Top 5 Cricketers of the Week: 12th – 18th June

The 2017 ICC Champions Trophy has come to an end and the fascinating tournament that started under the threat of rain gave us a blistering last week of cricket with the No.8 ranked team viz. Pakistan lifting the trophy and vindicating themselves. They did so at the expense of the ICC events’ marquee contender, India, who didn’t turn up for the final.

Here we take a look at the top five performers of the week.

#1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

It was an onslaught against the Indian bowlers after Virat Kohli’s poor call to let Pakistan bat on a batting beauty in a pressure game at The Oval, in the Champions Trophy final. One man, however, shone in the blue of India and that was the ever-dependable Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who showed great skill and tremendous control.

Bhuvi registered figures of 10-2-44-1 while Jasprit Bumrah went for 68 in 9 overs, Ashwin went for 70 in 10 and Jadeja went for 67 in 8 overs. None of them had a wicket to show for their efforts either.

If not for Bhuvi, the defeat would have been much bigger as he single-handedly robbed Pakistan of about 20 runs in the death overs. This was thanks to his clever change of pace and length, dishing out a mixture of yorkers, slower bouncers and full and wide deliveries. Too bad that his glorious performance ended on the wrong side. He also finished as India’s highest wicket-taker in the tournament with seven scalps to his name.

#2 Rohit Sharma

A sublime century in the semi-final against Bangladesh

Chasing 265 against an unpredictable but pumped-up side in a high-pressure situation is never easy. However, Rohit Sharma made it look like a cakewalk with an elegance that only he could conjure. In Birmingham against Bangladesh in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy, Rohit, who added 87 for the opening wicket with Shikhar Dhawan and then an unbeaten 178 for the second wicket with Virat Kohli (96*), scored a 129-ball 126 that was laced with 15 sublime fours and a six.

India cantered to the finishing line, reaching 265 in just 40.1 overs in a one-sided game. Rohit, however, ended the tournament on a low, out duck in the final against Pakistan but was still the second highest run-getter with 304 runs, 34 behind his opening partner, Dhawan, who picked up the Golden Bat award. Rohit was low on the strike-rate though, 86.85.

#3 Mohammad Amir

A true wizard

Very few can reach the inspired levels of bowling that Amir reached on the big day in a big match. He was virtually unplayable at The Oval in the CT Final, swinging and moving the ball on a flat deck at a speed of 145kph. The much-vaunted Indian top order had no reply to Amir’s left-arm pace. The three batsmen who had carried India audaciously into the final fell one after the other.

Amir returned match figures of 6-2-16-3, accounting for Rohit Sharma in the third ball of the innings, Virat Kohli in the third over and then Shikhar Dhawan in the 9^th over. That broke the back of the chase.

Amir, uprooting three batsmen in sublime form, thereby marked his return to being Pakistan’s spearhead after his banishment, embarrassment and ostracization. That he got Kohli, the best ODI batsman at the moment, twice in two balls (dropped in the slip and then caught at point the very next ball) is a testimony to his skill.

#4 Fakhar Zaman

Pakistan’s fearless opener

Fakhar Zaman has played four ODIs for Pakistan. His team has won all four. He has contributed in all four. Now that wins more than just curiosity. The icing on the cake was his improvement curve which ended with a century in the final of the Champions Trophy.

Pakistan’s top run-scorer, despite missing the first game, bagged himself 252 runs at 63 but more importantly with a strike-rate of 113 at the top of the order. After being let-off early by India, thanks to a no-ball, he smashed a 106-ball 114 with 12 fours and three sixes adding 128 for the opening stand with Azhar Ali.

He then added another 72 with Babar Azam, Pakistan’s other talismanic top-order batsman. The southpaw, a find from the T20 league of Pakistan has also scored two half-centuries in this tournament, including a fearless 58-ball 57 against England in the semi-final, in another century partnership at the top. His advent has solved one of Pakistan cricket’s biggest ODI problems – their opening stands.

#5 Hasan Ali

Winner of the Golden Ball Award

Hasan Ali wasn’t the big name in an intimidating Pakistan bowling line-up, but he is, now, after picking up 13 wickets in the Champions Trophy to win the Golden Ball Award. The next on that list is Josh Hazlewood with 9 wickets. Hasan averaged 14.69 per wicket and bowled at an economy of 4.29, most of his spells coming on flat batting tracks. At Cardiff, he was Player of the Match, ruffling the pre-tournament favourites England with some sensational bowling.

Ali returned figures of 3/35 in his 10 overs. He picked up the massive wickets of Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes. That is probably one of the most potent group of batsmen in ODI cricket at the moment. As a result of that bowling, England could amass only 211 in 49.5 overs, which Pakistan chased down losing just 2 wickets, with 77 balls to spare.