different sport. Whether it’s badminton, football – not seriously, just to get that lateral movement. As a field hockey player, there was a huge benefit to my fielding. It was a massive benefit to me [to be] a football player, because it gives you that peripheral vision and the awareness of space.From a catching point of view, it’s about getting back to the rope as quickly as possible and not looking at it. I was trying to get the guys to shuffle back to the boundary like they are stepping out when they are batting. You don’t run forward or run backwards when you’re stepping out to bat, you still come with a good shape. It will give you a good base to work from because if your momentum is taking you back towards the rope, as soon as you jump, you’re going to jump outside the rope. Whereas if your feet are shuffling sideways, you can have the power to spring up and land at the same place.Those sorts of things do have a technique to it. It’s about doing it enough times so that it becomes a habit and the players become aware. You can work on the technical skills, but it’s the awareness, the anticipation, that’s important.From memory, can you pick out some of the boundary catches that have stood out?
Hmm, not really. You think of the 2019 World Cup. Ben Stokes caught Andile Phehlukwayo at the boundary, but he got it wrong. He came in, one hand, leapt up and caught it. Adam Bacher caught Sachin Tendulkar one-handed in a Test in Cape Town when Tendulkar was just defying us. He got 100-odd, I think [169], and the only way we could get him out was through that incredible one-handed catch at the boundary over his head.With regards to T20, there’s been so much brilliance. What I’m loving is that for the first six years of the IPL, if you had a top-ten compilation [of the best boundary catches], it was only the international players in it. Two would be Indians. Now, you’d have at least seven Indians. That, for me, is way more exciting than one particular catch that stands out. It’s just the awareness that these young kids coming through have and the work that they are putting in as fielders.Who are the some of the best fielders you’ve seen?
Ricky Ponting was an incredible fielder. He shattered his ankle sliding into the advertising boards once. In Perth, there used to be a concrete wall as the boundary, as you saw in a lot of Australian grounds. Guys like myself and Ricky, who were committed in the field, had it tough diving around to save every run because we didn’t have a cushion to slide over while trying to pull the ball back in. We either had a wall or picket fence. So Ricky was incredible. Also, the accuracy with which he hit the stumps was amazing.Herschelle Gibbs – I spent a lot of my career playing with him, having him at cover and me at point was a lot of fun. The two of us terrorising the opposition batters was a lot of fun.I’ve enjoyed watching Suresh Raina throughout his career. He was Mr IPL. Everyone spoke about his batting, never missing a game for so long. My impression of him was: here’s a guy who is diving around, having grown up in India, which is an indication that he wasn’t afraid. Him and AB de Villiers, in the modern day, I’ve enjoyed. It’s not about the catches, it’s about the anticipation – them putting pressure on the opposition and never taking the foot off the gas for the full 20 overs.”I played in four World Cups. In four attempts, we didn’t win. If you tell me that I had a disappointing career, no. I don’t have any regrets”•Chris Turvey/PA Photos/Getty ImagesI have to ask you about your international career as we wrap up. Was there a hint of regret at not having won a World Cup despite having the teams to do so?
I played 11 years for South Africa. I played in four World Cups. My career spanned from the start of one edition to the end of another, and I never got to a final. Part of T10 is my focus on the process, less the outcome. As coach, it’s important to allow players the freedom. In four attempts [with South Africa], we didn’t win. If you tell me that I had a disappointing career, no. I don’t have any regrets. Talking of South Africa being chokers at ICC events, having been a part of it, never once have we walked onto the field thinking, “We’re going to win” or “Oh, we’re going to choke.” So from that point of view, I have no single regret.I had an incredible opportunity to represent my country at a stage where three years before 1992, even three months before the World Cup, no one even thought we’d be going there. Having that larger picture of life has shaped me in my cricket. I don’t have a regret. I’m just grateful. I didn’t even have a country to play for six months before the World Cup. And when I came in, people went, “Who is this guy Jonty Rhodes?” Because my average in state cricket was really poor. I was a feisty young guy on the field, but it wasn’t a big part of the game. Kepler Wessels was my captain. He’d played in Australia and knew how important it was. You couldn’t hit the ball out of the ground. The boundaries were big. You needed speed on the outfield, and he chose Hansie Cronje and myself in the squad.Not a single regret with regards to my cricket. No player envy either. How many cups you won doesn’t define me as a player. Australia won three World Cups during my time, but it doesn’t make my career any less of an incredible opportunity to do what I did to make a name for myself by playing a sport in the backyard with my brothers.

Azam will most likely score 50 runs off around 37 balls every second match he bats

Gaurav Sundararaman08-Jun-2021Babar Azam the T20 batter often faces criticism for the role he plays and his strike rate, but let’s lay down some basic facts: Since the start of 2019, he has scored the most runs in T20Is (1004) as well as in T20s (3461) in the world. He averages 41.33 and 49.44 in the two formats respectively. With a minimum cut-off of 2000 runs, only Virat Kohli and Dawid Malan average more than Azam in T20Is and only David Warner is ahead in T20s.Averages and runs scored are perhaps not the best metrics to measure a player’s worth in this format. Is strike rate better? Out of the 18 players who have scored 2000 runs, Azam has scored slower than just seven. Three of those – Glenn Maxwell, Kieron Pollard and AB de Villiers – are finishers and T20 greats.The two openers with better strike rates than Azam’s 137.23 are Alex Hales and Chris Lynn, but both average slightly above 30. Azam has scored faster than the likes of Kohli, KL Rahul, Warner, Aaron Finch, Malan and Shikhar Dhawan. Azam also tops the charts in 50-plus scores, with 34 such scores in just 83 innings. This means that if you have Azam in your team, he will most likely score 50 runs off around 37 balls every second match he bats.The role of top-three batters in a T20 side like Pakistan is often questioned without acknowledging how much it is a function of the team’s power-hitting capabilities in the middle and lower-middle order. Malan – the top ranked T20I batter – does not find himself in the crosshairs of critics as often as Azam because England can afford his scoring rate. At the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kohli’s scoring rate in the first leg of IPL 2021 didn’t attract much attention because he had de Villiers and Maxwell to follow. Azam, unfortunately, doesn’t always enjoy that luxury.But three games in the first half of this year’s disrupted PSL illustrated the impact he can have, depending on the batting quality around him. Against the Islamabad United, Azam made 62 off 54 balls in a team score of 196. The match run rate was close to 9.8 runs per over, Azam scored at just over 6.5 and his side lost.In the very next game, the Multan Sultans set the Karachi Kings a target of 196 and Azam scored an unbeaten 60-ball 90 to take his team through with seven balls to spare. The last game was another high-scoring chase against the Peshawar Zalmi, in which Azam scored an unbeaten 77 runs from 47 deliveries and helped chase down 188.Each time, while Azam was protecting his wicket and batting through, batters around him, such as Mohammad Nabi, Joe Clarke and Sharjeel Khan, were outscoring him and making up for his lack of power-hitting. Even though he lost the first of those games, Azam seldom enjoys the luxury of that kind of batting around him when playing for Pakistan. Since January 2019, from positions four onwards, Pakistan average 18.27 runs per dismissal at a strike rate of 122.8. This is the worst among the top-ten T20I teams. Increasingly, however, there is a realisation that the role of anchors like Azam, Rahul and Kohli – who look to bat through their team’s innings – should be fluid.Anchors are currently seen as the “hedges” in line-ups. If they bat through, the team is likely to post a par total. If they are dismissed early, teams have been known to fold quickly, so the anchors are a hedge against those collapses. In that perspective, as power-hitting scales new heights every year, anchors are even seen as deadweights. But not only does this overlook the difference in pitches around the world, it also overlooks the different nuances of an anchor in setting up totals or chasing them down.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn 2021, of the 83 matches played in the PSL, the BBL and the IPL, teams batting first have scored over 170 43 times. At a little more than half, that is the highest percentage in any calendar year in these leagues. More importantly, chasing teams have won 27 of those, a 12.7% jump from the next-best calendar year for chasing teams (2018).When batting first in T20s – as wickets are a surplus resource in the format – teams are increasingly ending up in situations with unutilised power-hitting resources in the dugout. As a team approaches the end of an innings, it is better off bringing out big shots and this is where an anchor can become a liability.Often anchors are criticised if they are not able to make up the strike rate once they’ve been in for between 20 to 30 balls. The criticism is also dependent on whether the team wins or loses; in Azam’s or Rahul’s case, we have seen scores of 180 or 200 being made to look sub-par because of a lack of good bowling. But batters get called out for playing slowly. The anchor’s role is thus more suited to chasing, because the ability to determine a par score batting varies from person to person.But anchors do need to have a couple of higher gears. With five or six wickets left during the death on a flat track, each ball has to count. A collapse is less likely from that situation, and therefore, a hedge against it becomes more expensive, more so in a team that lacks middle-order heft. The anchor is now expected to provide the heft in such XIs, because, ultimately, what’s the use in posting a ‘decent’ total that is likely to be chased down?Is Azam fluid? Perhaps not as much as he should be. The basic stats for most of the best anchors are very similar. Where Azam lags is in his ability to hit sixes through an innings. He does hit boundaries, but he could do with taking more risks. Since 2019 and from the first ten balls he faces in an innings, Azam hits a six once every 136 deliveries, which is the worst among his peers. Between balls 11-30, Azam hits a six once every 63 balls, again the lowest among this group. It is only once he is settled, when he gets past the 30-ball mark, that he begins to hit sixes more consistently. Ultimately, because Azam hits boundaries regularly, his strike rate across these phases doesn’t fare as poorly in comparison with the others, but in terms of an improvement he can bring, six-hitting is one.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhat Azam does bring is Bradmanesque consistency in the ficklest of formats where batters are likely to fail every other game. Since 2019, he scores a fifty once every 2.4 innings, a remarkable frequency. He has also been the top scorer for his side 36.1% of the time, more than any of the 66 batters with a minimum of 50 innings since 2019. The top five in this list, unsurprisingly, are all openers, Azam leading Warner, Mohammad Rizwan, Rahul and D’Arcy Short.ESPNcricinfo LtdBut top-scoring doesn’t say much if it doesn’t account for the impact it has on a game. And impact, of course, depends on players around him as well. For Azam’s team to succeed he needs support from his partners – which is why those three PSL games mentioned earlier are illustrative.Two different metrics are useful here. The first is how often a batter outscores, and at a better rate, the batter at the other end. Taking a minimum of 20 innings of 20+ balls faced since 2019, the likes of Pollard, Andre Russell, Nicolas Pooran and de Villiers – T20 specialists so to speak – head a list of 58 players. Anchors rank in the bottom third. Azam is 50th, outscoring and outpacing his partner 38% of the time, with Malan, Kohli and Warner also in this bracket.One learning from this is that it is important to try and partner the bottom-ranked players in this list with the top-ranked ones as often as possible in an innings. That is, if Azam is in the team, the ideal situation is to have a player like one of the top-ranked players here batting around him. That is a way to maximise the impact of an anchor and is an approach likely to work irrespective of pitches, batting first or chasing.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe other metric comes from ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, measuring how often a top-order batter (1 to 3) has top-scored and had the highest impact in a game (This measure takes into account the match run-rate, the required run rate, quality of the bowler, batting depth as well as the pressure a partner creates.)Placing this impact against instances of top-scoring gives an indicator of how often batters around the top-scorers have had a greater impact on the game. The likes of Azam, Kohli, Rahul and Malan all top-score for their teams consistently but don’t create enough impact. These players stack up together on the top left of the graphic above.The likes of Warner, Jos Buttler, Hales and Lynn stack up to the top right, meaning that if they top score, they are more likely to win the game. Ideally, you want your team to have more players in that top right corner.All of which, ultimately, means that Azam can continue playing the way he does as long as his teams have the batters to play around him. Azam 2.0 will need an improvement of his power game. He is only 26 at the moment so there is no reason why he cannot build his game to be fluid enough to adapt to different situations. At 26, he is not even close to his peak and once he gets there, there’s no telling what he can achieve.With inputs from Shiva Jayaraman